I Will Sing of My Redeemer 1 Peter 1:18-19

When A. J. Gordon was pastor of a church in Boston, he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. He decided to buy the birds as his heart was moved with compassion for the birds in the cage. He gave him 2$ and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost—paying for them with His own precious blood. “That boy told me the birds were not songsters,” said Gordon, “but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!” Similarly, we have thousands of reasons to praise God, and the chief among them is we are redeemed not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Jesus paid the price for our release from sin and its consequences (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). 

There is joy, peace and hope in “singing of our Redeemer” even in the midst of our trials.  Philip Paul Bliss the writer of the hymn “I Will Sing of My Redeemer” dedicated his entire life to sing praises to his Redeemer. Bliss and his wife Lucy traveled extensively, spreading the Gospel through singing. In December 28, 1876 evangelist D.L. Moody invited them to serve the Lord through their singing in his evangelistic meeting held at Chicago. In that meeting Bliss told that “He will not meet them again as He’s Going to his Hometown Tomorrow. His words and song proved to be prophetic. On the 29th of December, 1876, Bliss and his wife boarded a train back to Pennsylvania. As their train was crossing over a river in Ashtabula, Ohio, the bridge suddenly gave way and all the carriages fell into the freezing waters below. He escaped through the window, but enter into glory in trying to save his wife. After his death the hymn “I Will Sing of My Redeemer,” was found in a piece of baggage among Bliss’ belongings.

Friends, because we have a Redeemer, we are forgiven. We have a Redeemer, to intercede for us in our weakness and in the time of our trouble.  Since we have Redeemer we have comfort in life, that though we fall we shall not be utterly cast down. Since our Redeemer lives, this shall be our faith that we shall see Him when we reach our eternal Hometown. Therefore let’s not forget to “Sing of our Redeemer” at all time. 

Yours in His service

G. Paulraj 

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" Jeremiah 17:7

The Word of God encourages us to put our hope and faith completely upon Jesus’ righteousness for our eternal life. However, God is not unconcerned about the issues we face in our day to day life here on this earth. He recognizes that there are times when the doubts, cares, and darkness of this world will seem to weaken our fellowship with God and veil His face from us. Even in these times, God has not left us. Our anchor of faith can still hold in the darkness, knowing through faith that even though not seen (Hebrews 11:1), He still sustains us. Therefore we as His children can “rest on His unchanging grace.

Edward Mote's parents were hostile to religion, but while still a boy Edward became a Christian through the influence of a cabinetmaker to whom he was apprenticed.  Regardless of the claims of his business on his time, Mote always found time to worship God.  He was especially interested in Christian music, and one day felt inspired on the way to work to write down a verse that came to his mind.  Before the day was finished, he had completed four verses.  His new hymn began with the words, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." After this, Mote visited a friend whose wife was ill.  It was a Sunday, and the friend mentioned that he and his wife liked to observe Sunday by singing a hymn, reading a scripture, and having prayer together.  Mote had a copy of his hymn in his pocket, so they sang it.  The friend's wife was so taken with the hymn that she requested a copy for herself.  Encouraged by her interest, Mote had copies printed––and soon found himself the author of a beloved hymn. At age 55, Mote responded to a call to the ministry.  He served out the rest of his life––more than two decades–– as the pastor of a Baptist Church in Horsham, Sussex, England.

If you put your hope in other people, they will let you down. If you trust your stocks or bonds or bank accounts, you will find that they can disappear overnight. In any case, they are not ultimately satisfying. Health will fail. Houses can burn. Jobs can be lost. But the one who has his or her hope from God and trusts God as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ can stand firm in anything. Once a submarine was rammed by another ship and quickly sank. The entire crew was trapped in water grave. One of the divers in the rescue team his helmeted ear to the side of the vessel and listened. He heard a tapping noise. Someone, he learned, was tapping out a question in the dots and dashes of the Morse Code. The question came slowly: “Is … there … any … hope?” That is the question man asks today. Yes, it’s found in Jesus Christ!

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj

Standing on the Promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20)

God’s promises recorded in His Written Word from Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:20 are “Yes and Amen”. Psalms 119:140 says “Your promises have been THOROUGHLY TESTED, and your servant loves them”. Therefore the saints in the Old Testament used to cite God’s promises that they had received from Him (Genesis 28:15, 20-22; Nehemiah 1:4-11). God’s promises bring balm to our wounds, help to our infirmities, rest to our weariness, encouragement to our prayers. Therefore let us learn to trust and to stand on the unfailing promises of God. 

Here is a wonderful testimony from Carter (1849-1928) the composer of the hymn “Standing on the Promises of God.” His meditation on 2 Corinthians 1:20 which says “For all the promise of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” inspired him to make wrote this Gospel hymn. Carter was a star athlete of a military academy and later became successful teacher and coach where he studied. He served God several years as an ordained Methodist minister, spend last of his professional years as a doctor of medicine. Poor health and hopeless condition due to cardiac issues made Carter to turn to God for help and healing. He knelt and made a promise whether God heals or not he would consecrate rest of his life totally to God’s service. Over the course of the next several months his strength returned, and his heart was completely healed! Carter lived another healthy 49 years. The hymn Carter had written several years before his miraculous healing became more than words and music to him. Standing on the Promises became an integral part of his life.

Dear friends we must learn to stand on God's exceeding great and precious promises. Our faith in His promises will keep us from the world and its corruption and lusts. Our faith in His unfailing promises will help us to go forward in spite of all obstacles that we face in our day to day life.  Therefore let us not allow the sufferings, sin and sickness to keep us from holding fast to the precious promises of God. 

Just as I am (John 6:37)

The parable of lost son vividly portraits the unconditional love of our heavenly Father towards the repentant. The thief on Jesus’ right side at the cross unlike, the other thief stopped mocking and humbled himself before Jesus. Jesus the loving Saviour accepted him and guaranteed Kingdom of Heaven to the repentant that very moment.  The humble approach we take to come to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation was beautifully described in the story behind the hymn “Just as I am”. It is based upon the words of Jesus found in John 6:37.

It was in London when a great preacher by the name of Caesar Milan was invited one evening to a very large and prominent home where a choice musical was to be presented.  The musician was Charlotte Elliott born in Clapham, England, on March 18, 1789. As a young person she had lived a carefree life, gaining popularity as a portrait artist, musician and writer of humorous verse.  On the program Charlotte thrilled the audience with her singing and playing. When she finished, this young preacher threaded his way through the crowd which was gathered around her and asked if she was a Christian. She considered him rude and unkind, and that his question was inappropriate. After the man walked away, Charlotte could not get his question out of her mind so she went to find the man, and to ask how to become a Christian. That night she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Soon thereafter she wrote “Just As I Am” as a testimony to her newfound faith, and as a tribute to the man who had told her that she could come to Christ, “just as she was”.

Dear friends, Christ is our refuge we can flee to Him at any time and in any condition and He will never turn anyone away. Let us come to Him “Just as we are” without hesitation. He will never reject a broken and repentant heart (Psalm 51: 17). Rejection and despise of repentant would go against His very nature and everything that He has promised in Scripture! Therefore let us confidently come to our Saviour God “just as we are”!  

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj

THE LEAVENS TO BE PURGED 1 CORINTHIANS 5: 6-8

Introduction: here in this text Apostle Paul compares sin with leaven and commands the congregation at Corinth to clean out the sins from their midst in the same way the Jewish community had  removed leaven from their homes during their first Passover (Exodus 12:19-20). Just as leaven permeates an entire lump of dough, sinful behavior affects the entire life of an individual and congregation. Let us take few minutes to consider the leavens that are to be purged from us.

I. The leaven of Sin: Sin can be anything that displeases God. If you know anything about sin, then you know that sin is like yeast.  Sin grows and spreads just like yeast in dough.  Cheaper dead flies are powerful enough to spoil the costliest ointment Ecclesiastes 10:1. In the same manner sin works its way into your whole life until your life is completely corrupted by it. Therefore purging out the leaven of sin shouldn’t be occasional instead it should be often.

II. Leaven of hypocrisy: The believers at Corinth were known for their Spiritual gifts. But there was no love among them and there was no holiness in them. Their superficial spiritual life blinded their eyes to see the defiling leaven in their midst. Jesus had warned His disciples to avoid this type of behavior by using leaven as the metaphor of this sinful conduct (Matthew 16:5-12).

III. Leaven of disobedience: The apostle Paul also referred to leavening when teaching the Galatians about obedience to God’s laws. There were those who distorted God’s grace into license to sin. Paul made the point that a small amount of misrepresentation of the truth can lead to large amounts of confusion and deceit. Galatians 5:7-10 contains his warning.

Conclusion: The biblically relevant question we need to ask is: “Am I leavened?” In other words, do I still live a sinful life before God’s eyes? Have I learned to worship God with the “unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” or am I living a sinful, hypocritical life?

Patience in the Midst of Trials 2 Thessalonians 1: 4

Introduction: There had been great difficulty in Thessalonica, but the Thessalonians patiently endured.  The word endure means “to hold one’s self up; to refuse to submit to the pressures of life.”  It was a time of intense persecution for the church and yet they were patient in the Lord. That simply means they were steadfast in their stand and endured the difficulties with resolve. Life was hard, but the Thessalonians had stood as individuals committed to the cause of Christ. The story is told of an artist who went to visit an old friend. When he arrived, she was weeping. He asked why. She showed him a beautiful handkerchief that had great sentimental value, but which had been ruined by a spot of indelible ink.  The artist asked her to let him have the handkerchief, which he returned to her by mail a few days later. When she opened the package she could hardly believe her eyes. The artist, using the inkblot as a base, had drawn on the handkerchief a design of great beauty. Now it was more beautiful & more valuable than ever. Sometimes the tragedies that break our hearts can become the basis for a more beautiful design in our lives. Be patient with the hurts over which you have no control. In God’s hands they may even become a source of healing, help, & beauty.

Blessings Patience Brings: We live in a society of instant gratification. We are unaccustomed to waiting for much of anything. This impatience has even found its way inside the church. Let us know that Abraham waited 25 long years for the promised son, Isaac? Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert, in the middle of nowhere, preparing to lead God’s people, and then spent another 40 years wandering in the desert. Surely God has great things in store for us, but we must be patient and wait for Him to work in our midst. Apostle James in chapter 5: 7-19 exhorts believers to be patient until the Lord’s coming. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to "run with endurance" the race set before us. Some of the greatest missionaries of history devotedly spread the seed of God's Word and yet had to wait long periods before seeing the fruit of their efforts. William Carey, for example, laboured 7 years before the first Hindu convert was brought to Christ in Burma, and Adoniram Judson toiled 7 years before his faithful preaching was rewarded. In western Africa, it was 14 years before one convert was received into the Christian church. In New Zealand, it took 9 years; and in Tahiti, it was 16 years before the first harvest of souls began.

Conclusion: The Lord is full of pity and tender mercy.  So, where is your patience? Are you always in a hurry—even when God isn’t? Do all the work you can, and trust God for the results. Jesus is coming back. Will you be patiently trusting in Him? 

The rising sun will come to us from heaven Luke 1:78

Luke chapter 1 is filled with divine wonders and miracles. Angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias and to Mary to tell them about the birth of John and Messiah. Zacharias became speechless because he had doubted the words of angel. Later, his speech was restored in obedience to the command of the angel Vs: 63-64.  When his speech was restored Zacharias lifted his voice and glorified God. In this incredible paragraph of praise Vs: 67-79, Zacharias prophesised about the coming Messiah and pictured Him as “Dayspring” which means “Sunrise” Vs: 75. Zacharias has rightly named Him “Dayspring” as He makes His rays shine upon the world trapped in darkness.

The careful study of Vs: 78-79 helps us to understand about three areas of our life that can be transformed dramatically by the rays of Heaven’s Sunrise. First, Sunrise shone in our darkness that we may have peace with God, and we no longer abide in the darkness of this world. The Sunrise transformed the darkness in our lives into light. He has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light that we may declare the praises of Him 1 Peter 2:9.  Second, Zacharias tells us here that Jesus came to bring His light into the very shadow of death. Jesus conquered death on our behalf therefore we believers do not need to fear death, 1 Corinthians 15:53-58. For a believer death is nothing but a doorway through which we pass from this world into the presence of the Lord in Heaven. If we are in Jesus, if the Rays of Heaven’s Sunrise shone in our lives, certainly death has no claim on us. Jesus the Sunrise conquered death for us eternally. Third, Zacharias says that the Rays of Heaven’s Sunrise shines to direct our feet into the path of peace. When we were in darkness we didn’t know how to walk in accordance God and His righteousness. We were left to our own devices; we merely tend to wander farther away from God, Isaiah 53:6. But when we are saved, when the Rays of Sunshine shone upon us, the Lord gave us a heart to follow Him, His Spirit within us to guide us, and He gave us His perfect Word to teach us of His ways and of His will for our lives. Bible is the blessed Word of God that will never lead the saint of God astray, instead that will ever supply the guidance needed to get us safely home to Heaven, Psalm 119:105.

Dear friends, I don't know where this message finds you. In darkness, afraid of the future, or unsure about today, but I know that where ever you are, there is help, and there is hope in the Person of Heaven's Sunrise! Let us allow the rays of Heaven’s Sunrise to shine in all the areas of our life. Let our light shine before men that they may glorify our Father who is in heaven.