Consideration is given to the narrative surrounding the supernatural birth of Christ, fulfilling as it does Old Testament prophecy. How could a virgin be 'with child', and this child be fully man, but at the same time be fully God- What might seem impossible to us is not impossible for God.--Main Headings---1- Real events-2- A virgin with child-3- Saving sinners is not impossible with God

Luke, referred to as 'the beloved physician', likely did not himself see the things that Jesus did, or personally hear what he said, nevertheless was very typically meticulous in writing down the knowledge which he had obtained from those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus life and ministry. Writing therefore at the beginning of his Gospel - 'of those things most surely believed amongst us' - he was able to confirm their accuracy and reliability, by stating to Theophilus the purpose of this remarkable work - 'That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.' So we too may believe the Bible, as being truthful and without error, therefore being 'A Gospel of Substance Not Myth.'

People were shocked at the attempt, on November 14th, to detonate a bomb in Liverpool. Then, on Tuesday November 16th, several newspapers carried the virtually identical headline saying that the suicide bomber was a Christian convert. We might ask how it could be thought possible that someone planning this murderous attack could be thought to be a Christian.

Why was the Lord Jesus able to endure His suffering- He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. The joy set before us is what will keep us going. What did the joy set before Jesus consist of---1- The joy of knowing that He had fulfilled His Father's will, by dying for the sins of His people on the cross -2- The joy of victory over Satan and sin-3- The joy of Resurrection-4- The joy of returning to heaven-5- The joy of seeing sinners repenting-6- The joy of His Church

Have we confidence in God- We may believe that God is attentive, but are we confident that God hears and answers prayer- Do we pray 'Thy will' be done-

How important it is to be faithful in prayer. There are many needs which we ought to bring before God- church- national- personal, and such as are common to our daily Christian life. Are we committed enough to be sufficiently urgent in 'praying always'-

Sinful man is an idolater by nature, but here, the second Commandment teaches us that God is too immense and glorious to be meaningfully or properly represented by an object, however skilfully or beautifully made. God is Spirit, it is wrong to picture Him, or to seek to make representations of Him. However, the Bible teaches us that God is immense, but knowable. Let us look to Him and truly believe upon Him, that He alone may be the focus of our worship.--Main Headings---1- Sinful man - an idolater by nature-2- An invisible but knowable God-3- We are not to make idols of ourselves

The Lord is not teaching us here about literal eyesight or our powers of observation. He is inviting us to think about the world that we are seeing, or think we are seeing. What is the set of values that are instructing what our eye is taking in- In this regard it is much the same as thinking about what values and attitudes are working our tongues.--We have to ask ourselves 'Who is in charge of our eyes- Which ideas are governing what we notice and what we do not notice- And how much are those ideas our own construction of points of view that other people hold and have imposed on us-'--Are we importing light or darkness, or do we see by the eye of faith---Main Headings---1- What are our eyes taking in--2- Importing darkness-3- The eye of faith

This Psalm shows reveals to us the greatness of God and helps us to understand how we are to behold Him. It teaches us why we are called to give glory to God and why we are to praise Him. If angels who are mighty in power and un-fallen, give glory, honour and praise to God then so should we. Well might we join them in singing 'Worthy is the Lamb.'--The frequent references to the 'voice of the LORD' in this Psalm help us to see why some have called this The Thunderstorm Psalm.--Main Headings---1- A call to worship-2- Reasons to praise God-3- A surprising conclusion

We may believe that we know the meaning of a curse, and being cursed, also having a view about those who would do such a thing, but here we learn that the Lord Jesus Christ acutally became a curse for us. Paul's spirit had been agitated because of his concern for the churches in Galatia. Learn about his letter to them, and how its theme may also apply to us today.