Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Christmas: Why did Jesus come?

Luke 1v26-27 “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee… to Mary”

Over the next 3 weeks we are going to look at three questions about Jesus’ coming – Why did he come? How did he come? And why then?

So today is “Why did he come?” and we will look at what the angels said.

The angel who appeared to Mary said, “The LORD God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1v32-33. Jesus came to take up the throne and reign forever. We see this confirmed in as the magi bring gifts to “the one who has been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2). Jesus explained how this would work out in parables like the mustard seed which begins so small but grows into a large garden plant. Jesus’ kingdom would start small during his time on earth, but would grow to fill the earth.

Secondly, the angel who appeared to Joseph said of Mary’s child, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1v21. Jesus’ kingdom encompasses people, not territory. And it is the hearts of the people, not their heritage or outward appearance. This is quite clear when Jesus described the evils of the Pharisees in Matthew 23: the Pharisees had good heritage and were in the Holy Land, but were clearly not part of God’s kingdom. And that applies to us all: we are all in God’s world, but not necessarily part of his “kingdom”. The only way to enter the kingdom of God is to have our sins removed. The only way to have sins removed is by receiving the forgiveness that comes through Jesus paying the price of sin on the cross.

And so, why did Jesus come? He came and King to establish his kingdom. He also came as Saviour to make an entrance for you and me into his kingdom. And he will return one day to complete his kingdom with all those who have entered in Jesus’ way.

May you and those you love enter into the kingdom of Jesus this Christmas time.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

John: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God

John 20v31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

As we complete our survey of the gospels, we find that John is very straight about his purpose for writing the details he did. John tells us that Jesus did many other things too, but John has chosen certain key highlights to show that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God.

John begins in chapter 1 by telling us that Jesus is God and came from God: “In the beginning was the Word , and the Word was with God and the Word was God … the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” He then gives us the testimony of John the Baptist, “I have seen and I verify that this is the Son of God;” of Andrew, “We have found the Christ,” and of Nathanael, “You are the Son of God.”

John’s main section demonstrates the different ways in which this truth was obvious. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World” and physically gave sight to the blind. He said, “I am the Bread of Life” and physically fed 5000. He said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” and also physically raised Lazarus from the dead. And so on. But he was also the suffering servant who “knew that he had come from God and was returning to God, so … began to wash the disciples feet.” People who are afraid of losing power have to grasp hold of it, but there was no such fear in Jesus. He knew who he was, he knew where ultimate power lay and he could place himself in the Father’s hands: hence, when threatened with death, Jesus could say to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest.”

And Jesus’ confidence was not unfounded as God raised Jesus from the dead on the 3^rd day. Thomas, famed for his sceptism, on meeting the resurrected Jesus declared, “My Lord and my God.”

It is on the rock of Jesus Christ that our faith rests. He is true, and so our faith is true. This is wonderful news. Keep reminding yourself that Jesus Christ is Lord and God.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Mark: Jesus who suffered
Mark 8v31 “The Son of Man must suffer many things … he must be killed and after three days rise again.”

Last week we looked at Jesus’ authority as King in Matthew’s gospel. Today, Mark’s gospel has the verse above right at its heart. A couple of verses before, Peter had said to Jesus, “You are the Christ.” The expectation of the disciples was for the kingship and authority of Jesus along the lines of Matthew’s emphasis. And so, Peter insisted that Jesus must be mistaken about having to suffer and die: Jesus had to correct them.

It is not that Jesus wanted to suffer, but he recognised that it the way things “must” be. The very purpose for which Jesus had come was to suffer. It was not to gain crowds, it was not to be popular or well thought of. His purpose was to suffer and die. This was a hard teaching for his disciples at the time, and it is hard for his disciples today to have a full appreciation of this. We need to meditate on this truth, and allow our hearts and minds to absorb it. Not just as a fact, but as a rock on which we stand: Jesus “must suffer many things”.

A full appreciation is life-changing. How can my heart not be grateful that the King of Kings came to earth to die for me. Why “must” it be this way? Because God so loved me. My sin, my tendency to do wrong in thought, word and deed, was separating me from God, my heavenly Father. He wanted to bring me back into his family. And so Jesus took my sin on his shoulders, he took the guilt, judgment and punishment that I deserved. How good is my God! Are you ready to receive more of this forgiveness and freedom today?

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Matthew: Jesus has all power and authority

Matthew 28v18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Over the next 4 weeks, I intend to look at the different emphases of each of the 4 gospels. The elements we will highlight are present to a degree in all of them, but each writer has a different emphasis. We start with Matthew.

Matthew’s emphasis is on Jesus as King. He begins with his descendancy from King David (ch1), and moves to the “Magi” visiting King Herod to ask “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (ch2).

Matthew continues with Jesus declaring “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” (ch 4) and describing the character of those who belong to “the kingdom of heaven” in the “Sermon on the Mount” (ch 5-7). Jesus then demonstrates his authority as king in numerous miracles (ch 8-9), followed by the delegation of this authority to his disciples (ch10). Next, Jesus helps us understand how his kingdom operates in a number of parables many of which begin, “the kingdom of heaven is like …” (ch13).

When Jesus begins explaining about his impending death and the need for each of his disciples to “take up their cross and follow” (ch16), he highlights this is based on the “Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” And after talking about his certain return (ch24), Jesus gives further parables about how “the kingdom of heaven” will operate at his return (ch25). As Jesus approaches death, he confirms to Pilate that he is “the king of the Jews” (ch27), and this title remains central as the soldiers mock him and as Pilate puts a label on the cross.

Matthew comes to a climatic conclusion after Jesus’ resurrection (ch28). Jesus meets with his disciples and says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” (ch28) This is our call and it is based on the supreme authority of Jesus as King. Our authority is a delegated authority and so, “in his name we go.”

I remember in the work place having to make some bold decisions as I represented my employer with the authority I had been delegated.  Such decisions were all based on the stated interests of my employer. Today, with God’s help, let us live with authority God has given to us and in line with his stated interest under Christ the King.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Seen Spiritual Battles

1 Corinthians 10v13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.”

Have you ever been tempted? Of course you have. We all know temptation, yet we can feel very on our own when we are tempted. Before the above verse, Paul has highlighted Old Testament examples of people falling in into temptation. We could look at Eve succumbing in the perfect garden, the Israelites succumbing after God’s rescue from Egypt, or David succumbing after being made King: each of them had great privilege from God and yet they fell.

And so, the whole verse says, ^“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

I notice this:

1. While the spiritual battle of temptation is seen when it comes, we do not foresee it, so Paul tells us to be always on our guard. As Peter says, “Be self-controlled and alert, for the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” In fact temptation comes just when we think things are going well.
2. Not only do we all suffer temptation, but we all suffer similar temptations. Typically, these temptations are to not trust God and to gratify our desires in an inappropriate way.
3. God always provides us with a way to come through temptation pure and intact. In the verse above about the roaring lion, Peter gives good advice when he says, “Be self-controlled and alert.” Paul says “self-control” is a fruit of the Spirit, so we need Him. And Jesus tackles temptation by quoting God’s Word, so we need to familiarise ourselves with that too.

Battles are never easy, but God gives us the tools we need. The Spirit’s self-control and the Father’s Word of truth work wonders. May God give you strength for today’s battles and bring your through with bright hope.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Unseen Spiritual Battles

Daniel 10v12-13 “Since the first day that you set your mind .. to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, … but the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days.”

Have you ever known it take a while before God answered your prayer? I am sure you have! Have you wondered why the answer is so delayed?

Daniel had had a partial fast for 3 weeks, then on the 24^th day God gave him a vision of a man who would reveal much about the future to him. This man seems remarkably like the vision John has of Jesus in Revelation 1. You may have been waiting a lot longer than three weeks for an answer to prayer, but God gives Daniel an explanation for the time taken. This may not be the only reason for delays in prayer, but it does give us some important insight.

Here we see that there is a spiritual battle going on which you and I are unaware of much of the time. There are the spiritual powers of evil behind the authorities of this world, referred to here as “the prince of the Persian Kingdom” and there are the spiritual powers of God. The person came to Daniel in response to Daniel’s prayer, but he was delayed by the spirit of evil. The evil powers do have an impact, but God’s power is ultimately victorious. The evil power can delay, but God’s power overcame.

In the New Testament, this flows into Paul writing in Ephesians, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the  … powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The Devil and his demons are not out of a fairy tale nor are they in the order of Santa Claus: they are real and dangerous in the order of a “roaring lion” (1 Peter 5v8).

This is not a call for us to fear, but to trust in Jesus Christ and his power. We belong to him and he is the victor. It is, however, a call for us to be wise, aware and alert. Paul also writes, “Do not give the Devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4v27). Don’t invite the Devil in, whether intentionally or not. Don’t move outside the protection of Jesus Christ who guards his sheep (John 10)

With love and blessing,

Roland

Thought for the Week

Ultimate Destiny

Psalm 23v6 “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Are there places that you love to go to? Maybe it is a hill or mountain with fantastic views, or beside a river with its fresh flowing waters, an armchair by the fire, or maybe it is someone’s house or company. We can feel a sense of peace and refreshment in such places.

The Psalms often refer to how precious it is to be in the “House of the Lord”. To be in someone’s house implies privilege, welcome and belonging.

In this Psalm, he does look for just a visit there, as when Jacob visited Bethel (which means “House of the Lord”), or the people of Israel visited the tabernacle or temple for special festivals. He is looking forward to dwelling in the house of the Lord continually and forever. This is his ultimate destination with no plans to move back out.

This is looking beyond our sense of the presence of the Lord today to eternity. The beauty of eternity is not that it goes on forever, but that we get to be in the Lord’s presence for ever. In the context of the rest of the Psalm, this is a place where we will no longer have enemies around us, we will no longer face the valley of the shadow of death, we will no longer need protection from evil, for these will all be no more. “For the old order of things has passed away,” Revelation 21v4.

It is this knowledge of what lies ahead that enables us to endure our present difficulties. As Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 4v17 “Our … momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes … on what is unseen.” What a hope and a future we have. All praise and thanks to God. May the Lord keep our eyes firmly fixed on our eternal glory of being with our Lord and Christ forever.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

A Certain Future

Psalm 23v6 “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.”

Sometimes people think that Christianity is just about getting a ticket to heaven. But it is not just the long-term future that concerns us: in so many ways tomorrow, next week and next year are uncertain. Uncertainty may prevail in areas such as health, relationships, finance, and national and international issues. David, the writer of this Psalm also experienced all these uncertainties (recorded in the books of Samuel), but he had an assurance that went deeper than the situation. So deep that it was on solid rock.

Before building the Empire State Building, foundations were put in to a depth of 55 feet. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is able to stand over 800m high and withstand sand storms and up to magnitude 7 earthquakes because it has foundations to 164 feet deep (50m).

The best bedrock for our lives is Jesus Christ and his love and goodness. God says, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” (Heb 13v5) and further, Paul says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him …” (Romans 8v28). Sometimes Jesus calms the storm, but as we rest on his truth and his character, he enables us to withstand the storms of life.

When our children were young, we camped on the coast in Dorset one year. A storm came in and the field of 100+ tents was wiped out except a couple left standing. Those left standing (including ours) were all “frame tents”. They had the inner frame strength to withstand the storm. With Christ in you, you will withstand the storm.

Hold onto this Psalm’s declaration, “Surely goodness and love will follow me…”. Speak it over yourself. Tell your heart this truth. Breathe in this assurance. It is your life and your health.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Abundance

Psalm 23v5 “My cup overflows.”

We continue the host-guest metaphor in the latter part of this Psalm. “My cup overflows” conveys an extreme generosity in God’s provision:

• His giving is without boundaries.
• His supply is without limit.
• His blessing is more than we can contain.

David wrote this Psalm as a person who had many challenges and difficulties as expressed in previous verses. But the overflowing cup enabled him to write Psalms celebrating God’s provision for him in the times of difficulty. We may want our problems removed, but God wants to enable us to overcome our problems.

In the New Testament, Jesus declares that for anyone who believes, “streams of living water will flow from within them” (John 7v38) and Paul declares that “God has poured out his love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5v5) and again “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3v19)

May your cup overflow today with love, strength, wisdom and hope from God’s unlimited treasury.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

An Honoured Guest

Psalm 23v5 “You anoint my head with oil.”

You and I would probably feel pretty insulted to have someone pour a bottle of oil over our heads. But in the ancient Middle East is was a blessing and a sign of honour. And so, Jesus critiques his host in Luke 7v46, “You did not pour oil on my head …”. Maybe an equivalent today is for you to go to someone’s house and they break open a bottle of bubbly for you, or their best malt whiskey, or lay out the red carpet …

In this Psalm, we have moved from the shepherd-sheep metaphor to a host-guest metaphor. The host has provided a table of food (last week), and now the host honours you as his favoured guest. This idea of God’s favour for us is picked up by Jesus in his story of the return of the “prodigal son” for whom the Father lays on a party and kills “the fattened calf” (Luke 15). Such favourable treatment that it makes others envious! We see favour again as the angels declare at Jesus’ birth, “peace to men on whom his favour rests” (Luke 2v14).

The fact is that you are a favoured guest in the kingdom of God. God is delighted to have you in his family. He speaks words of favour over you. He even chooses to live in you by His Holy Spirit. This is good reason to be filled with joy! Turn your eyes from all your issues and focus on the favour of God towards you. “He has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 1v3)

With love and blessing,

Roland