Author: emmanuelpcgateshead

FRIDAY December 20^th

 

I am going to take us to one of my favourite carols today, I love the tune, and I love the words, ‘Silent night, Holy night’ and here is verse 3 depending upon which version you use, for as it is with many carols the words seem to be altered according to the source or song book used.

 

Silent night! Holy night!

Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

 

I wonder if asked how you would sum up that first ‘Christmas’ morning, I wonder what you would say. I think it could be summed up in many ways, possibly none better than the way the angel summed it up to the shepherds (oh dear the shepherds again! blame my farming background for being drawn to them!) ‘“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord,”’ Luke 2:10–11.

 

But I think that the fourth line of the verse that I have quoted above, is a good summary ‘with the dawn of redeeming grace’, for there in the cradle or manger whatever word you want to use was ‘grace’, and not just grace but ‘redeeming grace’. For the scripture tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.

 

Think about it, we are all born in sin, and as sinners we are dead, cut off from God and deserving of all that God has prepared for the children of disobedience.

 

YET despite mankind’s ongoing rebellion toward God, which initially came through the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden, God out of his abounding love and because of his amazing grace and astonishing mercy, chose to take the steps necessary to bring about an incredible plan of salvation, and God chose, planned and prepared even before the foundation of the world that he would show his grace to fallen humanity by becoming man, by being born in the humblest of circumstances and so the birth of the baby marked the dawn of redeeming grace.

 

John tells us in the first chapter of his gospel, ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ The baby in the manger was full of grace, I suggest also that he was and is grace, for Jesus himself is grace, or grace is Jesus. And in Ephesians 2, Paul reminds us that it is by grace we are saved—that is redeeming grace.

 

So, give thanks this Christmas season, for the dawn of redeeming grace, and remember we are still in the day of God’s grace, and it is through the preaching of, or our sharing of the gospel, be it from the pulpit or our personal witness that God by his Spirit is still reaching out to broken lives with his redeeming grace.

 

This is the final devotion for 2024 as I will have a break over the next two weeks from sending them out, giving me opportunity to catch up with preparing more for the new year, recommencing on January 6^th. So, thank you to all who have either read the devotions or listened to the audio versions. On behalf of Emmanuel Pentecostal Church in Gateshead I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

THURSDAY December 19^th

 

As I began to prepare this devotion I had turned to another carol, and read some of the verses and then thought to myself, ‘O no, it’s the shepherds again’ and then decided what is wrong with that, it is amazing how God chose that within the nativity as we have it recorded in Matthew and Luke to proclaim the birth of Jesus to both the ones considered to be of a lowly occupation, the shepherds on the local hillside and to the ones at the other end of the scale, the wise men or as we often refer to them as the three kings from orient far.

 

And then to top it all, God plans everything so that the baby was born in the lowliest of circumstances, we usually depict as being in a manager in a cattle’s stall.

 

The carol I turned to is ‘Christians awake, salute the happy morn’, and verse 4:

 

To Bethlehem straight the enlightened shepherds ran,

To see the wonder God had wrought for man:

Then to their flocks, still praising God return,

And their glad hearts with holy rapture burn;

Amazed, the wonderous tidings they proclaim,

The first apostles of his infant fame.

 

It was the first two lines ‘To Bethlehem straight the enlightened shepherd ran, to see the wonder God had wrought for man’.

 

I mentioned while speaking recently, of how many have watched their children taking part in nativity plays in school or in Sunday school and yet have missed the wonder of what the story is all about. That God sent Jesus into this world to save sinners. And in doing so bringing hope, joy, peace and love.

 

What if the shepherds had ignored the angel announcing the news and the angelic choir singing the praises of God—you can imagine that as word had spread concerning as to what had happened in the cattle shed, and they heard it from others, the regret that would have been in their hearts for not going. But they didn’t ignore, they listened and as Luke 2:16 says ‘they made haste’ and found everything exactly as the angel had announced.

 

Sadly today, as we go through this advent season, many will still ignore the wonder of the message, and the reality of the historical fact that Jesus did come into this world and that he did die to be the Saviour of the world. They will get so wrapped up in everything else that takes place without coming to bow before the newborn king. And the even sadder reality is that one day, they will find themselves standing before God in the presence of Jesus, but then it will be too late, and they will be full of regret for ignoring the real meaning of Christmas and regret their rejection of Jesus.

 

This carol also reminds us of what Luke records for us in his gospel, that having discovered the joy of Jesus, the shepherds ‘made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child’. A lot of folks won’t go to watch a nativity, may not even enter a Church over this advent season, but they may listen as we who have found Jesus seek to tell them something of this amazing story.

WEDNESDAY December 18^th

 

The Redemption Hymnal has a hymn in the section called ‘His Incarnation’ which is found in the ‘His Character and Tiles’ section in Making Melody. I don’t have access to a collection of Carols as I prepare this devotion to see if it is included, but it is a hymn that is rich in theology concerning the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ and it is this and evidently based upon John chapter 1 ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.’

 

Thou art the Everlasting Word,

The Father’s only Son;

God, manifestly seen and heard,

And heaven’s beloved One.

 

In Thee, most perfectly expressed,

The Father’s glories shine;

Of the full deity possessed;

Eternally divine.

 

But the high myst’ries of Thy name

An angel’s grasp transcend:

The Father’s only—glorious claim—

The Son can comprehend.

 

Yet, loving Thee, on whom His love

Ineffable doth rest,

Thy glorious worshippers above,

As one with Thee are blest.

 

Worthy, O Lamb of God art Thou,

That every knee to Thee should bow.

 

The chorus of this powerful hymn leads us to a place of worship, where in our seeing who Jesus really is, we cry out ‘Worthy, O Lamb of God art thou’ and we willingly, now, in the present, bow the knee before him.

 

In the nativity, those who saw the baby Jesus or the boy child Jesus came to a place of worship! Even before he had gone to Calvary and died for them, and it is because they saw him not just as a child but as the Christ, as the One born to be the Saviour of the world.

 

Luke tells us concerning the shepherds that after seeing the Word who had become flesh, they returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen’ and why? Because it was as it had been told them. Matthew tells us that when the wise men saw him, they fell down and worshiped him.

 

Well, we will enjoy so many different aspects of the Christmas celebrations but let us make sure that we place priority to the place of worship. In the words of a couple of other carols, ‘O come let us adore him’ and ‘Come and worship Christ, the newborn King’ for, ‘Worthy, O Lamb of God art Thou, That every knee to Thee should bow.’

TUESDAY December 17^th

 

Today I am going to turn our attention to a carol, which I have picked up since we have been living here in the northeast seems to be a favourite with some in our fellowship and having experienced or so far experiencing our fifth full winter here, I can see that you understand what bleak mid-winter really means! Yes, the carol is ‘In the bleak mid-winter.

 

I am not too sure that the scene fits in with what it would have been like on the night when our Saviour was born, but it does fit in with the time of the year in which we in the UK remember his birth. But I am not going to concentrate on the cold wintery scene, but rather on the last of the four verses:

 

What can I give him,

poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring a lamb;

if I were a wise man,

I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give him –

give my heart.

 

This verse always brings a challenge to me, for it reminds me that God loved me (and of course you as well as you read this devotion) that he gave his very best for me, his one and only Son, or as we read in Mark 1:11, his beloved Son. And his Son in turn also gave of his very best for me, he gave up his life. And the more I consider this and then answer the question in this fourth verse, ‘What can I give him?’ The only answer can be that I must give him my heart.

 

And this brings a further challenge, what does our giving him our heart really mean. What does it look like? Well, another well-known hymn, ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’, helps us to understand it and it is in the final two lines of the last verse, ‘Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all’.

 

It means that we empty our lives of all that is against God, against his demands, against his word, against his will and we allow him to completely fill us with himself and all that is in accord to being a man or a woman who claims to be his child through new birth.

Christ emptied himself to come into this world and we on receiving him need to empty ourselves of the world and allow him to be Lord.

 

Well, I haven’t given a scripture yet, especially as it is a devotion, and there is only one I can add that ties in with it all and it is this one from Deuteronomy 6:5 ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’ Quoted by Jesus himself in Mark 12:30 ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

MONDAY December 16^th

 

Over the next few devotions, I am going to be taking a break from the series we are going through at the moments and bring some devotions looking at some of the songs or carols that we sing during the Christmas period.

 

I think that a favourite for many is ‘Joy to the world, the Lord has come!’ by Isaac Watts (1674-1748).

 

It is a wonderful hymn that starts off by recalling one of the most wonderful of all announcements that has have been delivered on earth and heard by mankind and particularly the shepherds who were watching their sheep the same night that an important baby was born, and this was the announcement:

 

‘And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”’ Luke 2:10-12 These verses are my favourite verses that are to be found in the nativity story.

 

It was a message that the world needed to hear way back then two thousand years ago, for what a moment in time it truly was when God’s Son took on flesh and entered this world through such a miraculous way to become the one who would be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.

 

And it is the message that the world needs to hear today, that there is joy for this world that is full of so much angst and desperately looking for peace and it is to be found in the One who yes, entered this world two thousand years ago, but not just as the baby whose birth we celebrate , but more importantly as the One who gave his life to bring the peace that we all so much need, first peace with God, as he took upon himself our sins and our sorrows, bearing all that was needed to bring us the opportunity of forgiveness and reconciliation to God, and secondly to bring peace between mankind, for he was to be named among many other names the Prince of peace.

 

Joy can only come when we know what it is to have peace, and so we need firstly to accept the One who himself is peace, allowing him to come into our lives and to change us and transform us.

 

So, as we go through this Christmas season, let us all ensure that in the two lines found within this hymn, I struggle to call it a carol for they are words we should be singing all year round, ‘Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare him room’.

 

As you read or listen to this devotion, have you received this wonderful King, for the second verse reminds us that he is also the Saviour, yes, he reigns, but we need him to also reign in our hearts. Make room, prepare room for him in your heart today.

FRIDAY December 13^th

 

Matthew 13:18-23

 

‘“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”.

 

Any farmer that sows seed will be looking for the best possible harvest he can get from it, yet at the same time knowing that there are external factors which will affect the success of the harvest. A good farmer will do his best to get rid of the rocks before he sows, some even put up scarecrows to prevent losing seed to the birds and fences will be put up around the perimeter of the field to stop folk from walking over the field, destroying the seed, and he will do his best to maintain it sufficiently to stop the weeds from growing. Now when it comes to this parable, we need to be not only those who have had the seed sown in our hearts, but also like a farmer to do whatever we can to bring us to the place of fruitfulness.

 

We need to guard our hearts in such a way that the seed sown is protected and does become fruitful, and some of the means available to us is to read the word of God, to spend time in prayer, to regularly be found in a place of fellowship with other believers and to learn to say no to activity and places and even people that could so easily distract us spiritually and cause the seed to be ineffective.

 

Jesus gives us an insight into some of the external factors that may affect the seed of the gospel that is planted in our life and in the lives of others.

 

The evil one comes and snatches it away, and Peter tells us to be aware of the devil who goes about like a roaring lion seeking those who he can devour.  

 

Jesus spoke of those who received the word with great joy, but only last for a while, he says that tribulation and difficulties cause them to fall away, we need to ensure that we become rooted in the word of God, standing firm in the armour he has provided for us so that when these things come against us—and they will—that we are able to stay rooted and to stand firm.

 

Then Jesus spoke of those who having received the seed become tangled by the thorns which speaks of the cares of the world, and we need to be careful as to what it is we allow our lives to be filled with or overtaken with, for this world is full of thorns that are ready to choke us and cause us to fall away.

 

But thankfully there is seed that lasts, seed that survives the attacks of the enemy, seed that survives tribulation and difficulties, seed that overcomes the cares and the deceitfulness of the world and becomes seed that is fruitful, some yielding a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold and some any other fold in between. We should all strive to bear as much fruit as we possibly can, but at this point I say it is better to bear some fruit, however low the yield may be rather than to bear no fruit at all

.

 

How is the seed that has been planted in your heart doing—may God by his Holy Spirit enable us all to be fruitful, giving joy to the One who gave his life for us. May the kingdom of God be found within our hearts in such a way that we will also be willing Sowers, telling others the good news of the gospel, after all ‘Jesus the very thought of thee with sweetness fills my breast’, may our hearts long for others to also come and to know the sweetness that is found in knowing Jesus.

THURSDAY December 12^th

 

Matthew 13:3-8

 

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

 

We will consider his parable in a little more detail, reminding ourselves that Jesus told the parable to the crowds, but explained its meaning to the disciples as we read in verses 18-23

 

‘“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”.

 

It is from the explanation that Jesus gave that I am going to turn to for the devotions, and I will need to keep reminding myself not to go into sermon mode! For there is so much incredible truth to be garnered or harvested, and first perhaps is for us to see that Jesus himself is ensuring that we understand the importance of the seed and it is that which is to do with the Kingdom of God, v19 ‘When anyone hears the word of the kingdom. . .’  This is the message of the gospel that when heard and received leads to repentance, Matthew 4:17 ‘From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”’

 

Therefore, the seed is seed of the gospel that is planted into the heart of an individual who readily responds to it and receives it, but sadly as we will see there are different circumstances that will lead to many not allowing the seed to develop and lead to fruitfulness.

 

Can I suggest today that each one of us who has received the word of the gospel, and allowed it to be planted in our hearts ensure that we become good caretakers, become good gardeners, to protect the planted seed, tending our hearts every day, looking out for the evil one, looking out for the things that will prevent it from taking root, looking out for those things that will try to snatch it away or choke it, ensuring we stand firm in the middle of our trials and difficulties, and tending it in such a way that we bear fruit.

WEDNESDAY December 11^th

 

Out of the four gospels writers, John doesn’t record any of the parables that Jesus gave, it is to the other three that we turn to, Matthew, Mark and Luke.

 

Matthew takes us to the first of the parables that Jesus gave, by introducing us to it with these words ‘That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying . . .’ (Matthew 13:1-2)

 

From this position, sat in a boat looking over the crowd he began what we have recorded as the first parable, the parable of the Sower and it continues in verses 3-8:

 

‘“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”’

 

The same parable is recorded by Mark in 4:3-8 and Luke in 8:5-8. Following on from this parable, Matthew records five more in the same chapter.

 

It must have been an incredible experience to hear Jesus as he taught in the various ways that he did, from the mountain with the sermon on the mount with all the various sayings that are found in it, to the different parables as he gave illustrations to reveal spiritual truth.

 

It must have been incredible because we see how the crowds followed him to witness and to listen to all that he was saying and doing, and yet we see that within a year or two they would turn against him! It would seem that for many as the seed of the word of God was planted in their hearts it was easily trodden upon, snatched away, or choked by the cares of the world.

 

But thankfully there were those who allowed the seed to take root and it is from those such as Matthew and John who were two of his disciples, that we in turn are benefitting spiritually from what they have recorded for us so that we too can read and be challenged by the sermons and parables that Jesus gave.

 

All I want to say for today is that we all make sure that our hearts are ready to continually receive the seed of the word of God, and that we guard it from anything or anyone who would seek to prevent it from bearing fruit in our lives.

TUESDAY December 10^th

 

Hebrews 4:12

 

‘For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’

 

I wonder which of the stories that Jesus told is your favourite? They vary in length, yet each one holds a specific meaning that is relevant to our coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Now, besides considering the parables as stories, there is also the greatest of all stories which is of course the redemption story. And it is interwoven throughout the whole of scripture. And so, we can say that the parables are all shorter stories that are based upon some aspect of or set around the bigger story.

 

Now, although I came to faith after hearing a man called George Woodfield preach on the parable of the lost sheep, I think my favourite would have to be the parable of the Sower—and not because I love my gardening, although I have often drawn illustrations between the two! But it’s my favourite because I think that this parable, and I am not going to consider it in detail today, helps us to understand something of the power that is to be found in the written word of God as it is planted like a seed into the hearts of men and women. (hence why I chose the text for today) and likewise, there is power in all the stories Jesus told.

 

The power is seen by the very fact that the stories which Jesus told were illustrative talks based on material or earthly things that the people could see and understand, and they had an interpretation into the spiritual world. How often have we heard them described as ‘an earthly story with a heavenly meaning’.

 

They were a means for making a truth known to those who heard them, although we do know that at times the meaning was hidden from some, as it would require a spiritual awakening within the heart of the hearer to comprehend the meaning as we see in Matthew 13:11 after Jesus had told the parable of the Sower, the disciples asked Jesus ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ to which Jesus replied, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of heaven, but to them it has not been given’.

 

Story telling has always been a great way of illustrating something, and Jesus clearly knew this, but what is more he knew how to do it. How often have we understood a truth when someone sharing the word of God has used an illustration from an experience that they have had which has helped to develop the meaning of what they have been teaching.

 

I know I have done this myself, as an example I have often mentioned my lamb that went missing overnight, and my discovery that a fox had come and snatched it because I found the woolly remains in the field, and I have used it to remind us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking those who he can devour.

 

So, as we consider the parables, the stories that Jesus told, however well we may think we have known them or even despite however many times we may have read them or heard them being preached from, I trust that the Holy Spirit will inspire us further.

MONDAY December 9^th

 

Sometimes there are certain letters in our alphabet that help those of us who preach and teach to use alliteration in what we share. Very recently for me as I have gone especially through the Psalms as been the letter ‘P’. I have just spoken recently when the letter ‘S’ had been helpful, and it comes to aid again as I have been going through these devotions.

 

Jesus the very thought of thee with SWEETNESS fills my breast, and we have considered so far Jesus as our SAVIOUR and seen him also as our SHEPHERD, we have gone through the ‘I am’ STATEMENTS, and as I considered the next step, (yes I know STEP is another, but it doesn’t count) I began to think of Jesus in two more ways, that is from the use of John’s word ‘SIGNS’, but more as the miracle worker and then also from his parables as the STORY teller.

 

I have decided to consider the parables first seeing as I have been going through some of the signs / miracles over the last few months in the Bible studies.

 

Now, who doesn’t love a good story, I do, I have loved reading ever since I could understand the words in a book. I would read book after book, getting through a book such as an Enid Blyton story in one go, reading into the late hours. I can remember like it was yesterday my grandparents giving me a torch for my birthday which I would use once we had been told the light had to go off to continue reading till a book was finished. My poor mum would have to keep buying the big C batteries for me!

 

Well, I loved the Enid Blyton books, the Winnie the Pooh books, I loved another author called Malcolm Saville with his mystery books and the list could go on—even the Noddy books! but I also love the stories of Jesus! His stories are different, because as we have often been told they are stories that have a spiritual meaning. All the other books I read were just that stories, but the parables are stories that were given to grab our attention, to make us stop and think, to cause us to make decisions, to check our hearts and the responsiveness of our hearts to gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, it was one of the parables as I mentioned recently that brought me to the place where I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, the story of the lost sheep.

 

I haven’t added a scripture yet and I have come to the end of the devotion, so let’s have that story.

 

‘Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’ Luke 15:1–7.

 

And it is to some of these stories we will turn to for some of our next devotions.