Category: Sermons

Sermon: Sunday, 30th June, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Romans 3:10-26

CS Lewis once entered a large conference on comparative religions. They were discussing if there is anything unique to the Christian faith – something in Christianity which you simply do not find in other religions. CS Lewis said: ‘O, that’s easy. It’s grace’. For Lewis, grace sets Christianity apart from the world’s false religions. Grace is an enormously important word for Christians. It is a beautiful word. It means Christianity isn’t so much about what we can do for God (for we cannot earn his favour) but Christianity is about what God can do for us – what God can do for you!

What is grace?

‘Grace is God’s free and unmerited favour shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment. It is the love of God shown to the unlovely. It is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him.’ (Jerry Bridges)

We are all sinners. We are all those who fall short of God’s standards. Our culture has a dangerously optimistic view of the human condition, saying that we are all basically good people. Sure, people say, we’re not perfect. Sin is downplayed, with actions blamed on our environment or our genes. However, if people are basically good, why then is sin so universal? Why is the world full of inequality, racism, greed, pride, war and exploitation. When we read the newspapers, it seems more accurate to say humans are basically bad. If we’re honest, we see this sin in our own homes and hearts too. How does God describe our condition? As it is written: ‘There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.’ (Romans 3:10-12)

This is God’s estimation of our hearts. As far as he is concerned none of us is good. Quite the reverse. Our hearts are black. We are slaves to sin. But against this black canvas there is the sparkling diamond of the grace of God. Have you ever gone to buy a diamond ring? The salesperson in the jeweller’s puts the ring on a black cloth. This is so we can see the beauty of the diamonds in the ring. The grace of God is like a diamond- shining all the more against the backdrop of sin and guilt in our hearts.

1. Our ruin and God’s remedy – the 3 buts

We all know what the word ‘bankrupt’ means. When a business is bankrupt, it is no longer able to pay its debts. The Bible speaks of each one of us as being ‘spiritually bankrupt’. We’ve broken God’s good and holy rules countless times and so are in great moral debt to God. We have nothing to pay off these debts with. In fact, each day we sin more and our spiritual debt increases. We’re bankrupt! I doubt many here are financially bankrupt. But without Jesus, we’re all bankrupt morally. ‘There is no one righteous, not even one…’ (Romans 3:10)

However, Romans 3 does not end with just an outline of our total moral bankruptcy. It goes on. ‘Therefore no-one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.’ (Romans 3:20-24)

God’s laws are not a ladder which we can climb to enter into Heaven. Actually, the opposite is the case. God’s laws are like x-rays which show up just how much sin is in our hearts. For example, the 10th commandment, ‘Do not covet’, only underlines just how often we want the best for ourselves and don’t like it when someone else has a better house, car, spouse or holiday than we have. What is God’s remedy to our ruin? ‘But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known…’ (Romans 3:21)

We are justified freely by his grace. (Romans 2:24) If we have faith in the work Jesus did on the cross then we are forgiven. Were God to count our sins against us none of us could stand before him (Psalm 130:3). Were God to weigh our lives in his scales we would all fail. But we can be justified – we can be made right with God. What happens? There’s a swap. Our sins are made over to Jesus and his goodness is freely given to us. Is this fair? No! This is grace.

In theological language: ‘God has imputed or charged the guilt of our sin to Jesus Christ; and he has imputed or credited the goodness of Jesus to us.’ That’s grace. God taking the blame for us.

‘God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice…’ (Romans 3:25) Why did Jesus die? As a sacrifice for sins. Why? Because God needs to demonstrate his justice. He cannot ignore the sin in our hearts. But he provides a solution.

‘… and (we) are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.’ (Romans 3:24-25 ESV)

The ESV has this word ‘propitiation’ = by his death, Jesus turned aside the wrath of God by taking it on himself. He bore our sins in his body and endured the full force of God’s wrath.

Why? Why did he do this? Because of his grace. Remember the definition. It is the love of God shown to the unlovely. Is there a more amazing love than this? Are you impressed by God’s love?

Let’s see other passages showing the contrast between our black hearts and God’s grace!

What were we like before we become Christians? ‘As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.’ (Ephesians 2:1-3)

We are dead in our sins (spiritually) and under the influence of Satan. We are prisoners to our own sinful lusts. We are objects of God’s wrath. This is a serious state. We might find this language offensive, but the truth is this – we cannot even go through a single day with doing wrong!

Where’s the grace? Where’s the ‘but’? ‘But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.’ (Ephesians 2:4-5)

But the good news is – God intervened. Why? Because of his great love. Because of his grace. Think of Lazarus in the grave. That’s a picture of what we were like spiritually. We are dead in our trespasses and sins. But God says to Lazarus ‘Come out!’ Why? Because of his grace!

What’s the next description? ‘At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.’ (Titus 3:3) We were slaves to sin.

Where’s the ‘but’? What will God do? ‘But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.’   (Titus 3:4-7)

Because Jesus completely paid the awful penalty of our sins, God could extend his grace to us through complete and total forgiveness of our sins. That’s why the cross of Jesus is so vital. Because on the cross Jesus is taking the punishment we deserve upon his shoulders.

2. What happens to our sin?

(a) How far away does God remove our sins?
‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Psalm 103:12)

How far are east and west apart? That’s an infinite distance. This is God’s way of telling us that our forgiveness is total/ complete/ unconditional. This is different from north and south—you can travel north only so far (to the north pole) before being forced to travel south; so, north and south meet at the poles. But east and west never meet.

In Fife east to west would be Crail to Kincardine. In the ancient near east it would be maybe from Egypt to Persia – 1400 miles. However, God has no fixed point in mind- it is an infinite distance!

(b) Can God still see our sins?
‘Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.’    (Isaiah 38:17)

What has God done with our sins? He’s put them behind his back. What does that mean? It means that they are unseen – they are not to be considered anymore. Not to be brought up. We have the English expression; ‘We’ve put that behind us now’ = not to be brought up again.

Are you a Christian? Did you know your sins were behind God’s back? So, when God looks at his children, he no longer sees the filthy clothes; these have been replaced by white robes given to us.

How did our sins get behind God? Jesus makes this possible; by dying for us and paying our debts, as far as God is concerned, it is as if we had never sinned. Our sins will not be thrown in front of our faces ever. They are behind his back.

(c) Are our sins really gone forever?
‘You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.’   (Micah 7:19)

In Exodus 15, God hurls the Pharaoh’s chariots into the depths of the sea – they sink like stones. God deals with the enemies of his people decisively. Pharaoh’s chariots could not catch up with the people. They were free. It’s the same with our wrongdoing. God hurls them into the sea. They are lost forever, never to catch up with us. He wants them to be lost forever because they have been fully dealt with on the cross. That means we are free from our sins. Imagine I threw a certain pebble into the ocean and then asked you to find it again. You could not. That’s how God sees our sins.

(d) But what happens to the record of our sins?
What about the files of all we have done? Isn’t it like social media, that once you post an unwise comment, it is there forever?

‘I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.’   (Isaiah 43:25)

Picture a scribe taking a wet rag and rubbing out a mistake from a parchment. God is the great Judge of all the earth. But when we trust in Jesus, he takes a wet cloth and wipes the board clean.

Think for a moment about all the wrong you have done in your life. Is this good news? Can you say God has forgiven you? Do you trust in the death of Jesus?

Then understand this: God removes our sins as far as east is from the west, he puts them behind his back, he hurls them into the depths of the sea, he wipes them out, he remembers them no more.

Sermon: Sunday, 23rd June, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: John 6:25-71

We’re in the run-up to a general election and there are lots of polls which gauge the popularity of the various parties and their respective leaders. Will the SNP dominate again, or will some who supported them in the past switch their allegiance? What will the political map of the UK look like after the 4th of July? Will it be red or blue? In John chapter 6, Jesus’ popularity as a spiritual leader in Israel reaches its highest point, its zenith. He would have won the race to become prime minister. We read in John chapter 6: ‘Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.’   (John 6:15)

This had been building for some time.
‘Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.’   (John 2:23)

‘Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptising more disciples than John the Baptist.’   (John 4:1-2) Note: It was not Jesus who baptised but, rather, his disciples.

However, towards the end of John chapter 6, there’s a dramatic shift in Jesus’ popularity. Hundreds of his followers decide it’s no longer worthwhile to follow him. There is a sharp demise in Jesus’ popularity. We don’t know exactly how many followers are left, but if feels like a small number. This prompts Jesus to turn to the 12 disciples and ask: ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’   (John 6:67)

There are reasons why so many people give up on Jesus; they’re not good reasons, but it is important to consider them. And there are also reasons why the 12 continue to follow Jesus, in spite of the cost and the unanswered questions. This is a vital area for us to consider this morning. Why? Because today in 2024, there are many attending churches all over the UK who decide that they’ve had enough with church and Christianity and Jesus, and that life would be better for them if they were to walk away from Jesus. And that’s exactly what they do. We have seen this at a national level, a denomination level and at a personal level, when family members and friends tragically leave the faith. It might be that some in this very room are thinking about giving up on Jesus. Or even if you are not in that place right now, perhaps one day you will be, and so all the more reason why we ought to have a close look at what is going on here.

1. Reasons why people walk away from Jesus

One reason is that they can’t handle his teaching! They find it offensive. It’s helpful to see the connection between verses 65 and 66: He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.’ Clearly, some of the people who’d been following Jesus were offended at the teaching that we need a special work of God in order to become Christians. They don’t like being told they are unable to save themselves or to earn their salvation, but rather need God and his power in order to receive new hearts and new desires. Many today are also offended by this teaching. But it remains just as true today. We don’t have the power to change ourselves. We need to rely on God’s power and throw ourselves on his mercy. In the days of Elisha, Naaman was offended at first, because he thought he could be saved his way.

They do not like Jesus’ teaching about his own identity. He claims (verse 38) to have come down from heaven! They respond by saying: Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?   (John 6:42) They are also offended by Jesus’ claim to be greater than Moses, who they revere. What’s more, they misunderstand his teaching about being the bread of life: ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’   (John 6:51-52) They do not seem to understand what Jesus means by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. This is not something literal. He is not even referring to the Lord’s Supper. By eating his flesh and drinking his blood, Jesus is telling us that he is the Giver of eternal life, and to receive this life we must be united to him by faith, and pledge our allegiance to him. It is by receiving and appropriating for ourselves his death and resurrection and by receiving him as our King that we have this life. Feeding on Christ involves feeding on the Words of Christ, as we read the Bible.

I also believe that people were offended by how exclusive Jesus’ message is. He claims to be the bread of life, and by implication, there is no one else who is able to give us eternal life – only Jesus.

Although called ‘disciples’ in verse 66, this word is used loosely; these individuals were not spiritually united to Jesus by faith. They were not authentic disciples. Rather, they followed Jesus because he was able to give them bread to eat, in the feeding of the 5000. They are attracted by his ability to meet their physical needs. They follow their stomachs. Others, as we have seen, want a political king who will kick out the Romans from Israel and give their nation independence once again. But when they try and make Jesus their king, and see that he is not interested in this kind of earthly kingdom, their political hopes are dashed and they leave him, full of disappointed hopes.

Picture these vast numbers of Jesus’ followers beginning to grumble and sharing their complaints with one another. Picture them coming to the point of decision – we would be happier without Jesus of Nazareth. They turn their backs on Jesus and walk away. I think some would have agonised before doing so, and would have done so with a heavy heart. It is a tragic scene.

Today, people leave Jesus for the same kind of reasons. There are doctrines which people genuinely struggle with including the sovereignty of God, the problem of evil, the eternal punishment of sin, the sexual ethics in the Bible, and the exclusive nature of the Christian faith, ruling out other religions. Some agonise over aspects of Jesus’ teaching, before deciding enough is enough. They would be happier without God in their lives (so they think).

Some people are let down by the church and wounded by their experiences in certain churches and that prompts them to leave Jesus. Some look over the fence and the grass seems so much greener over there – they think non-Christians have a much less complicated life, and without the pressures of going to church Sunday by Sunday and all this talk of using our spiritual gifts.

In Psalm 73, Asaph says: ‘For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…’ (verse3) ‘Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence…’ (verse 13) I think that Peter would also have considered the possibility of leaving Jesus and going back to fishing. But he does not. And if we want to make sure that we don’t leave Jesus, then we need to carefully consider the reasons for staying with Jesus.

2. Reasons for staying with Jesus

Note this, Jesus does not change his teaching just because it is unpopular. It is the truth and he will not compromise on truth. He just says: ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’   (John 6:67-69)

‘Are you ever tempted to leave? I certainly have been, many times, and I don’t know how many times these words of Peter have echoed through my mind. Where can I go? Should I go to Mohammad and join the jihad? I’m not going to find words of eternal life there. I won’t find them with Immanuel Kant or Jean-Paul Satre. I won’t find them in the lyrics of contemporary music. If I want the words of eternal life, there’s only one place I can go to get them – to the One who gave his life that we might live.’ (R C Sproul)

Friends, I find it refreshing how honest RC Sproul is here. Like us, he doesn’t always find the ways of God palatable or easy to understand. He too has questions which remain unanswered. But, like Peter, at the end of the day, we need to ask ourselves, has anyone else died for our sins and risen again from the death to give us hope for life beyond the grave? Does anyone else love us with this kind of love? Can anyone else promise us that although there are many things we don’t understand (and the Bible is clear that God does not tell us everything) nonetheless, God is working all things together for good? Can anyone else explain the value of human individuals? Can anyone else explain why we are moral creatures, knowing right and wrong? Can atheism or agnosticism? Is there a coherent understanding of the meaning of life outside of Jesus? There is not. There is no one else to follow.

I think many of us have various doubts – some more than others. Many of us will have become disillusioned by the behaviour of a Christian, or by a certain church. We all have questions which there are no answers to. There are aspects of the faith which might seem to be harsh or judgmental. However, is unbelief any better? Does that give you meaning or purpose or answer the unanswerable questions of life? It might seem to offer you a happier life. But perhaps God has a more glorious agenda for you than your own happiness, and that is your holiness. The suffering of this life is often what shapes us into becoming more like Jesus. God openly tells us that the life of discipleship is a battle, and that total happiness will come in eternity, when sin is removed once and for all.

So, why follow Jesus? Because he, and he alone, has the words of eternal life. Jesus himself says this: ‘The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life.’   (John 6:63) It is by trusting in the promises of Jesus that we enter into the certain hope of going to Heaven. Just how important is the Bible? Just how important is it for us to read it regularly and carefully and rub it into our own lives? It is enormously important. It is God’s Word alone which teaches us how to be saved from our sin, and how God wants us to live in this world. It challenges us, and comforts us, and instructs us.

Human beings are like cut flowers. We look good for a time, but we are all withering. All of us must die. I promise you now that no one else can deal with your death and offer you eternal life apart from Jesus Christ. He alone has defeated death- no one else. Follow him. Trust in him. He alone has the words of eternal life.

Why follow Jesus? Because of who he is: Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’   (John 6:68-69) Peter calls Jesus ‘Lord’. The disciples have seen Jesus’ miracles. They have witnessed his incredible compassion for the marginalised. They have heard him teach with unparalleled authority. They have experienced his unmatched love. He is full of wisdom and grace.

In sport, we sometimes speak of the GOAT (greatest of all time). In snooker it might be O’Sullivan and in tennis it might be Novak Djokovic, and in football it might be Pele or Messi. But these things don’t really matter very much. It is just sport – entertainment. When it comes to surrendering our lives to someone and pledging our allegiance to someone, it makes sense to give that commitment to Jesus. He is the Son of God. He is the greatest of all time in every respect that matters. He lived a perfect life for us and he died for us. All his words come true. He will never let us down. He loves us with total commitment. There is no forgiveness and peace with God outside of Christ. May God give us the grace to follow him, and never turn our backs on him.

‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’   (John 6:68)

Sermon: Sunday, 9th June, 2024
Visiting Speaker: David Ferguson
Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ (Matthew 18:21)

Jesus used parables in order to teach important points and to answer questions. What was the point today’s parable? What was Jesus teaching? If we look at the context of the passage, Jesus had been doing a lot of teaching about humility, the counter cultural nature of the kingdom of heaven.

So, what’s with that? Well, it would look like traditional Rabbinical sources suggested that you were obliged to forgive someone who sinned against you three times. In that context, Peter’s suggestion of seven times actually sounds quite magnanimous, doesn’t it? ‘The rabbis say three, but I’ll go as far as seven.’ And seven was, in Judaism, the perfect number, the number of completeness.
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Peter is basically showing off his humility. And the fact that he says ‘up to seven times?’ might even suggest that he was kind of hoping Jesus might think he was going above and beyond.

But how does Jesus respond? ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’ (Matthew 18:22)

I think this is a call back to Genesis 4, where one of the descendants of Cain, Lamech, murders someone and then says: ‘If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy seven.’ (Genesis 4:24)

Just as Lamech upped the ante in a negative way in terms of his vengeance, so Jesus takes forgiveness to a new order of magnitude. Now, Peter was probably taken aback by this, wouldn’t you have been, and I bet he had questions. But Jesus had answers, and before Peter asks, Jesus tells this parable, that’s how he answers.
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I want to look at the parable in the context of grace.

1. Grace is free

Jesus begins by telling us that this parable shows us what the kingdom of heaven is like. This is what life in the community of followers of Jesus is like. When Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, it isn’t some picture of the afterlife. The kingdom began breaking into the world in Jesus’ incarnation. It started then and it continues now. Everyone who follows Jesus is a citizen of that kingdom now.

The king was settling up his accounts with his servants – he had authority over these people – and some of them owed him. One in particular is brought in who we are told owed him ten thousand talents.

That’s a huge debt, equivalent to about 164,383 years of wages for a labourer. To put that in context, Josephus the historian tells us that in 4BC the total tax intake for all of Judea and Samaria together was 600 talents.

Jesus doesn’t explain how a servant was able to run up a debt like that, and it doesn’t matter, this was a story he told to make a point. The talent was the largest unit of currency in the roman empire, and ten thousand was the largest number the Greek language had a word for. In fact, the word was sometimes used just to describe an unimaginably large number, in the same way a child might talk about a gazillion pounds. The point Jesus was making was an inconceivable debt.

Of course, we are told that he couldn’t pay it back (verse 25) so the master orders that he, his family, and everything he owns be sold off. The servant begs for time and promises to pay it all back, which he would never be able to do.

Amazingly, the king looks at him, and wipes out the debt. He lets the servant go. He doesn’t work out a repayment plan. He doesn’t cut a deal for a percentage of the debt, he clears it completely and without condition. That’s incredible, isn’t it? imagine being in that position. Your life forfeit for a debt you’ve worked up that you can never pay off. And the king says, Never mind, I’ll write it off.’
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Well, that’s a picture of what happens when you put your trust in Jesus. We are that servant. Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus had given his disciples the prayer we know as the Lord’s prayer, he used this same word for debts and debtors to talk about sins. Our sin places a burden of debt upon us, between us and God. We have defaulted, we are so deep in the red that there is no way we can ever clear it. And as a result, our lives are forfeit.

And our first instinct is often the same as this servant, we say we’ll make it right, we’ll pay it back. With our hard work and our good deeds we’ll get things back where they should be. But just like him, we can’t. Our best is not going to be good enough to even dent that debt. But it is incredible because when we trust in Jesus, just like that king, God clears the debt.
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That’s grace. And we haven’t earned it. We don’t deserve it, and we do nothing to contribute to it. Just like the servant in the story. Because grace is free

Grace is costly

But, that is not all, because whilst grace might be free, it’s not cheap. To the recipient it’s free, but it’s also true that grace is costly. How so?
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Well, portraying it as a debt helps to illustrate this. If I lend you a fiver, and then you can’t pay it back and I say, ‘Forget about it’, then I’m not breaking even. I’m down five pounds. Right?

Consider the king in the story. He lets the servant off, but that doesn’t mean the debt just magically goes away. The king absorbs the loss. He gets nothing back. He loses that huge, staggering amount of money. By rights it was his, but he gives it up.

That’s true whenever forgiveness takes place. The one who forgives incurs a loss; the forgiven gains at the forgiver’s expense. It may be free to the recipient, but to the giver, grace costs.

How much more is that true when we think about our debt to God? The outstanding balance on our debt isn’t measured in money; our sin doesn’t come with a financial penalty. Romans 6 tells us the wages of sin is death. We owe a life. And when God forgave the debt, that’s what it cost him. The wages of sin is death, and that still had to be paid off.
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Jesus did that. On the cross. When he died under the burden of our sins. When Jesus said there ‘It is done, it is complete…’ he was saying the bill was paid in full.

‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 6:23)

God’s grace is free to those who receive it, the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. And that’s amazing when you consider just how deep in the red we all would be without it. It’s free to you if you take it, but it’s not cheap. It costs, and Jesus paid that cost on the cross. And, in case there was any doubt that it was paid in full, he rose again from the dead to show that death has no hold on those who are part of his kingdom.

So grace is costly, but Jesus took on our debt, He paid the price, so that we can have it for free. You can have it for free. That’s the promise of the gospel; that’s what it means to follow Jesus. If you trust him, he pays the price for your debt, your sin, and restores your relationship with God.

Grace changes everything

What about Peter’s question? What about the second act of the parable? Jesus wants to show that Grace changes everything.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ (Matthew 18:28-29)

The man who’d just had a huge debt cancelled, went out and found someone who owes him. It’s interesting that the words of the second servant are exactly the same as those the first servant used in this predicament, with one exception, the first servant had rashly promised to pay back everything.
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So how does the first servant respond in the face of this? Does he pay it forward? He does not. ‘But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.’ (Matthew 18:30)

That’s shocking. The fellow servants in the story were shocked and Jesus’ original hearers would be shocked too. The amount of money in the second case was not insignificant, 100 days wages, a bit over £8,000 at minimum wage today. And the first servant was legally entitled to do what he did. Letting the second servant off would have cost him. BUT in the light of what he had just experienced, surely that should change something. 100 Denari wasn’t nothing, but it was trivial compared to 10,000 talents. He was under no legal obligation to forgive, but what about morally and ethically?

Peter wants to know how many times he needs to forgive his brother. As much as seven? When Jesus says seventy-seven, he’s not suggesting Peter should keep a tally and when it gets to seventy-eight that’s it, his obligation is over. Seventy seven in this case represents going way beyond expectations and then some.

Jesus is saying to Peter how much has God forgiven you Peter? Three times? Seven? Seventy seven? An uncountable amount? So, now how much do you think you need to forgive your brother?

Recognising just how much God has forgiven us, just what a cost he has taken on to release us from an unpayable debt, that should be transformative, it should change everything, especially our perspective on those we feel ‘owe’ us.
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Yes, forgiving others costs us, it costs us the opportunity to carry a grudge, the opportunity to extract our due, the opportunity for vengeance. That’s why I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus echoes Lamech here and flips the perspective. Where Cain was promised seven times vengeance, Lamech wanted seventy-seven times. Peter suggests seven times forgiveness, Jesus says no. Seventy-seven times forgiveness

The world tells us, ‘Don’t get mad, get even. Call in your debts. Take what you are owed.’ But Jesus teaches something different. His kingdom is to be different.

Jesus holds out the promise of forgiveness, on an inconceivable scale. But while it is free, it should change you. If you really understand what God has done for you, it will make you recognise the need to forgive others. And if it doesn’t, well, that’s a problem. You can’t properly grasp God’s forgiveness while you are clinging on to your grudges.

And you know what, it isn’t always easy. Forgiving people can be hard, because it comes at a cost. But the ongoing work of the Holy spirit in the hearts of believers is transformational.‌ Forgiving others isn’t a condition of God’s grace, but it should be a result of it working in your heart. And while forgiveness is hard, it’s also a huge relief. Just letting go, handing it all over to God. Recognising that God’s grace is sufficient, and I don’t need to hold on to what this person or that person said or did.

I’m not looking to minimise the hurts some people have gone through. But part of the freedom that comes from being in Christ is being freed from our own sins and the burden of what others have done to us.
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If you’re struggling with that then I would urge you not to let the hardness of forgiveness rob you of your joy. Take it to God in prayer. Be honest with him. It’s not going to be an overnight fix but Jesus says that as we have been shown mercy, so we should show it.

A kingdom of the forgiven, is a kingdom of the forgiving. What a witness to the world that will be for what Jesus has done in our lives.

Sermon: Sunday, 19th May, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Psalm 51

What is your favourite song? Sometimes we love a song for the melody and sometimes for the lyrics; the best songs are strong in both. Sometimes I wish I knew more about the background of certain songs. Why has the songwriter chosen certain phrases? What has happened to him exactly? For some of the 150 psalms we wish we could know the background. But for Psalm 51 we do not have to wonder. The title of the psalm (which is part of the psalm) tells us: ‘A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.’

1. The background of the song

We can read the account in 2 Samuel chapters 11 -12, and so we can understand exactly why King David has so much to confess. He catches sight of a married woman called Bathsheba bathing, and instead of turning his eyes away and praying for help in his temptation, he fixes his gaze and gives in to temptation, with lustful and covetous thoughts. Eventually, David abuses his power, committing adultery. In an attempt to cover up his sin (you never can!) he tries to get Uriah drunk so he thinks the child expected is his – and when that plan does not work, he has Uriah murdered. Uriah is one of the heroes of David’s army – David would have known him. He is not a faceless figure. And so, David had flouted so many of God’s commands: stealing, adultery, lying, coveting and murder.

In 1 Samuel 13:14, David is described as ‘a man after God’s own heart’. Yet, he falls so spectacularly here. What has all of this got to do with us 3000 years later?

It reminds us that all Christians are capable of falling suddenly and deeply into sin. Do you believe that? What are you capable of given the opportunity to sin? It might begin with something in the heart, like a lustful or covetous look which no one else knows about. But left unchecked, and unconfessed to God, this can grow and grow and begin to take a hold of us, leading to greater sins.

We shouldn’t look at David and say, ‘I would never do that.’ We should do the opposite. We have the seeds of all kinds of sins in our hearts. We must always be on our guard. After David murders Uriah, months go by and he seems to be oblivious to how serious his actions have been; he has no conscience about them. David is in a terrible situation: he does not realise his own sinful behaviour. Again, this has direct application to us. It is possible for us to be like that. We have wronged God in many ways. This sin acts as a barrier and we cannot have proper fellowship with God. But we do not realise it. In his grace, God sends his prophet Nathan to expose David’s sin.

Does God seem far away from you or do you feel close to God? If you feel far away, then perhaps your heart is hardened to sin- you don’t even realise how much you have offended God. ‘But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.’ (Isaiah 59:2) You might be a Christian deep in sin without knowing it. You are far from God today. What hope is there for you? David was a believer far from God. He has hope for us in this Psalm. The hope is that ‘… sinners will turn back to you.’ (Psalm 51:13)

The prophet Nathan then tells the story of the rich man who steals the only lamb a poor man has: ‘David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’ (2 Samuel 12:5-7)

God uses his prophet and gives the simple words ‘You are the man!’ to bring David to his senses. He is finally confronted by the reality of his sin. This is a far better place for him to be. Before this, he is ignorant about how much he has offended God. However, now his soul is awakened. He wakes up to the truth about himself. Many people do not want to make this discovery about themselves.

2. Come clean

We know what it means to ‘come clean’ about something- it means to tell the truth about something which you have been keeping a secret. It is to confess something.

What a sea-change in David’s attitude. Before he was just thinking – how can I cover my tracks? But now he is thinking – how could I treat God in this way? He now sees his actions for what they are, filthy, vile behaviours which are almost beyond words.

And yet David does use words to describe them. In fact, he uses three different words for sin. It is as if he discovers new dimensions of the sin in his heart. Each graphic word he uses pictures another heinous aspect of sin.

• Transgressions : Verse 1 – David knows he is a ‘transgressor’. This word means to rebel against the known will of God (summarised in the Ten Commandments). God is the King on the throne, but David is behaving as if he is in charge of the universe. ‘I’ll murder this man so I can have more.’

God’s laws, when followed, lead to a life of love- loving God and loving our neighbours. They are like fences, preventing us from crossing the line and offending almighty God. But David crosses the line again and again. He lies, and steals and commits adultery and covets and murders. He has rebelled against God’s authority and now ‘comes clean’ about this. Friends, it’s so serious to rebel against the holy, just and righteous Creator.

We are just like David. There are many times when we deliberately choose to do things we know are wrong. There is no excuse. When we do that, we are rebelling against the King of the universe.

• Iniquity : Verse 2 – ‘Wash away my iniquity…’ Iniquity = twistedness. Why do we sin? We have a twisted heart. Augustine reflects on stealing pears from another garden- even though his own pears are better. He steals just for the sake of stealing. He sins as he loved sinning more than he loves the ways of God.

I had a compass which was broken, but I didn’t realise that. I tried to navigate in the hill, but I kept going astray. The compass wasn’t set to north as it ought to have been. Actually, our hearts are like that. Everything we think and do is just awry. We have a bias towards doing wrong. We are not good people. We are iniquitous.

• Sin : Verse 3 – ‘My sin is ever before me.’ Sin = missing the mark. We are meant to live for God and so often we live for ourselves. Think of the game of archery. We might try to please God by aiming at the bull’s eye, but the truth is that we don’t even hit the target.

Confession is more than knowing what we have done. It also means knowing who we have done it to. ‘Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.’   (Psalm 51:4) This might be surprising to you. Surely it is Uriah the Hittite David has sinned against the most. After all, he has been murdered. Well, of course, David did sin greatly against Uriah. However, David knows that the commandments he has broken are God’s commandments. The heart of the matter is this: sin is rebellion against God. God makes the rules. And all sin is an affront to Him.

I don’t think we grasp this enough in our Christian walk. If we are rude or cruel or selfish towards someone in our family, then we hurt and offend them, which is a serious business. But the most serious aspect of that behaviour is that we are simultaneously offending God in Heaven. This ought to trouble you more than the fact you have hurt those in your family. Both are significant.

In verse 4, David says: ‘Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.’   This is a sobering verse. It means that all of our sin – whether our thoughts or actions- is done before the all-seeing eyes of God! Imagine your wife was sitting beside you and could see what you were scrolling through and watching on your phone. Would that impact what you looked at? Of course, it would. Well, God is, as it were, always sitting beside you. He sees all you do, and all you think. Think about that. Practice thinking about that. We live before the face of God.

3. Become clean

How does David, filthy as he is from this catalogue of vile sin, become clean? And how can we in all our sin, with our own respective catalogues, become clean?

We must cast ourselves on the mercy of God. ‘Have mercy on me, O God.’   (Psalm 51:1) Mercy, by definition, is something that we do not deserve. ‘If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?’   (Psalm 130:3) To be become clean, we must cry out to God for mercy. Have you done that?

It is nothing short of amazing that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. It is because of his character. God is a God of covenant-love. God has pledged that if we confess our sins to him without excuse, he will have mercy on us. ‘Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.   (Proverbs 28:13) He is the God of great compassion. What a wonderful incentive this is for us to cry out to him for mercy!

Let’s focus on verse 7 for a moment: ‘Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.’   What is going on here? I think that our sin is being compared to an awful skin disease, such as leprosy. We read in Leviticus, that a diseased person must leave the camp for a certain period of time. They will be examined by a priest and if healed, the priest must sacrifice a bird, and using the hyssop plant as a brush, sprinkle blood on the one to be cleansed seven times. ‘Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean.’   (Leviticus 14:7)

So, when David asks God to cleanse him with hyssop, he is acknowledging that his sin is like a terrible skin disease and he desperately needs God to make him clean again, through sacrifice – through someone dying in his place. We know that it is not possible for the blood of animals to take away sin see (Hebrews 10:4) and we know the amazing truth that it is the blood of Jesus which is able to cleanse us from all sin.

As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, know this: we are in this Psalm. If we trust in the death of Jesus, then we have been cleansed with hyssop, not with the blood of a bird, but with the precious blood of Christ. This means that we are whiter than the snow in God’s eyes. Thanks be to God!

4. Restored to usefulness.

After such appalling failure, we might wonder if there was any way back for King David. Likewise, perhaps in your Christian life, you have spectacularly failed others and dishonoured and rebelled against the LORD in the process. Is there any way back for you?

What is the way back? The way back is to pray to the LORD for purity. Pray to him for a clean heart. ‘Create in me a pure heart, O God…’   (Psalm 51:10) This word ‘create’ is really important. You cannot change your own heart. You cannot create that change on your own. But God can create it.

God created the world in six days. Creating is what God does. It is miraculous. The same thing is required if backslidden Christians are going to move forward once again- we need the miracle of God creating a clean heart within us.

John Calvin: “If there is any greater exercise of power than that which brought all things out of nothing, it is that which makes a saint out of a sinner.”

The thing is – God has promised to make saints out of sinners. ‘… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’   (Philippians 1:6)

Let me be blunt. You might be a Christian whose heart has grown cold. You seldom pray and seldom read the Bible. Oftentimes, the way of the world seems more attractive. You might even be living a double life. What should you do? You must confess your sins to God in prayer. You must plead for mercy, based on the death of Christ. And you must ask for God’s power to create a pure heart within.

Do so with this truth ringing in your ears: ‘God can make me useful once again.’

Sermon: Sunday, 31st March, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5

1. Praise God for new birth

‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth…’ (1 Peter 1:3) This new birth is new spiritual life. As we welcome Pete and Stewart into membership as relatively new Christians, it is God we have to thank for the change which taken place inside their hearts. The same goes for our other new members. Of course, for all of us who are born-again Christians, before God changed us, giving us new hearts, our hearts were against God. Who gave us this spiritual life? God! ‘He has given us new birth’. God has caused us to be born again. Were it not for him, we would still be in the darkness of unbelief. As we celebrate Easter, let’s thank God for gifting us spiritual life, and giving it to the others in our church.

When we are born as babies, it wasn’t our doing – it was through our parents, and ultimately the power of God knitting us together in our mothers’ wombs. It is the same spiritually. God is the life-giver. He is the one who gives us our physical life. He is the one who supernaturally, gives us spiritual life. God is doing this all over the place. Today, up in a Montrose, there’s an adult baptism, and a new man whom God has changed. We praise him for this too. As we look ahead to the Leven plant, we look ahead in faith, because God is the one able to create new spiritual life, in places where before it was totally absent. The Kingdom of God is growing, because the King is changing hearts.

Why does God give us this new birth? It’s not because we were good people. It’s not because we were religious. It’s not because we deserved it or earned it somehow. ‘In his great mercy he has given us new birth…’ (1 Peter 1:3) It is a matter of God’s mercy. God’s mercy is far more than him looking sentimentally at humans in all our mess and rebellion. His mercy propels him into action; that action is the sending of his Son into the world to live for us and to die for us. His mercy is great indeed. It is costly and it is transformative.

What has this new birth, this new spiritual life, got to do with Easter? Well, Jesus rose from the dead, and because we are united to him by faith, spiritually speaking, we have also been raised with him. It’s like Jesus is the world’s best rock climber, and Christians who trust in him are clipped onto his rope. That means what happens to him, happens to us. We are attached to him. He conquers death in the resurrection and we are joined to him, so we share in that victory too.

Edmund Clowney: ‘By the resurrection of Christ, God has given life not only to him, but to us.’

All Christians in this room have this everlasting power at work in us, because we are attached to Christ. Praise God!

Westminster Larger Catechism.
Q. 75: What is sanctification?
A. 75: Sanctification is a work of God’s grace by which those whom God has chosen to be holy before the foundation of the world are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ to them, are renewed in their whole person after the image of God. The seeds of repentance that leads to life and all the other saving graces are put into their hearts, and those graces are stirred up, increased, and strengthened, so that they more and more die to sin, and rise to newness of life.

When you look at Christians, there’s something inside them invisible to the human eye, but which is very real. The power of God is at work in us. That doesn’t mean we are perfect yet, or stop sinning, or that we aren’t hypocritical sometimes. We are. But the power of God, like yeast in a dough, is at work in us, giving us new desires and new inclinations- ones which seek to please God and follow him. This life-giving power is resurrection power. Jesus’ resurrection is our resurrection.

2. Praise God for new hope

‘In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…’ (1 Peter 1:3)

Hope is an enormously important word. I want us to remind ourselves the difference between how we normally use the word ‘hope’ and how the Bible uses this word, which is completely different. In normal usage, hope means: ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I hope it happens.’ I hope the summer holidays will be hot, but I’ve no certainty about that. I hope Rangers win the league, but I’ve got even less certainty about that. I hope the drugs problem in Kirkcaldy lessens but there is no guarantee that it won’t get worse. When we use the word ‘hope’ in this way, we don’t always expect to receive what we hope for. We might hope our children grow up to be healthy and happy, but there is no certainty about that.

Christian hope is so different that we have to see it as a whole new concept. Christian hope is never wishful thinking.

John Piper: ‘Christian hope is when God has promised that something is going to happen and you put your trust in that promise. Christian hope is a confidence that something will come to pass because God has promised it will come to pass.’

So, when Peter speaks in verse 3 of the ‘living hope’ which Christians enjoy, he is speaking about the certain promise Christians have of receiving God’s forgiveness and eternal life in Heaven for ever and ever. One of the most wonderful things about being a Christian is this: we can look at the present and look into the future and know that not only is everything going to be ok, but everything is going to be breathtakingly good, both in this life, and especially in the life to come in Heaven.

Sadly, most people don’t have this kind of hope for life after death. The daughter of one of my friends asked her mother: ‘What happens when we die?’ The mother was not a Christian and so gave a hopeless answer, saying that death is really painful and hard, and we just need to get on with trying to have positive experiences in life to distract ourselves from the fact that it will all end one day. That’s extremely sad. She had no hope for life after death. She is openly and sincerely distracting herself from the thought of death.

One of my friend’s lost her mother, and a few of us began speaking about what happens when you die – it wasn’t me who brought the topic up! One person said they thought that whatever we believed was going to happen would happen! This is an extreme form of wishful thinking. So, if I wish that after death, I’d be playing golf, or fishing, or be reunited with a loved one or be walking in a lush meadow, that’s true for me, based on what I wish for. Or if you believe you will be reincarnated, then that’s what will happen to you. Of course, this doesn’t make any sense. I said, the only hope for life after death is to trust in Jesus, because he’s the only one to have died, and to come back to life again, demonstrating he is God and stronger than death. It is tragic that so many people ignore God for their whole lives, and yet have a false hope that they will be in Heaven.

This morning, I don’t want us to have a false hope. I don’t want us to have just wishful thinking. I don’t want us to have hopelessness or dead hope. The Apostle Paul thinks back to what we were like before we became Christians and says: ‘… remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.’ (Ephesians 2:12) Friends, without Jesus there is no hope. There is no hope of forgiveness from God and there is no hope of eternal life. The opposite is also true. When we trust in Jesus, we become people who have cast-iron hope. Today is Easter Sunday; let’s praise our great God for the hope he has bestowed to us.

All hope without God is just temporary and fleeting. We might hope for a good retirement, but we don’t know how long we will live for, and might lose our health, spoiling our retirement. And eventually, we will die, and ours hopes for retirement also die.

Warren Wiersbe: ‘Time destroys most hopes; they fade and then die. But the passing of time only makes a Christian’s hope that much more glorious.’

We have a living hope that doesn’t vanish with death. It’s a living hope with the strongest of foundations – the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In other words, because he rose from the dead, when we die, we will also rise to eternal life one day. ‘But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.’ (1 Corinthians 15:20-22) Hope is only good if it is solid and real. Easter hope is solid and real.

Jesus truly rose from the grave. Had you been there at the time, you could have looked into the empty tomb. This means that God the Father accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. And it also means that united to Jesus, we will rise again one day. The resurrection is the foundation of our hope.

3. Praise God for new security

Many things in life have little or no security. For example, many people have paid into their pensions in good faith, only to find out that their pension fund has dropped so dramatically that they have far less money to retire with. I remember booking a youth hostel in Budapest and received my reservation. However, on arrival I discovered I had no room, as 10,000 Jehovah Witnesses were on a mission in Budapest and the youth hostel had given them all their reservations. I was doubly upset. One of my friends from South Africa left the country because of the lack of security there. He was burgled again and again, in spite of an elaborate security system.

But we have ‘Easter security’ in this passage. God says that we have an inheritance which (verse 4) is ‘kept in Heaven’ for us. Our everlasting inheritance is safe and secure because God is watching it for us. He never cancels a reservation. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us and that’s a promise. We’re told it is an inheritance that can never: ‘perish, spoil or fade’.

All human inheritances will eventually run out or be destroyed, but not our heavenly one. No sin will be able to spoil being part of the new creation, because all sin will have been banished. The joys and experiences of this eternal life will never fade in beauty or lose their wonder. And it is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead which secures his people both new spiritual bodies in the life to come, and new spiritual life in our souls, which has already begun. The inheritance of the Israelites was the Promised Land; however, through their sin and eventual exile from the land, it did not last. In contrast, our inheritance is reserved for us by God himself.

There’s something else. Not only does God keep our inheritance for us, he keeps us for our inheritance. ‘This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.’ (1 Peter 1:4-5) In other words, God is continually guarding his people. He is stopping us from leaving him, when we are tempted to do so. And he is protecting us from the attacks of the evil one.

Imagine you had a cheque for 10 million which was post-dated and could be cashed 10 years from now. Would it make a difference to your life now? Of course, it would. You’d have a spring in your step knowing what was ahead. It would keep you going when times were tough. The promise of the Promised Land kept the Israelites going in the wilderness. Friends, we have something much better that any large cheque or even the Promised Land. We have the new earth to look forward to, with Christ and all his people, ready to be revealed at the ‘last time’ (verse 5).

I was reading 2 articles on hope.

Jason Helopoulos: ‘I think much of the apathy and immaturity of Christians today stems from a lack of hope. Hope doesn’t shape our theology and life enough. Our minds remain caught up with things here because they aren’t caught up with things there. Maybe it’s because we think our heavenly hope is only possible or even probable, but not assured.’

John Piper: ‘… hope is the birthplace of Christian self-sacrificing love. That’s because we just let God take care of us and aren’t preoccupied with having to work to take care of ourselves. We say, “Lord, I just want to be there for other people tomorrow, because you’re going to be there for me.” If we don’t have the hope that Christ is for us then we will be engaged in self-preservation and self-enhancement. But if we let ourselves be taken care of by God for the future – whether five minutes or five centuries from now — then we can be free to love others.’

That’s fascinating. Christian hope gives birth to love. Paul write in Colossians, ‘We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people – the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven…’ (Colossians 1:4-5) This Easter, let’s grip onto this fact: Jesus has died for us and has been raised for us. This gives us a living hope. We don’t have to live grasping, selfish lives. We have a glorious inheritance to look forward to. May this set us free to live for others, and ultimately to live for God himself.

‘And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.’ (2 Corinthians 5:15)

Sermon: Sunday, 18th February, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Acts 7

Here we have the account of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Like Jesus, he is falsely accused and sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin, in their kangaroo court. This is a gruesome death; he is dragged out of the city and stoned. At first, it all seems so unfair. What kind of a man is Stephen? He’s described in chapter 6 as a man ‘full of faith and the Holy Spirit’, and a man ‘full of God’s grace and power’. Why did they hate him so much? Because he was a follower of Jesus and taught others that we can only know God through a relationship with Jesus. He taught that Jesus is the only Saviour who can save us from our sins. People don’t like to be told about their sins and need to be saved! But he was absolutely right. Stephen knew that Jesus is God’s long-promised king, and had risen from the dead. Some of the Jews, however, would not believe that Jesus was the Christ, even though Stephen proved this from the Bible, and even backed it up with signs and wonders. They can’t beat Stephen in a debate, so what are they going to do? They decide to round up some false witnesses and accuse Stephen of blasphemy. This is an enormously serious charge, coming with a death sentence.

Now Stephen is on trial for his life. Even before he gives his defence, we’re told (Acts 6:15) that his face was like that of an angel. This should have made it obvious to the court that the favour of God rested on him, as it had done on Moses, whose face also radiated from the presence of God. Stephen knows that it’s likely he could die, yet he does not hold back with the truth. In a magnificent speech, he keeps on witnessing to Jesus. Everything he says is true. However, rather than repenting and putting their trust in Jesus, the Sanhedrin are fuming, and remain convinced that Stephen is a blasphemer, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. And so, they stone him.

1. Should we feel sorry for Stephen?

Should we be angry with God for letting this exceptionally gifted and loving man face such an awful death? What on earth is God doing, we might think? Don’t feel sorry for Stephen! God always knows what he is doing, even in the middle of massive suffering, such as Stephen faces here. If this world is all there is, then yes, feel sorry for him. But life is short and eternity is long, and it is only those who trust in Jesus who will be welcomed into Heaven.

Heaven is not the place for those who think they have lived a good life, but the place for those who trust that Jesus died to clean them of all their sin. God gives Stephen a wonderful vision of the triune before he dies: But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.’ (Acts 7:55) These things are normally unseen. As the first martyr, God is assuring Stephen that he is with him in his suffering and will welcome his warmly into his eternal home. Stephen is about to go to Heaven. We ought to feel sorry for are the Sanhedrin, who refuse to believe Jesus is King. They remain under God’s judgment because they refuse to accept God’s rightful King.

What about you? Have you accepted Jesus as your rightful King? Jesus is God, and as Stephen was privileged to see, is now ruling and reigning from Heaven, and will one day come back again to judge the world. Stephen entrusts himself to Jesus: ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’ he says. There is no better thing for us to do than entrust our lives to King Jesus. Who else can deal with our deaths?

Should we feel sorry for Stephen? Stephen knows that ultimately it doesn’t matter what the Sanhedrin think of him, or anyone else. What matters is God’s assessment of our lives. Eternity hinges on this. What the Creator thinks of how you are living is the crucial thing. Stephen is ready.

2. Stephen’s death is not wasted

God never wastes anything. We normally have turkey at Christmas time, and I can assure you that nothing is wasted. After Christian we have turkey pie and turkey curry and the odd turkey sandwich. Nothing is wasted. God never wastes any of our experiences. Even our suffering, perhaps especially our suffering is used wonderfully in his expert hands, even though we usually don’t understand how or why at the time. But we read in Acts 8:1 that Stephen’s death is a turning point, ushering in a time of persecution for the church. That is not wasted. ‘Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.’(Acts 8:4)

Stephen’s death is a catalyst for the gospel moving out further and further. How marvellous. Note that the Christians who are forced to flee their homes carry on speaking to others about Jesus wherever they go. We won’t stop telling people about Jesus: it’s too important to keep quiet about. He’s the only one who can save us from Hell and death.

We also read that Saul approved of the stoning of Stephen. However, listening to Stephen’s speech and watching how he died, even praying for his enemies as Jesus had done, must have had a profound impact on Saul. It’s highly likely God used this to bring Saul to faith, who would become known as Paul and become one of the most influential Christians of all time. Nothing is wasted in God’s hands. Persecution and suffering are never wasted. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. New life springs from Stephen’s death. Listen to what God says to all Christians: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ (Romans 8:38) All things work for our good.

Let’s spend the rest of our time focusing on the key features of Stephen’s speech. As he stands on trial, let’s remind ourselves what he has been falsely accused of; speaking blasphemous words against both Moses and against God. They accuse him of speaking against the temple and the law. Quite remarkably, Stephen turns things upside down, accusing the Sanhedrin as being the ones who are guilty. His long speech might seem strange to us, as he gives a Bible overview. He focuses on three things: the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph; the time of Moses and the giving of the law; and finally, the place of the tabernacle in temple amongst the people. Let’s consider the main lessons using some school subjects as our headings.

3. Geography

Through a geography lesson, Stephen corrects the wrong view the Sanhedrin have of the temple, by telling them that God’s presence is not limited. The Sanhedrin have come to idolise the temple. Of course, the temple was a place God had given the people where he would meet with his people in a special way. It was a place where, through sacrifices, sinful people could come before a holy God. But the temple was never meant to be permanent. In fact, it was like a signpost pointing to something much better, when God’s presence would be known not in a building, but in a person – the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both God and man.

In a sense, the temple was like scaffolding. It was never meant to be permanent. It was there for a time until the finished thing under the scaffolding would be revealed. And the person revealed was Jesus. He was the great and final sacrifice, so the temple was not needed any more. But the Jews idolised the scaffolding and ignored the real thing. The idolised the sign, and ignored what the sign pointed to Jesus.

Think about geography now. Where was God’s presence revealed to God’s people? Just in the temple? No! ‘The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia.’ (Acts 7:2) Mesopotamia is a foreign land!

Where else is God’s presence felt? ‘Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him…’ (Acts 7:9) God is with Joseph in Egypt.

And another place – Sinai in the desert. God reveals himself in a burning bush: ‘Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ (Acts 7:33) The temple is not the only holy place. Wherever God is, that is a holy place!

And even when the temple was built, it did not contain or limit God. ‘48 ‘However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’ (Acts 7:49-50)

‘Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.’ (Psalm 139:7-8)

God is everywhere. The Sanhedrin were wrong about the temple. By his death, the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus has done away with the need of animal sacrifice.

That’s why when Jesus died, the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom, to indicate that the temple was no longer needed. Stephen was not speaking against the temple, but was merely recognising the truth that it was always going to be temporary, and that now, worship is not about a special place, but a special person, the Lord Jesus Christ. There are no holy places. God cannot be contained. Do you want to meet with God today? We do that by meeting with Jesus in the Bible!

4. History

What does history teach us? It teaches us that God’s prophets have always been rejected. Stephen has been accused of rejecting God’s law- his Word. Again, Stephen turns this around and says, in effect, you are the ones who have rejected God’s Word, not me. They have rejected and killed Jesus, God’s ultimate Saviour.

Think back to Joseph, whom God raised up to save his people from starvation. He was rejected by his eleven brothers and sold into slavery. Think of Moses, whom God raised up to save the people from slavery in Egypt. How was he treated? ‘But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.’ (Acts 7:39)

And worst of all, the people have now rejected the Son of God. ‘Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One.’ (Acts 7:52) What a track record!

The Sanhedrin rejected Jesus and his message, but God vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead. So, what does history teach us? There is a strong pattern. Israel’s leaders have a long and sad history of rejecting God’s appointed prophets. And the huge irony is, they accuse Stephen of speaking against Moses, but what did Moses say? ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’ (Acts 7:37) The one the Sanhedrin rejected, Jesus, is the one Moses himself said God would send. This begs the question, if the Sanhedrin rejected the one whom Moses foretold, who is really guilty of blasphemy against Moses?

What can you learn from this history? Whatever you do, don’t reject Jesus’ offer to save you and transform your life. Receive him as your King. Do not reject him. This is extremely serious. The Psalmist gives us both a warning and beautiful promise: ‘Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.’ (Psalm 2:12)

5. Religious and Moral Education

This is a subject in schools which is often treated lightly by schools and pupils alike. Yet, it is more important than Maths, English or languages, in that it encourages us to think about the big questions in life, such as: what is the meaning of life? Why we are here? Is there a God? And how can we be forgiven? The problem that Sanhedrin have is the problem that each one of us in this room has; ‘… you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.’ (Acts 7:53)

One of the most important Religious and Moral Education lessons we need in Scotland today is that when it comes to God’s law, summarised by the 10 commandments, we have all fallen short and need God’s forgiveness. When we realise our guilt before God, we need to repent and trust in Jesus. But what do we read about the Sanhedrin? They are a stiff-necked people (verse 51). Even though they have been shown to be wrong, they cling on to their idolatry of the temple, and to their own self-righteousness and refuse to change. Do not be like them!

And what is their worst mistake? They have betrayed and murdered Jesus, the Righteous One. They rejected the very person who was sent to rescue them. That’s like a drowning man refusing to hold on to a life ring. ‘He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.’ (John 1:11) Yet what does the next verse say? ‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.’ (John 1:12)

What will you do with Jesus?

Sermon: Sunday, 11 February, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Titus 3:1-8

1. Christians are called to be good citizens

You might find this odd at first, but I’d like us to begin our communion service with the reminder from God that we are called to be good citizens in Scotland. Christians should be those who pay their taxes, who respect their politicians and the police, and who are keen to make a positive contribution to society. We are not called to withdraw society and live like monks. Quite the opposite. We are salt which needs to be rubbed into the structures of society to make things better. ‘Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good…’(Titis 3:1)

We have a responsibility to submit to the leaders of the country, unless they ask us to do something explicitly against the commands of God. And Paul says more than that. We also have a responsibility to behave thoughtfully to all the people in our communities. How should we behave at work? How should we speak to neighbours or to the staff in supermarkets? ‘Slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle towards everyone.’ (Titus 1:2)

This begs the question; is that how you speak to your work colleagues? Do you join in with staff gossip, or with complaining about the boss when she isn’t there? Are you ever pushy at work? Do you treat everyone with the respect, even when they don’t treat you like that? Of course, this isn’t always easy. If we’re honest, sometimes our thinking is the opposite of what God is saying here. We might think, for example, ‘My boss doesn’t deserve respect.’ and use that as an excuse to speak badly of her. We tend to respect others only if they treat us the way we want. But that is not what God is saying here. He says: ‘Show perfect courtesy towards all people.’ (Titus 1:2) If others are behaving badly, we don’t stoop to that level, but continue to show gentleness and love.

Paul is speaking to the Christians in Crete. Cretans were known to be wild and turbulent people. It would not have been easy for them to respect their Roman authorities; they didn’t want to be ruled by Rome. And yet, something is transforming them into responsible, law-abiding citizens. Can you imagine the impact this must have had on ordinary Cretan communities, as more and more Christians begin to behave in a far more positive way to most others. They must have thought, ‘What has happened to these people?’

That’s what we want others to think of us. We live in a culture which, with every passing year, seems to respect authority less and less. Generally, people speak badly of politicians. The workplace can be full of gossip, selfish attitudes, power struggles and jealousy. We are called to be different. Why? What’s the reason? We see the reason in verse 3. The ESV rightly includes the word ‘for’ at the beginning, as Paul is giving the reason for being good citizens, even to those who don’t deserve it.

The reason is the gospel. In effect, Paul says, ‘Think back to what you used to be like before God broke into your lives. Your lives were a mess. You didn’t deserve to be rescued by God. And yet out of mercy he gave you a new heart and sent Christ into the world to die for us.’

We are what we are by the grace of God. Remember that every day. This will keep you humble! We help others in our communities, even when they don’t deserve it, because that is exactly how God treated us when we didn’t deserve it. In other words, true conversion should make a difference to how we treat others. We’ve been treated by God with grace and so we, in turn, must treat others with grace.

Is that how you think when you see difficult people at work? This is challenging. The gospel must change our behaviour. Our behaviour flows out of what we believe. Let’s home in on the gospel now, and be reminded why we ought to be good citizens.

2. What we were saved from

Verse 3 reminds us of our condition before God changed our hearts. This is an ugly description. But we must think about it often, because it’s only by remembering what we were like that we appreciate just how enormous God’s mercy is. This is God’s assessment of the human race: ‘At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.’ (Titus 3:3) Were we really that bad? Yes! That’s why our only hope was if God saved us.

God says we were foolish. This is not speaking about our intelligence. It’s saying that, when it came to spiritual things, we were unable to grasp even simple things. ‘They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.’ (Ephesians 4:18) This is a true description of ordinary people. They might hear about Jesus and the cross and sin and judgement but it just doesn’t sink in. It doesn’t resonate. It’s like a foreign language, until the Lord gives understanding.

We were disobedient. This disobedience has a vertical component, as we have all disobeyed God’s laws, and failed to love him. We have also disobeyed our parents and others in authority over us. There is something about humans which is naturally disobedient. For example, do you have to teach a child to be disobedient?

Next, we are told that we were: ‘… deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.’ I think many people would protest about God’s description of them. Deceived? But we are! Just like Eve listened to Satan, and thought that disobeying God’s ways would lead to pleasure and freedom, people today think in the same way. We deceive ourselves into thinking that living for ourselves will bring freedom, when it only leads to slavery.

Rather than living for God, we live for work and status, material possessions and family, pleasure and health. This is a tragedy, because these things actually enslave and dominate us, and bring no lasting satisfaction or meaning to life. It’s easy to see those who are slaves to drugs or alcohol, gambling or sex. But perhaps you are a slave to something more subtle. Perhaps you are a slave to pleasing someone else, or a slave to money and the things which it can buy. But money cannot give you love or purpose or meaning. And it cannot buy you forgiveness. Only God can forgive.

We needed to be saved because we lived: ‘… in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.’ Malice is when we want something bad to happen to others. Envy is when we are jealous when something good happens to others. Be honest, are you a total stranger to these thoughts? What about when someone else is praised in front of you, and there’s a little voice thinking, ‘What about me?’ Or what about when someone else gets new car. Or receives the promotion we wanted. There are people you found yourself hating and there are people who hate you. This is why the world is such a mess. This is why we need a Saviour. Left to ourselves, we go ever more deeply into these sins.

“We would have plumbed the depths of our wickedness, had not God stretched out his hand and kept us from many evils, and brought us to his Son.” (John Calvin)

Think of the businessman away from his wife and kids on a trip. He thinks no one sees. He goes to the bar and puts his wedding ring in his pocket. All of a sudden being faithful doesn’t seem important. Think of what the average person watches on TV when they’re alone. Think of the teacher stepping out of the classroom for two minutes and the bullying which suddenly erupts. Think of the hateful comments on social media, when people hide behind their screens and what they really think comes gushing out, and it is often unpleasant. Of course, God sees it all.

Let’s say that we accept that the world is in a mess. We agree that there is much hatred and discord in the world. Why does the Bible speak about this theme so much, if we’re all in the same boat? It’s because all of us are accountable to God for how we live our lives, and one day will stand before him. ‘…it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement…’ (Hebrews 9:27)

The truth is, God is holy and will not overlook your sin or mine. Would he be just and fair if he just let people off for all their wickedness? Because our sins are so offensive to God, and because he is totally just, he must deal with all our wrongdoing. He must and he will. What does this mean? It means that without Jesus, the human race is in serious trouble, and desperately needs to be saved.

If you’re not a Christian yet, your greatest need is not money or work or a new group of friends. Your greatest need is to be rescued from God’s wrath and anger. You need a Saviour.

3. What is the reason for our salvation?

Why does God save us? If you are a Christian already this morning, why did God save you? Paul begins with the negative. He says it was: ‘not because of righteous things we had done.’ (Titus 3:5) In other words, we cannot earn our own salvation.

If someone asked you to write down the reason why God should let you into Heaven, what would you write? If any of your answers included what you have done, then score them out! They’re no use. So why does God save? ‘He he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.’ (Titus 3:5) The reason God saves us is down to his loving character. ‘But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared…’ (Titus 3:4) The reason God gives is his merciful character. Let’s never forget that. Let’s sing with gusto when we sing: ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’

If you’re a Christian this morning, what do you have to boast about? Nothing. All the credit goes to God. All the glory goes to God. He did it all. He paid your debt on the cross because of his love and mercy and kindness and goodness. ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ (2 Corinthians 10:17) As we take communion, let us rejoice in the mercy of God.

We ought to be impressed at the love and mercy of God. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave…’ (John 3:16) and the world that God loved was a world full of wickedness. It’s amazing that he offers everyone in the world a pathway to escape the judgment they deserve.

4. How does God save us?

God saves us in a radical way: ‘He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit…’ (Titus 3:5) What does this mean? It means that by the power of the Holy Spirit, God washes away our guilt with the blood of Jesus. He removes our dysfunctional hearts and replaces them with new hearts, hearts that love him and his ways.

This is something supernatural. God actually makes us new people. We become new creations. We are born again. In theological language, we call this regeneration. That’s why Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘Truly, truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ (John 3:3) You cannot be saved in a more radical way than that. It has to be this way, because our hearts just don’t work properly without God’s intervention. He must step in and change us.

This reminds me of a passage in Ezekiel, ‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’ (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

Who needs the washing of the Holy Spirit? It’s dirty people who need that. And it is those who are spiritually dead who need to be born again, born from above, through the power of God. The good news is that there is one who raises the spiritually dead and cleanses our sins.

5. The results of our salvation

God gives us the gift of faith. And that means (verse 7) that we are justified. This is a legal term. We now stand before God as Judge and his verdict is ‘Not guilty’. God’s washing away of our sins is so complete and comprehensive that our past failures are gone forever. And he clothes us in the goodness of Jesus.

As soon as we throw ourselves onto Jesus for mercy, we are as righteous as we’re ever going to be, even in Heaven. We’re as righteous in God’s sight as Jesus is. We can’t get any more righteous. This ought to put a spring in our step.

If that’s not wonderful enough, we also (verse 7) become heirs of eternal life. We have this life now. Let’s go back to where we started. God has treated us with such amazing grace – this is the gospel. This truth is the hub of all our spiritual growth; we never move beyond it. We return to it again and again. Because God has treated you in this way, he wants you to treat those in your communities with grace.

Sermon: Sunday, 28 January, 2024
Speaker: Alistair Donald
Scripture: Revelation 12

Have you ever asked yourself why it’s sometimes so hard to live a consistent Christian life? How come I am sometimes so lazy with Bible reading and prayer? Why do I get such a hard time from friends and neighbours – and even from family – when I take even the most tentative steps to sharing my faith in Jesus?

The answer, as Paul laid out clearly to the church in Ephesus, is that we’re engaged in spiritual battle against an enemy that is hard to pin down, because it’s an enemy that’s unseen: ‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ (Ephesians 6:12) If we don’t grasp the force of this, then we’ll slide into living lives of compromise and spiritual flabbiness. We won’t grow as Christians. If we don’t wear the well-known spiritual armour listed by Paul – the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and so on – then we simply won’t be in the fight at all. So, Christians are called on to opt out of being spiritual wimps, and get with the fight!

But what do the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms look like, and can we any make meaningful impact on them? That’s where our Bible reading comes in – Revelation chapter 12. Now, in order to orient ourselves, there are a couple of things to say about the Book of Revelation.

Firstly, it’s not an easy book to understand. But that doesn’t mean we should just downplay it. Doing that would mean depriving ourselves of an important part of God’s Word – what’s meant to be a great encouragement to believers, especially at times of opposition to the Christian faith. We read reports from time to time of someone finding a great work of art up in their loft. It’s been ignored for years, with the owner not realising that it’s a painting by one of the great masters. Well, this book is inspired by the greatest Master, and we are the ones who miss out if we put it away to the attic of our minds.

Secondly, it’s a type of writing with which we’re pretty unfamiliar. We know the difference between prose and poetry, both of which are in the Bible. But this is a different category of writing, hence its strangeness. It’s called ‘apocalyptic.’ Those who first read the book in the early church would have been familiar enough with its style: they would have known the Book of Daniel well. You may remember that the first 6 chapters of that book are fairly easy to follow – the various trials of Daniel and his friends. But chapters 7-12 are quite different as they are in this ‘apocalyptic’ style. The archangel Michael, described by Daniel as the protector of the people of God, makes a symbolic appearance there at the end of the book, as he does here in Revelation chapter 12. And that’s our clue for understanding the Book of Revelation.

This book may have become a playground of the Cults, and subject to all kinds of weird timetabling about the end of the world and so on. But its real purpose is simply one of encouragement in times of trial and persecution, using fantastical picture-language instead of straight prose or poetry. It’s there to help us understand what’s really going on ‘behind the scenes’ in the unseen world. Today’s passage is at the centre of the Book and is really quite key to its overall message.
You’ll probably be aware that the start of the book (chapters 2 and 3) consists of 7 letters from the risen Lord Jesus to 7 churches in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. They’re usually thought of as a kind of Prologue to the rest of the book. But I think the late Professor Jim Packer was right to say, it’s the other way round: Rather than being a Prologue to the rest of the book, the letters are the main thing. They describe the various problems that can arise in any church in any age – lukewarmness, pride, materialism, immorality and so on. The rest of the book can then be seen as a kind of long Appendix to the 7 letters – to explain the spiritual nature of the battle that’s going on behind the scenes when spiritual problems in churches arise.

Who’s in Revelation chapter 12?

We’re introduced to the various players in this heavenly drama. We read that a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. This woman is pregnant and she gives birth to a son, a male child, described as one who will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre – the very words used in Psalm 2, the Messianic Psalm which the New Testament writers ascribe with confidence to Jesus. So if the man-child is Jesus, doesn’t that mean the woman is Mary? No, because that’s not the way Apocalyptic writings work. The woman is not Mary!

The clue as to her identity is that she’s clothed with the sun, moon and stars. Back in Genesis, Joseph shares his dream with his unreceptive brothers. He tells them that the sun, moon and 11 stars were bowing before him in the dream, representing his mother, father and the brothers who in due course became the tribes of Israel. So the woman clothed with the sun, moon and stars stands as a symbol for Old Testament Israel, the covenant people of God. It was this people who ‘gave birth’ to the Messiah. Later on in the chapter, the woman also represents the covenant people of God today, the Church.

And then there’s another player a sinister one: An enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. We’re told exactly who the dragon represents: the ancient snake called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. And the whole world is being led astray, isn’t it? All the wars… all the destruction… all the violence… all the greed. Anyone can see that this is not the way it’s meant to be! The dragon is powerful – the 7 heads with 7 crowns symbolise his authority as ‘Prince of this world’ (as Paul calls him), and the 10 horns symbolise that he deploys this authority with very great strength – although not universal strength as only one third of the stars are swept out of the sky in this picture-language, not the whole lot.

And we might well wonder: Can we Christians really overcome such a foe? Yes we can! But in the meantime, we’re confronted with the grotesque image where the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. This of course reminds us of how the life of the infant Jesus was nearly snuffed out by King Herod, in one of the more stark passages in the early chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. And then in this chapter the fast-forward button is pressed, so that we move straight from Bethlehem to the Ascension : ‘And the child was snatched up to God and to his throne.’ (Revelation 12:5)

Meanwhile, the woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared by God for her, where she might be taken care of for a specified time – that’s all that 1,260 days means here. (Technical note: time, times and half a time stands of 2½ years, same as 1,260 days! – not a literal time, since all the numbers in Revelation are symbolic not literal. The point is that there will be periods of safety in the history of the church, as well as periods of persecution.)

And God does protect his church! She may be persecuted from time to time, but as Jesus himself said: ‘The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ (Matthew 16:18) And so in verses 1-6, we’ve seen the background as to why we Christians often face struggles in our faith, or even outright opposition. We’re in a spiritual battle. From verse 7 onwards, we see how this plays out first in heaven and then here on earth, a battle which is always in play during the entire Christian era, and will be until Jesus comes again at the end of the age.

Spiritual warfare in heaven

It may seem strange that war breaks out in heaven, with the archangel Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. What’s the devil doing in heaven at all? Surely Satan can’t be in heaven? Well, Satan is traditionally thought of as an angel who rebelled and fell from grace, and Jesus did say, ‘I saw Satan fall from heaven.’ (Luke 10:18) But perhaps we should understand the location as ‘the heavenly realms’, meaning the unseen world of spiritual warfare between good and evil. C.S Lewis famously wrote in his book, The Screwtape Letters, that there are two mistakes the human race makes about devils: One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.

The forces of evil in this world are real enough, and the Bible tells us that behind it all is a malign being who opposes God and all that is precious to him – especially the Church. But that being is not somehow equal in strength to God. No, for in the words of our passage, the dragon was not strong enough and he lost his place in heaven, instead being hurled down to the earth. That in itself is cause to pause and worship, as often happens in the Book of Revelation where John breaks off to say this: I heard a voice in heaven say, ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.’ (Revelation 12:10)

We may be more familiar with the similar wording in the previous Chapter immortalised the words of Handel’s Messiah: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever. Now that clearly refers to the second coming of Christ at the end of time, but this reference in Chapter 12 refers to his first coming because it centres on the death of Jesus on the cross. ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down.’ (Revelation 12:10)

You know that little voice inside that tells you that you’re no good as a Christian? The one that niggles away at you, saying what a waste of space you are in the church? That’s the Accuser, the devil or Satan, who also accused Job before you. But the Accuser has been hurled down! Don’t listen to him! Resist the Devil and he will flee, as James wisely said in his letter. How do Christians triumph over the Accuser? It’s written right here in v11: They overcame him by the blood of the lamb… and by the word of their testimony. ‘The blood of the lamb’ simply being the symbolic picture of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, for our sins.

How often do we have to keep coming back to the cross? Every day. As some old Christian writers used to say,’Keep short accounts with God.’ In other words, don’t run up a whole pile of unconfessed sin. Keep going back to the cross. That’s the way we get our sins forgiven and that’s the way we resist the voice of the Accuser. They triumphed over him, by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. Ah yes. Our testimony. Being witnesses to the Lord Jesus to those who don’t know him. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this ever gets easier. They triumphed over him, by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! But then some less welcome news for us: But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

Spiritual warfare on earth

That explains a lot about what’s happening to our fellow Christians in many parts of the world. In Nigeria, just in the past few weeks, terrible things have happened that you won’t hear about on the TV news: Since Christmas, hundreds of Christians have been murdered in Nigeria; A Christian pastor murdered, his wife abducted and a ransom demanded; 5 Christian girls prevented by Sharia police from going to church. What’s going on? The dragon is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. The suffering of believers, though real and painful, and inflicted by powerful opponents, are just symptoms of the Dragon’s desperation.

Now here in Scotland, we don’t face persecution on that scale. But is it impossible for us to imagine that we might every face something similar? The message of Revelation 12 is that we should be ready if it ever comes to that. But the Christian faith certainly faces other aspects of hostility from many quarters in this country at the present time. How come any religion or ideology seems to get a free pass in modern Scotland, with the sole exception of Christianity? Surely this too should not surprise us, if we pay attention to the message of this Chapter of God’s word?

The final few verses just replay in a bit more detail what we’ve already seen. The dragon pursues the woman, which we can think of here as the Church. But she gets taken care of, escaping on a giant eagle. This figure of speech goes right back to Mt Sinai, where God reminds the people, ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.’ (Exodus 19:4) The woman is flown to a place of safety in the wilderness, out of the reach of her pursuer, for a specified time (2½ years) but again – a remember not a literal time. Just a specified, limited time). You’ll see that the dragon is now referred to the snake.

And he’s not finished with the woman yet. From his mouth the snake spewed water like a river. What comes out of the mouth? Words. In this case, the devil’s lies, trying to sweep the woman away with his torrent of lies. The lie that a Christian lives a stunted and restrictive life – when the truth is that only the Christian knows true freedom from sin and selfishness; the lie that the church will just die out, as its detractors fondly hope – when the truth is that Jesus has promised that the very gates of hell shall not prevail against it. But the torrent of lies doesn’t sweep the woman away, as the earth opens up to contain the flood. And neither should we let the Devil’s lies get to us! The final image is that the serpent-dragon is enraged at the woman – who remember, is the covenant community of faith – and goes off to wage war against the rest of her offspring. Who now might that be? Those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. And that would be you and me.

So what do we learn from the extravagant imagery of this chapter? That spiritual warfare is real. If we deny that, we’re deluding ourselves. There is an unseen realm behind our daily living, which Paul correctly describes as involving spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Sometimes the opposition to the Gospel is violent and murderous. This helps us understand what’s going on in some parts of the world today, where the church appears to be on the back foot, in retreat. The devil is filled with fury, but he knows that his time is short.

Spiritual warfare comes to every Christian. All of us at times are weighed down by thoughts that we’re not much good at Christian living. We need to remember that the Accuser is on our case – but resist the devil and he will flee!

Finally, all spiritual warfare comes down to remembering the central place of the Cross. This is how we overcome the evil one: They triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And may that be true of all of us.

Sermon: Sunday, 31st December, 2023
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

We are about to start new year. It is a natural time for us to reflect on how we’ve been doing spiritually during the year we are leaving behind, and also to plan the way ahead for the months to come. In other words, we need to take stock. We need to put ourselves through a spiritual MOT. The government forces us to do this with our cars annually; I’m asking you to do this voluntarily. As with our cars, this takes a bit of effort and there will be a price to pay. However, it is positive and beneficial activity. When our mechanic identifies that actually our tyres will soon need to be changed, as does the timing belt and the air filters and spark plugs, and that a section of our exhaust needs replacing, when the work is completed, we will have a safer car which runs much more smoothly. It is clearly worth it.

What’s the best description of the Christian life? What really captures what living as a Christian is like? The Bible uses different images. It is like a battle. It is like servants working in a vineyard. Here, in Hebrews 12, the Christian life is described as a race. ‘… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…’ (Hebrews 12:1) All images show it’s a life of hard work!

The writer of Hebrews is concerned for his readers. They were thinking about giving up the Christian race. They were flagging. He wants to encourage them to keep going. The whole letter is designed to encourage Christians to keep going in the faith – to keep on trusting in Jesus and the good times and the bad. By giving up Judaism, these Hebrew Christians faced pressure from their families and communities. Some also had to bear financial loss and some were even persecuted. Giving up was a real temptation back then. Today it is exactly the same. Some of you might be considering giving up.

Let’s be honest. We all know many people who used to be running the Christian race with us out on the tracks, but they are no longer doing so. We can think of people in our families and in this church, or other churches we have been part of, and they are disillusioned, confused or sucked into a sinful pattern of life and have given up. Perhaps you are one of them. Perhaps you will be some time soon. People are constantly tempted to stop running because the race is hard. How does this happen? Could it happen to us? These verses go a long way to explain much of what is going on.

I want us to consider today how we can run the race well. If our running has been poor, I want us to think how we can make changes so that we might make progress once again. God doesn’t want part-time Christians, or people who follow him half-heartedly. ‘I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart.’ (Psalm 138:1) God wants our best. He wants all our heart. He wants us to take the race seriously and run well.

Realise we are in a long and hard race. The word for ‘race’ here is agona, where we get the word agony from. It’s not a short race like the 100 metres, but it is far more like a marathon. It takes great perseverance to run this race, because it lasts the whole of our lives. That’s tough. We need encouragement. We need incentives. There are hills to climb sometimes. There are obstacles in our ways and many temptations. This requires sustained effort.

God wants a lifetime of service from us! The Christian life is long-term thing, heading to a final goal. And in one sense, everything we do is part of that race. Each and every day we take new strides in the race. As you go through the rest of this day, the choices you make, what you do with your time, how you treat others, time spent with God, all of this is part of the race. Our lives are made up of small moments, and we want to journey along the track trusting in Jesus as we go.

Let’s consider 5 things which will help us to keep going in the race of the Christian life.

1. Trust in the providence of God

Notice the race is ‘marked out for us.’ (verse 1) Who marks out the race for us? God has marked it out. We don’t get to choose our own lane. God has planned out the conditions, and this includes seasons where the running is easier and seasons when it seems impossible to carry on. In the hard times, we must submit to God, who has marked out our way, and has done so for a reason, though he doesn’t explain the ‘whys’ to us most of the time.

God is the master of your race. He has marked out your race and determined your track. And he wants you to get on with it and run. Sometimes we might look over our shoulder and see others getting on more easily. They have an easier track. Sometimes we might think, ‘God, it’s not fair that you expect me to keep going with all of this going on. I’m so tired of the obstacles. I’m so tired of the race’. And then we see many friends and neighbours around and life looks easier for them, because they’re not running at all. They are just focused on enjoying life. We might even wish we weren’t in the race.

But let’s pause and consider just how wonderful it is that we are not just running any old race. We are running the King’s race. And each of the stages of the race are there for a reason. God has been honest with us, telling us that the race will be tough. But even the hard things in your life just now have great value and significance, because God is using them all to forge us more into the image of Jesus. None of the hard stuff is pointless! God is working it all for our good. He has designed the track so that even the obstacles and hills will make us fitter and more reliant on him.

I don’t know what temptations, hurdles and pits lie before me in 2024. But I believe that God wants me to keep on running, trusting that they are there for a reason. And I know that one day we will reach the finishing line, and run through the tape, and receive an everlasting prize.

2. Be inspired by those who have already finished the race

‘… we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.’ (Verse 1) Think of a marathon runner who is ending a lung-busting race, and made her way into the stadium. The supporters in the stadium rise to their feet and cheer her on, and she has extra energy to keep going to the end. That’s exactly what’s going on here.

Who are the great cloud of witnesses? They are the 16 men and women of faith we read about in Hebrews 11. People like Abraham and Moses and Rahab. And what are they witnesses to? To the faithfulness of God. John White says: ‘The writer is bringing witnesses before us who will testify that faith is worth it.’ They have finished the race. They are saying: ‘It can be done. We felt like giving up too but keep on running. You will never regret it.’ In sport, teams are often greatly helped by the cheering of their fans. In our Christian lives, we will be helped by the cheering of believers who have gone before, but we will only hear them cheering if we open our Bibles and read what happened to them! And if we don’t read our Bibles, we’ll miss out on all this encouragement.

For example, maybe you find yourself in seriously sinful and unwise patterns of life. You’re ‘in it’ so deep that your conscience rarely bothers you. But then you open the Bible and you read Psalm 51, and how David was also in that place. He repented and God forgave him and his spiritual joy and vigour returned. David cheers you on. He encourages you that God is gracious and forgiving and it’s worth it getting back on your feet and running again. Or perhaps you are bitter towards God about all the disappointments you have had in your life. It seems like you have been dealt a terrible hand by God. And then you read about Joseph in the Old Testament and hear his words: 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (Genesis 50 v 20). Joseph, as it were, shouts at you: ‘It’s all there for a reason. God knows what he is doing’. These witnesses are not dead men to be remembered, but living witnesses to be heard.

As well as the witnesses in Hebrews 11, we have the lives of 1000s of Christians since then who have experienced great suffering and yet persevered to the end. They also cheer us on, if we are willing to listen. This underlines the importance of Christian biography. Why not grab a Christian biography from the church library and hear the cheers of those who have finished the race before us?

3. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus

Yes, the believers of the past are an encourage and inspiration to us. But the ultimate inspiration and example is Jesus himself. He finished the toughest of all races. He faced pain that we will never have to. As well as the searing physical pain of the cross, Jesus was punished for all the sins of all his people, and was forsaken by the Father he had always been with.

But now he is in the place of glory, at the right hand of God the Father. He too can testify that the race is worth it. ‘Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.’ (Verse 3)

‘Fixing our eyes on Jesus…’ (Verse 3) Looking means we know there are many distractions around us – idols- but that we are not going to look to money to drive us, or to pleasure, or to a life lived selfishly, but looking away from idols and to Jesus- deliberately. Where do you get inspiration from? Who is your role model? Who are you looking to?

‘But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.’ (1 Peter 2:20-21)

Keep looking to Jesus. When we think that we cannot go on we remember him- the course that he had- the race he had to run for us. The horror of Gethsemane and Golgotha. And he did it for us. And he triumphed. And in his strength so can we. What was Jesus’ tactic? ‘For the joy set before him he endured the cross…’ Jesus contemplated the fact that his work of saving sinners would bring such joy to his Father. And he contemplated the joy it would bring to the countless people he was going to save. Present joy anticipating these great future blessings helped him to keep going. Likewise, we need to anticipate the joy of Heaven and the approval of our Father, and that will keep us going too.

4. Throw off things in your life which slow you down.

Before I walk in the mountains, I try and make my rucksack as light as possible. It’s hard enough climbing mountains without carrying unnecessary weights.

The same goes for running the Christian race. It is hard enough without wasting energy on things which we don’t need and which ultimately have no or little value. But this is subtle. Because there are many things which are good in and of themselves, but when they begin to occupy too much of our time, they can hinder us and slow us down. Good and legitimate things can end up draining us.

Our smart phones, TV programmes, Facebook, gardening, football, our clothes and appearance, and our hobbies. Are any of these things wrong? Not in themselves. But, they can hinder us if they take up too much of our time. Work, children, and sport: these things are good but they can hinder you if they distract you too much from pursuing Christ. So, as we go through our spiritual MOT we need to ask ourselves, what is slowing me down in my race? What is taking up too much of my time? What do I need to cut back on, so that I can get on with running more seriously?

5. Have a no-nonsense approach to sin

‘…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…’ What is sin doing here? It surrounds us like an octopus. Sin prevents us from following Christ. The writer of Hebrews does not mention any specific sins here. We all have different ones which entangle. What sins are entangling you at the moment? Only you can answer that.

But, if you want to run the race God calls you to then get rid of them. Challenge: What are you entangled by today? Is it pride, or lust, or greed, or over-work, or making an idol of your child or children? Do you feel like you can hardly run? Will you take your sins to Jesus? Will you confess them and turn away from them?

Imagine how much your life could change for the better in 2024 if: you waged war on the subtle tentacles of sin in your life, got rid of the things which are slowing you down, keep trusting on the God when the obstacles appear on the track, listen to the voices of those who have gone before us, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Don’t just imagine it – do it. Fix your eyes on Jesus. That’s how we are transformed.

‘And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’ (2 Corinthians 3:18)

We arrive at Christmas Eve and truly there is nothing quite like this time of year, the carols we sing, the sense of hope and anticipation, the joy we know.

This morning we will look at Mary’s song which encapsulates all three and her song is not focused on hope and anticipation for the presents on Christmas day or the joy of tucking into a turkey dinner, but is based on the hope of the humble, on God’s rejection of the proud, and is on the mercy of God. This song comes off the back of the announcement from the angel to Mary that she will give birth to a son who is going to be the Davidic king that was long awaited, the Messiah who will reign forever. And as a result, Mary breaks out into song.

However, what is going on with this news that the Messiah will be born to her goes beyond an ordinary news of pregnancy and has much bigger knock on effects than an ordinary pregnancy. God’s chosen king is going to come and right the wrongs in this world and he will come to save the humble and the broken.

1. The Hope of the Humble and Rejection of the Proud

‘God has been merciful to the humble.’ (Luke 1:48)

There are none more humble than Mary. A teenage girl without means, without a husband, nothing really. It is to this young girl that God has chosen to birth and mother the Messiah. As we will sing after the sermon ‘Maker of Mary, now Mary’s son.’ Really? Mary will be the mother of Jesus? It isn’t a princess in a castle? It isn’t royalty? It isn’t the rich? It isn’t the celebrities of the day? It isn’t the social media influencers, it is a young girl from nowheresville in total obscurity. Not just her material and outward circumstances that made her an unlikely candidate for God to use to carry, give birth to and mother Jesus. It was also the fact she was just like any of her contemporaries.

‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…’ (Luke 1:46-47)

Not ‘God the saviour’ or ‘God who saves’ but ‘God my saviour.’ She knows, she recognises her fallenness and that God is not just saviour in a generic sense but is her saviour. She was not just ordinary and humble in circumstance but she was ordinary in the fact she needed a saviour like anyone else. Would God not use someone who at least thought they had it all together? Who was also special in that way? No, he uses an ordinary young girl called Mary who recognises her need for a saviour.

This song resounds with the hope of the humble, but not humble in the sense of those with little money or possessions or influence. But humble in the sense that Mary was especially humble in her recognition of her need of a saviour.

As well as hope for the humble, this song also picks up the theme of God’s rejection of the proud. Jesus wasn’t born to influential people, rich people, princesses, nor to a sinless perfect woman. And this is a reality which is conveyed throughout the Gospel of Luke that God lifts up the humble but rejects the proud. Those you think that God would care for, those you think that God would pursue are not the nobodies, the scoundrels, the sinners, surely God would pursue the wealthy, the important, the outwardly good people? But we see in verses 51 and following how God has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts, he has brought down rulers from their thrones, he has sent the rich away empty.

As a congregation we’ve just gone through Luke and finished it this past Easter so I hope you’re twigging in your mind how this plays out throughout the Gospel of Luke in particular.

In Luke 18, we read about the Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This is the great offense of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so long as you think you have no need of God or his mercy and you’ll never know God, you’ll never be right before him, you’ll never get into heaven. What we have in Mary’s song is the reminder for all of us God’s mercy is for the humble, not the proud.

2. The Mercy of God and the Promise of God

‘He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants for ever, just as he promised our ancestors.’ (Luke 1:54-55

Here we have praise that mercy has been remembered, that the promise made to Abraham therefore has been remembered. At this point, God has been silent for hundreds of years. Not just that, it’s that the silence falls not at the end of the story like we have in the New Testament, but the Old Testament ends open ended.

Abraham – Isaac – Jacob – Judges – kings – David – long awaited Messiah?

You read through the Old Testament but this is never realised. Blessing to all the world through Abraham’s descendant, a king who rules with justice, but the promise is never realised. Reading the Old Testament alone it’s easy to wonder, ‘Where’s the rest of it?’

Here it is in Luke’s gospel; ‘He will be called Son of the Most High, the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, he will reign over Jacob’s descendants, his kingdom will never end.’ (Luke 1:32)

But here with the angel’s appearing to Mary we see it is on the cusp of being realised. We see it is coming true. Like a child on Christmas Eve, there is so much anticipation and excitement because they know that it is nearly Christmas, Christmas is coming! As sure as night turns into day, when they wake up tomorrow it will be Christmas.

Mary receives this word from the angel that this promised King in David’s line, this son is coming and you will give birth to him. Why is this a big deal? There was a waiting for God’s chosen king, the Messiah, Jesus because the people of God and their leaders were doing a pretty lousy job of living for God. They got caught up in worshipping idols instead of worshipping God or worshipping idols as well as worshipping God. They kept longing for things other than what God had promised. They needed saving but there was no saviour to be found, they needed a king to rule and lead them to God but no such king was found.

‘The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds’, meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed’, meaning one person, who is Christ.’ (Galatians 3:16)

The promise made to Abraham was ultimately found in Jesus Christ and it is referenced here; ‘He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants just as he promised our ancestors.’

So this song tells us of God’s rejection of the proud, of his mercy for the humble but also here of the means through which this mercy is made available to the humble: Jesus Christ, the very promise made to Abraham thousands of years previous now realised in the very womb of Mary.

3. The Song We Are to Sing

Can we have a song to sing this Christmas? Even if we are not Christians, we know something is not right. We keep finding that those around us disappoint us, politicians fail us, leaders fall short. The world is in disarray, wars, famine, poverty, disease, climate change. In the midst of it all, we are all looking for a saviour. Whether that saviour is the government who will bring it all about through policy intervention, whether that saviour is money where you buy your way out of situations, whether that saviour is humankind and you think “we just need to pull together.”

We may not be looking for a saviour, just living for good times, head in the sand, fingers in our ears, ignoring as the world is in meltdown around us. We know, if we’re honest, that something isn’t right in here either. The reason ‘be the change you want to see in the world.’ doesn’t work is that even the most committed of us fail to live up to our standards, we certainly fail to live up to God’s standards which are the real reason we need a saviour.

Perhaps you have pride, you’re never wrong, everyone else is wrong. In the words of a late family member, ‘I’m never aye right but I’m never far wrong.’ You cannot stand being criticised or entering into the mindset you might be wrong.

Or you are angry. You live your life in anger. It might be the explosive type which blows up at people easily, but it could just as easily be irritability, shortness, the cold shoulder.

Or lust. Our desires are disordered and we end up lusting after those who are not our spouses, thinking things we shouldn’t, feeling things we shouldn’t, lingering on things in our imagination more than we should.

That is the story of people in the time of the Old Testament, and it’s the story of humanity today. And if we stop and are honest with ourselves this morning, we recognise that at least one of those describes how we are. Does at least one of those describe you? Yeah it does.

The wait goes on for salvation, but the announcement of Jesus’ birth is the news you and I have been waiting for. The King is coming in the line of David who unlike previous kings will rule with justice and righteousness and He will save his people. Jesus Christ, the promised King, the Messiah through whom the blessing of salvation will come by means of his own death, is here to put right the wrong in the world and in our own hearts, to give us peace with God.

In short, Jesus is the one you long for, he is the one the world longs for. How often we look for him in places he is not, how often we look for messiahs in ourselves or in job satisfaction or in 5 minutes of peace and quiet. But the Messiah isn’t there, the Messiah is Jesus, the saviour king has come.

The message of Christmas is this: Jesus is the one we all long for and he has come. How do you respond to that? In pride? I don’t need him, I’ve got A, B, or C? or I’m good enough to get into heaven? It isn’t through any of those means. It is simply through God’s mercy. Do you have that humility to call God your saviour as Mary does?

To pivot a bit and go for the song theme, why are you singing this morning?
Is it ultimately because life seems to be going just as it should?
Is it because you are quite content in yourself that you’ve got it sussed?
Or is it because of God’s mercy in sending his son Jesus for you?

What a reason to sing! God has sent his promised saviour king, Jesus to bring salvation to you. There truly is no better news! It is news not worthy of mere acceptance as if you’ve just been told the sky is blue, but it’s worthy of our joyful, glad delighting in leading us to singing.

Maybe you aren’t singing this morning because of heartbreak, of loss, of grief, of pain. The Bible says this song is for you to sing too. Through tears of grief and pain this is your song of consolation that the Messiah has come to save you, the king has come for you. And what we enjoy in part because of the Messiah’s coming, we know with certainty will be enjoyed in full when He comes again to make all things new once and for all.

Every relational strife
Every bitter sting of grief
Every dark dungeon of depression
He will come to make all things new.

So whether you are singing for lesser reasons this Christmas, or whether you are not singing at all, Mary’s song is for each and every one of us to sing instead. You’ve maybe never sung it before, you maybe used to sing it but haven’t in a while, you maybe sing other songs of secular festive cheer or earthly security but this song is far better because this song provides exactly what the human heart longs for and needs. A King who doesn’t let us down, a saviour who brings us peace with God, the world and therefore ourselves.

Will you sing Mary’s song this Christmas? It is for everyone whose trust is in the Messiah Jesus. It is for you this morning. We have a great song to sing, let’s sing it in praise of our great God and saviour. May your song this Christmas not be based on what you have done, but your song on what he has done. Not simply on the festive spirit but on the joy of knowing sins forgiven and friendship with God.