Lost Pages

Christ is the way : men without Him are Cains, wanderers, vagabonds. He is the truth : men without Him are liars, like the devil of old. He is the life : men without Him are dead in trespasses and sins. He is the light : men without Him are in darkness, and they do not know where they go. He is the vine : men that are not in Him are withered branches prepared for the fire. He is the rock : men not built on Him are carried away with a flood. He is the Alpha and Omega , the first and the last, the author and the ender, the founder and finisher of our salvation. He that does not have Him has no beginning of good and will have no end to their  misery. Oh, blessed Jesus, how much better were it not to be than to be without You! Never to be born than not to die in You! A thousand hells come short of this, eternally to want Jesus Christ’ JOHN OWEN As quoted by J C Ryle in ‘Warnings to the Churches’. John Owen spoke these words in sermon to the House of Commons. We cannot exalt the Lord J...

It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life; that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come out victoriously in the end. LOUIS BERKHOF ( Source : Systematic Theology) A very helpful and comforting reminder that we have the great High Priest who is forever interceding for us. May we have the confidence  in the Lord’s praying for us that the wonderful Robert Murray M’Cheyne had, “ If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me”. He is indeed! 

Man's maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother's breast;  that the Bread might hunger,  the Fountain thirst,  the Light sleep,  the Way be tired on its journey;  that the Truth might be accused of false witnesses,  that the Teacher be beaten with whips,  the Foundation be suspended on wood;  that Strength might grow weak;  that the Healer might be wounded;  that Life might die. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO ( Source : Sermons 184-229)

Remember, therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you—it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you —it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. C H SPURGEON ( Source : Morning and Evening)  

I have been preaching through the gospel account of Mark. As part of my reading, I thought I would read a book that is just focused on the experience of our Lord in Gethsemane. To my surprise I could only find one book on the subject, J H Pickord's Gethsemane.  I believe the book is no longer in print. The copy I have was published in 1937.  It is a series of meditations that look at Jesus' experience in Gethsemane through the lens of suffering, service and love. In general it a very helpful book, well worth hvaing  in the library. However, it was not immediately useful for my purposes which was focused on meditating on in an expository. I found the author wander off too often. Memorable Quote: There can be found nothing like a holy contemplation of the sufferings of Christ, to arm us against the tide of our sufferings - to sit not only in the enclosed grounds of Gethsemane, nor in the shadow of the Cross, but to ponder the whole life of Christ in all its peculiar shades ...

How, and in what way is Christ beloved of God? First as Christ is God, the Son of God, the engraven image of his Father, so he is primum amabile, the first lovely thing that ever was. When the Father loves Him, he loves Himself in Him, so he loves Him as God, as the second person [of the Trinity], as his own image and character. Secondly , God loves Christ as a human being. Christ is the most excellent creature in the world. He was conceived, fashioned and framed in His mother’s womb by the Holy Spirit. It is said in Hebrews 10:5 that God gave him a body. God the Father by the Holy Spirit fashioned and framed and fitted him with a body. Therefore God loves Christ as His own workmanship.  Finally , God loves and delights in Christ as our mediator, one who is both God and man. God decreed and sealed Christ to that office, therefore he loves and delights in him as the mediator of his own appointing and ordaining, to be our king, and priest and prophet. And He loves and delights in h...

I am currently reading Alexander Whyte's Lord Teach us to Pray .  In a section on "The Psalmist and His Lord", he encourages to keep our focus on Jesus in every season of our lives: Now, if David could set Jehovah always before him in his prayers and in his psalms, Jehovah, Whom no man could see and live, how much more should we set Jesus Christ before us? Jesus Christ, Who, being the Son of God, became the Son of Man for this very purpose. And, so we shall! For, what state of life is there? what need? what distress? what perplexity? what sorrow? what sin? what dominion and what disease of sin? what possible condition can we ever be in on earth, in which we cannot set Jesus Christ before us in prayer and in faith, and for help, and for assurance, and for victory? Who are you? and what are you? and what is your request and your petition? Open your New Testament, take it with you to your knees, and set Jesus Christ out of it before you. 

The film The Grey tells the story of a group of oil drillers. One day they are on the way to Alaska when the their plane crashes in the middle of nowhere. Eight people survive only to discover that they have just walked into in a territory full of wolves who hunt down human beings for food. The wolves begin to pick them out one by one until towards the end of the movie, the only person left is our main hero played by Liam Neeson.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him   (Colossians 1:16) I have always had a strange relationship with these few words in the Bible. They generate a weird combination of comfort and concern. The comforting comes from the reminder that Jesus is a Big God! In a world where we appear at the mercy of aircraft pilots, morally bankrupt politicians and Jihadism, it is important to remember that Jesus is actually the one who is truly in charge of all things.

[He is] the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created… ( Colossians 1:15 b-16a) Jesus is the firstborn in the family of creation. That is to say has the first rank of all creation. Paul will later tell us  that Jesus is also the first rank in the new creation: he is "the beginning, the firstborn from the dead".  Jesus is not the first to rise from the dead but  he ranks first among God's new creation, just as he ranks first in the old creation. The idea of Jesus  being even ranked among creation is perplexing. Is Jesus not above creation? The answer of course is yes and no. Jesus in his divine nature  is certainly above creation. Jesus is uncreated because Paul has already told us Jesus is God made visible : "he is the image of the invisible God". Jesus is the Eternal Son of God.

I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you   - THE LORD JESUS CHRIST  Is there a harder commandment in the Bible than this one? There is no escaping its force. Followers of Jesus are to love the people who not only oppose us intellectually but also people who willfully work and take pleasure in doing much harm to our bodies emotionally, physically and spiritually. Apostle Paul, a man who spent the early part of his life murdering followers of Jesus, later found forgiveness in Jesus. Jesus transformed him and in his letter to the church in Rome echoes the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them". Apostle Peter has the same words with a new twist, " Do not repay evil for evil...but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called". Peter says this posture of love for enemies is the very essence of being a follower of Jesus. May be it’s a colleague at work who repeatedly smears your n...

He is the image of the invisible God I have long been fascinated by the challenge of invisibility. One of the things people say when you discuss with the question of God with them is that there’s no evidence for God. Usually what they mean is that God is not physically obvious to them. God is not something that they can feel and touch so they struggle to accept that he exists.

Because Jesus is strong for me, I am free to be weak Because Jesus is my defender, I am free to be quiet Because Jesus is right, I am free to be wrong Because Jesus won for me, I am free to lose Because Jesus is someone, I am free to be no one Because Jesus is extraordinary, I am free to be ordinary Because Jesus is beautiful, I am free to be ugly Because Jesus owns everthing, I am free to be poor Because Jesus succeeded for me, I was free to fail Because Jesus is first, I am free to be last Bottom line: Jesus is turning my world upside down! Copyright © Chola Mukanga 2013

One of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe there is only one way. Actually, there are many diverse paths leading to what you call God. OPRAH WINFREY The Lord Jesus said : "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". And he warned us that "unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins."

Many a times in my life, the words of this childhood hymn has been a tremendous encouragement. I pray this may encourage you too. Keep looking to Jesus! Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails The man of the world will let you down, but Jesus never fails. Your mother will let you down Your father will let you down The man of the world will let you down, but Jesus never fails. Your husband will let you down Your wife will let you down The man of the world will let you down, but Jesus never fails Your brothers will let you down Your sisters-will let you down The man of the world will let you down, but Jesus never fails Your church will let you down Your work will let you down The man of the world will let you down, but Jesus never fails Your friends will let you down Your country will let you down The man of the world will let you down, but Jesus never fails Your wealth will let you down Your health will let you down The man of the world ...

We have already seen that God reveals himself  in the Bible as judge, prosecuting attorney and defence lawyer. The final image of God from the court of law is that of God as the legislator or law give. The most well known scripture on this is Isaiah 33:12, which declares “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us”. God is the legislator, the one who sets forth the law. This is not the place for a full treatment of this area. But suffice to say that God’s law is a revelation of God himself. And this law goes beyond “moral laws” set out in the Bible. His law includes his general standards and norms with respect to the cosmos as a whole. God has put in physical and spiritual laws for the functioning of the universe. These laws are for our good and for His great glory.

Tragedies occur when we fail to take on leadership responsibilities that we are clearly called to fulfil or when we pursue or demand leadership responsibilities without objectively and prayerfully examining our ability to lead. When either of these occur, people are hurt, resources are wasted, and good opportunities for growth are retarded. - Bob Briner ( Source : Leadership Lessons of Jesus) The challenge of course is knowing when the balance is right. It seems to me the reason many of us face this tragedy comes back to a single problem : we fail to place our inadequacies at the foot of the Cross. I have often shunned taking on full responsibility in one area because I have felt "not up to it". I have done so without sufficiently considering that God is able to enable me to fulfil that which he may be calling me to do. In those moments I forgot God's words to St Paul, "my strength is sufficient for you because my power is made perfect in your weakness...

This poster should be on all our bedroom and office walls. In our society lawyers are usually seen as a necessary evil. My image of lawyers is still shaped by my university years when I watched the movie the Devil's Advocate. There the lawyers are presented as part of the Devil's scheme to conquer the world. As I have grown in knowing God, I have come to have a deeper appreciation of the image of lawyers. Lawyers now remind me of the powerful image of God presented in the Bible. In the Bible God’s image is that of a prosecuting attorney . He is the Lord who brings his case against nations. In one of the shortest books of the Bible, God indicts Israel’s neighbouring state Edom through one of his appointed prophets, Obadiah. God lays out specific charges. Edom will be judged because it is full of pride; trusts in false gods of material wealth and human ability; and, has committed unspeakable violence against its brother nation Israel.

Even though depravity reaches every aspect of our humanity, we still are not as thoroughly bad as we could be. The image of God is not totally eradicated from us. Even Hitler did not kill his mother, and he came up with a number of inventions useful to this day. The foremost sinner (Saul; 1 Tim. 1:15) could be commended for his (misplaced) zeal (which God would eventually harness and channel in a fruitful direction) in the same way that he later commended the unbelieving Romans for their zeal:“I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2). - Sam Crabtree   ( Source : Practising Affirmation)

Thanks be to God, through Whom we have such overflowing consolation in this pilgrimage, this exile, this present misery. I have often exhorted you never to forget that we are pilgrims, far away from our native land, heirs who have been thrown out of our inheritance. For those who never experience desolation cannot know consolation. And that is why people who live in the world, absorbed in its affairs, do not seek after mercy, for they do not feel their misery. But listen, you to whom it is said, and not in vain, "Be still and known how gracious the Lord is". Listen, you whom worldly interests do not hold back; listen, you who really know what exile means. Here is your comfort : help has come down from heaven! The kindness and love of God for mankind have appeared". The kindness was always there, for the Lord's mercy is eternal; but it was hidden until "His love for mankind appeared . Before that, it was promised but not felt, so that many did not beli...