… did you say you’d go; and at the last minute make excuse?
How did the bride and bridegroom take it?

Today, God invites you …

Listen through, then feel free to post your feedback.

Ian Jackson of Eastbourne is a respected and able teacher of God’s Word, and has a particular gift in ministering to young adults.

This post contains 5 separate podcasts for ease of downloading.

The 10 commandments?
No.
The Christian has been set free from the bondage of the law.  The Christian has recieved directly from the Son of God the gift of God’s Holy Spirit - enabling them to live in love towards God and their neighbour, just like Christ did, who in so doing fulfilled ‘all the law and the prophets’.
He said, “Come unto me … and I will give you rest … for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11v28-30

So what are His commandments?  … Well, like He said, they are not hard or complicated - and unlike the law given through Moses, I can find only 3.  Contained within them Christ gives to all who will follow Him:
  - a starting place
  - a method
  - a goal
… and the word of motivation (”if ye love me…”)

He commands us to:

• “Repent ye, and believe the gospel”  Mark 1v15
  (John 3v7 & Acts 17v30)
• “Love one another; as I have loved you”  John 13v34 
  (1John 3v23)
• “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel”  Mark 16v15 
  (Acts 10v42)

3 commandments that in their simplicity sum up ‘all the law & the prophets’ (Matthew 22v36-40).
Are you keeping them?
It’s so easy to say, “I love Jesus” - but, “I love Jesus my Lord“ carries so much more meaning.  It’s one thing to claim to love him, but do you know and love Him enough to acknowledge Him as your Lord?
I hear you say, “Yes, He’s my Lord and I’m keeping His commandments.”
… Then I must ask - Out of duty? Or in love?
Are you keeping His commandments because you love your Lord - Jesus Christ.

The Bible describes our walk of life as being on one of two different pathways:

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 16v25

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me. John 14v6

The ‘narrow way’ can be reached through only one door: Jesus said,

“I AM the door.” John 10v9

To enter the door, you must come to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Confess your sin and believe that He is able to save you because:

…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen… 1Corinthians 15v3-5

By intention or by neglect, you are about to make a choice:

Jesus Christ - the life & the way to God
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: John 3v36

OR

The way that seemeth right unto a man
…he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3v36

The Bible says: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death … therefore choose life” Deuteronomy 30v19

A refreshingly ‘back to basics’ consideration of some fundamental Christiology.

Paul Jackson, school teacher and parent of 3 dispels some commonly held misunderstandings of the gospel as he expounds the truth of this verse.

1. The brook Eschol (The Spies)
2. The brook in the valley of Elah (David)
3. The brook Cherith (Elijah)
4. The brook from which Nehemiah viewed Jerusalem
5. The brook Cedron (Christ)

As John follows these references through scripture he draws a lesson from each.

Listen again and read the passages for yourself to examine your life in relation to its direction and fulfilment of purpose as a Christian.

This picture of a young child reminds us of the miracle of life that God gives.

Spiritual life is a greater miracle, and can only come through faith and trust in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18v3

Like a child, God then wishes us to grow by feeding on what Peter calls “the sincere milk of the Word (the Bible)”. 1Peter 2v2

“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” Matthew 11v15

Could the words of the prophet Isaiah be true of Britain today?

“This is a rebellious people … that will not hear the law of the LORD” Isaiah 30v9.

When as a society we say “No” to God, what wonder is it that the vacuum is quickly filled with violence, family problems and misery?

But God has sent a personal message for us – His Son.
God said of the Lord Jesus:
“This is my beloved Son: hear him” Mark 9v7.

After all, no one else has ever been able to say
“I am the truth” John 14v6

God’s Son - Jesus Christ - even made deaf people hear:
“The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” Luke 7v22.

But we can be spiritually deaf too:
“Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand” Acts 28v26.

We hear God in so many ways, but may not want to believe – we would rather find our own route to our own god.

Instead, God commands us to “hear the word of the gospel, and believe” Acts 15v7.

Because “they that hear shall live” John 5v25
“..and this is life eternal - that they might know thee the only true God” John 17v3 .

In this powerful sermon, he explores how in reality each of us are born slaves to sin. Only faith in the Lord Jesus can set us free. The Lord Jesus once said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” John 8v36.

But there is such a thing as a gift.
Something that has been paid for by someone else, and is now on offer without cost to the recipient.
The Bible tells us of the greatest gift ever. The greatest, because it is the gift for which the highest price has been paid.

… but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6v23

So, in spite of what deals eBay and SHOP.COM may (if somewhat amusingly) offer us if we are searching for ‘Eternal Life’, God is already offering it – as a FREE gift.

But why should I need such a gift? Well, the answer is in fact found in the very same Bible verse:

For the wages of sin is death; … Romans 6v23

As sinners we all fall helplessly short of the standard that God has set:

All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3v23

… the ultimate result: DEATH. Not just physical death. We are referring to an eternal spiritual death (in hell), just as we are also referring to an eternal spiritual life (in heaven).

God is giving us a choice:

… therefore choose life … Deuteronomy 30v19

In the headlines

“The search for peace”

“Northern Ireland Peace Process”

“India wants peace with its neighbours”

“Bush and Blair want peace”

These are just a handful of headlines from the same week, to illustrate that the world is looking for peace.

But where did it all go wrong?

The Bible – God’s word, has the answers.

Euphrates

When God made man, he made a paradise for him to live in. One of the four rivers in Eden, was the Euphrates (Genesis 2v14). It was here that man first disobeyed God, and peace with God was broken. With this crucial peace gone, peace with man also broke down, and the first murder soon took place.

Babel

As time went on, far from evolving, man drifted further from God, and invented religion to try and fill the spiritual vacuum he felt. (Genesis 11v1-8). Because of their arrogance, God thwarted their construction efforts by introducing language barriers for the first time. Religion has always failed to bring peace.

No God, no peace

History and the Bible give ample evidence to man’s inability to live at peace with each other. But there is another peace crisis – within each one of us. The Bible says:

”There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked” (Isaiah 48v22)

This includes us all, as we are without exception far short of God’s perfect standard (Romans 3v23).

Know God, know peace

And yet God wants us to be at peace with Him. As we all know, a heavy price has to be paid for peace – and so God sacrificed His only Son.

The Bible says that the Lord Jesus, when He died

“made peace through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1v20)

There simply is no other way for peace to be obtained, than for the big issue of our sin to be dealt with. True peace is to be found in a person – Jesus Christ.

Peace is individual

Yet the peace that God offers is not on a universal basis. The time will come when God will destroy this world of war and sin, to create a new world of peace and right. But then we would be too late. The Bible makes clear, that this peace must be obtained personally:

“Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5v1)

This means that God asks us to place complete faith in His Son Jesus Christ, and own His authority as Lord.

The Peace of God

The peace God promises for those who believe in His Son, is uniquely secure:

”The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4v7)

The God of Peace

The Bible makes it clear, that the way to know the peace of God which was lost in Iraq six thousand years ago, is to know the God of Peace.

To Christians in Greece, Paul writes:

“the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9)

In ‘The Glory of God’ Tim examines the prophet Ezekiel’s account of his vision of the throne of God in all His glory. How would such a vision affect my appreciation of God?!

Find out which of all God’s wonderful works is actually the greatest in this engaging and reasoned discourse.

Brian lives in the Blackburn area with his wife and two children. His preaching has influenced a number of people over the last decade.

• I Shall Not Want explains Psalm 23 and other parts of the Bible, to show that only Christ can meet our deepest need in life. Sceptical? Read it for yourself!
• He Restores My Soul is of interest to those who trusted Christ as Saviour years ago, but the flame of faith is now burning but dimly.

Douglas is a management consultant who lived for a number of years in Doncaster, but now lives with his family near the village of Four Marks.

Josh is married with a young family, and works as an electrician. Find out what God means to him, in this simple yet sincere address.