Christian Living.

1 Peter 4 has some good advice to help us live for Christ.

"...but live according to God in regard to the spirit...be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray...love each other deeply...offer hospitality to one another with our grumbling...use whatever gift (you) have received to serve others...faithfully administer God's grace...if anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God...if anyone serves...do it with the strength God provides..." (vs 6-11)

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Having Old Fashioned Guts.

Before they were thrown into the fiercely burning furnace, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego say this...

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

To Leaders..

1 Peter 5:2-4

"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Learning Spiritual Truth.

In Daniel Chapter 2 there is a very good illustration of HOW we learn spiritual truth.

King Nebuchadnezzar has a bazaar dream and he asks Daniel to interpret what it means.

Daniel says to the King that he cannot do it.... "but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries..." (v.28).

That is what happens.

In verse 47 Nebuchadnezzar says to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries...."

There are a couple of things here...

First, Daniel acknowledges that God is the one who reveals mysteries.

Secondly, Daniel tells the King that. It is like when Paul says "How will they hear without a preacher"

It is after that process that the King is able to integrate what he has learned and express it.

We learn in a similar way.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Sermon 25th November 2012

CHRIST THE KING B     John 18:33-37     25^th November, 2012.

Our Gospel lesson today speaks of a great king. 

Christ the King is a Sunday when we celebrate the fact that we have a great king.  That great king is Christ.

This is going to mean very great implications for us.

This is not JUST a ceremony.

Not JUST a special Sunday.

If we are going to focus on and celebrate Christ the King Sunday,

It means that we are going to live with Christ as our King.

That just doesn’t involve us in SAYING lots of things,

It involves us in LIVING a particular way.

And there has to be evidence of us living with Christ as our King.

The Gospel lesson seems like a strange choice

for the Sunday that we call Christ the King. 

On Christ the King Sunday,

we would expect to find King Jesus on a throne,

high and lifted up. 

We would expect to find throngs of people on their knees before his throne.  Instead we find Jesus on trial before Pilate. 

We find him on the way to the cross––on the way to his death.

Pilate asks Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 

Jesus' accusers had claimed that Jesus was trying to make himself a king. 

They knew that Pilate could not tolerate a challenge to Rome's authority. 

"Are you the King of the Jews?" Pilate asks Jesus. 

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world." 

Pilate’s great motivator was popular opinion and political considerations.

History judges Pilate on his treatment of Jesus.

Pilate must have thought that with Jesus out of the way,

That would be the end of it.

The King of the Jews gone,

Never to be heard of again.

But Jesus came to show the world a new type of king. 

The Jewish people knew what kind of king they wanted. 

They wanted an old kind of king. 

They wanted another David. 

• They wanted a king who would lead them, sword in hand. 

• They wanted a king who would cut down their enemies. 

• They wanted a king who would march home with prisoners in tow. 

• They wanted a king who would live in a palace––a king who enjoyed the better things in life. 

• They wanted their king to give them the better things in life. 

They wanted no more Roman soldiers on their soil. 

They wanted no more Roman taxes deducted from their pay. 

And so Jesus was going to disappoint many,

confuse many.           

Jesus came to show us a new kind of kingship. 

• Jesus’ Kingship was not the power of a sword

but the power of love. 

• Jesus came to rule, not from a throne,

but from a cross.

• Jesus came riding in Jerusalem, not on a great horse,

but on a donkey.

• Jesus came, not sucking up to the powerful,

but healing the sick.

• Jesus chose his inner circle, his friends and colleagues

not from the theological colleges,

but from fishing boats.

There is a story that helps us understand

the difference between what people wanted from Jesus

and what Jesus actually offers. 

A Danish sculptor started out to create a statue of Jesus. 

He had in mind exactly the kind of man he wanted to represent

––a strong man

––a man in charge

––a man before whom all people would bow. 

With that clear vision,

he worked quickly to create a tall figure

––head thrown back and arms stretched high in a gesture of authority.

Having finished his work,

the artist locked his studio and went home.

During the night, a fog rolled into the studio through an open window. 

When the artist returned the next morning,

he was shocked to find the statue ruined. 

The fog had moistened the clay,

and Christ's head drooped. 

His arms had fallen low. 

The strong, chiseled features of his face had softened. 

The artist, seeing how the statue had changed,

Was about to fix it all up. 

Then it struck him! 

The statue was not ruined! 

It represented Christ in a different light. 

No longer a commanding, powerful Christ,

it had become a servant-Christ. 

The lowered head allowed Christ to see people who were down and out. 

It let him look at little children. 

The lowered arms were inviting. 

The softened face was compassionate. 

Instead of trying to restore the statue,

the artist made only one change. 

On the statue's base he inscribed the words, "Come unto Me!"

Jesus came to show us a new kind of kingship.

We know the whole narrative of Jesus.

It's easy for us to see that King Jesus was doomed to fail.

He would never be able to fulfill people’s expectations of him. 

• Compassion is no match for a sharp steel edge. 

• You can never make an army out of the lame, the blind, and the sick. 

• Softness just encourages bullies and the not so nice. 

In a worldly view, Jesus did fail. 

Within hours of entering Jerusalem,

he was being whipped and driven through the streets to his cross. 

The crowds mocked him,

and the soldiers killed him. 

They hung a sign over his cross that read,

"Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,"

The sign was intended as a joke. 

If Jesus was intended to be a conventional king

Then his whole life was a joke! 

Born in a stable among goats

(although the Pope in his new book reminds us probably correctly that there were no animals present at Jesus’ birth)

he was definitely crucified between two thieves! 

He had a  poor start in life

which led to a poor end of life! 

We would be foolish indeed to follow such a foolish king!

But follow we do! 

Foolish disciples have followed this foolish Christ for two thousand years,

and they still do. 

Foolish disciples follow Christ today in every nation of the world. 

This morning, millions of people are breaking bread and drinking wine to remember the One who brought us the foolishness of the cross. 

The one who died lives again,

not just in heaven,

but in the hearts of every disciple across the face of the whole, wide world. 

And what of those who killed King Jesus? 

• Where are his accusers?  Gone! 

• Where are the Herods?  Gone! 

• Where are the Roman soldiers?  Gone! 

• Where is the Roman Empire?  Gone!

In an amazing turn of history,

the smartest and most powerful people of Jesus' day have turned to dust

––along with everything for which they stood. 

All that remains of ancient Rome are a few coins and a few ruins. 

But the one whom they killed lives on. 

And the promise is that we haven't seen anything yet! 

Just wait!

To judge the world – and everyone in it. 

Jesus has called us,

his disciples,

his church,

to follow him

––to take command and to wield authority as he did. 

This means giving instead of taking! 

It means loving God and our neighbour as ourself! 

It means caring instead of abandoning hopeless causes! 

• In Christ's name, Christians have died on mission fields all over the world so that people might hear the good news that Christ died for them. 

• In Christ's name, Christians have started hospitals to heal the sick in times and places when there was no money to be made in it. 

Christians are still doing that, you know. 

Christian physicians and nurses are braving primitive conditions throughout the world today to heal people who have no health insurance and no money and no hope.

• In Christ's name, Christians have started soup kitchens

––and orphanages

––––taken in alcoholics

––and drug addicts

––started homes for the elderly

• In Christ's name, Christians have carried dying people off the streets in India so that they might die in dignity.

We, the church, are always tempted to try the other way

if we can get our hands on enough money

––or if we can persuade the government to do it for us

––if we can just grasp the levers of power

––that all will be well. 

But King Jesus has shown us a new way. 

He has shown us a cross. 

Jesus said to Pilate, "You say that I am a king.  For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." 

The truth to which Jesus testifies is the truth of the cross. 

For two thousand years,

it has seemed folly that a man would become king by dying on a cross. 

The Apostle Paul called it the foolishness of the cross. 

Jesus called it the truth. 

CHRIST THE KING

Has to transform us/ renew us

Our destiny is NOT to have the perfect church service.

Our destiny is to follow CHRIST THE KING.

Are you doing that?

Is it making any difference at all to your life?

An Account Of Our Life Required.

This morning I was reading 1 Peter 4 and this verse came up (verse 5)

"But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead."

We will have to give an account for the life we have been given....

...what will you say?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Living For Christ...

1 Peter 3:15-16

¹⁵ Honour Christ and let him be the Lord of your life.
Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. ¹⁶ Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ.

The Gospel According To Peter.

1 Peter 2:24-25

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of you souls."

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Praise Be To God.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - 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 1:3-5

Isn't that am amazing piece of Scripture? When I have more time I must come back to it - and pull out the many thoughts included there.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

God Pleading.

In Psalm 130 we see God pleading for Israel....He does the same for us.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
     for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
     He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins. (130:7,8)

God's message has never been any different.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

The "Submission" Debate Revisited.

James 4:7

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Wisdom From Heaven.

We have good wisdom described in James Chapter 3..

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." (vs.17,18)

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Blessed Are All....

Psalm 128:1-6 has a very special blessing for us...

"Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
     who walk in his ways,
You will eat the fruit of your labour;
     blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
     within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots 
     around your table.
Thus is the man blessed
     who fears the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion
     all the days of your life;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,
     and may you live to see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel."

Have a great day of blessing,


Peter Clark.

God's Heart.

Sometimes you hear people say that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament.

In Ezekiel we get a picture of the heart of God....

"As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?" (33:11)


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Very Useful Blessing.

Hebrews 13:20-21

²⁰ God gives peace, and he raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death. Now Jesus is like a Great Shepherd whose blood was used to make God’s eternal agreement with his flock. ²¹ I pray that God will make you ready to obey him and that you will always be eager to do right. May Jesus help you do what pleases God. To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever! Amen.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Living With Others.

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord; See to it that on one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:14,15)

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Consider Jesus.

This morning I came across this verse in Hebrews.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (12:2-3)


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Thankful for Victory.

124 The Lord was on our side!
Let everyone in Israel say:
²     “The Lord was on our side!
Otherwise, the enemy attack
³ would have killed us all,
    because it was furious.
⁴ We would have been swept away
    in a violent flood
⁵     of high and roaring waves.”

⁶ Let’s praise the Lord!
He protected us from enemies
    who were like wild animals,
⁷     and we escaped like birds
    from a hunter’s torn net.

⁸ The Lord made heaven and earth,
    and he is the one    who sends us help.

Wisdom From Proverbs

Proverbs 27:15-22

¹⁵ The steady dripping of rain
and the nagging of a wife
    are one and the same.
¹⁶ It’s easier to catch the wind
or hold olive oil in your hand
    than to stop a nagging wife.

¹⁷ Just as iron sharpens iron,
    friends sharpen the minds
    of each other.
¹⁸ Take care of a tree,
    and you will eat its fruit;
    look after your master,
    and you will be praised.
¹⁹ You see your face in a mirror
    and your thoughts
    in the minds of others.
²⁰ Death and the grave
are never satisfied,
    and neither are we.
²¹ Gold and silver are tested
in a red-hot furnace,
    but we are tested by praise.
²² No matter how hard
    you beat a fool,
    you can’t pound out
    the foolishness.

Following Our Hero.

Paul in Ephesians 5:1 reminds us who we are to copy...

"Be imitators of God..."

That is clear enough isn't it? If we want a mentor,  a life coach, we know who it should be.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

People Know What Is Right.

In Hebrews 10 we are reminded by the writer that God has injected into our hearts the knowledge of what is right...

"The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: This is the covenant I will make with them
after this time, says the LORD.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds." Jeremiah 31:33

I had an enquiry about Christian Baptism ( a sacrament given to us by Christ) and after the arrangements we being worked out, I was asked, "Does it matter that we are not married?"

The enquirer knew it mattered, otherwise it would not have occurred to ask.

God's plan is that children be born in loving and nurturing environments. I would argue that means they live with a mother and a father in marriage.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

There Is Hope.

In Ezekiel, the prophet spells out for us, the individual responsibility that we each have...

"The soul who sins is the one who will die" (v.4)

Again, this is repeated in verse 20.

But then the prophet tells us plainly how we can escape the death that results from sin.

Verse 21 "But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my 

decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die."

And again, he says, "Repent! Turn away from all your offences; then sin will not be your 

downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new 

spirit....for I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and 

live! (v30)

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Unity.

Philippians 2:1-2

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."

That says it all.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Desolate LIves!

A few weeks ago I preached on "gaining the whole world, but losing your soul"

It occurred to me that it is possible to have the whole world and to have a desolate life.

In Ezekiel 15:8 God warns His people, "I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign LORD."

If we are unfaithful, our lives will never reach the potential of joy and peace that we are capable of.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Hang In There.

It is a very dangerous thing to fall away - to turn your back on God after He has called you out.

"But what about people who turn away after they have already seen the light and have received the gift from heaven and have shared in the Holy Spirit? What about those who turn away after they have received the good message of God and the powers of the future world? There is no way to bring them back. What they are doing is the same as nailing the Son of God to a cross and insulting him in public."

Hebrews 6:4-6 (CEV)

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Unity At Church!

I came across these verses again today. How magnificent.

Philippians 2:1-2

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

"Like Glaze Over Earthenware"

This morning one of my readings was from the Proverbs (26:23-26).

"Like a coating of glaze over earthenware
     are fervent lips with an evil heart.

A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,
     but in his heart he harbours deceit.

Though his speech is charming, do not believe him,
     for seven abominations fill his heart.

His malice may be concealed by deception,
     but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly."


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

In The Midst Of Distractions.

In the midst of distractions we are to hold on to our faith.

The evil one has a personal strategy and plan just tailored to you and your circumstances.

Don't fall for it.

Today I read from Hebrews 4 (verse 14 & 16)

"...let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.......so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

TFTD: How easily are YOU distracted from following your faith?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

An Appeal To "Come".

Hebrews 4:6-7

"It still remains that some ....... who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore...'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'"

TFTD: Have you responded to this call from God? If not, today might be the day.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

The Core Of The Gospel In Six Words.

The writer to the Hebrews is talking about how great Jesus is and he describes what Jesus came to this earth to do.

It is put very simply.

"....so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9c)

That is very clear isn't it? Jesus came to die our eternal death so that we might live his eternal life.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.