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Why should we care? Welcome to our new 5 part mini-series 'Who Cares Wins' with apologies to the British SAS motto 'Who Dares Wins'. Q. Who cares? A. God cares. God Himself is a carer, we know this from reading the Bible; John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Did you notice that there is a connection between loving, giving and caring? God cared enough to become one of us, to live, to die and to break down every barrier between us and offer an unending relationship with Him. Matthew 10: 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. God cares about the small details, pervasive in depth care for each human being. Jesus expresses his loving care this way: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” John 13:34-35 . Jesus gave us a special duty of care towards our fellow believers which includes all your church family. However, there is a wrong kind of care; 1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety (cares) on him because he cares for you. God does not want you to be burdened down with worry but rather to put all your cares in a barrel and roll them over to Him and take both hands off! Who cares? The church of Jesus Christ cares for the vulnerable in various ways; For the widows and orphans. For the hungry and thirsty. For the naked. For the addict. For families (including children) including those needing counselling For people with learning disabilities. For sick people including those with mental health issues For the elderly (dementia sufferers) and for the homeless. Everyone in your church fellowship should care for your brother and sister and that includes your leaders! Who cares? We do. Who cares? I do. Prayer; Lord teach us to love like you love, Lord teach us to give you give like you give and Lord teach us to care like you care. Amen

Total commitment to the Lord We now consider what it means to be totally committed to the Lord. It can be summed up in these verses.   Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Loving the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul and all your mind means we are to be totally committed with our whole being to the Lord in the following ways: To the Lord personally and to His commandments and will. Loving your neighbour as yourself means being as totally committed to your neighbour's wellbeing as to your own. The sea captains of old were so committed to their ships that when the ship sank, they went down with it. Marriage without commitment will not last. A sports team without commitment will not be successful. A business without commitment is unlikely to succeed. What about your church fellowship? We must commit ourselves to the Lord and to each other for our fellowship to succeed. Learning Points If you want anything to succeed you must invite the Lord into it. When we commit our ways to Him, and keep trusting, it will happen. When we commit our works to Him, our plans will be established. Remember the examples of commitment from the bible e.g. Noah Remember committing usually starts with a prayer, and we keep trusting until the result comes c.f Philippians 4:6-7. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God ; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Always remember to consult the Lord before starting any battles, projects, or campaigns. Loving the Lord with your whole being expresses our total commitment to him. Loving our neighbour as ourselves shows that God’s love is in us and moving through us. Amen Personal Prayer

Everything we need to know for the marathon of the life of faith The Race of Faith This message is a word of encouragement for us in our Race of Faith! Our key scripture is from Hebrews 12:1-3 which tells us that we are in a race, but not a race in the sense of racing to work or to the shops to get that item we forgot. Our race is a lifelong race of faith which is a marathon not a sprint! Since our context is the book of Hebrews, we will recall that the two of the main themes of Hebrews (unknown author):  1. Jesus Christ is elevated as superior to anyone and anything else, in order to show that he is worthy of our total trust and devotion. 2. All believers are challenged to remain faithful to Jesus despite persecution. This helps us to keep our reading of the scriptures in context. Hebrews 12:1-3 1.Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking* unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3.For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Our race of faith that began the moment we asked Jesus into our lives, whom the author of Hebrews calls both “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” So, the race we are running requires. v1 So like any athlete, we will need to be disciplined; to stay focused and to make sacrifices in order to finish the race in the way Jesus intends us to. The race we are running is the race of faith that began the moment we asked Jesus into our lives, whom the author of Hebrews calls both “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” So, the race we are running has: ✓a starting line, where Jesus is present (coaching us for the race ahead / firing the starting gun) as the pioneer of our faith ✓and a finish line, where Jesus is waiting for us (cheering us on) as the perfecter of our faith. ✓And on top of all that there is a prize (eternal life) that will help us be serious in running our race to finish it well. Obstacles in our Race of Faith Hebrews 12:1 …let us lay aside every weight , and the sin which so easily ensnares us… a.      Weights: are otherwise legitimate things that hinder us in our race towards God b.      Sin c.      Losing the plot Let us consider these three points; — First, There are hindrances on our race which are not necessarily sins. Secondly, If we would run, we must put aside these. And lastly, If we would put them aside, we must look to Christ. The Greek word "ogkos" refers to a weight or burden, suggesting that believers must identify and eliminate distractions or hindrances in their spiritual journey. As we all know too well, life itself will provide us with plenty of obstacles along the way, distracting us with all that the world wants to offer us - things that seem more appealing and alluring. This could include our amusements, entertainments, pastimes, and hobbies etc. Self-examination is required. And then there is outright sin - the sin in our lives holding us back, entangling us as if somebody had tied the shoelaces of our running shoes together when we weren’t looking, it's sin that comes to entice us with the promise of something more gratifying or rewarding, but in the end it’s real aim is to disqualify us completely and take us out of the race. In the meantime, perhaps some of us will not have even realised we are actually in a race, wondering why everything is so tiring and why we have not progressed in our faith as we would have hoped to; others will be running at a good pace, calm, focused on Jesus for the distance. We must keep our eyes and focus on Jesus otherwise we might lose the plot and not finish our race of faith. Amen Personal Prayer In Part 2 we find the tremendous encouragement that the Lord has provided for our race of faith.

God has provided all the encouragement we need to succeed The Race of Faith Encouragement in our Race of Faith The writer of Hebrews in 12:1 tells us that “… since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses …"  Have you ever wondered who this great cloud of witnesses might be? Sometimes people today assume, that this cloud are those who have died who we all know family, friends, and acquaintances, and they are watching us from above ... but this is not what the Bible tells us. The "great cloud of witnesses" mentioned here are actually those first introduced to us in Chapter 11 of Hebrews. The ones who have run the race before us, living lives of faith and dependence on God, until they crossed the promised finish line.  We might picture the scene that we toward the end of our marathon of life have entered the last few laps of the race and entered into the stadium for the grand finish. The life examples of these heroes of the faith cheer us on to complete our race of faith by giving us encouragement to finish. Who are these heroes of faith in the Book of Hebrews Chapter 11? Here are some examples. Abel: First Martyr in the Bible. ... Enoch: The Man Who Walked With God. ... Noah: A Righteous Man. ... Abraham: Father of the Jewish Nation. ... Sarah: Mother of the Jewish Nation. ... Isaac: Father of Esau and Jacob. ... Jacob: Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel. ... Joseph: Interpreter of Dreams. Many others; see verses 30-40… Every person named and some not named in Hebrews Chapter 11 give different examples of from their lives of faith by which they served and glorified God. Let us now consider why their names are recorded in the scripture. They were all fallible people just like you and me. Because they all put their trust in God and watched Him do amazing things - in God’s eyes they are all champions Today, we all are running that same race of faith now, in whatever way God has called us to serve Him, so let us stay faithful as they stayed faithful! Amen Jesus’ Race of Faith Hebrews 12:2 looking* unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,  and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Run the race of faith like Jesus did! The scripture says Jesus went to the cross for you and for me, despite the shame and humiliation he chose to run His race, He kept His eyes on the prize. “Why?”  verse 2 says, “for the joy set before Him” He saw the prize! His prize - He completed His mission to save us sinners (you and me) and to accomplish the will of His Father, and He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hallelujah! Encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith. Profiting from our trials  James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. In James 1:2-4, we as followers of Jesus in the race are encouraged to stay the course: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." More encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith. Look to Jesus  … and win the prize! Let us make Jesus our only prize, our aim, our life.   Colossians 1:18 says that He is to have first place in everything . We are to set our eyes on Jesus always - confident in the knowledge that there is no better trainer who could have prepared us, no better coach who could be cheering us on, and no better champion gone before us and waiting for us at the finish line to catch us, than Jesus himself! Yet More encouragement to stay the full course of our race of faith.  1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. God always provides an escape hatch when we are tempted. Sometimes we need to ask the Lord ‘where is the escape hatch from this temptation’? So with the help of the Holy Spirit let us stand on this truth - God does not abandon us because we have weaknesses. He works through our weaknesses because He knows we are a work in progress.  Learning Points for our race of faith 1. We are in a life-long race of faith which is a marathon. God has surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses whose lives are an example to us. 2. We must set aside all our hindrances, weights, and distractions –anything that takes our eyes off Jesus. 3. We must repent and forsake all sins that would hinder our race. 4. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times in the race until we run into his arms at the finish line. Amen Personal Prayer   Materials Consulted Jacky Wilson: Blog Post ‘Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses' www.psalmonesermons.com Derek Prince: Commentary of Hebrews 11 and 12 YouTube. David Guzik: Hebrews 12:1-4. YouTube. Alexander MacLaren: Weights and Sins (Hebrews 12:1) Blue Letter Bible Commentary.

Romans 11:1-36 Daddy God has not forgotten His kids in Israel It was always God’s intention to bring together a remnant of the Jews and a proportion of the Gentiles into one family through Jesus Christ. This chapter outlines the process through which God has led the Jews and Gentiles to get them to becoming one family. The Remnant of Israel 11:1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me” [a] 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” [b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. Despite the disobedience and hard-heartedness of most of the Jews yet God has not totally rejected all Jews for all time because they were His special treasure, and His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul speaking as a Jew himself from the tribe of Benjamin says ‘absolutely not’ [1] . Paul shows that he himself is living proof that as a direct descendant of Jacob’s son Benjamin and as a true blooded Jew, elect and chosen by God, that he is indeed one of God’s special remnants in Israel. Paul goes on to give further evidence that God is not finished with all of Israel but always preserves a remnant. He reminds his readers that even when Prophet Elijah thought that he himself (unlike those killed by Jezebel) was the only godly man left in Israel. It was then that the Lord reminded him that He had 7000 true believers in hiding. So too with Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah’s ark etc. So how do you get to be one of God’s remnant, well it is His call of grace and there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn or deserve it. 7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.” [ c ] The Jews always sought to achieve right standing with God through keeping the Law and of course were unable to do so. Only the elect remnant of the Jews achieved right standing with God through faith but the others, the majority in some ways were hardened by the influences of God. Paul now gives examples of this hardening from Moses and David. Moses spoke of a spirit of stupor that produces mental and spiritual apathy that was still working on the unbelieving Jews in Paul’s day. 9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.” [ d ] David continues a similar theme in Psalm 69 where he invokes curses on all who hate his belief in and close relationship with God. Such people would be filled with moral and spiritual blindness. David implies such people deserve their fate. God hardens those who harden themselves. Ingrafted Branches 11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! So does this mean that once a Jew had hardened himself and was in turn hardened by God then they were absolutely doomed and with no way back? Paul declares absolutely not [2] ! Since the Jews had rejected the gospel then God bringing good out of evil rolled out His offer of salvation to the Gentiles. Abba Father planned to make the Jews jealous of the wonderful relationship with God that the Gentile converts were now beginning to display. God was using this ‘tactic’ as blessing to the Jews to bring them to their senses. Only God can bring good out of a great evil. The Jews' sin opened the door for the rich gift of salvation for the Gentiles bringing the spiritual riches of life in the Holy Spirit to the elect Gentiles. Surely the day will come when all the spiritual riches of life in the Holy Spirit will come to each remnant of the House of Israel i.e. the elect Jews. 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy ; if the root is holy, so are the branches. Paul turns his attention to the Gentile Christians in the congregation telling them he is delighted to have them as the main thrust of his ministry but with the bonus of knowing that as God worked through the Gentile Christians this might well stir up the interest of some Jews and hopefully lead them to Christ. Even those Jews who had hardened themselves against the Gospel might in some way driven by envy to embrace what God was already doing with the Gentiles. In the same way as a cake or a plant are a holy offering to the Lord, they represent the whole harvest or tree as far as God is concerned. God is not finished with the Jewish remnant. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches , he will not spare you either. Paul cautions the Gentile believers to humbly remember that Israel was the natural tree and only because God allowed some Jewish branches to be broken off was it possible for some Gentile believers to be grafted into the tree. Paul is warning the Gentile believers against pride and is telling them, ‘remember it is the Jewish natural olive tree they have been grafted into. God deals with sin irrespective of our ethnic origin. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God : sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! Paul warns the Gentile Christians to keep the faith and continue to walk in the kindness God lest they come under God’s discipline. He then turns his attention back to the unbelieving Jews and says that if they turn to God in faith then it is possible for them to be grafted back into the natural olive tree. When the elect Jews repent and turn to God, they will fit into the natural olive tree more easily than the Gentile believers since they were previously reared on the soil of Judaism. All Israel Will Be Saved 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not think you are superior: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way [ e ] all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is [ f ] my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” [ g ] The story so far is that the unbelieving Jews have stumbled and fell with the result that God had the Gospel preached to the Gentiles. The elect Gentiles got saved and this somehow drove the elect Jews to turn to Christ in line with God’s plan. Once the God appointed numbers of Gentiles have been saved then God’s focus will return onto the full remnant of the elect Jews coming to salvation though faith and all that remnant will be saved. All Israel will be saved is interpreted in different ways by different people. The most widely accepted theory is that most Jews living in the end times when the full number of the Gentiles having been already converted, will then be saved. Critics of this view point out that it is hard to believe that only Jews living on the earth at that time will be saved. Also the Greek does not support a time frame interpretation. They think Paul was looking at his day and beyond when he wrote this. The idea of a time of mass conversion of the Jews does not fit well with other things Paul wrote. Calvin’s theory : ’All Israel’ refers to the total amount of saved people throughout history i.e. both Jews and Gentiles. It seems unlikely that @All Israel’ should include the Gentiles. A third theory ; held by various theologians [3] that ‘All Israel’ means the grand total all elect Jews throughout the ages. My own preference is for this theory. Jesus Christ a true Israelite came to set mankind free from the bondage of sin and bring them into God’s wonderful salvation through His wonderful New Covenant. 28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now [ h ] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Paul explains that the unbelieving Jews became God’s enemies so the Gentiles could be saved. Then in turn when those Jews who are elect are provoked to jealousy by seeing the Gentiles saved then they become (no longer enemies) friends of God. The gifts and call of God on lives are never lifted off by God. God has remembered His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Daddy God has it all under control knowing just when and to whom to pour His mercy onto. Doxology 33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and [ i ] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?” [ j ] 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” [ k ] 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Paul’s heart and soul are filled awe and joy at seeing the wisdom of God’s plan for all His elect people through time. God’s plans and thoughts are beyond even the best human mind. Almighty and amazing God is no man’s debtor, nor does He need any man’s advice. All our salvation comes from God and Him alone and it is He who must receive all the glory for this forever. Amen Footnotes: [a] 1 - [k] 11 Romans 11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14 Romans 11:4 1 Kings 19:18 Romans 11:8 Deut.29:4; Isaiah 29:10 Romans 11:10 Psalm 69:22,23 Romans 11:26 Or and so Romans 11:27 Or will be- Romans 11:27 Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9 (see Septuagint); Jer. 31:33,34. Romans 11:31 Some manuscripts do not have now. Romans 11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the Romans 11:34 Isaiah 40:13 Romans 11:35 Job 41:11 Footnotes [1] - [3] [1] Meganoito ; Good heavens no! That is the Greek way of expressing a strong negative wish, may it not come to be, good heavens no. Or as Ken Boa puts it; your premise is correct, but your conclusion is wrong! [2] ibid [3] H Bavinck, L Berkhof etc. as quoted in pages 381-382 W Hendriksen’s Commentary on Romans. For full text for printout and access to other chapters please click below https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/romans-11-1-36

Let us consider the question of Jerusalem and Israel's relevance to the church of Jesus Christ. Firstly let us look to the Psalms for some context. Psalm 122 1 I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. 2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: 4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. 5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. 7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. 8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. 9 Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good. Verse 6 The Psalmist tells God’s people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and invokes prosperity on the lovers of Jerusalem and Israel. But you say that was the old covenant, what does the new covenant say to the church about Israel? Romans Chapter 11 addresses this issue in depth (to see my personal commentary please go to https://www.psalmonesermons.com//post/romans-11-1-36). Very briefly in Romans Chapter 11 We find that Abba Father has not forgotten the Children of Israel. It was always God’s intention to bring together a remnant of the Jews and a proportion of the Gentiles into one family through Jesus Christ. This chapter outlines the process through which God has led the Jews and Gentiles to get them to becoming one family. The Jews always sought to achieve right standing with God through keeping the Law and of course, were unable to do so. Only the elect remnant of the Jews achieved right standing with God through faith but the others, the majority in some way were hardened by the influences of God. Paul now gives examples of this hardening from Moses and David. Moses spoke of a spirit of stupor that produces mental and spiritual apathy that was still working on the unbelieving Jews in Paul’s day. God is not finished with his people Israel Zechariah 12:10 I will bring them (Israel) again also out of the land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. 12 And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord. Here is something wonderful for the church from Psalm 122:6 (see above). Jerusalem means the ‘possession of peace.’ Today the church of Jesus Christ is also a ‘possession of peace’. The New Jerusalem Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The heavenly Jerusalem is prepared as a ‘bride’. Spiritually speaking, Jerusalem can be likened to the church God is building, which ties in with Zion. Remember that our bodies are temples of Holy Spirit, in other words, God’s dwelling place. A place of giving praise and thanks. This Psalm 126:6 is a special prayer for both Israel and the church. Let us take the actual words of the above scriptures and turn them into our prayer; Lord, in Jesus’ name we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray, for Jerusalem that peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. Peace be within thee and we shall seek thy good always. Amen Shalom

By fasting Last time in Part 4 we looked at the Lord’s prayer and saw that we must forgive people who have done us wrong, otherwise we ourselves will not be forgiven. I n this our 5th and final part we consider fasting. Generally fasting means going without food for a period of time for spiritual purposes. We can also fast from other things that give us personal pleasure such as watching television etc. Matthew 6:16 “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. v16-18 Motive is crucial here, if you outward appearance is to let people know you are fasting than there is no further reward from God. Like giving and praying, fasting is best kept secret and hidden from people. All forms of our self denial should be covert and not paraded before men but rather done directly before the gaze of our Lord. Matthew 9:14-17 Time to fast? 14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." v15 Jesus the bridegroom was still with the disciples at this point of time. This was not the time for mourning and fasting but that time would come later. A good general guide as to when to fast is when you feel that the Bridegroom (Jesus) is absent or distant. v17 We need to be born again so that our new wineskin can accommodate the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Do you fast on a regular basis my brother, my sister? I must confess that I find fasting exceedingly difficult to do, so I tend to fast only when the chips are down, and I need clear direction from the Lord (please pray for me). Things to remember about fasting Our fasting does not move God Our fasting does not impress God Our fasting simply helps us put our flesh under so that we can hear what God is saying! Our fasted prayer may help us to do correct actions that may lead to a better witness for Jesus Christ. Amen Personal Prayer

By forgiving others In Part 3 we considered how we ought to pray as part of our storing up treasure in heaven. Today in Part 4 we consider the importance of our forgiveness to others. Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. v12 Forgiveness moves in cycles which means as we receive our forgiveness from the Lord so must we express that same forgiveness to those who have wronged us or our loved ones. The cycle stops when we refuse to forgive so we stop the flow of God's forgiveness to ourselves. Matthew 18:23-35 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[ a ] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt, and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged, went, and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” v26-35 In this parable we become the wicked servant whom, when the master has forgiven all our huge debts, yet we still refuse to forgive the comparatively small debt we are owed by our fellow human beings! God forgives us all our countless debts/sins. We must do the same for our fellow human beings and keep the cycle of blessing moving! Amen Personal Prayer

By praying In Part 2 we looked at how we should give to poor and saw that secrecy was vital and not to look for the approval of other people. Likewise today in Part 3 your prayers ought to be strictly between you and the Lord. You motive is crucial. Matthew 6:5-8 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. v5 If your intention when you pray is to be publicly noticed by man then you are a hypocrite. The praise of man is all you can expect. Pray in secret and store up treasure in heaven. v6 Your prayer should be done in private place away from the gaze of others. This is the kind of prayer Abba Father delights to reward. v7 God is not impressed by our babbling prayers like the unbelievers nor is he impressed by repetitive prayers because he heard you first time. v8 Abba Father knows exactly what you need, even if sometimes you don't. He already knows. Secret praying is seen by God. Public praying is seen by man. Like our giving, our praying seems to work best when offered in private not public. Behaving religiously in public does not impress God one bit! Amen Your personal prayer

By secretly giving to the needy Matthew 6:1-4,19-21 Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. v19-20 The only place your treasure is absolutely and eternally safe is in heaven. v21 What is your treasure today, what do you treasure? Can your treasure be taken to heaven? Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. v1 You can either have your reward from God or the approval of men. You get to choose! v2 People that publicise their giving are hypocrites and their reward is only the approval of men. v3 Keep you giving/alms secret so that no-one except God knows about it. Do you sometimes find like me that when we give to the poor we want to tell someone about it? Lord forgive us. v4 What we give in secret is what the Lord loves to reward. Don't miss out on this type of reward. James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. v27 God considers our religion to be at its best when we give to helpless widows and orphans who are close to his heart. Somehow the Lord increases our witness because we have kept our kindness secret and visible only to God himself and not man! Secret giving helps keep us pure from the stains of the world. Amen Testimony Someone once told me that it is a real thrill to secretly give to those in need but telling absolutely on-one. Perhaps you consider it as the Lord leads you! As your needy person thanks the Lord, He will bless you and probably in a public way. No person can out-give God, his blessings will surely overtake you ( Deuteronomy 28:2 ). Amen Closing prayer

What can we take to heaven with us? Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV) 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: Worldly mindedness focuses on material things Heavenly mindedness dwells on the invisible and should in the main be hidden from public view. What earthly treasures does this scripture refer to? What can be destroyed by moths and mice? What can be stolen by thieves breaking into our property? It seems to me that the only thing we can take to heaven are people (especially our families), and this is only achievable by our love as exercised in its many and various forms…prayer, giving, sacrifice, fasting, kindness and forgiveness etc. These are the types of action that will help us tostore up treasure in heaven. These actions when empowered by displaying your love ( see 1 Corinthians 13 ) will influence the people who we meet in life e.g. When you love, you show mercy. When you love, you forgive. When you love, you forbear. When you love, you are kind. When you love, you are patient . Where does this love come from? Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us . Day by day, minute by minute the Holy Spirit is pouring God's agape love into each believer's heart. Let it show! Let it flow! Let it produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life! Amen Your closing prayer. Love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy Louisa May Alcott , Little Women (1868) In Parts 2-5 of this study we consider how we might practically go about storing up treasure in heaven.

Psalm 56:8 by guest author Helen Draye Psalms 56:8 NLT "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." None of us enjoy experiences that cost us tears and often the enemy tries to use these experiences to discourage us and tell us what a mess we've made of everything. Have you been there? Well, God reminded me of these verses, whilst sharing with a friend who is going through a hard time. It’s so encouraging to see how the Psalmist turned it all around and instead of letting the enemy gloat over the situation he was able to see what God was accomplishing through it! What a blessing that the Psalmist shared these things and how we can read ourselves into the same victory that God intends for His children because Jesus has paid the price already for our victory! The enemy IS already defeated!! PSALM 56 GNBUK A Prayer of Trust in God "1 Be merciful to me, O God, because I am under attack. my enemies persecute me all the time. 2All day long my opponents attack me. There are so many who fight against me. 3When I am afraid, O LORD Almighty, I put my trust in you. 4I trust in God and am not afraid. I praise him for what he has promised. What can a mere human being do to me? 5My enemies make trouble for me all day long. they are always planning how to hurt me! 6They gather in hiding places and watch everything I do, hoping to kill me. 7Punish them, O God, for their evil. defeat those people in your anger! 8You know how troubled I am. you have kept a record of my tears. Aren't they listed in your book? 9The day I call to you, my enemies will be turned back. I know this: God is on my side — 10the LORD, whose promises I praise. 11In him I trust, and I will not be afraid. What can a mere human being do to me? 12O God, I will offer you what I have promised. I will give you my offering of thanksgiving, 13because you have rescued me from death and kept me from defeat. And so I walk in the presence of God, in the light that shines on the living." Hallelujah! We can be people of victory! Pastor Colin Urquhart loved to remind us: "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!”. If we are " in Him " we can live in His victory through every experience! He used to demonstrate this using a book, and if you have something enclosed in the pages of that book you are included wherever the book goes and in whatever happens to the book. We are secure in Him! Hallelujah! Amen Prayer Further information: A short history of tear bottles Tear bottles were prevalent in ancient Roman times, when mourners filled small glass vials or cups with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect. Sometimes women were even paid to cry into "cups", as they walked along the mourning procession. In the Old Testament of the Bible, a reference to collecting tears in a bottle appears in Psalm 56:8 when David prays to God, "Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy Book ?" David is referring to the belief that God keeps a record of human pain and suffering and always remembers our sorrows. Tear bottles reappeared during the Victorian period of the 19th century, when those mourning the loss of loved ones would collect their tears in bottles ornately decorated with silver and pewter. Special stoppers allowed the tears to evaporate. When the tears were gone, the mourning period would end. In some American Civil War stories, women were said to have cried into tear bottles and saved them until their husbands returned. Their collected tears would show the men how much they were loved and missed. The tear bottle tradition has endured for more than 3,000 years. Tear bottles, or lachrymatory, were common in ancient middle Eastern societies. Even today they are still produced in that region. Tear bottles were prevalent in ancient Roman times, when mourners filled small glass vials or cups with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect. Sometimes women were even paid to cry into "cups", as they walked along the mourning procession. Those crying the loudest and producing the most tears received the most compensation, or so the legend goes. The more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be. Today, lachrymatory tear bottles are given on many occasions - to show joy and delight upon the wedding of a friend or the birth of a new child. To convey love and admiration between a mother and daughter, representing the tears that have been shed between them. To express sympathy upon the loss of a loved one. Tear bottles communicate feelings that few other gifts can. And what's so wonderful is that unlike flowers, a tear bottle will last for years and be a precious and powerful reminder of your love. Guest author/blogger Helen Draye For a print copy and much more please click on the link below https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/all-your-tears-are-in-god-s-bottle