David's Sermons

I've done a number of sermons over the past few years, and keep the notes for them. I thought it would be useful to put these online, so have started adding these when I get time to copy them out. The sermons present an overview of the subject rather than an in-depth exposition. This is because a) I'm copying out my notes rather than expanding them fully and b) my sermons tend to be fairly short anyway. I'd be interested in any comments on what I've said.

David's Sermons

The Door

Date: 18/05/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Genesis 6 v 5-14, 7 v 11-16

Genesis 6 v 5-14

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Genesis 7 v 11-16

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

Noah is a picture to us of the saved man. The Lord warned him of him impending doom, and also showed him the way of salvation. Noah believed the Lord, and followed His instructions to build the ark. He built only one door into the ark, and that door was to be shut by God. While it was open, anyone could come in, but very few did. Just Noah and his family entered into safety. Once God had shut the door, the judgement came on the world.

John 10 v 9

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Ephesians 2 v 18

For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Just as Noah was, we are warned about the judgement to come, and we are also shown the way of salvation. The door is open to anyone, but it won't stay that way. There will come a time when God will shut the door, and judgement will come upon the world.

Houses have doors, and doors have locks. Generally only the members of the family who live in the house have keys that fit those locks. Christ calls Himself the Door. He is the only way into heaven. Sin is the lock that stops us from entering, but Jesus offers us the key: redemption through His blood. We can only come into God's kingdom through the Door. He is the Way.

Our own world is imperfect, and we can lose the keys to our houses. When I was a boy we were returning from a day out in the town, and on the way back from the bus stop my younger brother asked for the key to get into the house. He was given it and ran on ahead. When we passed some grass we noticed he was out with his friends playing football. "What did you do with the key?". "Oh, I couldn't open the door, so I posted the key through the letterbox". This was our only key! Fortunately a nice neighbour came to the rescue with some string and a magnet.

Once we have been given the key to Heaven we can never lose it. It's a personal key that only allows entry to us, not friends or family. They must see their need for their own keys.

The door separates people. There are those inside and those outside. The Door also separates between those who are His and those who aren't. We can invite others in, but they must enter of their own accord, and by the Door. Some think there are other ways in, some don't believe there's a place of safety to go to. But Jesus Christ said "I am the Door. By me if any man enter in he shall be saved".

Rehoboam

Date: 1/8/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 1 Kings 11 v 28-35

1 Kings 11 v 28-35

And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:
And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
(But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)
Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:
But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.

Background

Israel wanted a king. This wasn't what God wanted, but He allowed it, showing His permissive will. The first king was Saul, a tall and strong man who started off well, but was weak and turned away from God. The next was David. He had failures, but overall was a very good king and a faithful follower of his Lord. He was a man after God's own heart. Then there was Solomon, David's son. Solomon was a very god king to start with. He asked for wisdom and was granted it and he ruled well. He built the temple, but he turned away from God's things and tried to live life his own way.

The Split

Only three kings, and the nation is split because of its disobedience.

Leadership means that people will follow you, in sin as well as in doing good. Solomon was head of a nation. He had been given a great deal of responsibility as well as a great privilege. As he turned from God, so did Israel. People follow people, and we need to be aware of this. Whether we are leaders by position, by nature or by example, others will follow what we do. They will hook up to us like carriages on a train, and where the train goes, they will go.
What God entrusts to us, He can also take away. Job realised this when he said that God gives and God takes away. He knew that what he had wasn't his by right, and if God took it away, he couldn't complain. God entrusts us with many things: money, talent, people, service. How do we treat the things he has given us? Do we take them for granted or do we treasure them and see them as a responsibility? If we mistreat the gifts of God, He may even take them away from us. This isn't the only reason He removes gifts though. He may do it to test us, or to help us stop relying on an ability and start relying on Him.
Others suffer the consequences of our sins. Imagine Rehoboam's position. He has been placed in very difficult circumstances because of the disobedience of others. There are no victimless crimes: our sins always affect us, and they always affect others as well. We see babies born addicted to drugs because of the actions of their parents. We need to think of others when we take action. The flipside is also true, though. When we are obedient, we receive the blessing, and so do those around us.

1 Kings 12 v 1-4

And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.

We can inherit the problems of those who came before us. I joined a project at my work, and inherited a whole set of code that had problems. I didn't create the problems, but it was up to me to fix them. I would be assessed on how I handled someone else's problems. We shouldn't moan and complain in these situations, but take the opportunity to make things better. If we do our best, God will add His blessings.

1 Kings 12 v 5-17

And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him;
And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

There are always two voices when decisions are required. Just like in the cartoons where there is a little angel and a little demon perched on the shoulders of the character, we have to choose between the voice of God and the voice of the old nature. Its not always easy to tell them apart. Rehoboam made the mistake of choosing the wrong advice to follow. He took the advice of his young friends. Often, it is the older, more experienced who give us the better advice.

To lead, we need to serve. This was the advice of the older men. Rehoboam, should be a servant of the people rather than a tyrant ruler. This idea pervades Jesus' teaching. If we are to lead effectively, we must learn to be servants to those we lead. We must not Lord it over them but be lowly and humble, an example to them.

1 Kings 12 v 21-24

And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

Division is sad, and it's happened all through history. The church has been divided over many issues, yet there is only one Heaven, where we will live together in harmony. What are the things that divide?

doctrine - this can be a serious reason for splitting, but often it is such minor things that people get upset about and disagree over
personality - people clash. There are those we get on with and those we don't. Should we separate from the people we don't like, or learn to live with them and love them?
disobedience - often someone being in the wrong is the complaint of the other party. Yet how often is there an argument where one side is perfectly right and the other totally wrong? When people learn to see their own faults they can start getting on better with others

What was Rehoboam's response? To go out and fight. Why? It was God who had taken away from him, and He had been merciful, leaving Rehoboam with something. Our response to loss is one of the things that can really build us up as Christians.

Unity is important. We need to strive for it. Not by trying to convince everyone else to agree with us, but to see ourselves with a touch of reality, and learn to differentiate the trivial from the important. One day all Christians will live together. Let's start trying to do so now.

Jeroboam

Date: 08/08/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 1 Kings 12, 13

1 Kings 12 v 25-33

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

These two weeks we are looking at Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the first two kings of the divided Israel. Last week we thought about Rehoboam, Solomon's son. He didn't realise his position of leadership required him to take on the role of a servant. He took the advice of his peers instead of that of his father's advisors, and turned the people against him.

This week we look at Jeroboam. He was a mighty man, and a leader of people, Years before, the prophet Ahijah had spoken to him, and had given him 10 pieces of his torn cloak. This was a sign that God would give Jeroboam 10 of the tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was afraid of Solomon, and so he fled to Egypt, until he knew Solomon had died.

It was Jeroboam who brought the people to Rehoboam, when he became king. They asked that Rehoboam would lighten the load laid on them by the taxes of Solomon. We know from last week that Rehoboam refused, and would lay a heavier load on them instead. Jeroboam led the Israelites in a revolt, which resulted in 10 tribes of the north splitting off and hailing Jeroboam as their king. Rehoboam was left with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

A split Israel was not God's original plan, and there was one central place of worship for the Jews: Jerusalem. This worried Jeroboam. He thought that his people's yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Judah would turn their favour back towards Rehoboam. He decided to set up his own centres of worship, in Bethel and Dan. He made golden calves for the people to worship and set up his own priesthood, from anyone who wished to become a priest. What he was doing was setting up a counterfeit religion. It had similarities with the Jewish faith but it was a false religion.

One day a prophet came to Bethel, with a message for Jeroboam. He predicted the downfall of Jeroboam's priesthood, at the hands of a future king. He even names this king, Josiah. To give validity to his prophecy, he says the altar will crack and its ashes flow out, and sure enough that happens. In outrage, Jeroboam points at the prophet and orders him taken, but his hand is frozen in place. He then asks the prophet to pray for his release, which he does, and safely leaves the king, only to meet his own fate on the way out of the country.

There are many people about who are good leaders, strong leaders, and people are naturally drawn to them. Many are gifted by God with the ability to lead; however with that gift comes responsibility. There are many who set themselves up as God's mouthpiece, and lead their followers astray. We must remember that there is one way to God. There are many other ways that look similar, maybe look more attractive, but they do not lead us to God. It's good to be encouraged and guided by a spiritual person, but our sight must always be set on Christ. If someone adds or takes away from what Christ has said, the danger bells should ring.

We also need to be careful with the gifts God has given to us. He gives us gifts that can be used to please Him and glorify Him, but they can also be abused, and turn others away from God. A leader can draw people to Christ, or they can draw people to their own ideas. A great preacher can fill people with an awe of God, or he can fill them with an awe of the preacher. What gifts has God given to you? Use them wisely, and with humility.

Date: 18/05/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text:

Elisha

Introduction

Does God treat everyone the same? Obviously not. God values us equally, but he works through us in different ways. In this sermon we're going to look at Elisha, how God used him, how different he was from Elijah, his predecessor and what we can learn from his life.

Background

In the time we're looking at, Israel has been divided in two, with the northern kingdom of Israel, capital Samaria, and the southern kingdom of Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital. Israel consists of ten of the original tribes, with Judah containing just Judah and Benjamin. In Israel, Ahab has died, Ahaziah ruled for 1 year and Joram taken his place. In Judah, Jehoshaphat is ruling, along with his son Jehoram.

In 1 Kings we hear how Elisha is called by Elijah. God tells Elijah to put his coat on Elisha, who is ploughing at the time. Elisha burns up his plough and cooks his cattle to signify he has left his old life behind, and follows Elijah. He becomes Elijah's servant and pupil ("poured water on Elijah's hands").

At the end of Elijah's ministry, he is taken away in a chariot of fire. Elisha has asked for a double portion of his spirit, and receives the sign that he has it. In these days the heir of the household received twice as much as the other sons, so Elisha is asking to take over Elijah's mantle here, not asking for more spirit than he had. Elisha strikes the Jordan river with Elijah's coat, walks across on dry land and starts his ministry.

Comparison

The people at the time must have wondered how Elisha would compare with Elijah. When we look at the two characters and their works, they are very different.

Elijah was a very forceful prophet. His miracles were mighty, destructive ones usually:

Altar consumed by God's fire
Prayed for rain to stop
Killed Ahaziah's messengers

In contrast, Elisha's miracles rarely did any damage. He seems to have spent most of his time helping people. The people must have respected and feared Elijah, but they probably loved and trusted Elisha. Most of Elijah's time was spent fighting against the worshippers of Baal, while Elisha's ministry seems to have been more of a building up of the other prophets.

God works with people in different ways. Some people he will lay on their back to get their attention, some he will just need to speak quietly to. Some people he will use in the pulpit, some in their work, some in their home. Some people's job is to fight against evil in the country, some are just their to be helpful and to encourage.

The Prophets' School

It looks like there was a school of young prophets at this time, led by Elisha. The prophets of Baal, led by Jezebel, had wiped out most of God's prophets so this was probably the beginnings of a reconstruction of the people.

Elisha doesn't just train these people in prophecy, but in practical things. They seem to be a bit inept in what they try and do: one prophet tries to make some stew with some plants he has found, which turn out to be poisonous, and Elisha has to step in and purify the stew. Another time they are building a bigger house for themselves and one of them loses his axe head in the river. Elisha drops a stick into the river and the axe head floats to the surface.

Helpful Miracles

Sometimes we look at today's problems and think they are new, that this situation didn't exist in the old days. We can see though that people in Elisha's time had much the same problems as we have today, and he tackles many of them in miraculous ways:

Thirst - he purifies the stream that supplies Jericho's water. Today there is a spring in Jericho known as Elisha's fountain.
Debt - a widow of one of his prophet school is seriously in debt; so much so she fears she must sell her children. Elisha provides a miracle which gives her enough oil to fill all her containers, and more than pays off her debt.
Death - a woman from Shunam has a son, thanks to Elisha's prophecy. When the child dies, Elisha comes back and lies on top of the boy, who is brought back to life.
Poison - Elisha purifies the stew his prophets make which has "death in the pot".
Hunger - Elisha manages to make 20 small loaves spread around 100 men: a foreshadow of Jesus feeding the 5000.
Disease - Namaan comes to Elisha to be cured of leprosy, and is healed after bathing in the Jordan seven times.

Elisha helped the debtors, the sick, the dead, the hungry. He went about helping people and his ministry must have been a great testimony of God's provision when the people were in need. This is one of the most effective ways we can witness, simply by helping people, by doing good. The bible tells us it is our duty to look after widows and orphans and so on. The most effective witness can often be helping someone out.

God with Elisha

It looks like Elisha was quite a gentle man, but this doesn't mean people could walk over him. Elisha had all the power of the Lord behind him, and people soon found this out:

One time Elisha was heading towards a town when a gang of youths started shouting at him and insulting him. Elisha cursed them and two bears came out of the woods and tore 42 of the youths apart.
Elisha kept telling the Israelite king what the Arameans were about to do, after being told by God. They took umbrage at this and went out against him. Elisha was in Dothan and the Arameans surrounded the town. When one of his pupils professed concern about the situation, Elisha told him not to worry: "They that are with us are greater than they which are with them" he said, pointing out fiery horses and riders beyond the enemy. Elisha prayed, God made the army blind, and Elisha led them to Samaria. Instead of killing them he gave them a big feast and sent them home.
Later the Arameans came and besieged Samaria, but once again, God defeated them without using violence. The Arameans heard noises in the night and ran away.

Lessons from Elisha's Life

What can we learn from Elisha's life? Some will associate themselves with Elisha while others may think of themselves as an Elijah. We can all learn a lot from Elisha's life, however.

He was trained under Elijah: he had a mentor who brought him up, advised him and taught him. It's important that we have someone we can look to as our teacher. Once Elisha was mature, he took on others as trainees, passing on his knowledge and experience.
He wanted God to use him. He was willing to take on the task he was given.
He was available. Whenever people were in need they could find him. When the Shunammite woman's son died, she went to Mount Carmel to find and retrieve him. Elisha was willing to go back with her. We can be of no use to people if we're not available.
He cared for people. Elisha went out of his way to help people. We need to have more care for those around us.
He was practical. When the widow came to him he didn't just say he would pray for her; he provided the solution to her problem. It's very easy to pray for people without getting out there and helping them, which is what we should be doing.

Conclusion

Elisha was a caring man and a much loved prophet. We should all strive to love people as much as he did, to get out there and help people in need, instead of just praying for them. Praying is important, much faith without works is dead. We should also learn to see the sort of person we are and accept that is what God has given us and start to use our unique talents for him.

Elisha and the Widow's Oil

Date: 12/08/01
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 2 Kings 4 v 1-7

2 Kings 4 v 1-7

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Today I'd like to look at a miracle that God performed through Elisha. When we look at Elisha's life we see many parallels with that of Elijah, his master. He had a very different character, but performed similar miracles, though twice as many, in fulfilment of his request for a double blessing from Elijah.

In our passage today a widow of one of Elisha's followers comes to him with a problem. She has no money, and the creditors are coming to take her children from her. Elisha asks what she has in the house and she replies "just a pot of oil". Elisha tells her to gather empty pots from her neighbours, shut herself in and start pouring into the pots. As she does so she finds that her pot has a supply of oil that only runs out when all the borrowed pots are full. She can then pay off her debts and use the rest to live on.

The first verse highlights some problems that are very relevant in today's world. Debt is very much a problem in our society. The ready availability of loans and credit cards means it is easy to fall into debt and start off a downwards spiral. Also we see here a single mother with two children, struggling to get by: also a common problem today. This brings up the topic of stewardship. God has given us much, but he expects us to take care of, and make good use of the things he gives us. It's important not to waste our money on vain pursuits and worldy excess, but it isn't just about money. God has given us talents and abilities which he expects us to use for his glory. He may also have given us charge over a group of people. He expects us to take a responsible attitude towards these things. Elisha had a responsibility towards this woman, and he made sure he carried out this responsibility. Do we shy away when God offers us responsibility, or do we take it up with gratitude? Sometimes we can take on too many responsibilities, and not be properly observant of any of them.
Elisha took on his responsibility and looked to tackle the widow's problem. The first thing he did was evaluate. This is the best thing we can do when we find ourselves in problems: step back and evaluate where we are and what we have. We learn that the widow had very little, but did have a small pot of oil. The oil in the Word represents the Holy Spirit, and sometimes our lives can become like the widow's, with only a very small portion of the Spirit evident. Getting a proper self-image is important for the Christian, and even when we think we have nothing, we must realise that we still have the Spirit indwelling us.
The widow was to borrow pots from her neighbours. How would we feel about lending her our property? Communities are a vital part of our lives and a good Christian fellowship even more so. Our fellowships should be places where love is seen: not in shows of emotion, but in acts of charity, helping each other.
Elisha told the widow that when she had gathered her pots she should shut herself in. How often do we shut ourself in with the Lord. It is then that we form that close bond with the Spirit that powers our service. It is then that the Spirit grow in our life, filling those parts of our life that we vacate. We must learn to shut ourselves in and meditate on the Word of God. It's not just about learning knowledge, but about reading what God has for us, then thinking it over through our day, applying it to situations.
The widow did as Elisha had commanded. She was obedient. It's only as we are obedient to the Lord that we will see the blessing in our lives. Like Gideon we may not understand the Lord's reason for asking us to do wat he has, but God doesn't ask us to understand, just to do. If you're not seeing blessing in your life, ask yourself this: are you being obedient to God's revealed Word?
The oil flowed and filled all the pots. It stopped when the last one was full. I wonder how many pots the widow had gathered. How much supply does the Lord give us? As much as we in faith claim. How much does the Spirit fill us? As much of us as we empty for him.
Thw widow was able to pay off her debt, and use some more to provide for her family in the future. God provides for our present needs, and also for our future. His plan is perfect, and he knows exactly what we need. You may not know why you have gone through something, but you may later find that what you gained was just what you needed in a later experience.

We see in this passage a woman with a real problem. She was given a real solution. We have a real God, who knows our needs, and supplies for them.

It's important for us to learn to shut ourselves up with the Lord. It is in these times he strengthens us, guides us and supplies us.

The more faith we have, the more God will bless us. Are you limiting God's blessing for you?

Date: 18/05/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 2 Kings 4v18-22, 32-38

Eyes, Hands, Mouth

2 Kings 4v18-22, 32-38

And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.
And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

Chapter 4 here presents a beautiful picture of salvation. It contains four miracles by Elisha:

He gives a widow in debt an large supply of oil to pay off her debt
He raises the Shunammite's son from the dead
He purifies a bowl of stew which is poisoned
He feeds 100 people with 20 small loaves

This mirrors what happens in our salvation:

Jesus paid the debt that we owed and could not pay
He raises us from the dead to new life
He purifies our hearts from the poison of sin. This is not just a one-off event, but the start of a continuing process.
He feeds us spiritual bread which helps us grow

I want to concentrate on the verses in the text. Elisha lay on top of the boy, touching his eyes, hands and mouth. Likewise, our eyes, hands and mouths are touched at salvation. We're going to look at each of these and what they mean in our Christian lives.

Eyes

The eyes speak of separation. When we're driving along the road we need to keep our eyes straight ahead. Looking down at the radio, at the person next to us or at the hills to the side causes us to start veering off the road. We need to keep our spiritual eyes fixed on Jesus, not being distracted by the things around us.

We are supposed to be separated (Lev 20v24, 18v1-3). The saying is "when in Rome, do as the Romans", but the bible commands us not to be like this. We are to be different from those around.
You have the option not to look. We can always shut our eyes from what's around us. If we keep our eyes open they can easily be drawn.
Distance yourself from what is wrong
If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out (Mat 5v29). Jesus meant this literally, but it is never our eyes which are the cause of the sin, but our hearts.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way (Psalm 119v37)
In the end, all eyes will look on the glory of the Lord (Rev 1v7)

Hands

Hands speak of service. Two men had burned hands. One hid them with gloves, the other wa quite open about his. Talking about it one day the one with the gloves admitted he had burned his hands in a robbery which went wrong. Whenever he saw his hands now, they reminded him of his past sin. The other man said he burned his hands saving his child from a fire, and he was happy whenever he looked at them now.

Hands represent the work we do, for or against God. You can tell a man's job by his hands sometimes and you can tell a person's heart from the work they do for God.
Each one has a task. We are all called to service, not just those who are pastors or speakers, but each and every one.
Who shall stand in the holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24)
Do whatever our hands find to do (Ecc 9v10). Idle hands find evil to do, so it's better to be doing something than doing nothing. God wants us to be working for him full time.
..eateth not the bread of idleness (Prov 31v27)
David sinned when he was idle, when he should have been about the Lord's business
Our work for God isn't just church on a Sunday. Our school, work, friends are all part of what God wants us to do and where he wants us to work for him.

Mouth

The mouth speaks of our witness. There's a story about a forest fire. The firemen were walking through the forest after the faire had been put out and found a body. The body was charred but had not been killed by fire, but by a fall. It was wearing a diving suit. They reckoned one of the planes had scooped up water to douse the fire and picked up the diver as well, dropping him on the forest from a great height.

This story is not true, but you may have heard it as true. It's amazing how quickly stories spread and change.

Rumours spread. Invention becomes truth
Tongue is a dangerous tool (James 3v3-10, 1v26)
Sometimes yea be yea and nay be nay is the best approach
We are called to be witnesses (Acts 1v8)
Paul witnessed for God and we should follow his example (Acts 26v22-23)
It's important that all three are in place. No separation or evil works can destroy any witness effort.
James says tongue is difficult to control. But one day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord (Phill 2v11)

Seeing God Through Nature

Date: 18/06/96
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text:Psalm 19 v 1-6

Introduction

In this essay, I intend to take a brief look at various ways God is represented in the Psalms through the imagery of nature and the natural world. Nature is used extensively throughout the Psalms to express the authors' feelings, to reveal something about God and for many other reasons. This essay is in no way meant to be exhaustive in covering the subject. Rather, I will pick out a few Psalms where the imagery of nature is used and look at what these passages tell us about God. The passages I will look at are:

Psalm 19 v 1-6: The heavens declare God's glory
Psalm 65 v 5-13: God's care for his creation
Psalm 18 v 7-15: God's anger represented by nature
Psalm 93: God is mightier than nature

The Heavens Declare God's Glory

Psalm 19 v 1-6

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

This passage takes a look at the skies around us, and marvels at them. How obvious it is that God exists, and how glorious He must be!

v1: We don't need to rely exclusively on the Bible to see God. The creator is evident in all aspects of His creation. This verse tells us how the skies are evidence of God's existence and His creative power. We can appreciate something of God's character by looking at the beauty and majesty of the skies. In fact in today's society where more and more time is spent indoors, it does one good to go outside, sit quietly watching the skies and appreciate something of what God really is.

v2: The heavens speak daily of God's great power and His artistic ability. The skies are no static piece of art which, once viewed, causes a lesser impression when viewed for a second time. They are always changing, showing off a new beauty every day, which we can never tire of watching.

v3-4a: The skies are universal, as God is universal. They clearly show His existence to all the world, from the centre of the Christian world to the land which has never heard God's Word proclaimed. This leaves no man with the excuse that they never knew God. It may be true that someone in a "Christian" country who has been brought up with the gospel commits a greater sin in rejecting God than the one in a far off land who has never heard of Jesus, but the world around us and our very natures within cry out God's existence. As Paul says in Romans 1 v 19- 20, God is evident in His creation so that man has no excuse in rejecting Him.

v4b-6: David compares the sun to a bridegroom, coming out in all his glory. It is interesting to note that the image of a bridegroom, rather than a bride, is used here, perhaps indicating the lower importance given to women at the time.

God's Care For His Creation

Psalm 65 v 5-13

By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

This psalm shows God's abundant blessing on us by reflecting on how He cares for nature. This portion starts in verse 6 by emphasizing God's power in His creation. It was He who created the mountains. Verse 7 talks about God's calming influence over His creation. He makes the world a pleasant place to be. Verse 8, as in Psalm 19, talks of how God is universal. He may have been God of the Jews, His chosen people, but He is also God over the rest of the world.

Verses 9-13 present a lovely picture of God's care for nature. He brings the rain to feed the crops to feed the people (v9). This theme of God bringing the rain continues in v10. We must remember how important the rain is to the Jewish people, who live in a hot, dry land. In verse 11 the harvest time is seen as a glorious part of the year, with God's blessing evident in His rich provision. In verse 12 the crops are shown as a direct blessing: "the little hills rejoice on every side".

The psalm finishes in verse 13 with a mention of God's provision in livestock as well as crops. The whole land cries out with happiness: nature sings for joy at the presence of the Lord. This psalm shows how closely God is involved in caring for what He has created, and the blessings he has for us.

God's Anger Seen in Nature

Psalm 18 v 7-15

Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

This psalm gives us quite a different picture of God, but again from nature. Here we see the wrath of God. We see how mighty and powerful He is. This is no picture of a cosy, benevolent, unquestioning God, but one who can be angry and, when made angry, truly a God to be feared.

The image we see here is of a volcano erupting - an awesome sight. There is so much pent up power in the volcano that the land around shakes (v7), then it erupts forth, spewing smoke, fire and burning rocks high into the air. God is shown appearing on the scene riding on clouds and on angels, using the wind to propel Him. Although we have here an angry God, He is still a God that is in control of His creation: His rule is absolute. The psalm continues by describing a thunderstorm, possibly that created by the volcano erupting, in which case the mention of dark rain clouds in verse 11 could be a pointer to rains of ash which often accompany a volcanic eruption.

The image of God firing lightning bolts down on those He is angry with is perhaps a cliched one, but provokes the thought of how powerful God really is, and how He does punish those who are against him.

God is Mightier than Nature

Psalm 93

The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

This psalm focuses on two parts of God's nature: His might and His stability. Both of these are expressed with metaphors based in nature.

v1: A declaration of God's royalty. He rules and is a fitting ruler, being clothed with a majestic quality. He is powerful and He cannot be moved. This verse compares the unyielding nature of the Earth to God's stability and steadfastness. No matter what damage man does to this Earth, it is very unlikely he will move it from its current orbit. In the same way, God is immovable, and a fitting foundation for our lives.

v2: Like the Earth, God has been around for a long time. Unlike the Earth, God has been around forever.

v3: Nature responds to God: the seas lift up and pound the land at His command. The seas cry out for the Lord and so often we don't see it. We think nature just runs its course, obeying some simple rules. How often do we think of the weather conditions around us being a direct result of the personality of God?

v4: The sea is a mighty force. Its waves can destroy the strongest sea wall; it erodes away the land year by year; its waters are often perilous to cross. Yet God is mightier than the sea. He is in control and is greater than all His creation.

v5: Just as God stands firm forever, so His holy law is eternal and unchanging. The law gives all men a standard by which they will be judged. No man can meet that standard, and so it is with gratefulness that we receive the grace which gives us power over and freedom from sin.

Conclusion

We have seen in these four extracts how the psalms use nature to give us a glimpse of the God who created all. We see in this glimpse that God is a personality: He is a loving, caring God who wants us to know Him intimately. He wants us to know about Him, even if we don't read our Bibles. He makes it clear that He is there. Yet He is not a God to be fooled with. If God's anger is provoked He is more frightening and awesome than the most destructive forces in nature. Truly He is a God to be feared.

Every one of us should occasionally take the time to go outside and contemplate God's creation. The wonders we see around us are just a taste of how glorious God really is.

The Prince of Peace

Date: 06/04/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Isaiah 9 v 6-7

Isaiah 9 v 6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

We're looking at the names of Christ, and in these verses in Isaiah He is called the Prince of Peace. What is peace?

The opposite of war, a uniformity of purpose with one another.
Like a river, all flowing in the one direction.

There are three types of peace Christ offers us:

Peace with God

Colossians 1 v 19-22

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

We were separated from God, aliens and enemies, and a process of reconciliation was needed. God could not compromise His holiness by letting sin into His presence, yet we could not meet His demands for perfection and righteousness. We needed the Prince of Peace. He came and made reconciliation between us and God. There was no compromise involved: He paid the price to make us righteous, with His blood shed on the cross, and He gave us peace with God.

Peace with Self

John 14 v 27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Peace with ourselves is an attitude that holds firm, a calmness within, which cannot be shaken by exterior events. For the world, peace means a lack of conflict, but Christ's peace is greater than that. It is a calmness in conflict. Removal of all conflict in the world is unrealistic in this age, yet we can know a peace within while war rages without. How can we know this inner peace?

Philippians 4 v 6-7

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Salvation is assured
God is in control
We know we are in the right place
Hand over your worries to God

Peace within the Church

1 Corinthians 14 v 33

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Ephesians 2 v 14,19

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Christian churches always seem to be full of squabbling and divisions, very often over minor things. We may have different backgrounds, come from very different situations, be very different types of people, but we are all fellow citizens. The Prince of Peace can "pour oil on troubled waters". When you do this, the waters are stilled, the ripples disappear, and it becomes smooth. The Prince of Peace will give us a church without ripples if we let Him rule in every aspect of our lives.

Summary

The Prince of Peace gives us:

peace with God - reconciliation
peace within self - calm assurance
peace in the church - as we let Him rule

Looking to Jesus

Date: 28/03/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Isaiah 51 v 1

Isaiah 51 v 1

Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Luke 18 v 35-43

And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Matthew 14 v 25-31

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Numbers 21 v 6-9

And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Matthew 27 v 50-55

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:

Luke 24 v 13-16, 21-24, 30-31

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Revelation 1 v 12-18

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

The Arm of the Lord

Date: 20/4/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Isaiah 53 v 1-3, 52 v 10, 55 v 4

Isaiah 53 v 1-3

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah 52 v 10

The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Isaiah 55 v 4

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Today we look at another of the names given to Jesus. He is here called the Arm of the Lord. The arm signifies strength, power, control, authority. We talk about the long arm of the law. It is also the instrument by which we put our thoughts into practise. The mind conceives a plan and the arm carries it out.

The Jews expected their Messiah to be a strong leader, a great commander. They expected Him to stamp on the gentile nations and rule in His kingdom, as written in Psalm 2. He will do these things, but they missed the details of the first coming of Christ as opposed to His second coming.

In Isaiah 53 we find a gentler character, someone who is persecuted, who is little esteemed, and this is the Christ we know who walked the earth 2000 years ago. He did have the power. We see from the great miracles He did that he had power to heal, to renew and even to restore life, but He didn't use His power in a forceful way. The Arm of the Lord was there to do the work of the Lord. He knew that His work was the cross.

John 12 v 37-41

But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

It is sad that hearts can be hardened. The people had seen Him perform so many miracles and yet didn't recognise Him as the Arm of the Lord.

To us He is the Arm of the Lord in:

creation - "all things were made by Him" (John 1 v 3). Jeremiah 32 v 17 tells us how God created everything by stretching out His arm.
salvation - "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm" (Exodus 6 v 6).
judgement - "they were judged every man according to his works" (Revelation 20 v 13).
keeping - "my sheep hear my voice and I know them" (John 10 v 27).

Arms are not just about strength and power, but also about comfort and protection. Deuteronomy 32 v 27 reminds us that we can walk for the Lord, stepping sure in the knowledge that underneath are the everlasting arms.

How Do You Measure Up?

Date: 26/1/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Amos 7v7-9

Amos 7v7-9

Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the LORD stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

In the text, God showed Amos a plumb line, indicating he was measuring Israel. The plumb line is a standard, used as a comparison to see how a wall matches the standard. The question I would like to pose is how do you measure up? What are your standards that you measure yourself against?

Bad Comparisons

There are certain people in the Bible we look at and dismiss their action as foolish, something we would never do. Often though, if we look closely at ourselves, we make the same mistakes and worse. Like the people of Israel we like to look around at others and see their mistakes. We like to see them get their come-upance for their sins. Israel was like this when Amos started to prophecy to them. In the early chapters, Amos brings the Lord's word on the surrounding nations, each time starting the same way - "For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof". They had sinned enough that he was not to be persuaded against punishing them. The Israelites must have liked hearing how ungodly their neighbours were.

Best of all in their view, was when Amos came to Judah, the southern kingdom which was split from the rest of Israel. This was Amos's home land, yet he gave the Lord's judgement on it just as with the other nations.

It must have hurt them then when he carried on to judge Israel. Not only did the Lord have words to say about Israel's sin, but they were worse than all the others. This must have made Amos very unpopular, but he still obeyed God in bringing his Word to Israel.

We often are like Israel. We look at others and wonder how they could have failed. We would never have done that. Let's look at a few examples:

Lot's wife was told not to look back, when they ran from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. She did and she was turned into a pillar of salt. Why did she turn back? Surely that was a simple instruction to obey. Yet look at our own lives. We have left behind the old man, we should be living in the Spirit. How many times do we look back at the old life with longing. Lot's wife just looked but how many times do we not just look back but wander off the track, in search of the world's pleasures? Lot's wife is a warning to us: let us not belittle that warning.
Peter told Jesus he would never deny him. Surely if that was you or I we would have kept our word and not denied Jesus. How could he do such a thing? Yet how many times in our own lives have we failed to stand up for Christ, to stand out from the crowd? How many times have we distanced ourselves from other Christians and looked on them as fanatics?
Moses met God in a burning bush. God spoke to him and asked him to take a message to Pharaoh. But Moses made up all sorts of excuses. Why didn't he just do what he was told? Why didn't he just believe that God would uphold him? Surely we would have agreed and gone for God. Yet how many times have we pulled back from doing what we know we should, saying we are unable to do it. We don't have the talents, we don't have the strength. Maybe we're not as good as we thought.

Wrong Measurements

So we're not as good as we might think. We all have our problems. But how do we really measure up in God's eyes? What attributes do we need to concentrate on?

Who do you admire? Athletes for their strength and speed, for making themselves into almost perfect physical forms? Great thinkers, who have IQs well beyond yours and mine, who understand how the world works so much better than us? People with position, like the Royal family, who their whole lives have been trained to behave as superiors? Again, let's look at some biblical examples:

Samson was strong, possibly the strongest man ever; surely a good character to look up to. Yet he used his strength for the wrong reasons, in vengeance. He had a weakness for women, and he broke all of his Nazirite vows. Samson's strength came from God and he abused it.
Solomon was the wisest man ever. He was a great thinker and for a while was a great king for Israel. In his later life though, he turned away from God, he was disenchanted with life and had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Despite the wisdom and the riches God had given him, he is not an example to follow.
Eli was a great hight priest. He was the one man in Israel who, once a year, went in to the holy of holies and was in the presence of God. He had all the advantages of position and was responsible for the spiritual welfare of the whole country. Yet Eli couldn't look after his own family. His sons were committing terrible crimes against God, but he let them go with an admonishment which they didn't listen to. God had given Eli position, but that doesn't make him a good character to follow.

God's Criteria

These three people were given qualities by God, they weren't things of their own doing. Strength, beauty, intelligence, position aren't things we can have that much effect on. We should concentrate on what God finds important - the things we can do, that don't depend on where we are born, with what or who to. I want to look at three qualities, with one example of each:

Obedience - Hebrews 11v8 says "By faith Abraham...obeyed". Because of his obedience, the chosen people came about and claimed the land of Canaan as their inheritance. He obeyed when God asked him to leave his home country. He obeyed when God asked him to sacrifice his promised son. He did what God said and that is what God asks of us. He doesn't ask us to be able to kill a hundred men, to overrun armies. He just asks us to do what he says.
Humility - in Numbers 12, Aaron and Miriam rebelled against Moses. They wanted to know why he should lead alone. The chapter comments that Moses was a man of humility. He didn't answer them back, though he had every right to. He let God do the talking, and God was fierce in his defence of Moses. We need to forget about our "rights". We have no need to defend ourselves - just leave it up to God. After all, he can defend us much better than we can.
Perseverence - in 1 Kings 18, Elijah is on Mount Carmel. The priests of Baal fail to persuade their God to consume the sacrifice they have for him. After one prayer from Elijah, God sent fire down to consume not just the sacrifice, but the altar it sat on. After this, Elijah went up to pray for the return of the rain. You would think he would expect instant action from God after what had just happened, but when his servant came back to say there were still no clouds, he wasn't discouraged, but went back to prayer. Seven times he prayed and sent his servant to check for clouds. On the seventh time, the servant spotted a small cloud, and that was enough for Elijah. What patience he showed, what perseverence. Sometimes we pray and look for an instant answer. Don;t dismay if it doesn't happen. God is pleased when we show perseverence and wants to encourage it in us. So keep going to God, keep praying for what you know is in his will. He will reward you.

Jesus portrayed all three of these attributes, and he of course is our supreme example. Hebrews 5v8 tells us he learned obedience through his suffering. Isn't it interesting that Jesus had to learn obedience, it wasn't a God-given gift built in to him. Philippians 2v6-8 tells us how he humbled himself. He brought himself low, and put others before himself. Hebrews 12v2 says he endured the cross. At any time he could have called down angels to free him, but he stayed, he hung there and died for us.

So let us endeavour to be obedient, humble and to persevere. These are qualities that we can change in ourselves and aren't so affected by circumstances. In fact hardship often gives us a chance to practise them all the more.

Date: 21/6/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Habakkuk 1v1-13

Responses

Habakkuk 1v1-13

The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their's.
They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

This sermon is about responses, our responses to various situations in life. Responses are very important and determine our fruitfulness, our effectiveness as Christians and others' perceptions of our God. In particular I want to look at responses to:

Suffering
Failure
God's Call

We'll start off with a little quiz. Count up the number of A, B and Cs you get:

You're travelling to the airport to meet someone and catch a flight. Five minutes before you reach the airport your car breaks down and the RAC don't arrive until it's too late to catch the flight. Do you:
- A. Jump up and down shouting "God, why are you doing this to me. It's not fair."
- B. Go into a depression and think everyone hates you.
- C. Say "Great, a chance to witness to the RAC."
You're reading the paper and find a full page article on a really juicy bit of gossip. Do you:
- A. Say "Hey, this looks interesting" and delve in.
- B. Read the article, commenting to yourself how terrible it is that people write this stuff.
- C. Avoid the article and write to the editor to complain about the low standard of journalism.
Your boss asks you to go to England for a couple of days. This means you will miss out on an evening. What do you choose to miss:
- A. The night you had planned to prepare your sermon.
- B. The night of your church's prayer meeting.
- C. The night you were going go-karting with friends.
You've just failed your driving test. Do you:
- A. Threaten God that if you don't pass next time you'll become a Buddhist.
- B. Go into a depression and don't talk to anyone for a week.
- C. Study and practise 24 hours a day until the next test.
You're on business visiting your customer and they tell you they hate your product. Do you:
- A. Call them an ungrateful, good for nothing so and so.
- B. Say nothing, then tell your colleague the customer's an ungrateful, good for nothing so and so.
- C. Tell them you'll have it fixed by next Friday.
You're a prophet and your people are sinning terribly. You go to God and he says he'll get the Chaldeans to punish them. Do you:
- A. Go and warn the people the Chaldeans are coming.
- B. Sit happily thinking how they deserve punished.
- C. Complain to God that the Chaldeans are even worse than your people.
Results:
- Mostly As - you are emotionally unstable and need to calm down a bit.
- Mostly Bs - you are permanently depressed and need to cheer up a bit.
- Mostly Cs - you are zealous beyond belief, or you are cheating.
OK, let's look at responses. Responses determine what people think of you, they often show how spiritual you really are. They can determine whether we are fruit bearing Christians or not. It's not what we believe or teach that determines our effectiveness, it's what we are and what we do.
Suffering
- A time of suffering can be a dangerous time for our walk with God.
- Illness can cause apathy to set in.
- Persecution can cause us to regress.
- Sometimes recovering from the backsliding caused by suffering can take longer than the suffering does. When we're ill or hurting we don't feel in the right frame of mind to deal with God, yet that's when we need him most.
- God uses suffering to try us. Someone said to me they wished God wouldn't try them so much.
Examples:
Paul
- In prison (Philippians 1v12) yet used the chance to witness, pray and encourage. Paul's response to his circumstance was amazing. He didn't seem to be downhearted at all. remember - God puts you in places for a reason. He can also encourage and cheer you up when you're down. I like seeing nice skies and when I'm depressed, God invariably gives me a nice sky to look at. The other day a deer ran across the road in front of me. That cheered me up.
- II Timothy 4v13: Paul was more concerned for God's word than for his own comfort.
Joseph
- Brothers did so much bad to him, yet he forgave them.
Job
It's OK to question God, to wonder why you're in a situation. But we must also ask God to use us in whatever situation we're in. Suffering is when we need God most. In your suffering, cry to God - he will hear you.
Failure
Example - try to play the piano and fail miserably. What responses can we have to failure:
- Pretend it didn't happen
- Analyse everything that went wrong.
- Confess to God and go on.
- (Shadrach, etc didn't say God would save them from the fire, only that he could. Sometimes we have misplaced faith in God and that can lead to failure)
- Again, a very dangerous time.
- Failure can make us think we're no use to God.
- Depression isn't just a non-Christian disease. If anything, Christians are more prone to depression because we feel our failure lets God down as well as ourselves.
- It doesn't have to be like that
Examples:
David
- David had a whole list of failures, each one leading to the other. Yet he had the right attitude when he was accused. Read Psalm 51. David admits his sin, repents of it and goes on.
Living with failure is like coming into the house with dirty, oily hands after working on the car. we can do one of three things:
- Ignore the problem and make a mess of everything around us.
- Worry about the failure and do nothing because we're afraid of affecting everything else.
- Admit the failure, go and wash our hands and get on.
Moses
Moses made one mistake. He struck the stone when he should have talked to it. Yet for one mistake he was banned from the promised land. He pleaded with God but was not allowed in. However, Moses didn't mope. He got on with his job of leading the Isrealites with as much vigour as before.
Remember - God doesn't punish you to turn you away from him, but to turn you towards him.
Peter
Peter was always failing:
- Tried to stop Jesus going to the cross
- He cut off a man's ear in anger
- He denied he knew Christ
Why did Jesus choose the one who was always failing to be one of the chief pillars of his church? Perhaps because Peter was willing to try, no matter the consequences. He was willing to fail. The disciples could say Peter was the one who took his eyes of Jesus and started sinking. Peter could say he was the one who walked on water towards his saviour.
Be sure that if you're doing your utmost for God you will fail. We need to learn how to handle it.
We must do three things with failure: confess, repent and put the failure behind us.
God's Calling
There's a fork in the road. Which way do you follow: the easy way or the right way. Sometimes the way you want is the right way. Psalm 20 says "may he give you the desires of your heart". But there will always be difficult routes to follow.
What is your response to God's calling:
- I don't care what God wants. It's my decision.
- I want to follow God, but not this.
- When do I start
There are three steps to following God's will: be prepared for any answer; ask God what he wants you to do; and when he shows you, go and do it. Examples:
Moses
Moses made all sorts of excuses to try and avoid God's will. We can tell when people are avoiding things and just making excuses. We need to put our own fears and desires behind us and accept whatever God wants.
Jonah
Jonah simply ran away from God. God didn't force him but gave him a second chance. Sometimes God gives us a second chance, sometimes not.
But it's not enough just to know what God wants for you. You have to go out and do it.
Conclusion
We've been looking at responses. There's one thing to remember in all these things: God is able. That's the theme for camp this year. God is able:
- to uphold and strengthen the suffering and persecuted.
- to pick up and dust off the failures.
- to give the power to do what he asks of us.
© David Meiklejohn 1997
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Haggai Part 1 - Put God First

Date: 4/1/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Haggai 1
Haggai 1
1. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
2. Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
3. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4. Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
5. Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
6. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
8. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
9. Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
10. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
12. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.
13. Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
14. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
15. In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
This is the start of a series on the book of Haggai, which we'll look at in four parts. The titles for the four parts will be:
1. Put God First
2. Be Strong
3. Be Clean
4. Be Encouraged
Background

Let's start by looking at the background to the book of Haggai. Haggai was born during the time of the Jews captivity in Babylon. The Jews' great desire was to be back in their homeland, to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple and return to God's prescribed means of worshipping.

In the year 536, King Cyrus allowed some of the Jews to go back to Jerusalem to start building the temple. They had opposition, though, and this led them to stop their work for 16 years. This is where we are at the start of the book of Haggai. See Ezra for more on the rebuilding of the temple.

Put God First

The word of the Lord came to Haggai. The Lord looked down at Jerusalem and saw that His house was unfinished. The Jews were living in their own completed houses, while no work was going on to complete the Lord's house.
- Their priorities were wrong. It seems the people's attitude was "Once we are settled and comfortable, then we will work on the Lord's house" but they were finding it increasingly hard to get by. They lacked in their own lives because they weren't putting God first in their plans. It is important for us to have God in the right place in our lives. If we give Him the pre-eminence, He will honour that, but if we place our selves, our families, our security ahead of God, we will find things start to go wrong.
- They were relying on their own resources. Instead of looking to God, the people were trying to manage things themselves. The fact that their crops were failing was a sign from God that they needed to change their ways, but they were too spiritually blind to see this, and just kept toiling along in a downwards spiral. I sometimes wonder how much of my efforts will be revealed to be purely my own efforts when I stand before the judgement seat of Christ. It's only when we do tasks in faith that they are pleasing to God. And it's only then that we can be successful.
- The temple lay unfinished. They had started with vigour, but a few setbacks had stopped them and they had taken their eyes off the vision God had given them. It's very easy to take our eyes off Christ when problems come into our lives. It's at these times that we need a Haggai in our lives: someone who will encourage us to get started again, to get moving instead of just moping.
- The response of the people to Haggai's word from the Lord was quick. They rose from the langur they had been in and started again working on the Lord's house. Notice that as son as they started, the Lord spoke to them and assured them He was with them. As soon as we start any task for the Lord, in the Lord's power, we have the same assurance, that He is with us.
The Lord's message to the Jews, on two occasions, was "Consider your ways". Perhaps if we examine our lives we will see places where we have our priorities wrong, where we have started something and not finished it. Perhaps we are trying to sort out our own affairs before we do God's work. It could be time to return to the task which has long lain unfinished. If we do, we have God's assurance as we start: "I am with you".

© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Haggai Part 2 - Be Strong

Date: 11/1/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Haggai 2 v 1-9
Haggai 2 v 1-9
1. In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
5. According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
6. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
In the second part of our look at Haggai, we come to chapter 2, and God's message to His people: be strong.

Review

The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".

Part 2 - Be Strong

Have you ever had to rebuild something? To start again on something you have built up and has been torn down. I know a couple who own a fruit farm in Africa. They built a new warehouse to store their fruit in, which was going to be a great addition to their work. Not long after they had finished it, their was an accident on the road, and a bus ploughed into their new warehouse, destroying it. After all their work, they were left back at the start, with the thought of building the whole lot again. Rebuilding can be demoralising work, especially if you remember how good the old building was, and your repair work doesn't seem to be nearly as good.

The Jews were looking back. Perhaps some of them were old enough to have seen the temple in all its glory before it was destroyed. As they looked back they were getting demoralised, as it seemed their work was inferior to what was there before.

There is a time to remember, and there is a time to look forward. God's message to His people at this time is to look forward. He says this new temple will be greater in glory than the old one, not because of the wonderful architecture or the richness of the building materials, but because the "desire of all nations", the Christ himself, will set foot in this temple. Along with this encouragement, He tells them to "Be strong... and work". We are often exhorted to be strong in the Bible ("be strong and of a good courage", "Be strong in the Lord"), but if we are weak, how can we be strong?
- Be strong in mind - if we set our minds on following God, on putting Him first, then He will make us strong to accomplish His work. The strength comes from Him, but we must decide to obey.
- Be strong in number - the people had to learn to work together. In our churches, God has placed us together with others, and it is when we are al working together, each using the talents God has given him, that we are strongest.
- Be strong in the Lord - the only real strength we have is in the Lord. Look at the book of Judges. Samson was given amazing physical strength yet he was weak in spirit, and he ended his days in a miserable position. Gideon was perhaps the most cowardly of the judges, but his faith in the Lord meant that he was soon renowned for his strength. We need to learn to give everything over to God, and to put our trust in Him, and He will give us His strength.
- "... and work" - God's message was not just to be strong, but also to work. There are times when we should study, when we should prepare, learn and plan; but often Christians spend their whole live preparing and never get round to doing anything for the Lord. Is God's message to you that you should go and work for Him?
In verse 4, the Lord again reassures His people: "I am with you". He urges them to be strong, He assures them that this new temple will be more glorious than the old one, He tells them to go and work, but it's important that they realise that He is with them, that He is working alongside them. That's important for us as well. If we're doing a work for the Lord, He is with us.

© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Haggai Part 3 - Be Clean

Date: 18/1/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Haggai 2 v 10-19
Haggai 2 v 10-19
1. In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
2. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
3. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
4. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
5. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
6. And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
7. Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
8. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
9. Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it.
10. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
In the third part of our look at Haggai, we continue in chapter 2, and now God tells His people: be clean.

Review

The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".

Some of the people were discouraged because the temple wasn't as beautiful as they remembered. Haggai encouraged them to be strong and remember the Lord was with them.

Part 3 - Be Clean

The workers in silicon chip factories have a clean room. Everything in there must be spotless in case they contaminate the silicon. When they enter they must put on clean outfits, cover their shoes and hair. The smallest speck of dust can ruin a batch of the chips they make.

The priest had a similar routine before he went into the temple. He had to ceremonially wash himself, put on clean clothing, so that he approached the temple clean. Haggai asked the people about cleanliness. Shall a holy thing coming into contact with an unclean thing make it holy? They answered "No". What happens when an unclean person touches something that is clean? "It is made unclean". When clean and dirty are mixed together the clean is always made dirty, the dirty is never made clean. The people with their unclean lives thought that visiting the temple would make them clean, but it was the other way round: they were defiling the temple. They needed to make themselves clean before coming to the temple.

Spiritual cleanliness is important in our lives as well. We may go to church once a week, but that doesn't make the rest of our lives clean. We must examine ourselves, find the areas that are impure, and change them. Paul urges this in Corinthians. He says we should examine ourselves before coming to the table. Are we living worthy to be called Christians?

The people had been living unclean lives, but they had now turned towards God. When they were unclean God had cursed them, giving them poor harvests and leaving them struggling to get by. Now that they were living for Him, He would bless them. Blessings from God come in all sorts of ways. For the Israelites here it was in a very material way, but this won't always be so. However, whether it is in a good harvest, a peaceful mind or a loving friend, God promises to bless those who are clean and follow Him.
© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Haggai Part 4 - Be Encouraged

Date: 25/1/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Haggai 2 v 20-23
Haggai 2 v 20-23
1. And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
2. Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
3. And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
4. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
In this last part of our look at Haggai, we finish off chapter 2, and God's message to His people: be encouraged.

Review

The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".

Some of the people were discouraged because the temple wasn't as beautiful as they remembered. Haggai encouraged them to be strong and remember the Lord was with them.

The people had started working for God, but there were unclean areas in their lives. Haggai impressed upon them their need for spiritually clean lives. When they obeyed, they found that God blessed them, and the harvests that had been so poor were now more than sufficient.
Part 4 - Be Encouraged

The Lord's message to Zerubbabel and the people is "be encouraged". They were rebuilding the temple, but what for? Israel had been a strong nation, defeating all who opposed it. But now it was just a remnant. Zerubbabel was of royal descent, but the Lord had said that none of his natural family would be king again. How could God's promised Messiah come? The Lord tells them that the Messiah will come, He will come through Zerubbabel's line ("make thee as a signet"). He reaffirms His plan and reassures His people. His mighty plan will come to pass, even though it seems impossible, and despite the weakness of the people.

"I have chosen thee". Imagine how Zerubbabel felt, knowing that God had chosen him. Yet each of us who are saved can say it as well. God has chosen us. He is working out His purposes in us and His plan will not be thwarted by our weakness. Quite the opposite: our weakness reveals His strength. We can become despondent, with our weakness and our sin. But the Lord tells us to be encouraged, His plan is perfect and it will come to pass.
So, in closing, we have been given the following messages from our look at Haggai:
- Get our priorities right - build the Lord's house before worrying about our own.
- Be strong - when you start a work for the Lord, remember He is with you.
- Be clean - examine your lives and sort out the uncleanness that is there, so you can server the Lord with holiness.
- Be encouraged - don't get down with your own weakness, or the seeming impossibility of the situation. God is in control and He will bring His plan to completion
© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

The Wise Men

Date: 27/02/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Matthew 2 v 1-13
Matthew 2 v 1-13
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
There are certain passages we associate with the Christmas story, and which rarely get read outside of Christmas time. I'd like to take a look at this passage, at the wise men. It's easy to gloss over the story as just for children, but there's a lot to learn from these men.

How did the wise men know about the star? Was it some strange eastern mythology, astrology or just a hunch? In Numbers 24 v 17 the Bible talks about the "star out of Jacob" - these men knew their scripture and seemed to be the only ones to put two and two together. Often we find it is the outsider who shows faith. Remember Rahab, Ruth and the centurion. None of these were Jews and yet they had faith, and God honoured their faith. It is a shame when non-Christians show up Christians in the areas we are supposed to be strong: loving others, serving, humility

It was an exciting time for the Magi. They were seeing prophecy coming true before their eyes. It was an historic time, and they were part of it. We look at the Bible and we see most of it as history, in the past. But remember that much is still to happen. Christ will come again, and it could be any time. It could be us who experience the next great happening of prophecy. Anyway, the Word should be much more to us than history and prophecy. It is God's message to us individually. It should be alive to us, giving us guidance day by day. Are we having the same feelings of wonder as the wise men as we see scripture come alive in our lives?

The wise men brought gifts, which had both a very practical value as well as a symbolic one. Joseph and Mary would have to leave and travel to Egypt to escape Herod, and they needed money for provisions. The wise men's gifts would enable them to equip themselves well. But these were also symbolic offerings. Gold was given as a sign that this was a king, the king of the Jews and King of Kings. Incense was given to show that this was God incarnate. And myrrh was used in embalming - it speaks of His death, the reason He came. What have we to offer to the Lord?
- As unsaved, all our attempts at good works were no use to Him, all were tainted with sin.
- We had to accept His gift to us before He could accept our gift to Him.
- Now, our works, our love, our obedience, our worship are all things we can offer to Him, perfected by the blood of Christ. And these are things which please our Lord.
The wise men were sent by God. Do we see God sending people today? Has He sent us? The wise men saw prophecy fulfilled before their eyes, and yet it should be a daily experience for us, as we meditate on the living Word. The wise men acknowledged Jesus as King, God and Saviour. We need to do the same.

© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: 19/10/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Matthew 4v18-20
Fishers of Men
Matthew 4v18-20
1. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
2. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
3. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
In this sermon I want to look at one of the church's main purposes: evangelism. We'll look at:
- the message God has for a lost World
- God's means of spreading that message
- Your part in the plan
Parable

Once upon a time the world was divided into water and land, but the land was empty. The sea was full of fish, who were quite happy where they were, not knowing what it was like to live on the land.
One day, God sent a fisherman down to the earth. He walked on the land and was close to God. He cast his line into the sea and started catching fish. An amazing thing happened to the fish when they were brought up onto the land: they transformed into men, each with their own fishing rod. The First Fisherman taught these novices how to fish and sent them all over the coast to cast their lines out and bring in new fish, which would themselves be transformed into fishermen. This First Fishermen said he would leave them, but as long as they kept fishing his way, he would be near, helping them.
Years later the First Fisherman came back. He fully expected the land to be covered with people, with hardly a fish in the sea. He found to his amazement that there were only a few fishermen on the land and the sea was teeming with fish: even more than when he had left. He talked to the fishermen to find out what had happened.
The first two fishermen were sitting talking together. One said that he was quite happy being a fisherman, but didn't feel the need to go out fishing. He didn't really care for the fish. The second said he was worried about the fish and wanted them to have the life he has, but he was scared of being pulled into the water. The First Fisherman said "Didn't I say I would be with you and you wouldn't have to fear anything?"
Next he came upon a man swimming about in the sea. He was trying to swim with the fish but he wasn't any good at it any more. He seemed determined that he didn't want to be on the dry land, the water was much better. But he kept swallowing mouthfuls of water and looked in a bit of trouble.
There was another group of fishermen in the water. They were trying to attract the fish by swimming about and generally acting like them. They told the First Fisherman they had loads of fish coming to join their activities, but when he asked how many had become fishermen, they looked blankly at him.
The next group were well inliand, away from the water. They were standing in a circle, casting their lines into the middle. The fisherman scratched his head and asked them why they weren't out at the shore. They said that their door was open if any fish wanted to find their way in. He shook his head in disappointment.
The First fisherman did find one or two fishers on the shore, casting their lines into the sea. They were happy to see him, but sorry that there weren't more of them to bring in more fish. One determined group had built a boat and were pushing out to sea, where there were lots of fish. They knew it would be dangerous, but trusted the First Fisherman to help them.
Explanation
All of us were like the fish, lost in a sea of sin. Jesus, the First Fisherman, came and showed the way to redemption. Some of us took it, and with it the responsibility of catching more fish. Many are failing, for varying reasons:
- Lazy fisherman - some of us are happy being Christians and don't care much for the lost souls.
- Hesitant fisherman - some are scared of reaching out, and won't trust God to help them.
- Forgetful fisherman - some have turned back to the way they were, living as part of the world, not remembering they are new creations. They don't even remmeber their own salvation, never mind think about others.
- Dry land fisherman - some churches have meetings where the gospel is proclaimed, but they do nothing to bring people in to hear it. They say their doors are open but people aren't actively encouraged to come.
- Fishy fisherman - some churches go to the other extreme and do everything to get people in the door. Often this results in the church becoming more worldly than Godly: they get a lot of people in, but these people come to enjoy themselves rather than hear God's word.
- Good fisherman - there are some who dilligently do God's work and witness to people. We must endeavour to be like that. The workers may be few, but each of us that joins makes a difference.
- Boat full - Sometimes great rewards can be gained by going to where the sin is at its greatest. We must rely on God to keep us from danger, but a heart bold for the Lord can do a great deal.
We need to use the right equipment:
- Steady base - our feet need to be firmly planted in the doctrines of our faith. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it.
- Protection from water - there is always a danger from sin, and we need to be protected from it. The wellies of the Christian life is prayer. We should be going into every situation praying for God's help and protection.
- Lure - fishermen often use a lure to catch the fish. This is something that attracts the fish and makes them want to investigate. The Bible makes it clear that our love for each other should be the thing that attracts others to the Christian church.
Some fishermen take the ultimate risk and cast out in a boat. This is a dangerous thing to do, but to really get the biggest catch, you need to go to where the fish are.
God's message is:
- a warning
  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
  People ignore the warnings sometimes. We need to be clever.
- a revelation
  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  After telling them they are doomed, tell them there is hope.
- a pathway
  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)
God's means of spreading the message:
- How would you make a message last a million years? Carve it in stone? Make a cavern for the message to stay safely? Someone has suggested starting a religion with the message as its focus. It is our duty to pass on the message that we have to the rest of the world, to those that haven't heard.
- and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matthew 28:19)
- The Bible:
  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Rev 22:19)
Your part in the plan:
- How many people do you meet each day?
- How many are non-Christians?
- What do you say to them?
We must:
- Pray for them
- Let them know
- Live holy lifes as examples
© David Meiklejohn 1997
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Don't Worry

Date: 11/04/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Matthew 6 v 25-34
Matthew 6 v 25-34
1. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
2. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
3. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
4. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
5. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
6. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
7. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
8. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
9. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
10. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Worry is a dangerous thing. It eats us up inside, it uses up time, and causes us to lose sleep. It can damage our health, our service and our relationship with God and with others. Worry has no redeeming features, and is different from concern. Concern mobilises us into taking action, while worry immobilises use, stopping us from functioning in a normal and healthy manner.

The passage we read has a lot to say about worry, and I want to look at seven reasons why we shouldn't worry.

Seven Reasons Not To Worry
1. v25 - Perspective - Often we worry about things which seem to be very important at the time, but in fact are not all that important. God has given us our bodies and breathed life into us, yet we seem to think he can't look after the smaller things. If we trust in him, he can look after everything.
2. v26 - Planning - It's good to plan ahead, but sometimes we get up in trying to control the future, and worry about the things we can't control. There has to be a stage where we've done enough preparation, and we need to leave it there, instead of worrying that things may go wrong which we have no control over.
3. v27 - Profit - What good can worrying do? Absolutely none! We need to recognise that our worrying is only doing us damage, and serving no useful purpose, to gain a desire to be rid of it.
4. v28-30 - Perspiration - We need to work at things, but only up to a point. We can't do everything ourselves, and God wants us to rely on him to provide for us. This involves trust, and we must choose to trust rather than worry.
5. v31-32 - Promise - God says "I will supply all your needs, according to my riches in glory". When we worry that our needs will not be met, it is showing a lack of faith in God. A proper faith and trust in the Lord will smooth over any worries we have.
6. v33 - Pursue - Jesus tells us to pursue the things of the Lord. We need to put God first, ahead of all the urgent things we have to do. If we put him to the back of the queue, we'll never get around to his things, and our lives will spiral away from him.
7. v34 - Pace - We need to learn to pace ourselves, take each day as it comes. If there is to be evil on the day, it only makes the evil worse by worrying about it beforehand. If we take a day at a time, we can sleep at night, and wake ready to face the day.
Worry is all about control. We want to be in control of things and don't like it when we're not. The Christian life is all about giving over control to the Lord, letting him take care of things. Peace is knowing that he will look after us, as he has promised. John 14 v 27 says:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We can have peace because we know our Father is able, willing and ever watchful. Just as faith drives out fear, peace drives out worry.

© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

The Good Samaritan

Date: 28/02/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Luke 10 v 25-37
Luke 10 v 25-37
1. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
2. He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
3. And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
4. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
5. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
6. And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
7. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
8. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
9. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
10. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
11. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
12. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
13. And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
The Good Samaritan is one of the best known of Jesus' parables. The story can be seen as a picture of salvation. Jesus tells the story when He is asked "Who is my neighbour?". In His answer, He not only shows us who our neighbours are, but how we should treat each other, and the love that He has for everyone.

The story is set on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. This was a rough road, and prone to muggers, so the man being mugged isn't a surprise. The road runs downwards from Jerusalem to Jericho, reflecting man's downward walk into sin, and away from God.

The muggers are like sin. At first they may have seemed harmless, no danger to the man, but they suddenly seized him, stripped him and beat him. Sin may seem to be harmless, even pleasant, but it takes us by surprise, strips us of our dignity and leaves us wounded, without a care for us.

The two men who pass by are pictures of religion and of the law. Some turn to religion as an answer for sin, but religion can't help. Some turn to the law for justification, but the law only condemns.

The Samaritan that comes represents Jesus. He came across a person who hated him and yet he didn't stay separate. He came to where the man was. He came with compassion, cleaned the man's wounds and soothed his pain. Jesus came amongst us who hated Him. He came in love, giving His blood to cleanse us from sin, and giving the Holy Spirit to comfort us.

As the Samaritan takes the wounded man to an inn, and pays for his keep, so Jesus, when He saves us, puts us in a place of fellowship. He provides for our every need, and promises to come back again.

Summary

Like the man on the road, we walked a downhill journey, and were left disabled by our sins. We may have looked to the law, but it only condemns us. We may have looked to the church, but it has no power to help. Our only hope is in a person, Jesus Christ. He has come, healed and cleansed us, and given us the means to care for fellow travellers on the road. What are we doing with the gifts He has given us? Are we caring for others, feeding and encouraging young Christians? He will come back again, and our reward will be based on what we have done for Him while here on this earth.

© David Meiklejohn 1999
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Prayer

Date: 15/02/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Luke 11 v 1-4
Luke 11 v 1-4
1. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3. Give us day by day our daily bread.
4. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
In this sermon I want to take a little look at what the Bible teaches us about prayer. Communication is key in any relationship, and prayer is the main way we communicate with God.

When do we pray?

David said he prayed morning, noon and evening. Daniel prayed three times a day, even when he was forbidden by the laws of the country. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. It's obvious that we should have a regular prayer life. Our attitude as we go through our day should be a prayerful one, and we need to set aside certain times each day to concentrate on prayer. We should pray in all situations: when we are happy, when we are sad, when angry, troubled or calm. There should never be not enough time to pray: Peter's cry for help when he started to sink in the water is one of the shortest, and yet most effective, prayers we read in the Bible.

Who do we pray for?

Prayers shouldn't be full of requests. We should spend time telling God how thankful we are, how much we love Him, and how we want to serve Him. But petition is part of prayer. Who then should we pray for?

Samuel prayed for Israel. Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies. Jesus prayed for His disciples. James says pray for one another. When we pray for others, it helps us to love them more, and this is one reason we should pray for our enemies. Our prayer life should be a mirror of our service: put God first, others next and ourselves last.

In what manner do we pray?

There are no set rules for the way in which we pray. Remember that God knows our thoughts, so we don't have to speak aloud to be heard. Sometimes it may help us, though. David cried out to the Lord; Hannah prayed in her heart, though her lips moved; Jesus tells us to pray in our closets, in other words not to make a show of our holiness.

When we have prayed for others and come to ourselves, what things should we pray for? Here are a few suggestions:
- forgiveness
- sanctification
- growth
- unity with others
Whatever we pray for we are urged to pray with perseverence. If we ask, we shall receive, but we may have to keep asking and asking. If we know what we are praying for is right and good, keep on praying until God answers.

What happens when we pray?

We aren't very good at praying, nor at knowing what to pray for. Thankfully God helps us out. In Romans 8v26 we learn that the Spirit prays for us, shows us what to pray for. We pray to our Father, who is a good Father, and answers His children. And our prayers are perfected by the Lord Jesus, who sits at God's right hand and presents our petitions to Him.

© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Hell

Date: 21/11/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Luke 16 v 19-31
Luke 16 v 19-31
1. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
2. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
3. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
4. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
5. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
6. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
7. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
8. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
9. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
10. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
11. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
12. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
13. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
In this sermon, I want to talk about Hell, and next week we'll move on to the subject of Heaven. There's a lot said about Hell in the Bible, and there are many misconceptions held by people. Some of these misconceptions are:
- Hell is a temporary punishment
- The soul is annihilated
- No one will be punished
- Hell will be a great place to be
The words used in the Bible for Hell are Sheol, in the Old Testament, and Hades in the New. These literally translate to the grave, or the underworld. The word Gehennon is also used, which refers to the valley of Hinnon, a place outside Jerusalem where children were sacrificed in a great fire. So what kind of place is this? Let's build a picture from what we read in the scriptures.
1. The underworld is down - Jacob says "I will go down into the grave". Job says in Job 11v8 "as high as Heaven, deeper than Hell". Obviously the grave where someone is buried is down in the ground, but the place beyond the grave is always refered to as being down. Whether this is a physical place beneath us, or somewhere which is "down" in another way is not obvious.
2. Hades was the destination of all in the Old Testament - again in Job, 14v13, he says "hide me in Sheol". Job, a righteous man, expects to go to Hell. We are given some clarity in our text, where Jesus tells us of the rich man and Lazarus. Both are taken down to Hades, but they are in different parts, separated by an impassable gulf. One was a place of rest: Abraham's bosom, the other a place of torment.
3. Hell is a place of torment - as we saw in the text, the rich man was in torment where he was. Even a drop of water would have been some relief, but he was denied that. Mark 9 v 43 shows us that Hell is eternal, a place of punishment, and where there is no end, no anihilation.
4. Paradise was displaced - we have a picture so far of an underworld split in two, with a good part and a bad part, separated by a gulf. But turn to Ephesians 4 v 8-10. Jesus had said to the dying thief "Today you will be with me in Paradise". But Jesus descended on His death. Later we read in 2 Corinthians 12 v 2-4 about being "caught up into Paradise". The phrase in Ephesians, "led captivity captive" must mean that Jesus emptied Paradise, and took the inhabitants with Him up into Heaven. Now that he had paid for their sins, they could enter into the presence of God. This Paradise in Heaven is where the dying believer is taken now.
5. The bottomless pit - Luke 8 v 31 tells us of another place: the Abyss, or bottomless pit. The demons cast out of the man plead not to be sent there. It must be a place where demons are cast, since in Revelation 9 v 1-11 we read about demons being let loose from there to take part in the Tribulation.In Revelation 20 v 1-3 we also read that Satan is bound in the pit during the Millenium.
6. Tartarus - we only get a glimpse of this place, in 2 Peter 2 v 4. It is the place of punishment for angels that have sinned. Perhaps it is the same place as the Abyss, we can't tell.
7. The Lake of Fire - this place, presumably somewhere in Hell, was created for Satan, and at the end of the Millenium, he will be cast into the Lake for all eternity. In Revelation 19 v 20 the Beast and the False Prophet are cast in, then in Revelation 20 v 10-15 Satan and all the unsaved are also placed there. We can assume that the rest of Hell, including the place previously known as Paradise, is left empty.
Let's try and put all this together into some sort of picture. It definitely won't be accurate, but it gives us something to remember and helps us place the different names.

God is a God of love and of mercy, but also a just and holy God. Everyone will be judged. Those whose names aren't in the Lamb's Book of Life will be sent to Hell. This is a place of torment, not a place of revelry, and that torment lasts forever. How does this affect our thinking? Do we know we are safe? Do we know others who need to be told? The more we grasp the reality of Hell, the less we want others to end up there. Will anyone say to us "Why did you never tell me?".

© David Meiklejohn 1999
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

The True Vine

Date: 23/3/99
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: John 15v1-11

We have been looking at the names of Christ, and I'd like to look in this sermon at the True Vine. The vine is a unique plant, and our Lord has good reason for using this comparison.
John 15v1-11
1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
1. Before we consider the branches, we look at the vine and the husbandman. It is important that we start by considering Christ and the Father before we take a look at ourselves.
  The True Vine - Jesus calls himself the true vine. As we look around us we see God's creation. Nature contains many pictures of spiritual truths, and here we see that the vine is the picture, Christ is the reality.
  The Husbandman - the husbandman plants the vine, tends the vine and harvests the fruit. The Father sent the Son to this world to be the vine, he nurtured and kept Jesus while he was here and he is the reason for the fruit that is grown in our lives.
2. The Branches - we are the branches, part of the vine, grafted on so that our life force comes from the vine. As branches, we are:
  - dependent on the vine: our life, our nourishment, our ability to produce fruit all comes from the vine.
  - conformant to the vine: we are seen as part of the vine. We are the same wood, we have the same life. When others see our lives, they should see us as part of Christ, we should be just like him.
  - Serving the husbandman: our reason for living is to produce fruit that glorifies the Father. We have no reason for self-glorification, all should be for him.
  The Fruitless Branch - some branches do not bear any fruit. Since the sole purpose of the branch is to bear fruit for the husbandman, a branch that bears no fruit is useless and is discarded. If our lives are not producing fruit, the Father may well discard us, for the good of the church, that it may be more fruitful.
  The Fruitful Branch - even the branch that bears much fruit is not left alone. This is where the vine is different from any other fruit bearing plant. It needs to be cut back so much more severely. Instructions for growing a new vine say that each year the gardener should allow only two shoots to grow. When these have established themselves, one is severed, leaving just one to bear fruit. All the useless wood is cut away, and even the fruit bearing wood is cut away until the whole energy of the branch is concentrated in bearing one bunch of grapes. In a similar way, the Father wishes to purge our lives of all that is not good, then of some that seems to be good, so that we can concentrate on the one area of fruit-bearing that he has for us.
3. The Purging - the cleansing, or purging is by his Word. We have been given the Word that we may know the mind of God, that we may know what parts of our lives he wishes to take away, that we may be more fruitful.
4. The Grafted Branch - the branches are attached to the vine by a process known as grafting. Both the vine and the branches are cut; they are brought into contact, then they are bound together. As time goes on, the branch grows into the vine and the vine grows into the branch. All the branch's energy, all its fruit-bearing ability comes from the vine. For us to bear fruit in our lives, we must abide in Christ, and he in us. If we do this, his life and his energy fill us.
5. The Severed Branch - all life, nourishment and power is from the vine. If the branch is severed, it loses all power it has, and withers. We can do nothing while we are not abiding in Christ. All that we may appear to be doing is selfish and useless.
6. The Withered Branch - when a branch is severed from the vine, it shrivels up and dies. If is interesting to note that the same sunshine which gives the branch energy while it is attached to the vine causes it to wither when it has been cut off. The power of God enables us while we abide in Christ, but causes us to wither if we are cut off from him.
7. The Vine's Provision - this verse seems to say we can ask for anything and we will receive it. In fact it does say this, but with a condition: we must be abiding in Christ and his words abiding in us. If we are in such a state our will will naturally be the same as his, whatever we ask will be in his will and he will provide it.
8. The Branch's Purpose - we are branches in the vine that we might bear fruit. Our aim is to bear as much fruit as possible, not for our own glory but for the glory of the Father. If we bear fruit and keep it to ourselves it will rot and be useless. If we bear fruit for the Father, he will appreciate it and reward us.
9. The Vine's Love - the Father has loved the Son. This does not seem hard, since the Son obeyed the Father in all things, glorifying him by his life. But in the same way as the Father loves the Son, so the Son loves us. We who are undeserving of that love are given it, and we can go forward in our lives in the safe knowledge that he loves us, and always will.
10. The Vine's Example - we should not ignore the love of Christ towards us. It should spur us on to serve him and to obey him. He is our example, and his obedience to the Father is the target we should be aiming for.
11. Joy - what is joy? It is happiness, fulfillment, contentment, and much more. We can only have joy if we obey what we have just been told: we must abide in the True Vine, we must bear fruit for the Father, we must follow his commandments. If we do these things our joy will be full. Others will look at us and want what we have.
Jesus is the True Vine. We are the branches. Our purpose in this life is to bear fruit for the glory of the Father. All our provision from this comes from the Vine. We must abide in him, and he will abide in us, and our lives will be full of joy.

© David Meiklejohn 1999
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: 9/2/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: I Corinthians 3v9-15
Workers Together With God
I Corinthians 3v9-15
1. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
2. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
3. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
4. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
5. Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
6. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
7. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
I want to concentrate on verse 9. It says we are labourers together with God. God works in our lives and we must also work in our lives. Some will say that all is of God, but without our willingness and our effort, God will do nothing in us. Some will say that it is all human effort, but without God empowering our works, they are worthless. God supplies the guidance and power and we supply the willingness and effort.

Two illustrations are used in this verse: we are God's husbandry (tillage, or field) and we are God's building. The care and building up of these is both God's work and our work.

God's Field

Our lives are God's field. There is a series of stages a field must go through to be fruitful, and that is its purpose: to be fruitful for its owner.
- Separated - When a farmer buys a field he makes sure it is separated from the land around. He marks it out with hedges, to keep people out and to shelter it from the wind. The field can be seen to be the farmer's property and not just part of the land. So we must be separated from the world. We need God's protection around us to keep the world out. He shelters us from evil. We are marked out as being the property of the Lord. Children's annuals used to have a "this book belongs to" page in them. We should have a "this person belongs to" mark evident in our lives.
- Ploughed - When the farmer marks out the field the land is just like the surrounding land. He must plough the land, turning over the soil and ridding it of the rocks it contains. The land takes a lot of work before it is ready to plant in. Our lives are the same. When we are saved there is a lot that needs changing. Sometimes this can be a painful experience, but it's one which prepares us to be fruitful. Like the rocks, we must remove the sins from our lives: otherwise they will obstruct the planting and harvesting of the crop.
- Sown - the farmer sows the seed in the field. The seed is normally of one type. God sows his works in us - he doesn't give us a confusion of things to do, his plan for us is simple and to one aim. Sometimes, though, it isn't clear what the crop will be from the seed. Sometimes we just have to go ahead and grow it, trusting in the master, that the crop will be profitable. What farmer will sow useless crops in his fields?
- Nourished - all plants need watered. The water fills out the plant. Look at a plant that hasn't been watered: it's all dried up and useless. Water it and it fills out, healthy and strong. Water speaks of the Spirit, who nourishes us, strengthens us, fills us from within. We are told to be filled with the Spirit. This doesn't mean we have to ask God to fill us; he is already willing, we just have to give all our lives to him.
- Energised - the sun gives energy and life to the crop. It is what makes the plants grow. The Son of God gives us the power; without him we can do nothing. The Son gives us life, and it is only through the Word that we can grow. Jesus said "I am the light of the world". Light doesn't just bring vision, but gives energy.
- Tended - the farmer looks after his land. This means he must regularly go through the field, checking on the growth of the crop, looking for weeds. Weeds grow in the field as well as the crop. They weren't planted by the farmer, so where did they come from? Some were in the land before it was bought by the farmer and have grown up again. Some will have blown in from the land around. Some may even have been sown by enemies of the father, to spoil his crop. Sin in our lives comes from three sources: from the old man, the sinful nature in us; from the influence of the world, which can depend on how well the hedges have been built and are maintained; and from the devil, who tries to spoil God's work in us. The crop needs nourished and cared for, but the weeds grow easily, robbing the crop of sustenance and strangling it.
- Harvested - what use is to be made of the crop? It needs to be harvested, and the field reploughed for the next year. If the crop is left in the field, it will go to seed and be useless to anyone. The crop is for the farmer. That is the purpose it was sown. Likewise, our works in Christ must be harvested. There should be fruit from our work and the glory should go to the Lord. If we try and hold on to the glory, it will make us useless. If we just dwell on past glories, again we will be useless. we need to make a clean start on the next thing God has for us.
- Rested - every seven years, the Jews were to rest their fields; plant nothing in them. If they didn't do this the fields would get worn out, producing less crop each year. The rest gives the field a chance to regain its vigour and be ready for a full crop the next year. How are your Sundays? Do you feel spiritually refreshed after a Sunday. The week will wear you down, so if you don't use Sunday to rest in the Lord, you will become of less and less use to God. Our Sundays should give us a renewed vigour to do the Lord's work, to face the world and the elements again.
God's Building

The verse also compares our lives to a building, which we build up out of different materials. Again there are several stages involved:
- Plans - Any building must have plans. Buildings are constructed for a purpose and must be systematically planned through. v16 tells us the purpose of our building: it is the temple of God, a place of worship which glorifies God. Our whole purpose here on earth is to please God. The plan for our lives is in the Word. Each of us has an individual plan, which God will reveal to us if we search. Not all of it at once, but when we need it. Like buildings, we may be very similar, so the plans can be the same for the most part; but each one has a bit of individuality, a bit which is different from all the rest. If we stray from God's plan, the building will be less able to fulfil its purpose.
- Foundation - v11 tells us the foundation of our buildings should be Christ. No other one, no other thing. Some build their foundation on doctrine, some on love, some on experience, some on mysteries. Our foundation is the only one that will last: a person, Jesus Christ.
- Walls & Roof - A house has walls and a roof: to support it and to protect it from the elements outside. The walls are set firmly in the foundation. Our walls are the basic elements of our faith - the doctrines which determine our daily living. We live by God's commandments - be separate from the world, love one another, spread the gospel. Each of these doctrines must be founded in Christ to hold it solid, and by these things God will protect us from things of the world.
- Materials - What do we build the house with? Some houses are made with straw, some with wood, some brick. Our house has a special destiny. We have been told it will be burned, and what is left will be our reward (v13). We should be mindful of this, then, when we build, using materials which will survive the fire. Wood might be an easy material to build with: it is light and strong and makes house-building a faster task; but when it comes to being burned absolutely none of the wood will be left. The verse tells us to build with gold, silver and precious stones. These are expensive, heavy and difficult to work with, but they will last. Image the house consumed in a terrible fire. When the smoke clears and the ashes are blown away, a few pieces of gold and silver are left lying on the ground, all that is left of our work. We may think we know an easier way to acomplish God's task, but God's way is always the right way, even if it seems terribly hard.
- Door & Windows - The door is important. It is the way things come into the house and the way things leave. We should only take in what is useful, not a lot of junk, or something that will damage the house. Likewise, whatever leaves the house should be only good. People will judge what is inside by what comes out. Someone once said they used to put their good stuff on the midden, so the neighbours would think they were well off. The windows are how we see the world around, and sometimes how people see inside. We need to keep them clear so we can see clearly, and so the light of the sun can enter. Then, when all around is in darkness, the light within will shine out to those around.
- Inhabitant - Someone must live in the house. They will keep it clean and help look after it. They can only do this if they have access to all the rooms though. Imagine you had a lodger who was kept locked out of a room in your house. The room would get dusty, old and unused. The Holy Spirit lives within us, and we need to give him access to all areas of our lives, or those areas where we keep him out will grow worse and worse. There shouldn't be any part of our lives where the Spirit's influence isn't visible.
So our lives are like fields and our lives are like houses. We must build them up, but must remember that we are fellow-workers with God. All that we attempt on our own will be fruitless.

© David Meiklejohn 1997
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: ??/??/96
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Colossians 3v3-5
Sermon on Sin
Colossians 3 v3-5
1. For ye are dead (to sin), and your life is hid with Christ in God.
2. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
3. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
- What is sin
- What is its penalty
- What are the consequences
- How can we be dead to sin
- How do we avoid it
What is Sin?
missing the mark - doing what God doesn't want
How do we know what God doesn't want?
- read the Bible - 2 timothy 3v16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
- know God - if our relationship with God is a close one, we will know His mind
- conscience - we are given a conscience which tells us what is right and wrong
Ommission is a sin as well as commission - James 4v17: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
What about ignorance?
- Numbers 15v27-31 And if any soul sin through ignorance...
- The ordinary punishment for sin, sacrifices, is actually that for sinning through ignorance. Sinning when you know it is a much more serious offence.
Is something either a sin or not?
- No, it has a lot to do with motives. In 1 Chronicles 21 David decides to take a census. There doesn't sound anything wrong in that, but his motive was pride and that made the census a sin for David.
- But doing the wrong thing with a good motive doesn't make it right. Sometimes we don't even know that we've done something because we had the right motives, but it has been taken wrongly.
What is the penalty for sin?
There is one basic penalty. Romans 3v23 says For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. That means the slightest sin makes us fail God's standards. We all deserve that punishment. Romans 6v23: For the wages of sin is death. Remember, death is a separation. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God. Some believe there are small sins which just reduce fellowship with God, and mortal sins which damn us to Hell. This is not Biblical - all sin is punishable by death.
There do appear to be several levels of punishment: 2 Peter 2v21: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But all sin results in damnation.
The only escape from the penalty of sin is salvation through the blood of Jesus. Because all sins deserve death, there is no merit in this; it is pure mercy.
What are the consequences of sin?
We may be forgiven our sins, we may escape the penalty, but sin still has consequences, and we don't realise how far-reaching they are.
Genesis 3v17 - Adam's sin caused a curse on the ground, God's creation, and on all mankind.
Look at the relatives of Abraham. They were the ones who caused his people most trouble:
Ishmael: the result of Abraham trying himself to fulfill God's promise of a nation.
- His descendents became the Arab nation, even now against Israel.
- Gen 25v18 - they struggled against their brothers.
- Gen 27v25 - Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites.
Midian: the son of Abraham's second wife, Keturah (concubine?)
- Also mentioned as the people Joseph was sold to
- Judges 6 & 7 Midianites are enemy that Gideon defeats
Lot had two sons by his daughters, again the result of sin.
Moab:
- Moabites wanted Balaam to curse Israel
- 2 Kings 3 the Moabites rebel against Israel and are quashed
Ben-Ammi: other son
- Jephthah went to fight the Ammonites (Judges 11)
- David fought and defeated them in 2 Samuel 10
Esau: despised his birthright - father of Edomites
- Numbers 20 - wouldn't let Israel pass through their country
- Psalm 83v5-7 - join with other nations against Israel.
Amalek: Esau's grandson
- It was the Amalekites who attacked Israel in the wilderness
- In 1 Samuel 15 God ordered the Amalekites to be totally destroyed because of this.
Sin is far reaching. We need more of a realisation of how much damage is done to really feel the sorrow that we should sometimes. How can we be dead to sin and yet still sin?
Romans 6v2 says How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? That is, in sin.
Remember: death means separation, so dead to sin means separated from sin.
Illustration: Field is your life. Man in middle is your soul. Wolves in field are your sins.
- The wolves have a free run of the field. They swarm over it and over the man in the middle, tearing at him. He can't kill them - he hasn't the strength to fight and had he a gun, they are too close to him. He needs saved.
- Salvation: the wolves draw back, cages fall around them, trapping them. The man is safe, but the wolves still wander around the field. Your soul is safe from the penalty of sin (your life is hid with Christ in God), but there is still sin in your life. The wolves trample down the crop in the field, making it unfruitful.
- Mortify therefore your members: now the man has a gun, and a free shot at the wolves. He can walk up to the cages and shoot the wolves, one by one. Each time he shoots one, an area of the field is left alone to grow and be fruitful.
- So it's easy, he just shoots all the wolves. We can just kill off all the sin in our lives and live pure, fruitful lives. Why is it not like that. Look at the wolves. Some of them are fearful beasts, but some of them are cute little puppies. He doesn't want to kill them, that would be cruel. They aren't doing too much harm. Sin is like this as well. Sometimes we hold on to it. It looks pleasurable, and can be. It looks harmless. But wolf cubs grow into fierce creatures. Our little sins that seem so harmless can grow into great big sins, and it's not that we can't kill them off, we don't want to. We cling on to them.
- The man has the capability of ridding himself of all the wolves in his field. The only thing that is holding him back is that he is blind to reality. He doesn't see the effect they have on his field. He could produce so much fruit if only he realised.
What can we do about it?

Too often we are happy with where we are. We think we've done quite well, and settle down. We need to open our eyes, to see the dangers still lurking in our lives. We need to constantly examine ourselves, look at what needs changed. Not in a morbid way, thinking that we've no hope, but a goal in mind, of being more fruitful for God. How can we recognise and avoid it?

Read the Word. We can't claim we didn't know if we didn't bother to find out.Think what would Christ do. In every situation, think to yourself what He would have done.
Confess and repent. Acknowledge what you've done is wrong. Too often we try and make excuses for our action instead of holding our hands up and saying we were wrong. "He started it". "But I was in the right"
Flee temptation. If the opportunity doesn't arise, you won't do it.
Put others before yourself. Sin is caused by selfishness. If we're thinking of others first, we won't just resist sin, but avoid it altogether.
If we are faced with temptation, rely on God's strength to say no.

Ready for the Millenium

Date: 4/4/1999
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-17

1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

There are only 271 days until the year 2000. Everyone's talking about it. Will anything momentous happen? Will it be the end of the world? Will all the computers stop working because of the "millenium bug"? For the emergency services it will be the busiest time of the year. And the last time they want their computers to stop. The big question as the time approaches is "Are you ready?"

When Jesus was going about with His disciples, several times He talked to them about what was to come. He quite openly and clearly said that He was going to be killed, but that on the third day He would rise again. The disciples didn't seem to understand. They asked among themselves what these things meant. They didn't think that what Jesus said would really happen.

As well as telling His disciples He was going to die at Jerusalem, Jesus told them that He would rise again. After three days He would come back to life. Did they believe it? Well, when the third day came they were hiding in a room. None of them went to the tomb to see if Jesus would rise until the women had been and brought the message. They weren't waiting because they didn't think that what Jesus said would really happen.

John 14 v 2

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Acts 1 v 11

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Jesus said He would come again. It has been 2000 years and He hasn't returned yet. Was He lying? Was He mistaken? Or will He keep His promise? His disciples didn't think what He had said about His death or resurrection would really happen. But when they saw these things happen they believed. And they believed He will come again. Do we? And are we watching and waiting? The first text says that He will come for His people. Are you one of His people? Do you know Him as Saviour? If you do, are you ready, preparing for His coming? Or are you not worried, because you don't really think it will happen? If you're not His, the Bible tells us that time is short. Today is the day of salvation. Don't put that decision off because one day it will be too late.

Power Over Sin

Date: 25/4/1999
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 2 Peter 1 v 1-10

2 Peter 1 v 1-10

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

I want to look at three question this passage raises:

Can a Christian live a sinless life?
How can we have power over sin?
Is it better to sin in heart than in deed?

Can a Christian live a sinless life?

We all fail. We either do the things we know we shouldn't or we fail to do the things we know we should. When we fail it often feels like it's hopeless to even try not to, that we are doomed to keep on failing, keep on sinning. Is righteous living then a theoretical, unreachable goal? And if it is, is it still with aiming for? Is it worth trying to climb the mountain if we know we're never going to get to the top?

Let's look at our text and see what it has to say.

v1 - Peter is writing to Christians, to us. He's saying that the faith that we have is the same faith that he has. There is nothing particularly special about Peter, he is reliant on the power of Christ in him for his faith. So anything he can achieve himself is achievable for us.

v2 - Peter wants us to have grace and peace. That is he wants us to see good things in our lives, and he wants us to know freedom from struggle, to be at peace with God and at peace with ourselves. And he tells us how we can achieve these things: through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. This isn't just an intellectual knowledge, but a personal experience: it is gained by spending time the presence of the Lord, talking to Him, letting Him talk to you, and growing to know Him.

v3 - God has equipped us. He had given us all the tools necessary to live lives for Him. The amazing thing about this is that he doesn't say God will equip us as we go, but that He has already given us all we need, all we can ask for.

v4 - What does it mean to be partakers of the divine nature? It means to live and act in a spiritual manner, just as God wants of us. Peter says we have escaped the corruption of sin, caused by the lusts of the flesh. If we really are free from sin then we can attain this height: to live as pleases God.

v8 - After a list of the things that should fill our lives, Peter says if these things are found in your behaviour you will benefit from it. If your life is full of goodness there will be no place for sin, because there will be no time for sin.

v9 - When we don't practise what God teaches, and when we don't spend the time with Him that we should, we forget His power. We forget that sin no longer has a hold of us. We put the chains back on ourselves and complain that there's no avoiding it.

v10 - But Peter says we can avoid it. We can fill our lives with good things, and let God rule in our lives, and if we do this we will never fail. How can ths be? It's because He can never fail. And if we let Him rule our lives then our lives will be pure and holy, and righteous.

In the book of Job, God calls His servant a blameless man. He wasn't sinless, but was living a live of service to God, and without room for sin to take over. We too can live blameless lives, even more so because we see more clearly the power of Christ within us.

Peter knew what it was like to be a sinner. He knew what it was like to fail Jesus. He had failed over and over again, in a very public way. But he picked himself up, asked forgiveness, and went on to do his all for Jesus. We can too. But there are snares, that would trip us up:

"I'm all right" - complacency is a dangerous thing, and relying on self is foolish. We must remember that all that we have is by God's grace.
"I'm not good enough" - it's easy to think that not sinning is too hard. But God has given us strength through Christ to be able. Each one He has saved He has saved to seve and obey, and He's given us the power to do so.
"The goal is impossible, why bother" - living a sinless life seems a far away target but Peter intended us to get there, and to start now. At least if we get part of the way that's better than nothing.
"Other are way ahead of me" - God isn't judging you against others, just against you. When you make progress He is happy, no matter how far ahead others are.

How Can I Realise Power Over Sin?

1 John 5 v 4-5

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

John 16 v 33

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Date: 15/12/96
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 1 John 5 v 1-13

The Battle is the Lord's

1 John 5 v1-13

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

v1-3 - Love
All Christians are born of God. If we love God we will love Christ as well. John doesn't represent love as some emotion, but as action. We show our love by keeping his commandments.
John says that God's commandments are not grievous. How can this be? Surely the law of God is impossible to follow. Failure is inevitable and weighs us down. In Matthew 11v28-30 Jesus says we should come to him to relieve ourselves of our burdens. We should come to Jesus as often as possible, to confess our sins and lighten our loads. Remember 1 John 2v1 says if we sin we have an advocate in heaven.
Have you ever seen people out picking grapes. What they do is carry a basket along with them, filling it as they go. The basket gets heavier and heavier until they take it to the cart and pour out the grapes. The cart can take much more than they can, and they are now unburdened to work more effectively. It's the same with you and me. The more often we unburden our cares on Christ, the more effective we can be as Christians.
v6-13 - Witness
v6 - Water speaks of the Holy Spirit, while blood speaks of humanity. Jesus wasn't just born of the Spirit, but also of a woman. When he died, blood and water poured out of him. Some people have said Jesus was only the Christ between his baptism and just before being crucified. This isn't true. He was both God and man from his birth to his death. If it was just a man that had died on the cross, we could not be saved. It had to be God that died, no matter how hard this is for us to understand.
v7 is the most explicit verse in the bible supporting the idea of the trinity, though we can see it's presence throughout scripture. The Jehova's Witnesses don't believe in the trinity, believing Jesus is something less than God and the Holy Spirit doesn't exist as a person at all, but just represents the power of God. Interestingly, this verse has been removed from some of the more modern translations.
v8 - God said "ye are my witnesses". His witness on earth is through us: through the Holy Spirit working in our lives and through the two services we are commanded to keep: baptism and the Lord's supper.
The Jehova's Witnesses also seem to believe that the way to God is through a keener understanding of him. They interpret the phrase "to know God" as meaning to have detailed, clear knowledge of him. The word doesn't mean this, though. It is the same concept as when the bible talks of a man knowing his wife: a deep, personal relationship. v12 says he that hath the Son hath life, not he that knows about the Son hath life. Christ is a possession, not an interest. This verse proclaims the message of salvation clearly: if you have Christ, you have eternal life. If you don't, you don't.
v4-5 - Victory
This section talks about victory and overcoming the world. How can we do this? What happens when we do? The bible often talks about the Christian life as a battle and gives us lots of instruction on how to approach it.
- Preparation - image being a soldier, going into a battle. What are the important things to do before going? Before the battle you'll be given a briefing - told about the enemy, their weapons, how they're likely to attack. You'll get your kit ready and check it's all in working order: your battledress, your gun, your radio and so on. You'll have been trained in using all these things. There is also one thing which will have been drummed into you since you joined the army. You must obey orders. That doesn't mean there's no room for initiative, but when it comes right down to it, you must do exactly as you are told, or you'll be endangering your own and others' safety.
  These things apply in the Christian life as well:
  - Know Your Enemy
    We have three enemies: the devil, the world and the flesh. We need to be aware of how the attack is likely to come and what form it will take. The devil attacks us on three sides: body, soul and spirit. See Genesis 3v6 for instance. Eve saw the fruit was good to eat (the body), it was pleasing to the eye (the soul, emotions), and would bring wisdom (the spirit, mind). When Jesus was tempted by the devil he used the same three attacks. He offered bread for the body, possessions to please the soul and an ego-boost to tempt the spirit. 1 John 2v16 warns us of the three same areas: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
    We must be aware of the ways we will be attacked and be prepared for them. We must clothe ourselves with Christ (Romans 13v14), realise our soul can never be satisfied by earthly things (Proverbs 27v20) and practise humility.
  - Wear the Armour
    Ephesians 6 tells us about the armour of God. We must pay attention to what we have on and what condition it's in. If our shield of faith is falling apart, we should do something to strengthen it. If our sword is rusty through lack of use, we must practise with it. If our prayer life is inadequate, the rest is affected.
  - Surrender
    Strange as it may seem, our chances of success depend on how willing we are to surrender; not to the enemy, but to God. A line of a song says "we can surrender without a prayer, but never really pray without surrender". We must be willing to go into the battle thinking nothing of ourselves, but giving all over to God.
- Reward - there are rewards to those that overcome. revelation lists them:
  - 2v7 - they shall eat from the tree of life
  - 2v11 - they shall not be hurt from the second death
  - 2v17 - they shall eat hidden manna and be given a white stone with a new name on it.
  - 2v26 - if they also keep his works (John 6v29 - keep believing to the end) they will be given the power to rule over the nations, and be given the morning star (Jesus calls himself the morning star).
  - 3v5 - they wil be clothed in white and their name will be in the book of life.
  - 3v12 - they will be pillars in God's temple, with his name written on them.
  - 3v21 - they will sit with Christ on his throne.
- Winning - how do we win the battle? How can we overcome? John says those who believe, who are the sons of God, overcome the world. In John 16v33 Jesus tells us not to worry about tribulation, he has already overcome the world. 1 John 4v4 says "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." The key is that the battle is not on our strength but on the Lord's, and he is already victorious, having defeated death and the world. All we have to do is realise this and start living it. We often live defeated lives because we don't realise that the battle is already won. We think that we have to achieve something to be victorious. Christ has already achieved all that is needed. We can walk into battle confident, not in our own ability, but in the Lord.

So the message is that the Christian life is a battle. We need to be prepared: know our enemy, clothe ourselves correctly and surrender ourselves to the leader. But we can approach the battle knowing that it is already won. Victory doesn't depend on our strength; the battle belongs to the Lord.

Sermons by Date

1996
????	Colossians	Sin
??/??/96		Looking to Jesus
18/06/96	Psalm 19 v 1-6	Seeing God in Nature
15/12/96	1 John 5	The Battle is the Lord's
1997
26/1/97	Amos 7	How do you Measure up?
9/2/97	1 Corinthians 3	Workers Together with God
18/5/97	2 Kings	Elisha
18/5/97	2 Kings 4	Eyes, Hands, Mouth
21/6/97	Habbakuk 1	Responses
19/10/97	Matthew 4	Fishing
21/12/97		Christmas
1998
18/1/98		The Inner Circle
18/1/98		Stepping Out in Faith
27/9/98		Time With Jesus
1999
7/1/99		The Four Gospels
23/2/99		Names of the Lord - The Word
28/2/99	Luke 10	The Good Samaritan
23/3/99	John 15	Names of the Lord - The True Vine
28/3/99	Isaiah 51 v 1	Looking to Jesus
4/4/99	1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-17	Are You Ready?
6/4/99	Isaiah 9 v 6-7	Names of the Lord - The Prince of Peace
20/4/99	Isaiah 53 v 1-3	Names of the Lord - The Arm of the Lord
25/4/99	2 Peter 1 v 1-10	Power Over Sin
18/5/99	Genesis 6 v 5-14	Names of the Lord - The Door
1/8/99	1 Kings 11 v 28-35	Rehoboam
8/8/99	1 Kings 12, 13	Jeroboam
21/11/99	Luke 16 v 19-31	Hell
28/11/99		Heaven
2000
4/1/00	Haggai 1	Haggai pt 1
11/1/00	Haggai 2	Haggai pt 2
18/1/00	Haggai 2	Haggai pt 3
25/1/00	Haggai 2	Haggai pt 4
12/2/00	Luke 11 v 1-4	Prayer
27/2/00	Matthew 2 v 1-13	The Wise Men
11/4/00	Matthew 6	Don't Worry
2001
8/5/01		Silence
12/8/01	2 Kings 4	Elisha and the Widow's Oil
2018
15/11/2018	Luke 16 v 1-14	The Dishonest Manager
2019
20/01/2019	1 John 2 v 3-28	Tests of the True Christian
09/06/2019	Exodus 6 v 28 - 10 v 29	The God Who is Powerful
30/07/2019	Camp Lessons	God's Grand Design
08/08/2019	Isaiah 53	Firm Foundations - Propitiation
08/09/2019	Ephesians 4 v 1-16	Firm Foundations - The Church
08/12/2019	Jeremiah 23 v 1-8	Jeremiah 23 - A Light in the Darkness
2020
01/03/2020	Ephesians 4	Ephesians 4 - A New Walk
21/06/2020	Colossians 2 v 16-23	Colossians 2 - the Enptiness of Rules
19/07/2020	Colossians 3 v 18 - 4 v 1	Colossians 3 - the Dynamics of Godly Relationships
20/09/2020	Exodus 17 v 8-16	God is My Banner
01/11/2020	Ezekiel 48 v 30-35	The Lord is There
15/11/2020	Ruth 2	Ruth 2 - Service - The Difference a Day Makes
13/12/2020	Micah 5v2	Nativity - the Ruler
2020
03/01/2021	1 Kings 19 v 1-18	The Still, Small Voice
23/01/2021	Ephesians 4 v 25-32	Be Yourself
21/03/2021	Joshua 9	Deception

Date: ??/??/96
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Colossians 3v3-5

Sermon on Sin

Colossians 3 v3-5

For ye are dead (to sin), and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;

What is sin
What is its penalty
What are the consequences
How can we be dead to sin
How do we avoid it

What is Sin?

missing the mark - doing what God doesn't want
How do we know what God doesn't want?
- read the Bible - 2 timothy 3v16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
- know God - if our relationship with God is a close one, we will know His mind
- conscience - we are given a conscience which tells us what is right and wrong
Ommission is a sin as well as commission - James 4v17: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
What about ignorance?
- Numbers 15v27-31 And if any soul sin through ignorance...
- The ordinary punishment for sin, sacrifices, is actually that for sinning through ignorance. Sinning when you know it is a much more serious offence.
Is something either a sin or not?
- No, it has a lot to do with motives. In 1 Chronicles 21 David decides to take a census. There doesn't sound anything wrong in that, but his motive was pride and that made the census a sin for David.
- But doing the wrong thing with a good motive doesn't make it right. Sometimes we don't even know that we've done something because we had the right motives, but it has been taken wrongly.
What is the penalty for sin?
There is one basic penalty. Romans 3v23 says For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. That means the slightest sin makes us fail God's standards. We all deserve that punishment. Romans 6v23: For the wages of sin is death. Remember, death is a separation. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God. Some believe there are small sins which just reduce fellowship with God, and mortal sins which damn us to Hell. This is not Biblical - all sin is punishable by death.
There do appear to be several levels of punishment: 2 Peter 2v21: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But all sin results in damnation.
The only escape from the penalty of sin is salvation through the blood of Jesus. Because all sins deserve death, there is no merit in this; it is pure mercy.
What are the consequences of sin?
We may be forgiven our sins, we may escape the penalty, but sin still has consequences, and we don't realise how far-reaching they are.
Genesis 3v17 - Adam's sin caused a curse on the ground, God's creation, and on all mankind.
Look at the relatives of Abraham. They were the ones who caused his people most trouble:
Ishmael: the result of Abraham trying himself to fulfill God's promise of a nation.
- His descendents became the Arab nation, even now against Israel.
- Gen 25v18 - they struggled against their brothers.
- Gen 27v25 - Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites.
Midian: the son of Abraham's second wife, Keturah (concubine?)
- Also mentioned as the people Joseph was sold to
- Judges 6 & 7 Midianites are enemy that Gideon defeats
Lot had two sons by his daughters, again the result of sin.
Moab:
- Moabites wanted Balaam to curse Israel
- 2 Kings 3 the Moabites rebel against Israel and are quashed
Ben-Ammi: other son
- Jephthah went to fight the Ammonites (Judges 11)
- David fought and defeated them in 2 Samuel 10
Esau: despised his birthright - father of Edomites
- Numbers 20 - wouldn't let Israel pass through their country
- Psalm 83v5-7 - join with other nations against Israel.
Amalek: Esau's grandson
- It was the Amalekites who attacked Israel in the wilderness
- In 1 Samuel 15 God ordered the Amalekites to be totally destroyed because of this.
Sin is far reaching. We need more of a realisation of how much damage is done to really feel the sorrow that we should sometimes. How can we be dead to sin and yet still sin?
Romans 6v2 says How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? That is, in sin.
Remember: death means separation, so dead to sin means separated from sin.
Illustration: Field is your life. Man in middle is your soul. Wolves in field are your sins.
- The wolves have a free run of the field. They swarm over it and over the man in the middle, tearing at him. He can't kill them - he hasn't the strength to fight and had he a gun, they are too close to him. He needs saved.
- Salvation: the wolves draw back, cages fall around them, trapping them. The man is safe, but the wolves still wander around the field. Your soul is safe from the penalty of sin (your life is hid with Christ in God), but there is still sin in your life. The wolves trample down the crop in the field, making it unfruitful.
- Mortify therefore your members: now the man has a gun, and a free shot at the wolves. He can walk up to the cages and shoot the wolves, one by one. Each time he shoots one, an area of the field is left alone to grow and be fruitful.
- So it's easy, he just shoots all the wolves. We can just kill off all the sin in our lives and live pure, fruitful lives. Why is it not like that. Look at the wolves. Some of them are fearful beasts, but some of them are cute little puppies. He doesn't want to kill them, that would be cruel. They aren't doing too much harm. Sin is like this as well. Sometimes we hold on to it. It looks pleasurable, and can be. It looks harmless. But wolf cubs grow into fierce creatures. Our little sins that seem so harmless can grow into great big sins, and it's not that we can't kill them off, we don't want to. We cling on to them.
- The man has the capability of ridding himself of all the wolves in his field. The only thing that is holding him back is that he is blind to reality. He doesn't see the effect they have on his field. He could produce so much fruit if only he realised.
What can we do about it?
Too often we are happy with where we are. We think we've done quite well, and settle down. We need to open our eyes, to see the dangers still lurking in our lives. We need to constantly examine ourselves, look at what needs changed. Not in a morbid way, thinking that we've no hope, but a goal in mind, of being more fruitful for God. How can we recognise and avoid it?
- Read the Word. We can't claim we didn't know if we didn't bother to find out.Think what would Christ do. In every situation, think to yourself what He would have done.
- Confess and repent. Acknowledge what you've done is wrong. Too often we try and make excuses for our action instead of holding our hands up and saying we were wrong. "He started it". "But I was in the right"
- Flee temptation. If the opportunity doesn't arise, you won't do it.
- Put others before yourself. Sin is caused by selfishness. If we're thinking of others first, we won't just resist sin, but avoid it altogether.
- If we are faced with temptation, rely on God's strength to say no.
© David Meiklejohn 1996
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Seeing God Through Nature

Date: 18/06/96
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text:Psalm 19 v 1-6

Introduction
In this essay, I intend to take a brief look at various ways God is represented in the Psalms through the imagery of nature and the natural world. Nature is used extensively throughout the Psalms to express the authors' feelings, to reveal something about God and for many other reasons. This essay is in no way meant to be exhaustive in covering the subject. Rather, I will pick out a few Psalms where the imagery of nature is used and look at what these passages tell us about God. The passages I will look at are:
- Psalm 19 v 1-6: The heavens declare God's glory
- Psalm 65 v 5-13: God's care for his creation
- Psalm 18 v 7-15: God's anger represented by nature
- Psalm 93: God is mightier than nature
The Heavens Declare God's Glory
Psalm 19 v 1-6
1. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
This passage takes a look at the skies around us, and marvels at them. How obvious it is that God exists, and how glorious He must be!
v1: We don't need to rely exclusively on the Bible to see God. The creator is evident in all aspects of His creation. This verse tells us how the skies are evidence of God's existence and His creative power. We can appreciate something of God's character by looking at the beauty and majesty of the skies. In fact in today's society where more and more time is spent indoors, it does one good to go outside, sit quietly watching the skies and appreciate something of what God really is.
v2: The heavens speak daily of God's great power and His artistic ability. The skies are no static piece of art which, once viewed, causes a lesser impression when viewed for a second time. They are always changing, showing off a new beauty every day, which we can never tire of watching.
v3-4a: The skies are universal, as God is universal. They clearly show His existence to all the world, from the centre of the Christian world to the land which has never heard God's Word proclaimed. This leaves no man with the excuse that they never knew God. It may be true that someone in a "Christian" country who has been brought up with the gospel commits a greater sin in rejecting God than the one in a far off land who has never heard of Jesus, but the world around us and our very natures within cry out God's existence. As Paul says in Romans 1 v 19- 20, God is evident in His creation so that man has no excuse in rejecting Him.
v4b-6: David compares the sun to a bridegroom, coming out in all his glory. It is interesting to note that the image of a bridegroom, rather than a bride, is used here, perhaps indicating the lower importance given to women at the time.
God's Care For His Creation
Psalm 65 v 5-13
1. By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
2. Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
3. Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
4. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
5. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
6. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
7. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
8. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
9. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.
This psalm shows God's abundant blessing on us by reflecting on how He cares for nature. This portion starts in verse 6 by emphasizing God's power in His creation. It was He who created the mountains. Verse 7 talks about God's calming influence over His creation. He makes the world a pleasant place to be. Verse 8, as in Psalm 19, talks of how God is universal. He may have been God of the Jews, His chosen people, but He is also God over the rest of the world.
Verses 9-13 present a lovely picture of God's care for nature. He brings the rain to feed the crops to feed the people (v9). This theme of God bringing the rain continues in v10. We must remember how important the rain is to the Jewish people, who live in a hot, dry land. In verse 11 the harvest time is seen as a glorious part of the year, with God's blessing evident in His rich provision. In verse 12 the crops are shown as a direct blessing: "the little hills rejoice on every side".
The psalm finishes in verse 13 with a mention of God's provision in livestock as well as crops. The whole land cries out with happiness: nature sings for joy at the presence of the Lord. This psalm shows how closely God is involved in caring for what He has created, and the blessings he has for us.
God's Anger Seen in Nature
Psalm 18 v 7-15
1. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
2. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
3. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
4. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
5. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
6. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
7. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
8. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
9. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
This psalm gives us quite a different picture of God, but again from nature. Here we see the wrath of God. We see how mighty and powerful He is. This is no picture of a cosy, benevolent, unquestioning God, but one who can be angry and, when made angry, truly a God to be feared.
The image we see here is of a volcano erupting - an awesome sight. There is so much pent up power in the volcano that the land around shakes (v7), then it erupts forth, spewing smoke, fire and burning rocks high into the air. God is shown appearing on the scene riding on clouds and on angels, using the wind to propel Him. Although we have here an angry God, He is still a God that is in control of His creation: His rule is absolute. The psalm continues by describing a thunderstorm, possibly that created by the volcano erupting, in which case the mention of dark rain clouds in verse 11 could be a pointer to rains of ash which often accompany a volcanic eruption.
The image of God firing lightning bolts down on those He is angry with is perhaps a cliched one, but provokes the thought of how powerful God really is, and how He does punish those who are against him.
God is Mightier than Nature
Psalm 93
1. The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
2. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
3. The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
4. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
5. Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.
This psalm focuses on two parts of God's nature: His might and His stability. Both of these are expressed with metaphors based in nature.
v1: A declaration of God's royalty. He rules and is a fitting ruler, being clothed with a majestic quality. He is powerful and He cannot be moved. This verse compares the unyielding nature of the Earth to God's stability and steadfastness. No matter what damage man does to this Earth, it is very unlikely he will move it from its current orbit. In the same way, God is immovable, and a fitting foundation for our lives.
v2: Like the Earth, God has been around for a long time. Unlike the Earth, God has been around forever.
v3: Nature responds to God: the seas lift up and pound the land at His command. The seas cry out for the Lord and so often we don't see it. We think nature just runs its course, obeying some simple rules. How often do we think of the weather conditions around us being a direct result of the personality of God?
v4: The sea is a mighty force. Its waves can destroy the strongest sea wall; it erodes away the land year by year; its waters are often perilous to cross. Yet God is mightier than the sea. He is in control and is greater than all His creation.
v5: Just as God stands firm forever, so His holy law is eternal and unchanging. The law gives all men a standard by which they will be judged. No man can meet that standard, and so it is with gratefulness that we receive the grace which gives us power over and freedom from sin.
Conclusion

We have seen in these four extracts how the psalms use nature to give us a glimpse of the God who created all. We see in this glimpse that God is a personality: He is a loving, caring God who wants us to know Him intimately. He wants us to know about Him, even if we don't read our Bibles. He makes it clear that He is there. Yet He is not a God to be fooled with. If God's anger is provoked He is more frightening and awesome than the most destructive forces in nature. Truly He is a God to be feared.
Every one of us should occasionally take the time to go outside and contemplate God's creation. The wonders we see around us are just a taste of how glorious God really is.
© David Meiklejohn 1996
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: 15/12/96
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 1 John 5 v 1-13
The Battle is the Lord's
1 John 5 v1-13
1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
6. This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
- v1-3 - Love
  All Christians are born of God. If we love God we will love Christ as well. John doesn't represent love as some emotion, but as action. We show our love by keeping his commandments.
  John says that God's commandments are not grievous. How can this be? Surely the law of God is impossible to follow. Failure is inevitable and weighs us down. In Matthew 11v28-30 Jesus says we should come to him to relieve ourselves of our burdens. We should come to Jesus as often as possible, to confess our sins and lighten our loads. Remember 1 John 2v1 says if we sin we have an advocate in heaven.
  Have you ever seen people out picking grapes. What they do is carry a basket along with them, filling it as they go. The basket gets heavier and heavier until they take it to the cart and pour out the grapes. The cart can take much more than they can, and they are now unburdened to work more effectively. It's the same with you and me. The more often we unburden our cares on Christ, the more effective we can be as Christians.
- v6-13 - Witness
  v6 - Water speaks of the Holy Spirit, while blood speaks of humanity. Jesus wasn't just born of the Spirit, but also of a woman. When he died, blood and water poured out of him. Some people have said Jesus was only the Christ between his baptism and just before being crucified. This isn't true. He was both God and man from his birth to his death. If it was just a man that had died on the cross, we could not be saved. It had to be God that died, no matter how hard this is for us to understand.
  v7 is the most explicit verse in the bible supporting the idea of the trinity, though we can see it's presence throughout scripture. The Jehova's Witnesses don't believe in the trinity, believing Jesus is something less than God and the Holy Spirit doesn't exist as a person at all, but just represents the power of God. Interestingly, this verse has been removed from some of the more modern translations.
  v8 - God said "ye are my witnesses". His witness on earth is through us: through the Holy Spirit working in our lives and through the two services we are commanded to keep: baptism and the Lord's supper.
  The Jehova's Witnesses also seem to believe that the way to God is through a keener understanding of him. They interpret the phrase "to know God" as meaning to have detailed, clear knowledge of him. The word doesn't mean this, though. It is the same concept as when the bible talks of a man knowing his wife: a deep, personal relationship. v12 says he that hath the Son hath life, not he that knows about the Son hath life. Christ is a possession, not an interest. This verse proclaims the message of salvation clearly: if you have Christ, you have eternal life. If you don't, you don't.
- v4-5 - Victory
  This section talks about victory and overcoming the world. How can we do this? What happens when we do? The bible often talks about the Christian life as a battle and gives us lots of instruction on how to approach it.
  - Preparation - image being a soldier, going into a battle. What are the important things to do before going? Before the battle you'll be given a briefing - told about the enemy, their weapons, how they're likely to attack. You'll get your kit ready and check it's all in working order: your battledress, your gun, your radio and so on. You'll have been trained in using all these things. There is also one thing which will have been drummed into you since you joined the army. You must obey orders. That doesn't mean there's no room for initiative, but when it comes right down to it, you must do exactly as you are told, or you'll be endangering your own and others' safety.
    These things apply in the Christian life as well:
    - Know Your Enemy
      We have three enemies: the devil, the world and the flesh. We need to be aware of how the attack is likely to come and what form it will take. The devil attacks us on three sides: body, soul and spirit. See Genesis 3v6 for instance. Eve saw the fruit was good to eat (the body), it was pleasing to the eye (the soul, emotions), and would bring wisdom (the spirit, mind). When Jesus was tempted by the devil he used the same three attacks. He offered bread for the body, possessions to please the soul and an ego-boost to tempt the spirit. 1 John 2v16 warns us of the three same areas: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
      We must be aware of the ways we will be attacked and be prepared for them. We must clothe ourselves with Christ (Romans 13v14), realise our soul can never be satisfied by earthly things (Proverbs 27v20) and practise humility.
    - Wear the Armour
      Ephesians 6 tells us about the armour of God. We must pay attention to what we have on and what condition it's in. If our shield of faith is falling apart, we should do something to strengthen it. If our sword is rusty through lack of use, we must practise with it. If our prayer life is inadequate, the rest is affected.
    - Surrender
      Strange as it may seem, our chances of success depend on how willing we are to surrender; not to the enemy, but to God. A line of a song says "we can surrender without a prayer, but never really pray without surrender". We must be willing to go into the battle thinking nothing of ourselves, but giving all over to God.
  - Reward - there are rewards to those that overcome. revelation lists them:
    - 2v7 - they shall eat from the tree of life
    - 2v11 - they shall not be hurt from the second death
    - 2v17 - they shall eat hidden manna and be given a white stone with a new name on it.
    - 2v26 - if they also keep his works (John 6v29 - keep believing to the end) they will be given the power to rule over the nations, and be given the morning star (Jesus calls himself the morning star).
    - 3v5 - they wil be clothed in white and their name will be in the book of life.
    - 3v12 - they will be pillars in God's temple, with his name written on them.
    - 3v21 - they will sit with Christ on his throne.
  - Winning - how do we win the battle? How can we overcome? John says those who believe, who are the sons of God, overcome the world. In John 16v33 Jesus tells us not to worry about tribulation, he has already overcome the world. 1 John 4v4 says "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." The key is that the battle is not on our strength but on the Lord's, and he is already victorious, having defeated death and the world. All we have to do is realise this and start living it. We often live defeated lives because we don't realise that the battle is already won. We think that we have to achieve something to be victorious. Christ has already achieved all that is needed. We can walk into battle confident, not in our own ability, but in the Lord.
So the message is that the Christian life is a battle. We need to be prepared: know our enemy, clothe ourselves correctly and surrender ourselves to the leader. But we can approach the battle knowing that it is already won. Victory doesn't depend on our strength; the battle belongs to the Lord.

© David Meiklejohn 1996
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

How Do You Measure Up?

Date: 26/1/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Amos 7v7-9
Amos 7v7-9
1. Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the LORD stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
2. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
3. And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
In the text, God showed Amos a plumb line, indicating he was measuring Israel. The plumb line is a standard, used as a comparison to see how a wall matches the standard. The question I would like to pose is how do you measure up? What are your standards that you measure yourself against?
Bad Comparisons

There are certain people in the Bible we look at and dismiss their action as foolish, something we would never do. Often though, if we look closely at ourselves, we make the same mistakes and worse. Like the people of Israel we like to look around at others and see their mistakes. We like to see them get their come-upance for their sins. Israel was like this when Amos started to prophecy to them. In the early chapters, Amos brings the Lord's word on the surrounding nations, each time starting the same way - "For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof". They had sinned enough that he was not to be persuaded against punishing them. The Israelites must have liked hearing how ungodly their neighbours were.

Best of all in their view, was when Amos came to Judah, the southern kingdom which was split from the rest of Israel. This was Amos's home land, yet he gave the Lord's judgement on it just as with the other nations.

It must have hurt them then when he carried on to judge Israel. Not only did the Lord have words to say about Israel's sin, but they were worse than all the others. This must have made Amos very unpopular, but he still obeyed God in bringing his Word to Israel.

We often are like Israel. We look at others and wonder how they could have failed. We would never have done that. Let's look at a few examples:
- Lot's wife was told not to look back, when they ran from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. She did and she was turned into a pillar of salt. Why did she turn back? Surely that was a simple instruction to obey. Yet look at our own lives. We have left behind the old man, we should be living in the Spirit. How many times do we look back at the old life with longing. Lot's wife just looked but how many times do we not just look back but wander off the track, in search of the world's pleasures? Lot's wife is a warning to us: let us not belittle that warning.
- Peter told Jesus he would never deny him. Surely if that was you or I we would have kept our word and not denied Jesus. How could he do such a thing? Yet how many times in our own lives have we failed to stand up for Christ, to stand out from the crowd? How many times have we distanced ourselves from other Christians and looked on them as fanatics?
- Moses met God in a burning bush. God spoke to him and asked him to take a message to Pharaoh. But Moses made up all sorts of excuses. Why didn't he just do what he was told? Why didn't he just believe that God would uphold him? Surely we would have agreed and gone for God. Yet how many times have we pulled back from doing what we know we should, saying we are unable to do it. We don't have the talents, we don't have the strength. Maybe we're not as good as we thought.
Wrong Measurements

So we're not as good as we might think. We all have our problems. But how do we really measure up in God's eyes? What attributes do we need to concentrate on?

Who do you admire? Athletes for their strength and speed, for making themselves into almost perfect physical forms? Great thinkers, who have IQs well beyond yours and mine, who understand how the world works so much better than us? People with position, like the Royal family, who their whole lives have been trained to behave as superiors? Again, let's look at some biblical examples:
- Samson was strong, possibly the strongest man ever; surely a good character to look up to. Yet he used his strength for the wrong reasons, in vengeance. He had a weakness for women, and he broke all of his Nazirite vows. Samson's strength came from God and he abused it.
- Solomon was the wisest man ever. He was a great thinker and for a while was a great king for Israel. In his later life though, he turned away from God, he was disenchanted with life and had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Despite the wisdom and the riches God had given him, he is not an example to follow.
- Eli was a great hight priest. He was the one man in Israel who, once a year, went in to the holy of holies and was in the presence of God. He had all the advantages of position and was responsible for the spiritual welfare of the whole country. Yet Eli couldn't look after his own family. His sons were committing terrible crimes against God, but he let them go with an admonishment which they didn't listen to. God had given Eli position, but that doesn't make him a good character to follow.
God's Criteria
These three people were given qualities by God, they weren't things of their own doing. Strength, beauty, intelligence, position aren't things we can have that much effect on. We should concentrate on what God finds important - the things we can do, that don't depend on where we are born, with what or who to. I want to look at three qualities, with one example of each:
- Obedience - Hebrews 11v8 says "By faith Abraham...obeyed". Because of his obedience, the chosen people came about and claimed the land of Canaan as their inheritance. He obeyed when God asked him to leave his home country. He obeyed when God asked him to sacrifice his promised son. He did what God said and that is what God asks of us. He doesn't ask us to be able to kill a hundred men, to overrun armies. He just asks us to do what he says.
- Humility - in Numbers 12, Aaron and Miriam rebelled against Moses. They wanted to know why he should lead alone. The chapter comments that Moses was a man of humility. He didn't answer them back, though he had every right to. He let God do the talking, and God was fierce in his defence of Moses. We need to forget about our "rights". We have no need to defend ourselves - just leave it up to God. After all, he can defend us much better than we can.
- Perseverence - in 1 Kings 18, Elijah is on Mount Carmel. The priests of Baal fail to persuade their God to consume the sacrifice they have for him. After one prayer from Elijah, God sent fire down to consume not just the sacrifice, but the altar it sat on. After this, Elijah went up to pray for the return of the rain. You would think he would expect instant action from God after what had just happened, but when his servant came back to say there were still no clouds, he wasn't discouraged, but went back to prayer. Seven times he prayed and sent his servant to check for clouds. On the seventh time, the servant spotted a small cloud, and that was enough for Elijah. What patience he showed, what perseverence. Sometimes we pray and look for an instant answer. Don;t dismay if it doesn't happen. God is pleased when we show perseverence and wants to encourage it in us. So keep going to God, keep praying for what you know is in his will. He will reward you.
Jesus portrayed all three of these attributes, and he of course is our supreme example. Hebrews 5v8 tells us he learned obedience through his suffering. Isn't it interesting that Jesus had to learn obedience, it wasn't a God-given gift built in to him. Philippians 2v6-8 tells us how he humbled himself. He brought himself low, and put others before himself. Hebrews 12v2 says he endured the cross. At any time he could have called down angels to free him, but he stayed, he hung there and died for us.

So let us endeavour to be obedient, humble and to persevere. These are qualities that we can change in ourselves and aren't so affected by circumstances. In fact hardship often gives us a chance to practise them all the more.

© David Meiklejohn 1997
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: 9/2/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: I Corinthians 3v9-15
Workers Together With God
I Corinthians 3v9-15
1. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
2. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
3. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
4. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
5. Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
6. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
7. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
I want to concentrate on verse 9. It says we are labourers together with God. God works in our lives and we must also work in our lives. Some will say that all is of God, but without our willingness and our effort, God will do nothing in us. Some will say that it is all human effort, but without God empowering our works, they are worthless. God supplies the guidance and power and we supply the willingness and effort.

Two illustrations are used in this verse: we are God's husbandry (tillage, or field) and we are God's building. The care and building up of these is both God's work and our work.

God's Field

Our lives are God's field. There is a series of stages a field must go through to be fruitful, and that is its purpose: to be fruitful for its owner.
- Separated - When a farmer buys a field he makes sure it is separated from the land around. He marks it out with hedges, to keep people out and to shelter it from the wind. The field can be seen to be the farmer's property and not just part of the land. So we must be separated from the world. We need God's protection around us to keep the world out. He shelters us from evil. We are marked out as being the property of the Lord. Children's annuals used to have a "this book belongs to" page in them. We should have a "this person belongs to" mark evident in our lives.
- Ploughed - When the farmer marks out the field the land is just like the surrounding land. He must plough the land, turning over the soil and ridding it of the rocks it contains. The land takes a lot of work before it is ready to plant in. Our lives are the same. When we are saved there is a lot that needs changing. Sometimes this can be a painful experience, but it's one which prepares us to be fruitful. Like the rocks, we must remove the sins from our lives: otherwise they will obstruct the planting and harvesting of the crop.
- Sown - the farmer sows the seed in the field. The seed is normally of one type. God sows his works in us - he doesn't give us a confusion of things to do, his plan for us is simple and to one aim. Sometimes, though, it isn't clear what the crop will be from the seed. Sometimes we just have to go ahead and grow it, trusting in the master, that the crop will be profitable. What farmer will sow useless crops in his fields?
- Nourished - all plants need watered. The water fills out the plant. Look at a plant that hasn't been watered: it's all dried up and useless. Water it and it fills out, healthy and strong. Water speaks of the Spirit, who nourishes us, strengthens us, fills us from within. We are told to be filled with the Spirit. This doesn't mean we have to ask God to fill us; he is already willing, we just have to give all our lives to him.
- Energised - the sun gives energy and life to the crop. It is what makes the plants grow. The Son of God gives us the power; without him we can do nothing. The Son gives us life, and it is only through the Word that we can grow. Jesus said "I am the light of the world". Light doesn't just bring vision, but gives energy.
- Tended - the farmer looks after his land. This means he must regularly go through the field, checking on the growth of the crop, looking for weeds. Weeds grow in the field as well as the crop. They weren't planted by the farmer, so where did they come from? Some were in the land before it was bought by the farmer and have grown up again. Some will have blown in from the land around. Some may even have been sown by enemies of the father, to spoil his crop. Sin in our lives comes from three sources: from the old man, the sinful nature in us; from the influence of the world, which can depend on how well the hedges have been built and are maintained; and from the devil, who tries to spoil God's work in us. The crop needs nourished and cared for, but the weeds grow easily, robbing the crop of sustenance and strangling it.
- Harvested - what use is to be made of the crop? It needs to be harvested, and the field reploughed for the next year. If the crop is left in the field, it will go to seed and be useless to anyone. The crop is for the farmer. That is the purpose it was sown. Likewise, our works in Christ must be harvested. There should be fruit from our work and the glory should go to the Lord. If we try and hold on to the glory, it will make us useless. If we just dwell on past glories, again we will be useless. we need to make a clean start on the next thing God has for us.
- Rested - every seven years, the Jews were to rest their fields; plant nothing in them. If they didn't do this the fields would get worn out, producing less crop each year. The rest gives the field a chance to regain its vigour and be ready for a full crop the next year. How are your Sundays? Do you feel spiritually refreshed after a Sunday. The week will wear you down, so if you don't use Sunday to rest in the Lord, you will become of less and less use to God. Our Sundays should give us a renewed vigour to do the Lord's work, to face the world and the elements again.
God's Building

The verse also compares our lives to a building, which we build up out of different materials. Again there are several stages involved:
- Plans - Any building must have plans. Buildings are constructed for a purpose and must be systematically planned through. v16 tells us the purpose of our building: it is the temple of God, a place of worship which glorifies God. Our whole purpose here on earth is to please God. The plan for our lives is in the Word. Each of us has an individual plan, which God will reveal to us if we search. Not all of it at once, but when we need it. Like buildings, we may be very similar, so the plans can be the same for the most part; but each one has a bit of individuality, a bit which is different from all the rest. If we stray from God's plan, the building will be less able to fulfil its purpose.
- Foundation - v11 tells us the foundation of our buildings should be Christ. No other one, no other thing. Some build their foundation on doctrine, some on love, some on experience, some on mysteries. Our foundation is the only one that will last: a person, Jesus Christ.
- Walls & Roof - A house has walls and a roof: to support it and to protect it from the elements outside. The walls are set firmly in the foundation. Our walls are the basic elements of our faith - the doctrines which determine our daily living. We live by God's commandments - be separate from the world, love one another, spread the gospel. Each of these doctrines must be founded in Christ to hold it solid, and by these things God will protect us from things of the world.
- Materials - What do we build the house with? Some houses are made with straw, some with wood, some brick. Our house has a special destiny. We have been told it will be burned, and what is left will be our reward (v13). We should be mindful of this, then, when we build, using materials which will survive the fire. Wood might be an easy material to build with: it is light and strong and makes house-building a faster task; but when it comes to being burned absolutely none of the wood will be left. The verse tells us to build with gold, silver and precious stones. These are expensive, heavy and difficult to work with, but they will last. Image the house consumed in a terrible fire. When the smoke clears and the ashes are blown away, a few pieces of gold and silver are left lying on the ground, all that is left of our work. We may think we know an easier way to acomplish God's task, but God's way is always the right way, even if it seems terribly hard.
- Door & Windows - The door is important. It is the way things come into the house and the way things leave. We should only take in what is useful, not a lot of junk, or something that will damage the house. Likewise, whatever leaves the house should be only good. People will judge what is inside by what comes out. Someone once said they used to put their good stuff on the midden, so the neighbours would think they were well off. The windows are how we see the world around, and sometimes how people see inside. We need to keep them clear so we can see clearly, and so the light of the sun can enter. Then, when all around is in darkness, the light within will shine out to those around.
- Inhabitant - Someone must live in the house. They will keep it clean and help look after it. They can only do this if they have access to all the rooms though. Imagine you had a lodger who was kept locked out of a room in your house. The room would get dusty, old and unused. The Holy Spirit lives within us, and we need to give him access to all areas of our lives, or those areas where we keep him out will grow worse and worse. There shouldn't be any part of our lives where the Spirit's influence isn't visible.
So our lives are like fields and our lives are like houses. We must build them up, but must remember that we are fellow-workers with God. All that we attempt on our own will be fruitless.

© David Meiklejohn 1997
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: 18/05/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text:
Elisha

Introduction

Does God treat everyone the same? Obviously not. God values us equally, but he works through us in different ways. In this sermon we're going to look at Elisha, how God used him, how different he was from Elijah, his predecessor and what we can learn from his life.
Background

In the time we're looking at, Israel has been divided in two, with the northern kingdom of Israel, capital Samaria, and the southern kingdom of Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital. Israel consists of ten of the original tribes, with Judah containing just Judah and Benjamin. In Israel, Ahab has died, Ahaziah ruled for 1 year and Joram taken his place. In Judah, Jehoshaphat is ruling, along with his son Jehoram.

In 1 Kings we hear how Elisha is called by Elijah. God tells Elijah to put his coat on Elisha, who is ploughing at the time. Elisha burns up his plough and cooks his cattle to signify he has left his old life behind, and follows Elijah. He becomes Elijah's servant and pupil ("poured water on Elijah's hands").

At the end of Elijah's ministry, he is taken away in a chariot of fire. Elisha has asked for a double portion of his spirit, and receives the sign that he has it. In these days the heir of the household received twice as much as the other sons, so Elisha is asking to take over Elijah's mantle here, not asking for more spirit than he had. Elisha strikes the Jordan river with Elijah's coat, walks across on dry land and starts his ministry.

Comparison

The people at the time must have wondered how Elisha would compare with Elijah. When we look at the two characters and their works, they are very different.

Elijah was a very forceful prophet. His miracles were mighty, destructive ones usually:
- Altar consumed by God's fire
- Prayed for rain to stop
- Killed Ahaziah's messengers
In contrast, Elisha's miracles rarely did any damage. He seems to have spent most of his time helping people. The people must have respected and feared Elijah, but they probably loved and trusted Elisha. Most of Elijah's time was spent fighting against the worshippers of Baal, while Elisha's ministry seems to have been more of a building up of the other prophets.

God works with people in different ways. Some people he will lay on their back to get their attention, some he will just need to speak quietly to. Some people he will use in the pulpit, some in their work, some in their home. Some people's job is to fight against evil in the country, some are just their to be helpful and to encourage.

The Prophets' School

It looks like there was a school of young prophets at this time, led by Elisha. The prophets of Baal, led by Jezebel, had wiped out most of God's prophets so this was probably the beginnings of a reconstruction of the people.

Elisha doesn't just train these people in prophecy, but in practical things. They seem to be a bit inept in what they try and do: one prophet tries to make some stew with some plants he has found, which turn out to be poisonous, and Elisha has to step in and purify the stew. Another time they are building a bigger house for themselves and one of them loses his axe head in the river. Elisha drops a stick into the river and the axe head floats to the surface.

Helpful Miracles

Sometimes we look at today's problems and think they are new, that this situation didn't exist in the old days. We can see though that people in Elisha's time had much the same problems as we have today, and he tackles many of them in miraculous ways:
- Thirst - he purifies the stream that supplies Jericho's water. Today there is a spring in Jericho known as Elisha's fountain.
- Debt - a widow of one of his prophet school is seriously in debt; so much so she fears she must sell her children. Elisha provides a miracle which gives her enough oil to fill all her containers, and more than pays off her debt.
- Death - a woman from Shunam has a son, thanks to Elisha's prophecy. When the child dies, Elisha comes back and lies on top of the boy, who is brought back to life.
- Poison - Elisha purifies the stew his prophets make which has "death in the pot".
- Hunger - Elisha manages to make 20 small loaves spread around 100 men: a foreshadow of Jesus feeding the 5000.
- Disease - Namaan comes to Elisha to be cured of leprosy, and is healed after bathing in the Jordan seven times.
Elisha helped the debtors, the sick, the dead, the hungry. He went about helping people and his ministry must have been a great testimony of God's provision when the people were in need. This is one of the most effective ways we can witness, simply by helping people, by doing good. The bible tells us it is our duty to look after widows and orphans and so on. The most effective witness can often be helping someone out.

God with Elisha

It looks like Elisha was quite a gentle man, but this doesn't mean people could walk over him. Elisha had all the power of the Lord behind him, and people soon found this out:
- One time Elisha was heading towards a town when a gang of youths started shouting at him and insulting him. Elisha cursed them and two bears came out of the woods and tore 42 of the youths apart.
- Elisha kept telling the Israelite king what the Arameans were about to do, after being told by God. They took umbrage at this and went out against him. Elisha was in Dothan and the Arameans surrounded the town. When one of his pupils professed concern about the situation, Elisha told him not to worry: "They that are with us are greater than they which are with them" he said, pointing out fiery horses and riders beyond the enemy. Elisha prayed, God made the army blind, and Elisha led them to Samaria. Instead of killing them he gave them a big feast and sent them home.
- Later the Arameans came and besieged Samaria, but once again, God defeated them without using violence. The Arameans heard noises in the night and ran away.
Lessons from Elisha's Life

What can we learn from Elisha's life? Some will associate themselves with Elisha while others may think of themselves as an Elijah. We can all learn a lot from Elisha's life, however.
- He was trained under Elijah: he had a mentor who brought him up, advised him and taught him. It's important that we have someone we can look to as our teacher. Once Elisha was mature, he took on others as trainees, passing on his knowledge and experience.
- He wanted God to use him. He was willing to take on the task he was given.
- He was available. Whenever people were in need they could find him. When the Shunammite woman's son died, she went to Mount Carmel to find and retrieve him. Elisha was willing to go back with her. We can be of no use to people if we're not available.
- He cared for people. Elisha went out of his way to help people. We need to have more care for those around us.
- He was practical. When the widow came to him he didn't just say he would pray for her; he provided the solution to her problem. It's very easy to pray for people without getting out there and helping them, which is what we should be doing.
Conclusion

Elisha was a caring man and a much loved prophet. We should all strive to love people as much as he did, to get out there and help people in need, instead of just praying for them. Praying is important, much faith without works is dead. We should also learn to see the sort of person we are and accept that is what God has given us and start to use our unique talents for him.

© David Meiklejohn 1997
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: 18/05/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: 2 Kings 4v18-22, 32-38
Eyes, Hands, Mouth
2 Kings 4v18-22, 32-38
1. And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
2. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.
3. And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
4. And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
5. And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.
1. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
2. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
3. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
4. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
5. And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
6. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
7. And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.
Chapter 4 here presents a beautiful picture of salvation. It contains four miracles by Elisha:
- He gives a widow in debt an large supply of oil to pay off her debt
- He raises the Shunammite's son from the dead
- He purifies a bowl of stew which is poisoned
- He feeds 100 people with 20 small loaves
This mirrors what happens in our salvation:
- Jesus paid the debt that we owed and could not pay
- He raises us from the dead to new life
- He purifies our hearts from the poison of sin. This is not just a one-off event, but the start of a continuing process.
- He feeds us spiritual bread which helps us grow
I want to concentrate on the verses in the text. Elisha lay on top of the boy, touching his eyes, hands and mouth. Likewise, our eyes, hands and mouths are touched at salvation. We're going to look at each of these and what they mean in our Christian lives.

Eyes

The eyes speak of separation. When we're driving along the road we need to keep our eyes straight ahead. Looking down at the radio, at the person next to us or at the hills to the side causes us to start veering off the road. We need to keep our spiritual eyes fixed on Jesus, not being distracted by the things around us.
- We are supposed to be separated (Lev 20v24, 18v1-3). The saying is "when in Rome, do as the Romans", but the bible commands us not to be like this. We are to be different from those around.
- You have the option not to look. We can always shut our eyes from what's around us. If we keep our eyes open they can easily be drawn.
- Distance yourself from what is wrong
- If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out (Mat 5v29). Jesus meant this literally, but it is never our eyes which are the cause of the sin, but our hearts.
- Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way (Psalm 119v37)
- In the end, all eyes will look on the glory of the Lord (Rev 1v7)
Hands

Hands speak of service. Two men had burned hands. One hid them with gloves, the other wa quite open about his. Talking about it one day the one with the gloves admitted he had burned his hands in a robbery which went wrong. Whenever he saw his hands now, they reminded him of his past sin. The other man said he burned his hands saving his child from a fire, and he was happy whenever he looked at them now.
- Hands represent the work we do, for or against God. You can tell a man's job by his hands sometimes and you can tell a person's heart from the work they do for God.
- Each one has a task. We are all called to service, not just those who are pastors or speakers, but each and every one.
- Who shall stand in the holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24)
- Do whatever our hands find to do (Ecc 9v10). Idle hands find evil to do, so it's better to be doing something than doing nothing. God wants us to be working for him full time.
- ..eateth not the bread of idleness (Prov 31v27)
- David sinned when he was idle, when he should have been about the Lord's business
- Our work for God isn't just church on a Sunday. Our school, work, friends are all part of what God wants us to do and where he wants us to work for him.
Mouth

The mouth speaks of our witness. There's a story about a forest fire. The firemen were walking through the forest after the faire had been put out and found a body. The body was charred but had not been killed by fire, but by a fall. It was wearing a diving suit. They reckoned one of the planes had scooped up water to douse the fire and picked up the diver as well, dropping him on the forest from a great height.

This story is not true, but you may have heard it as true. It's amazing how quickly stories spread and change.
- Rumours spread. Invention becomes truth
- Tongue is a dangerous tool (James 3v3-10, 1v26)
- Sometimes yea be yea and nay be nay is the best approach
- We are called to be witnesses (Acts 1v8)
- Paul witnessed for God and we should follow his example (Acts 26v22-23)
- It's important that all three are in place. No separation or evil works can destroy any witness effort.
- James says tongue is difficult to control. But one day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord (Phill 2v11)
© David Meiklejohn 1997
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk

Date: 21/6/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Habakkuk 1v1-13
Responses
Habakkuk 1v1-13
1. The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
2. O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
3. Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
4. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
5. Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
6. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their's.
7. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
8. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
9. They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
10. And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
11. Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
12. Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
13. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
This sermon is about responses, our responses to various situations in life. Responses are very important and determine our fruitfulness, our effectiveness as Christians and others' perceptions of our God. In particular I want to look at responses to:
- Suffering
- Failure
- God's Call
We'll start off with a little quiz. Count up the number of A, B and Cs you get:
1. You're travelling to the airport to meet someone and catch a flight. Five minutes before you reach the airport your car breaks down and the RAC don't arrive until it's too late to catch the flight. Do you:
  - A. Jump up and down shouting "God, why are you doing this to me. It's not fair."
  - B. Go into a depression and think everyone hates you.
  - C. Say "Great, a chance to witness to the RAC."
2. You're reading the paper and find a full page article on a really juicy bit of gossip. Do you:
  - A. Say "Hey, this looks interesting" and delve in.
  - B. Read the article, commenting to yourself how terrible it is that people write this stuff.
  - C. Avoid the article and write to the editor to complain about the low standard of journalism.
3. Your boss asks you to go to England for a couple of days. This means you will miss out on an evening. What do you choose to miss:
  - A. The night you had planned to prepare your sermon.
  - B. The night of your church's prayer meeting.
  - C. The night you were going go-karting with friends.
4. You've just failed your driving test. Do you:
  - A. Threaten God that if you don't pass next time you'll become a Buddhist.
  - B. Go into a depression and don't talk to anyone for a week.
  - C. Study and practise 24 hours a day until the next test.
5. You're on business visiting your customer and they tell you they hate your product. Do you:
  - A. Call them an ungrateful, good for nothing so and so.
  - B. Say nothing, then tell your colleague the customer's an ungrateful, good for nothing so and so.
  - C. Tell them you'll have it fixed by next Friday.
6. You're a prophet and your people are sinning terribly. You go to God and he says he'll get the Chaldeans to punish them. Do you:
  - A. Go and warn the people the Chaldeans are coming.
  - B. Sit happily thinking how they deserve punished.
  - C. Complain to God that the Chaldeans are even worse than your people.
  Results:
  - Mostly As - you are emotionally unstable and need to calm down a bit.
  - Mostly Bs - you are permanently depressed and need to cheer up a bit.
  - Mostly Cs - you are zealous beyond belief, or you are cheating.
  OK, let's look at responses. Responses determine what people think of you, they often show how spiritual you really are. They can determine whether we are fruit bearing Christians or not. It's not what we believe or teach that determines our effectiveness, it's what we are and what we do.
  Suffering
  - A time of suffering can be a dangerous time for our walk with God.
  - Illness can cause apathy to set in.
  - Persecution can cause us to regress.
  - Sometimes recovering from the backsliding caused by suffering can take longer than the suffering does. When we're ill or hurting we don't feel in the right frame of mind to deal with God, yet that's when we need him most.
  - God uses suffering to try us. Someone said to me they wished God wouldn't try them so much.
  Examples:
  Paul
  - In prison (Philippians 1v12) yet used the chance to witness, pray and encourage. Paul's response to his circumstance was amazing. He didn't seem to be downhearted at all. remember - God puts you in places for a reason. He can also encourage and cheer you up when you're down. I like seeing nice skies and when I'm depressed, God invariably gives me a nice sky to look at. The other day a deer ran across the road in front of me. That cheered me up.
  - II Timothy 4v13: Paul was more concerned for God's word than for his own comfort.
  Joseph
  - Brothers did so much bad to him, yet he forgave them.
  Job
  It's OK to question God, to wonder why you're in a situation. But we must also ask God to use us in whatever situation we're in. Suffering is when we need God most. In your suffering, cry to God - he will hear you.
  Failure
  Example - try to play the piano and fail miserably. What responses can we have to failure:
  - Pretend it didn't happen
  - Analyse everything that went wrong.
  - Confess to God and go on.
  - (Shadrach, etc didn't say God would save them from the fire, only that he could. Sometimes we have misplaced faith in God and that can lead to failure)
  - Again, a very dangerous time.
  - Failure can make us think we're no use to God.
  - Depression isn't just a non-Christian disease. If anything, Christians are more prone to depression because we feel our failure lets God down as well as ourselves.
  - It doesn't have to be like that
  Examples:
  David
  - David had a whole list of failures, each one leading to the other. Yet he had the right attitude when he was accused. Read Psalm 51. David admits his sin, repents of it and goes on.
  Living with failure is like coming into the house with dirty, oily hands after working on the car. we can do one of three things:
  - Ignore the problem and make a mess of everything around us.
  - Worry about the failure and do nothing because we're afraid of affecting everything else.
  - Admit the failure, go and wash our hands and get on.
  Moses
  Moses made one mistake. He struck the stone when he should have talked to it. Yet for one mistake he was banned from the promised land. He pleaded with God but was not allowed in. However, Moses didn't mope. He got on with his job of leading the Isrealites with as much vigour as before.
  Remember - God doesn't punish you to turn you away from him, but to turn you towards him.
  Peter
  Peter was always failing:
  - Tried to stop Jesus going to the cross
  - He cut off a man's ear in anger
  - He denied he knew Christ
  Why did Jesus choose the one who was always failing to be one of the chief pillars of his church? Perhaps because Peter was willing to try, no matter the consequences. He was willing to fail. The disciples could say Peter was the one who took his eyes of Jesus and started sinking. Peter could say he was the one who walked on water towards his saviour.
  Be sure that if you're doing your utmost for God you will fail. We need to learn how to handle it.
  We must do three things with failure: confess, repent and put the failure behind us.
  God's Calling
  There's a fork in the road. Which way do you follow: the easy way or the right way. Sometimes the way you want is the right way. Psalm 20 says "may he give you the desires of your heart". But there will always be difficult routes to follow.
  What is your response to God's calling:
  - I don't care what God wants. It's my decision.
  - I want to follow God, but not this.
  - When do I start
  There are three steps to following God's will: be prepared for any answer; ask God what he wants you to do; and when he shows you, go and do it. Examples:
  Moses
  Moses made all sorts of excuses to try and avoid God's will. We can tell when people are avoiding things and just making excuses. We need to put our own fears and desires behind us and accept whatever God wants.
  Jonah
  Jonah simply ran away from God. God didn't force him but gave him a second chance. Sometimes God gives us a second chance, sometimes not.
  But it's not enough just to know what God wants for you. You have to go out and do it.
  Conclusion
  We've been looking at responses. There's one thing to remember in all these things: God is able. That's the theme for camp this year. God is able:
  - to uphold and strengthen the suffering and persecuted.
  - to pick up and dust off the failures.
  - to give the power to do what he asks of us.
  © David Meiklejohn 1997
  David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
  www.meiklejohn.org.uk
  
  Date: 19/10/97
  Speaker: David Meiklejohn
  Text: Matthew 4v18-20
  Fishers of Men
  Matthew 4v18-20
  1. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
  2. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
  3. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
  In this sermon I want to look at one of the church's main purposes: evangelism. We'll look at:
  - the message God has for a lost World
  - God's means of spreading that message
  - Your part in the plan
  Parable
  
  Once upon a time the world was divided into water and land, but the land was empty. The sea was full of fish, who were quite happy where they were, not knowing what it was like to live on the land.
  One day, God sent a fisherman down to the earth. He walked on the land and was close to God. He cast his line into the sea and started catching fish. An amazing thing happened to the fish when they were brought up onto the land: they transformed into men, each with their own fishing rod. The First Fisherman taught these novices how to fish and sent them all over the coast to cast their lines out and bring in new fish, which would themselves be transformed into fishermen. This First Fishermen said he would leave them, but as long as they kept fishing his way, he would be near, helping them.
  Years later the First Fisherman came back. He fully expected the land to be covered with people, with hardly a fish in the sea. He found to his amazement that there were only a few fishermen on the land and the sea was teeming with fish: even more than when he had left. He talked to the fishermen to find out what had happened.
  The first two fishermen were sitting talking together. One said that he was quite happy being a fisherman, but didn't feel the need to go out fishing. He didn't really care for the fish. The second said he was worried about the fish and wanted them to have the life he has, but he was scared of being pulled into the water. The First Fisherman said "Didn't I say I would be with you and you wouldn't have to fear anything?"
  Next he came upon a man swimming about in the sea. He was trying to swim with the fish but he wasn't any good at it any more. He seemed determined that he didn't want to be on the dry land, the water was much better. But he kept swallowing mouthfuls of water and looked in a bit of trouble.
  There was another group of fishermen in the water. They were trying to attract the fish by swimming about and generally acting like them. They told the First Fisherman they had loads of fish coming to join their activities, but when he asked how many had become fishermen, they looked blankly at him.
  The next group were well inliand, away from the water. They were standing in a circle, casting their lines into the middle. The fisherman scratched his head and asked them why they weren't out at the shore. They said that their door was open if any fish wanted to find their way in. He shook his head in disappointment.
  The First fisherman did find one or two fishers on the shore, casting their lines into the sea. They were happy to see him, but sorry that there weren't more of them to bring in more fish. One determined group had built a boat and were pushing out to sea, where there were lots of fish. They knew it would be dangerous, but trusted the First Fisherman to help them.
  Explanation
  All of us were like the fish, lost in a sea of sin. Jesus, the First Fisherman, came and showed the way to redemption. Some of us took it, and with it the responsibility of catching more fish. Many are failing, for varying reasons:
  - Lazy fisherman - some of us are happy being Christians and don't care much for the lost souls.
  - Hesitant fisherman - some are scared of reaching out, and won't trust God to help them.
  - Forgetful fisherman - some have turned back to the way they were, living as part of the world, not remembering they are new creations. They don't even remmeber their own salvation, never mind think about others.
  - Dry land fisherman - some churches have meetings where the gospel is proclaimed, but they do nothing to bring people in to hear it. They say their doors are open but people aren't actively encouraged to come.
  - Fishy fisherman - some churches go to the other extreme and do everything to get people in the door. Often this results in the church becoming more worldly than Godly: they get a lot of people in, but these people come to enjoy themselves rather than hear God's word.
  - Good fisherman - there are some who dilligently do God's work and witness to people. We must endeavour to be like that. The workers may be few, but each of us that joins makes a difference.
  - Boat full - Sometimes great rewards can be gained by going to where the sin is at its greatest. We must rely on God to keep us from danger, but a heart bold for the Lord can do a great deal.
  We need to use the right equipment:
  - Steady base - our feet need to be firmly planted in the doctrines of our faith. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it.
  - Protection from water - there is always a danger from sin, and we need to be protected from it. The wellies of the Christian life is prayer. We should be going into every situation praying for God's help and protection.
  - Lure - fishermen often use a lure to catch the fish. This is something that attracts the fish and makes them want to investigate. The Bible makes it clear that our love for each other should be the thing that attracts others to the Christian church.
  Some fishermen take the ultimate risk and cast out in a boat. This is a dangerous thing to do, but to really get the biggest catch, you need to go to where the fish are.
  God's message is:
  - a warning
    For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
    For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
    People ignore the warnings sometimes. We need to be clever.
  - a revelation
    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
    For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
    After telling them they are doomed, tell them there is hope.
  - a pathway
    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
    And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)
  God's means of spreading the message:
  - How would you make a message last a million years? Carve it in stone? Make a cavern for the message to stay safely? Someone has suggested starting a religion with the message as its focus. It is our duty to pass on the message that we have to the rest of the world, to those that haven't heard.
  - and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
  - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matthew 28:19)
  - The Bible:
    And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Rev 22:19)
  Your part in the plan:
  - How many people do you meet each day?
  - How many are non-Christians?
  - What do you say to them?
  We must:
  - Pray for them
  - Let them know
  - Live holy lifes as examples
  © David Meiklejohn 1997
  David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
  www.meiklejohn.org.uk
  
  Date: 21/12/97
  Speaker: David Meiklejohn
  Text:
  The Babe and the King
  
  The Innocent Baby
  
  Picture the scene - Bethlehem, bustling with activity, people looking for shelter for the night, crowding into the inns, arguments as people are turned away. Gradually things quieten down; people settle in wherever they've found. Night settles. In a small stable, with the animals gently lowing, baaing or neighing, a miracle happens: a woman gives birth to a son. But this is no ordinary child: this is the son of God. Shepherds up on the hills are startled as the sky is filled with angels singing. They are told to go down to the town, find the child and worship him. They go, and gather round the manger in awe to see the little baby who is the Messiah.
  It's a peaceful scene, and one that fits in well with the spirit of Christmas. It's a time of happiness, of goodwill, of peace, a time for families. The baby is non-threatening, innocent, cute, sweet, harmless. But all children grow up. Some turn out good, some bad, but they all change a lot from when they were cute little babies. Did Mary wonder how her son would turn out?
  The King of Heaven
  
  Turn to Revelation 1v12-18. What a difference! This is no defenceless wee baby, this is the most powerful person ever. He is immortal, he created the world, his eyes bore right inside you and look directly at your soul. His words are judgement, and that judgement is final. He has always existed and always will.
  So what made this person, the son of God, come down to earth and inhabit the body of a man? The one thing which is central to the Christmas story, and central to the whole person of Christ: the cross. The cross wasn't a mistake, or a defeat: it was god's plan. Jesus knew what he was facing when he left heaven and came to this world. Look to Psalm 22 to see a perfect picture of the cross. Read v14-19 and see how close it is.
  Jesus came into this world for a purpose: to die on the cross. It was God's plan: man sins, deserves death, God comes to earth as a man, lives a perfect life, dies on the cross to take the punishment for man's sin, rises again, victorious over death, ascends to heaven. Man accepts Christ as his lord and saviour, rejoices in the fact he came to earth to save man. That's what Christmas is about. Don't just rejoice that God came to earth as some sort of goodwill gesture. Rejoice that he came to earth to save you from your sins. You'll notice that there was a stage before you could rejoice, accepting him as lord and saviour. If you've done that you can rejoice: the blood Jesus spilled on the cross has made you clean. If you haven't, you are bound for a lost eternity and Christ's life and death are pointless from your view. Don't let Jesus' death be in vain: take him today.
  
  © David Meiklejohn 1997
  David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
  www.meiklejohn.org.uk
  
  Date: 18/1/98
  Speaker: David Meiklejohn
  Text:
  The Inner Circle
  There were several circles of followers of Jesus:
  - Matthew 4v23-25: All the people that followed Jesus about
  - John 6v60-66: Those that believed in him and followed him as the son of God
  - Mark 3v13-15: The twelve chosen disciples
  - Luke 8v49-56: Peter, James and John
  Where would you place yourself? Outside the circles? As someone who's heard of Jesus but doesn't believe? As a believer? As someone who's close to Christ?
  Observations
  - These three were closer to Jesus than any others:
    - Mark 3 - given special names
    - Always mentioned first in lists of the disciples
    - Taken in to see Jairus' daughter healed (Luke 8)
    - Taken up to see transfiguration (Matthew 10)
    - Taken to the garden of Gethsemane
  - The closer we get to Jesus, the fewer people there are
  - It doesn't get easer the closer you get: it's uphill
  Examination
  
  What was it that made these three closer to Jesus? What characterised them?
  Peter
  
  Peter was bold, dynamic. He was a doing person. He made mistakes, blew hot and cold, but he was enthusiastic. Whenever he made a mistake, he picked himself up and carried on. He was the one who walked on water, yet he was the one who denied Christ three times.
  John
  
  john was the youngest disciple, and seems to be a very caring person. He looked up to jesus adoringly, loved him and was amazed that Jesus loved him back.
  James
  We don't hear much about James except when he's mentioned with his brother. Perhaps he worked in the background more. We do find out that he was the first of the twelve to be killed for their faith.
  What did they have in common?
  - A willingness to serve
  - A willingness to face danger and opposition
  - Wanted to be close
  What did the other disciples think? Perhaps they were jealous of these three. They should have strived to be as close.
  Questions
  - Where are you? Are you a hanger-on, are you involved or are you committed?
  - What way are you going? Closer or further away? It's easier to drift away.
  - Why did Jesus have this inner circle? Was it favouritism?
    - No, it was the disciples attitudes that put them there.
  - How do you get close? Perhaps thinking about closeness in a human relationship will help.
    - Spend time with them
    - Praise them
    - Give them gifts
    - Be interested in them
    - Do things to please them
    If you're in love, people will notice a difference. Do they?
  - Who is your first love? Is it God, or friends, family, job, education, car, computer?
  If you put God first, he will pull you up that slope towards him. Life will get harder, but you will become happier, more content with where you are.
  
  © David Meiklejohn 1998
  David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
  www.meiklejohn.org.uk
  
  Date: 18/1/98
  Speaker: David Meiklejohn
  Text: 1 Kings 17v1
  Stepping Out in Faith
  1 Kings 17v1
  1. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
  Introduction
  Ahab was the most evil king yet. This is the first time we hear of Elijah; he was probably a young man. He knew God's word, he believed it, but putting it into practise took a great step of faith.
  Just like that moment when you abseil for the first time. You're asked to lean out, rely on the rope. There's that moment of hesitancy, when you can either go ahead and take the step, or take the easy, safe route and not bother. If you can learn to take the steps of faith, you can take on the world.
  Reasons
  
  Why does God put us in the positions he does?
  - He wants us to wholly rely on him
  - He wants to build us up as his children
  - He promises to be a lamp to our feet, but never that he'll show our whole path ahead. Sometimes we have to trust that the next step is the right one.
  Obstructions
  
  Some things hamper us from taking the step:
  - Doubt - that God will help, he cares, he exists, we're taking the right step
  - Fear - of the unknown, being foolish, our own inability
  - Selfishness - we don't want to give up our own time, money, energy
  Solutions
  How can we defeat the doubt, fear and selfishness? How can we find the faith to take the step?
  1. Belief
    - Know your Bible - find out where God helped other people, like Elijah and Daniel
    - Make that belief that God helps people personal to yourself. God will help you
  2. Experience
    © David Meiklejohn 1998
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Date: 27/9/98
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Luke 19v1-10, Luke 8v22-24,35-43, Luke 10v38-42
    Spending Time With Christ
    
    Introduction
    I want to look here at something that should be part of our daily lives, but so often gets missed out: spending time with Christ, gazing on him and being close to him. We'll look at a few Bible characters who took Christ into their homes, and the effect he had on them.
    Zacchaeus - Luke 19v1-10
    Luke 19v1-10
    1. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
    2. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
    3. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
    4. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
    5. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
    6. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
    7. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
    8. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
    9. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
    10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
    Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully. He was glad that the saviour had seen fit to acknowledge him, let alone dine with him. He had gone to see the saviour and had got much more than he hoped for. We should come to our times with Christ with joy in our hearts. It is good that he will be with us. We should be looking forward to being with him, not begrudging the time in bed, or doing something else.
    Zacchaeus' meeting with Jesus had a profound effect. He realised his own sinfulness and repented of that sin. He promised to repay and held to his promise. When we spend time with Jesus we should see our own sinfulness as well, and we should desire to confess and be cleansed from that sin, and to repent of it.
    Jairus - Luke 8v40-42,49-56
    Luke 8v40-42,49-56
    1. And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
    2. And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:
    3. For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
    1. While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.
    2. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
    3. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
    4. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
    5. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
    6. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
    7. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.
    8. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
    Jairus had a great need and he turned to Jesus with that need. Jesus came to his house. What a difference he made. When he arrived the place was full of mourners. By the time he left there was new life, happiness, gratitude. We see some of the Lord's gentleness in the way he cuts down the number of people in the house, makes it a quiet, welcoming place and gently takes the girl's hand. Jesus has come into our lives, he has changed death to new life. We should be thankful to him for what he has done.
    Notice Jesus' command when the girl is raised: he says she should be fed. It is important that our new lives are given nourishment. Look forward to being fed, and make sure you don't go too long between meals.
    Mary - Luke 10v38-42
    Luke 10v38-42
    1. Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
    2. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
    3. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
    4. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
    5. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
    Martha was worried about serving the Lord, and making sure she had done everything she could. Her life was full of worry and bustle, yet she wasn't doing the thing that was most important - spending time with the Lord. Our lives shouldn't be hurried. If we let them, we inevitably miss out the most important part, our time spent quietly with the Lord.
    Mary had chosen the good part: she sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. What a picture of serenity, of sweetness, of fellowship with the Lord. She sat at his feet and heard his word. Jesus had come to her house and she must have been amazed. She sat and drank it all in, and the experience must have provided strength to her later in her life when she faced trials. She would never forget the closeness she had with Christ. The words of The King and I show the same awe and wonder that the King of Kings chose to walk with us:
```
	The King and I walk down life's road together
	Where many people go passing by
	The greatest one, and I a lonely beggar
	Walk hand in hand, the King and I

	Why he should care for me will always be a mystery
	He holds the whole world in his hands and who am I?
	And so my heart sometimes can't help but wonder
	Why we're together, the King and I
```
    © David Meiklejohn 1998
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    The Four Gospels
    
    Date: 7/1/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Revelation 4v6-8
    Revelation 4v6-8
    1. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
    2. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
    3. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
    There are four beasts mentioned in the text from Revelation. Each of these matches well with the themes of the four gospels, each of which concentrates on a different attribute of Christ. I'd like to look at the four gospels, and the pictures we are given of the Lord through them.
    
    Matthew - The Lion - Christ the King
    
    The book of Matthew was written to the Jews of the time, and the picture of Jesus is very much orientated to the Jew. He came as their Messiah, their king they had been waiting for.
    - ch 1 v 1 - right from the start we see his claim to be king. He is the son of David, of the regal line. He has every right to claim the throne. The only thing stopping him was the curse placed on Jehoiachin by God, that his child would never sit in the throne. However, while Jesus lineage passed through Joseph, he was not Joseph's natural son, and so the curse didn't pass onto him.
    - ch 2 v 1 - the wise men saw the star and came from the east, looking for a king. They came bringing tribute and fully expected to find a new-born king in Jerusalem. The king was not what they expected, but no less a king.
    - ch 4 v 17 - throughout Jesus' early ministry, his preaching was that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. It was there for the claiming, if the people would accept him. It was only when they rejected him that this message stopped and Jesus talked of the physical kingdom of God as a more future thing.
    - ch 11 v 28-30 - after his rejection, Jesus gives a more personal message. The Jewish kingdom is put off and a new, personal kingdom is offered. He talks of his reigning in people's hearts, rather than in their country.
    - ch 27 v 37 - people who were crucified had their crimes wriiten over them so that passers-by would know what was being punished. Jesus crime was that he claimed to be king of the Jews.
    Lessons
    
    The king has his throne, his palace and people bring tributes to him. What he says is law, and his subjects carry it out without thought to themselves.
    - Christ should be king in our hearts. He should have the highest position and be the source of our obedience.
    - Our lives should exalt and honour Christ, not ourselves. We should want to point him out to others and not cry out "lok at me!"
    - He is deserving of all that we can give him: our money, our time, our service, our energy, our hearts.
    Mark - The Ox - The Lowly Servant
    
    Mark is a very quick-moving gospel. It concentrates on the works of Christ rather than his teachings, and the term straightway is used a lot to emphasise how full of works Christ's life was. There is no genalogy in Mark - a servant is just a servant and does not have a family line.
    - ch 1 v 9 - Jesus humbled himself by identifying with the sinners who came to be baptised by John. He came down to their level and associated with them.
    - ch 1 v 16-17 - When Jesus called his disciples, he didn't call them to a position, but to a work. He didn't say to them "Come and be my disciples", but "Come... and I will make you fishers of men". This should be our attitude in entering Christian service, that of doing a work fot the Lord, not of gaining a high position. Jesus had a servants ministry, and he was always looking to help people: to feed them or heal them. He showed no love of rituals, but practised a very practical religion.
    - ch 10 v 35-45 - James and John had been getting the wrong idea, and were looking for a position in Jesus' ministry. He made it clear to them that they were not there to Lord it over others but to serve others. The one who makes himself lowest is the one whom God will exalt most highly.
    Lessons
    
    The servant takes no time to think of position. His master's work is what is important, and he dedicates his life to that with no thought of himself.
    - We need to humble ourselves and start seeing others as being more worthy and more important than ourselves.
    - The works that we perform are evidence, to ourselves and to others, of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and controlling our lives.
    - Our service should not be a chore to us, but should develop naturally from our love of the Lord; for what he is, what he has done and what he continues to do for and in us.
    Luke - The Man - The Perfect Human
    
    Luke, as a doctor, has a very precise way of expressing the life of Jesus, and in his book we see Jesus as the perfect man, the example for us to follow.
    - ch 3 v 23 - as Matthew states the kingly line of Jesus through Joseph, Luke gives us his human line, through his mother Mary.
    - ch 2 v 21-24 - we see him going through the normal things that a human child went through. Jesus fulfilled all the demands of the law, and followed the customs of the people, as we should obey our own governments.
    - ch 4 v 3,7,9 - he was tempted, just as we are all tempted, in all aspects: in body, in mind and in spirit. Here he uses the Word of God as his defence, an example to us when we face temptation.
    - We find throughout Luke's gospel that Jesus prayed a lot. He relied on prayer for strength and guidance, at his baptism, in the wilderness, before choosing his 12 disciples, before his transfiguration, for Peter, in Gethsemane and on the cross. He was in constant contact with the Father.
    - ch 10 v 30-37 - the story of the good Samaritan is only found in Luke. By it he shows that he is the good Samaritan, the one who is looked down upon, but the only means of help, when the church and the state fail. He also gives us a pattern for the loving way in which we should live out our Christian lives.
    - ch 10 v 38-42 - we see here how it is important for us to keep a close relationship with the Lord. He is not a distant God who cannot be known, but rather wants to be know by us. He even calls us his friends. We see here that our relationship with the Lord is more important than our service for him.
    - ch 19 v 10 - Jesus sums up his purpose here. The 'Son of Man' title points us to his humanity, and he came to rescue the rest of humanity.
    Lessons
    
    We see the perfect man in Christ, and he leaves us a pattern of life to follow and to aspire to.
    - He shows us that we can have victory over sin. We should not think of our sins as inevitable, but as failures that we need to correct.
    - He shows us that we need to take our strength from our prayer life. Before we go into any situation, before we make any decisions, we should be coming before the Lord, for strength, for closeness and for guidance.
    - He shows that we need a right relationship with God before we can serve him. Without that, our service is all done in the flesh, and is worthless. It's easy to place service too highly and let it come before our prayer life and Bible study, but our relationship with God should come first. Everything else will then fall into place.
    John - the Eagle - the Lord God Almighty
    
    John shows Jesus as the Lord Almighty, God incarnate, part of the divine Trinity.
    - ch 1 v 1 - this genealogy is not one of a man, but of God. He has always been, and is part of God, one with God.
    - ch 1 v 3-5 - we see here Christ's part in creation. He created all things he is the source of all life, and he came to bring spiritual light and life to men.
    - ch 2 v 7-9 - here we see Christ's power over creation in his first miracle. The elements are obedient to his command.
    - ch 3 v 1-3,15 - the message from Jesus that John conveys throughout his gospel is that Christ brings eternal life. The emphasis is always on the spiritual.
    - ch 4 v 13-14 - again Christ talks of eternal life as he offers himself as the water of life to the Samaritan woman.
    - ch 6 v 35 - here Christ calls himself the bread of life, the source of spiritual nourishment, that keeps us alive and gives us strength.
    - ch 8 v 12 - the light of the world. Again we hear this phrase. Light brings in truth, it exposes, it also gives life.
    - ch 10 v 27-30 - Jesus tells his disciples that he and God are one. This sums up his whole message in John, that he is God, that he and the Father are one, and that he came to bring eternal life to those who will believe on him.
    Lessons
    
    Throughout John, we see Christ as God, the creator of the universe. He is the almighty and he offers us eternal life.
    - There are no other ways to God. Jesus said he is the way, the truth and the life. If he really is who he claimed then all other ways are false.
    - He is the means by which we can know God - the light. He opens our eyes and lets us see a glimpse of what God is truely like.
    - He is our provision, our source of life, our nourishment. When we feel spiritually weak it is often because we are not feasting from the bread of life and drinking of the water of life.
    Summary
    
    In each of the gospels we see a different picture of Christ. They build together into a picture that fills us with awe, and teaches us so much. He is our King, our servant, our example and our God. As revelation ch 22 v 13 says, he is the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega. He is our Lord Jesus Christ.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Names of the Lord - The Word
    
    Date: 23/02/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Revelation 19 v 11-16, John 1 v 1-14
    Revelation 19 v 11-16
    1. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
    2. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
    3. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
    4. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
    5. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
    6. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
    The Word of God is perhaps a strange title for Jesus, but think about what a book, in particular an autobiographical book, is:
    - A revelation of the author to others
    - Necessarily less than the author
    - Written to help, encourage, profit, etc.
    In a similar way Jesus is:
    - A revelation of God to us. He is what God showed of himself.
    - Less than God, in his human form. As we look at him we see a glimpse of God, but only a limited one. He made himself "a little lower than the angels"
    - Presented to us for a reason. He came to teach, to help, to heal and to save
    Let's look at the most prominent text to refer to the Word of God.
    John 1 v 1-14
    1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
    2. The same was in the beginning with God.
    3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
    4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
    5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
    6. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
    7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
    8. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
    9. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
    10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
    11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
    12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
    13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
    14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
    What is this Word that John speaks of? If we look to verses 15 and 29-30 we see clearly that he speaks of Jesus. Why does he call Jesus the Word? Because he is God's revelation to us, like an autobiography God has written. Jesus doesn't just give us God's message, like the prophets, He is God's message.
    
    Let's have a look at the passage above, and see what we can learn:
    - v1 - although Jesus is called the only begotten son of God, that doesn't mean He came after God. John tells us that He has always been, that He has a close relationship with the Father ("with God") and He is, in fact, God Himself. Right at the start, John is teaching the unity of the Father and the Son.
    - v3 - we learn that Jesus is the creator of all things. We read elsewhere that God is the creator, and again this reinforces the idea of the Trinity.
    - v4 - He is the source of life, both physical and spiritual. He is the only means by which we can have life. He is also the source of light, the revelation of God to man. As well as revealing God to us, the Light also reveals us to ourselves. This is partly why man rejected Him.
    - v9 - He is the true Light. In the olden days, smugglers used to work on dangerous coastlines. They would shine a light to ships, pretending to be lighthouses. The ships would be guided by this false light and would run aground. We must be careful to follow the true Light, and not one of the many false lights that would shipwreck us.
    - v11 - Jesus came to His own people, the Jews. If they had accepted Him, He would have set up His kingdom here on earth. But they rejected Him. They chose their own ways rather then His, and refused to take Him as their king.
    - v12 - He came to His own, but salvation is on offer not just to that select few, but to as many as receive Him. He presents Himself to each one of us individually, and we have the choice to accept or reject Him. If we accept Him as our king, He gives us the authority to call ourselves the sons of God.
    - v14 - God was made flesh, came as a man, revealed the truth to us, revealed God's glory and God's grace. John was witness to that, and wants to tell everyone he can.
    Jesus came as God's message to us. His message is one of judgement, but also of love, of man's sinfulness, but God's grace. His message is one of salvation, to as many as receive Him.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    The Good Samaritan
    
    Date: 28/02/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Luke 10 v 25-37
    Luke 10 v 25-37
    1. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
    2. He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
    3. And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
    4. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
    5. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
    6. And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
    7. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
    8. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
    9. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
    10. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
    11. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
    12. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
    13. And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
    The Good Samaritan is one of the best known of Jesus' parables. The story can be seen as a picture of salvation. Jesus tells the story when He is asked "Who is my neighbour?". In His answer, He not only shows us who our neighbours are, but how we should treat each other, and the love that He has for everyone.
    
    The story is set on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. This was a rough road, and prone to muggers, so the man being mugged isn't a surprise. The road runs downwards from Jerusalem to Jericho, reflecting man's downward walk into sin, and away from God.
    
    The muggers are like sin. At first they may have seemed harmless, no danger to the man, but they suddenly seized him, stripped him and beat him. Sin may seem to be harmless, even pleasant, but it takes us by surprise, strips us of our dignity and leaves us wounded, without a care for us.
    
    The two men who pass by are pictures of religion and of the law. Some turn to religion as an answer for sin, but religion can't help. Some turn to the law for justification, but the law only condemns.
    
    The Samaritan that comes represents Jesus. He came across a person who hated him and yet he didn't stay separate. He came to where the man was. He came with compassion, cleaned the man's wounds and soothed his pain. Jesus came amongst us who hated Him. He came in love, giving His blood to cleanse us from sin, and giving the Holy Spirit to comfort us.
    
    As the Samaritan takes the wounded man to an inn, and pays for his keep, so Jesus, when He saves us, puts us in a place of fellowship. He provides for our every need, and promises to come back again.
    
    Summary
    
    Like the man on the road, we walked a downhill journey, and were left disabled by our sins. We may have looked to the law, but it only condemns us. We may have looked to the church, but it has no power to help. Our only hope is in a person, Jesus Christ. He has come, healed and cleansed us, and given us the means to care for fellow travellers on the road. What are we doing with the gifts He has given us? Are we caring for others, feeding and encouraging young Christians? He will come back again, and our reward will be based on what we have done for Him while here on this earth.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    The True Vine
    
    Date: 23/3/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: John 15v1-11
    
    We have been looking at the names of Christ, and I'd like to look in this sermon at the True Vine. The vine is a unique plant, and our Lord has good reason for using this comparison.
    John 15v1-11
    1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
    2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
    3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
    4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
    5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
    6. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
    7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
    8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
    9. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
    10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
    11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
    1. Before we consider the branches, we look at the vine and the husbandman. It is important that we start by considering Christ and the Father before we take a look at ourselves.
      The True Vine - Jesus calls himself the true vine. As we look around us we see God's creation. Nature contains many pictures of spiritual truths, and here we see that the vine is the picture, Christ is the reality.
      The Husbandman - the husbandman plants the vine, tends the vine and harvests the fruit. The Father sent the Son to this world to be the vine, he nurtured and kept Jesus while he was here and he is the reason for the fruit that is grown in our lives.
    2. The Branches - we are the branches, part of the vine, grafted on so that our life force comes from the vine. As branches, we are:
      - dependent on the vine: our life, our nourishment, our ability to produce fruit all comes from the vine.
      - conformant to the vine: we are seen as part of the vine. We are the same wood, we have the same life. When others see our lives, they should see us as part of Christ, we should be just like him.
      - Serving the husbandman: our reason for living is to produce fruit that glorifies the Father. We have no reason for self-glorification, all should be for him.
      The Fruitless Branch - some branches do not bear any fruit. Since the sole purpose of the branch is to bear fruit for the husbandman, a branch that bears no fruit is useless and is discarded. If our lives are not producing fruit, the Father may well discard us, for the good of the church, that it may be more fruitful.
      The Fruitful Branch - even the branch that bears much fruit is not left alone. This is where the vine is different from any other fruit bearing plant. It needs to be cut back so much more severely. Instructions for growing a new vine say that each year the gardener should allow only two shoots to grow. When these have established themselves, one is severed, leaving just one to bear fruit. All the useless wood is cut away, and even the fruit bearing wood is cut away until the whole energy of the branch is concentrated in bearing one bunch of grapes. In a similar way, the Father wishes to purge our lives of all that is not good, then of some that seems to be good, so that we can concentrate on the one area of fruit-bearing that he has for us.
    3. The Purging - the cleansing, or purging is by his Word. We have been given the Word that we may know the mind of God, that we may know what parts of our lives he wishes to take away, that we may be more fruitful.
    4. The Grafted Branch - the branches are attached to the vine by a process known as grafting. Both the vine and the branches are cut; they are brought into contact, then they are bound together. As time goes on, the branch grows into the vine and the vine grows into the branch. All the branch's energy, all its fruit-bearing ability comes from the vine. For us to bear fruit in our lives, we must abide in Christ, and he in us. If we do this, his life and his energy fill us.
    5. The Severed Branch - all life, nourishment and power is from the vine. If the branch is severed, it loses all power it has, and withers. We can do nothing while we are not abiding in Christ. All that we may appear to be doing is selfish and useless.
    6. The Withered Branch - when a branch is severed from the vine, it shrivels up and dies. If is interesting to note that the same sunshine which gives the branch energy while it is attached to the vine causes it to wither when it has been cut off. The power of God enables us while we abide in Christ, but causes us to wither if we are cut off from him.
    7. The Vine's Provision - this verse seems to say we can ask for anything and we will receive it. In fact it does say this, but with a condition: we must be abiding in Christ and his words abiding in us. If we are in such a state our will will naturally be the same as his, whatever we ask will be in his will and he will provide it.
    8. The Branch's Purpose - we are branches in the vine that we might bear fruit. Our aim is to bear as much fruit as possible, not for our own glory but for the glory of the Father. If we bear fruit and keep it to ourselves it will rot and be useless. If we bear fruit for the Father, he will appreciate it and reward us.
    9. The Vine's Love - the Father has loved the Son. This does not seem hard, since the Son obeyed the Father in all things, glorifying him by his life. But in the same way as the Father loves the Son, so the Son loves us. We who are undeserving of that love are given it, and we can go forward in our lives in the safe knowledge that he loves us, and always will.
    10. The Vine's Example - we should not ignore the love of Christ towards us. It should spur us on to serve him and to obey him. He is our example, and his obedience to the Father is the target we should be aiming for.
    11. Joy - what is joy? It is happiness, fulfillment, contentment, and much more. We can only have joy if we obey what we have just been told: we must abide in the True Vine, we must bear fruit for the Father, we must follow his commandments. If we do these things our joy will be full. Others will look at us and want what we have.
    Jesus is the True Vine. We are the branches. Our purpose in this life is to bear fruit for the glory of the Father. All our provision from this comes from the Vine. We must abide in him, and he will abide in us, and our lives will be full of joy.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Looking to Jesus
    
    Date: 28/03/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Isaiah 51 v 1
    Isaiah 51 v 1
    1. Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
    Luke 18 v 35-43
    1. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
    2. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
    3. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
    4. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
    5. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
    6. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
    7. Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
    8. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
    9. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
    Matthew 14 v 25-31
    1. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
    2. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
    3. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
    4. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
    5. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
    6. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
    7. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
    Numbers 21 v 6-9
    1. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
    2. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
    3. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
    4. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
    Matthew 27 v 50-55
    1. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
    2. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
    3. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
    4. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
    5. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
    6. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
    Luke 24 v 13-16, 21-24, 30-31
    1. And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
    2. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
    3. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
    4. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
    1. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
    2. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
    3. And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
    4. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
    1. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
    2. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
    Revelation 1 v 12-18
    1. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
    2. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
    3. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
    4. And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
    5. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
    6. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
    7. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Ready for the Millenium
    
    Date: 4/4/1999
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: 1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-17
    1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-17
    1. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
    2. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
    There are only 271 days until the year 2000. Everyone's talking about it. Will anything momentous happen? Will it be the end of the world? Will all the computers stop working because of the "millenium bug"? For the emergency services it will be the busiest time of the year. And the last time they want their computers to stop. The big question as the time approaches is "Are you ready?"
    
    When Jesus was going about with His disciples, several times He talked to them about what was to come. He quite openly and clearly said that He was going to be killed, but that on the third day He would rise again. The disciples didn't seem to understand. They asked among themselves what these things meant. They didn't think that what Jesus said would really happen.
    
    As well as telling His disciples He was going to die at Jerusalem, Jesus told them that He would rise again. After three days He would come back to life. Did they believe it? Well, when the third day came they were hiding in a room. None of them went to the tomb to see if Jesus would rise until the women had been and brought the message. They weren't waiting because they didn't think that what Jesus said would really happen.
    John 14 v 2
    1. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
    Acts 1 v 11
    1. Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
    Jesus said He would come again. It has been 2000 years and He hasn't returned yet. Was He lying? Was He mistaken? Or will He keep His promise? His disciples didn't think what He had said about His death or resurrection would really happen. But when they saw these things happen they believed. And they believed He will come again. Do we? And are we watching and waiting? The first text says that He will come for His people. Are you one of His people? Do you know Him as Saviour? If you do, are you ready, preparing for His coming? Or are you not worried, because you don't really think it will happen? If you're not His, the Bible tells us that time is short. Today is the day of salvation. Don't put that decision off because one day it will be too late.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    The Prince of Peace
    
    Date: 06/04/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Isaiah 9 v 6-7
    Isaiah 9 v 6-7
    1. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
    2. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
    We're looking at the names of Christ, and in these verses in Isaiah He is called the Prince of Peace. What is peace?
    - The opposite of war, a uniformity of purpose with one another.
    - Like a river, all flowing in the one direction.
    There are three types of peace Christ offers us:
    Peace with God
    Colossians 1 v 19-22
    1. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
    2. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
    3. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
    4. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
    We were separated from God, aliens and enemies, and a process of reconciliation was needed. God could not compromise His holiness by letting sin into His presence, yet we could not meet His demands for perfection and righteousness. We needed the Prince of Peace. He came and made reconciliation between us and God. There was no compromise involved: He paid the price to make us righteous, with His blood shed on the cross, and He gave us peace with God.
    Peace with Self
    John 14 v 27
    1. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
    Peace with ourselves is an attitude that holds firm, a calmness within, which cannot be shaken by exterior events. For the world, peace means a lack of conflict, but Christ's peace is greater than that. It is a calmness in conflict. Removal of all conflict in the world is unrealistic in this age, yet we can know a peace within while war rages without. How can we know this inner peace?
    Philippians 4 v 6-7
    1. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
    2. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
    - Salvation is assured
    - God is in control
    - We know we are in the right place
    - Hand over your worries to God
    Peace within the Church
    1 Corinthians 14 v 33
    1. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
    Ephesians 2 v 14,19
    1. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
    1. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
    Christian churches always seem to be full of squabbling and divisions, very often over minor things. We may have different backgrounds, come from very different situations, be very different types of people, but we are all fellow citizens. The Prince of Peace can "pour oil on troubled waters". When you do this, the waters are stilled, the ripples disappear, and it becomes smooth. The Prince of Peace will give us a church without ripples if we let Him rule in every aspect of our lives.
    Summary
    
    The Prince of Peace gives us:
    - peace with God - reconciliation
    - peace within self - calm assurance
    - peace in the church - as we let Him rule
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    The Arm of the Lord
    
    Date: 20/4/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Isaiah 53 v 1-3, 52 v 10, 55 v 4
    Isaiah 53 v 1-3
    1. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
    2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
    3. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
    Isaiah 52 v 10
    1. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
    Isaiah 55 v 4
    1. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
    Today we look at another of the names given to Jesus. He is here called the Arm of the Lord. The arm signifies strength, power, control, authority. We talk about the long arm of the law. It is also the instrument by which we put our thoughts into practise. The mind conceives a plan and the arm carries it out.
    The Jews expected their Messiah to be a strong leader, a great commander. They expected Him to stamp on the gentile nations and rule in His kingdom, as written in Psalm 2. He will do these things, but they missed the details of the first coming of Christ as opposed to His second coming.
    
    In Isaiah 53 we find a gentler character, someone who is persecuted, who is little esteemed, and this is the Christ we know who walked the earth 2000 years ago. He did have the power. We see from the great miracles He did that he had power to heal, to renew and even to restore life, but He didn't use His power in a forceful way. The Arm of the Lord was there to do the work of the Lord. He knew that His work was the cross.
    John 12 v 37-41
    1. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
    2. That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
    3. Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
    4. He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
    5. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
    It is sad that hearts can be hardened. The people had seen Him perform so many miracles and yet didn't recognise Him as the Arm of the Lord.
    To us He is the Arm of the Lord in:
    - creation - "all things were made by Him" (John 1 v 3). Jeremiah 32 v 17 tells us how God created everything by stretching out His arm.
    - salvation - "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm" (Exodus 6 v 6).
    - judgement - "they were judged every man according to his works" (Revelation 20 v 13).
    - keeping - "my sheep hear my voice and I know them" (John 10 v 27).
    Arms are not just about strength and power, but also about comfort and protection. Deuteronomy 32 v 27 reminds us that we can walk for the Lord, stepping sure in the knowledge that underneath are the everlasting arms.
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Power Over Sin
    
    Date: 25/4/1999
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: 2 Peter 1 v 1-10
    2 Peter 1 v 1-10
    1. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
    2. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
    3. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
    4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
    5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
    6. And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
    7. And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
    8. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    9. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
    10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
    I want to look at three question this passage raises:
    - Can a Christian live a sinless life?
    - How can we have power over sin?
    - Is it better to sin in heart than in deed?
    Can a Christian live a sinless life?
    
    We all fail. We either do the things we know we shouldn't or we fail to do the things we know we should. When we fail it often feels like it's hopeless to even try not to, that we are doomed to keep on failing, keep on sinning. Is righteous living then a theoretical, unreachable goal? And if it is, is it still with aiming for? Is it worth trying to climb the mountain if we know we're never going to get to the top?
    
    Let's look at our text and see what it has to say.
    
    v1 - Peter is writing to Christians, to us. He's saying that the faith that we have is the same faith that he has. There is nothing particularly special about Peter, he is reliant on the power of Christ in him for his faith. So anything he can achieve himself is achievable for us.
    
    v2 - Peter wants us to have grace and peace. That is he wants us to see good things in our lives, and he wants us to know freedom from struggle, to be at peace with God and at peace with ourselves. And he tells us how we can achieve these things: through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. This isn't just an intellectual knowledge, but a personal experience: it is gained by spending time the presence of the Lord, talking to Him, letting Him talk to you, and growing to know Him.
    
    v3 - God has equipped us. He had given us all the tools necessary to live lives for Him. The amazing thing about this is that he doesn't say God will equip us as we go, but that He has already given us all we need, all we can ask for.
    
    v4 - What does it mean to be partakers of the divine nature? It means to live and act in a spiritual manner, just as God wants of us. Peter says we have escaped the corruption of sin, caused by the lusts of the flesh. If we really are free from sin then we can attain this height: to live as pleases God.
    
    v8 - After a list of the things that should fill our lives, Peter says if these things are found in your behaviour you will benefit from it. If your life is full of goodness there will be no place for sin, because there will be no time for sin.
    
    v9 - When we don't practise what God teaches, and when we don't spend the time with Him that we should, we forget His power. We forget that sin no longer has a hold of us. We put the chains back on ourselves and complain that there's no avoiding it.
    
    v10 - But Peter says we can avoid it. We can fill our lives with good things, and let God rule in our lives, and if we do this we will never fail. How can ths be? It's because He can never fail. And if we let Him rule our lives then our lives will be pure and holy, and righteous.
    
    In the book of Job, God calls His servant a blameless man. He wasn't sinless, but was living a live of service to God, and without room for sin to take over. We too can live blameless lives, even more so because we see more clearly the power of Christ within us.
    
    Peter knew what it was like to be a sinner. He knew what it was like to fail Jesus. He had failed over and over again, in a very public way. But he picked himself up, asked forgiveness, and went on to do his all for Jesus. We can too. But there are snares, that would trip us up:
    - "I'm all right" - complacency is a dangerous thing, and relying on self is foolish. We must remember that all that we have is by God's grace.
    - "I'm not good enough" - it's easy to think that not sinning is too hard. But God has given us strength through Christ to be able. Each one He has saved He has saved to seve and obey, and He's given us the power to do so.
    - "The goal is impossible, why bother" - living a sinless life seems a far away target but Peter intended us to get there, and to start now. At least if we get part of the way that's better than nothing.
    - "Other are way ahead of me" - God isn't judging you against others, just against you. When you make progress He is happy, no matter how far ahead others are.
    How Can I Realise Power Over Sin?
    1 John 5 v 4-5
    1. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
    2. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
    John 16 v 33
    1. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    The Door
    
    Date: 18/05/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Genesis 6 v 5-14, 7 v 11-16
    Genesis 6 v 5-14
    1. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
    2. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
    3. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
    4. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
    5. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
    6. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
    7. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
    8. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
    9. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
    10. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
    Genesis 7 v 11-16
    1. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
    2. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
    3. In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
    4. They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
    5. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
    6. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
    Noah is a picture to us of the saved man. The Lord warned him of him impending doom, and also showed him the way of salvation. Noah believed the Lord, and followed His instructions to build the ark. He built only one door into the ark, and that door was to be shut by God. While it was open, anyone could come in, but very few did. Just Noah and his family entered into safety. Once God had shut the door, the judgement came on the world.
    John 10 v 9
    1. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
    Ephesians 2 v 18
    1. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
    Just as Noah was, we are warned about the judgement to come, and we are also shown the way of salvation. The door is open to anyone, but it won't stay that way. There will come a time when God will shut the door, and judgement will come upon the world.
    
    Houses have doors, and doors have locks. Generally only the members of the family who live in the house have keys that fit those locks. Christ calls Himself the Door. He is the only way into heaven. Sin is the lock that stops us from entering, but Jesus offers us the key: redemption through His blood. We can only come into God's kingdom through the Door. He is the Way.
    
    Our own world is imperfect, and we can lose the keys to our houses. When I was a boy we were returning from a day out in the town, and on the way back from the bus stop my younger brother asked for the key to get into the house. He was given it and ran on ahead. When we passed some grass we noticed he was out with his friends playing football. "What did you do with the key?". "Oh, I couldn't open the door, so I posted the key through the letterbox". This was our only key! Fortunately a nice neighbour came to the rescue with some string and a magnet.
    
    Once we have been given the key to Heaven we can never lose it. It's a personal key that only allows entry to us, not friends or family. They must see their need for their own keys.
    
    The door separates people. There are those inside and those outside. The Door also separates between those who are His and those who aren't. We can invite others in, but they must enter of their own accord, and by the Door. Some think there are other ways in, some don't believe there's a place of safety to go to. But Jesus Christ said "I am the Door. By me if any man enter in he shall be saved".
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Rehoboam
    
    Date: 1/8/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: 1 Kings 11 v 28-35
    1 Kings 11 v 28-35
    1. And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
    2. And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:
    3. And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
    4. And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
    5. (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)
    6. Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
    7. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:
    8. But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.
    Background
    
    Israel wanted a king. This wasn't what God wanted, but He allowed it, showing His permissive will. The first king was Saul, a tall and strong man who started off well, but was weak and turned away from God. The next was David. He had failures, but overall was a very good king and a faithful follower of his Lord. He was a man after God's own heart. Then there was Solomon, David's son. Solomon was a very god king to start with. He asked for wisdom and was granted it and he ruled well. He built the temple, but he turned away from God's things and tried to live life his own way.
    
    The Split
    
    Only three kings, and the nation is split because of its disobedience.
    - Leadership means that people will follow you, in sin as well as in doing good. Solomon was head of a nation. He had been given a great deal of responsibility as well as a great privilege. As he turned from God, so did Israel. People follow people, and we need to be aware of this. Whether we are leaders by position, by nature or by example, others will follow what we do. They will hook up to us like carriages on a train, and where the train goes, they will go.
    - What God entrusts to us, He can also take away. Job realised this when he said that God gives and God takes away. He knew that what he had wasn't his by right, and if God took it away, he couldn't complain. God entrusts us with many things: money, talent, people, service. How do we treat the things he has given us? Do we take them for granted or do we treasure them and see them as a responsibility? If we mistreat the gifts of God, He may even take them away from us. This isn't the only reason He removes gifts though. He may do it to test us, or to help us stop relying on an ability and start relying on Him.
    - Others suffer the consequences of our sins. Imagine Rehoboam's position. He has been placed in very difficult circumstances because of the disobedience of others. There are no victimless crimes: our sins always affect us, and they always affect others as well. We see babies born addicted to drugs because of the actions of their parents. We need to think of others when we take action. The flipside is also true, though. When we are obedient, we receive the blessing, and so do those around us.
    1 Kings 12 v 1-4
    1. And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
    2. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
    3. That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
    4. Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
    We can inherit the problems of those who came before us. I joined a project at my work, and inherited a whole set of code that had problems. I didn't create the problems, but it was up to me to fix them. I would be assessed on how I handled someone else's problems. We shouldn't moan and complain in these situations, but take the opportunity to make things better. If we do our best, God will add His blessings.
    1 Kings 12 v 5-17
    1. And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
    2. And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
    3. And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
    4. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
    5. And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
    6. And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
    7. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
    8. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
    9. And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him;
    10. And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
    11. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
    12. So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
    13. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
    There are always two voices when decisions are required. Just like in the cartoons where there is a little angel and a little demon perched on the shoulders of the character, we have to choose between the voice of God and the voice of the old nature. Its not always easy to tell them apart. Rehoboam made the mistake of choosing the wrong advice to follow. He took the advice of his young friends. Often, it is the older, more experienced who give us the better advice.
    To lead, we need to serve. This was the advice of the older men. Rehoboam, should be a servant of the people rather than a tyrant ruler. This idea pervades Jesus' teaching. If we are to lead effectively, we must learn to be servants to those we lead. We must not Lord it over them but be lowly and humble, an example to them.
    1 Kings 12 v 21-24
    1. And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
    2. But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
    3. Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
    4. Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.
    Division is sad, and it's happened all through history. The church has been divided over many issues, yet there is only one Heaven, where we will live together in harmony. What are the things that divide?
    - doctrine - this can be a serious reason for splitting, but often it is such minor things that people get upset about and disagree over
    - personality - people clash. There are those we get on with and those we don't. Should we separate from the people we don't like, or learn to live with them and love them?
    - disobedience - often someone being in the wrong is the complaint of the other party. Yet how often is there an argument where one side is perfectly right and the other totally wrong? When people learn to see their own faults they can start getting on better with others
    What was Rehoboam's response? To go out and fight. Why? It was God who had taken away from him, and He had been merciful, leaving Rehoboam with something. Our response to loss is one of the things that can really build us up as Christians.
    Unity is important. We need to strive for it. Not by trying to convince everyone else to agree with us, but to see ourselves with a touch of reality, and learn to differentiate the trivial from the important. One day all Christians will live together. Let's start trying to do so now.
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Jeroboam
    
    Date: 08/08/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: 1 Kings 12, 13
    1 Kings 12 v 25-33
    1. Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
    2. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
    3. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
    4. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
    5. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
    6. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
    7. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
    8. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
    9. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
    These two weeks we are looking at Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the first two kings of the divided Israel. Last week we thought about Rehoboam, Solomon's son. He didn't realise his position of leadership required him to take on the role of a servant. He took the advice of his peers instead of that of his father's advisors, and turned the people against him.
    
    This week we look at Jeroboam. He was a mighty man, and a leader of people, Years before, the prophet Ahijah had spoken to him, and had given him 10 pieces of his torn cloak. This was a sign that God would give Jeroboam 10 of the tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was afraid of Solomon, and so he fled to Egypt, until he knew Solomon had died.
    
    It was Jeroboam who brought the people to Rehoboam, when he became king. They asked that Rehoboam would lighten the load laid on them by the taxes of Solomon. We know from last week that Rehoboam refused, and would lay a heavier load on them instead. Jeroboam led the Israelites in a revolt, which resulted in 10 tribes of the north splitting off and hailing Jeroboam as their king. Rehoboam was left with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
    
    A split Israel was not God's original plan, and there was one central place of worship for the Jews: Jerusalem. This worried Jeroboam. He thought that his people's yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Judah would turn their favour back towards Rehoboam. He decided to set up his own centres of worship, in Bethel and Dan. He made golden calves for the people to worship and set up his own priesthood, from anyone who wished to become a priest. What he was doing was setting up a counterfeit religion. It had similarities with the Jewish faith but it was a false religion.
    
    One day a prophet came to Bethel, with a message for Jeroboam. He predicted the downfall of Jeroboam's priesthood, at the hands of a future king. He even names this king, Josiah. To give validity to his prophecy, he says the altar will crack and its ashes flow out, and sure enough that happens. In outrage, Jeroboam points at the prophet and orders him taken, but his hand is frozen in place. He then asks the prophet to pray for his release, which he does, and safely leaves the king, only to meet his own fate on the way out of the country.
    
    There are many people about who are good leaders, strong leaders, and people are naturally drawn to them. Many are gifted by God with the ability to lead; however with that gift comes responsibility. There are many who set themselves up as God's mouthpiece, and lead their followers astray. We must remember that there is one way to God. There are many other ways that look similar, maybe look more attractive, but they do not lead us to God. It's good to be encouraged and guided by a spiritual person, but our sight must always be set on Christ. If someone adds or takes away from what Christ has said, the danger bells should ring.
    
    We also need to be careful with the gifts God has given to us. He gives us gifts that can be used to please Him and glorify Him, but they can also be abused, and turn others away from God. A leader can draw people to Christ, or they can draw people to their own ideas. A great preacher can fill people with an awe of God, or he can fill them with an awe of the preacher. What gifts has God given to you? Use them wisely, and with humility.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Hell
    
    Date: 21/11/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Luke 16 v 19-31
    Luke 16 v 19-31
    1. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
    2. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
    3. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
    4. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
    5. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
    6. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
    7. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
    8. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
    9. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
    10. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
    11. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
    12. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
    13. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
    In this sermon, I want to talk about Hell, and next week we'll move on to the subject of Heaven. There's a lot said about Hell in the Bible, and there are many misconceptions held by people. Some of these misconceptions are:
    - Hell is a temporary punishment
    - The soul is annihilated
    - No one will be punished
    - Hell will be a great place to be
    The words used in the Bible for Hell are Sheol, in the Old Testament, and Hades in the New. These literally translate to the grave, or the underworld. The word Gehennon is also used, which refers to the valley of Hinnon, a place outside Jerusalem where children were sacrificed in a great fire. So what kind of place is this? Let's build a picture from what we read in the scriptures.
    1. The underworld is down - Jacob says "I will go down into the grave". Job says in Job 11v8 "as high as Heaven, deeper than Hell". Obviously the grave where someone is buried is down in the ground, but the place beyond the grave is always refered to as being down. Whether this is a physical place beneath us, or somewhere which is "down" in another way is not obvious.
    2. Hades was the destination of all in the Old Testament - again in Job, 14v13, he says "hide me in Sheol". Job, a righteous man, expects to go to Hell. We are given some clarity in our text, where Jesus tells us of the rich man and Lazarus. Both are taken down to Hades, but they are in different parts, separated by an impassable gulf. One was a place of rest: Abraham's bosom, the other a place of torment.
    3. Hell is a place of torment - as we saw in the text, the rich man was in torment where he was. Even a drop of water would have been some relief, but he was denied that. Mark 9 v 43 shows us that Hell is eternal, a place of punishment, and where there is no end, no anihilation.
    4. Paradise was displaced - we have a picture so far of an underworld split in two, with a good part and a bad part, separated by a gulf. But turn to Ephesians 4 v 8-10. Jesus had said to the dying thief "Today you will be with me in Paradise". But Jesus descended on His death. Later we read in 2 Corinthians 12 v 2-4 about being "caught up into Paradise". The phrase in Ephesians, "led captivity captive" must mean that Jesus emptied Paradise, and took the inhabitants with Him up into Heaven. Now that he had paid for their sins, they could enter into the presence of God. This Paradise in Heaven is where the dying believer is taken now.
    5. The bottomless pit - Luke 8 v 31 tells us of another place: the Abyss, or bottomless pit. The demons cast out of the man plead not to be sent there. It must be a place where demons are cast, since in Revelation 9 v 1-11 we read about demons being let loose from there to take part in the Tribulation.In Revelation 20 v 1-3 we also read that Satan is bound in the pit during the Millenium.
    6. Tartarus - we only get a glimpse of this place, in 2 Peter 2 v 4. It is the place of punishment for angels that have sinned. Perhaps it is the same place as the Abyss, we can't tell.
    7. The Lake of Fire - this place, presumably somewhere in Hell, was created for Satan, and at the end of the Millenium, he will be cast into the Lake for all eternity. In Revelation 19 v 20 the Beast and the False Prophet are cast in, then in Revelation 20 v 10-15 Satan and all the unsaved are also placed there. We can assume that the rest of Hell, including the place previously known as Paradise, is left empty.
    Let's try and put all this together into some sort of picture. It definitely won't be accurate, but it gives us something to remember and helps us place the different names.
    
    God is a God of love and of mercy, but also a just and holy God. Everyone will be judged. Those whose names aren't in the Lamb's Book of Life will be sent to Hell. This is a place of torment, not a place of revelry, and that torment lasts forever. How does this affect our thinking? Do we know we are safe? Do we know others who need to be told? The more we grasp the reality of Hell, the less we want others to end up there. Will anyone say to us "Why did you never tell me?".
    
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Heaven
    
    Date: 28/11/99
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: John 14 v 1-4
    John 14 v 1-4
    1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
    2. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
    3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
    4. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
    I've taken a look at Hell, and now I'd like to look at what the Bible tells us about Heaven. Jesus didn't say too much about Heaven, but in the verses above he explains that of course it is a good place to be. If it wasn't, he would have told us. The fact that we will be with him when we get there should be the best thing about it.
    
    What is Our Picture of Heaven
    
    What is our idea of Heaven? Is it a quiet country scene, with streams and meadows, animals in the fields? Is it a majestic palace, with precious metals and jewels everywhere? Is it just a simple village where people are nice to each other and no-one is lonely? Let's look at what John saw of Heaven:
    
    Revelation 4 v 2-11
    
    It's difficult to picture this scene that John describes. He obviously found it difficult to put into words, as a lot of the language uses words such as 'like' or 'as'. But there are a few things we can take from this passage:
    - The most important thing about Heaven is that God is there. When we are there we will be with him, we will see him as he is, and we will be able to talk to him.
    - The rainbow reminds us of God's mercy. When we stand before God we may well be overawed by his presence that we feel we have no hope of survival, but the rainbow reminds us that God has saved us, and he will never destroy us.
    - There is a lot of singing in Heaven. The angels' chief purpose is to give praise to God, and we will be giving him praise as well. Whether this means we will spend all our time singing to him, I don't know, but praise and singing certainly seem to be involved.
    What Will it Be Like For Us?
    - As we have seen, there will be singing in Heaven, and we will spend our time giving praise to God.
    - We will have a reward for our works and our persecutions while here on earth. The Bible talks of storing up our 'treasures in Heaven' and 'great is your reward in Heaven'. These will be eternal rewards, which is why it is better to do a work for the Lord unnoticed, than before people, and get our reward immediately.
    - There will be no marriage. In Luke 20 v 35, Jesus explained that there would be no marriage in Heaven. While this would be a happy affair for some, some would see this as a backwards step, but we can only assume that our personal relationships with each other, and with Christ, would be so amazing that they would be way beyond what marriage could give.
    - We will have new bodies. When Jesus came back from the dead, he had a new, different, body. We too will be given new bodies, perfect and everlasting, making us like Christ (Philippians 3 v 21).
    - There will be no hardship. Revelation 7 v 9-17 gives a picture of the people of the Lord serving him, he living among them, and there being no tears, no hunger and no thirst.
    What Does the Future Hold
    
    The Bible tells us of future times. We know that if we die, we will go to be with him. We know that at the Rapture, he will catch us up to be with him. We know there will be a judgement, and our works shall be revealed. What else does it tell us?
    
    Revelation 19 v 7-10
    
    There will be a marriage. The lamb of God will be united with his church. They will be presented to him spotless, cleansed by his blood, and we will be with him forever.
    
    Revelation 21 v 1-4, 10-27
    
    There will be a new earth, and a new Jerusalem. In Peter, it tells us the earth will be renewed by fire, cleansed of all the sin that currently fills it. We will live on this new earth, in this new city of Jerusalem. There is no temple in the city. In the olden times, the temple was a building where the people would go to meet God. In our times, our bodies are the temple, and God resides within us. In the new Jerusalem, God will be present with us, and there will be no need of a temple. The width, breadth and height of the new Jerusalem are the same. It could be a cube, but more likely would be a pyramidical shape.
    
    Are You Looking Forward
    
    Are you looking forward to Heaven, to the marriage supper of the lamb, to the new Jerusalem, to eternity?
    - It will be better than you can imagine.
    - Our work on earth will be rewarded in Heaven.
    - We already have a personal relationship with Christ. In Heaven we will be able to walk and talk with him.
    © David Meiklejohn 1999
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 1 - Put God First
    
    Date: 4/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 1
    Haggai 1
    1. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
    2. Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
    3. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
    4. Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
    5. Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
    6. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
    7. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
    8. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
    9. Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
    10. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
    11. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
    12. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.
    13. Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
    14. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
    15. In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
    This is the start of a series on the book of Haggai, which we'll look at in four parts. The titles for the four parts will be:
    1. Put God First
    2. Be Strong
    3. Be Clean
    4. Be Encouraged
    Background
    
    Let's start by looking at the background to the book of Haggai. Haggai was born during the time of the Jews captivity in Babylon. The Jews' great desire was to be back in their homeland, to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple and return to God's prescribed means of worshipping.
    
    In the year 536, King Cyrus allowed some of the Jews to go back to Jerusalem to start building the temple. They had opposition, though, and this led them to stop their work for 16 years. This is where we are at the start of the book of Haggai. See Ezra for more on the rebuilding of the temple.
    
    Put God First
    
    The word of the Lord came to Haggai. The Lord looked down at Jerusalem and saw that His house was unfinished. The Jews were living in their own completed houses, while no work was going on to complete the Lord's house.
    - Their priorities were wrong. It seems the people's attitude was "Once we are settled and comfortable, then we will work on the Lord's house" but they were finding it increasingly hard to get by. They lacked in their own lives because they weren't putting God first in their plans. It is important for us to have God in the right place in our lives. If we give Him the pre-eminence, He will honour that, but if we place our selves, our families, our security ahead of God, we will find things start to go wrong.
    - They were relying on their own resources. Instead of looking to God, the people were trying to manage things themselves. The fact that their crops were failing was a sign from God that they needed to change their ways, but they were too spiritually blind to see this, and just kept toiling along in a downwards spiral. I sometimes wonder how much of my efforts will be revealed to be purely my own efforts when I stand before the judgement seat of Christ. It's only when we do tasks in faith that they are pleasing to God. And it's only then that we can be successful.
    - The temple lay unfinished. They had started with vigour, but a few setbacks had stopped them and they had taken their eyes off the vision God had given them. It's very easy to take our eyes off Christ when problems come into our lives. It's at these times that we need a Haggai in our lives: someone who will encourage us to get started again, to get moving instead of just moping.
    - The response of the people to Haggai's word from the Lord was quick. They rose from the langur they had been in and started again working on the Lord's house. Notice that as son as they started, the Lord spoke to them and assured them He was with them. As soon as we start any task for the Lord, in the Lord's power, we have the same assurance, that He is with us.
    The Lord's message to the Jews, on two occasions, was "Consider your ways". Perhaps if we examine our lives we will see places where we have our priorities wrong, where we have started something and not finished it. Perhaps we are trying to sort out our own affairs before we do God's work. It could be time to return to the task which has long lain unfinished. If we do, we have God's assurance as we start: "I am with you".
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 2 - Be Strong
    
    Date: 11/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 2 v 1-9
    Haggai 2 v 1-9
    1. In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
    2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
    3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
    4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
    5. According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
    6. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
    7. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
    8. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
    9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
    In the second part of our look at Haggai, we come to chapter 2, and God's message to His people: be strong.
    
    Review
    
    The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".
    
    Part 2 - Be Strong
    
    Have you ever had to rebuild something? To start again on something you have built up and has been torn down. I know a couple who own a fruit farm in Africa. They built a new warehouse to store their fruit in, which was going to be a great addition to their work. Not long after they had finished it, their was an accident on the road, and a bus ploughed into their new warehouse, destroying it. After all their work, they were left back at the start, with the thought of building the whole lot again. Rebuilding can be demoralising work, especially if you remember how good the old building was, and your repair work doesn't seem to be nearly as good.
    
    The Jews were looking back. Perhaps some of them were old enough to have seen the temple in all its glory before it was destroyed. As they looked back they were getting demoralised, as it seemed their work was inferior to what was there before.
    
    There is a time to remember, and there is a time to look forward. God's message to His people at this time is to look forward. He says this new temple will be greater in glory than the old one, not because of the wonderful architecture or the richness of the building materials, but because the "desire of all nations", the Christ himself, will set foot in this temple. Along with this encouragement, He tells them to "Be strong... and work". We are often exhorted to be strong in the Bible ("be strong and of a good courage", "Be strong in the Lord"), but if we are weak, how can we be strong?
    - Be strong in mind - if we set our minds on following God, on putting Him first, then He will make us strong to accomplish His work. The strength comes from Him, but we must decide to obey.
    - Be strong in number - the people had to learn to work together. In our churches, God has placed us together with others, and it is when we are al working together, each using the talents God has given him, that we are strongest.
    - Be strong in the Lord - the only real strength we have is in the Lord. Look at the book of Judges. Samson was given amazing physical strength yet he was weak in spirit, and he ended his days in a miserable position. Gideon was perhaps the most cowardly of the judges, but his faith in the Lord meant that he was soon renowned for his strength. We need to learn to give everything over to God, and to put our trust in Him, and He will give us His strength.
    - "... and work" - God's message was not just to be strong, but also to work. There are times when we should study, when we should prepare, learn and plan; but often Christians spend their whole live preparing and never get round to doing anything for the Lord. Is God's message to you that you should go and work for Him?
    In verse 4, the Lord again reassures His people: "I am with you". He urges them to be strong, He assures them that this new temple will be more glorious than the old one, He tells them to go and work, but it's important that they realise that He is with them, that He is working alongside them. That's important for us as well. If we're doing a work for the Lord, He is with us.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 3 - Be Clean
    
    Date: 18/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 2 v 10-19
    Haggai 2 v 10-19
    1. In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
    2. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
    3. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
    4. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
    5. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
    6. And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
    7. Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
    8. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
    9. Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it.
    10. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
    In the third part of our look at Haggai, we continue in chapter 2, and now God tells His people: be clean.
    
    Review
    
    The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".
    
    Some of the people were discouraged because the temple wasn't as beautiful as they remembered. Haggai encouraged them to be strong and remember the Lord was with them.
    
    Part 3 - Be Clean
    
    The workers in silicon chip factories have a clean room. Everything in there must be spotless in case they contaminate the silicon. When they enter they must put on clean outfits, cover their shoes and hair. The smallest speck of dust can ruin a batch of the chips they make.
    
    The priest had a similar routine before he went into the temple. He had to ceremonially wash himself, put on clean clothing, so that he approached the temple clean. Haggai asked the people about cleanliness. Shall a holy thing coming into contact with an unclean thing make it holy? They answered "No". What happens when an unclean person touches something that is clean? "It is made unclean". When clean and dirty are mixed together the clean is always made dirty, the dirty is never made clean. The people with their unclean lives thought that visiting the temple would make them clean, but it was the other way round: they were defiling the temple. They needed to make themselves clean before coming to the temple.
    
    Spiritual cleanliness is important in our lives as well. We may go to church once a week, but that doesn't make the rest of our lives clean. We must examine ourselves, find the areas that are impure, and change them. Paul urges this in Corinthians. He says we should examine ourselves before coming to the table. Are we living worthy to be called Christians?
    
    The people had been living unclean lives, but they had now turned towards God. When they were unclean God had cursed them, giving them poor harvests and leaving them struggling to get by. Now that they were living for Him, He would bless them. Blessings from God come in all sorts of ways. For the Israelites here it was in a very material way, but this won't always be so. However, whether it is in a good harvest, a peaceful mind or a loving friend, God promises to bless those who are clean and follow Him.
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 4 - Be Encouraged
    
    Date: 25/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 2 v 20-23
    Haggai 2 v 20-23
    1. And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
    2. Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
    3. And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
    4. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
    In this last part of our look at Haggai, we finish off chapter 2, and God's message to His people: be encouraged.
    
    Review
    
    The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".
    
    Some of the people were discouraged because the temple wasn't as beautiful as they remembered. Haggai encouraged them to be strong and remember the Lord was with them.
    
    The people had started working for God, but there were unclean areas in their lives. Haggai impressed upon them their need for spiritually clean lives. When they obeyed, they found that God blessed them, and the harvests that had been so poor were now more than sufficient.
    Part 4 - Be Encouraged
    
    The Lord's message to Zerubbabel and the people is "be encouraged". They were rebuilding the temple, but what for? Israel had been a strong nation, defeating all who opposed it. But now it was just a remnant. Zerubbabel was of royal descent, but the Lord had said that none of his natural family would be king again. How could God's promised Messiah come? The Lord tells them that the Messiah will come, He will come through Zerubbabel's line ("make thee as a signet"). He reaffirms His plan and reassures His people. His mighty plan will come to pass, even though it seems impossible, and despite the weakness of the people.
    
    "I have chosen thee". Imagine how Zerubbabel felt, knowing that God had chosen him. Yet each of us who are saved can say it as well. God has chosen us. He is working out His purposes in us and His plan will not be thwarted by our weakness. Quite the opposite: our weakness reveals His strength. We can become despondent, with our weakness and our sin. But the Lord tells us to be encouraged, His plan is perfect and it will come to pass.
    So, in closing, we have been given the following messages from our look at Haggai:
    - Get our priorities right - build the Lord's house before worrying about our own.
    - Be strong - when you start a work for the Lord, remember He is with you.
    - Be clean - examine your lives and sort out the uncleanness that is there, so you can server the Lord with holiness.
    - Be encouraged - don't get down with your own weakness, or the seeming impossibility of the situation. God is in control and He will bring His plan to completion
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Prayer
    
    Date: 15/02/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Luke 11 v 1-4
    Luke 11 v 1-4
    1. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
    2. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
    3. Give us day by day our daily bread.
    4. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
    In this sermon I want to take a little look at what the Bible teaches us about prayer. Communication is key in any relationship, and prayer is the main way we communicate with God.
    
    When do we pray?
    
    David said he prayed morning, noon and evening. Daniel prayed three times a day, even when he was forbidden by the laws of the country. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. It's obvious that we should have a regular prayer life. Our attitude as we go through our day should be a prayerful one, and we need to set aside certain times each day to concentrate on prayer. We should pray in all situations: when we are happy, when we are sad, when angry, troubled or calm. There should never be not enough time to pray: Peter's cry for help when he started to sink in the water is one of the shortest, and yet most effective, prayers we read in the Bible.
    
    Who do we pray for?
    
    Prayers shouldn't be full of requests. We should spend time telling God how thankful we are, how much we love Him, and how we want to serve Him. But petition is part of prayer. Who then should we pray for?
    
    Samuel prayed for Israel. Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies. Jesus prayed for His disciples. James says pray for one another. When we pray for others, it helps us to love them more, and this is one reason we should pray for our enemies. Our prayer life should be a mirror of our service: put God first, others next and ourselves last.
    
    In what manner do we pray?
    
    There are no set rules for the way in which we pray. Remember that God knows our thoughts, so we don't have to speak aloud to be heard. Sometimes it may help us, though. David cried out to the Lord; Hannah prayed in her heart, though her lips moved; Jesus tells us to pray in our closets, in other words not to make a show of our holiness.
    
    When we have prayed for others and come to ourselves, what things should we pray for? Here are a few suggestions:
    - forgiveness
    - sanctification
    - growth
    - unity with others
    Whatever we pray for we are urged to pray with perseverence. If we ask, we shall receive, but we may have to keep asking and asking. If we know what we are praying for is right and good, keep on praying until God answers.
    
    What happens when we pray?
    
    We aren't very good at praying, nor at knowing what to pray for. Thankfully God helps us out. In Romans 8v26 we learn that the Spirit prays for us, shows us what to pray for. We pray to our Father, who is a good Father, and answers His children. And our prayers are perfected by the Lord Jesus, who sits at God's right hand and presents our petitions to Him.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    The Wise Men
    
    Date: 27/02/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Matthew 2 v 1-13
    Matthew 2 v 1-13
    1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
    2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
    3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
    4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
    5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
    6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
    7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
    8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
    9. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
    10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
    11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
    12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
    13. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
    There are certain passages we associate with the Christmas story, and which rarely get read outside of Christmas time. I'd like to take a look at this passage, at the wise men. It's easy to gloss over the story as just for children, but there's a lot to learn from these men.
    
    How did the wise men know about the star? Was it some strange eastern mythology, astrology or just a hunch? In Numbers 24 v 17 the Bible talks about the "star out of Jacob" - these men knew their scripture and seemed to be the only ones to put two and two together. Often we find it is the outsider who shows faith. Remember Rahab, Ruth and the centurion. None of these were Jews and yet they had faith, and God honoured their faith. It is a shame when non-Christians show up Christians in the areas we are supposed to be strong: loving others, serving, humility
    
    It was an exciting time for the Magi. They were seeing prophecy coming true before their eyes. It was an historic time, and they were part of it. We look at the Bible and we see most of it as history, in the past. But remember that much is still to happen. Christ will come again, and it could be any time. It could be us who experience the next great happening of prophecy. Anyway, the Word should be much more to us than history and prophecy. It is God's message to us individually. It should be alive to us, giving us guidance day by day. Are we having the same feelings of wonder as the wise men as we see scripture come alive in our lives?
    
    The wise men brought gifts, which had both a very practical value as well as a symbolic one. Joseph and Mary would have to leave and travel to Egypt to escape Herod, and they needed money for provisions. The wise men's gifts would enable them to equip themselves well. But these were also symbolic offerings. Gold was given as a sign that this was a king, the king of the Jews and King of Kings. Incense was given to show that this was God incarnate. And myrrh was used in embalming - it speaks of His death, the reason He came. What have we to offer to the Lord?
    - As unsaved, all our attempts at good works were no use to Him, all were tainted with sin.
    - We had to accept His gift to us before He could accept our gift to Him.
    - Now, our works, our love, our obedience, our worship are all things we can offer to Him, perfected by the blood of Christ. And these are things which please our Lord.
    The wise men were sent by God. Do we see God sending people today? Has He sent us? The wise men saw prophecy fulfilled before their eyes, and yet it should be a daily experience for us, as we meditate on the living Word. The wise men acknowledged Jesus as King, God and Saviour. We need to do the same.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Don't Worry
    
    Date: 11/04/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Matthew 6 v 25-34
    Matthew 6 v 25-34
    1. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
    2. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
    3. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
    4. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
    5. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
    6. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
    7. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
    8. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
    9. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
    10. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
    Worry is a dangerous thing. It eats us up inside, it uses up time, and causes us to lose sleep. It can damage our health, our service and our relationship with God and with others. Worry has no redeeming features, and is different from concern. Concern mobilises us into taking action, while worry immobilises use, stopping us from functioning in a normal and healthy manner.
    
    The passage we read has a lot to say about worry, and I want to look at seven reasons why we shouldn't worry.
    
    Seven Reasons Not To Worry
    1. v25 - Perspective - Often we worry about things which seem to be very important at the time, but in fact are not all that important. God has given us our bodies and breathed life into us, yet we seem to think he can't look after the smaller things. If we trust in him, he can look after everything.
    2. v26 - Planning - It's good to plan ahead, but sometimes we get up in trying to control the future, and worry about the things we can't control. There has to be a stage where we've done enough preparation, and we need to leave it there, instead of worrying that things may go wrong which we have no control over.
    3. v27 - Profit - What good can worrying do? Absolutely none! We need to recognise that our worrying is only doing us damage, and serving no useful purpose, to gain a desire to be rid of it.
    4. v28-30 - Perspiration - We need to work at things, but only up to a point. We can't do everything ourselves, and God wants us to rely on him to provide for us. This involves trust, and we must choose to trust rather than worry.
    5. v31-32 - Promise - God says "I will supply all your needs, according to my riches in glory". When we worry that our needs will not be met, it is showing a lack of faith in God. A proper faith and trust in the Lord will smooth over any worries we have.
    6. v33 - Pursue - Jesus tells us to pursue the things of the Lord. We need to put God first, ahead of all the urgent things we have to do. If we put him to the back of the queue, we'll never get around to his things, and our lives will spiral away from him.
    7. v34 - Pace - We need to learn to pace ourselves, take each day as it comes. If there is to be evil on the day, it only makes the evil worse by worrying about it beforehand. If we take a day at a time, we can sleep at night, and wake ready to face the day.
    Worry is all about control. We want to be in control of things and don't like it when we're not. The Christian life is all about giving over control to the Lord, letting him take care of things. Peace is knowing that he will look after us, as he has promised. John 14 v 27 says:
    
    Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
    
    We can have peace because we know our Father is able, willing and ever watchful. Just as faith drives out fear, peace drives out worry.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Silence
    
    Date: 08/05/01
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Ecclesiastes ch 3 v 7
    Ecclesiastes ch 3 v 7
    1. ... a time to keep silence and a time to speak.
    I've been reading a book recently, and one of the themes of the book is silence. It's not a Christian book, but I was interested in what the Bible has to say about silence. Just today I read a quote by a Greek philosopher: I have often regretted my words, but never my silence. Now I wouldn't go as far as saying that silence is always a good thing, but there are enough warnings in the Bible about our speech, and the damage it can do, that perhaps it is often the preferred option.
    
    Let's have a look at some of the times it is often good for us to be silent:
    
    In the company of someone who is suffering
    Job 2 v 11-13
    1. Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
    2. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
    3. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
    It can be hard to know what to say to someone who is suffering, or who is mourning. If we try and give advice it can seem inappropriate, or shallow. Being sympathetic may help, but finding the right words is difficult, and we may feel unqualified if we have not suffered in the same way.
    
    Job's friends didn't try and sympathise with him, advise him or encourage him (at least not at first). Instead they simply sat with him in silence, saying nothing for 7 days. In fact, it was when they eventually started talking that the problems started.
    
    So, quite often our silent presence is the best we can offer a person who is suffering. In our trials we sometimes don't want to talk to others, but it is comforting to know there is someone near who is ready to help, and to listen, when we need them.
    
    When we are tempted to criticise others
    James 4 v 11
    1. Speak not evil one of another, brethren...
    How often do we criticise others? How often do we praise others? I have to say in my case the former is greater than the latter. How often do we compare ourselves to others, and think that we wouldn't make their mistakes, or we would do things differently. In these cases we need to learn to be silent, to hold our tongues. This may seem impossible, and indeed James says that noone can tame the tongue, but with God's help we can be quiet when our tongues are desperate to speak a scathing word.
    
    That doesn't mean we should ignore sin. If we see a brother or sister sinning, it is our duty to go to them, but to approach them in love, with an attitude of humility, knowing that we are equally liable to sin. We should approach them with the aim of restoration, not of revealing them to ridicule.
    
    At all other times, we should refrain from criticism and correction. I shudder to think of the number of times I have corrected someone with perfect conviction that I am right, only to be proved wrong. Silence, again, is often the better option.
    
    When we are accused
    Isaiah 53 v 7
    1. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
    One of the hardest times to be silent is hen we are accused. We want to deny all charges against us. If we know something is true, we want to explain why we did it, or make excuses. If we can't escape the fact that we were wrong, we try and point out the greater wrongs of our accuser.
    
    Christ was accused of many things, all of them wrongly. He had done no wrong, and had the power to protect himself. Yet, when he was accused, he said nothing. He opened not his mouth. He thought nothing of himself and acted only in love for those who put him in that position: you and I.
    
    The difference between you and I and Jesus, is that many of the accusations made against us will be true.
    1 Peter 4 v 14-16
    1. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
    2. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
    3. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
    What should we do when we are accused? We must examine the case against us. If we are being accused correctly, then we have something in our lives which needs sorted, and we must pay attention to that rather than protesting our innocence. If we are wrongly accused, or as Peter says we are accused for Christ's sake, then silence is the answer. It is by no means the easiest answer, but it is the correct thing.
    
    When we are before God
    Habakkuk 2 v 20
    1. But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
    Psalm 46 v 10
    1. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
    Lastly, we should learn to be silent before God. Again, this isn't easy, as our minds are filled with distractions, or external noise takes our attentions away, but the discipline of silence before the Lord is one which he commands us to embrace, and one which is ultimately very rewarding. In a relationship it is important that we listen as well as talk, and with the Lord, it is important that we take time to listen for what he has to say, as well just spending time together in silence.
    
    Summary
    
    We have thought of several ways in which silence is an important thing to learn: when comforting the suffering person, when tempted to criticise, when accused by others and when we are before the Lord. There is of course a time for speaking as well as a time for silence. We don't usually have any trouble with that, though.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2001
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Elisha and the Widow's Oil
    
    Date: 12/08/01
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: 2 Kings 4 v 1-7
    2 Kings 4 v 1-7
    1. Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
    2. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
    3. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
    4. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
    5. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
    6. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
    7. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
    Today I'd like to look at a miracle that God performed through Elisha. When we look at Elisha's life we see many parallels with that of Elijah, his master. He had a very different character, but performed similar miracles, though twice as many, in fulfilment of his request for a double blessing from Elijah.
    
    In our passage today a widow of one of Elisha's followers comes to him with a problem. She has no money, and the creditors are coming to take her children from her. Elisha asks what she has in the house and she replies "just a pot of oil". Elisha tells her to gather empty pots from her neighbours, shut herself in and start pouring into the pots. As she does so she finds that her pot has a supply of oil that only runs out when all the borrowed pots are full. She can then pay off her debts and use the rest to live on.
    1. The first verse highlights some problems that are very relevant in today's world. Debt is very much a problem in our society. The ready availability of loans and credit cards means it is easy to fall into debt and start off a downwards spiral. Also we see here a single mother with two children, struggling to get by: also a common problem today. This brings up the topic of stewardship. God has given us much, but he expects us to take care of, and make good use of the things he gives us. It's important not to waste our money on vain pursuits and worldy excess, but it isn't just about money. God has given us talents and abilities which he expects us to use for his glory. He may also have given us charge over a group of people. He expects us to take a responsible attitude towards these things. Elisha had a responsibility towards this woman, and he made sure he carried out this responsibility. Do we shy away when God offers us responsibility, or do we take it up with gratitude? Sometimes we can take on too many responsibilities, and not be properly observant of any of them.
    2. Elisha took on his responsibility and looked to tackle the widow's problem. The first thing he did was evaluate. This is the best thing we can do when we find ourselves in problems: step back and evaluate where we are and what we have. We learn that the widow had very little, but did have a small pot of oil. The oil in the Word represents the Holy Spirit, and sometimes our lives can become like the widow's, with only a very small portion of the Spirit evident. Getting a proper self-image is important for the Christian, and even when we think we have nothing, we must realise that we still have the Spirit indwelling us.
    3. The widow was to borrow pots from her neighbours. How would we feel about lending her our property? Communities are a vital part of our lives and a good Christian fellowship even more so. Our fellowships should be places where love is seen: not in shows of emotion, but in acts of charity, helping each other.
    4. Elisha told the widow that when she had gathered her pots she should shut herself in. How often do we shut ourself in with the Lord. It is then that we form that close bond with the Spirit that powers our service. It is then that the Spirit grow in our life, filling those parts of our life that we vacate. We must learn to shut ourselves in and meditate on the Word of God. It's not just about learning knowledge, but about reading what God has for us, then thinking it over through our day, applying it to situations.
    5. The widow did as Elisha had commanded. She was obedient. It's only as we are obedient to the Lord that we will see the blessing in our lives. Like Gideon we may not understand the Lord's reason for asking us to do wat he has, but God doesn't ask us to understand, just to do. If you're not seeing blessing in your life, ask yourself this: are you being obedient to God's revealed Word?
    6. The oil flowed and filled all the pots. It stopped when the last one was full. I wonder how many pots the widow had gathered. How much supply does the Lord give us? As much as we in faith claim. How much does the Spirit fill us? As much of us as we empty for him.
    7. Thw widow was able to pay off her debt, and use some more to provide for her family in the future. God provides for our present needs, and also for our future. His plan is perfect, and he knows exactly what we need. You may not know why you have gone through something, but you may later find that what you gained was just what you needed in a later experience.
    We see in this passage a woman with a real problem. She was given a real solution. We have a real God, who knows our needs, and supplies for them.
    
    It's important for us to learn to shut ourselves up with the Lord. It is in these times he strengthens us, guides us and supplies us.
    
    The more faith we have, the more God will bless us. Are you limiting God's blessing for you?
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2001
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai
    
    In early 2000 I did a series of talks on the book of Haggai. This is an Old Testament book which I hadn't really paid attention to before, but I enjoyed studying it, and got a great deal out of looking at its message.
    © David Meiklejohn 2003
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 1 - Put God First
    
    Date: 4/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 1
    Haggai 1
    1. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
    2. Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
    3. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
    4. Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
    5. Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
    6. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
    7. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
    8. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
    9. Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
    10. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
    11. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
    12. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.
    13. Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
    14. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
    15. In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
    This is the start of a series on the book of Haggai, which we'll look at in four parts. The titles for the four parts will be:
    1. Put God First
    2. Be Strong
    3. Be Clean
    4. Be Encouraged
    Background
    
    Let's start by looking at the background to the book of Haggai. Haggai was born during the time of the Jews captivity in Babylon. The Jews' great desire was to be back in their homeland, to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple and return to God's prescribed means of worshipping.
    
    In the year 536, King Cyrus allowed some of the Jews to go back to Jerusalem to start building the temple. They had opposition, though, and this led them to stop their work for 16 years. This is where we are at the start of the book of Haggai. See Ezra for more on the rebuilding of the temple.
    
    Put God First
    
    The word of the Lord came to Haggai. The Lord looked down at Jerusalem and saw that His house was unfinished. The Jews were living in their own completed houses, while no work was going on to complete the Lord's house.
    - Their priorities were wrong. It seems the people's attitude was "Once we are settled and comfortable, then we will work on the Lord's house" but they were finding it increasingly hard to get by. They lacked in their own lives because they weren't putting God first in their plans. It is important for us to have God in the right place in our lives. If we give Him the pre-eminence, He will honour that, but if we place our selves, our families, our security ahead of God, we will find things start to go wrong.
    - They were relying on their own resources. Instead of looking to God, the people were trying to manage things themselves. The fact that their crops were failing was a sign from God that they needed to change their ways, but they were too spiritually blind to see this, and just kept toiling along in a downwards spiral. I sometimes wonder how much of my efforts will be revealed to be purely my own efforts when I stand before the judgement seat of Christ. It's only when we do tasks in faith that they are pleasing to God. And it's only then that we can be successful.
    - The temple lay unfinished. They had started with vigour, but a few setbacks had stopped them and they had taken their eyes off the vision God had given them. It's very easy to take our eyes off Christ when problems come into our lives. It's at these times that we need a Haggai in our lives: someone who will encourage us to get started again, to get moving instead of just moping.
    - The response of the people to Haggai's word from the Lord was quick. They rose from the langur they had been in and started again working on the Lord's house. Notice that as son as they started, the Lord spoke to them and assured them He was with them. As soon as we start any task for the Lord, in the Lord's power, we have the same assurance, that He is with us.
    The Lord's message to the Jews, on two occasions, was "Consider your ways". Perhaps if we examine our lives we will see places where we have our priorities wrong, where we have started something and not finished it. Perhaps we are trying to sort out our own affairs before we do God's work. It could be time to return to the task which has long lain unfinished. If we do, we have God's assurance as we start: "I am with you".
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 2 - Be Strong
    
    Date: 11/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 2 v 1-9
    Haggai 2 v 1-9
    1. In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
    2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
    3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
    4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
    5. According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
    6. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
    7. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
    8. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
    9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
    In the second part of our look at Haggai, we come to chapter 2, and God's message to His people: be strong.
    
    Review
    
    The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".
    
    Part 2 - Be Strong
    
    Have you ever had to rebuild something? To start again on something you have built up and has been torn down. I know a couple who own a fruit farm in Africa. They built a new warehouse to store their fruit in, which was going to be a great addition to their work. Not long after they had finished it, their was an accident on the road, and a bus ploughed into their new warehouse, destroying it. After all their work, they were left back at the start, with the thought of building the whole lot again. Rebuilding can be demoralising work, especially if you remember how good the old building was, and your repair work doesn't seem to be nearly as good.
    
    The Jews were looking back. Perhaps some of them were old enough to have seen the temple in all its glory before it was destroyed. As they looked back they were getting demoralised, as it seemed their work was inferior to what was there before.
    
    There is a time to remember, and there is a time to look forward. God's message to His people at this time is to look forward. He says this new temple will be greater in glory than the old one, not because of the wonderful architecture or the richness of the building materials, but because the "desire of all nations", the Christ himself, will set foot in this temple. Along with this encouragement, He tells them to "Be strong... and work". We are often exhorted to be strong in the Bible ("be strong and of a good courage", "Be strong in the Lord"), but if we are weak, how can we be strong?
    - Be strong in mind - if we set our minds on following God, on putting Him first, then He will make us strong to accomplish His work. The strength comes from Him, but we must decide to obey.
    - Be strong in number - the people had to learn to work together. In our churches, God has placed us together with others, and it is when we are al working together, each using the talents God has given him, that we are strongest.
    - Be strong in the Lord - the only real strength we have is in the Lord. Look at the book of Judges. Samson was given amazing physical strength yet he was weak in spirit, and he ended his days in a miserable position. Gideon was perhaps the most cowardly of the judges, but his faith in the Lord meant that he was soon renowned for his strength. We need to learn to give everything over to God, and to put our trust in Him, and He will give us His strength.
    - "... and work" - God's message was not just to be strong, but also to work. There are times when we should study, when we should prepare, learn and plan; but often Christians spend their whole live preparing and never get round to doing anything for the Lord. Is God's message to you that you should go and work for Him?
    In verse 4, the Lord again reassures His people: "I am with you". He urges them to be strong, He assures them that this new temple will be more glorious than the old one, He tells them to go and work, but it's important that they realise that He is with them, that He is working alongside them. That's important for us as well. If we're doing a work for the Lord, He is with us.
    
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 3 - Be Clean
    
    Date: 18/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 2 v 10-19
    Haggai 2 v 10-19
    1. In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
    2. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
    3. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
    4. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
    5. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
    6. And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
    7. Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
    8. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
    9. Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it.
    10. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
    In the third part of our look at Haggai, we continue in chapter 2, and now God tells His people: be clean.
    
    Review
    
    The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".
    
    Some of the people were discouraged because the temple wasn't as beautiful as they remembered. Haggai encouraged them to be strong and remember the Lord was with them.
    
    Part 3 - Be Clean
    
    The workers in silicon chip factories have a clean room. Everything in there must be spotless in case they contaminate the silicon. When they enter they must put on clean outfits, cover their shoes and hair. The smallest speck of dust can ruin a batch of the chips they make.
    
    The priest had a similar routine before he went into the temple. He had to ceremonially wash himself, put on clean clothing, so that he approached the temple clean. Haggai asked the people about cleanliness. Shall a holy thing coming into contact with an unclean thing make it holy? They answered "No". What happens when an unclean person touches something that is clean? "It is made unclean". When clean and dirty are mixed together the clean is always made dirty, the dirty is never made clean. The people with their unclean lives thought that visiting the temple would make them clean, but it was the other way round: they were defiling the temple. They needed to make themselves clean before coming to the temple.
    
    Spiritual cleanliness is important in our lives as well. We may go to church once a week, but that doesn't make the rest of our lives clean. We must examine ourselves, find the areas that are impure, and change them. Paul urges this in Corinthians. He says we should examine ourselves before coming to the table. Are we living worthy to be called Christians?
    
    The people had been living unclean lives, but they had now turned towards God. When they were unclean God had cursed them, giving them poor harvests and leaving them struggling to get by. Now that they were living for Him, He would bless them. Blessings from God come in all sorts of ways. For the Israelites here it was in a very material way, but this won't always be so. However, whether it is in a good harvest, a peaceful mind or a loving friend, God promises to bless those who are clean and follow Him.
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk
    
    Haggai Part 4 - Be Encouraged
    
    Date: 25/1/00
    Speaker: David Meiklejohn
    Text: Haggai 2 v 20-23
    Haggai 2 v 20-23
    1. And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
    2. Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
    3. And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
    4. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
    In this last part of our look at Haggai, we finish off chapter 2, and God's message to His people: be encouraged.
    
    Review
    
    The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".
    
    Some of the people were discouraged because the temple wasn't as beautiful as they remembered. Haggai encouraged them to be strong and remember the Lord was with them.
    
    The people had started working for God, but there were unclean areas in their lives. Haggai impressed upon them their need for spiritually clean lives. When they obeyed, they found that God blessed them, and the harvests that had been so poor were now more than sufficient.
    Part 4 - Be Encouraged
    
    The Lord's message to Zerubbabel and the people is "be encouraged". They were rebuilding the temple, but what for? Israel had been a strong nation, defeating all who opposed it. But now it was just a remnant. Zerubbabel was of royal descent, but the Lord had said that none of his natural family would be king again. How could God's promised Messiah come? The Lord tells them that the Messiah will come, He will come through Zerubbabel's line ("make thee as a signet"). He reaffirms His plan and reassures His people. His mighty plan will come to pass, even though it seems impossible, and despite the weakness of the people.
    
    "I have chosen thee". Imagine how Zerubbabel felt, knowing that God had chosen him. Yet each of us who are saved can say it as well. God has chosen us. He is working out His purposes in us and His plan will not be thwarted by our weakness. Quite the opposite: our weakness reveals His strength. We can become despondent, with our weakness and our sin. But the Lord tells us to be encouraged, His plan is perfect and it will come to pass.
    So, in closing, we have been given the following messages from our look at Haggai:
    - Get our priorities right - build the Lord's house before worrying about our own.
    - Be strong - when you start a work for the Lord, remember He is with you.
    - Be clean - examine your lives and sort out the uncleanness that is there, so you can server the Lord with holiness.
    - Be encouraged - don't get down with your own weakness, or the seeming impossibility of the situation. God is in control and He will bring His plan to completion
    © David Meiklejohn 2000
    David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
    www.meiklejohn.org.uk

David's Sermons

David's Sermons

The Door

Rehoboam

Background

The Split

Jeroboam

Elisha

Introduction

Background

Comparison

The Prophets' School

Helpful Miracles

God with Elisha

Lessons from Elisha's Life

Conclusion

Elisha and the Widow's Oil

Eyes, Hands, Mouth

Eyes

Hands

Mouth

Seeing God Through Nature

Introduction

The Heavens Declare God's Glory

God's Care For His Creation

God's Anger Seen in Nature

God is Mightier than Nature

Conclusion

The Prince of Peace

Peace with God

Peace with Self

Peace within the Church

Summary

Looking to Jesus

The Arm of the Lord

How Do You Measure Up?

Bad Comparisons

Wrong Measurements

God's Criteria

Responses

Suffering

Paul

Joseph

Job

Failure

David

Moses

Peter

God's Calling

Moses

Jonah

Conclusion

Haggai Part 1 - Put God First

Background

Put God First

Haggai Part 2 - Be Strong

Review

Part 2 - Be Strong

Haggai Part 3 - Be Clean

Review

Part 3 - Be Clean

Haggai Part 4 - Be Encouraged

Review

Part 4 - Be Encouraged

The Wise Men

Fishers of Men

Parable

Explanation

Don't Worry

Seven Reasons Not To Worry

The Good Samaritan

Summary

Prayer

When do we pray?

Who do we pray for?

In what manner do we pray?

What happens when we pray?

Hell

The True Vine

Workers Together With God