FRESH Official Podcast

So did you choose God, or did He choose you? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s a perplexing question, but not an imponderable one. So, if you’re ready, let’s dig into it together. This question of who chose whom is a hotly debated one, and not just amongst Christians. From an atheist’s perspective, the notion that God chooses the people who will end up believing in Jesus and who’ll therefore end up in heaven, rather than hell, is an abhorrent one. And conversely, the idea that we get to choose God without Him choosing us seems to cut across His absolute sovereignty. So what’s Jesus’ take on this? John 6:44 The Father is the one who sent me, and he is the one who brings people to me. I will raise them up on the last day. Anyone the Father does not bring to me cannot come to me. Clearly, it’s God who (a) sent Jesus to save us and (b) draws us Christ-ward so that on the last day, anyone who’s believed in Jesus will be raised up. That’s their destiny in Christ. So, what of the rest? Well, there was a time in my life when God the Father called me – but I rejected Him. And many do the exact same thing. I can’t be absolutely certain but I have a hunch that, at one point or another, God calls pretty much everyone to Himself through Jesus. Some accept the call, others reject it. God always knew how we’d respond, but that doesn’t stop Him from issuing the invitation. So, if you’ve never been invited – today you are. Will you follow Jesus? Choose your destiny. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Have you ever felt that God is against you, that He’s not on your side anymore, that He just keeps on putting obstacle after obstacle in front of you,  adversity heaped on adversity? Well … you’re not alone. The perplexing questions that we all face in life are these: when something bad happens to me – me of all people, seriously! – is it God’s doing? And if so, how can it possibly gel with the fact that allegedly, He loves me more than words could say? The truth is that nothing happens on this earth without God allowing it to happen. That doesn’t always mean He caused it. The war in Ukraine wasn’t God’s fault, you understand. Nevertheless, everything is foreknown by God and everything fits into His plans. But sometimes God does indeed bring trials and disaster upon His people: Joel 2:25 I, the Lord, sent my army against you. The swarming locusts and the hopping locusts and the destroying locusts and the cutting locusts ate everything you had. But I will pay you back for those years of trouble. God’s people had rebelled against Him. So as a consequence, He sent adversity their way. Who sent the army against them? The Lord did. He takes full responsibility here. Yet, notice with me if you will, the final sentence in that verse: But I will pay you back for those years of trouble. Sometimes adversity does indeed come from the hand of God, especially when we’ve rebelled against Him. But His purpose – listen carefully to this – His purpose is always, always redemptive. His purpose in disciplining us is always to bring us back to Him. I will pay you back for those years of trouble. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Despite all the incredible advances in science down through the centuries – putting a man on the moon, inventing supercomputers that fit in the palm of your hand – the reality of life on this earth is actually pretty simple and basic. I saw a photo of a crazy sign online recently, made by the Farm Equipment Association of Minnesota and South Dakota. This is what it said: Despite all our accomplishments, we owe our existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains. Add to that sunshine and oxygen, and that’s pretty much it. That’s what it takes to sustain life on planet Earth. So why do we complicate things? It seems sometimes that amidst the wonders of the hi-tech age in which we live, we’ve lost sight of the simple, powerful blessings of God. So today, let’s get back to basics: Leviticus 26:3-5 Remember my laws and commands, and obey them. If you do these things, I will give you rains at the time they should come. The land will grow crops and the trees of the field will grow their fruit. Your threshing will continue until it is time to gather grapes. And your grape gathering will continue until it is time to plant. Then you will have plenty to eat. And you will live safely in your land. And the most basic of all basics in our existence on this earth, in our relationship with the almighty, all-loving God who created it all? Here it is … and complicated it ain’t. Here’s the source of untold blessings and riches, more than the trinkets of this earth could ever offer you: Remember my laws and commands, and obey them. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Having done the whole “kids” thing in my younger years, I wasn’t sure how I’d handle becoming a grandfather. Really, it bothered me. But the moment I laid eyes on her, almost three years ago now, my heart was overwhelmed with love for little Olivia. And that got me to thinking. If a sinner like me could, against the odds, experience such great love for this small child, to the point where I’d gladly lose my own life to save hers if needs be, how much more does God love us – you and me – when He lays His eyes on us.   Romans 8:15,16 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.” And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children. If we are God’s children, we will get the blessings God has for his people. He will give us all that he has given Christ Olivia was a sweet, innocent child when she became part of my family. But when God adopts us into His family, we’re anything but, right? Canadian theologian J.I. Packer put it like this: Adoption is the highest privilege of the Gospel. The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper and given the family name. If you believe in Jesus, then that’s what’s happened to you. If you’ve thrown your lot in with Christ, then you are one of God’s children and you’ll receive all the blessings that He has for His people. Just let that sink in. Because that’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

The world that God’s created for us to enjoy is so rich and abundant: Millions of plants and animals. Billions of colours. The incredible diversity of flavours in food. So many different experiences to enjoy. Yep, the world is outrageously rich and abundant. And these days, if you have the means, you can travel pretty much to any place on the planet within 48 hours. Or, with a device that’s only a few inches by a few inches, you can bring it all into the palm of your hand. But the greatest enjoyment comes from knowing God Himself. That’s why He sent Jesus to this earth to die and rise again for the likes of thee and me – so we could be forgiven and, in Jesus’ own words, live a super-abundant life. And yet, meantime, the things of this world beckon. So just in case you’re being tempted, drawn away from God Himself to be lost amidst His creation (and who isn’t?) here’s a salutary reminder: Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” Think about it. God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any of the trees in the garden, except one. There it is, that rich abundance. So what did Satan do? He drew them away to focus on that one thing they didn’t have. And look how that turned out. So be thankful for what you do have, instead of being distracted by what you don't … because that distraction will end up causing you a world of pain. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Here’s a crazy statistic: there are over twenty thousand Christian denominations in the world today. Twenty thousand! That’s nuts. So, with all those different perspectives, how are you and I supposed to discover the truth? If you’d asked me, I’d have said that there were maybe one or two hundred denominations out there, three hundred at the outside, but nowhere near twenty thousand. Okay, there are different cultures, different contexts, different perspectives. Diversity’s a good thing, right? Until it’s not. Because whilst many (hopefully, most) of those denominations and the churches they represent teach the truth of the good news of Jesus, many don’t. But there’s nothing new in that. John the Apostle back in the first century AD put it like this: 1 John 4:1 My dear friends, many false prophets are in the world now. So don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. And so, many are being deceived – by the false prosperity gospel, by self-appointed prophets, apostles and evangelists who are out to drain their pockets. So many are being deceived! So, what’s the answer? How do you and I make sure that we’re not suckered in like that? Well, the only way not to be swept away by false teaching is to know the Scriptures for yourself! Open your Bible every day, and let the Holy Spirit lift His words off the page and write them on your heart. That’s the best test of all – the infallible and inerrant Word of God, taught to you direct by the Holy Spirit. That’s your test. That’s the truth because remember my dear friend, there are many false prophets out there in the world. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

That feeling of complete inadequacy before God is one that many, many people have experienced, me included. How about you? You know you’re not worthy. You know you’ll never be good enough. Jesus knew that, so He told several parables to set our minds, our hearts, at rest. Here’s one of them: Luke 15:8-10 “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins, but she loses one of them. She will take a light and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it. And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbours and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’ In the same way, it’s a happy time for the angels of God when one sinner decides to change.” Jesus always – always! – goes after the one. The one lost sheep. The one lost coin. The one lost child. The lost you. The lost me. The one! And not necessarily the “best” one. I stumbled across these words recently that hammered that powerful truth home to me: God found Gideon in a hole. He found Joseph in a prison. He found Daniel in a lion's den. He has a curious habit of showing up in the midst of trouble, not the absence of it. Where the world sees failure, God sees future. Next time you feel unqualified to be used by God remember this, He tends to recruit from the pit, not the pedestal. It doesn’t matter where you’re at, how badly you may have failed, how insignificant you may feel … when God finds you and draws you close to Himself – listen to me – there is always joy in His heart That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

So do you mind if I ask you, is the life you’re leading a life that’s truly worth living? Are you filled with a sense of joy that you just can’t put into words? Or is it something … less than that? Now, perhaps you think that’s unfair because life has its challenges, and maybe you’re facing some today. But can I tell you, even in the darkest days of my life, amidst great betrayal and pain, with tears streaming down my face, there was a joy in my heart – the joy of the Lord. I look back on those times, and though I wouldn’t wish them upon my worst enemy, I wouldn’t trade them for all the tea in China. I’d just given my life to Jesus back then, deciding to turn away from the sin in my life – a work still very much in progress – and live my life for Him. Romans 6:12-14 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (ESV) The thing that had happened to me was that I’d been brought from death to life. I’d started using my gifts and abilities for Him … albeit about as well as a toddler just taking his first steps. Nevertheless, it’s called ‘being alive to God’, and there ain’t nothing quite like it! May the grace of God fill your heart with a joy unspeakable. That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Why is it that God, in His Word, appears sometimes to say the same thing over and over again? It’s tempting, isn’t it, to skip over bits of it as we think to ourselves … yeah, sure, I’ve read that before? Over the course of this week we’ve been stepping verse by verse through chapter 6 of the book of Romans, written by Paul the Apostle. And right from the get-go, he seems to say the same thing over and over again: if you believe in Jesus you’re dead to sin and alive to God. What caused the Holy Spirit to inspire Paul to keep saying that … over and over again? Well, sometimes I think that you and I can be a bit spiritually thick! Sorry to put it that bluntly, but it’s true. Romans 6:10,11 For the death he [Jesus] died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (ESV) Tempting though it may be to skip over this passage, let me ask you … in your life, are you truly dead to sin? Are you truly alive to God? Do you see? Sin lingers on, by and large because we haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit, with the same resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead, to fill our hearts with this life-changing truth: that through your faith in Jesus – you are dead to sin. So when temptation comes knocking at your door, you can refuse to take delivery – because, by the power of the blood of Christ shed for you, you are dead to sin. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like today if Jesus hadn’t met you along your road, if you hadn’t heard His voice calling you to His freedom, His peace and His eternity? And that’s something I’ve thought a lot about – because the moment in which Jesus reached out to me was the moment, on an 8th floor hotel balcony, that I was contemplating ending it all. If Jesus, in that moment, hadn’t touched my heart … there’s every likelihood that I wouldn’t be here with you now. And there’s every likelihood that I would be spending my eternity in that place we call hell, separated for ever and ever from His love. Because my life was mired in sin and it’s not until we accept God’s forgiveness, available through Christ and Christ alone, through His atoning sacrifice on that Cross, that we have victory of sin and it’s ultimate conclusion, eternal death. Romans 6:7-9 For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. (ESV) Death could not hold Him down. And if you believe in Jesus – listen to me, this is so, so important – you too will live your eternity out in the presence of God. That’s your future … if you’ve put your trust in Jesus. Friend, I implore you (wherever you’re at in your life today) to cast your life upon the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ – because in Him, death no longer has dominion over you. That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.