Welcome to the New Site

If by an extraordinary act of serendipity you have landed on this page – Welcome. And if you followed the link from my old WordPress site, you are also Welcome. Last but not least, if you came here via a WordPress redirect you are also welcome – especially as I had to pay for the redirect. 🙂

It’s not quite finished, but if I didn’t make the plunge soon I’d never get round to it.  I will continue to tweek, counter tweek and then re-tweek until I’m happy with the layout. That’s not going to be for a little while as I also need to re-do the Blog roll and other links – but one step at a time.

I’ll be trying a few things out but do let me know what you think.

Thanks for visiting.

Hymns of The Incarnation – The Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus the Source of Life 04
Jesus the Source of Life 04 (Photo credit: Waiting For The Word)

After posting the previous hymn ‘Who is He in yonder stall?’ the following hymn (one of my favourites)  has been buzzing around in my head. Looking through the hymnbook (Christian Hymns) the incarnation or ‘Christmas’ hymns form quite a small section. But the fact is, there are a great many hymns (and Bible texts) that don’t seem to get a mention as it were in the ‘Christmas Canon’. What could be more Incarnational than ‘Mighty, he man’s nature takes‘! I’m reminded therefore of the following text – one of the most amazing and extraordinary texts in the whole Bible – Hebrews 10:10 speaking of the will of God in sending a redeemer – Jesus Christ. Here’s the passage in context:

Heb 10:4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Heb 10:5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;
Heb 10:6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Heb 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'”
Heb 10:8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law),
Heb 10:9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second.
Heb 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
Heb 10:13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
Heb 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Heb 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
Heb 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”
Heb 10:17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Heb 10:18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Heb 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Note: It is not just difficult, but is impossible to find acceptance with God by any other means than the one God Himself has provided – it’s actually blasphemous to even suggest it! Jesus comes to do the will of God, and what is that will? That HE become man and offer His own infinitely valuable sacrifice – Himself. Because any other sacrifice is unacceptable. The blood of bulls and goats pointed forward to the coming of Jesus – the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. We need a mighty person to achieve this. We need a sinless person. We need a willing person. We need a Great Person. We need a resurrected person. And so to the hymn:

Mighty Christ from time eternal,
Mighty, he man’s nature takes,
Mighty, when on Calv’ry dying,
Mighty, death itself He breaks.
See His might,
Infinite,
King of Heaven and earth by right!

Mighty was He in heaven’s purpose,
Mighty, in the pledge to save,
Mighty, from His birth to Calv’ry,
Mighty, bursting from the grave.
Still will He
Mighty be When things hidden now we see.

Great my Jesus in His Person.
Great as God and man is He,
Great His comeliness and beauty,
White and ruddy, fair to see,
Great that sight,
Sovereign Might,
Throned secure on heaven’s height!

vv. 1 & 3 Titus Lewis, 1773 – 1811;
v. 2, Anonymous;
tr. Graham Stuart Harrison 1935 – 2013 (No. 117 Christian Hymns, E.M.W)

If it’s possible to post a link to how it should be sung I’ll put a link here. It’s a magnificent hymn.

Wishing you all a Blessed & Happy Christmas 2013

May everyone who reads this know who He is.

1. Who is He in yonder stall,
At whose feet the shepherds fall?

Chorus

’Tis the Lord! oh wondrous story!
’Tis the Lord! the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him! crown Him, Lord of all!

2. Who is He in deep distress,
Fasting in the wilderness?

3. Who is He the people bless
For His words of gentleness?

4. Who is He to whom they bring
All the sick and sorrowing?

5. Who is He that stands and weeps
At the grave where Lazarus sleeps?

6. Who is He the gathering throng
Greet with loud triumphant song?

7. Lo! at midnight, who is He
Prays in dark Gethsemane?

8. Who is He on yonder tree
Dies in grief and agony?

9. Who is He who from the grave
Comes to succor, help, and save?

10. Who is He who from His throne
Rules through all the worlds alone?

(Benjamin Russell Hanby. July 22, 1833 – March 16, 1867)

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/234#ixzz2oVTspWDR

A World Without Books?

Had the opportunity of visiting the Old College building yesterday, part of Aberystwyth University. I went into what was a Library, but without any books! Every single shelf is empty! That was quite surreal but it made me wonder: imagine what sort of world it would be without books.

Reading, it’s one of the distinguishing marks of our humanity. More than that it’s part of being made in the image of God. What a blessing it is to be able to read. God has chosen to reveal himself to us in Words. Many an illiterate person upon becoming a Christian has a desire to read – and read the Bible! What does the word Bible mean – Biblion, greek for Book.

For example at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 1: 1-4 Dedication to Theophilus

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Also Luke 3:4

4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

At the end of John’s Gospel: Ch 21: 24 & 25

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Luke again at the beginning of Acts 1:1

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up…

In the Book of the Revelation 20:12

12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Clearly this is based on the fact that Jesus is The Word of God. So it’s not surprising that God communicates the Gospel through Words. So preachers preach the Word of God. This simple act of ministry is the way God has chosen. Not with music, not with imagery, neither smells or anything touchy feely but through words. Some of those things had their place under the Old Covenant but were always pointing towards the Final Word – Jesus. It should come as no surprise therefore to find an end to the sign gifts as the Canon of Scripture is complete and closed.

Revelation 22:18 – 19

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

And Finally:

Hebrews 1: 1-4. The Supremacy of God’s Son

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Praise God that He has spoken, and spoken clearly.

Geoff Thomas on Romans 1:19 & 20

Pastor Geoff Thomas
Pastor Geoff Thomas

Enjoyed one of our regular trips to Aberystwyth this last weekend – this time to collect our daughter. As usual we went to Alfred Place Baptist Church where Geoff Thomas is the Pastor. In the evening Geoff preached on Romans 1: 19 & 20. There can be no excuse, there will be no excuse for anyone because God has made it plain. Weasel excuses like, ‘not enough evidence’ or ‘he never appeared to me’ will not cut it at the judgement seat of Christ. There is an abundance of evidence because God has made it so!

Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (ESV)

I like the NIV here;

Romans 1:19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (NIVUK)

There can only be one response, and that is to call upon the Lord for salvation.

Had a lovely chat with Geoff afterwords where he recounted addressing a group of ministers on Van Tillian apologetics without a single objection. Later my son (a deacon at AP – Alfred Place) told me Geoff said to him ‘some Van Til for your Dad tonight Chris.’

Here’s the link to the Sermon audio. Here’s the link to the Sermon transcripts page (when they upload it). The transcript is always slightly different to the sermon as Geoff writes them out in full and makes copies available for the service. It can be interesting to follow his typed sermon while listening.

Joan Bakewell interviews Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones 1970

Now this is definitely worth watching! What a clear presentation of Gospel Truth. No weasel words and nothing namby pamby about this. And, the Gospel isn’t buried under a pile of intellectual clap trap and verbiage.

Hat tip to Gary Benfold

Andrew Davies: Sermons on Job

Andrew Davies – Minister of the Gospel

A few years ago I managed to attend the Aberystwyth Conference – it could have been 3 years on the trot. Each one was a real blessing. But in 1982 Andrew Davies was preaching for the 4 morning sessions through the book of Job. It’s one of those seasons of refreshing that I look back on with great thankfulness to God. I can’t recall hearing preaching like this before or since.

As a point of contrast, I am working my through the recent ‘Strange Fire’ conference audio, and whether it’s my English sensibility or not, I find it hard to stomach the applause speakers get at Strange Fire – and often in the US full stop. It really really grates on me. Maybe it’s an American thing, but I wish they would stop doing it. How can you applaud the speaker when it’s supposed to be a conference on worshiping God – kind of undermines it doesn’t it?

But anyway here’s the thing, hoping memory serves well, Andrew preached for well over an hour and you could have heard a pin drop, with a hushed reverence through the whole sermon. No applause – but maybe the occasional Amen from our Welsh brethren. I have never been in a series of services like it – it was as if time stood still and were sitting in the vestibule of heaven itself. The series could be summed up as a ‘Theology of Suffering’. At the time I believe Andrew’s Church had been through and was still going through illness, death and a number of other issues as he preached through Job to his congregation. The conference addresses were born out of these trials. The whole series is about the Triumph of Grace!

Not sure how long they have been available, but the sermons have been converted to MP3 files and can be downloaded for free. Click on each link below to download. Unfortunately the audio is not the best quality (The people at Grace do this sort of thing excellently), it’s ok, but I think the timeless quality of the preaching will more than compensate! Left click on each link to download.

Job – Faith Facing Facts (1) Job 1:1 – 2:15

Job – Faith Facing Facts (2) Job 3:1 – 31:40

Job – Faith Facing Facts (3) Job 32:1 – 37:24

Job – Faith Facing Facts (4) Job 38:1 – 41:17

Andrew was the first real preacher I heard after becoming a Christian in 1979. He was preaching my first time in a Church where The Bible was preached and actually believed. He has been a blessing to me over the years and has been a keen supporter of the History Lectures I help organise.  All his lectures are well worth a listen (as well as lecturing for many years at London Theological Seminary). So granted, there is an element of nostalgia but not a little element of truth.

Andrew Davies brief bio.

Where will Nelson Mandela spend Eternity?

President Bill Clinton with Nelson Mandela, Ju...
President Bill Clinton with Nelson Mandela, July 4 1993. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There’s no getting away from the fact that a great man has just died. There’s no question that what he accomplished politically has been remarkable. In terms of world history Mandela will go down as one of the great Statesmen. Quite Gandhi like in his – latter – non-violent stance against apartheid. World leaders sought an audience with him as if something of his popularity would ‘rub-off’ on them. As if merely associating with Mandela would somehow make them popular as well. Such was the charisma of Nelson Mandela.

And yet, given his political achievements, in the final analysis it’s the only question worth asking – Where will Nelson Mandela spend Eternity? The short answer of course is that I do not know. But cutting to the chase; if Mandela had no faith in The Lord Jesus Christ then he will be lost and will spend all eternity in hell. It’s not going to play well in the Liberal heartlands but the frightening lesson – and the lesson of the Bible – is that no matter what we do it will not make us right with a Holy God. Even Archbishop Cranmer on his blog writes as if Mandela were a Christian without a shred of evidence. In the blog post by his grace Mandela talked about God being the Father of all – not true. Talked about worshiping as well, but politicians are skilled at using words that impress but (I’m talking Christianity here) actually means nothing. They are vacuous empty words. There is only ONE way to God. There is only ONE Saviour. You will never hear a politician say these things but they will use the language of religion. It’s all smoke and mirrors. I don’t want to take anything away from what Mandela achieved politically but it had nothing to do with the Christian faith or with Jesus.

I’ve done a quick scan of the online press and there’s not a lot of negative comment about him. There are a few pretty raw comments about him though. His approval of violence prior to his incarceration at Robben Island is mentioned but from then on it’s all positive. On Radio 4 this morning a Bishop (didn’t catch the name) said Nelson Mandela was the ’embodiment of love’. I understand hyperbole but that is just not true. Only one person could be described that way and it’s Jesus Christ not Mandala. A Churchman should have known better but given these degenerative days where ‘truth has fallen in the streets’ it’s common to hear such ridiculous statements. If it were possible Mandela would be deified and this tells us more about our current political leaders than Nelson Mandela!

Simply put, the Gospel isn’t about rewarding people for their accomplishments, whatever those accomplishments are, or for being nice! The Gospel is Good News for sinners. Nelson Mandela in the eyes of the world (by and large) is a Saint. The world does not have the foggiest idea of what a Saint is. The Bible use of the word is simply a believer in Jesus, a sinner that has placed their trust in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross not what they have accomplished.

The problem the political world has created as it drools over the Mandela legacy is the problem of how righteousness is defined. But it has ever been so. The world defines holiness, righteousness, goodness, forgiveness & love on its own terms, not at all by the law God and the person of Jesus Christ. Associating with Nelson Mandela will not make a person good. Talking warmly about Nelson Mandela will not make a person good. Only faith in Jesus will make a person right or acceptable in the sight of God. But it’s not what the world wants to hear – even at Christmas!

The really scary thing is how good a person can be – or seem to be – and yet not be a Christian. The Church ought to be saying this over & over again. The death of Nelson Mandela as sad as it is for his family and followers is a warning to those that seek a righteousness of their own and not the righteousness that God provides in Christ. It is futile to put any eternal hope in man, any man. Our hope must be in Christ alone.

And you, dear reader. Nelson Mandela will not rescue you from the wrath to come, he cannot save you, he cannot forgive your sins. Only Jesus Christ can rescue you from the wrath to come, only Jesus Christ can save you, only Jesus Christ can forgive your sins. Only Jesus paid the price on the Cross to rescue sinners. Call upon Jesus for Salvation.