TEXT - Psalm 103:2.
"Bless the Lord, 0 my Soul, and forget not all his benefits".
How often in our lives do we take for granted the benefits of the Lord given to us from day to day. The greater and more the benefits we receive, the more the attitude seems to be that it is our right, and we can even become annoyed if they are taken away. We see that in the workplace where benefits are brought in, in times of prosperity to share the prosperity around, and when things are not so buoyant and there is talk about taking the benefits away, then there is an outcry. "We demand our rights!" is the cry. We must be careful that we do not develop this attitude with our natural blessings and our spiritual blessings given to us daily by our Lord. As the text says, "Bless the Lord".
The Lord knows the nature of man and how he can be mislead. We can read His warning to His people of 3400 years ago, the Jewish Nation in Deuteronomy 6:10-12; where He was about to lead them into the promised land, where He said they would find great and good cities that they did not have to build, they would find houses full of good things that they did not supply, they would find wells of water that they did not dig, vineyards and fruit trees that they did not plant that would bring forth abundance of fruit so that all they had to do was eat. He then gave the warning when He said, "Then beware lest thou forget the Lord".
God's benefits are often not noticed as we take them for granted. The stars in the sky - how often do we notice them? If they were to be darkened for a long period of time and then came to light again, every head would then turn skyward and they would be noticed again, and everyone would speak about them again in awe, and wonder and confess them as a creation of God. Often, the only time we notice the benefits of God are when they are withdrawn from us. Then we notice they are not there. That is the time we are prompted back to "Bless the Lord" and ask Him again to restore them to us. We should be thankful that God is love and does not respond in the way of man. If someone came to us and asked us for food and we saw they were in need of it, wewould give it to them - but if we then saw them throw it away before our eyes, would we be prepared to give them more again? We can see how loving our Lord is, and why we should always "Bless Him and never forget all His benefits", for He is ever ready to bless us despite ourselves.
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT - Philippians 4:4-9.
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
The ultimate source of our trust, our peace and refuge is in God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Without this we are as nothing, but as flotsam and jetsam upon the tide of times. Jesus Christ has given focus and purpose to our lives.
How wonderfully the Apostle Paul expresses these sentiments in his epistle to the Philippians which serve as our text for today. First of all let us rejoice, "and again I say Rejoice." Above all let us be happy that we are privileged to be numbered to the children of God and have an intimate relationship with the Most High. We certainly have something to rejoice about, as David also joyously exclaimed "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:4.
We are exhorted to behave as is becoming of children of God by being moderate in our conduct. That means being fair, level-headed, keeping our temper, being tolerant and temperate in our habits.
In verse 6.we are told 'be careful for nothing' that means do not worry about anything unduly, instead seek help by prayer and supplication with a thankful heart to God.
It would be vain to try to improve upon the words of the Apostle Paul in verse 7. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This peace, which the Apostle Paul promises is laid before us like a bridge over the troubled waters of life by Jesus our Saviour, He is the One who laid Himself down at Calvary, so that we might pass over Him.
In verse 8 the subject of our integrity, our moral fibre is raised. There is no substitute for being truthful, honest, just and pure. Seek out that which is lovely and beautiful, which is of good reputation in life. Meditate and refine our virtues, praise and exalt these things.
In verse 9 the Apostle Paul takes our conduct upon his shoulders as his personal responsibility. It means he had to practice what he preached. To set himself as an example for us all. "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you." In the same fearless manner as the Apostle Paul sets himself an example for us which indeed he was, we too must strive to act as living examples for our contemporaries. This requires a fearless and courageous heart's attitude. It is far easier to wrap our talent in a napkin and bury it in the garden. Of course, we all have our faults, but the Kingdom of Heaven is for overcomers, not for those filled with excuses. Let us excuse ourselves not, rather go forward in this wonderful work which our Saviour has entrusted to us. Not asking for the impossible. The Apostolics of old were not given bags of money, nor special help from anybody. They helped themselves and each other, calling upon the Lord to help them help themselves. The Lord heard their prayers and blessed them beyond their wildest dreams. He will do the same for us too.
APOSTLE BILL ERRY (Since Retired)
UNITED KINGDOM
TEXT - John 9:4.
"I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when
no man can work .”
Our text gives a sense of urgency. We have all been given gifts and talents from God and it is the use of those that we must work with. Our individual works and efforts of those gifts, must all be combined with one another and to produce something worth while before the Lord. It can be likened to an orchestra playing a great concert. No one musician is of any more importance than another, all are needed to make the performance perfect. All take the same effort to prepare themselves, their clothing, and their instruments, in readiness to answer the conductors signal to work in unity, to produce something worthwhile.
I read of a triangle player recently, who was chosen to play in a leading orchestra. He practiced, polished his triangle, donned his best concert suit, arranged his music, and took his seat in the orchestra. As the concert began, the conductor skillfully cued one group, then another and so on. At last the crucial moment arrived. It was time for his single note to be played. The conductor signaled him and he played the only note he had to in the concert. It was over! The orchestra played on, and he sat there quietly for the rest of the concert, not with a sense of disappointment that he only played that one note, but with a sense of fulfillment and peace, that he had played it in tune, on time, and with enthusiasm and the joy to know his contribution had helped in presenting the perfect musical item. This is the same with the Lord's work. We must stand always at the ready, be fully equipped to answer the call of the Holy Spirit, to use those gifts we are given at the correct time, to be in tune at all times to Christ's teaching, so that our efforts will also produce those pleasing results. If we relate that one note to one converted or assisted soul in the world, we could all achieve that, even once in our life and those souls could then repeat it, and so on, we would soon see a very joyful outcome for all. Of course there is also the chance that it may go beyond that one note if the Lord blesses and brings forth the increase.
In Acts chapter 9 we read the only record of the work of Ananias, called by God to play as it were that one note, being ready to answer the call, being obedient and laying hands on one Saul to seal him by the Holy Ghost and then baptise him. Saul of course we all know became the Apostle Paul, and by that act the Lord was able to have him use the many gifts given to him to convert countless numbers to Christ. We can see why our text is so urgent, as part of our Lord's teaching, we too, must be ready to work the works of Him that is sending us into the world while the light is still with us.
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT - Nehemiah 8:10.
"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
The value of our offerings should not be measured by the time they had taken nor by their cost, for we should offer ourselves to the good Lord. We should give Him everything, - body, soul and mind. Our failure to do so shows that we lack trust in God's almighty power and love.
This is also seen in events after the Israelites had been freed from bondage in Babylon. For a short while they were full of zeal to rebuild their city and were very thankful for having experienced how the Lord redeemed the prisoners from Zion, but they soon lost faith. The people chosen by God ignored God's commandments and mixed freely with the neighboring races.
Nehemiah, a Jew, who was the cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes I, heard all about this. He begged the king to give him leave and went to his people. What he saw there confirmed all that he had heard. It was a sorry state of affairs, the people had lost their faith and were very downcast. He tried to bring the people back to God and made great preparations for the feast of the tabernacles. There the Priest Ezra read aloud the laws of Moses. When the Israelites heard what God wanted from them they remembered their behavior and were more troubled than ever before. Only after having heard God's laws did they realize how sinful they were. It seemed as if their situation was a hopeless one from which there was no escape and they wept. Then Ezra said to them: "Mourn not but make this day holy unto the Lord, for on this day you acknowledged your weakness, your powerlessness and your faults. Be thankful to God for this and rejoice, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Joy is an essential motivating force which pushes us through life. Joy can, however, be very short-lived. Often a child is very thrilled about a toy, but after a little while it is thrown carelessly in a corner and left there. This is also the case with adults, only the objects may differ. During divine service many experience the joy of the Lord, when they hear the powerful words of a sermon or when they themselves experience God's great mercy.
Why does this joy not last? Because we do not know what the joy of the Lord really is. True joy of the Lord is seen in absolute trust in the powerful hand of our God, in His strength, which can and will be our strength. This is contrary to the nature of most people who feel they must assert themselves to ensure success and prevent themselves being overpowered by others, they therefore rely on their own mental and physical strength and material or financial superiority. They only feel secure when thus assured. We should remember that we have a much stronger defense, our God, who is always with us through Jesus Christ. Let us, therefore, rely on God, He is our strength. Martin Luther told us: "A mighty fortress is our God …”
Let faith therefore be our strength! Let us remember God's goodness which has preserved us till now! Let us build on that which guides men’s hearts and rules nature. From this heart's attitude will the joy grow which is our strength .
APOSTLE ROLAND BÖHM. (Since Retired)
GERMANY.
TEXT - Isaiah 29:15.
"Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their council from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us".
These words of God given through the Prophet Isaiah 2700 years ago, are certainly ever new and should be reflected upon by us all in our day. We read in the newspapers every day of the corruption that has gone on in high places, which comes to light some time later, and we all think to ourselves, "How much more goes on that we do not know about?" These people did these things believing that they were in the dark, thinking to themselves, "Who can see it, and who will ever find out?" We in our daily lives, must remember that we too, are often tempted to fall in this trap with the things we do, think, and say against others. We too often think to ourselves, "Who will know?" The text proclaims a woe to those who think that it is not seen. The all-seeing eye of ,the Lord sees and hears all, and remember, also records it all. The Prophet Daniel declared in 2: 22, "He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness and the light dwelleth with him". The Prophet Jeremiah in 23:24 asked, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord".
When Christ was on earth He warned us of the things we do in this life which we think are in secret in Luke 8: 17, "For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid that shall not be known and come abroad".
When Christ uses the word "nothing" He means it in its fullness and meaning, no matter how small or large. We cannot justify our actions by thinking it is only a small thing, it should not matter. Even our thoughts, which we think only we have control of, are not hid from God. Christ while on earth proved He had the power to discern people's thoughts, and in many places it is recorded, "and Jesus knew their
thoughts" .
When we then come to the realization that we cannot think, speak, or do anything that is not known of God, it teaches us to be more careful in life. We know that we all sin and fall from time to time, so is there a way in which we can then have these things removed from our record so that it will not be known and come abroad? Yes, of course there is a way. Apostle James writes of this in James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one to another, that ye may be healed". So we see that if we can confess to our brother or sister to doing something in secret against them, this, coupled with prayer, will remove that record from the list of things recorded against our life.
If we have done something against someone who believes in the Lord, we have done it against the Lord. This then requires us to also confess to the Lord of our sins, so we have it wiped off our records. Apostle John in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
It is good to be aware that we are being watched at all times, for not only our bad things are recorded, but also those good things that we do for others in secret are credited to our account without us even knowing it. They remain forever. This knowledge should spurn us on at all times to live by the Golden Rule given us by our Lord in Matt. 7:12 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them".
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT - Mark 9:17-19.
"And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, 0 faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me."
When we read this, we can understand the suffering of his father, and we also find that the son had this sickness from a little boy. The parents suffered also for years. They tried to help with much praying and crying, but with no avail. So many loving brothers and sisters felt the suffering with them. But there is more suffering because Satan has the power to take the sons and daughters and make them do his will. They are in danger of laying their life "on the line". Some youth don't live the same lifestyle as their parents, and think that marriage is worthless and try to find luck somewhere else. Whenever Satan can get hold of someone, he grabs them and shakes vigorously, grinds his teeth and foams at the mouth, and becomes stiff. If Satan can get his hands on somebody, he drives them crazy. The father tries to bring his son to Jesus and hoped He could heal him. But he didn't see Jesus, and he came to the disciples and he begged them to get the bad spirits out. Wouldn't the disciples get a shock when they heard something like that? But didn't they heal the sick people before and remove the bad spirits? And couldn't they now do something about this? They could do absolutely nothing! Even we can pray many times, but nothing happens. We ask God, but He doesn't grant our wishes. The people with sickness and pain and depression, not just our family, the whole community and the whole world can never find it back to Jesus. The father asked the disciples, but they couldn't do it. It was really not much to ask, but I ask with all my heart. But God handles it otherwise what we ask for. At this point we can patiently wait: further hoping or we can surrender. Even with all the disappointment, the father didn't give up. Then when Jesus came, the first one to speak was the father of the son and told him what happened and Jesus listened to him. The reaction of Jesus gives us something to think about. In a very strong voice Jesus spoke to his disciples, "O faithless generation". Even the father of the son was skeptic - that's why his words "If you can do something, please do it and help us!" The panic scream of the father was demonstrated unconsciously. "I believe, help my unbelief!" Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and forced him to come out of the boy. "Why couldn't we do that?" This answer we could perfectly understand, because we ask many times. Why? Why don't we believe more? Because it is God's will!" It is the personal thing of Jesus. Only Jesus could remove the spirit that tortured the boy. And we see clearly, the disciples were not strong enough to do that. You can't achieve anything better, but through praying and fasting. In Matthew, we read that Jesus said, "If we believe, we have unbelievable power." If your faith is like a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain "Lift yourself up and move over there" and they will do it. Matt. 17:20 We shouldn't move the mountains, that would be a catastrophe. We should believe the words of God, because He can move mountains. That's the power that can remove Satan. God can heal the worst sickness and remove the worst spirit in us. He can bring parents, children, marriages, sisters and brothers together. God himself can heal us, like nobody else. But one thing, we have to believe and trust with a full heart. Believe and trust and accept God. He is wiser over everything. The cry of help from this father makes us think about our own troubles and tell God. God himself can help us out when we are in the worst state. Satan has less and less chance to put us and our children on the wrong path. The closer we stand to Jesus Christ, the less chance he has. God will not take apart what He has sealed with His blood. It is also our obligation to talk to our children and bring them to believe in God and Jesus Christ. One time, one mother said "If the children believe and stay believing in Christ, I know nothing better to give them for their life.
APOSTLE FRANK VOLKMER. (Since Retired)
GERMANY.
TEXT- Numbers 11: 24-30 .
And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them! And Moses got him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.”
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
TEXT – Acts 26.
Let us read in Acts Chapter 26 where the Apostle Paul is telling King Agrippa of His experience and where it must lead us, and in verses 13-18 we find:
At midday, 0 king, 1 saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, 1 heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And 1 said, who art thou, Lord? And he said, 1 am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for 1 have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which 1 will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now 1 send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Wesee in that teaching or that instruction many things. Firstly the Apostle Paul asked who was speaking unto him, and he said it is Jesus whom thou are persecuting. We see therein that even if we persecute Christ in our life, He is still prepared to speak to us. He said unto the Apostle Paul the message that if Saul was persecuting the members of the church they were then persecuting Christ. We see built in there the great warning that we must never in any way persecute or speak against, or judge or condemn any member of the Christian Church, for if we do that we are persecuting Christ. We can see right from the very first warning the word love was buried within the Apostle Paul's heart. Love your enemies. Love your neighbour as yourself. Love God above all else and your neighbour as yourself, so we can see this very teaching. Christ then told him what he must teach to the world, and let us again be reminded of this: To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
The word sanctified was used. We will find that the Apostle Paul in all of his writings always uses the word sanctified. If we are not sanctified by faith which is in Christ, then this blessing of this inheritance cannot be part of our hope. To be sanctified means to be separated, to be separated from the world. To become part of Christ, this mystical body of Christ, we must separate ourselves from the world, not only through the spiritual gifts of Baptism and through the teachings of Christ, but by our very lives. We must not run with the world. We must make our commitment to walk in the light, not the darkness. Each and everyone of us has been given this power of the Holy Spirit that can sanctify our hearts and allow us to be a dwelling place for this Spirit. It then becomes very easy for us to separate ourselves from the world, for whenever anything is placed before us we have the ability then to ask - What would Jesus have said or done about this? This Holy Spirit will give us the answers if we have prepared ourselves, and through this we will then know how we can stay sanctified. If we are sanctified then this inheritance that has been promised from the beginning of time, this inheritance of the Kingdom of God and eternal life will be sound and secure within our lives. To ensure that we can be led on the right way we must take the map, the Holy Bible, the Gospels of Christ and read His word. He said if you love Me keep My commandments. Every word written in the Bible that Christ spoke while He was on this earth and revealed is His commandment. We must keep those commandments to keep ourselves sanctified so that this great promise of this inheritance can indeed be ours. The other choice is to miss that inheritance, and none of us would want that to happen. We can support each other. We must help each other. We must ensure that we do everything possible so that each and everyone of us can indeed receive this inheritance. This can only be achieved by availing ourselves of the grace of Christ at every opportunity.
APOSTLE CLIFF FLOR
NORTH QUEENSLAND