The Cross and the Throne

 

My church family at Bridgeman Downs Baptist Church meets in a large auditorium where, suspended from the ceiling, is an illuminated cross. I am very grateful to the technician who placed it so, as the entire congregation is always at the foot of the cross. Many churches throughout the world have a cross positioned front and central, to remind us all that it was only through the suffering and death of Christ on the cross that we are able to fully approach God.

Many of us wear a cross to symbolise that we belong to Jesus Christ, that we are Christians. As Easter approaches we meditate on the meaning of the cross. Jesus knew that He would face terrible torture and an agonizing death. Not only did He suffer the physical pain, but also the agonising experience of separation from His Heavenly Father God, the betrayal and abandonment of some of His closest earthly friends, and the unimaginable weight of knowing all the sins and pain of the world as He hung on that cross. We cannot ever understand what Jesus experienced.

 

When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”  Matthew 27: 50-54

God was glorified through Jesus Christ. Mankind was saved from the curse of sin and death. Satan was forever defeated. The veil separating a holy God from sinful mankind was torn. Jesus was then and is now our Redeemer.

Jesus is no longer on the cross. His body was placed in a tomb which was found to be empty three days later. He appeared in His resurrected body to His disciples and many others. He ascended to Heaven, sending His Holy Spirit to earth to be with His people.

No longer on the cross, but seated on the throne of Heaven, at the right hand of God,  King of all kings, Lord of all lords. The Bible gives us beautiful pictures:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.  Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling out to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;

all the earth is full of His glory.”   Isaiah 6:1-3

 

And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:62

 

At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it.  The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.  Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God.  And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.  The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, Holy, Holy,

is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:2-8

 

As Easter approaches we think with sadness of the suffering of Jesus. We think with deep appreciation for that He taught us, all that He did to heal and save the suffering and lost. We celebrate with great joy on Easter Sunday that death could not hold Him, that He rose and reigns, seated in Heaven on the throne, at the right hand of God.

 

Rejection

Rejection. We all face it at some time in our lives. It can begin as children, when, rightly or wrongly, a child can feel that they are not as loved by a parent as their siblings. It can certainly happen in schools where friendships can be fickle and some children feel as though they are on the outer in the peer group for their entire school lives.

As a person progresses to adult life one can feel rejected in the workforce. The job application is turned down, sometimes dozens of times. Someone else receives the promotion that you hoped for. You are retrenched in a company reorganization.

Some of the most distressing forms of rejection happen in the sphere of personal relationships. A love affair that you thought would lead to marriage and a permanent relationship ends. Your partner in your marriage admits to an extra-marital affair. A divorce leaves a person shattered.

The core of rejection is a feeling of unworthiness. I’m not good enough. Someone else is preferred. Satan, the father of lies, whose ultimate goal is to destroy a person works on those thoughts to destroy families, marriages, friendships and sadly, in some cases, ministries and churches.

Rejection can enter one’s spiritual life as well. Disappointments and struggles with sin can cause a person to feel that God has rejected them. This could not be further from the truth.

We need to look to God’s word to know how he feels about each one of us. The Bible tells us that even before we were born, God thought of us and created us to be the individual human that we are.

“For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be. “Psalm139: 13-16

 

Whenever we feel rejected, God’s word assures us that He has not rejected us:

I have chosen and not rejected you.

Do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you; I will surely help you;

I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness. Isaiah 41:9,10

 

Throughout the Bible we are assured that God’s love is different to the ways of people. His love is constant, steadfast and faithful:

 

“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!” Psalm 36:7

 

“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.” Psalm 107:43

 

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 117:1,2”

 

When you are a Christian, despite the rejections that you face in life, God will never reject you. He is your Saviour, your closest friend your heavenly Father. In fact, you are part of His bride, the true church of all believers, and as such loved as a true partner should be in a marriage. His word tells us that He has a plan for every life, so if our earthly plans fail, we can trust in His Holy Spirit, the great Counsellor to lead and guide us into a new direction.

 

“Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth;

break forth in song, O mountains!

For the LORD has comforted His people,

and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;

the Lord has forgotten me!”

 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,

or lack compassion for the son of her womb?

Even if she could forget,

Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

your walls are ever before Me.”   Isaiah 49:13-16

 

Go on your way

“I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”

9“Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

11And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12Blessed is he who waits and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

13But as for you, go on your way until the end. You will rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”   Daniel 12:8-13

 

We move into a new year, 2024, and many of us will have made resolutions to change habits, or try new things. Yet for the most we will be continuing what we have been attending to in the previous year. This is not a bad thing if we have a sense of purpose or duty and responsibility in whatever sphere we are called to in life.

Those of us who are committed Christians will continue to read and study God’s word and to try to live it out. We also are attentive to the world in which we live and the many major events happening throughout this Earth.

Some people I know are fearful for the future. Some refuse to watch the nightly news. Some are experiencing compassion fatigue – tragedies and difficulties in daily life can be overwhelming. That is why a firm foundation in Christ is the only hope on which we can stand. Hope does not lie in political parties or social justice activism or protest movements per se (although Christians can seek to bring Christ’s message into these arenas) but in faith in God and the active work of His Holy Spirit in this world.

Throughout the Bible prophets declared momentous events which would transpire in the future. No fantasy movie this, but a genuine battle in earthly and spiritual realms between good and evil. We can choose which side we’re on. As is recorded in the above passage from the book of Daniel, many will come to believe in God and trust Him, but wicked people will continue to act wickedly. The book of Revelation declares that people become so wicked that despite apocalyptic events, they refuse to repent and turn to Christ.

To those of us committed to Christ, God says stand firm. Don’t fall away. Continue in prayer, fellowship and study of God’s word. Continue to use whatever gifts, talents and resources He has equipped you with. Go on your way until the end.

For those who are yet to become Christians, I’ve reprinted two regular reprints here- The Gospel and How do I become a Christian?

May God bless anyone visiting here and encourage you throughout 2024.

 

 

 

The Gospel / How do I become a Christian? (Reprinted periodically)

 The Gospel

In the beginning, God, (God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, including the first man, Adam and the first woman, Eve. God created humans to live in relationship with Him, but gave them free will to either obey Him or be disobedient. Satan, the devil, whom the Bible identifies as a fallen angel, tempted Eve to sin by disobeying God and she in turn tempted Adam to also disobey God. For their disobedience Adam and Eve were cursed and through them, every living human is born sinful.

 

Yet throughout history there have been men and women who sought after God. Humanity became so depraved that God destroyed the earth with a global flood, but saved Noah and his family. Through Abraham and his descendents, God established the nation of Israel, who would be God’s favoured people. Moses led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments and many laws of conduct. Because of the sinful nature of man, these laws were not kept, and a system of animal sacrifices was instituted to make atonement for their sins. However, the people both individually and as a nation continued in a cycle of falling away from God and returning to Him.

 

During the history of the nation of Israel there were prophets who foretold that a Saviour would be born, to save humanity from its sinfulness. Their prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is the Son of God, the third person of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). He was sent to this earth and lived amongst us as a human, without losing His divine nature. In all things Jesus honoured and obeyed His Father, God. During His ministry on earth, Jesus performed many miracles and taught us regarding God’s nature and way of living. He was tempted by Satan but was without sin. He travelled with a group of disciples who were the foundation of the church – God’s people on earth.

 

In the same way that animals had been sacrificed to make atonement for man’s sin, it was the purpose of God to send Jesus to earth to become a total sacrifice, once and for all time, for fallen humanity. As was His destiny, Jesus was arrested, tried for heresy and crucified on a hill outside Jerusalem called Calvary. At the time of Christ’s death the curtain in the Jewish temple was torn apart, symbolising that the old system of God only being able to be approached by certain people and in certain places, was finished.

 

Now all could come into right relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus, by committing their lives to him in repentance and faith.

 

The Bible tells us that Jesus descended into hell and has total dominion over Satan and evil. On the third day Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples and many others on earth. He gave his disciples the “great commission” to go into all nations and preach the gospel. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven.

 

After Jesus ascended to heaven, God sent the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to the earth at Pentecost (ten days after Jesus’ ascension). The Holy Spirit is not only alive in the world, but indwells in those who have committed themselves wholly to God and gives such attributes as comfort, counsel, power and discernment.

 

The Bible tells of spiritual battles between good and evil in both earthly and heavenly realms. It includes indications of great tribulation yet to come. We are told that Christ will return to this earth, the second coming, when He will defeat the evil forces raging in the world and will judge the living and the dead.

 

We who have committed our lives to Christ still struggle in our humanity with temptation to sin, and must choose daily to live in obedience to His will. We grow in our faith through prayer, study and reflection of God’s word, the Bible; and by meeting regularly in fellowship with other Christians.

 

 

How do I become a Christian?

 

The Bible tells us that there is only one way to relationship with God and that is through Jesus Christ:

“Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. John 14:5-6

 

To become a Christian, you need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,  that He died on the cross to honour God and for the forgiveness of sin and that He rose again and ascended to His Father God.

 

You also need to admit or confess that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness through Christ.

 

You then need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Just as a wedding ceremony begins a marriage, so a prayer of confession and faith can begin, but is just the beginning, of a relationship with God. An ongoing relationship includes learning about God through Bible study; conversations with God through prayer, and encouragement through Christian fellowship in a caring church.

The following is a prayer which could be used to begin this relationship. You may wish to pray it alone, personally, or you may wish to discuss your decision with a Christian friend or pastor first to fully understand:

 

Dear Heavenly Father God,

I come before You acknowledging You as the only one God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. Thank You, Father God, for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, honouring You and making a way for sinful people to come back into relationship with You. I acknowledge that I am a sinner. Please forgive my sin and cleanse me I pray. I receive Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my days. May You give me strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to live my life as a Christian. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen

 

May God bless you with an ever-increasing knowledge of His wonderful presence and endless love as you continue to seek and serve Him.

Christmas 2023

 

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

 

The greatest miracle that the world has ever known was when God became a human and lived amongst us. He taught great truths. He performed wonderful miracles. He demonstrated amazing love. He bore the sin of mankind on himself so that we could be reconciled to God. We can boldly approach God’s throne of grace because Jesus is our intermediary.

For centuries the world waited expectantly for a Saviour. Prophets foretold His coming. In the words of Isaiah, He would be

Wonderful Counsellor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace

Jesus came as a baby, growing in His mother Mary’s womb. God’s grace was sent in vulnerable and dependent child. Should we not then honour and respect and care for most of all those who are dependent and needy and vulnerable? Every life from conception onwards is a marvel of God’s creation. Every child deserves to be nurtured, protected, educated and loved.

Children are not a mistake to be ruthlessly disposed of. They’re not a commodity to be bought and sold. They should not be abused or used for sexual gratification. They deserve truth, beauty, innocent fun. We live in a world which has failed to protect its children in so many ways.

Jesus loved children. When His disciples tried to prevent parents from bringing their children to Jesus for a blessing, He told them “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14).

Jesus also issued a warning to anyone who would intentionally harm a child. “If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in Me – to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

This Christmas, as we once more thank God for His perfect gift, that baby lying in a manger; as we enjoy time spent with family and friends and enjoy the innocence of children enjoying Christmas, let us pledge anew to help and support the families in our communities and to especially help and protect children, to pray for them and encourage them.

So this is Christmas

 

Christmas- the name means Christ worship. It records the baby born in Bethlehem, God’s promised Messiah, God’s gift to humankind, born to save the world from the curse of sin and death. He was Jesus, Immanuel – God with us.

Prophets foretold His birth. Angels announced His birth by appearing in the night sky above the ground where shepherds were watching over their sheep. Some would say that that was symbolic of the birth of our Good Shepherd, He who watches and tends over His flock. All of Heaven rejoiced.

Scholars in other countries who studied the night sky saw unusual signs in the heavens, including an unusual star which led them to where Jesus was. They brought precious gifts to present to Him, beginning a tradition of giving gifts to others to show the love of God to one another. In later centuries good men of faith such as St Nicholas and King Wenceslas gave gifts to the poor and needy and later came to be personified in the form of “Sinterklaas” or Santa Claus.

In later centuries beautiful carols honouring God were written and sung at Christmastime, telling the story of Christ’s birth- “Silent Night”, “Away in a Manger”, “Angels we have heard on high”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and others.

There is no Christmas without Christ. Christ came as a baby in Bethlehem, to minister to the world and to die outside of the walls of Jerusalem, taking upon Himself the sin of mankind. He defeated death and hell and rose from the dead, to ascend to Heaven. He will come again in final judgement. He knows and loves those who are His and blesses their lives with His goodness. This is the gospel, the good news that Christians throughout the world celebrate at Christmas.

Like the shepherds, let's wonder in the glory of God’s gift to us.

Like the angels, let's sing for joy songs of praise to God our Heavenly Father for His goodness.

Like the wise men, let's dedicate our time and resources to God, and give to others, especially those who are in need.

As we share food and presents and time with family and friends, let's do so to share the love of Jesus.

Remembrance Day

 

They left the farm and country store

Left the weeping wife beside a cradle

Left a girlfriend waving to a train

 

Strong of limb with heads held high

They marched and sang and laughed their way

Across the seas, mates together

 

Somewhere amid the night watches

Dreams fought with fears. They contemplated

What a man was made for

 

And so they went

Innocence shattered, bodies broken, lives given.

Faced the unspeakable, then and forever.

 

No glad hurrahs on victory day.

Only a quiet presence in the homeland

Men forever changed, silently grieving.

 

The wheat grew high with no hands to reap it

The babe grew strong with no arms to hold it.

The girl stood waiting on an empty platform.

 

Lest we forget.

 

©Josephine Collett 11/11/23