What is the key to living a godly life? Presuming that we have already been reconciled to God, through faith in Jesus alone (Eph. 2:8-9), and that we can please God properly through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Eph. 3:20-21), how can we avoid sinning and instead please God by how we live? Knowing what we ought to do doesn’t help. Even people who don’t trust in God know by and large when they are transgressing the law of God in their consciences (Romans 2:15 NLT). The problem is not one of knowledge, but one of ability. We cannot please God when walking in the sinful nature (Romans 8:7-8). But we can when we walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:3-4). But how can we walk in the Spirit instead of walking in the old sinful nature? The answer is that we must set our minds on the things of the Spirit, and be preoccupied with the things of God. Paul sets out in Romans 12:2 that we need to be transformed by how we think. Then we will walk in the Spirit, and please God. This is not to be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly use. It is to be useful on earth because we are heavenly minded, not ineffective or useless because we are incapacitated by worldly ways of thinking and living. Praise God that he not only saved those who have placed their faith in Jesus from the condemnation of sin, but also from the power and control of sin, so that they can be truly Jesus’ followers, walking in his ways instead of the way of sin.

The story is often told about a young boy who is in an Anglican Church with his father during a rather boring Sunday morning service. As he looks at the plaques on the walls, he asks his father why there are so many people’s names written on them. The father replies, “those are the names of the people who have died in the services”. It’s a funny story (although we ourselves wouldn’t commemorate those who have died in the services). But it illustrates how some church services are endured more than enjoyed. How can we make our praise and worship more full of life (not necessarily more lively), and more enjoyable? How can we make nor only our Sunday services more enriching in our praise and worship, but make the whole of our lives more God-honouring as we worship him in all that we do? Firstly, we should worship God alone. This means not worshipping celebrities, idolising the TV on its pedestal in the corner of the front room, or anyone or anything else that takes priority in our lives before God (Matthew 4:10). Secondly, we should worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24). With worship from the heart, we can enjoy God no matter where we are, or what situation we happen to be in (Philippians 4:11-13). Praise God!

Actor David Suchet wants to read the Bible. But not just read it, to read it aloud. And not only to read it aloud, but to record reading it. Here is an extract from a clip on YouTube, made while he was recording reading part of the Bible. “I had a conversion experience that begun in 1986. When I was converted I was an actor. And I thought, well, one thing I can do, or, I think I can do, is to read. And I’ve for many, many years felt that I wanted to put my voice to the Bible. Not only bits of the Bible, but the whole thing… It will for me, fulfil, what is for me a 27 year ambition. What is surprising when reading the Bible out loud, is over and over again I hear in my head as I’m reading it, a quote from the Bible; “Hear the Word of the Lord”. It doesn’t say “Read the Word of the Lord”, it says “Hear the Word of the Lord”. It’s my prayer that everybody hearing my reading will find the same things, it will be fresh. And they will think, as I think when I’m reading it; gosh, this is fantastic.” “Hear the Word of the Lord” is a phrase that recurs in the Bible. But it is not simply a call to ‘hear’, but to ‘respond’ to what is heard. It is not a call to simply listen, but to act on what we hear. Parents in the past might have been heard saying to a child who was not listening to what they were told; “Have you got poundies (potatoes) in your ears?” Teachers and parents have often said to distracted pupils and children; “Did you hear me?” The obvious inference is that if they heard them, they would have changed what they were doing, they would have obeyed the voice of their teacher or parent. When they ask that question, they’re really asking “Why haven’t you obeyed me when I told you what to do?” In the Bible, to ‘hear’ God is to ‘obey’ God. The Hebrew word ‘shema’ means to listen, understand, and to act (obey). It is often translated ‘obey’ instead of ‘hear’ (e.g. Deut. 30:17-18). In Psalm 40:6, the writer uses the metaphor of God giving him an open ear to show that he has been more obedient to what God wants him to do – delighting in doing what God commands, rather than going through the motions of religious ceremony: “In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”” (Psalm 40:6–8, ESV) In the Lord’s prayer, obedience is one of the first things mentioned, doing God’s will here on earth, as it is (perfectly) done in heaven by the angels (Matthew 6:9-13). We are not to be the masters of our own lives, doing it ‘my way’, as Frank Sinatra used to sing. Instead, we are to be obedient to God, doing things ‘his way’. Jesus said: “If you love me, obey my commandments.” (John 14:15 NLT) The Apostle John wrote later: “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.” (1 John 2:3–5, NLT) Paul describes the purpose of the gospel as to bring about “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5, 16:26). Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ wrote: Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 7:21-23 that only we will be judged by our actions on the judgment day. Only those who put his words into practice will have confidence to stand on that day: ““Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”” (Matthew 7:24–27, ESV) We ought to not only listen, but understand and obey the Word of God. Jesus said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15, ESV)

Imagine someone who is in great need for money, and they worry, they try to juggle their debts, they walk past the cash machine without taking out any cash. But they have lots in the bank… they just don’t withdraw it. They have lots of money in the bank, but they do everything else, or nothing, instead of going to the cash machine and making a withdrawal. Now imagine that Christians have a great God who can bless them by answering so many prayers. But instead of receiving numerous blessings, they go without. And all because they don’t ask – all because they don’t pray! Or sometimes it is because we pray for the wrong things: “You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. ” (James 4:2–3, NLT). We do not have because, instead of relying on God’s power, do we use worldly methods to get what we want? The principle in James 4:2-3 is not only that people can resort to worldly fighting to get their way, but also to worldly methods that are more subtle, including using worldly marketing and attraction techniques to bring people into church, such as to entertain them, instead of bringing them to God in dependence and praise. In the book titled “Teach us to pray: Prayer in the Bible and the World”, edited by Don Carson, F. Heiler notes: … prayer is the centre of religion, the soul of piety … Without prayer faith remains a theoretical conviction; worship is only an external and formal act, moral action is without spiritual depth; man remains at a distance from God. Jesus’ followers have many reasons to pray, many encouragements to pray, many examples of answered prayer, and no excuses not to pray. Let us pray…

When you are discussing a topic with someone, especially a controversial topic, what do differences of opinion really boil down to in the end? It is not really the actual topic, but the source of reliable authority behind the topic where we get our ‘beliefs’, ‘facts’ or ‘truths’ from. For example, if you are discussing what happens to people when they die, are they annihilated and cease to exist, or are they reincarnated, or do they go to heaven or Hell, etc.? What it boils down to is really where we get our authoritative teaching on the matter. Very often people will say “My religion teaches” this or that…. In other words, their church or religion is the authority on the matter. Or people will say “science proves…” or “science disproves…”. Someone may say at the end of a long conversation on a topic, “well, I just believe…” In other words, after hearing all the evidence, they are the final authority and they have judged that this or that is the case. Or again, we hear people say “Everyone knows that…”, where public opinion is held up as the ultimate authority on the topic. What do we say? Should we say “I believe…” as a purely personal opinion? Should we say “My church teaches…” this or that, with our church as the authority? Or should we say “God says in the Bible…” and therefore we believe. When discussing difficult or controversial matters, we should never give the impression that it is merely a difference of opinion between us and someone else. Our individual opinion doesn’t matter that much, in the big scheme of things. Instead, it is helpful to try to get people to see that their opinion is what it is because they haven’t accepted the truth of God’s Word, but have accepted some other belief or teaching instead; another church, another religion, another philosophy, their own thoughts or public opinion on the matter. If we really want to get someone to accept the truth on a topic, we need to tell them where we are getting our truth from – the Bible. This raises the question of how reliable the Bible is. As a fellowship, we believe in the inerrancy and authority of the Bible. But that doesn’t mean that we always take it literally! The Bible is not meant to be taken literally, all the time. When Jesus said that he is the gate for the sheep, he didn’t mean us to think that he is made of wood. Similarly when he said that he is the bread of life, we don’t believe that he is bread either. There are different genres of literature in the Bible, such as; historical narrative which should be taken literally virtually all of the time (except on rare occasions, such as when numbers are used symbolically instead of mathematically, e.g. to count years of a king’s reign); parables are to be taken as fiction that teaches truths which are to believed; poetry has poetic license to use words in an artistic way, e.g. “you are the apple of my eye”; and allegory such as where visions represent concepts or truths that are difficult to communicate otherwise (e.g. much of the content in the book of Revelation). Yet, we believe that the Bible is authoritative, reliable, and inerrant as it was originally given (subsequent translations can err, however, although differences are relatively minor and don’t impact the core doctrines of Scripture). But we don’t take it literally, all the time. This is one characteristic of Evangelicalism, while Fundamentalism tends to take the Bible literally, even in places where it should not (e.g. in common with Jehovah’s Witnesses, some Christians wrongly believe that there will only be only 144,000 people in heaven with Lord). The Bible is not simply authoritative in matters of faith, but also in everything that it contains. On matters of history, the Bible is reliable too. In matters of science, the Bible is reliable. The earth is described in Job 26:7 as being suspended over empty space, implying a spherical figure. Isaiah 40:21-22 and Proverbs 8:27 refer to the “circle” of the earth, which indicates, or can be used to prove, the spherical nature of the earth. The Bible was accurate about the physical globe of the world long before the flat-earth idea was rejected. Sometimes we don’t read the Bible correctly on matters of science – but the problem is one of interpretation, not accuracy. Why is the Bible’s inerrancy and reliability important? Because when we are desperate and struggling in life, we want something or someone to rely on, that will be absolutely dependable. We don’t want pious platitudes, or hollow words, such as “it’ll be alright in the end, believe me!” We have no reason to believe such unfounded promises, even if well meant from our closest friends or family. We need to depend on promises that are reliable, which will stand the test of time. The Bible, therefore, if it is not reliable, cannot hold out much hope for us. Thankfully, the Bible is reliable. More than that, the God of the Bible is reliable. He has proved his love and grace in the past by keeping his promises/prophecies in history, especially with the birth/death/resurrection of Jesus Christ to save sinners. He has fulfilled his promises in the lives of believers who trust in him alone. He has given us promises for the future that can be relied on, based on his impeccable track record. God’s Word is what we can depend on when we are in times of trouble, doubt, or need: Direction: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NLT) Encouragement: “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4–7, NLT) Presence: “But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:1–2, NLT) Dependence: “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.” (Psalm 46:1–3, NLT) Persistence: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18, NLT) Fear: “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, NLT) Material needs: ““So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:31–34, NLT) Forgiveness: “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.” (Psalm 51:1–2, NLT) Assurance: “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1, NLT) “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10, NLT) Praise God for blessing us with the Bible, God’s word. For more info, see our statement of faith which has this line regarding the Bible: We believe in the Holy Scriptures as originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy; and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. This topic is too large to cover in a short summary or introduction to a sermon. And when considering arguments from opponents of the Bible, we must bear in mind that they are not neutral but are biased against God (Matthew 12:30), and that many of their points are superficial (such as perceived contradictions which are more often than not simply slightly different reports of the same event, not contradictions at all). While other arguments may at times be more difficult to address, they are nevertheless not conclusive against God’s Word. There are many websites containing much helpful information on this topic, such as this one by former agnostic Josh McDowell.

Many people have benefited greatly from being more disciplined in the areas of praying, reading the Bible, fasting, and so on. In this new series, we’re going to look at these topics, but from a slightly different angle. Instead of seeing them as ‘disciplines’ to master, we’re considering them from the perspective of ‘keys to spiritual health’. This is partly because this latter title reflects the purpose of the disciplines, but also because some of the things we will look at are not so much disciplines, but attitudes or approaches to God and spirituality. For example, submission to God is not so much something that we do, but an attitude that we should approach everything in life under his Lordship. The spiritual disciplines, or ‘keys to spiritual health’, are not things we do in order to try to get close to God. We can only be reconciled to God by accepting and trusting in what Jesus has already done for us (Ephesians 2:8-9). We do not approach spiritual disciplines as ways to get right with God. Instead, they are ways that we can enjoy his presence more, ways that we can obey and please him more. In this way, they differ greatly from the spiritual activities of other religions or beliefs where the basis of our relationship with God is based to some extent on our actions. As well as introduce this series, the first topic is introduced briefly too, and continued next week. The first topic is ’1 – Read God’s Word, the Bible’.

The focus we saw from Matthew was that Jesus’ birth showed that God kept his promises to send a Messiah, a Christ, to save the world. In Mark, we saw that Jesus’ birth marked the beginning of the kingdom of God coming. God’s kingdom grows as more and more people turn to him as Lord and Saviour, until the end comes, when Jesus will return in glory. In Luke, we saw how the good news of Jesus’ birth was a reason for listening to God, seeking and finding Jesus, praising God and sharing the good news with others, just like the shepherds did. Yet, John takes a different approach in his gospel, as he points us to Jesus as the light of the world, Jesus as the eternal Word, Jesus as the eternal Word. John describes Jesus, in his own words: “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” ” (John 8:12, NLT) John also focuses on God’s great love for humanity, even sinful humanity: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ” (John 3:16, NLT) In a world where there is little hope, Jesus brings light. Where there is little to live for, Jesus gives purpose and an eternal future worth persevering for. Where hurt and anger sometimes seem to be found at every turn, Jesus brings God’s love into our lives. Where there seems to be only death and decay, Jesus brings resurrection life, not only as a promise for the future, but as a reality for all who find new life in him here and now. Have you known the light of the world come like a floodlight into your life? Have you known the love of God overwhelm you with a reassuring peace because you have trusted in Jesus for forgiveness for your sins? If not, do so now. “Dear Father in heaven, you know all about me and my situation. I am truly sorry for my sins, where even my best efforts do not reach your standard of holiness. I accept that I deserve your judgment, and that on my own there is nothing that I can do to improve myself enough or make up for my sins. Please forgive me. I know that I can be forgiven because Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross in my place, for my sins. I know that you will forgive me because of your great love for me, in Christ. Please heal me from the brokenness of the past. From this moment on, please help me to trust in the risen Jesus, not only as Saviour, but also as Lord of my life. Thank you for the Holy Spirit in my heart to give me the strength and guidance I need to do your will, and to teach me from your Word, the Bible. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for your great love and forgiveness, my new relationship with you, my new life in Christ, and for the certainty of eternal life with you for ever. Amen.”

When you see me, what do you see? You see a person who looks pretty much the same as who I was thirty years ago, plus some aging. You recognise the face, the hair, the eyes, the voice, and so on. But God doesn’t look at believers in that way – he no longer sees the old person they used to be. Instead, he sees the new person who is made new in the image of Jesus Christ. We tend to see the old person, because we see the same old face, and associate that as being the same old person. But that isn’t the way we ought to think of ourselves, or other believers. Underneath, we are new people. Despite the same appearance as in the past, we are new people in Christ. If someone is a Christian, if they have placed their faith in Jesus, if they have found peace with God through Jesus’ death on the cross for their sins, and know the new life that comes through the Holy Spirit, they are like an old Cortina that has had a new engine, a new interior, new brakes, new suspension, and so on, but with the outer bodywork, the shell, the bit you see, still having to be renewed. The Christian is renewed inside, in their spirit. And we wait as we look forward to having our outer shell, our body, what you can see, renewed as we receive our new bodies when the Lord comes again (1 Corinthians 15:50–57). “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! ” (2 Corinthians 5:16–17, NLT) Therefore, in the meantime, we ought not to think of believers in Jesus as we once did. We ought not to look at the outer appearance and think that that is a reflection of who they really are. We ought also not to see their old life of sin as we once did, because their sins have been forgiven – if God does not remember their sins any longer, we should not either (Hebrews 8:12). Appearances can be deceptive, and moreso when it comes to seeing Christians than in anything else in life. The reality is so much different than what we see. One day, when you receive your new body, you will be seen in all your glory. But in the meantime, what can be seen is not a true reflection of who you are in Christ. “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ” (Colossians 3:3–4, ESV) When Christ appears, when he comes back, at the second coming, when you receive your new body, your full glory will be revealed. In the meantime, therefore, don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t look at the old same appearance. Anyone who truly trusts in Jesus for salvation ought to therefore live more in the reality of their new life, not their old life: “And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. ” (Romans 8:10, NLT) As we look forward into a new year, let’s not just look to the 12 months ahead, but to the glory of the fullness of our life ahead in Christ for eternity. With that in mind, the next 12 months are not simply another year of the same as before, but a year closer to our eternal future, a year in which we can live our new life more and more each day.

Many people are aware of the need for God in their lives. Many people are in a real sense looking for God. They may not recognise the God of the Bible as the God who they need, because they have very little understanding of the God of the Bible. Some people think that God in the OT is a harsh God, while Jesus in the NT is a loving Saviour who would not judge anyone. But the facts are that there is abundant grace and mercy found in the OT, and while Jesus came the first time to save people by dying on the cross, he will come again to judge everyone, and only those who have trusted in him will live with him for eternity. But many people are still looking for a Saviour. Some might not think of their search as a religious search, but more of a search for fulfilment in life, a search for peace of mind, a search for contentment, a search for safety and knowing that they can cope with the future, a search for the love that they know they need, but have never been able to find through family or relationships, a search for knowing the truth. Many people will tell you that they know that God exists. They want to get closer to God in one sense, but in another sense they don’t want their sin to be highlighted. So, they look for a God who will accept them, provide for them, reassure them, but who is not a God of holiness – otherwise he would not accept them as they are, they look for a God of compromise – otherwise they would not be allowed in his presence, they look for a God who will serve them – not a God who they have to serve, they look for a God who is so different to the God of the Bible. Nevertheless, they are looking for the fulfilment and peace that only a restored relationship with God can bring. We should seek for Jesus, find him, and praise God for him, in the same way as the Shepherds did in the Gospels, as in Luke 2:1-20. The shepherds listened to God’s message from the angels. Today, we today should listen to God’s Word as we receive it in the Bible, or from those who are faithfully preaching or teaching what the Bible says. The Shepherds were told to look for Jesus, and after searching (presumably in a good number of the buildings in Bethlehem), they were overjoyed to have found him. Today, we should seek God with all our hearts, and not stop until we joyfully find him. The shepherds told others about Jesus. We too should tell the good news to others, whenever and wherever we have suitable opportunities to do so. The shepherds praised God for the promised Saviour having been born. We too should praise God that there is a Saviour who has come to redeem humanity. If we have listened, searched, and found Jesus, we should praise God and spread the good news, from a joyful heart, just like the shepherds.

Where is the birth of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel? As Christmas approaches, we’re considering how Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell the story of the coming of Jesus in each of their Gospels. But as we look at Mark’s Gospel, we don’t see anything about Jesus’ birth. Mark jumps straight in at the start of Jesus’ public ministry, when he was aged about 30. Yet, Mark has much to say about why Jesus came to earth. He understands Jesus’ birth, his coming, his significance and his ministry, under the topic of the “kingdom of God”. For Mark, it is not the circumstances of Jesus birth that matter, but the reason that his birth occurred that matters. Jesus’ birth occurred because Jesus is the king of kings, the Lord of lords. He is the one who was prophesied long ago, the Messiah, the one who would build God’s kingdom, an everlasting kingdom, one that in time would destroy all earthly kingdoms, and last forever. Just as Daniel prophesied the coming of the kingdom that would outlast all previous human kingdoms (Daniel 2:31–45), Jesus is the ‘Rock’ that would crush human kingdoms and grow to rule over all. The kingdom of God is where God’s will is done. We pray in the Lord’s prayer that God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13). We can make this happen as we submit to the King of kings, making Jesus our Lord and Saviour, as we first come to him for forgiveness, by faith alone, and then serve him obediently, also by faith. Jesus came to establish God’s kingdom, and to call numerous people to live under his rule. He died on the cross so that we could serve God as his forgiven and accepted subjects. When Jesus was on earth, his message was simple: “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).