Writings by Desmond Ford

The Gospel Message

The Gospel is for Free

Blessed are the poor in spirit. - Matthew 5:3

True religion is the union of the heart with God. It is not being a member of a denomination, or simply being baptized. All these things may come into it, but they are not the essence of true religion. True religion is the spirit, the heart, the mind.

Jesus is saying in this verse, “Blessed are those who feel their need.” Isn’t it great that the blessings begin there? Here is the ladder of life from earth to heaven, and Jesus does not begin with “Blessed are the pure in heart.”

A pure heart is one that is not mixed up worldliness, selfishness, self-will, impurity, or wrong ambition. A pure heart gives God his place, places absolute concentration on God.

Suppose the Beatitudes had begun, “Blessed are the pure in spirit.” I’d have shut the book, “No good to me,” I’d have said. I’m glad the blessings do not start there. The blessings begin, “Blessed are the poor.” I can say, “Lord, I can buy that.”

The gospel is for free.

If God is going to give us something as infinite as eternity, how could we finite creatures ever earn it? It has to be free. The good news of the gospel is that all the good things we want are free. – Des Ford

The News that Travels Quickly

And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. - Romans 11:6

Grace is mentioned about 130 times in the New Testament alone. Paul begins and ends each of his epistles with it. Along with one or two literary relatives, it turned the western world upside down in the sixteenth century – we call that event the Reformation.

The news that travels quickly is either very bad or very good, usually the former. But in this instance, the latter. If the gospel were something trite like “Be good and God might save you,” it would hardly travel outside its hometown – the town of legalism.

But if instead the gospel is grace, and the gospel is joy, forgiveness, power, fruitfulness, mercy and a thousand other good things, we can understand how one day when understood it will take wings and cross all barriers.

In other words, when instead of telling people that if, if, if they are good God might love them, tell them of the God who “justifies the ungodly,” the man who “receives sinners,” the One who promised that “all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.” Tell that, and it will travel at almost the speed of light.

Tell the world that grace is God’s unimaginable generosity. It led Him to give Christ, His unspeakable gift. It made him promise to supply, if we need it:

exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. - Ephesians 3:20

– Des Ford

That’s Grace

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… (He) did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. - John 3:16-17

Only as we recognize that grace is essentially for the graceless do we gather its essential sweetness. In the Old Testament, its synonyms in the Hebrew signify favor and loving kindness. Thus the word binds together both Testaments, signifying that God, because He is Love, is seeking sinners to bless and change them, and to fill their lives with fruitfulness, innocence and joy.

This Man receives sinners. Luke 15:2

That’s grace.

Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men. Matthew 12:31

That’s grace.

The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37.

That’s grace.

Love is grace. Mercy is grace. Forgiveness is grace. All gifts are grace. Joy is grace. Indeed you cannot think of any good thing that is not related to grace in one way or another. There could have been no grace whatsoever for us but for the fact that God the Son volunteered to take our place and redeem us.

Grace… came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

– Des Ford

Illustrations of Grace

Remember Abraham praying for Ishmael. “O that Ishmael might live before Thee!” But our munificent heavenly Father not only gave him Ishmael in lasting existence but also Isaac, and descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven for we, if Christ’s, are Abraham’s seed. He asked for the life of one, and God gave him millions. That’s grace.

Think of Jacob. He prayed that God might guarantee him his bread and water, but what did God do? By the time Jacob came that way again he was rich, living high so to speak, and a man abounding in children and all good things.

See the prodigal son in his tattered clothes and almost broken spirit. He resolved to go to his father, for his father’s servants had bread enough and to spare, and ask to be made a servant. What happened to him? He was reinstated, given a ring, special shoes and gown, and a feast. That’s a picture of divine grace in action.

Christ told umpteen stories about parties but gave only one mini-parable about a funeral (see Matthew 11:17). Similarly, the Old Testament ordered many feasts, but only one fast (the Day of Atonement).

No wonder we read:

The joy of the Lord is your strength. - Nehemiah 8:10)

– Des Ford

The Glorious Answer To All Our Questions

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus – Ephesians 2:6.

In a book almost 2,000 years old, we are told that there were hundreds of people still alive in the days of Paul the Apostle, who had seen the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 15:6). We can believe this testimony because we have a prophecy from the risen Lord, affirming that his gospel would go to the end of the earth, beginning in the very place where he had been rejected and crucified (Acts 1:8).

How is it that neither the Jews nor the Romans could stamp out these witnesses who took the words of Christ to the edges of the known world? How did fishermen manage to overthrow long-accepted systems of idolatry and destroy the deities of Greece and Rome?

What does this mean? Here is the answer to all our questioning, and the answer is glorious.

If Christ is alive and interceding for us in the heavens above, then his gospel is true. All believers have had their sins forgiven (including past, present and future sins), and Christ’s perfect righteousness has been imputed to them. They are without condemnation, reckoned as already seated in the heavenly places. They are joyful possessors now of eternal life and the verdict of the Last Judgment. Could there be anything better? – Des Ford

Old Testament Heroes Pointed to the Cross

“If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.” - John 5:46

Isaac was the child of promise who had been miraculously born. He was under the sentence of death for three days while he travelled with his father, and he bore on his back the wood on which he was to be sacrificed. Now Christ, the true Isaac has come, and to show that, He is offered at the same site, the hill of Moriah. He too can say:

“The Father has not left Me alone. He that sent Me is with Me.” - John 8:29

Long before Isaac, Noah, after emerging from the storm of the wrath of God, had offered sacrifices adjoining the saving wood of the ark. That sacrifice had symbolised a new covenant made with a new world – and so it was at Calvary. The fierce outpouring of divine wrath against evil fell on the One attached to Calvary’s tree, that it might never fall on us.

God’s wrath, of course, is not like ours, selfish and ungovernable. His is a holy wrath, the inevitable reaction of holiness against evil. God’s wrath is also a healing wrath that brings salvation and holiness to all who are in sympathy with it. Whenever wrath threatens, there is the ark of safety available to all who accept the invitation to “come.” – Desmond Ford

The Cross: About More Than Just Forgiveness

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement… He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. - Romans 3:24,26 NIV

If we want to understand the Cross, we need to understand that it is not just about forgiveness. It is also about the holiness of God.

Yes, it is a wonderful revelation of the love of God. All of our sins are but a grain of sand compared to the mountain of His forgiveness. All of our sins are just a dewdrop falling into the ocean of His mercy.

But the Cross reveals, first of all, the holiness of God. God Himself could not forgive sin until its penalty was paid. The Cross was necessary so that God might be just and the Justifier of all who believe.

The Cross is a microcosm of the universe that unfolds the heart of God. God is against sin, but God is for sinners. The Cross also unfolds the heart of man. Man is so sinful he’d destroy His God. The Cross tells the reality about heaven and about earth, about past, present, and future. To understand the mystery of the Cross is to have insight into all the mysteries of existence.

The Cross of Christ also proclaims, “There’s more to come! Life is not just pain and death. There’s resurrection and glory!” That, too, is part of the meaning of the Cross. – Des Ford

Calvary Has Given Us The Tree of Life

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. - Revelation 2:7

On numerous occasions, Scripture refers to the Cross as a tree. This is most appropriate since trees provide food and shelter; they are places of rest and beauty, and have, in themselves, the seed of continued life. In all these ways, every good tree points to the Cross of Christ.

Concerning both the tree of life in Paradise, and the tree of Calvary, we find that they are located “in the midst” (Genesis 2:9; John 19:18; Revelation 1:13; 5:6; 22:2). By this repeated phrase we are reminded of the centrality of Christ and his sacrifice. The Saviour at Calvary stands between God and man, between the Father and the Spirit, between life and death, between time and eternity, law and grace, judgment and mercy. The tree of life in the midst of Paradise also symbolized his Cross, since to find Christ as one’s sacrifice is to find paradise.

Only if we can keep him in the centre of all beliefs and practices can all be well. While a thief stealing from the tree in Eden was expelled from Paradise, another thief, millenniums later, was promised entrance into Paradise because he partook of the second tree. Calvary has transformed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil into a tree of life for all who believe. – Des Ford

Jesus Saves You Even When You Don’t Understand

Near the Cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. - John 19:25

Jesus’ followers stood bewildered near the Cross. They did not understand why Jesus was allowing these terrible things to happen to him. He had overcome every other challenge in his life. Why didn’t he reveal his power and come down from the Cross?

Many times in life we ask the same question: why doesn’t God do something? Why is he allowing this great evil? There is a reason. We just have to trust that God will act in his own time. So have faith in God, especially when travelling through the valley of the shadow of death.

The Roman centurion who supervised the crucifixion of Jesus had ample time to observe everything that happened. He noticed the kind of person that Jesus was and heard every word he spoke:

The centurion seeing what had happened praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” - Luke 23:47

This man who was responsible for the execution of Jesus confessed his faith in the Saviour. What a wonderful gospel; it can change even the hearts of those who crucify the Lord; it can transform enemies into friends. - Des Ford

Jesus Has Conquered Death For You

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? - 1 Corinthians 15:55

Jesus said:

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” - Revelation 1:18

Jesus, by his death and resurrection, opened the way back to God and life for us. That is why, after he rose from the dead, those who were raised to life by his death went into the holy city (Matthew 27:53). It is the death and resurrection of Jesus that gives us an eternal home with God.

There have been many great religious leaders in the world, but all of them have surrendered to death. Only one has risen from the dead, and that is Jesus Christ. When our Lord rose from the dead, he turned the tables on sin and death. The song of the redeemed is, “O death, where now is your sting? O grave, where now is your victory?”

Death has been conquered! And Jesus says to all who follow him:

“Because I live, you also will live.” - John 14:19

• Des Ford

Christ’s Miracles and Parables Teach Justification In Him Alone

To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. - Romans 4:15

Justification concerns the provision of that righteousness which is alien to us and found in Christ alone. It is systematically presented as a doctrine in Romans, but it is found throughout the whole of Scripture. Even the miracles and parables of Christ set it forth.

For example, the leprous, the blind, the deaf, the dumb and the palsied, came just as they were, but the word of Christ declared them whole. They came just as they were, but they did not remain just as they were. Contact with Christ made the difference. His power alone worked the transformation as they submitted to it.

In the parables we have the lost pictured as helpless sheep, forfeited coins and degraded sons. Only loving grace made the rescue possible. The shepherd found the sheep, the woman found the coin, and the memory of the Father’s love drew the prodigal. The prodigal confesses, as must every sinner, “I am not worthy,” but the Father receives him nonetheless.

Justification is a declaring righteous, not a making righteous. But God does not pronounce the leper clean and leave him a leper. He does not pardon the rebel and then leave him to carry on his rebellion. The ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is the evidence that we have been ‘born’ of the Spirit. – Des Ford

Christ Has Justified Us Through His Death

Just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. - Romans 5:18

Justification is the reception of the sinner just as he or she is, for Christ’s sake. Sanctification, or transformation, is the result. The essence of justification is that God does for us what we could never do for ourselves. He accomplished our acquittal through Christ’s life and death, which were not only substitutionary, but representative.

When Christ died, God counted it as though the whole human race died. His perfect life, given for us on the Cross, was put to the credit of the whole human race. Christ became what he was not, that we might become what we are not. (See 2 Corinthians 5:14, 21).

Sanctification begins with regeneration, which always accompanies the faith and penitence that mark justification. Sanctification concerns our state, which is always imperfect, whereas justification concerns our standing with God, which is always perfect.

Justification is concerned with what has been entirely done outside of us. The result of justification is that as faith lays hold of the gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit who inspires that faith begets a new life in seed form. Henceforth the believer, so to speak, is a person with two natures, the old and the new. – Des Ford

You Are Justified Through Faith Alone

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:6, NIV

That’s the pattern for all of us. Abraham was not declared righteous because of any of his good works, although he had done many. Neither did ceremonial nor ritualistic works justify him, for he was declared righteous before his circumcision. He was not even justified on the ground of his faith, for it was far from perfect. Remember that before this, he had distrusted God and lied about Sarah, saying she was his sister. And after God had declared him righteous, didn’t he fail when he used Hagar to produce a son? Abraham was not justified as a result of his fragile faith.

Abraham was justified as a result of the coming Seed, Jesus. Faith was no more than an outstretched hand. Faith is not the basis of God’s gift. Everyone is justified by means of faith, that is, through faith; but not because of, or as a result of, faith. Justification through faith means justification through Jesus.

And how we all need justification! Not one of us is what we should be, could be, or would be. The perfect law demands not merely perfect outward performance but perfect attitude of heart, perfect motives from a perfect heart. There is no way we can offer these to God. Even a repentant murderer is still guilty of his cruel crime.

The reward has to be all of grace. Therefore, it is through faith and faith alone. – Des Ford

You Belong To God

You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 RSV

The answer from Scripture to man’s claim of self-ownership is clear, unequivocal and final. We are not our own because we were bought. We were delivered, if we will accept it. God’s own Son valued us so highly that he would not leave us in the darkness of the shadow of condemnation and death. By his own agonies he saves us from our agonies, if we will let him.

My life is not my own, nor are my moments, talents, opportunities or health. They are all held in trust. To rightly use them is the rent for the space I occupy here on earth.

Why was Christ forsaken at the ancient cross? He was forsaken that we might forsake our habit of fleeing from the cross of life and the cross of the Gospel, which, if lifted, ultimately will lift us. For the cross of service, when embraced, becomes as wings to a bird and as sails to a ship. The sighs of Calvary, through the magic alchemy of our loving, Heavenly Father, ultimately become transfigured into the songs of Paradise.

We belong to God – every cell, every talent, every capacity for thought, feeling, and action. Those who accept the sacrificial principle of the Cross will find that instead of weight it will become wings. – Des Ford

Steady Your Soul at the Foot of the Cross

May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. - Galatians 6:14

Must our lives always be threatened by sickness, frustration, disappointment and death? We live in a rebellious world where people have spat in the face of God, rejected infinite love, and where people have disobeyed the laws of life, and have forgotten that a judgment day is coming.

I wonder if you have heard of Amy Carmichael. One of the problems she dealt with in the approximately 38 books that she wrote was the meaning of pain. In one of her books, she wrote:

There is only one place where we can receive, not an answer to our question, but peace. That place is Calvary. An hour at the foot of the Cross steadies the soul as nothing else can. “Oh, Christ, beloved, thy Calvary stills all our questions. Love that loves like that can be trusted about this.”

Our Lord is not only our Saviour but he is also our great example. He knew pain and shadows, and the worst pain, of course, was when it seemed that God had forsaken him. But God was still there. The Bible says,

“God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19

If the love revealed on the Cross cannot help people to be like the one who hung on the Cross, what more can God do? – Des Ford

Calvary is the True Centre of Existence

We love him because he first loved us. - 1 John 4:19, NIV

It is not the life of Christ, not the teachings of Christ, but his sacrificial death alone that provides the motivation we need in our Christian life. When, through faith, we focus our eyes upon Christ on the Cross, and lay hold of him as our personal Redeemer, we become united with the very power of the heavenly throne itself.

To know that we are loved, despite what we are, inclines us to love others, despite what they are. To see the evidence of the patience of God towards us inspires us to be patient with those around us.

To catch a glimpse of the hope of Paradise offered to a penitent thief arouses in us an undying hope which can transcend “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”

The Cross is a constant reminder to us that through Jesus Christ, we too, died on that day. We are now his, and the only life that we have is the one he has given us. Jesus’ death teaches us that we are not our own, for we were bought with a price. When we fully understand this great truth, we no longer want to live for ourselves, but for him who died for our sake, and was raised again. Any good that we do is but an echo of God’s own good. – Des Ford

Righteousness Through Christ

One has died for all; therefore have all died. - 2 Corinthians 5:14, RSV

The Bible asserts that when Jesus died, then the whole wicked world potentially died in him and paid the price for its sins. Because of this, God is already reconciled to all men, so he says,

Be ye reconciled to God 2 Corinthians 5:20

Potentially all men are saved; all that individuals need to do is accept so great a salvation and by that act of acceptance, lay hold of eternal life.

Faith has no virtue in itself. It is merely the hand by which we receive the One in whom is all virtue. Thus righteousness does not come through faith in our faith; it comes through looking at Jesus Christ and believing what he says.

True belief when connected with a person always involves more than a mental assent. If we believe in a banker, we will entrust our money to him; if we believe in a doctor, we go to him with our physical ills. If we are to believe in Christ the Saviour and Lord, we must permit him to save us from our sins and we must obey him implicitly.

Thus it is that repentance, confession of sin, restitution, and obedience are always associated with conversion and regeneration. By surrender we are to consecrate our all to Christ, and by faith we are to receive his all. – Des Ford

We Have Passed From Death to Life

“He who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” - John 5:24, NKJV

We were all ruined by Adam, our first representative. But Christ came as the second Adam, the second representative of the human race, and he redeemed us all. Legally it is so. Personally it becomes so as I believe it (1 John 4:17).

Only this can explain those mysterious sections of the Gospel narrative which tell us of the intensity of Christ’s mental anguish when he sweat great drops of blood and later cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It was not fear of death that explains Christ’s agony. It was the awareness that he was suffering for the sins of the human race. He was forsaken of God, or so it seemed, that we might not be. On the Cross, Christ cried, “Why?” in order that we might never need to cry it.

The lightning bolts of judgement struck the innocent Son of God in order that the guilty might find safety at the seared site of Calvary. It is no travesty of justice. The unchangeable law of God was more honored by the death of the infinite Son than if the whole guilty human race had perished.

Furthermore, anyone who receives the blood-bought gift of righteousness cannot remain the same. The forgiveness given to rebel dissolves their spirit of rebellion. – Des Ford

Everyone Can Be Saved

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes … For there is no distinction … for the same Lord over all is rich to all that call upon him. - Romans 1:16; 10:12, NIV

The religion of many people is like a headache: they have no desire to lose their head, but it hurts them to keep it. This leads to the question: Is Christianity hard or easy? Or put another way: does salvation depend mostly upon God’s doing or mine?

The word gospel means “good news,” but Christianity would not be good news if those with handicaps through heredity and environment were unable to be saved.

The Scriptures, however, promise that through the Gospel “he that is feeble … shall be as David” (Zechariah 12:8). Of all who will ultimately be saved it will be written that they “out of weakness were made strong” (Hebrews 11:34).

Our salvation depends more upon God than upon us, for the Bible is emphatic that everyone, whatever their temperament or natural advantages, are powerless of themselves to live a righteous life,

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. Romans 8:7, NKJV

To encourage all who become aware of their weakness it is written that,

God has chosen the foolish things of the world, … the weak things of the world, … and base things of the world, and things which are despised. 1 Corinthians 1:27,28, NKJV

Heaven is for everyone who believes. – Des Ford

The “Good News” Religion

This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. - Luke 15:2, NIV

Religion, as with all other good things, is a two-sided coin. There are only two religions in the world, and only one of them is pleasing to God. The popular religion of the world says, “Be good and God will love you.” This religion is human-centered, works-centered, subjective, and vain.

Bible religion, in contrast – the Good News religion – is that Christ came into the world to save sinners. He loves and accepts us even while we are sinners. It is this acceptance that changes us. God “justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5, NKJV).

The glory of the New Testament religion is that we are saved on the basis of what Christ has done, not by what we do; by what he has felt, not by what we feel. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone.

The righteousness by which we are justified is 100 percent, but it is imputed rather than imparted. The righteousness of sanctification is imparted by the Holy Spirit, but it is never 100 percent in this life.

The believer has not need to be anxious about what God thinks of him but only what God thinks of Christ, his Substitute. The believer has no need to make his peace with God, for Christ has already done that, and Christ is his Peace. – Des Ford

God Is Not Exclusive

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. - Ephesians 4:4–6

There is just one family of God, though its members are scattered among many groups. According to the New Testament,

“no man can call Jesus Lord save by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3

Thus, anyone having Christ as Saviour and Lord is a member of his family, of his church. This is true, even though not all believers see the particulars of duty alike. They are none the less God’s children.

You don’t have to have a perfect understanding of Scripture to be God’s child. Our God looks at the heart, the inclination, the will, and where there is the intent to please God and obey his known will, there that person is regarded as his child. Accurate knowledge is not required. Neither is perfection called for. If it were, all of us would be excluded.

Read the story in Luke 1:5-20, where Zechariah the priest and his wife Elizabeth are described as perfect before God, keeping all his commandments. Yes, this is the way they were described, even though both their understanding of the will of God and their performance of it was defective.

Thank God that the condition of heaven is the acceptance of the perfect righteousness of Christ, not our tattered, grimy human robes of our own characters. – Des Ford

The Gospel Is Better Than Law

The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17, NKJV

Any religion that eclipses the Cross of Christ by the Mount of Sinai is a false religion; in whatever church it may happen.

The law says, “Do this and you will live.” But the Gospel says, “Live and you will do.”

The law says “Pay me what thou owe.” The Gospel says, “I freely forgive you everything.”

The law says, “The wages of sin is death.” But the Gospel says, “The gift of God is eternal life.”

The law says, “The soul that sins shall die.” The Gospel says, “Whoever believes in me, though he were dead, yet he will live.”

The law says, “Get yourselves a new heart.” The Gospel says, “I will give you a new heart.”

The law says, “You will love or else.” The Gospel says, “Here is love: not that we’ve loved God, but that He loved us and gave Himself a sacrifice for our sins.”

When the law was given at Mount Sinai, 3,000 people died in a matter of days. When the Gospel was proclaimed at Pentecost, 3,000 people lived.

Three thousand sermons on the law won’t convert one person.

One sermon on the Gospel will convert 3,000. – Des Ford

Believe in Jesus

He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. - John 5:24, NKJV

Nearly one hundred times (98 to be exact), John’s Gospel uses the word, “believe.” It’s there in almost every chapter.

Believing is receiving, and receiving is believing.

“As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, to them who believe on His name.” John 1:12

Chapter after chapter, John asks, “Do you believe?” The person who believes in Jesus is not condemned.

He who believes on Him is not condemned: but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18, NKJV

We have eternal life now (John 5:24), in Christ. The moment I believe, I am not only not condemned. I am justified!

Justification is not forgiveness. In a practical sense, it includes forgiveness, of course. But the word means much more. It means to be treated as innocent. The essence of the Gospel – the Good News – is that God calls the repentant sinner perfect the moment he or she believes. Though we are not good, God declares us righteous, for Christ’s sake.

John’s Gospel is asking, “Do you believe? Have you received? Do you have life eternal? Have you received the favourable verdict of the Last Judgment now?” – Des Ford

The Day You Died

I have been crucified with Christ. - Galatians 2:20, NIV

Only when we know that God accepts us can we accept ourselves, and only as we accept ourselves can we accept others. The power of sin can never be broken until the guilt of sin is taken away by our acceptance of the gospel.

We are free, indeed, when, as a result of the Good News and the moving of the Spirit upon our hearts, we now want to do what we ought to do. No one can ever love God until he or she believes that God loves them.

It is at the Cross that this supreme revelation of the love of God toward us was made. As we see the hand of the Crucified One extended to east and west, we realize that all heaven is inviting us to come to him and claim him as our Substitute, Representative, Redeemer and Friend.

2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us that the day of our death was Good Friday at Calvary:

“If one died for all, then all died.”

Not only did Christ die for us as our Substitute, but we died with him who was our representative. At Calvary, through Jesus, we all paid for our sins of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

That’s why it’s our great privilege to know that paradise is ours this very day. – Des Ford

Jesus’ First Miracle Was Important! Why?

When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from… he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “But you have kept the best until now!” - John 2:9,10, NLT

Moses was referring to Christ when he predicted that God would raise up another prophet like him. (Deuteronomy 18:15.)

Like Moses, Christ left the palace to redeem his people; like Moses, he controlled the waters of the sea and multiplied food for the people; like Moses he was willing to be blotted out for the sins of his people.

However, Christ teaches us much more clearly about the Gospel. Moses taught law; our Lord Jesus taught the Gospel.

That’s why we must notice the contrast between Christ’s first miracle and Moses’ first miracle. Moses’ first miracle was turning water into blood, which brings death. It tells us that the law leads to condemnation. Our conscience never gives any assurance.

The first miracle of the Son of God is an obvious contrast with Moses’ first miracle. Christ turns water to wine in overflowing abundance and brings rejoicing. It represents the blood of the new covenant, that brings life.

Moses had to die before the people got to enter the promised land. The law can’t take us in. Moses never took them into the promised land; Joshua took them in. The name Joshua is the same name as Jesus. Only the Gospel of Jesus can take us to the promised land. – Des Ford

The Grace of the Gospel Carries You

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. - Ezekiel 47:12, NIV

The Gospel is like that mighty stream that is pictured in Ezekiel. It originates as a trickle from the temple, first a few inches deep, just up to the ankle, then up to the knee, the thigh, and then, finally, it forms mighty rivers to swim in!

In the same way, true religion is not something we carry. True religion is something that carries us. The religion of Moses became a yoke of bondage when the Jews forgot the meaning of the symbols and the prophecies and the types. When the Jews saw these things externally only, as a means of finding heaven, they all became a yoke of bondage (2 Corinthians 3:15–18).

When we turn to the Lord, we suddenly see how those Old Testament laws, types, symbols, prophecies and sacrifices, all point us to the Saviour. The law is a school master to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). When we come to Christ and he writes the law in our hearts, we will want to do what is right.

It is only out of gratitude: the only obedience God will accept is the obedience of gratitude. He will not accept any other. Whatever is not of faith is sin (Rom 4:23). – Des Ford

You Are Reconciled with God

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. – Romans 5:10,18, RSV

How few, even of professing Christians, understand these words! These verses clearly affirm that the atonement of Christ restored the whole human race to favour with God. Christ is our peace, having broken down the wall between God and humanity. By his own blood, Christ signed the ransom papers for the race. Unlike most of the panaceas offered to humanity, this one has to do not with a subjective experience but an objective reality: salvation was accomplished historically, outside of, and independent of ourselves. And the gospel is the glad announcement of that event.

Calvary is the double cure for sin. It takes away both sin’s guilt and its power. The revelation of the atoning God breaks the believer’s heart, freeing it from the bondage of self-centred existence. Looking on the Cross, the believer sees the holiness of God, and repents; sees the love of God and believes; sees the power of God and is born again. – Des Ford

God Sees You as If You’d Already Arrived

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:6, NIV

If you have a healthy conscience, it should condemn you many times a day. But this verse refers to a heavenly place of rest! Isn’t it restful to know that you have a heavenly place of rest right now?

Despite the fact that we have a conscience that says, “You should have done that better. Look, you still haven’t done this or that”, when you read this verse, it says that God looks at you and sees you as if it’s all over, as if you’ve already made it home.

God sees you as if you were already at home. He sees you at the end of the pilgrimage. He sees you seated there in heavenly places with his Son.

That’s not only how God sees you, that’s also how he treats you. He treats you as though you have already arrived.

Here is how it works. Here I am, messing around, failing, foolish, evil, but I want to do the right thing, so I’m looking to Jesus. When I do that, God says, “I see that you are looking to Jesus. That means I see you as already at home.”

If you trust in Jesus, you are resting in heavenly places right now. – Des Ford

You Are Sealed for Heaven

You were sealed for the day of redemption. - Ephesians 4:30, NIV

There is deep meaning behind the Biblical concept of sealing. It means many things. When a seal, in ancient times, was placed on an object, it gave it its own imprint. So when the Holy Spirit seals us, he brings the character of God to us, which is love.

A seal is also a sign of protection. In Revelation 7, there is a group of people who are sealed. They are the ones who are protected (See also Genesis 4; Ezekiel 9). So, a seal or a mark becomes a sign of protection, a sign that those, who by faith in Jesus have received the indwelling Spirit, are perfectly safe. But sealing means even more than that.

The Israelite high priest had a mitre on his forehead – a kind of headdress – that had written on it, “Holiness to the Lord”. We are all called now to be God’s priests. We are all called now to reflect God’s holiness.

Holiness means that you take God into account in everything. Anything less is not Christian. Anything less is just fooling ourselves. Either God is the Lord of all or he is not Lord at all. You can’t be a half-Christian (Ephesians 4:31–32). – Des Ford

God Has a Plan to Get Us to Heaven

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:6–7, NIV

When God gave the gift of free will he knew when, where and how that gift would be abused. He knew how he would overrule the tragedy and bring good out of it. He made it so that even the darkest deed ever, that most awful event when God, the Son himself was crucified by his creatures, should echo the glory of God throughout eternity. He made it so that even in that vilest event, the angels and all created beings would see the height, depth and length and breadth of the love of their Creator in a way they would have never have known otherwise but for the fall.

God was not asleep. God was not taken by surprise by the fall! He anticipated it. The New Testament teaches us that God had a mystery from eternity that the Lamb would be slain. Sin was no surprise to God.

God could have made us robots – mere puppets – but God loves liberty so he made you free. But because he knew that his creatures would abuse their freedom, he was resolved that he would overrule that for good.

God is love. Ultimately, whatever he does is to increase the joy, love, and gladness throughout the illimitable realms of his universe. – Des Ford

You Need Not Fear the Judgment

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. - John 3:18, NIV

The Crucified One is to be the Judge of sinners. This is Good News indeed! God’s judgment is not to be just an indictment because of sins committed. In fact, the real issue is not primarily the sin question but the Son question. Jesus said that whoever believes in him is not condemned.

What right has the Creator of a moral universe to act so? The answer is at the very heart of the gospel. God’s judgment on sin, his wrath against it, has already taken place! Christ, “who knew no sin,” has been made to be sin itself for us:

“that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“one has died for all; therefore all have died” 2 Corinthians 5:14

God’s law, being a description of his own character, could neither be flouted or revoked. Its penalty had to be paid. But who would have thought that God himself would pay it? That’s why, now, the real issue is not primarily the sin question but the Son question (John 5:4).

God’s defining quality is love. And therefore it is written,

Herein is our love made perfect, that we [guilty sinners] may have boldness in the day of judgment. 1 John 4:17, KJV

– Des Ford

You Can Look Forward to Christ’s Return Without Fear

He made us accepted in the Beloved. - Ephesians 1:6, NKJV

How is it possible to look forward to the appearance of Christ the great Judge, and not panic while being aware of our own personal imperfections? The answer is that the second coming of Christ must always be viewed through the lens of the first.

Those who look to the second advent as the great saving act have failed to rightly distinguish that event from Calvary. It was at Calvary that the Saviour declared, concerning our reconciliation with heaven, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Those who by faith have been crucified with Christ understand that the wrath of God has already been exhausted on their Substitute and Surety, Jesus Christ. They know that they are “complete in him,” “accepted in the Beloved,” and for them there is no condemnation, neither today, nor at the hour of his appearing (Colossians 2:10; Ephesians 1:6; Romans 8:1,33-34).

The Book of Revelation clearly points to the second coming of Christ. That same book opens with allusions to Christ being pierced for us, his having been dead, and his passage through the grave.

There are no grounds for panic theology as we study Revelation, the book of the parousia. The returning One is he who once hung upon the cross for our sakes. Our future is in his hands. – Des Ford

Salvation is For Sinners

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. - Luke 18:14, NIV

Jesus told a story in Luke 18 to illustrate how salvation works. There were two men praying in church. One was a religious teacher, who spent his entire life making sure that he followed every rule of his religion. He even did more than was required, to make sure that he was better than other people. He said to God in a loud voice: “I’m really glad I’m not like other people,” as he glanced around and spotting a tax collector praying in a dark corner of the church. “I fast twice a week and I give more generously than necessary to the church.”

The tax collector, on the other hand, was too timid even to lift his eyes towards heaven. All he could say to God was this: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

Jesus left no one in any doubt about the outcome. God, he said, heard the sincere prayer of the tax collector, and gave him salvation, but turned away from the pride and arrogance of the religious leader (Luke 18:14).

So it is with us. We cannot do anything that will help to save us. The Bible tells us about the only thing we can do. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). – Des Ford

The Cross Changes Everything

“When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.” - John 12:32, CEB

The most influential person of history is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who ever lived who claimed to be God, and yet was considered sane by the best of his generation.

Unbelievable as it was, Jesus was planning to die — to allow himself to be killed by his enemies. He had come to this earth to rescue the world from the curse of sin, to pay the price for sin so we would not need to suffer its penalty. That price was death. The heart of the Bible is the Gospel, and the heart of the Gospel is the Cross. This is the story of how God has solved the problem of sin in the world. Jesus’ death on the Cross is the event that tells us the whole story of how God loves us.

At the Cross we learn to understand God. Everything in the Bible either points towards the Cross or refers back to it. Without Jesus’ death on the Cross, there wouldn’t be any happy ending to the Bible story, or to the world’s history. Without the Cross, our lives would have no hope, and death would be a black pit of nothingness.

The Cross changes everything.

Despair becomes joy, death becomes life, and ugliness becomes beauty. – Des Ford

Welcome to the Party!

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come. - Revelation 19:6–9

A party is Christ’s favorite symbol of the gospel message — the good, glad and merry tidings, which make the heart to sing and the feet to dance.

He began his ministry with a weeklong marriage feast, where wine made glad the heart of man.

He ended his ministry with two feasts in the final week, the first being the feast at Simon’s house where Mary anointed him, and the second being the feast of Passover. The wine’s crushed grapes yield nourishment and tell of God’s love for us in the shedding of Christ’s blood. The broken grapes of the Passover feast parallel the broken alabaster box at Simon’s feast.

In preparing Christ for his burial by her anointing, Mary also sealed her own act of love in the memory of saints down the ages. For Christ promised that wherever the gospel would be preached, her loving kindness would always be remembered. Here is evidence that the one about to die held the future of the world in his hands. How else could Christ know his words would last?

In saying this, Christ teaches us that nothing in the world is as important as genuine, unselfish kindness manifested in look, word, and deed. This is the evidence that convinces the world about Christ and Christianity. – Des Ford

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The Nature of Our God

God Creates What is Beautiful and Good

He has made everything beautiful in its time. - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Why does God permit this world to be the university of hard knocks? The first thing to be said is that if you believe that God is a God of love, you have one problem: you have to explain the problem of evil. But if you don’t believe that God is love, you have a million problems: the problem of good.

Isn’t it strange for every thousand people who ask the question of why there is evil, no one poses the question of why there is good? That’s a much bigger problem by a factor of a million to one.

Whoever made us could have made all our senses to give us constant pain, but he made all our senses to minister joy. Otherwise why isn’t every sound a discord and every taste bitter? Why?

So if you don’t believe that God is love, you have a million problems. You have to explain beauty, truth, and friendship. You have to explain why the world is made so that it is filled with love and family relationships and friendships that can lift us above every sorrow.

Consider the great blessings of life. We usually point out calamity and loss because these are the exception to life. Every life is crammed with mercies, in spite of its pain. – Des Ford

God Gives Meaning to Everything

You believe in God; believe also in me. - John 14:1b, NIV

The main reason for unbelief ultimately, is that people only believe what they wish to believe. After all, a small eyelid can shut out the entire sun!

William Paley, a great favourite of mine, gave this illustration: If you walked in a desert and your foot kicked a stone, you wouldn’t think about it. But if you kicked a watch, you would get down and look at it. And you would marvel at it: the hard case to protect it, the glass so you could see, the proportionate moving of the hands. And when you took the back off and you saw the delicate mechanism and wheels and spring, you would say, “What a wonderful thing!” Then what if, as you hold it in your hands, suddenly another watch springs out? You pick up the second watch and you look at it, and suddenly yet another one comes out.

Paley is arguing two things: Design and Fertility. The watch is not like a stone. It is designed. And in his illustration, it is fertile. The watch, of course, is a symbol of us. Why isn’t everything in nature sterile?

Without God, nothing has meaning. If you take God away, you have annihilated everything that is good in the universe, every elevated joy of the mind, and every uplifting and ennobling love. – Des Ford

How To See God in Everything

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - Matthew 5:8–9, NIV

What wonderful things are contained in Jesus’ words! What we are determines what we see. This verse says that life is a mirror. It promises all sorts of delights to those who get into a right relationship with Jesus. In that relationship, we will see God in everything.

We will see God in nature. If an atheist looks up at the stars, he doesn’t see stars. He says, “Look at all the cold, empty space between those lights.” If you are a believer, you say, “Look at all those glorious candles up there: diamonds that God has scattered in the night.” When you are a Christian, your eyes are opened, and you can see God in nature.

When you are a Christian, you can also see God in the providences of your own life—in everything. The Christian sees the miraculous working of God in his own life, just as in the writings of the Old Testament prophets.

What we see depends on what we are. Because life is a mirror, we will reflect the love of God back to the world. So Jesus tells us: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NRSV). Christ “is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Having received peace, we begin to shed it abroad. - Des Ford

Study the Scriptures

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. - John 20:31, NKJV

From time to time we feel as barren and as fruitless as Aaron’s rod before it budded (Numbers 17). We sometimes feel as empty as the widow’s cruse of oil (1 Kings 17), as desperate as sinking Peter (Matthew 14), and as frustrated as the disciples who fished all night and took nothing in their nets (Luke 5).

Read these stories carefully, for this is a common, recurring, human experience. But is it necessary?

There is One who overcame the world, and who not only said that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him, but that he would be with us always.

True religion is eternal life lived in the midst of time—in the present. True religion is lived by the power of, and in the company of, God. The original sin that brought misery upon us all happened when man tried to be independent of God (Genesis 3:5).

When our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, he breathed upon his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). In doing this, he was saying, “Because of the Cross, you need never walk alone. Because of the Cross, through me, the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God has come to dwell alongside you, and inside you, now and forever.” – Des Ford

Rules Are Not Enough

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation. - Psalm 25:4–5, NKJV

Issues are rarely right or wrong. Often they are between what is bad, and which is less bad. A wise person learns that “when two duties conflict, one ceases to be a duty.”

Error lies close to truth. Because values constantly come into conflict, the Christian is never relieved from the “strain” of faith: the necessity of constantly throwing oneself afresh upon the guiding Spirit of God. Amid life’s bewildering circumstances, faith always looks beyond self to God, the Source of wisdom and strength, for each moment’s new decision.

Christians will find mere rules quite inadequate. Rules must change with situations, though principles never change. Only the prayerful, studious Christian will move wisely most of the time, even in the wider arena of compromise.

Is compromise easy for the Christian? Never! Can a Christian avoid compromise altogether? Never! Our lives are a mixture of change and stability, so every Christian will learn to adapt, while having unyielding loyalty to principle.

One day soon all the greys and all the blacks will be gone—morally as well as physically—and we will walk together in rainbow hours of everlasting day. – Des Ford

Thank God That Christ is Our Judge

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he has done, whether good or bad. - 2 Corinthians 5:10, NKJV

Who is this Judge of all the earth before whom we each must stand? The text referred to “the judgment seat of Christ.” Did you ever think about that? Listen:

The Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. John 5:22, NKJV

The same story is found also in Romans 2:16:

God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. NKJV

It is by Jesus Christ through whom God will judge the secrets of men. It wasn’t for nothing that Paul added, “according to my gospel.” A major part of the Good News is that One with our human nature, the Son of man, our Elder Brother, is to be our Judge.

The Crucified One is to be the Judge of sinners. Good News indeed! This is where the judgment differs from the tribunals of our day. It is not to be just an indictment because of sins committed. In fact, the real issue is not the sin question primarily but the Son question. The Judge himself has declared:

He that believes in him [Christ] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already , because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18, NKJV

– Des Ford

No Condemnation

God will not take away a life; he will devise plans so as not to keep an outcast banished forever from his presence. - 2 Samuel 14:13 NRSV

As Adam represented the race in Eden, so Christ – the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) – represents humanity at the cross:

One has died for all; therefore all have died. 2 Corinthians 5:14, NRSV

When Christ died for the “sins of the world” (John 3:16), God counted it that you paid the price for your sinfulness. The Bible tells us that because of Adam’s disobedience, everyone who has ever lived is sinful and disobedient by nature. So Jesus, the ‘second Adam’ has paid the penalty for sin by his perfect life and his death on behalf of everyone.

Now, whosoever will may come. Now, all sins will be forgiven. Now, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins because the claims of the righteous, eternal law have been met. We have died through our Substitute and Representative, Jesus.

God will not ask us to pay the price a second time if we abide in Christ.

“You are complete in him.” Colossians 2:10, NKJV

and

“accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:6 KJV

so

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8: 1 NRSV

If Calvary does not move us, God has nothing better to convince us. The Cross is the centre and the basis of Christianity. To refuse the Cross is to treat our own destiny with contempt, but glad-hearted acceptance begins life eternal. – Des Ford

Christ’s Resurrection Is Open To All

Taste and see that the Lord is good. - Psalm 34:8, NKJV

The establishment of Christianity is the most significant fact in the whole history of the world. And it happened so strangely!

A handful of people who had been discouraged and broken-hearted were suddenly transformed. They went about telling people that they had seen their dead friend walking, talking, and glorious.

These witnesses voluntarily encountered recurring danger. They undertook tremendous labours, persecution, suffering, and frequently, martyrdom. They had no certain end in life except for ridicule. All for the sake of a dead man whom they claimed was now alive. This strange story has changed the course of history, revolutionized the way we live, and changed millions of lives for the better.

The reserve in the resurrection accounts in Scripture is very striking. If I had been writing them, I would have had the risen Christ drop in on Pilate one dark night, and Herod on another. But there is no such spectacular stuff in the Gospel record. So factual is the record, that it says that on one occasion when Jesus appeared, there were some who doubted it was he (Matthew 28:17).

However, there is another evidence open to all – that of experience. “Taste and see.” Throughout the ages, millions of transformed lives have testified to Christ’s resurrection power.

This power is now available to all who will believe. – Des Ford

God Pours His Love Into Our Hearts

We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. - Romans 5:5, NLT

God, who is our maker and preserver, is love, and the love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us. God’s love is just as infinite as his wisdom and his power. It is a love that with patience and forgiveness invites the worst as well as the so-called best, saying,

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16, NKJV

Whoever believes God’s promises and takes hold of Christ receives love. Now the sky above is a richer blue, and the grass around a deeper green. Now we see in all those around us the purchased fruit of the blood of Christ. Now we know that despite our imperfections, we are loved and accepted.

“You are complete in him” and “accepted in the beloved” and “without condemnation” (Colossians 2:10; Ephesians 1:6; Romans 8:1).

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

It is in this reality of God’s Word that we must learn to live. – Des Ford

The Real Missing Link

When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? - Luke 18:8, NIV

For over a century and a half, paleoanthropologists have searched for the “missing link” – the supposed ancestors of modern man. Occasionally, a very small bone has been magnified in significance and turned into a “missing link”. But one by one, all these have been dismissed as wrong: either errors or outright fraud.

This is not just true for the origins of humanity. In fact, this is the greatest riddle of evolution. While Darwin argued that new species emerge through a slow, gradual accumulation of tiny mutations, the fossil record reveals a very different scenario. It demonstrates the sudden emergence of whole new species, with no apparent immediate ancestors.

Where is the trail of the intermediates, the missing links? Typically, the palaeontologist will tell you simply, that these fossils haven’t been found yet.

This dilemma is merely the result of something else that is missing in our world today. While the missing links of evolution are still missing, there is also another link that is missing in those who reject the Creator God. Millennia ago our Lord had already diagnosed the problem of our time.

It is faith that is missing at the heart of our society today. (Luke 18:8) – Des Ford

Keep Jesus Central in Your Life

And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement. - John 16:8, NASB

If we don’t understand our world and the reasons for its moral chaos, then we are like a boxer forced to fight with his eyes bandaged. Our world is very sick with an exceedingly contagious illness.

In a single word, the Bible, gives the reason for our dilemma: sin. But if you search modern books or magazines, it is quite unlikely you will come across that word. There’s also another missing word: God.

A century and a half ago, Charles Darwin wrote his ‘Origin of the Species’, which became the bible for evolutionists in every country of the world. The key idea of this influential book is chance – believing that all things arrived through luck, and not by the word of God.

Darwin robbed humanity of hope, the basic staple of existence. Nobody believes in Utopia any more. By dismissing God, sin, Christ, the Bible, hope and meaning, the doctrine of organic evolution leaves humanity lost and hopeless.

The main reason for rejecting Darwinism is that in dismissing Genesis we lose the doctrine of the Fall. If man is not spiritually lost, he does not need a Saviour. If Christ becomes irrelevant, then Christianity itself is dissolved.

They key challenge in every person’s life is to keep Christ central in their lives. – Des Ford

Fullness is Available in Jesus

Out of his fullness we have all received. - John 1:16, NIV

Jesus is God’s ‘unspeakable gift’ (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV). Though he was rich, for our sake he became poor, that we through his poverty might become rich. In Christ we have all else as well: righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption.

Jesus is our Boaz, our kinsman Redeemer. He is the Lord of the harvest who invites us to his banquet, and speaks tenderly to us. He orders his angelic messengers to “drop handfuls … [on] purpose” (Ruth 2:16) for us that we might always have as much as we need, and be blessed.

In Jesus is found all the fullness of God and heaven. Humanity has a heart that is bigger than the world, however, God be praised; there is such a thing as all fullness available! God “has set eternity in our hearts” that we might be contented with nothing less than Jesus. We eat at his table, and are satisfied, and there is still an abundance left over. – Des Ford

Jesus Really Was Crucified

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” - Matthew 27:54, NIV

Imagine the difficulty of beginning a new religion based on the deity of a man who has been condemned by the courts and executed in the electric chair. Imagine beginning it in the very city where he was put to death so shamefully! That’s what it was like to start the Christian faith.

Now I ask you, would you try to establish a religion you knew to be a fantastic lie? And if so, would you do it in the very place where thousands would know that no such event had ever happened?

Imagine having as the basic rite of your invented religion the commemoration of the most despised manner of death the world has ever known – crucifixion.

That’s what the Christians chose to do.

Read the New Testament account of the crucifixion again. There is something quite awesome about it and uniquely puzzling. How did they write such an unflinchingly stark account? I submit to you that the record is self-authenticating to those who want to know whether it is true. – Des Ford

Jesus Resurrection Was Foretold

Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory? - Luke 24:26–27, NLT

The Christian has grounds for either superlative joy or superlative misery. It all depends on whether the resurrection of a man called Jesus Christ is a hoax or not.

Christ himself had foretold his resurrection repeatedly. Where did he get that information? It is stated clearly in books written centuries before. Read Isaiah 53 with its mysterious portrayal of one who would be sinless and yet suffer for the sins of others. One who would die leaving no seed and yet who would prolong his days after being cut off, and then “see his seed”(v.10).

See Psalm 22 with its opening words of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and its closing”- for he has done it” (v.31). The first half of the psalm describes the crucifixion and its horrors. Then the tone changes to triumph and victory. He who is to suffer so will rise from the dust of death. He will declare God’s name in the midst of God’s congregation and to his brothers. Think of the words in Psalms 22:24, 26, 27, 29–31. These words contain many miracles within them.

All who want to find assurance of the truth of the Christian faith can find it here, clearly and beyond refutation. It is there in words written centuries before the birth of Christ. – Des Ford

Experience the Love of God

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. - John 15:13, NIV

The true spring of love is to know that we are loved. No one ever loves Jesus Christ until they believe that Jesus Christ loves them. Love isn’t something you invent; love isn’t something you muster; love is a spontaneous result to the experience of being loved. There is no other way.

There is an old legend of a knight who found a terrible dragon coiled around a tree, and the knight, undeterred, kissed it on the mouth three times. And then says the legend, the terrible dragon became a beautiful girl. It became his bride.

God loved first, says Scripture, and not the other way round (1 John 4:19). He didn’t wash us clean and then say, “Well, you’re clean enough now. I’ll love you now.”

If Christ hadn’t died for his enemies, he would never have had the love of his friends. In the Old Testament, only one person was ever called a friend of God, and that’s Abraham. But under the New Covenant we are all friends of God. Every Christian is closer to God than Abraham, or even Moses when he spoke with God in front of the Tabernacle. – Des Ford

God is Interested in You

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:7, NIV

The story of the wedding at Cana tells us that God is interested in us. Jesus did not work this miracle in a great public display at the temple at Jerusalem, but at the home of an unknown family. We are not even told the names of the bride and the bridegroom. They lived in a tiny village, not even in Judea, but in Galilee where there were some Jews, but mainly Gentiles.

Jesus begins his ministry with a great sign that tells us that he has come to transform everything. He does it for an unknown couple, peasants in a small village. The story is meant to tell us that God is very interested in ordinary people. Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, “God must have loved the common people: he made so many of them.

What does the miracle mean? God is interested in you. Here is a beautiful verse: “Casting all your care upon him” (1 Peter 5:7). Notice what it says: “all”.

I wish this could be done once and then last forever. Usually I have to cast my care upon God again and again. But you can trust God that he cares for you. He cares for the common people. God changes what is plain in your life into something special. Only God can change your water into wine. – Des Ford

The Two Gardens

On each side of the river stood the tree of life… And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. - Revelation 22:2, NIV

The Bible story began with the story of creation, and man’s first home in a garden. God made the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, in his image, as his children. They disobeyed God, bringing sin, death and misery into the world.

The crucifixion story began in another garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus began the work of paying the price for Adam and Eve’s sin.

In the Garden of Eden, man was lost. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus began his work of redemption.

In the centre of the Garden of Eden was the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was beautiful, and it had delicious fruit. The devil told Adam and Eve it would make them wise, but it did not. When they ate the fruit, their disobedience introduced sin, misery and death into the world.

Thousands of years later, the Cross on which Jesus was crucified, made of the wood of a tree, shows us the true wisdom of God. The Cross is a terrible picture of the results of man’s evil, but it is also beautiful because it reveals the goodness of God.

Calvary has transformed the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil into a Tree of Life for all who believe. – Des Ford

Learn the Lessons of the Past

“How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” - Luke 13:34, NIV

The Gospel of John as a whole tells us what it is like when you don’t believe in Jesus, through the example of the unbelieving Jews. Every miracle in the book tells of their lost condition. They were without joy (John 2); without health (John 4); without strength (John 5); without spiritual nourishment (John 6); without security (John 6); without the light of truth (John 9) and without life (John 11).

In John 1:19, 26 we see a blinded priesthood, in 2:3 a joyless nation, in 2: 14 a desecrated temple, in 3:7 a lifeless Sanhedrin. The Jewish people had been intended by God to be priests to the whole world, but they had hardened into an elitist society proud of their barriers (John 4:9).

John is actually speaking to Christians and religious people everywhere. It is a warning because the greatest “religionists” of history failed.

In what did they fail? All four gospel writers make it clear that Jesus and the Jews were almost totally agreed about doctrine, but they had a different view of God.

The Pharisees had made God in their own image: cold, austere, legalistic. But Christ came to show what God was really like, in the image of the man who received sinners and ate with them. – Des Ford

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For By Grace are You Saved

Justified in Jesus

The whole world has been justified in Jesus. Sadly, not all the world knows.

The essence of true religion is not to tell people, ‘If you are good, God will love you.’ That’s a hopeless sort of affair. When are we going to be good enough? Is 80 per cent goodness sufficient? 85 per cent? 90, 95, 99.999 per cent? That’s a hopeless thing.

No, no. We are to tell people that they were already redeemed. They have been reconciled to God by the death of God’s Son. Because of that, whosoever will, may come.

We do not come in our own righteousness. We don’t have any. We have only:

filthy rags for garments… Isaiah 64:6

Our *whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores. Isaiah 1:5-6 KJV

If you heard something described like that for sale it would not be a good recommendation for an investment. Nothing good in it from top to bottom. Inside or out!

The good news of the gospel is that you’ve been reconciled to God! You come to God in the righteousness of Another. Jesus took the sin of others. We take his righteousness. A beautiful, divine exchange!

It’s like a princess marrying a pauper. She gets his debts, he shares in the kingdom! That’s the way the gospel works. That’s what the gospel is about. – Des Ford, Romans 8:27-32, adapted from “The Crises of Christ: His Baptism”

Made Clean

Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. - Matthew 8:2

Christ’s Sermon calls upon us to pray for our enemies, to bless those who curse us, do good to them that hate us. We are never to worry, never to have two masters, to seek first the kingdom of God, and to put our treasures in heaven.

You feel like the leper. Which is why Matthew ends the Sermon with the leper crying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

When you read the Sermon on the Mount honestly, you will want to come to Jesus. You will say, “I’d like to be doing that but I’m a long way short. I am yet a leper, Lord. Make me clean.”

Jesus will respond, “I am willing. Be clean!” (Matthew 8:3). He will show us his cross, and, as we accept it, we will be clean “immediately” (Matthew 8:3), in a moment.

And in God’s good time, he will give us the virtues and the lifestyle of this Sermon. The virtues and values of this Sermon are what the Christian must ever aim for; yet the Christian never places trust in its fulfillment. Our hope of eternal life is in trusting what Jesus has done, never in what we are doing.

It is only as we come to Christ as lepers that he will make us clean. – Des Ford

Declared Righteous

Just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. – Romans 5:18, NIV

Justified is the opposite of condemned. Condemned does not mean to make bad. It means to declare bad. Justify does not mean to make righteous. It means to declare righteous.

We were ruined in Adam without asking for it. We have been redeemed in the Last Adam, Christ, without asking for it.

Justification is not forgiveness. In a practical sense, it includes forgiveness, of course. But the word means much more. It means to be treated as innocent.

The gospel says that God does not see in you and me the likeness of a sinner. God only sees the likeness of his Son. The standing of the Christian is always perfect even though the state of the Christian is never perfect.

Justification is over us all of our lifetime. Don’t think it just happens when you become a Christian. Justification is over you all of your life. Justification always determines your standing before God.

In God’s sight, you lived in Jesus, you died in Jesus, you were buried in Jesus, you rose with Jesus. In God’s sight you are already seated in heavenly places with Jesus - see Ephesians 2:6. That’s why we read,

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the righthand of God. - Colossians 3:1

God counts that we are risen with Christ, so believe that today, knowing that you’re a righteous child of God. – Des Ford

God Sees You As If You’d Never Sinned

You will tread our sins beneath your feet; you will throw them into the depths of the ocean! - Micah 7:19

How could God say that this of David:

My servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my sight. - 1 Kings 14:8

after he had broken the sixth and seventh commandments?

When we repent, God casts our sins into the depths of the seas; as far away as the east is from the west, God removes our transgressions from us. The God, who could say of that of sinful David, is the same God who counts us as sinless for Christ’s sake, when we trust in the Saviour.

Jesus told His disciples, “You have already been cleansed” (John 15:3). Two chapters earlier we find them far from clean: they are wrangling as to who would be greatest, and refusing to wash one another’s feet. Jesus washed their feet, and pronounced, “You are clean” (John 13:10). Later, in prayer, He tells the Father, “They have kept your word” (John 17:6).

When God looks at us, He sees us through the Cross. Though we have failed in many ways to keep the word of God, yet God for Christ’s sake says of us, “You are clean. You have kept My word.”

We are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6 KJV). We are “complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10). That’s the gospel. – Des Ford

God Cares For You

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. - Matthew 10:29–31

Some people don’t pray, because after all, does God really care? In this world alone, there are six billion people. Is God like the old woman who lived in a shoe, who had so many children, she knew not what to do? No!

In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus teaches about a God who attends the funeral of every sparrow. God cares about the details.

On one occasion God contacted a man named Ananias in Damascus, and said to him:

“Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. - Acts 9:10-12

That’s not bad for specifics: the name of God’s servant, Ananias; the name of the street he was to go to, “Straight”; the name of the owner of the house he was to go to, “Judas” (another Judas; not the one who betrayed Jesus); the name of the man who needed help, “Saul”; and the city he came from, “Tarsus.” And a final detail: “But remember, Ananias, you will be interrupting Saul during his devotions.”

Does God care? He cares for every detail. God counts the hairs of our head. God attends the funeral of every sparrow. – Des Ford

God’s Grace Surpasses All Our Hopes

God … raised us up with Christ … in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:4–7, NIV

Grace shows us that God is seeking sinners to bless them and change them, and to fill their lives with fruitfulness, innocence and joy. This is because God is what He says he is – Love.

We need to tell the world that grace is God’s unimaginable generosity. It led God to give us Christ, God’s “gift that is too wonderful for words!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 CEV). It led God to promise to supply as we need it, “exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20, KJV).

Remember the paralytic being lowered into the room where Christ is preaching (Matthew 9:1-7). The suffering man hopes for physical restoration. What does Christ, the generous Saviour do? He not only gives the man what he hopes for, but also something more wonderful.

“Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” - Matthew 9:2, NIV

Now remember the starving prodigal son in his tattered clothes, with his almost broken spirit (Luke 15:11–32). He resolves to go to his father. His father’s servants have bread enough to eat and to spare, so the son will ask to be made a servant. What happens? The son is reinstated in his father’s house! He is given a ring, special shoes, a valuable robe – and a feast. This is a picture of divine grace in action. – Des Ford

That’s Grace!

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. - Titus 2:11

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son … Not … to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” - John 3:16-17

That’s grace!

“This man welcomes sinners.” - Luke 15:2

That’s grace!

“People will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy.” - Matthew 12:31 NRSV

That’s grace!

“Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” - John 6:37 NIV

That’s grace!

Love is grace. Mercy is grace. Forgiveness is too. Joy is grace. All gifts are grace!

The Spirit writes the law in our hearts and causes us to walk therein. - Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 8:10

That’s grace indeed. God makes us want to do what we ought to do, then enables us to do it!

The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life’. - Revelation 22:17

“Free gift” – that’s grace!

No wonder the Spirit painted a gloriously exciting picture in “The Parable of the Hidden Treasure” (Matthew 13:44). Here is a man stumbling his way through the field of Holy Scripture. He suddenly discovers a treasure – the treasure of grace!

Are you that joyful treasure-hunter? If not, why not?

Come. All is free! Come. All is grace! – Desmond Ford

The Cross of Jesus is God’s Greatest Revelation

I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. - 1 Corinthians 2:2

The Cross of Calvary is God’s greatest revelation of truth. It reveals to us the true nature of the God we worship – a God who is not only righteous and holy, but who is also prepared to fully sacrifice himself for us. No other god ever sacrificed himself for his people. Instead, other gods demanded sacrifices from their people.

Our God gave himself as a sacrifice for us so that we could be totally free of condemnation.

The Cross was the true altar on which the Lamb of God was slain for the sins of the world. Jesus’ blood was shed there for your sins so that you would be set free from the law’s condemnation (John 3:18; Romans 8:1).

The very shape of the Cross suggests the length, the breadth, the depth and the height of God’s love. It points to heaven where our Lord came from, but is rooted in the earth that he came to redeem. The outstretched arms are an invitation to all men, even his crucifiers, to come to him. Men may reject an angry god, but how can they reject the suffering One who was prepared to die for them? - Des Ford

You Are Not Under Law But Under Grace

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. - Romans 6:14

We do not work to the Cross, but from the Cross. The power of sin is never removed till the guilt of sin has been taken away (Romans 6:14). Our actual experiential freedom from sin comes as we bask in the forgiveness of God. Our gratitude and love for God’s great gift becomes a torrent, washing away our defilement. As we sense that we are no longer under law, but under grace as regards our acceptance with God, we receive freedom over the habits that have long bound us.

We come to recognise that the Law is a perfect standard of righteousness, but we acknowledge that it can never give us a perfect standing. The Law is not even a means of sanctification except as it drives us to Christ and indicates what the will of God is. The New Testament shows a decided opposition to law – not to law as a standard, only to law as a method.

The justification I have received covers my past, present, and future (See John 13:10; Romans 8:1; and 1 Corinthians 1:30). The Christian should not look upon himself as being continually in and out of grace because of his mistakes and failures. He or she is “accepted in the beloved” and “complete in him”. – Des Ford

There Will Be Many Surprises in Heaven

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? - Psalm 130:3, NKJV

What can be said to those millions of grieving Christians who have a question about the eternal destiny of a loved one? As a gnat cannot swallow the Atlantic, neither can anyone comprehend all the purposes and all the knowledge of God, and all His plans.

We have a loving Saviour who came to seek and save the lost. God’s mercy is infinite. When we lose a loved one, we look at their life, and sometimes the bad stands out. However, unless what Psalm 130:3 says about God is true, we’re all done for. Of course, the good news of that text is that it is saying that God delights in forgiveness.

When Christ tells us that we are to forgive seventy times seven, it’s what that tells us about God that is more encouraging than what it tells us about our duty. It tells us that God forgives infinitely if we seek his forgiveness.

We are forbidden in Scripture to judge the hearts of men, because we cannot know their motives (1 Corinthians 4:5). We shouldn’t be dogmatic about how it’s going to turn out for others in eternity. Only God knows.

The salvation of many is going to be an absolute surprise to all of the rest of the saved. – Des Ford

God Adds His Grace to our Infirmities

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. - 2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV

When Daniel’s friends were in the burning, fiery furnace, their enemies thought they were going to be burnt to a crisp. Then they saw God walking with them. The king was surprised:

“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Daniel 3:25 NKJV

The only thing the three Hebrew worthies lost in the fiery furnace was their bonds. They were burnt away, leaving the faithful three in perfect freedom.

God is with us in our fiery furnaces. We don’t have to bear anything alone. That’s why Paul could say,

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

That is not easy to do. I hate weaknesses; I detest them. But God knows better. He says, “You must learn that strength has nothing to do with you—it’s mine!” The record in Corinthians is very clear. The Lord says to Paul, “I’m not going to take away your weaknesses, Paul. My grace is sufficient for you.”– Des Ford

Have the Verdict of the Last Judgment Today

By grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV

Sin is like a burden on us, like a law over us, and a disease within us. Sin is our creditor, our tyrant, and our traitor. The guilt of sin, the power of sin, the presence of sin can only be dealt with by Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

God removes the guilt of sin the moment we believe. The power of sin is simultaneously crushed in principle as we behold God’s great love for the sinner. Sin’s presence no longer reigns in us, though our sinful nature remains. Therefore, we dare not depend upon our sanctification for acceptance with God.

We are:

“accepted in the Beloved” Ephesians 1:6, KJV “complete in him” Colossians 2:10, KJV without “condemnation” Romans 8:1 and made to “sit with him [Christ] in the heavenly places” Ephesians 2:6, RSV

The only true religion asserts with Scripture that we are saved through faith, the gift of God, and not by any good that we do ourselves. If, however, we forget this religion of the Bible, and trust anything in ourselves for acceptance and for peace, we are inviting turmoil and stress.

The believer looks for comfort only to Christ’s gift of righteousness. When the believer accepts what Christ did for him on the Cross, he has the verdict of the last judgment already, and for as long as he believes. – Des Ford

You Are A Winner Through Christ

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. - Romans 8:37, NIV

According to General Douglas MacArthur, “In war, there is no substitute for victory.” This is true of the Christian conflict also.

“What?” asks a concerned Christian. “Why this talk of war? War implies effort, struggle. I believe in God’s gift of salvation by faith alone.”

Salvation is by faith alone. However, the evidence that we have received so great a salvation is the experience of being more than conquerors in the daily clash with evil.

It was Paul, the apostle of justification by faith alone, who had so much to say about the Christian warfare. Read his comments in Romans 7:23; 13:12; 2 Corinthians 6:7; 10:4; Ephesians 6:17; and 1 Thessalonians 5:8.

Paul tells us that we are more than conquerors through Jesus! Conquerors? That’s good. More than conquerors? That’s better!

And not “so shall it be one day,” but we are conquerors right now, this very day. And the method of victory Paul offers is the best method of all. “Through him who loved us.” That takes a lot of the strain out of it. The victory is not through us, but through Christ.

Even when discussing warfare Paul does not depart from his chief theme: Christ. The Saviour is Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end – not only in rescuing us from sin and offering us full and free salvation, but in the entire Christian experience. – Des Ford

Let Christ’s Love Transform You

We, who with unveiled faces all contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV

Trying to improve our characters, apart from Christ’s way, is as though the crew of a sailing ship tried to get the becalmed vessel moving by pushing against the masts; or like a drowning man trying to lift himself out of the water by pulling at the hair of his own head.

Paul taught us the better way. We cannot change ourselves any more than we can birth ourselves.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed.” Romans 12:2

We do not transform ourselves. We are transformed as we contemplate the Lord’s glory.

We can be more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37). Yes, you and me. Not by gritting our teeth, not by more resolutions, but regularly exposing our hearts and minds to the Chief Among Ten Thousand, the One Altogether Lovely.

Christ has already crushed the head of the serpent. Christ has judged and cast out the prince of this world, and his victory is for us. It is Christ who puts enmity between us and evil. When the heart is filled with the most precious thing in the universe – Christ’s love – then the alternatives offered by temptation appear in all their tawdry shabbiness.

In the face of even colossal enticements, we victoriously cry, “I don’t want them! I’d rather have Jesus.” - Des Ford

Grace Brings Us Joy

The joy of the Lord is your strength. - Nehemiah 8:10 KJV

Christ told many stories about parties. He told only one, a mini-parable, about a funeral (Matthew 11:17). Similarly, the Old Testament ordered many feasts, but only one fast. That was the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29–31).

Because “the joy of the Lord” is our strength, anyone who understands grace can only be joyous and strong. The word “joy” is prominent in the narratives of early Christianity (Luke 1:44,47; 2:10; 24:52; Acts 8:8).

When we remember the last hours of Jesus, we do not find him speaking in funereal tones about negative matters. We find him constantly reassuring his disciples that soon they would have his joy and peace (John 14:27; 15:11; 16:33).

Christ is no thoughtless optimist. He knows full well that there will be strife and pain for his followers. But remember how balanced and comforting his words are. “In this world you will have trouble.” But “in me you may have peace’” (John 16:33).

Similarly, Jesus promises us multiples of good things, but adds “and with them persecutions” (Mark 10:29–30). He was – and is – a realist. He and his disciples could sing a hymn even as he set out on his way to the Cross (Matthew 26:30).

Nestling in Jesus’ realism is joy. Because of grace. – Des Ford

True Sacrifice

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. - John 3:16, NIV

The Jewish High Priest Caiaphas said, “It is better… that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” John 11:50, NIV

Caiphas’ view is the heathen view, which says, “Let us placate God!”

That is not the biblical idea of sacrifice. The Bible never says that God is angry at us, and that by sacrificing it will put away his anger. The Bible says,

“God so loved the world that he gave…” John 3:16

We do not placate God. God is the one who gave. He gave because he loved.

We should also not make the mistake of thinking, that at the Cross, God was on the throne and it was just his Son who suffered.

You must distinguish them as a part of the Trinity, but you must never separate them.

“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself…” 2 Corinthians 5:19

Christ offered himself “through the eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14, NASB). The whole Godhead was there suffering on the cross in the person of the Son.

The practical question for me, of course, is, “Has my awareness of the reality of God’s sacrifice conquered me?”

The evidence of whether a person have surrendered to the sacrifice that God made is not how a person preaches, writes, sings, but how that person lives. – Des Ford

Why Grace Must Be Preached

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. - Titus 2:11, NIV

You don’t really have to preach a lot about law because everybody knows something about law. A murderer knows he shouldn’t murder, and a thief knows he shouldn’t steal.

But you do have to preach about grace, because grace isn’t something that we naturally know. Grace is a surprising revelation. The great Judge ought to punish me. He certainly shouldn’t let me get anywhere near where he lives.

But grace says that God doesn’t reward us according to our sins or punish us according to our iniquities. It tells us that God is exceedingly kind and merciful, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin.

The picture I like best is in Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, when Christ says God is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. Now most of us feel very sensitive regarding ingratitude. We’ve all been hurt by people who have been ungrateful to us. Yet God is kind to all.

All our sins are like a grain of sand compared with the grace of God and the mountain of his love. All our sins are like a spark falling into the ocean of the love of God. God is more willing to forgive our sins than a mother is to go and save her child from a burning building. – Des Ford

True Religion is Primarily Grace

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53:4,6, NKJV

Never make the mistake of thinking that religion is primarily about morality. The Pharisees were very moral, but Jesus told them that the tax-collectors and the prostitutes would get to the kingdom of heaven before them.

Morality always goes hand in hand with true religion, but you can have a lot of morality without true religion. Morality is an outward thing, something you do, whereas true religion has to do with your heart and mind. God wants to have a person with a broken heart, rather than one with an unbroken record.

There aren’t any people with an unbroken record. Anyone who thinks they are heading that way is so full of pride that they’ve ruined their record more than someone who has done something overtly wrong. Remember that in the New Testament scale of values, pride and selfishness are much worse sins than the “sins of the flesh”. That’s why Jesus said to the Pharisees that prostitutes would go into the kingdom of heaven before them.

The essence of true religion is this: we deserve death, but someone else took our place; we deserve to be excluded from the kingdom of God, but there is One who loved us so much that he took the punishment that was due to us. That’s the essence of true religion. – Des Ford

You Find Grace Everywhere

Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? … My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. - Hosea 11:8, NLT

The minor prophets are the “forgotten books” of the Bible, yet you will find that even they are filled with the grace of God.

Let me give you their message in a nutshell. It consists of judgment and salvation, of controversy and consolation, of condemnation and comfort. Every message of rebuke in the minor prophets comes with a promise of forgiveness. The mercy of God is the great theme in the writings of each of the minor prophets, just as it is in the New Testament and all the rest of Scripture. Because of our sins, judgment comes. But God intends it to turn our faces from this world to heaven, so we can find supreme good.

To whet your appetite, here are some of the verses from the minor prophets that most resonate with my heart. I pray that they will inspire you as well: Hosea 2:14-15,19,20; 6:6; 11:1,3,48,9; 14:4. Micah 6:36-8;7:8,18-19.

Meditate on the fact that the books ofthe minor prophets begin with a love story in Hosea chapters 1-3, and then the message of the last book (Malachi) begins with the words “I have loved you” (Malachi 1:2).

Love is always the essence of God’s message to humanity, even in the forgotten books of the Bible. – Des Ford

How Hosea Teaches Us About Grace

Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? … My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. - Hosea 11:8, NLT

The prophet Hosea didn’t marry someone who had a right to wear a white dress. He didn’t marry someone who was a virgin. When God accepts us in the beginning, he accepts us as sinners. That’s how we have to come to him. If you don’t come to God as a sinner, you can’t come to him at all. Grace is for the graceless. The Gospel is for the unworthy.

God justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5). We would expect God to justify the godly but that not the way it is. He is a God who justifies the ungodly. You haven’t got a hope unless you’ve got no hope. You haven’t got a right to his mercy unless you can claim no rights. He cannot make you righteous unless you know you are not. After you have received rest and peace, Christ works in you. God changes the things that you love. That’s grace too.

What you love most is the most important thing of all, because that determines everything else. When God comes into your life he changes your “loves”, so that you can love him above all else. – Des Ford

What is Grace?

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. - Romans 11:6, NASB

Grace is mentioned about 130 times in the New Testament alone. Paul begins and ends each of his epistles with it. It turned the western world upside down in the sixteenth century. We call that event the Reformation.

Grace gives hope to the hopeless, joy to the sorrowing, faith to the faithless, and life to the dying. The word charis (“grace”) comes from a root meaning “to be joyful,” and the word is always associated with happiness and joy.

Grace means that God is for us even when we are against him. Grace refers to the active love of God streaming continually and generously as sunshine from the sun. Augustine said it is not grace unless it is gratis, that is free. The word “grace” carries the meaning of generous gifts which have to do with redemption and all that goes with it.

Grace is a word set in contrast to law, works, and human merit (Romans 11:6). However, it is only when you understand that grace is essentially for the graceless that you can taste its sweetness (John 3:17–17; John 15:2; Matt 12:31; John 6:37). There could have been no grace whatsoever for us, if it were no for the fact that the Son of God volunteered to take our place and redeem us:

Grace… came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

• Des Ford

Christ’s Robe of Righteousness is a Gift

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness. - Isaiah 61:10, NIV

Remember that at the Cross, Christ had a seamless garment. It was “woven in one piece, from top to bottom” (John 19:23). I’m glad it wasn’t the other way, woven from bottom to top. That would have been satanic.

The robe of Christ’s righteousness, woven on heaven’s loom, had to be woven from top to bottom. It is such a precious garment. The soldiers said, “Let’s not tear it” (John 19:24). Ah, my friend, you can’t rip up and tear the robe of Christ. You can’t say, “Well, God, accept my works, my holy life, and the 20 per cent that’s not so good, I’ll make up for that by taking 20 per cent from Christ’s righteousness.” You can’t do that.

You have to take Christ’s righteousness as a whole robe. You have to say, “God, I don’t have a stitch of righteousness to offer you. Everything I’ve ever done is tainted.” Of course it is. Selfishness interweaves with everything we do. Our best works are tainted. You cannot offer Christ one stitch. You must take the garment whole.

That’s how the soldiers recognized the situation at Calvary. They knew they couldn’t buy Christ’s robe; that’s why they cast lots (John 19:24). Christ’s righteousness can’t be bought. It can only be received as a gift. – Des Ford

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Christ our Salvation

Our Saviour

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? - Romans 8:31-32

Many unhappy Christians look upon Christ, first, as their example. Only second do they look upon him as their Saviour. That is upending things, turning them on their head. Which of us is like Jesus?

Jesus loved his enemies and prayed for them even on the cross. Jesus was always gentle, always tender, always understanding, always pure, always true, always God-centred, never selfish. If he is first of all my example, I am of all people most miserable because I am not like Jesus! I want to be like Jesus. It is my dearest desire. But I am a million light years from him.

But! If Jesus is first my Saviour – I have hope! The Saviour came into the world to save sinners. I qualify! That’s why he came. To save sinners like me and you.

The New Testament does not primarily portray Jesus as our example. If that were his task, he would have lived until he was an old man. Where is Jesus an example for anyone over 33? If he were only an example, he would have had to be a man and a woman. Women cope with some things men don’t. Men cope with other things women don’t. Jesus, to be an example for both, would have to be both. He wasn’t.

Because Jesus came first and foremost to be our Saviour, we can rest assured in Him if only we accept him in faith. – Des Ford, Romans 8:27-32, adapted from “The Crises of Christ: His Birth”

Our Representative

We are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died - 2 Corinthians 5:14

When our Lord Jesus Christ was baptised, he was baptised for the whole world. He confessed for the whole world. He was penitent for the whole world. Everything our Lord did was representative. There is not a private act of Christ’s in the book. Everything he did has an infinite significance and an infinite depth. The essence of the gospel is that it represents him as representing the world.

God dealt with us on the basis of representation.

Adam represented the human race. If Adam had been a victorious overcomer, so would all his successors have been. His children, his grandchildren. You and I would have been, because he represented us.

But Adam failed. He threw us all into the Jordan. We were ruined on the principle of representation.

Through Jesus, we are saved on the principle of representation. Please note, 2 Corinthians 5:14 does not say, ‘If one died for all, everybody need not die.’ If it was only the principle of substitution, that is what it would say.

Never forget. You died on the cross of Calvary in your representative, Jesus. – Des Ford

What Kept Jesus on the Cross

Let Christ, the king of Israel come down from the cross, that we may see and believe. - Mark 15:32

When we combine the testimony of all the Gospels, we discover that Christ was not only mocked by the passersby and the mob around the cross, but by the chief priests, the elders, the scribes, the Pharisees, the soldiers and the thieves.

“He saved others, himself he cannot save.” Such was a major sneer in the mocking of the bystanders. They imitate the words of him who had earlier tempted Christ by saying, “If you’re the Son of God, cast yourself down.” “If you’re the king of the Jews, save yourself” echoed the suffering thieves before one of them surrendered to Incarnate Love beside him.

Here, as always, the devil overreached himself. The words meant to shame Christ actually glorify him. He was not on the cross because he could not come down, but because he would not. The bonds of love, not the nails of men, kept him there. It was strictly true that if he was indeed to save others then he could not, must not, save himself.

“He that destroys the temple, and in three days buildest it, save yourself.” This also was prophetic in a way undreamed of. He would in love permit the tabernacle of his body to be taken down, but within three days it would be rebuilt. Thus, we find in the mockery, statements both radically false and in another sense sublimely true.

What Jesus did, he did out of his perfect love. Will you accept his perfect love today? – Des Ford

Jesus Will Not Give You Up

…his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22

The story of the Last Supper, recorded in John 13 begins with the Lord washing the feet of the Twelve, not the eleven.

If I’d been in charge, it would have only been eleven. I wouldn’t have washed Judas’ feet, knowing what he was about to do.

As the tide continually surges onto the beach, so the love of Christ repeatedly comes against the heart of the sinner. Christ even washes the feet of the man who is going to sell him for thirty pieces of silver.

If Christ could wash the feet of Judas, if the tide of his redeeming love could beat against that hard heart again and again, will he ever give us up because of our failures and our follies, however weak we may be?

Judas thought he was strong, however, the more we know about ourselves, the weaker we know ourselves to be.

If Christ could plead with someone so set on evil as Judas, the traitor of the Twelve, is he going to give us up? Surely, if Christ can love like that, then his compassion will not fail for us who are weak, often foolish, and too often straying. – Des Ford

You Can Trust a Weeping Saviour

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. - Matthew 9:16, NLB

Only twice in the Gospels are we told that Jesus wept. During his sufferings there is no record of a groan or a single trickling tear. All his laments are for others—for us.

We are told, in relation to his final journey to Jerusalem, that:

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it – Luke 19:41

As the procession reached the brow of the hill, and Jerusalem and its temple came into view, the King, instead of exulting, wept. What a scene!

Possibly it was the blind he had healed who led the procession. Perhaps it was the dumb to whom he had given voice, who proclaimed the loudest hosannas. Maybe the cleansed lepers laid their unstained garments in his path. It has even been suggested that Lazarus himself led the donkey on which Christ rode.

But, right at the time when the carping leaders demand that he silence the cheering crowds, Christ breaks into loud cries of grief and utters words of sorrow.

Here Christ shows us the heart of God and the essence of his gospel—love for the lost. We can trust a weeping Saviour. His tears should banish our fears. Soon his whole body will be enveloped in a bloody sweat because of the weight of our sins upon him. This is the only weeping God known to man. He is the only wounded deity. – Des Ford

Retractions

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. - Isaiah 40:8

The wise will change their minds, but fools never do.

Augustine wrote a book in his old age called Retractions. I could write one with that title too. The wise will change their minds, but fools never do. The reason some people won’t write a book of retractions is because they are fools.

You see, truth is a testing thing, and to open your mouth is a dangerous venture. Now consider the claims of Christ.

On another occasion a woman anointed Jesus’ head. He said,

“I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” - Mark 14:9, NIV

The Apostle John illustrates the universality of this statement when he says,

“And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” - John 12:3

This symbolizes that when the beautiful gift of God’s love should be broken on Calvary, the fragrance would fill the universe as the fragrance and aroma of that jar filled the house. How did Jesus know that “What this woman has done will go out with the gospel like a fragrance to the whole world”? How did he know? No one else has ever been able to see the future like this.

I love biographies. I’ve read hundreds of them. But there’s no parallel to anything like this anywhere. – Des Ford

Words to Live By

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. - Matthew 24:35

This is a prediction that could have come only from the lips of someone insane, or from — God! Consider the contrast: heaven and earth versus sounds thrown into the air. The most permanent is to be dissolved, and the most transitory will be perpetuated. This is the very opposite of what human wisdom would predict. And who said it? A peasant in little Palestine.

This was a peasant who had none of the things we use to perpetuate our words. He had no television, no radio and no printing press. Yet twenty centuries have been filled with those words of his.

We use his words at times of birth and death, amid sorrow and joy. They strengthen the weak and encourage the toiler. They give hope to the penitent sinner. Kings and princes, rulers of empires, and garbage collectors and street sweepers, scientists and physicians, university professors and newly arrived students, old and young, the living and the dying — all cherish them and live by them.

Christ’s words have no parallel in all of history. Men are influenced by Moses, by Paul and by the great figures of history, but none of these have been loved as Christ has been loved. Millions today would gladly die for him because they have found in him the key to life. – Des Ford

The Heart of the Matter

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” - Matthew15:16

When you are discussing the truthfulness of Christianity, never center on secondaries. Go to the heart of the matter, the issue of Christ: Who was Christ?

The uniqueness of Christianity is that it is centered in One who claimed to be God incarnate, God in human flesh.

That idea is not found anywhere else. Confucius did not even talk about religion, much less claim to be divine! Confucius was a moralist not a religionist. He talked about family and behavior in business. He never thought of claiming even to be a prophet, or God on earth.

Buddha was a philanthropist. He never claimed to be God.

Mohammed wanted to honor God too much to make such a claim.

To claim to be God is a good basis for putting someone away. C.S. Lewis was right: Any ordinary person who claims to be God is on a level with a person who thinks he’s a poached egg!

So here is the distinctive thing about Christianity: its central Figure is Christ. Remember, Christianity is Christ and Christ is Christianity.

If you claim to be a Christian but your religion doesn’t make you more like Jesus, you don’t have the true religion. If my religion doesn’t make me more like Jesus, I don’t have true religion, either. – Des Ford

Christianity is Christ

“I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” - John 10:10, CSB

No other religion has its founder at its heart as does Christianity; for Christianity is Christ, and Christ is Christianity. Jesus is so unique that he could not have been invented.

There are people who believe that what we have in the New Testament about Jesus was put together, or invented, by the early church. It didn’t come from the historical Jesus. Genius never yet came out of a committee. If Moses had been a committee, Israel would still be in Egypt.

It would take the genius of Christ to invent the New Testament Christ. The profundity of the teachings of Jesus, and their uniqueness, make it quite impossible for a committee of people in the first century to have invented them, especially after there had been a complete lack of such wonders in all previous generations. The idea is fanciful and ridiculous.

Imagine seeing a huge anchor chain coming out of the hold of a ship. You see one iron link after another, in unbroken succession. Suddenly, marvel of marvels, the last link is a golden one! That’s the way it is with the chain of human beings down through the ages. Suddenly, after all the iron links, a golden one is the Christ. He was so different and so distinct.

What committee could have invented him? – Des Ford

The Amazing Claims of Jesus

These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. - John 8:14, NLT

The New Testament states that when Jesus came, he claimed to be God (John 8:58, compare with Exodus 3:14). Jesus claimed that all the angels belonged to him. (Matthew 25:31 CEV). Imagine someone claiming to own the angels! Jesus also claimed that all nature was his. (Mark 4:39 NIV). The wind and waves obeyed him!

Jesus claimed to be the judge of people’s thoughts and innermost motives, and he claimed to give rewards and penalties that would go beyond the grave (See Matthew 5-7). What merely human legislator ever did that?

Jesus pointed to the sun, and said: “I am the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5). Imagine a Judaean peasant carpenter inviting the whole world to put all its burdens on his back and all its sorrows on his heart! (Matthew 11:28–30)

The amazing thing about these statements of Christ is that although they are so stupendous, they don’t knock us over. That’s because of the kind of person he is, as presented in the Gospels. When you see what Jesus is like, his claims never bowl you over.

Though the words of Christ may have been spoken by a Judean peasant, but because of the kind of person he is, we accept his words. Christ’s claims are fitting, because of who he is. – Des Ford

The Miraculous Word of Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. - Acts 2:22

The Gospel of John records seven miracles that Jesus performed. These illustrate the transforming power of Jesus in our lives.

In these miracles, we find transformation from sadness to gladness, from disease to health, from paralysis to abundant energy, from hunger to fullness, from anxiety to tranquillity, from darkness to light, from death to life. In these miracles, we are given a picture of the transformation that takes place in the life of every person who comes to Jesus. These miracles reveal that all things are under the control of Jesus.

The main point for each of us is that Christ’s transforming Word is as strong and efficient as His actual presence. Without touching the water in the stone jars at the wedding in Cana, Christ, with a word, turned it into wine. Later, He spoke a word at Cana and healed a boy at Capernaum. And that same word called a dead man from his grave. That word is still available to accomplish a miracle of salvation in the life of even the weakest of believers who calls out to Christ in faith. – Des Ford

Christ the Miracle Worker

Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs. - Acts 2:22, NKJV

Some Christians are embarrassed by the miracles of the New Testament. Instead, they should be thrilled!

The miracles that are recorded in the story of Jesus are integral to his story. You can’t pull them out and leave the story behind.

For example, we are told that the raising of Lazarus became the occasion for the final meeting of the Sanhedrin to decree the death of Christ (see John 2, especially verses 45-53).

The controversies Jesus had with the religious authorities over the Sabbath only make sense in the light of his Sabbath miracles. Jesus healed one man in the synagogue on the Sabbath, healed another man of dropsy, and did other Sabbath-healing miracles. All this was in the context for his question, “Is it right to save life or to kill on the Sabbath?” If you take the miracles out, the whole controversy collapses!

Christ’s miracles are often a bell to summon us to the sermon. After Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes, he then talks about himself as the Bread of life (see John 6). When he gives sight to the blind, he talks about himself as the Light of the world (See John 9). The miracles are a bell to the sermon.

You cannot separate the miracles from the story. They are always united. – Des Ford

Jesus Calms Your Storms

What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him! - Matthew 8:27

Jesus’ miracle stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8) is also a parable of spiritual events.

Into every life, storms and havoc intrude, threatening to undo us. Usually we battle with the storms as though we were on our own, forgetting that there is One who can help us. But if we call upon Him, He will answer wonderfully.

Observe the power of the Word of Christ. By it He created heaven and earth, cast out demons, calmed the sea and raised the dead. His Word was always with power, and if we cling to it, trust it, obey it, that same power will work for us, stilling every storm.

Usually the inward storm of fear, doubt and bewilderment is worse than the outward blast. But here again the Word of Christ is the answer. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). - Des Ford

“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” - Romans 10:17

– Des Ford

The Cross of Jesus can Guide Your Life

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” - John 12:32, NASB

Jesus answers the question “How shall we live?” Only the principle of the Cross of Jesus can rightly guide our hearts, minds and wills. When we, like Jesus, consent to crucify our selfishness and sacrifice ourselves for others, we begin to truly live. There is no other way.

Your response to Jesus’ death for you will determine your destiny. If you accept his sacrifice on your behalf, you will be given immortality when Jesus returns. If you reject his sacrifice on your behalf, you will be denied eternal life on that day.

The Judgement that takes place when Jesus returns will not decide your destiny; you decide your own destiny when faced with the Cross. The Judgement that takes place when Jesus comes will bestow on you the destiny that you chose when you decided to accept or reject Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

The Bible says:

“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed.” - John 3:18

• Des Ford

Jesus Shows Us the Love of God

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. - 1 John 4:9

Very close to the end of his public ministry, Jesus speaks sad words to the Jerusalem that has rejected him:

“I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn’t let Me. And now your temple will be empty of my presence.”

Surely this is the sweetest word of divine pity ever spoken over a corrupt religion. We may deserve his judgements, but we cannot stop his love. There is always love for us in one heart: his. He is always there to help us if we will seek him.

What a beautiful picture Jesus gives us at the end of Matthew 23! When there is danger, the chicks have the mother’s wing folded over them. They are perfectly safe, perfectly comfortable and perfectly happy. It is our privilege to be like them; and we can be, if we have a true picture of God. - Des Ford

He Loved Us First

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. - Revelation 1:5–6, NKJV

I love the sequence of ideas here. God loved us while we were still in need of washing. God loved us and then he washed us. God didn’t wash us clean and then love us. God didn’t free us from bondage of idolatry and darkness, and then say “Okay, I can stand you now.” He loved us first.

He loves us in our sins.

“This man receives sinners” - Luke 15:2, KJV

If you can’t believe it, write it on the wall where you sleep – because it’s true. “This man receives sinners.” That’s the essence of the gospel. It’s the best sermon in the Bible, and it was preached by Pharisees!

The Pharisees meant it as a rebuke and a devastating criticism, but the Holy Spirit said, “That’s great! We’ll enshrine that forever in the Book. That’s it! They’ve got it straight. This man receives sinners.”

“Unto him that loved us.” God loved us just as we are; in our bondage, our darkness, our sin and filth, he loved us. – Des Ford

Jesus Washes Away Your Sin

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. - Psalm 51:2

At the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, showing them the full extent of his love.

Even though Jesus knew that his disciples would shamefully abandon him in a few hours’ time, he did not give up loving them. Jesus got up from the table, removed his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He then poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

What Jesus did here was an acted-out parable of his ministry. He got up from the festivity of heaven, removed his outer glory, wrapped himself in humanity, and bowed down to wash away the dirt of our daily walk.

To those who refuse to let Christ wash away their sin, He says,

“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” - John 13:8

• Des Ford

Jesus Gives You His Perfect Righteousness

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus gives his righteousness to us as a free gift in exchange for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we would not have to. He died so that we could live.

To get into heaven, we need to be justified by God. Because we need 100 per cent righteousness to get eternal life, we must accept, by faith, the free gift of God’s righteousness from Jesus. Those who put their faith in their own righteousness will miss out, because anything less than 100 per cent righteousness is a fail mark.

It’s not a matter of what we have, but whom we have. When Jesus comes into our hearts with his perfect righteousness, He will endeavour to live his life through us, making us more and more righteous every day. This righteousness won’t save us, but it shows that we have been saved. We don’t have to be good to be saved, but we do have to be saved to be good. - Des Ford

Jesus Looks After You

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. - Psalm 103:13–14

John chapter 17 records the prayer that Jesus prayed as the shadow of is crucifixion fell upon Him. The amazing thing about this prayer is that Jesus is looking forward to the Cross as the place where he will be exalted, where the Father will be glorified, and where salvation will be provided for the world.

In this prayer, Jesus is setting himself apart for the sacrifice, during which he is both the officiating priest and the sacrificial lamb. He prays also for his followers. “They have obeyed Your Word”, He said to the Father (verse 6). These fallible, erring men were credited with Jesus’ own perfection. So it is with us.

When God looks at us, he sees us wrapped in the robe of righteousness that our Saviour has placed around us.

Christ prays that the Father will look after and keep all who put their faith in him. We can’t keep ourselves, but God’s hand on our shoulder is that of a loving brother. He will never let us go. We can never be lost while we cling to Jesus and seek to be like Him. - Des Ford

Jesus Took Your Sin and Took Your Place

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” - Luke 22:42

In Gethsemane, Jesus confirmed his decision to take our place and die for us so we could live forever. He would go to the Cross, where he would suffer the second death in our place – a death that would be total and complete, with no hope of life beyond. No wonder it was such a difficult decision to make; no wonder he was so distressed.

God hates sin because of the harm it does to people, families and nations, so he has made plans to destroy it. But sin doesn’t exist outside of people. Because sin exists only in people, God can destroy it only in people. There are two ways he can do this. He can either transfer our sin to himself and then be destroyed with it in our place, or he can destroy sin by destroying us.

Because of Jesus’ love for you, he chose to be destroyed in your place. He would pay the full price for your sin upon the Cross.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8

• Des Ford

Jesus Poured Out His Blood For You

“This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” - Matthew 26:28

In the story of Jesus’ trial, suffering and death, we read about his seven trials, the seven charges against him, the seven people who testified of his innocence, Pilate’s seven questions, and his seven statements that he found no wrong in Jesus. Jesus suffered seven unjust punishments during that long night.

The crucified Jesus had seven wounds, and his crucifixion period lasted seven hours, six hours on the Cross and the seventh being his time of rest when he was taken down. On the Cross, Jesus speaks seven times, and there are seven statements made to Jesus while he hung on the Cross.

These series of sevens are no coincidence. The Hebrew word sheba can be translated either ‘seven’ or ‘covenant’ (see Genesis 21:27–31). God made a covenant that he would save us from our sins and that, if we accepted his salvation, we would become his people.

On the Cross, Jesus shed his blood for our salvation. He was “the blood of the covenant”, which would be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever we drink this ‘blood’, we show that we accept Jesus as our Saviour. - Des Ford

Believe in Christ and Live

I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. - 1 John 5:13, RSV

Yes, we may know how we stand with God. In fact there’s one whole book of the Bible devoted to it – the first epistle of John. The Greek word for “know” occurs in this epistle forty times, and seventy times in the Gospel of John.

Don’t think that eternal life is something future. Eternal life is ours the moment we believe and for as long as we believe. It refers to a quality of existence as well as to its duration. The New Testament certainly teaches that we can have assurance. “We know we have passed from death unto life,” “We know we have eternal life,” “we know we are of God.”

To be human is to err but the Christian hates to err. He hates sin and fights it and flees from it. But even when a Christian does his best, he still must pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses.” You must not let your assurance be shaken by your failures and mistakes.

If you’ve laid hold of Jesus as your Saviour, you have eternal life and know it. In the Gospel of John, every chapter except chapter two speaks of believing. Believing in Christ and knowing our salvation go together. – Des Ford

Christ Was Forsaken That We Might Never Be

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken. - Psalm 37:25

Spurgeon says that the records of time and eternity do not contain a sentence more full of anguish than this fourth word from the cross:

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” - Matthew 27:46

Christ had endured silently all the torment of His body, but when His Father forsook Him, His great heart broke. As John Owen wrote, “The sufferings of His soul were the soul of His sufferings.”

Christ does not cry, “Why has Peter forsaken Me?” or “Why has Judas betrayed Me?” These were terrible griefs, but feeling forsaken by His Father is the sharpest of griefs, and it cuts Him to the quick.

There are times when some of us face a horror that makes the brain reel and the heart faint. At such times, a glance at Calvary can steady us and perhaps even restore us. He was forsaken that we might never be. He prayed that prayer that we might never need to. We need not suffer for our sin, for Christ has suffered in our place. Therefore, however overwhelming our grief and bewilderment, let us like Christ hold on, crying, “My God, My God … “

Nightmares never last. Tunnels have their exits. Only those who live through the dark see the glories of the dawn. – Des Ford

Jesus Was Rejected So That You Would Be Accepted

God … chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. - Hebrews 2:10, NLT

“My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?”

In this anguished cry from the Cross, we find the reason for Christ’s death. The records of time and eternity do not contain a sentence that is more full of anguish. It is not death that is the ultimate penalty for sin – it is separation from God. When God, who is the source of life, hope, joy and peace, abandons someone, all life, hope, joy and peace depart with him. And that is hell. Apart from God, there is no future at all, only a black hole of total extinction.

Christ, who bore the sin of the world, had to experience this separation. God intended to annihilate sin forever, and so Christ, who carried our sin, was being annihilated with it. Either Christ is destroyed with our sin, or we will be. There is no alternative.

Jesus was rejected so that we will be accepted. God separated himself from Jesus so that he might become one with us. That is the sacrifice that our Lord made for us. He gave up everything so that we might inherit everything. - Des Ford

Choose Jesus Over Barabbas

He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His wounds you have been healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24

The crowd shouted that Pilate should release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. This choice was made because people yielded to human pressure rather than to truth and righteousness. The crowd yielded to the chief priests, and Pilate yielded to the crowd. No one yielded to God.

In every decision we make, we too are making this choice. In the things we do, the ambitions we cherish, we choose either Barabbas or Christ. There are no fence sitters, no neutrals. “The one who is not with me,” said Jesus, “is against me.”

Here is the heart of the gospel. You and I are Barabbas – children of our earthly father. We are condemned to die because we have turned our backs on our heavenly Father. But an innocent One has chosen to take our place and die for us. He will suffer, he will agonise, he will ensure that we might be set free. Christ goes naked to the Cross, so that we might be clothed in his spotless robe of righteousness. Christ wears a crown of thorns that we might have a crown of glory. His body was bruised and pierced that ours might be glorified. - Des Ford

Salvation is as Simple As A–B–C √

“What must I do to be saved?” … “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” - Acts 16:30–31

We want forgiveness of sin. Many people are sick because they are guilty. They are sick because of things they have done. They need to learn about the Cross. At the Cross the done has been undone!

Many can’t sing and can’t rejoice, because they feel bad about what they have done, about how they have treated loved ones, or ones they should have loved. But the gospel takes away guilt.

People will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy.” - Matthew 12:31 NRSV

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9

“Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” - John 6:37

How wonderful!

Salvation is so simple. Just A-B-C:

A is for “All have sinned” - Romans 3:23

B is for “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” - Acts 16:31

C is for “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” - Romans 10:9

A-B-C. It’s as simple as that. – Des Ford

Jesus is the Good Samaritan

A Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Luke - 10:33–34, NIV

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, it is the Samaritan who stops to help and minister to the dying man. Remember, in Luke’s previous chapter, the Samaritan village would not receive Jesus. Now, in His story, Jesus is receiving the Samaritans. He makes a Samaritan the hero of His parable.

We never read Scripture aright unless we find Jesus there, and ourselves there also.

The wounded traveller was religious like us, but he was still beaten. He was left half-dead. That’s all of us. Humanity started off well from Jerusalem, or Eden, but we were beaten up by the devil. He took our clothes and left us for dead.

That’s us. We’ve been stripped and we’ve lost our righteousness. But Jesus came near to where we are. He took our true humanity. God does not just shout from Sinai. God comes near where we are, like this beaten Samaritan. God puts his arms around us and provides for us. God brings us to the church to look after us. He says, “When I come back, l will balance all things out aright.” He is coming back for us.

What the Samaritan does is a picture of what Jesus does. He does what the priest and Levites can’t do.

You see, religion is not enough, unless it’s about Jesus. – Desmond Ford

Jesus Died at the Place of the Skull

Christ is the Head of the church, His body, of which He is the Saviour. - Ephesians 5:23

At Golgotha (“place of the skull”) our Lord was publicly treated as refuse. The Latin name of the place was “Calvary,” and it means the same thing. Probably the site got its name from the skulls and dead bones that remained there after the former crucifixions. At this site, death appeared in the most disgusting shape. Only the most abject of all men ended their days on Golgotha. Thus Christ became for us “a worm and not a man” (Psalm 22:6).

A skull is an empty head, and Christianity is foolishness to them that perish, because the wicked cannot understand a love so intense as to consent to complete self-emptying. But for the believer, Golgotha represents the wisdom of God, where the Head of the church gave Himself for all. It should remind us that not only by creation, but also by redemption, “the head of every man is Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:3).

The place of execution is further described as being “outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). Beyond the city was the place for lepers and garbage. Here Christ went for our sakes to the place of shame, rejection and pain. Christ suffered “outside the gate.” – Desmond Ford

The Wounds of Jesus Bring Peace

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. - John 20:19–20

Please note the meaning of Jesus’ first words to His disciples after His resurrection. His first word, “Peace,” reminds us of the many “fear nots” of the gospel. At the birth of Jesus, the angels come to the shepherds and say, “Fear not, we bring you good tidings of great joy that will be to all people.” When the disciples are on the sea in the storm, Jesus appears and says, “Fear not.” When the stone is rolled away from the tomb, the angel’s words are, “Fear not, He is not here for He is risen.”

There are three hundred and sixty-five “fear not”s in Holy Writ, one for every day of the year. When he says, “Peace,” he’s saying the same thing.

Please notice the grounds on which Jesus can say to these guilty men and women, like you and me, “Peace be unto you.” The answer is, “He showed them His hands and His feet.’’ In the wounds of Jesus Christ and there only can peace be found: In the awareness that all our sins have been paid for – in the assurance that all guilt has been wiped out for those who believe, because He has endured all that the broken law calls for.

There is only one place of peace, and that’s in the wounds of Jesus. – Des Ford

Jesus: the Heart of Christianity

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will never pass away. - Matthew 24:35

Christ is the only person who ever lived who claimed to be God, and yet was considered sane by the best of His generation. His influence was greater than all other teachers.

What other teacher ever dared to forecast that His teachings would last forever? Jesus declared:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will never pass away.” - Matthew 24:35

… and every day brings fresh proof of the truth of this. Each new generation finds in Jesus’ teaching what is new, fresh and inspiring. As we look across the centuries, we see how His Words have passed into laws, into church doctrines, into proverbs, and into words of comfort and support, but they have never passed away.

Jesus said:

“I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” - John 12:32

This claim shows that the inner life and the unifying factor of Christianity would be a person, not a philosophy, and that person is the carpenter of Nazareth. Usually in institutions and religion, we find at the core a set of beliefs, not a person.

The heart of Christianity is not a creed, but a person – Jesus Christ. – Des Ford

Jesus is Your King

He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. - Revelation 17:14

At one point in Jesus’ trial, the leaders of Israel took him to Herod’s palace where the Roman Governor, Pilate was staying. They did not understand that by handing Jesus over to unbelievers, they, as a nation, were rejecting their Messiah and were offering him to the Gentiles.

Pilate came out to meet the Jewish delegation that had brought Jesus and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

They evaded his question by answering, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

Pilate asked his soldiers to bring him the prisoner. When Jesus was standing before him, he asked, “Are you king of the Jews?”

Jesus admitted that he was guilty of the charge, but in such a way that he was innocent. How can that be? It’s because his kingdom is not of this world. If it were of this world, his servants would fight. Christ’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of people, a kingdom that would one day have citizens from every nation on Earth.

Yes, Jesus was King of kings and Lord of lords. - Des Ford

Jesus is God’s Unspeakable Gift

Thank God for his Son — his Gift too wonderful for words. - 2 Corinthians 9:15, TLB

A great king gave all his citizens an invitation to a royal banquet at the palace. For admission, the guests had to bring what they thought was the fairest flower that ever bloomed. The citizens thronged to the palace, but were turned away by the thousands. Only a few found entrance. Many brought the deadly nightshade of superstition. Others arrived flaunting poppies of denominational pride. Still others brought the hemlock of self-righteousness.

The few who were allowed in had chosen the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, the blood-red Rose of Calvary. Jesus is the price of heaven and nothing else is acceptable to God.

Jesus is God’s “unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV). Though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor, that through his poverty we might become rich. The Christian’s chief duty is adoration. Faith does not make us see Christ. Seeing Christ gives us faith.

Repentance is not something to do in order to take hold of the Saviour. Taking hold of the Saviour gives us repentance. He is all we need.

Let us make the best choice and sit at the Master’s feet, keeping our eyes on him, hearing him, loving him, and then spontaneously obeying and serving him. Let us consider, anew, God’s unspeakable Gift: the incomparable Christ. – Des Ford

Christ Is Our Peace

As one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. - Romans 5:18, RSV

Humanity’s need for meaning, guidance, forgiveness, and moral strength are provided for in the Christian Gospel, and nowhere else. Because of this, we should all make the Gospel first in our thinking and doing. Paul saw this and wrote:

Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel … For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 RSV

How few, even of professing Christians, understand the words of Romans 5:10,18! These verses clearly state that the atonement of Christ restored the whole human race to favour with God. Christ is our peace, because he broke down the wall between God and humanity. By his own blood Christ signed the ransom papers for the race. And the Gospel is the glad word of that event.

Calvary is the “double cure” for sin. It takes away both sin’s guilt and its power. Looking at the Cross, the believer sees the holiness of God, and repents; sees the power of God, and believes; sees the love of God, and is born again. – Des Ford

The Story of Jesus is the Story of the Church

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” - Revelation 1:8, NIV

I wonder if you’ve noticed that the book of Revelation couches the experience of the church in terms that remind us about Jesus. It is magnificent to see how whatever the Bible is writing about, somehow it always directs us to Jesus.

The “anti-Christ” is described as a duplicate, a counterfeit, of Christ. This is because false religion is always near the truth; the one thing it lacks is the blood – confidence and trust in the blood of Christ.

But then we look at the story of the true church. It also is expressed in terms reminiscent of Jesus. Did you notice here what it said? The church would prophesy – that is, uphold the truths of the Old and New Testaments – for 1260 days. That’s how long Jesus preached for when he was here on earth. The story of our Lord Jesus Christ is the story of his church.

The scenes of the judgments of Christ, the unfairness, the false witnessing, the lying and deception – all these will take place in every part of the world. It will be a time of trouble indeed. And my main question is, How do we prepare for it? How did Christ prepare for it? Trust and obey, for there’s no other way! – Des Ford

Jesus is Always With You

I am with you always, even unto the end. - Matthew 28:20 KJV

These were Jesus’ last words to his church on earth. You may know that in the Greek (and in Hebrew also), ‘I am’ is the expression for ‘God.’ It means the ever-living Yahweh (or Jehovah).

The literal translation of ‘I am with you always, even unto the end,’ is: ‘I with you am all the days unto the end.’ All the days: the bad days, good days, blue days, daze days, all days. Jesus is not only with us, he is around about us. ‘With you’ separates the ‘I’ and the ‘am.’ ‘I with you am.’ Jesus is round about us. That’s why the Psalmist writes:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there… even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10 NIV).

I love Lamentations 3:57. Here, the prophet cries out in agony and pain, says,

You came near when I called, and you said, ‘Do not fear.”

The message, ‘Fear not’, is found 365 times in the Bible. You need not be afraid any day because, I with you am. There’s the great message of Jesus and of all of Scripture. – Des Ford

Christ is the Foundation of the Church

I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. - Matthew 16:18, NIV

In response to Peter’s answer, Jesus calls Peter a rock, and speaks of building the Christian church upon a rock (Matthew 16:17-19). Much has been made of this passage.

Peter is a great man, whom God used to open the church to Jews and gentiles. Every time the apostles are listed, Peter is always first, and Judas last. Peter is very important; but some have claimed too much for him.

The issue in the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples is not, “Who is Peter?” but rather, “Who is Jesus?”

When Peter gives his correct answer, Jesus tells him God revealed the answer to him. Then Jesus said, “Peter, your name means a stone or a rock. This truth that you have uttered about me being the Christ, is a rock foundation into which you and the other disciples are built. You are built upon me, the Cornerstone. The temple of the Christian church will rear up on that Cornerstone.”

The very foundation of the Christian church is the truth about Christ. If Christ is merely human, then Christianity is only a philosophy. If Christ is only human, he was but a martyr on the cross, not a Saviour. If he was a sinner, too, as you and I are, he cannot forgive our sins. – Des Ford

Jesus is Our Saviour

“Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” - Mark 4:41, NLT

Who is this man Jesus that we should believe in him? The Man of the Cross is the true Adam, the true Moses, the true prophet, priest, and king. Everything in the Old Testament was written for him.

• Christ is Adam, the head of the race, the image of God, the representative of all humanity.

• He is Noah who builds a refuge from the wrath of God and thus saves his family.

• He is Isaac, the beloved child of promise, miraculously born.

• He is Joseph, the most beloved son, who, for pieces of silver, is betrayed by his brothers to the Gentiles, and saves millions with the bread of life.

• He is Moses the deliverer who left the palace to redeem his people.

• He is our Joshua, leading his people into the Promised Land.

• He is our David, the warrior whose name means “beloved,” who was born in Bethlehem, and who never lost a battle when leading God’s people.

• He is our Solomon, who builds the temple – the church of God.

Who is this man? He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega.

Scripture gives him over 208 titles. Every one of them is sufficient to provide day upon day upon day of meditation – bringing glory, insight, wisdom, and hope.

Who is this Man? He is our Saviour. – Des Ford

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - John 10:11, NIV

Seven individual shepherds are mentioned in the Bible. These seven shepherds are Abel, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Christ, and ‘’the idol shepherd’’ of Zechariah 11:16, 17 – a reference to the Antichrist. The other six shepherds are often seen as types of Christ, the Good Shepherd.

We learn of the tragic fate of the Messiah Shepherd from Abel who was murdered by his brother. Christ’s loving care for the lost sheep is prefigured in the life of Jacob (see Genesis 30:31; 31:28-40).

The abundance of bread (“enough and to spare” Luke 15:17) is pictured in the life of Joseph (Genesis 37:2).

It is written of Moses, the fourth shepherd, that he watered, protected and guided the sheep (See also Hebrews 3:2–6).

As for David, the fifth individual shepherd presented in the Old Testament, he stands out as a beacon because he gladly risked his life for his sheep (see 1 Samuel 17:34-36).

The good shepherds of the Bible all prefigure the One to be born who would not only be the sacrificial Lamb, but also the ultimate Good Shepherd. Jesus said that he was the door to the sheepfold (John 10:7). If anyone enters by that door and nestles in the arms of that Shepherd, he will carry him back to the fold of God. – Des Ford

The Gospel Writers Tell Us of Jesus

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead… Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:10,12, NIV

We confess with Matthew that Jesus is the Christ, the son of David and Abraham, the Son of God, who is Immanuel (God with us), and that he fulfilled the law and the prophets and inaugurated the ultimate Kingdom of Heaven. As the perfectly obedient Messiah, Jesus made final atonement for sin by his death on the Cross.

We confess with Mark that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Son of God who was also the suffering Son of man, came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. By his ministry, death, and resurrection, he inaugurated the kingdom of God and will, as Lord of history, soon bring about its consummation.

We acknowledge with the writer of Luke and Acts that Christianity is a universal faith, embracing all without distinction, making them one in Jesus Christ. It is a faith that in love lifts the outcasts and underprivileged, assuring them of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of humankind.

We affirm with John that the Word, who was God and with God in the beginning, became flesh and dwelt among us. We confess him to be the one who took away the sin of the world. That is how whoever believes in him will not perish but experience eternal life now. – Des Ford

All the Bible is about Jesus

Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” - Luke 24:44

The whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments, enshrines Christ. Its chief characters, institutions, and histories, prefigured him. He is a true prophet, priest, and king. He was God’s living temple. He was the incarnate Shekinah glory. He was the ladder let down from heaven. He was the true manna, as well as the uplifted serpent and the water from the rock.

Hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament find their complete fulfilment in Christ (e.g. Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Micah 5:2). From the very beginning, the Bible paves the way for Jesus. In Genesis we find the Messiah would be the seed of the woman, and then a descendant of Shem, and then of the seed of Abraham and finally the tribe of Judah.

Haggai said he would come in the days of the second temple. Daniel declared that it would be at the end of seventy weeks of years following the temple restoration decrees given by heathen monarchs. Micah said Messiah would come from the little village of Bethlehem.

How much evidence do people need? Has not God given more than enough for every honest seeker? – Des Ford

Jesus is the Great Giver

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. - 2 Corinthians 8:9, NIV

This is one of the most wonderful verses in the Bible. The word “grace’” here can be translated “gift”; in other words, “You know the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Lord of heaven is a gift to all who will receive him.

“Though he was rich.” How rich? Well, he owned the universe, yet, for our sakes he became poor. How poor? He didn’t even own a loin cloth on the cross.

When Christ approached the cross he owned one thing of value, a tunic probably woven by a loving mother, without seams, beautifully and lovingly prepared. But he gave this to his crucifiers.

This is a wonderful symbol of how Jesus imputes his robe of righteousness to us. He gave his robe to those responsible for his death, so he was poor for our sakes. He did not even own a loin cloth, so his proverty was absolute; that “you through his poverty might become rich.”

He even gave up life itself for us. Many of us are prepared to give up things, but give up life? That’s something else! But Jesus gave up even life itself that we through his poverty might be rich. – Des Ford

Jesus Bore Your Sin

And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. - Hebrews 13:12, NIV

Jesus was crucified, outside the city gate. That’s where the garbage was. Lepers were considered garbage, to that’s where they were, too.

The Bible says you and I are spiritual lepers. We have a disease from which we are not going to recover in this life entirely. It’s in the blood, so to speak. We’re lepers, but Jesus was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as he deserves. Upon him was laid the punishment that makes us whole and gives us peace. With his stripes we are healed.

Jesus took your condemnation and gave you his perfect life. He took your agony and gave you his victory. He took your wounds and gave you his healing. He took your death and gave you his life. He took your crown of thorns and gave you a crown of glory.

How sweet it is to hear this news! You need to say this, “I am a sinner, I have sinned, I am still sinning, I will sin in the future; but Jesus has taken the guilt of my past, my present and my future sin. Because he has borne my sin, I do not need to. I am no longer guilty.”

There is no need for your soul to be oppressed by guilt, to feel weighed down and burdened by mistakes. – Des Ford

Jesus is the Rock

In the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. - Daniel 2:44, NKJV

Our Lord’s expression “kingdom of Heaven”, synonymous with the “kingdom of heaven”, comes from Daniel. In Daniel chapter two, the prophet gives a description of the kingdom of heaven: “A rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands” that “became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:45,35, NIV). It’s from here that our Lord drew the expression “the kingdom of Heaven” (see verse 44). His parables, and many of his instructions, are based on this kingdom theme.

We find Christ in the stone of Daniel 2. Jesus adopted this image when he said: Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Luke 20:18; Matthew 21:42,44 KJV).

Jesus is using the exact words of the Greek translation of Daniel 2:45 onwards, about the stone smiting the image. He is applying the stone to himself (see also Matthew 16:18).

The Hebrew word for stone is “eben.” The word for son is “ben.” Scholars have pointed out that “the Son of Man” pictured in Daniel 7:13 is already implicit in the stone of Daniel 2:34. This is “word punning” or paronomasia. Christ is the “eben” (stone) of Daniel 2, and the “ben” (Son) of Daniel 7. – Des Ford

The Lamb is the Light

And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. - Revelation 21:3, NLT

No one is ever scared of a lamb. The reason we are drawn to follow Christ and to serve him is not the hope of heaven, nor fear of hell: it’s because he is so approachable and so loving.

The Lamb is the light of the heavenly city, because the Lamb is full of light! Consider the first chapter of Revelation, and verse 12. Here, the apostle John says that he,

turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands

The seven golden lamps shine light everywhere, and John sees Jesus in the midst of the lampstands (v.13). Read the description of Jesus here and you will see that he is full of light (vv.13–16).

The book of Revelation begins with a picture of the light of Jesus displacing the darkness, and ends with a picture of Jesus as the eternal light of the heavenly city. What attracts us to follow the Lamb is his light: the revelation of his goodness, the revelation of his love, the revelation of his kindness. The Lamb who loved us enough to die for us.

Consider also that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is the Lamb. Isn’t that amazing? Christ’s strength is seen through his sacrifice, and not by killing his enemies. – Des Ford

Jesus is Your Passover

Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. - 1 Corinthians 5:7, NIV

Jesus and his disciples had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He knew the time for his death had come, and he also knew there was a plot to arrest him.

At the first Passover, God had rescued his people from slavery in Egypt. God had sent a series of plagues to encourage the Pharaoh to release his people. The final plague was the most terrible of all: the firstborn of every family was killed by the angel of death in the middle of the night. Only the firstborn of those who had smeared the blood of the sacrificed lamb on their doorposts was saved. God told them this was a picture of the salvation he would bring to every man, woman and child, but they did not understand.

In the time of Jesus, most Jews, as they celebrated the Passover, looked forward to the time when God would rescue their nation from the Romans. The real meaning of the Passover was very different. Through the blood of the Lamb of God he would bring salvation to his people. – Des Ford

The Real Meaning of Passover

When I see the blood, I will pass over you. - Exodus 12:13, NIV

Remember that first Passover in Egypt. God was about to rescue his people from slavery. But first, there was a final plague, the most terrible of all. The angel of death would visit every home in the land, and the firstborn of every family would die. God instructed Moses that each Hebrew family must sacrifice a lamb, and smear the blood on their doorposts. The angel of death passed over those homes, in a living picture of the salvation that Jesus’ sacrifice would bring to every man, woman and child. The Hebrews at the time did not understand, but one day the meaning would become clear.

At the first Passover, the blood of the lamb on the doorpost was a sign of God’s protection. At the Cross, Jesus became the Lamb of God and died, not just to save one family or one nation, but everyone who has ever lived.

The lamb was killed before the Children of Israel escaped from Egypt. This has meaning too. Jesus had to die before we could be rescued from sin. The Bible tells us that Jesus died for us, not after we’d told him we were sorry for our sins, but “while we were still sinners”. – Des Ford

The Son Question

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. - 1 John 5:12

Jesus declares his Cross to be the judgment of this world (John 12:31). The cross divides the world into the saved and the lost and, thereby, prefigures the world’s last day.

The darkness that engulfed the cross prefigured the last great Day of Judgment. The earthquake at the moment of Christ’s death when many dead were raised (Matthew 27:52) prefigured the final call to judgment. And there, on the cross, was the King-Judge high and lifted up.

Christ was crucified between two thieves. He also divided the two thieves – one called on him; one cursed him. We are all thieves. The Bible says,

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:22-23

What makes the difference is my attitude towards the Man on the central cross. It’s not the sin question, but the Son question that counts.

We are not saved by our goodness or lost by our badness. We are saved by our relationship to Christ. Are we in Christ or out of Christ? If our standing is “in Christ,” we are saved. If we are out of Christ, we are lost. That’s the meaning of the cross. – Des Ford

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How, then, Should We Live?

Victors Over Temptation

Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. - Matthew 4:10

Christ’s temptation was not our temptation. The devil tempted Jesus about our Lord’s mission. We are never tempted to turn stones into bread, to jump down from temple pinnacles, to receive the kingdoms of the world. We are not Saviours of the world.

The First Adam was challenged by the devil. The Last Adam challenged the devil. (Jesus, you’ll remember, was driven into the desert by the Holy Spirit.)

When the First Adam lost out, he involved the whole world in his ruin. When the Last Adam won, he involved the whole world in his victory. We don’t have to surrender to temptation. By believing in Christ, we can be the victor over every conscious temptation that comes to us. As we exercise faith, the victory is already ours!

It’s wonderful to know Christ has defeated the devil. Looking to Christ we can be victors over temptation. – Des Ford

No Need to be Afraid

I am with you always, even unto the end. - Matthew 28:20

Literally, ‘I am with you always, even unto the end,’ is ‘I with you am all the days unto the end.’ All the days: the bad days, good days, blue days, daze days, all days. Jesus is not only with us, he is round about us. ‘With’ separates the ‘I’ and the ‘am.’ ‘I with you am.’ Jesus is round about us:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me your right hand will hold me fast. - Psalm 139:7-10, NIV

The message, ‘Fear not’, is found 365 times in the Bible. You need not be afraid any day because, I with you am. There’s the great message of Scripture and of Jesus. – Des Ford

In the World, Trouble; in Christ, Peace

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” - John 14:1, NASB

The word “believe” is found approximately one-hundred times in this single book, the Gospel of John. Almost every one of the twenty-one chapters of John has the word “believe.”

“Let not your hearts be troubled.” It’s true that there is cancer. It’s true there is death on the highway. It’s true there is tragedy in the home. But Christ says, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Instead, believe.

Jesus says it in the imperative, and that’s the way modern translations often render it: “Believe in God, believe also in me” (RSV). It is a command, because it is the only way we can have peace.

Our hearts will be troubled and they will be afraid if we let them. But if we look at what we have in Christ, our hearts need not be troubled even in this trouble-filled world. Jesus explains why:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

While we are in the world, we will always have trouble. But Christ has overcome the world, and when we trust in his victory, we can have peace. In the world, trouble. In Christ, peace. – Des Ford

What The Animals Teach Us

Ask the animals, and they will teach you. – Job 12:7

Natural revelation shows the reasonableness of believing in a Creator. In Australia, we have a kind of cicada that stays underground for 17 years. One day you’re walking through the bush and you hear a horrible clatter and racket! You know the cicadas have come up, but this is the crop from those that went down 17 years ago. After 17 years they’ve come up to fill the bush with a cacophony of life and vitality… after being buried for 17 years!

Who doesn’t know about the life of a caterpillar? At the prime of its life, it goes into its chrysalis tomb. A child stumbling upon that wrapped, apparently lifeless, form would say, “That’s the end of that.”

But despite appearances, it’s not the end. The time will unfailingly come when that chrysalis will open, and out of that tomb will come something beautiful. And that butterfly will do something it could never do before – fly!

Before, it was earth-bound, as we are. One day we will travel at the speed of thought. One day we will be transformed, just like the butterfly. – Des Ford

God Is In This Place

Surely the Lord is in this place … This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. - Genesis 28:16–17

The omnipresence of God doesn’t mean that God is spread out thinly, as though there’s a little slim sliver of divinity here, there and everywhere. The omnipresence of God means that God is fully present in every place.

Jacob recognised the omnipresent God. Enoch so knew the omnipresent God that he walked with him, like Abraham, the friend of God, and like Moses, who talked to God face-to-face (Exodus 33:11).

My friends, our privileges are much greater than those of these Old Testament worthies. The Holy Spirit moved in Old Testament times, but not in the same degree and power as has been possible since Christ’s atonement at Calvary.

When our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, he breathed upon his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). By so doing, he was saying, “Because of the cross, you need never walk alone. Because of the cross, I have brought the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God to dwell alongside you, and inside you, now and forever.”

So now you can say this about your kitchen, your bedroom, your workshop, your office, and your car: “Surely the Lord is in this place!” You may be anxious or distressed, thinking that you are alone. No! Wherever you are, remember that God is in this place. – Des Ford

You Can Get Through Suffering

The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. - 1 Peter 5:10

Christ could stand the terrible pain because He knew God was there. He rested in the fatherhood of God. It is true that at one stage the agony of the guilt of the world was so terrible that He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Think on some of the events that happened at the Cross. Jesus was like a guilty prisoner at the bar. He had our sin upon Him as He bore the guilt of all the world. He was suffering an infinite amount of pain. In those six hours, He experienced what was due to everybody ever born.

Jesus suffered the agony of separation from God. Jesus endured hell qualitatively; an infinite being suffering infinite pain to atone for the sin of the world.

It is not wrong to ask, “Why?” Jesus cried, “Why?” And there will be times when we will ask the same question. But we must move on to, “Father, into your hands I commit my life.” If we can say, “My God,” in the midst of our pain, we will survive. If we can take hold of the God that seems to be thrusting us away we will survive.

When we bring God into our darkest depths, it brings light upon us. – Des Ford

Christ Overcame Evil With Good

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

We find our best lesson on tragedy in the Cross of Christ. The Cross itself is a symbol of pain, limitation, strain, hatred and rejection. Think of all the worst things involved in tragedy; they are all there at the Cross. Jesus is poised between heaven and earth to indicate He’s rejected by both, but His arms are outstretched to indicate that He will continue to love us. What a lesson about pain and tragedy! Even when you feel forsaken by God, stretch out your arms with love. Overcome evil with good.

In the wilderness Jesus was tempted to use His divine power to escape the fierce assaults of Satan. According to Mark 15:30-32, the last temptation that came to Him on the Cross was likewise a temptation to use His power to escape the insults of the mob and His allotted sufferings: “Save Yourself and come down from the Cross.”

He could have come down and yet He couldn’t have. He had the power to come down from the Cross. If He could move a finger He could have destroyed all His enemies. The bonds that kept Him there were the bonds of love, not the nails. If Christ had saved Himself, He couldn’t have saved us. There at the Cross, Christ overcame evil with good. – Desmond Ford

Christ Gives Your Life Meaning

I am the way and the truth and the life. - John 14:6

Unless we are first clear as to the meaning of life, why we are here and where we are going, there is neither sense nor meaning for the sorrows of life. How you and I think of death makes all the difference to how we live. Only in Christ does human life find meaning. He did not idly say, ‘I am … the life’ and ‘I am … the truth’. He is the truth about all things, including life and death. If we are to be raised from the dead as he was, we must live in the spirit that he lived.

But there’s more than that. All the gifts of this life are the result of Christ’s Cross. It was his volunteering in Eden to take man’s place, his guilt and punishment, which saved the race from extinction there and then. Thus, everything we know that is good – life itself, food, drink, the air we breathe, the clothes we wear, our loved ones and friends – all are stamped with the cross of Calvary which bought them.

Therefore, we own nothing. We are but stewards of the gifts of his grace, and all should be used to his glory. To live as though we were our own, is to live and die as fools. – Des Ford

Choose The Right Thoughts

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. - 1 Peter 4:7–8

Seeing life as a brief probationary period to prepare for the hereafter, places all things in right proportion. My eternal destiny and all I can influence should interest me more than all the temporary tinsel of human experience. Christ has suffered that we might have eternal happiness. Shall we be so demented as to neglect something so valuable?

When we cherish such reflections, they enable us to turn the kaleidoscope of thought aright. Against the backdrop of Calvary and eternity, everything in this life assumes a new shape. When the Cross is engraved in our hearts, beneath its shadow the pride, the vanity and folly of many of life’s pursuits and values becomes apparent. Sensing that “out of the heart are the issues of life” and remembering His crown of thorns, our very imaginations will be dedicated to God.

When we do this, to crucify vain thoughts of pride, impurity, selfish ambition, irritability and complaint, takes priority among our concerns. In thinking uselessly and aimlessly time is lost, no less than in speaking that way. The account we shall render for each shall not be very different. It is certain that in choosing my thoughts, I choose my habits and my destiny. – Des Ford

When It Seems God Isn’t There He Is

I am glad for your sake that I was not there. - John 11:15

Christ was glad because He had a bigger plan. He raised Lazarus from the dead to encourage all who would lose loved ones in death, and He gave encouragement to the bereaved of all ages.

Perhaps Christ is still saying, in some of the situations in our lives:

“For your sake, I am glad I was not there.” - John 11:15

Perhaps He has a much bigger plan than the one we would thrust upon Him immediately.

This we know – our God does all things well. Our perspective is so cramped, and we see but dimly. God isn’t always to be perceived just in light and glory. He’s also in the darkness. According to Scripture, justice and righteousness are the foundation of His throne, but clouds and darkness are round about Him (Psalm 97:2). The stars shine brighter on the darkest nights.

The Bible tells us we are never alone in the darkness. There is One who holds our hand, a very present help in trouble.

We see darkly, we stumble, and we wander in our pain. But when we see our God – who loves supremely, who is there for us, and who cares – then we realise that tears are often the birth pangs of greatness. – Des Ford

God’s Kingdom Is A Kingdom of Freedom

Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:2

The Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans is a great letter about freedom. In the first five chapters, it talks of our freedom from the wrath of God. Then, in chapter six it talks about our freedom from the dominion of sin. In the seventh chapter, it is saying we are free from law as a covenant. It is no longer a method to be used to gain “brownie points” with God and to assure us of our righteousness. Then, in the following chapter, Paul says we are free from death.

Read the last verses of each of these chapters and we find in each case that the freedom is “through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

The chief cause of unhappiness is not from outside but from inside, from unsatisfied desires and passions. The only free person in the world is one who wants to do what he or she ought to do.

When we really come to believe that God loves us, and that He loved us enough to die for us in Christ, then everything changes. With that glorious faith, the Holy Spirit comes into the life and He writes the law of love in our hearts so that now we want to do what we ought to do. With Christ, there is perfect satisfaction and overwhelming joy. – Des Ford

Sin Does Not Rule In Your Life

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. - Romans 6:14

The Christian sees in every transgression the nail and the spear that pierced Christ. Indeed, nothing less than the revelation of the wickedness of the human heart and the love of the divine One as given by the Cross could break the fascination of evil for depraved humanity. The gospel certainly does not make light of sin.

But the way of conquest over sin is the way of indirection. The power of sin is annulled in experience as its guilt is taken away by faith in Christ’s atonement. The Christian sees that his sins were crucified with the Saviour and nailed to his Cross. As we see our complete identity with our Representative, sin ceases to reign in us. But no sin is ever crucified either in heart or life until it is first pardoned in conscience. Here are the words of Paul:

We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? … For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin… count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:2,6,11). – Des Ford

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Jesus Teaches You to Forgive

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. - Luke 23:34

“Father, forgive them.” We do not begin to live until we shut the door on the past through forgiveness. And no one lives properly until they have experienced forgiveness themselves. Fortunately, it’s not hard to know when we have received forgiveness ourselves. Just as you can’t give money to someone else until you have received it yourself, so you cannot give forgiveness to anyone else until you have received it yourself.

If you are unable to forgive someone who has sinned against you, it is because you haven’t received forgiveness yourself. And if you aren’t forgiven, then you aren’t saved (Matthew 6:14–15). Forgiveness is a bridge that we must all pass over to enter the kingdom of God.

Every relationship in life calls for forgiveness. There are no perfect wives, perfect husbands, or perfect children. There are no perfect employers or perfect employees. And there are no perfect friends or neighbours. For this reason, forgiveness must be the very essence of our relationships with others. It must be as natural as breathing. - Des Ford

We Grow Towards Perfection

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. - Romans 5:18

The apostle Paul, in Romans 5:18 and 2 Corinthians 5:14, shows us that when Christ died, it was reckoned as though the whole wicked world died. Henceforth our debts are paid.

But our cure experientially is not yet complete. Our way to the kingdom of God may be marked by stumbling, limping, and crawling upon the floor. A Christian of vast experience once wrote: “We ourselves are constantly falling, failing in speech and action to represent Christ; falling and rising again, despairing and hoping.”

Our holiness is not purely ethical, though it seeks to be so, but rather, one that is manifested in an increasing humility and awareness of sinfulness. So the marks of sanctification are not the marks of legalistic achievement, but rather, increasing prayerfulness; increasing self-distrust, and increasing faith in him alone who can save and keep. If we do not manifest an increasing hatred for our sins, we have never been justified.

Romans 5:1–11 lists some of the aspects of the subjective experience of the believer. Now that justification has come, so has peace and joy and love for God. Patience is developed by the way one reacts to trial, trouble and tribulation. One grows towards that perfection with which the believer is initially and forever credited. Christ regards us as though the work is already complete. – Des Ford

We Must Become What We Already Are

God … raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:6, NKJV

We are already seated in heavenly places in Christ, having died with him, been buried with him and having risen with him. (See Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:4; and Colossians 3:1). The Christian is admonished to become what he already is; that is, because he is a child of the King, he is to act like one.

Therefore at every stage of his experience the Christian may know that he is fully accepted of God, despite his or her internal ups and downs of feelings, emotions, and ethical achievements or failures. Note that the second half of each Pauline Epistle stresses the “therefore” in the life of the justified. Justification without holiness is a heresy.

For practical Christian living, the challenge is to focus our attention on what Christ is to us, rather than what we are to him. We are not to make the mistake of reasoning from feeling to fact to faith, but the reverse. God’s love and acceptance of us is like the blazing sun, always complete and full and warm. But our attitude to God is like that of the waning moon, always incomplete, and always only a slight reflection of his own.

No one will ever perish while he or she depends upon the merits of Christ’s atonement. – Des Ford

As You Look To Jesus You Will Be Changed

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith - Hebrews 12:2, NKJV

The two doctrinal ills in the matter of salvation are legalism and antinomianism. The former teaches that we must be good in order to be saved. The latter teaches that being saved, we can do as we like. Both of these are erroneous. God accepts us just as we are. The legalism in the New Testament was not the belief that we are saved by works, but that we are saved by faith and works. In reality, we are saved by faith alone, though the faith that saves is never alone.

Neither does sanctification come by looking to self. There we find only insufficiency, inadequacy and sin. We are saved by looking to the Saviour. For every look at your wounds of sin, give ten looks to the Great Physician. Whatever gets our attention gets us. Whatever we hold in the mind passes into action.

If the Christian continually keeps his sin and failures and mistakes in his mind, he will sin and make more and more mistakes. But if Christ is pre-eminent in the Christian’s thinking, then he will grow more and more like his Master, so that:

We all with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory. - 2 Corinthians 3: 18

– Des Ford

What Prayer Is

If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. - Matthew 7:11, NLT

If there is a loving heavenly Father – and we need not doubt that until rocks rush to form a Taj Mahal or computers without fingers or electricity can churn out a Bible – he would want to talk to us. Because talking must always be a two-way street, all the great characters of the Bible were praying people. The prophets, Abraham, Elijah, Jeremiah, and others - Samuel, Hannah, Peter, and Paul - were all praying people. No wonder then that the Bible talks about prayer 350 times.

They knew what we must learn: that if we lived under the constant benediction of the supreme fact of the universe that God is love, our lives would be in constant peace.

What, then, is prayer?

Prayer is need finding a voice. It is slipping through an open door to find our best Friend in the universe. Prayer is telling God what upsets us, what concerns us. It’s telling God when we’re grateful for his help, when we need his guidance, when we want his forgiveness, when we’ve been stupid and fearful and anxious, and when we’ve messed everything up. Prayer is a little child going to the Father and spilling out the heart. – Des Ford

Prayer is the Key

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. - Matthew 7:7, 8

Prayer is a primary fact of life. The belief that God exists has persisted with the human race throughout history, so it is natural for us to pray. Prayer is an expression that we are not self-sufficient, and that we are asking God to help us.

Phillips Brooks, the great preacher who wrote, “0 Little Town of Bethlehem,” saw a little boy standing on tiptoe, trying to press a buzzer outside the door of a house. Being a man of great benevolence, Phillips lifted the boy up so he could press the button. Then the boy cried, “Now scoot!” and wriggled out of his arms and scooted. Phillips Brooks was left standing at the door to explain.

Prayer is not pressing the doorbell, then scooting. Prayer is sharing with God. Prayer is listening as well as talking. Prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, wherein are stored all the treasures of omnipotence.

The optic nerve is very tiny, but because of it, we can see the sun and the moon and the stars, the faces of those we love, and all the wonders of the earth.

Prayer is the optic nerve of our spiritual nature. Why then, do some sever that nerve it if is to their great and eternal loss? – Des Ford

Prayer is our Key

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. - 1 John 5:14, NIV

In the last century, the Lakota Indians built their homes on the mesas; those high and rocky tablelands with precipitous slopes. The Lakotas sought safety on the mesas because of their conflicts with other tribes and the constant raids. On the mesas they could easily defend themselves. They worked hard to bring soil to the top of the mesas. Some ravines held water. Soon there were crops and flowers. The Lakotas found what every human being is looking for: security.

Prayer is the mesa of the human heart. People who deride prayer wrongly assume that they are self-sufficient in a world where microbes are stronger than human beings.

What then, is prayer? Prayer is need finding a voice. Prayer is embarrassment looking for relief. It is slipping through an open door to find our best friend in the universe – the door that God has opened. Prayer is spilling out the heart. Prayer is telling God what upsets us, and what concerns us. It is telling God when we are grateful for his help, when we need his guidance, when we want his forgiveness, and when we’ve been stupid and fearful and anxious.

Prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, in which are stored all the treasures of omnipotence. – Des Ford

The Best Way to Pray

Enoch walked with God. - Genesis 5:24

When God talks to us through his Word, the Bible, we talk back. This is what we call prayer.

Funnily enough, we have a strange idea about prayer. We think that prayer is for when we get up in the morning and when we lie down at night. Well, that’s fine for starters.

The best way to pray is to follow the example of Jesus. In Gethsemane. His prayers were short, pungent-but frequent. That’s the best kind of prayer life. Nehemiah, while handing up the cup to his king prayed. (See Nehemiah 1:5-11; 2:4;4:9; 6:9.) Abraham was overwhelmed with a problem, and prayed,

“Oh, that Ishmael might live before you” (See Genesis 17:18.)

This is real praying.

Real prayer isn’t remembering all the relatives and all the neighbours. The way you should pray for people is to pray for them when the Lord puts them upon your heart. As soon as you have a worry about them, commit them to God.

We must learn to pray about everything. I pray when I collect mail, and I pray as I answer all those letters. I’m no example of perfect prayer. I’m simply suggesting this as one way to go. For 50 years I’ve prayed as I’ve walked or as I’ve jogged.

A healthy prayer life is constant communion with God. – Des Ford

Be Careful With What You Desire

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. - Psalm 37:4 NIV

The main hindrance to prayer are the things we value and desire, because every desire is a prayer.

In the parable of the prodigal son, “The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.” (Luke 15:12 NLT). He got it and landed in a famine. Lot got what he desired: Sodom – and he had to leave it with his tail between his legs. Judas got what he wanted: thirty pieces of silver – and he swung from a tree. Every desire is a prayer.

We must be careful with the things we desire, and with how we live. We can’t pray well and live wickedly. We can’t pray purposefully and live carelessly (See Isaiah 59:2).

It is because of our desires that we despise what is readily available. In St. Peters in Rome, there is a door into the cathedral that is only opened four times in a century. It is called the porta sancta. Just four times every one hundred years, the pope approaches the door with a small silver hammer and knocks on the door. Then it is opened to him.

Suppose you could pray only once every 25 years. How would you pray then? Of course, you are not restricted. But the fact that prayer is readily available makes us underestimate its value, and to desire other things. We should make God’s desires our desires. – Des Ford

Prayer Is Not Just Spending Time On Your Knees

Keep on praying… - Romans 12:12, NLT

An objection to prayer that I encountered early in my life is that we think it means spending long hours on our knees. The great preacher, Spurgeon, said,

“If that’s what prayer is, I couldn’t do it, even for the sake of eternity.”

I remember as a young, inexperienced student, going to the most saintly man in the college community.

“Brother Bohringer,” I asked, “is prayer all about spending a long time on your knees?”

“Oh, no, son,” he answered. “Prayer is just talking to God, wherever you are, whatever you are doing. It’s not just about being on your knees.”

Of course, it is true that many of the great saints of history have spent long hours in prayer. But they were hours spent in meditation and the study of God’s word, and in crying out. One disciple of Saint Francis of Assisi listened all night long to the great man. All the disciple heard was Francis saying every now and again, “My God and my all. My God and my all.” That is a grand prayer.

Periods of prayer work both ways. We speak to God, God speaks to us, and we stop and think.

Prayer goes both ways. The person who is talking all the time never learns anything. That’s wasteful. – Des Ford

Jesus Invites Us To Laugh

God … has anointed you with the oil of gladness. - Hebrews 1:9, NKJV

We think of our Lord as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and this is correct. We would never find comfort in a man who knew only laughter.

We’re not told about the laughter of Jesus and yet the Bible does say that he was “anointed … with the oil of gladness” (Hebrews 1:9). Think about the humour Jesus uses when he says thing like:

“Why do you see the sawdust in your neighbour’s eye and not the log in your own?” “If the blind lead the blind, shall they not both fall into the ditch?” “They strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.”

The only reason we do not laugh at such expressions is because we have a feeling that it would be irreverent. Either that, or we don’t really think about them sufficiently to appreciate the full picture Jesus was describing.

Human beings were intended to laugh. There is such a thing as the laugh of faith, rejoicing in the assurance that God is not only good, but more than good. He delights in our joy and has made provision that it should be a joy that will last forever.

Next time you enjoy a really good laugh, remember that it can also be a symbol of the bubbling joy of the gospel. – Des Ford

There’s Always Something To Be Thankful For

Give thanks in all circumstances. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Two angels set out from heaven, each with a basket to bring back the prayers and thanksgiving of those on earth. The angel of thanksgiving started with a large hamper; the collector of petitions with a small basket. When they returned, each was in trouble. The petitions overflowed the small basket and filled a sack as well. But the bottom of the large hamper was not even covered by the three tiny thanksgivings!

We dare not despise the nine lepers who were cleansed and did not return to thank Jesus, for we often do the same. It has always been much easier for us to cry “give me” than to give thanks. One of our greatest needs, which if fulfilled will multiply our joy, is the need to think and to thank.

The trouble is, of course, this poor human nature of yours and mine. Our human nature is as crooked as a corkscrew. To say “thank you” is just as difficult for us as to practice giving rather than getting.

Watching the rain, one woman said, “It will settle the dust. Another woman said, “This will make mud.” Misery is simply a synonym for ingratitude. There is always something to be thankful for each day, even if it’s only for what hasn’t happened. – Des Ford

God Teaches You To Trust Him

The LORD … guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them. - Deuteronomy 32:10,11 NIV

Our Heavenly Father in his great love uses all sorts of methods to teach us to trust in him, and distrust in ourselves. Keep in mind they always go together, and are the fruit of the moving of the Divine Spirit. One way that God endeavours to teach us to distrust ourselves and to trust in him is the medium of change.

We read in Deuteronomy 32:11, that as the eagle stirs up her nest and ejects her young, all the while capably and protectively hovering over them, so God stirs up our comfortable nests in order that we might learn to fly by faith in him.

When life is monotonously the same and there are few surprises, there often seems little need of divine help. But the most significant things that happen to us are not the ones planned or premeditated. They are the ones that come out of the blue like an angel, or a demon; like the glory of a rainbow, or a shaft of lightning.

Who is equal to these challenges? No one. Nobody has the strength, nor the wisdom, to successfully cope with all the emergencies of life. We need God and we need him every moment, and the wise person is the one who acknowledges that fact continually. This is faith. – Des Ford

Jesus Has The Answer For The Sadness of Life

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. - Isaiah 40:8

When John Wesley was 87, just before giving one of his last sermons, the congregation was singing a beautiful hymn written by his brother Charles Wesley, and they came to the line where Jacob says, “My company before has gone, and I am left alone with Thee.” As the elderly John Wesley thought of the loss of his brothers and sisters and his companions in the ministry, he was overwhelmed with emotion. The old preacher suddenly sat down and covered his face with his hands. But only for a moment. Then he stood up and finished the hymn with the congregation.

The ultimate sadness of life is that nothing lasts. The beauty, the strength, the youth doesn’t last, and the vigour of mid-life is temporary. So people search madly for possessions, for pleasure, and for power. Subconsciously, we try one thing after another in our efforts to buy immortality.

Jesus gave us the remedy on his last earthly night with his disciples. He said,

“Because I live, you shall live also. For if a man love me, he’ll keep my words. And I’ll abide with him, and my Father will abide with him.” John 15

The joy of the Gospel is that God’s love outlasts everything else. – Des Ford

You Must “Trust and Obey”

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. - Psalm 84:12 NIV

It’s the difficult situations that make us into the type of people who have learned to trust and obey regardless of the circumstances. The Christian isn’t promised a life free from pressures and anxieties. He is promised the assurance that God will not forsake him, because God will be with him amidst all of life’s trials. The Christian is promised that ultimately he will see that all things have worked together for good, and that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor anything can separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. To be able to claim God as your Father is far, far better than to be the king of a great country or the wealthiest person in creation.

To have God as your Father, heaven as your home, eternal life in the present, forgiveness of sins, to walk in step with the universe: that’s worth more than all the world’s riches. When you believe this, life’s trials diminish in significance.

There are those who call for an analysis of the cause and effect relationship behind the problem, in order prayerfully and carefully to make a decision, and then to act. That’s fine, however, as the old hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.” – Des Ford

Temptation is Not Sin

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. - 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist everything except temptation.” We have to do better than Oscar. God had one Son without sin, but he has never had one son or daughter without temptation.

It’s very important to know the difference between temptation and sin. There are times when all genuine Christians feel terrible, soiled, besmirched, guilty, because they have fought a battle with sin. Even though they said, “No!” they feel bad about being tempted.

Friends, there is no condemnation in being tempted. There is only condemnation in saying, “Yes!” You may be tempted to lose your temper, to do something drastic, or do something impure. That’s temptation, not sin.

Temptation is our daily companion. To a sensitive, alive, alert person, temptation is a constant associate.

With most of us, it’s not the temptation to do something drastic. Our temptations are much more minor. Our temptations are things we think we can get away with. Most of us aren’t big-time murderers or big-time thieves. We can only get away with the little murders, the small unkindnesses.

You and I are so self-centred by nature, that although the whole world aches for kindness, we are tempted repeatedly to be selfish and unkind when we can get away with it. That is our greatest temptation. – Des Ford

Pain is a Teacher

Consider it pure joy … whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:2–3 NIV

Shadows compose half the beauty of the world, and in every human life it is the same. You never see a great painting without shadows. Malcolm Muggeridge said, “The only ultimate tragedy is to so settle down in this world that you feel at home in it.” That is the only ultimate tragedy.

We can only learn to be patient and kind, forgiving and merciful if we endure pain. The best teacher is pain. In a rebellious world, there is only one way that the character of rebels can be changed and made wonderful and full of light: that is by pain. Without pain we would be destroyed, and be worthless. I guess that in our pain we remember that God is in control.

The fact that Christ could feel forsaken means that we need never feel forsaken. But the fact he felt forsaken did not mean he was. You and I often feel forsaken. This does not mean that we are forsaken, anymore than Christ feeling forsaken was evidence that he was.

Black Friday became Good Friday, and this is the greatest parable of all: that the things that hurt us most can ultimately help us be the best. To suffer is terrible, but to have suffered is wonderful. – Des Ford

Suffering Comes Before Fruit

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. - Isaiah 9:2 NIV

There is no escaping the shadows. Without the shadows there would be no beauty. You ask most parents about their greatest joy and their greatest sorrows, they usually respond with one word: kids.

The greatest illusion is to think you can have pleasure without pain. The birth of every child should teach us a lesson: suffering comes before fruit. In a sinful world that has sneered at the love of God, there is no escaping suffering.

Mountaineers reached the highest peaks and look out over the glories to be seen. I once asked a mountaineer, a few years before he was killed, “Why do you do it? Isn’t it dangerous?”

He answered, “Oh, if you could see the glory, if you could see the splendour looking out over the peaks, you would understand why we do it.”

But then think of the agony of getting up there, the pain, the difficulty breathing, the danger! It is an illusion and delusion to think you can have pleasure without pain. It is wonderfully comforting to know that God is in control of the pain. He was there at the Cross; when the veil was rent his heart was torn. The blood of Christ was shed, and the heart of God felt the pain. – Des Ford

The Two Truths of Christianity

What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? - Psalm 8:4, NLT

All our questions about the universe and existence are part of our main question: “What is man?” Who or what is this being that asks the questions?

Only the Christian revelation found in the Bible can rightly answer the question. It rejects the two traditional views: naive optimism (that humans are god-like and perfect) and cynical pessimism (that humans are worthless and totally evil).

Creation and the Fall as recorded in Genesis are the only adequate explanation of the nature of man. Humankind, made in the moral image of God, by disobedience has become a hybrid: half-angel, half-demon.

The Christian religion and the Gospel, revolves around these two truths: there is a God whom we can know, and we are unworthy of him because of our corrupt nature.

It is important for us to know both of these truths. It is equally dangerous for us to know God without knowing our own wretchedness, and to know our own wretchedness without knowing the Redeemer who can free us from it. The knowledge of only one of these points gives rise either to the pride of philosophers, who have known God, and not their own wretchedness, or to the despair of atheists, who know their own wretchedness, but not the Redeemer. – Des Ford

Be Grateful For The Storms

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. - Matthew 5:4, NIV

To come to God, I must be stripped of my self-sufficiency. The blessed poor in spirit know they do not have in themselves what the righteous law demands.

All human philosophy says sorrow is the great trouble of the earth. Jesus says that sorrow is the great opportunity. Sorrow can empty your hands of dirt, so God can fill them with jewels. Sorrow can remove you quickly from the carnal, the worldly, temporal and evil.

Jesus teaches that the purpose of sorrow is to strand us on the Rock of Ages. Jesus challenges us that if we will see our troubles correctly, they will result in blessing, because trouble punctures the illusion that ‘I am sufficient’.

We are very much like moths that are attracted by the light. The world has many glowing lights: wealth, fame, possessions, power, sex. They can burn us and scorch us. If we use them other than how God says to use them, they can destroy us. But God, in his mercy, empties our hands of tinsel and garbage so he might put something better there.

Jesus challenges us with the astonishing idea: “Blessed are you if you have problems.” He teaches us to say “Thank God” for all the things we think are unbearable weights, insufferable dilemmas, and overwhelming troubles! – Des Ford

You Need Never Walk Alone

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. - Matthew 28: 18-20 RSV

We need God. Everything you and I see is transient. Everything we feel, taste, touch – everything is temporary.

There is One who overcame the world, and who said,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me… lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 RSV

When our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, he breathed upon his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). By so doing, he was saying, “Because of the Cross you need never walk alone. Because of the Cross, the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God has come to live beside you – and inside you – now and forever.” You see, the coming of the Spirit is the coming of God. Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:8 KJV).

It’s true that everything passes away, but not the person who has made Jesus his Saviour. On his last earthly night with his disciples, Jesus said to them,

Because I live, you will live also (John 14:19). If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. John 14:23, NKJV

From time to time we feel as barren and as fruitless as Aaron’s rod before it budded (Numbers 17). We sometimes feel as empty as the widow’s cruse of oil (1 Kings 17), as desperate as sinking Peter (Matthew 14), and as frustrated as the disciples who fished all night and took nothing in their nets (Luke 5).

Read these stories carefully, for this is a common, recurring, human experience. But is it necessary?

There is One who overcame the world, and who not only said that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him, but that he would be with us always. True religion is eternal life lived in the midst of time—in the present. True religion is lived by the power of, and in the company of, God. The original sin that brought misery upon us all happened when man tried to be independent of God (Genesis 3:5).

When our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, he breathed upon his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). In doing this, he was saying, “Because of the Cross, you need never walk alone. Because of the Cross, through me, the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God has come to dwell alongside you, and inside you, now and forever.” – Des Ford

How Not To Burn Out

By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. - Hebrews 11:27, NIV

Everything in life depends on what you look at. This is much easier to preach than to practice. But Scripture is trying to tell us we can persevere when we see him who is invisible.

My sad experience is that when trouble comes, I am tempted to look at the trouble only. Things don’t get any better until I find myself repeatedly praying, “Lord, don’t just fix the trouble, fix me. Fix me! Make it more natural for me to see You as bigger, higher, stronger than this threat that faces me.”

Moses didn’t learn this lesson easily. At 40, he blew everything. It’s been said about Moses that he spent 40 years learning to be somebody in Pharaoh’s court; 40 years learning to be nobody, looking after sheep; and only then was God able to use him for the next 40 years.

Moses saw a bush aglow with God: it was burning, but not burnt out. God spoke to Moses out of the bush, and in effect said, “Moses, you were burnt out 40 years ago. You were like one of these shrivelled, desert bushes. But, Moses, if you will accept my presence, you won’t burn out.”

Any old bush will do. It’s not the bush that’s important. It’s the God who’s in the bush. – Des Ford

Make Gratitude a Habit

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17, NIV

I can give you a sure recipe for how to be miserable twenty-four hours a day: think of yourself. People are miserable because they focus on themselves; because they’re not grateful.

If one person in ten ever thanks you, you should thank God, for you’re being treated as well as Jesus in the story recorded in Luke 17:11-19. There can be no worse leprosy than ingratitude.

Who are you? A child of the King! What gratitude this deserves! You and I should be in the habit of thanking God constantly and continuously through every day.

I once saw a cartoon about two people who say to God, “Lord, is it true that a million years to you are just as a second?” The answer comes down, “That’s true.” Then the other person says, “And, Lord, is it true that a million dollars to you are just like a penny?” “Yes,” resounds the answer. “Then, Lord, give us a penny!” they both cry. And the answer comes back: “Wait a second.”

Just think about it: it takes the omnipotent love of God just to cope with our selfishness. Gratitude is the opposite of selfishness. Gratitude is outgoing, selfishness is ingoing. – Des Ford

There is a Remedy For Everyone’s Disease

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23, NIV

The thing that worries me is that the church in the West does not on the whole understand the Gospel, or it would overflow with it. It would be the salt of the earth! It would be the light of the world! From within it would flow rivers of living water instead of drops.

I have preached in third world countries. In those countries when the Gospel is understood, the people overflow! Why doesn’t it happen in the West? Because we have forgotten the Gospel or never come to understand it, and the reason for that is because we are too comfortable and too self-satisfied.

It is because the remedy is never appreciated unless the disease is known. Most people in the west are too comfortable. They mistake a full stomach for a good conscience. They mistake a good suit for the robe of righteousness. They mistake a home for the home of the true church which is composed of all the twice born.

If we don’t know the disease, we will never appreciate the remedy and I submit to you that we in the west do not fully understand the disease. What is the disease? Romans tells us: we have all sinned and we all come short of the glory of God. – Des Ford

Receive Jesus

As many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. - John 1:12, NKJV

John’s Gospel is the deepest, most beautiful, most wonderful book in the Bible. John presents Jesus as God (John 1:1,3,10,14,18). John’s Gospel is also the Gospel that calls for a decision.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are what are called the synoptic Gospels. “Synoptic” is a technical word meaning “to see the same way,” or “seen together.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasize the human aspect of Christ and focus on what he did.

John’s Gospel emphasizes the divine aspect of Christ and focuses on who he is, and what he is. John lingers more on Jesus’ words than his deeds, more on Jesus’ inner nature than his outer actions. John’s Gospel is the Gospel of the divinity of Christ.

But John’s Gospel is not some abstract, theological book, because it asks us an intensely practical question with eternal consequences. It calls for our decision. In effect, John’s Gospel says,

“In Matthew, you’ve seen Jesus as King. He has the right to command us. Our lives are in his hands. In Mark, you’ve seen Jesus as Servant. We are to serve him with like compassion. In Luke, you’ve seen the human Jesus saying, “Love’s activity grows out of love’s contemplation.”

“Now,” says John. “Do you receive this Man?” – Des Ford

The Sermon on the Mount Is Our Agenda

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. - Matthew 5:6, NIV

The Sermon on the Mount is Christ’s expansion of his preliminary text, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15, RSV).

The Sermon on the Mount does not tell us how to be saved. The sermon from the Cross does that: “Jesus, remember me” … “I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43). That’s how to be saved: look at the Crucified, and say, “Lord, remember me.”

So, the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7 does not tell us how to be saved. It tells us who are saved. What are the evidences, the signs and marks that someone has found God?

The Sermon on the Mount tells you whether you have eternal life or not: not by whether your behaviour matches the Sermon’s ideals; no one’s behaviour does. But by whether the Sermon’s ideals are the ideals of your heart. Are the ideals of the Sermon the ideals you hunger and thirst for?

The Sermon on the Mount is not a creed. It’s an agenda. It is not telling us what articles of faith to cherish or what we are to believe. It is telling us what to be, and what to do. – Desmond Ford

In the Kingdom Happiness Grows Out of What We Are

Jesus saw the crowds. - Matthew 5:1, NIV

Before Jesus spoke the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12), Matthew says that Jesus saw the crowds. He sees the crowds, not as we see them, but as God alone can see them. He saw the people as sinners. He saw them as needy. He saw them as dying. He saw them as unhappy. The crowds seek happiness in what they can have. Jesus knows better.

We were made for happiness, and Jesus knows that happiness does not spring from what we have, but from what we are. This is the clue to the transformed life. People who are always trying to add to their possessions will never find joy. Happiness grows out of what we are.

The Beatitudes are not about the things we strive to have in this world, but rather, the things that we are in the Kingdom. In the Kingdom of God, we are defined by what we are. The Beatitudes are also heaven’s congratulations; Christ’s set of congratulations to the human race – the benediction of heaven.

There is nothing here to flatter pride, nothing to feed ambitious hopes.

Jesus was saying, “Happy are the poor in spirit. Happy are the merciful. Happy are the pure. Happy are the peacemakers.” Jesus tells us that we aren’t happy in what we have, but in what we are. – Des Ford

The Sermon on the Mount Teaches You How to Live

Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. - Matthew 7:12, NKJV

Other than the words from the Cross, the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest utterance in all human language.

The Sermon on the Mount teaches how the Christian should live in the Kingdom of God. The Christian is to love like God, forgive like God, and trust like Christ (John 8:29; 19:11). Jesus walked in the consciousness of the presence of his Father. This is how we are to live.

The Sermon on the Mount has been the comforter and the encourager of all ages; it sweetens life by bringing Heaven down to earth. Think how much it has meant to the world to have the ideal of the golden rule (Matthew 7:12).

The picture of a God who sends rain on the just and the unjust, that causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good – what that has meant to the world! The practical advice about not worrying about tomorrow:

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34, NKJV

What that has meant to the world! We get that from the Sermon on the Mount. Only live a day at a time.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: … Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:9,11, NKJV

Not tomorrow’s bread, but this day’s. – Des Ford

In the Kingdom We Call Out Satan’s Lies

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.” - Revelation 12:10, NIV

The middle verses of the book of Revelation are found in chapter 12. These middle verses are the heart of the Bible’s last book, and they are rejoicing in what the Cross of Christ has done:

… for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. Revelation 12:10, NKJV

This is an allusion to the words of Jesus in John:

Now is the judgment of this world: now the ruler of this world be cast out. John 12:31

At the Cross, Satan is cast out, and he is called the “accuser of the brethren.”

My friends, the worst hours that any of us have are when the devil whispers to us, “You’re no good. You’re a failure. How can God bless such a loser? Look at your track record.” And you, my friends, by faith are able to say, “You’re a liar from the beginning, according to the Holy Word of God. But you are a conquered liar. You have been cast out and cast down. The Cross is the answer to your accusations.”

When your conscience echoes the devil’s accusations, that’s when you must flee to the Cross, and say, “Satan, you are a liar, for the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin. All sin.” – Des Ford

The Kingdom of Heaven is For the Needy

For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses … For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV

One of the most significant thoughts ever to enter my head is this: In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there is not one harsh syllable from Christ to anyone who felt their need. That is a wonderful thought. Nowhere in Christ’s life story is there one harsh syllable for anyone who had a sense of need.

All Christ’s harshness was reserved for those who were spiritually smug – the hypocrites, the self-righteous, and the Laodiceans who considered themselves spiritually wealthy (Revelation 3:14–17). People who think they are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing are on dangerous ground. They receive our Lord’s rebuke. They feel no need for the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is better to feel spiritually needy, for in fact, we are needy. When we feel our neediness, the Lord can bless us. It’s wonderful to be weak, for then, and then only, are we ready to receive the Lord’s strength. Awareness of our need is a vacuum Christ can fill.

Despite our weakness, Christ is Conqueror. Though we are weak in faith and feel we are about to be destroyed, life’s stormy seas are beneath Christ’s feet, and he has the neck of the serpent, the devil, under his heel. – Des Ford

Giving is Not Just for Christmas

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. - 1 John 4:16, NLT

It happens; especially if you’re tired. I mean, that moment of semi-panic on Christmas Eve when you think of all the gifts left to buy, and all the cards not sent! It takes energy to plan and do good things, and energy is often sadly lacking, even for the saints.

At times, we might even be tempted to murmur like Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, “Bah, humbug!” But we don’t mean it. In our heart of hearts, we know that as long as we are receiving, it is good and right (and a privilege) also to be giving.

Giving does not get us to heaven, but it does bring heaven down to us. God is the greatest giver. To give is to be like God, for giving is loving, and God is love.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8

The main gift God offers to all, this Christmas season, is the everlasting Gospel, the good news of heaven’s willing bankruptcy of itself that we might live. That gift received brings with it all other gifts, including the gift of learning to become givers. – Des Ford

Put God First

= Matthew 6:33, NKJV

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. = Matthew 6:33, NKJV

The Bible is full of the 80-20 principle. This principle says that 20 percent of what you do gives you 80 percent of the results. The Bible is continually stressing how we need to prioritise and see things with a true sense of proportion.

A favourite word on the lips of Jesus was “first.” He said things like, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness… ” Or, “First bind the strong man…” Or, “The first and great commandment…”

Jesus also had an eye for people who observed this priority principle. When everybody else was criticizing that poor woman who out of love’s store had anointed him, he said, “Mary has chosen that good thing which shall not be taken from her.” How did she come to do that? Jesus said on the same occasion, “But one thing is needful.”

Mary had a true sense of priorities. She made Jesus first. To Mary, worship was the essence of life.

Let God be God. Either God matters tremendously or he doesn’t matter at all. If God be God, he must be put first, ever and always.

God must be first in every choice. The worship of God must be seen as our first duty and the source of all our fruitfulness and joy. – Des Ford

Don’t Follow Darwin’s Foolishness

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. - 2 Timothy 4:7, NIV

Did Darwin believe in God? Most people in Darwin’s time rejected the concept of atheism. Had Darwin been an atheist, a wall of prejudice would have sprung up between his theory and most of his readers. In ‘The Origin of Species’ Darwin refers to the Creator seven times. But it is quite certain that he had ceased to be a Christian years before he wrote this book.

By 1840 he applied to himself the term invented by Thomas Huxley: “agnostic.” However, Darwin refused to apply to call himself an “atheist.” Darwin was never an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of God. However, he still felt profoundly uncertain.

Darwin was a good husband and father, a good neighbour and friend, but nonetheless he was guilty of the greatest sin any person can ever commit — a sin worse than murder, adultery, false witness, or theft. He consistently broke the first and great commandment.

Because he permitted his faith in God and Scripture to evaporate so easily, he could never love his Maker with all his heart, mind, and strength. He never sought for, and never found, that Gospel which removes all darkness and bestows all light.

May the dear Lord save us from such foolishness with its inevitable eternal results. – Des Ford

Darwin’s Wrong Conclusion

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. - 1 Corinthians 1:25, NIV

Very few people know the truth about the most influential book of the last fifteen hundred years, ‘On the Origin of Species’, by Charles Darwin. This book was based on what now seems a tiny mistake, but it changed the world drastically for the worse.

Darwin proposed the view of life as a struggle for existence, and adopted the resulting motto: “survival of the fittest.” Many scientists have seen that there is a struggle for existence in nature, but it does not have the prominence Darwin gave it. Most species are plant, seed or fruit eaters, and carnivores are much in the minority. Darwin jumped to a conclusion, which has led the world into atheism and a disregard for the sacredness of life. His small mistake has led to the cruel killing of millions by war, as well as social and industrial greed.

Our influence is like the dropping of a stone into water causing wider and wider circles. Small mistakes by any one of us can have tremendous consequences for the lives of many.

Only by much consideration of the person and work of our Saviour can right choices be made. Then, and then only, we shall be a “saviour of life unto life.” – Des Ford

You Belong to God

You are not your own … For you were bought at a price. - 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, NKJV

Did I conceive myself, bear myself, care for myself in the first days, months, years of life? Can I guarantee even one day of my life? How much power do I even have within myself to do what is good?

The old Book is right. We are not our own. All that we can call our own are our mistakes, our sins, our failures, and our innate abysmal selfishness and poverty. All that we count as “plusses” are given to us.

Why is it then that we so often ignore God in the way that we live? Why is it that we live for life’s pleasures, and flee from its obligations?

Stand under the shadow of that ancient Cross and hear Jesus’ plaintive cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was forsaken that we might forsake our habit of fleeing from the cross of life, which is the Cross of the gospel. If we lift the Cross, it will ultimately will lift us. The sacrificial principal of the Cross must be embraced. When you embrace the cross of service, it gives you wings like a bird and sails like a ship. Our loving, Heavenly Father transforms the pain and misery of Calvary into the songs of Paradise.

We belong to God — every cell, every talent, every capacity for thought, feeling, and action.

So, sing it gladly: “We are not our own, for we have been bought with a price. That’s why we will we glorify God in our body and in our spirit which are God’s.” Hallelujah! – Des Ford

Parables of Love

He said to his servants, ‘Go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. - Matthew 22:8–10, NLT

Matthew 21:28 to 22:22 present three parables that Jesus told the priests in the temple. While they are stern, they are filled with love.

The first of the three parables assures us that the doors of heaven are open to even the most fallen who are penitent. The second tells of the love of God in sending his only Son, his beloved, and how he is cruelly killed.

Having assured us that heaven is open to all who repent, and having shown that there are those who accept it and those who reject it, now Jesus tells a third story, of a great invitation. This is the story of a great supper, a marriage for the king’s son. What a supper! All expenses are paid by the king. Those invited need only bring a good appetite — not food or merit, and there is no preparation needed. Anyone can come!. And because the guests could never afford the wedding garment, the king provides that was well!

How strange that foolish men and women should reject the invitation to the greatest party in the history of the world — the gospel feast with its forgiveness of sins, its provision of the indwelling Christ, indemnity in the judgment and a blessed immortality! – Des Ford

You Must Want Salvation

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. - Matthew 5:6

A Man in India came to a learned Guru and asked him,

“Tell me, how can I be saved?”

The Guru took him and pushed him under the water of the nearby stream. He brought the man up and the man asked,

“Why did you do that?”

“Well, I was answering your question.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you want salvation as much as you want air, you will find it.”

When you and I look at the life of Christ and his perfect righteousness, and we see our true state, we shall want the imputed righteousness of Christ. We will call out to him for it. We will stretch out the hand of faith, and the richest and greatest blessing of all will be ours; ours for the asking; ours for the taking: the free grace of God, the blessings of heaven, for all who seek them. – Des Ford

What Religion Was Meant to Be

Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you. - Romans 15:7, NLT

Religion has all sorts of peculiarities, sacred cows, and shibboleths. Have you heard of the Left-leg Brethren and the Right-leg Brethren? They existed in one part of the United States.

They believed in foot-washing, but were divided over which leg should be washed. There were Left-leg Brethren and Right-leg Brethren. These sorts of mistakes come naturally to us.

When we come to the book of Romans, we find what religion is meant to be. It helps us avoid those mistakes.

True religion, according to Romans, is about faith, hope, love; about the Cross of Christ, and the love of God. It is about the reality of forgiveness—daily forgiveness, hourly forgiveness. As Romans talks about bearing and forbearing, giving and forgiving, we learn what true religion is.

True religion is not a matter of shibboleths and sacred cows. It is not a matter of creeds.

True religion is the overflow of the union of your heart with the loving heart of God, into every one of your relationships. – Des Ford

Avoid a “Crumby” Life

He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” - Luke 21:2–4, NIV

In Luke 16, Jesus told a story about a very wealthy man who lived and feasted like a king every day. He permitted a beggar named Lazarus at his front gate to consume the crumbs from his table. Eventually both men died.

Clovis G. Chappell said, about this story:

Thus given only the crumbs, we are not surprised to read that the beggar died. Institutions, causes, men: all these die when we neglect them or feed them only upon crumbs. But they are not the only ones who die: “The rich man also died.” Crumbs have a way of killing him who gives as well as him who receives.

God measures our gifts by what we have kept for ourselves, and not by what we have given. When a penniless widow surrendered two small copper coins, Jesus said that she had given more than the wealthy had given.

Christ told us that whoever seeks to save his life will lose it. When we fail to give, we die a little every day.

We must contemplate Jesus, in his living and in his dying, so that our selfish natures may dwindle as we become more like him (John 3:20). When we do that, we will experience a flood of joy, assurance and love, and we will no longer live the “crumby” way! – Des Ford

The [ All ] Texts of the Kingdom

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19, NIV

There is a word that is found in the last verse of the Bible, that is also found all the way through Scripture. It is the word: “all”. For example,

My God shall supply ALL your needs through his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Jesus said,

“Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and ALL these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31–33, NIV

Here are some other “all” texts: Ephesians 6:16; Romans 8:32; Matthew 12:31; Romans 11:36; 2 Corinthians 4:15; 2 Timothy 3:11.

When you are feeling discouraged, here is a good one to remember:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that ALL should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9, NKJV

Remember that it’s easier to be saved than to be lost. The Spirit of God pleads with us, keeps us awake at night, and even allows trouble to come our way, so that we might acknowledge our need of him and seek Him. – Des Ford

Turn to Jesus in the Midst of Trouble

Affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground; Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward. But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause — who does great things, and unsearchable, marvellous things without number. - Job 5:6–9, NKJV

There are three things to notice in Job 5:6–9. The first one is that affliction is not purposeless. It doesn’t just “spring up out of the ground”. It isn’t random.

It’s true that we often cannot see the purpose of affliction. Then we are fulfilling the words of our Lord when he said,

What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this. John 13:7, NKJV

The Bible also tells us that,

No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Hebrews 12:11, NKJV (see also Hebrews 12:6)

The second thing to notice is that affliction is, sadly, normal. The text says that “man is born to trouble.” Just as surely as the sparks go up when you are sitting around a campfire, so too you and I were born to trouble. There is no dodging it. Trouble is, in fact, it is one of the most necessary parts of life. The worst evil that can come upon us is the delusion of self-sufficiency. Trouble saves us from that terrible fate, and its awful results.

However, the third and most important thing in this text is that it tells us that trouble makes us seek God. – Des Ford

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The Whole World Was Redeemed!

You Have a Passport to the Kingdom

The Son of Man must be lifted up. - John 3:14

Christianity doesn’t teach that human nature is essentially good. On the contrary, Christ takes for granted our evil nature. “If you then, being evil…,” he says. (Matthew 7: 11). That’s why we require a far more radical change than what is offered by education, psychology, or politics.

In John 3, Christ explains the change we need. The first time the word “must” occurs in John 3 is in the statement “You must be born again” (v.7). But the second time it occurs is where we read, “so the Son of Man must be lifted up” (v.14). This is the key we seek: salvation comes through beholding the Christ of the Cross.

Faith is looking, faith is believing, faith is receiving: but all these terms refer to our relationship to Jesus. We shouldn’t be confused about what “believing in Jesus” means. Our Lord has told us that believing is merely coming in heart, mind, and will to Him (See John 6:35).

The goodness of God leads us to repentance, and the kindness and mercy of God our Saviour turns us away from sin. When we see that God loved us so much as to become like a common criminal, and hang on a cross for our sakes, it is then that love is awakened in our hearts for our Maker. – Des Ford

The Story of Two Cities

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. - Revelation 21:2, NIV

The Bible is a tale of two cities. In the very first book of the Bible, you read about the city of Babylon. In Genesis 11 there is an attempt to build a tower to heaven so humanity will be safe from a future flood. This is the beginning of Babylon.

At the Tower of Babel, the people said, “Let us make for us a name.” Today we don’t know even one of their names. Every human way to heaven fails.

The same book of Genesis talks about a second city, Salem. Salem later became Jerusalem.

Daniel, in the middle of the Bible, introduces these two cities in the very first breath of the book (Daniel 1:1–2, NIV). Right from the start in the book of Daniel, Babylon opposes Jerusalem and the temple. All the way through the book we find that opposition to the sanctuary symbolises the opposition of the enemies of God to the people of God, and the gospel of God.

So the first book of the Bible is a tale of two cities: Babylon and Jerusalem. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, also talks of these same two cities: the holy city and the unholy city. The conflict between Jerusalem and Babylon is an important theme of the Bible, and it continues today. – Des Ford

God Can Equip You

May the God of Peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will. - Hebrews 13:21, NIV

Often, when I look at my own very, very meagre, disappointing accomplishments, I think of Dwight L. Moody’s great saying. Reporters asked Moody,

“Mr. Moody, have you got courage enough to be a martyr?”

“No,” said Mr. Moody, “but if God wants me to be a martyr, he’ll give me the courage.”

You and I don’t have much. We are like tiny containers that can’t hold much. But we can overflow a lot.

If we learn the secret of the Presence of God, however weak, however fragile, however foolish we may now be, God can equip us. However inadequate we are for life – and we all are – God can equip us. However, none of us can do everything by ourselves. We weren’t made for that. We need other people.

But God can equip us to do what he wants us to do. God wants us to do that one thing which we can do better than anybody else: influence the people we know best. Every one of us has more influence with certain people than the rest of the whole wide world has.

God can equip you for the most important thing in your life: how to influence people for God. – Des Ford

Heaven Begins When You Believe in God’s Love

This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. - 1 Corinthians 15:53, NKJV

The sinful nature is like the house of a leper in the Old Testament. Do you know how they fixed the house of a leper? They didn’t whitewash it or cut out a bit here and a bit there. They took down the whole thing. And that is what God is going to do with us. He is going to take the whole thing down.

Until glorification, my worst enemy is Des Ford; nobody else. And your own worst enemy is you.

All of my troubles come from within, and not from outside me. Don’t blame others. People can only hurt you as you let them. Life can only get to you if you let it get to you.

When you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive the beginning of glorification, the beginnings of the everlasting day of glory. It’s the beginning of heaven!

If you have believed, then God has come to dwell with you. You have eternal life. When you believe, the Spirit tells you that God loves you. He loves you when you fall. He loves you when you’re down. He loves you when you make mistakes. He loves you when you do stupid things. God loves you even when you don’t love him.

So, believe in God’s love for you. That’s the beginning of heaven. – Des Ford

Store Up Your Treasure in Heaven

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. - 2 Corinthians 8:9, NIV

There’s a story of a shipwrecked sailor on an inhospitable island. He was dying of hunger. One day a box was suddenly swept to shore and he rushed eagerly to open it. But he fell back to the ground with bitter disappointment, because the box was full of gems and pearls. It was filled with riches that could not sustain his life.

The man in our Lord’s story in Luke 12:13–21 was a fool. He left out the greatest factor in life. He forgot God. The deceptiveness of covetousness is that if God is forgotten, life will not work out.

How shall we save ourselves from this trap of covetousness? How shall we avoid being like the foolish wise man?

Every Christian should have as his dearest desire to give all he can to foster the gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus exchanged all heaven for a cow-shed and a cross. As we consider that, what shall we withhold from him?

Giving is the antidote to selfishness and covetousness. Only those who practice regular, systematic giving to the cause of the gospel will be safe and saved at last.

May God guide us as we reflect on our responsibility to give. May we become like him in our giving. – Des Ford

Jesus or Caiaphas?

You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. - Matthew 26:64, NASB

During his trial, Jesus was brought before the high priest. Caiaphas was possibly the most powerful religious leader in the land. Twenty thousand priests served him and his word was law throughout the nation. His duty was to save the Jewish church from its enemies.

During his last recorded day of preaching and teaching, Jesus accused the religious leaders of blaspheming God, and of being thieves and murderers because they put religious rituals above the important things of God’s law: love, righteousness, mercy and faith.

Here we see the contrast between the church leaders and Jesus. Jesus accused them of being heartless leaders of a meaningless temple, the blind leaders of the blind, the fanatics who had lost all sense of the really important things of God. And Jesus said he had come to save the church—their church! No wonder they were angry and afraid! Jesus challenged everything they stood for.

The same can happen to any religion unless God’s Spirit continues to be heard and obeyed. Jesus’ interview with Caiaphas reminds us that no church can put itself between people and God. We must choose God’s will every day, even if it contrasts with our traditions and desires. Otherwise we cannot be God’s disciples.

The Cross reminds us that staying true to God is not easy. Every day we must fall on our knees, asking God: “What do you want me to do?” – Des Ford

A Reason to Believe

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. - John 14:1, NIV

Our Lord Jesus was not a pessimist. He was, however, a perfect realist. He said that in the last days, people’s hearts would fail them for fear. He said there will be a time of trouble such as never was, a tribulation so intense that unless God shortened the days, no flesh would be saved. (See Luke 21:26; Matthew 24:21-22 KJV.)

Jesus was a realist. Christians must be, too.

The word “believe” is found approximately 100 times in this single book, the Gospel of John. Almost every one of the 21 chapters in John has the word “believe.”

Let not your hearts be troubled. It’s true there are troubles around us. It’s true there is death on the highway. It’s true there is tragedy in the home. It’s true there’s alcoholism and crime and political corruption-and religious scandals, too. It’s all true. But, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”

Jesus says,

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Our hearts will be troubled and they will be afraid if we let them. But if we look at what we have in Christ, our hearts need not be troubled even in this trouble-filled world. In the world, trouble. In Christ, peace. – Des Ford

What to Do with Worry

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. - Isaiah 26:3, NKJV

When we’re threatened with worry the first thing we need to remember is God himself. When we really believe that God loves us – that he intends our good – then we will stop worrying so much. We will trust God as a child trusts a loving parent. Our torments will disappear, for our wills will be swallowed up in the will of God.

Isaiah 26:3 can be translated this way: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind stops at you, oh God.” God lives in the future as well as the present. Nothing ever takes him by surprise.

He attends the funeral of every sparrow. He counts the hairs of our head. Can we not let our minds stop at God? He keeps him in perfect peace whose mind stops at God.

The person to whom eternity is real is the person who finds it easiest to live in the present moment (2 Cor 4:16–18). When God is real to us and when God is near to us, we will trust him with both past and future. Those who see the invisible – they alone can do the impossible.

However worried you are at this moment, God is bending over you in love. Trust him. Blessed is he whose mind stops at God. – Des Ford

God Sees You in Love

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. - Jeremiah 17:7, NIV

When God is real to us, we will trust him with both our past and our future. Then we will be able to live for the present. We will look to him for wisdom and strength. Only those who see the invisible can see the impossible.

Do you remember those famous words found in Genesis 16:13: “You are the God who sees me”? Many people understand these words to mean that we had better watch what we do, for God will punish us. But that’s not what they mean.

These words were first spoken by a poor woman who had been banished from home and family and was wandering aimlessly in the desert. Suddenly, God spoke to her, and she responded with gladness and confidence, “You are the God who sees me.”

However worried you are at this moment, God is bending over you in love. You have been purchased by the blood of his Son. All of life’s ups-and-downs are meant to prepare you to live with him for eternity.

Say to yourself often: “You are the God Who Sees Me.” This means he sees all our problems and difficulties.

He not only sees, he cares, and he can and will do something about it. Trust him. – Des Ford

The Promises of God Are Yours

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? - Romans 8:32, NIV

The promises of Scripture revealing the love of God are the very best protection against unnecessary worry. God has promised us everything we need, not everything we want. We ourselves are so foolish. If our slightest wish was met with an immediate fulfilment, we would destroy ourselves.

It’s going through the hard places and the hard situations that make us into the kind of people who have learned to trust and obey regardless of the circumstances. There is an old proverb that says, “The north wind made the Vikings”, and in contrast another proverb says, “Constant sunshine makes a desert.”

The Christian isn’t promised a life free from the pressures and anxieties that cause him to worry. He is promised the assurance that God will not abandon him, and the certainty that God will be with him amidst all of life’s trials. The Christian is promised that ultimately, he will see that all things have worked together for good, and that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor anything at all can separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To be able to claim this promise is far, far better than to be the king of a great country or the wealthiest person in creation. – Des Ford

Share the Perfume of God’s Love

“I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown.” - Luke 7:47, NIV

Jesus said:

[God] “has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind and to release the oppressed.” Luke 4:18

That was his work. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by Satan. There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for Jesus had passed through them and healed all their sick. Love, mercy, and compassion were revealed in every act of his life.

The chief message of Jesus’ life is his death and resurrection. It tells us that a suffering God is at the heart of Christianity. Only Christians worship a God who was wounded for us.

A wonderfully appropriate event occurs at the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ life. Mary Magdalene breaks an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and anoints her Lord. Here is a symbol of the Gospel: Jesus’ body that would be broken on the Cross—God’s extravagant gift to the world. As the perfume of Mary’s gift filled the house, so the perfume of God’s love went out from the Cross to fill the whole world. – Des Ford

The Barabbas Experience

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” - John 15:13, NIV

How did Barabbas feel? He was condemned to death and there was nothing he could do to save himself. Then, unexpectedly, he was told: “You are free. Someone else has taken your place.”

Perhaps Barabbas followed the procession to the place of crucifixion to get a look at the man who had taken his place. Perhaps he stayed to watch and became convinced that God had truly died in his place. Perhaps Barabbas became one of Jesus’ disciples that day.

Barabbas represents every person who has ever lived. God’s law has condemned us and we are helpless to redeem ourselves. But Jesus has taken our place and has suffered as we deserve to.

Suppose Barabbas hadn’t believed the messenger. Suppose he had refused the offer of his freedom, thinking it was just a cruel joke. Or suppose he said to the messenger, “When I become a better person, I will leave this prison.”

Impossible? No, not impossible. Many people every day treat the Gospel’s invitation like this. But Barabbas wasn’t so stupid. God grant that we may not be, either. – Des Ford

Your Most Important Choice

What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? - Matthew 27:22, NASB

Pilate decided to offer the people a choice. He could either release that dangerous murderer, Barabbas, or he could release Jesus: the people could choose. But the chief priests whipped up the crowd to demand that Barabbas be released instead of Jesus.

Pilate was puzzled. “But if I release Barabbas, what shall I do with this man you call your king?”

The crowd shouted back, “Crucify him!”

Finally, Jesus was condemned to death. Then began the terrible walk out of the city, carrying the cross on which he was to die. Jesus was exhausted, and stumbled under his heavy load. The soldiers pulled a man from the crowd and forced him to carry Jesus’ cross through the streets of Jerusalem. His name was Simon, and he came from a place called Cyrene in North Africa. What a burden he carried! We are told that this had a profound effect on the rest of his life. Simon is a symbol of the millions of people who have been touched, and whose lives have been completely changed by the Cross of Jesus.

When Pilate’s wife begged him not to have anything to do with Jesus, she was asking the impossible. We cannot ignore or avoid Jesus. We must choose. We must either cry, “Crucify him”, or we crown him Lord of all. – Des Ford

Your Past Is Not Lost

“Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” - John 6:12, NKJV

The past is not lost. The Bible says,

All things are yours. 1 Corinthians 3:21

Things in Scripture about the past have meaning for us now, and the things about the future also have meaning for us now.

One day there will be a new heaven, a new earth, and a new creation (see Revelation 21:1–5). Everything will be made new for you, as Scripture says:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

There’s going to be a tree of life (Revelation 22:2). My friend, if you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got the tree of life now. The tree of life is symbolic of Jesus, from whom all life comes.

There’s going to be a river of life (Revelation 22:1). If you believe in Jesus, you have that river now (see John 4:14), because to have Jesus is to have the Holy Spirit.

All things are yours now, in Christ. Gather up the fragments so that nothing be lost. – Des Ford

The Church’s Great Ideas

“Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” - Matthew 10:31, NIV

Where did the idea of the worth of the individual come from? It’s the basis for democracy and most human law. Where did the idea that the truth makes people free come from? It’s the basis for education for all.

Where did the idea of obligation to those less fortunate come from? It underlies much of the advanced social legislation of our time.

Where? From the church!

Before Jesus came to earth, women and children were not taken into account. It is only since Christ was born in Bethlehem that we are able to see heaven in the eyes of a pure woman or a little child. Before that, they were viewed as just property to be taken advantage of by the stronger, more brutal, sex.

By far, the majority of philanthropic ventures, hospitals, ministries to slaves, orphans, and the downtrodden, have sprung from Christian compassion. The values that make our lives liveable today have their origins in Christian hearts.

Yet, many of the Christian ‘flowers’ we see today are ‘cut flowers.’ They have lost their connection to their Christian source. People who hold Christian values, while denying their true Origin in Christ will sadly live to see an inevitable decline in the public sphere and their private life. Without Jesus, they will see pervasive sterility and barrenness steal across our land. Remember you are worth more than many sparrows. – Des Ford

Be a Member of Christ’s Church

“On this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” - Matthew 16:18, NKJV

Everyone realizes that the professing church today is not the glorious reality sketched in the symbolism of Old Testament Scripture, e.g. Song of Songs 6:10. Nor has the church ever fully fulfilled the description of the New Testament:

A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. Revelation 12:1

Have you built your faith, not upon a human creed, but upon Christ, the church’s one Foundation? Have you received the anointing of the Holy Spirit? He is yours immediately upon your committal to Christ. Do you bear the mark of the genuine disciple?

“By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:35

Do you live your life so that in the Last Great Day, Christ will say “Yes!” to you?

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’ … I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:34,40

In Christ, you are a member of that true church against which the gates of hell shall never prevail. – Des Ford

The Visible and Invisible Church

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. - Ephesians 4:4–5, NIV

We must never confuse the church invisible of Matthew 16:18 with today’s visible churches.

Scripture tells us about the church, that “There is one body” (Ephesians 4:4, compare 1 Corinthians 12:12). The church of Christ must not be confused with or limited to denominations. The New Testament knows nothing about denominations. The only exception might be perhaps in 1 Corinthians 1:12-17. There Paul decries “divisions” within the body.

We must be sure to distinguish between God-ordained movements and denominations.

God was in the Apostolic movement, the Reformation, the Methodist revival, the true social gospel of The Salvation Army, and the Advent movement of the nineteenth century. These are just examples.

But not one of the movements on its own should be seen as The Church. The Church includes all the martyrs from Stephen on. The Church includes all the missionaries of every group who have longed to spread the good news. It includes all the philanthropists whose hearts have burned for suffering men and women, the purchase of the blood of Christ.

The Church includes any soul of any denomination who has ever crowned Jesus as Saviour and Lord – whether they are Catholic or Protestant, charismatic or not, dispensationalist or not. All the movements God raised up are part of the Church of Christ. But they are not, on their own, that church. If you know Christ, you too are The Church, the Bride of Christ. – Des Ford

Evil Will Never Prevail Against God’s Church

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.” - John 10:16, NIV

Evil can never prevail against the church of Christ invisible. But evil has prevailed against many visible churches. Notice Christ’s solemn warnings in Revelation 2 and 3. The warnings are to visible churches. Their candlesticks will be removed. This means the eternal loss of most of their members. Only a remnant would endure unto eternal life.

Let’s not confuse visible churches with the church invisible.

Of the church invisible, Strong wrote this beautiful paragraph worthy of much meditation:

In their loftiest moods of inspiration, the Catholic Thomas a Kempis, the Puritan Milton, the Anglican Keble, rose above their peculiar tenets, and above the limits that divide denominations, into the higher regions of a common Christianity. It was the Baptist Bunyan who taught the world that there was “a common ground of communion which no difference of external rites could efface.”

It was the Moravian Gambold who wrote:

The man
That could surround the sum of things and spy
The heart of God and secrets of his empire,
Would speak but love.
With love, the bright result
Would change the hue of intermediate things,
And make one thing of all theology.

Des Ford

The Church Victorious

“I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” - Matthew 16:18, KJV

How could Christ say that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church? Have they not done so a million times? No. They haven’t.

The picture in Matthew 16:18 is that of an advancing kingdom of God converging on the gates of hell and death and error. The picture is of a victorious army, clothed in righteousness. Its banner is the Spirit, lifting high the blessed gospel of Christ. Light scatters darkness and life banishes death.

“Not in my lifetime,” you say. Wait. Think.

Christ once said that the only people who can truly see are those “born again” (John 3:3). He warned that “the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63).

Jesus was the best example of that principle. When people looked at him, there was no beauty or majesty to attract [them] to him, nothing in his appearance that [they] should desire him (Isaiah 53:2).

This was especially true during his humiliation in Pilate’s judgment hall. Christ’s divinity was veiled so that only unseen spiritual realities would draw us to him.

Paul wrote that as believers:

we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen… 2 Corinthians 4:18

This is the way – the only way – we can see the church. For the true church is the church invisible. – Des Ford

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Our Faith comes from Him

The Faith I Want

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. - Isaiah 29:40

I want a faith that will keep me steady when every cell of my mind is shrieking, “Why?” I want a faith that keeps me strong when every part of my body is resonating with pain. I want a faith that keeps me faithful when temptation sucks at me like a hurricane on a mountaintop. I want a faith that’s bigger than the towering questions that plague me as I swim in the tempestuous sea of existence.

Ultimately, people only believe what they wish to believe. After all, a small eyelid can shut out the entire sun. The sun is equivalent in size to about a million of our earths. It’s pretty big up there, but my tiny eyelid can shut it out.

The main reason for unbelief is not an intellectual one. It is moral. Julian Huxley said, “I was so relieved to find out there is no God, I could live as I liked.” And there you have it.

God is a great embarrassment to us. If I want to lie, God says, “Speak the truth.” If I want to fornicate, God says, “Be pure.” If I want to steal, God says, “Be honest.” But only God can give me the faith I need. – Des Ford

You Have Eternity to Win

The love of Christ compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. - 2 Corinthians. 5:14

The Frenchman, Blaise Pascal [1623-62], was a genius. He invented and sold the first calculating machine, a forerunner of the computer. He also planned the public transportation system for Paris. Pascal had a wager for unbelievers:

Belief in God is rational. That’s because if God does not exist, one stands to lose nothing by believing in him anyway; while if God does exist, one stands to lose everything by not believing.

The believer has everything to win and nothing to lose by believing. Of course, Pascal’s Wager is not the reason we become Christians, despite the truth of his wager.

The reason we become Christians is because the love of Christ compels us (see 2 Corinthians 5:14 KJV). But it doesn’t hurt to remember that the believer has heaven, eternity, joy, meaning, and reason – all these glorious things to gain. The unbeliever has everything to lose, and nothing to win.

The thief on the cross took up Pascal’s wager. This man, at the end of a life that had been filled with evil, was suddenly confronted with God’s incarnate love. He called out to Jesus, “Lord, remember me.”

And Grace answered him, “Not only will you be remembered, but you will be with me in Paradise.” – Des Ford

The Secret of Peace

Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come. - Revelation 1:4

Please note the order. You can’t have peace without grace. You always get grace before you get peace.

Only when you accept the grace of God can you have God’s peace – the same Greek word means “gift.” “Grace and peace,” that’s always the order. Don’t look for peace, and hope that then you’ll find grace. When you accept grace, you get peace.

Remember when, after His resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room? The disciples were scared to death! They had all forsaken Jesus and fled. That was their last contact with Him.

Suddenly, He appears – the one they had forsaken! Jesus says,

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Behold My hands and My feet. Peace be unto you.” - John 20:19-31

When they saw the wounds in His hands and His feet, they heard His words, “peace be unto you.” That’s the foundation of peace, that He was wounded for our sake and in our place. – Des Ford

You Can Steal Paradise!

You will be with Me in Paradise. - Luke 23:43

The Bible records only one deathbed repentance: only one, so no one would despair, but only one, so no one would presume. Who could imagine in a thousand years a better way of illustrating Christ’s Gospel: grace and love triumphs over sin and death in the face of true repentance. This man with blood on his hands, who had nourished hatred and violence in his heart, is transformed by the magnetic appeal of the One suffering in his stead. Now this thief makes the biggest “steal” of his life – Paradise! And the Owner of Paradise rejoices to let him do it!

In his rebuke of his brother thief, he includes himself as guilty and deserving of death, yet in his appeal to Christ he takes hold of life beyond the Cross.

Why is he saved rather than the very religious Pharisees and the philosophic Sadducees? Because he has a sense of need and an awareness of his true lost estate. Even the Son of God cannot save one who has no awareness of need. The greatest blessing in the world for the unconverted, is not wealth or talent or position, but the sense of one’s true estate:

one’s guilt before God and an inability to deal with it

This the thief had, and consequently, Paradise was his. – Des Ford

We Must Be Born Again

Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. - John 3:3

Christ said these words to a nocturnal visitor two thousand years ago. On another occasions He expressed the same thought in the following way:

“Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 18:3

These “excepts” stand between every man and eternal life.

Consider the most frightening aspect of Christ’s words: “You must be born again” – namely, the character of the person to whom He spoke them. It was not to a Mary Magdalene, a lady of the night. It was not to Zacchaeus, a cheat and thief. Christ’s words were addressed to a man of spotless reputation who spoke Sabbath by Sabbath at one of the leading metropolitan churches: Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel. (See John 3:10, RV.)

Which of us would claim a character as lofty as his or a mind as enlightened as his? Yet even Nicodemus needed to be born again. No wonder that when Wesley was asked why he preached so often on the text “You must be born again,” his reply was, “Because ‘you must be born again.’” – Desmond Ford

You Matter to God

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16, KJV

Jesus died for your sins. You should know this, for the Bible is full of the wonderful word “whosoever.”

Jesus so loved the world that he died (John 3:16). Do you live in this world, or somewhere else? If you live in the world, he died for you. God so loved you that he gave his Son for you. When Christ suffered on the Cross, he suffered for you, just as though it was only for you. It is the one lost sheep the shepherd goes after. The one is significant.

Napoleon was once asked, “Did you lose anyone important in the battle?” “Oh, no,” he replied, “a few score thousand soldiers died, but no one of importance.”

I wonder what the mothers thought.

God is not like that. God is more like the librarian who knows every book in the library. We all matter to God. It doesn’t matter who you are. Do you remember what Christ said through the angel to the women at his tomb?

“Go tell his disciples and Peter …” - Mark 16:7 NIV

He remembered Peter. – Des Ford

Christ Gives You Everlasting Life

“Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” - John 11:26

The one thing the four Gospels have in common is a Christ who must not only die, but also rise again. In the New Testament, Christ’s resurrection is part of the Cross event. They belong together, as the old spiritual says, “It’s Friday; Sunday’s A-Comin’!”

Jesus was condemned for our sins, but was raised for our justification. The Christian learns not to look at things that are seen, but things that are unseen. Things that are unseen get progressively better. I tell you, eternity is a lot sweeter the older you get.

The great and glorious future resurrection must never be lost sight of. We have its beginnings now in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit energises us with faith, hope and love, but that is only the first fruits of a glory that is to come.

It’s a wonderful thing to know, dear friend, that now you are a Christian, now you are in Christ, you are immortal. You may sleep in the grave, but only until the great Resurrection Day.

In Christ you have the verdict of the Last Judgment. In him you have everlasting life. In Christ you have received the Holy Spirit, and Christ says that through the Spirit, because we are in him, he is in us. – Des Ford

True Knowledge of God Changes Everything

Let the one who boasts, boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight. - Jeremiah 9:24

In the ancient book of Job we have the invitation:

acquaint now yourself with him and be at peace - Job 22:21

Centuries later, Jesus of Nazareth echoed these words when he said:

“Come … learn of me … and ye shall find rest unto your souls.* - Matthew 11:28, 29

In terms of our spiritual nature and potential, it is the knowledge of God that we chiefly need. If that be so, we might anticipate that the Devil would do all he could to give us a false picture of God. How well he has succeeded!

Think of your early childhood pictures of God and analyse your present ones. Poor God often comes out looking like a policeman in a white shirt, with his brow furrowed and his finger raised in warning.

Such immature and inaccurate pictures, of course, conflict strangely with biblical passages such as:

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him - Psalm 103:13

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you - Isaiah 66:13

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth … forgiving iniquity - Exodus 34:6,7

Should we not strive to have a more accurate, biblical picture of our Maker, Redeemer and Judge? – Des Ford

God’s Presence is With You

Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast. - Psalm 139:7-9

The Bible speaks of this reality throughout its pages:

He is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. - Acts 17:27- 28 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. - Matthew 28:20

Moses:

persevered because he saw him who is invisible. - Hebrews 11:27

Jeremiah testifies concerning God:

You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” - Lamentations 3:57

Neither was this truth news to the Psalmist. Consider the 139th Psalm, quoted above. Israel for three thousand years has sung the shepherd King’s rhetorical question, “Where can I flee from your presence?” So confident is the Psalmist of God’s omnipresence and omniscience that he declares God’s thoughts about him to be more in number than the sand grains of the earth’s mighty oceans (see v.17-18). Then he adds:

“When I awake, I am still with you.” v.18

To practice the presence of God continually is to bring rest of soul, peace of mind, and happiness of spirit. It grants freedom from undue anxiety, and wisdom for the way. Satan strives to make us doubt the Divine presence (see Psalm 42:6, 7, 9,10). But in answer, God exhausts the synonyms of language to assure us of his abiding nearness. – Des Ford

Reach Out to Jesus With the Touch of Faith

Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed. - Mark 5:34, NKJV

Mark tells the story of the woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed,” she thought (Mark 5:28). She touched Jesus and was healed. Jesus turned and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” (v. 30). The disciples answered, “Look at all these people crowding around you! How can you ask who touched you?” (v. 31, CEV).

But this touch was different. The woman’s touch was the touch of faith. Mark is telling us that it’s not enough to know that Jesus is the Sacrifice who has delivered us, or the Saviour of the world, or the Mighty Worker on our behalf. It’s only enough if we put out our hand and touch him.

This touch of faith isn’t the casual touch of the careless throng that goes to church, sings the hymns, puts money in the offering plate – and then forgets all about it as soon as the last song is sung. They don’t know the touch of faith.

It’s not enough to be surrounded by religion. It’s only enough to touch Jesus and have a personal relationship with him.

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” John 6:54 NIV

No one can eat and drink for you. You must eat and drink for yourself. It must be personal. – Des Ford

Jesus Takes Us Apart From The Crowd

After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and put it on the man’s tongue. Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said “Effatha!” which means “Open up!” At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly. - Mark 7:33-35 CEV

The personal touch of Jesus is everywhere in the Gospel of Mark. In chapter seven we have a typical story of how Jesus served.

Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him (Mark 7:31-32 CEV).

We are all like that man. We are deaf to God. That’s how we were born. Because of that we cannot speak for God. So often the words that come from our mouths witness to the devil.

What does Christ do? First, Jesus takes the man “aside from the crowd,” and then he touches him. If you want to be like everybody else, forget it! Jesus has to take you away from the multitude. He will set you apart in your thinking and in your behaviour. A Christian stands out from the crowd.

You measure a tall building by the shadow it casts. That’s the way you measure a person. No shadow, no height. To be a Christian, you’ve got to be different, and you may not be loved because you’re different. People fear those who are different.

Jesus took the man aside from the crowd, touched him, looked to heaven, “and with a groan,” healed him. Our healing is only made possible through the sorrows of Christ. – Des Ford

Saving Faith Can Be Yours

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. - 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

Scripture promises that God will show us the path of life. Unless he does, we will inevitably wander in hopeless circles among the tombs of the dead, soon to lie down beside them in their darkness. We need the light of the world (John 8:12; 1:9) to shine upon us every moment, as the Psalmist says,

In Your light we see light. Psalm 36:9

The Lord fills the hungry with good things but turns the rich away. He pulls princes down from their thrones and exalts beggars from their dunghills. When we know we are weak, we are strong:

The way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. Jeremiah 10:23, NKJV

Saving faith grasps the merits of the Divine-human sacrifice for the sins of the world, and applies the merits of that sacrifice to one’s own soul. It is the sense of dependence that characterised the lepers Christ healed, the beggars he enriched, the despairing he encouraged, and the dying to whom he gave life. This same sense of dependence is the beginning and the root of saving faith. – Des Ford

Faith Is Not The Greatest Virtue

Three things will last forever — faith, hope and love — and the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT

Although faith is the key to all the treasures of this life and the next, although it is the first of all the virtues, it is certainly not the greatest. It is great in that it leads to the greater. For faith is both self-emptying and receiving of the Divine Spirit. And when the Divine Spirit comes, faith becomes perfect in love. Thus, though faith is the first, love is always the best.

The Christian believer has privileges! Confessing his or her own emptiness, poverty, inability and folly, the pleading outstretched hand takes hold of the Almighty whose name is Love. And now the world is transformed and everybody in it.

The world becomes our Father’s school, and all the other students are our brothers and sisters. Life’s hardships and joys, as well as the Scriptures of truth, are our lesson books. As long as we are in this age of sin, there will be sorrow and error and tensions. On the other hand, through faith in God’s leading, there is glorious light, and power, and the best of all fruits: enduring, invincible love. – Des Ford

God Has Told You Who The Real Enemy Is

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23 NIV

No Christian need be ashamed of affirming that the doctrine of human depravity gives the only true explanation for human sorrow and folly. The Bible is a wonderfully concentrated book. It refuses to be diverted from its one topic of humanity’s need of salvation, and the remedy. Therefore the sin of man is emphasized on every page. There is no part of man’s nature that hasn’t come under the dominion of sin.

If a besieged company of soldiers in a fortress were always looking over the parapet to the east, expecting devastation from that quarter, would they not have been grateful to someone wiser who pointed out that their real enemy was coming from another point of the compass? Should not we be grateful to God that he has told us again, and again, and again, that our real enemy is not what we think it is? It is not our poverty or difficult circumstances. It is not the evil of other people. It is not the cruelties of nature or any one of a thousand other things that we blame.

Our real evil is within. A wise man once declared that he had had more trouble with himself than any other man he had ever met. – Des Ford

Always Be Praying

Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. - Psalm 116:2, NKJV

Funnily enough, we have a strange idea about prayer. We think that prayer is for when we get up in the morning and before we go to bed at night.

When Ruth Graham (evangelist Billy Graham’s wife) was asked about her prayer life, she said, “I pray on the hoof.” The kind of prayer that the Bible recommends is not long, public prayer, but brief, frequent prayer. Prayer is constant communion with God.

The best way to pray is the way Christ exemplified. His prayers were short, powerful, but frequent. That’s the best prayer life. By all means pray in the morning; by all means pray in the evening. But prayer “on the hoof” is the best way. This is what theologians call “ejaculatory prayer,” or short, brief prayers. (See Nehemiah 1:5-11; 2:4; 4:9; 6:9; Genesis 17:18.)

Prayer “on the hoof” is real praying: praying all the time, about everything. The way you should pray for people is when the Lord puts them upon your heart. As soon as you have a worry about them, commit them to God.

I pray when I collect mail, and I pray as I answer all those letters. For 50 years I’ve prayed as I’ve walked, or as I’ve jogged. True prayer life is a constant communion. – Desmond Ford

Believe Your Beliefs and Doubt Your Doubts

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - Mark 9:24, NKJV

If there is no God, no Creator of the universe, then my brain is the result of the play of meaningless atoms in time and space. If this were the case, how could I trust its conclusions?

Where did thought come from? If thought matches reality, there had to be an infinite and wise Creator who gave us consciousness. But if our thoughts are the result of chance then we should no more trust their conclusions than we should expect the splash of an accidental jug spilling to give us a map of Australia.

If the Bible’s picture of a loving heavenly Father is only a myth, and life is meaningless, we could never come to the point of understanding joy and sorrow. We would never know darkness unless we first knew light. Suppose there was no light and we had no eyes, then the word ‘dark’ would have no meaning. It is because we know the reality of God and good that we feel the intensity of darkness and pain. The One who made the world made your brain and your standard of what is right and good. Every accusation against God is built on a standard, and our standard came from him who made us.

Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts. Never doubt your beliefs and believe your doubts. Never let what you don’t understand destroy what you do understand. – Des Ford

All Things Work Together For Good

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28, NKJV

The testimony of Scripture is that all things work together for good to those who love God. We have a Christ who gathers up the fragments so that nothing is lost. Without suffering there would be no sympathy; without hardship there would be no hardihood; without pain there would be no patience. There is no way to holiness except through hell.

There are two ways to react to the troubles of life. Jacob said,

“All these things are against me.” Genesis 42:36

But Joseph said,

“You meant it for evil but God meant it for good.” Genesis 50:20

Year after year, after being shipwrecked, stoned, beaten with rods, meeting with false brethren, enduring a thorn in the flesh, Paul could say,

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor things present or things to come, nor principalities or powers, nor any other created thing is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. Romans 8:38–39

We’ve got to learn to dance Adam’s dance backward. He disbelieved the Word of God and disobeyed; but we have to learn to believe the Word of God and obey. – Des Ford

Nothing Separates You from God’s Love

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38–39, NIV

The testimony of Scripture is that all things work together for good to those who love God. We have a Christ who gathers up the fragments so that nothing is lost. Without suffering there would be no sympathy; without hardship there would be no hardihood; without pain there would be no patience. There is no way to holiness except through hell.

There are two ways to react to the troubles of life. Jacob said, “All these things are against me” (Genesis 42:36). But Joseph said, “You meant it for evil but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

Year after year, after being shipwrecked, stoned, beaten with rods, meeting with false brethren, enduring a thorn in the flesh, Paul could say confidently that none of life’s trials and problems could ever separate him from the love of God. And this was because of Jesus Christ.

We have to learn to believe the Word of God, trust in his love and leading, and obey him. God is at work even in the hard seasons. – Des Ford

You Are Justified Through Faith Alone

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:6, NIV

That’s the pattern for all of us. Abraham was not declared righteous because of any of his good works, although he had done many. Neither did ceremonial nor ritualistic works justify him, for he was declared righteous before his circumcision.

He was not even justified on the ground of his faith, for it was far from perfect. Remember that before this, he had distrusted God and lied about Sarah, saying she was his sister. And after God had declared him righteous, didn’t he fail when he used Hagar to produce a son? Abraham was not justified as a result of his fragile faith.

Abraham was justified as a result of the coming Seed, Jesus. Faith was no more than an outstretched hand. Faith is not the basis of God’s gift. Everyone is justified by means of faith, that is, through faith; but not because of, or as a result of, faith. Justification through faith means justification through Jesus.

And how we all need justification! Not one of us is what we should be, could be, or would be. The perfect law demands not merely perfect outward performance but perfect attitude of heart, perfect motives from a perfect heart. There is no way we can offer these to God. Even a repentant murderer is still guilty of his cruel crime.

The reward has to be all of grace. Therefore, it is through faith and faith alone. – Des Ford

Jesus is God’s Unspeakable Gift

Thank God for his Son—his Gift too wonderful for words. - 2 Corinthians 9:15, TLB

A great king gave all his citizens an invitation to a royal banquet at the palace. For admission, the guests had to bring what they thought was the fairest flower that ever bloomed.

The citizens thronged to the palace but were turned away by the thousands. Only a few found entrance. Many brought the deadly nightshade of superstition. Others arrived flaunting poppies of denominational pride. Still others brought the hemlock of self-righteousness.

The few who were allowed in had chosen the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, the blood-red Rose of Calvary. Jesus is the price of heaven and nothing else is acceptable to God.

Jesus is God’s “unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV). Though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor, that through his poverty we might become rich.

The Christian’s chief duty is adoration. Faith does not make us see Christ. Seeing Christ gives us faith.

Repentance is not something to do in order to take hold of the Saviour. Taking hold of the Saviour gives us repentance. He is all we need.

Let us make the best choice and sit at the Master’s feet, keeping our eyes on him, hearing him, loving him, and then spontaneously obeying and serving him. Let us consider, anew, God’s unspeakable Gift: the incomparable Christ. – Des Ford

Jesus Takes Us Apart From The Crowd

After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and put it on the man’s tongue. Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said “Effatha!” which means “Open up!” At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly. - Mark 7:33-35 CEV

The personal touch of Jesus is everywhere in the Gospel of Mark. In chapter seven we have a typical story of how Jesus served.

Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him. (Mark 7:31-32 CEV)

We are all like that man. We are deaf to God. That’s how we were born. Because of that we cannot speak for God. So often the words that come from our mouths witness to the devil.

What does Christ do? First, Jesus takes the man “aside from the crowd” and then he touches him. If you want to be like everybody else, forget it! Jesus has to take you away from the multitude. He will set you apart in your thinking and in your behaviour. A Christian stands out from the crowd.

You measure a tall building by the shadow it casts. That’s the way you measure a person. No shadow, no height. To be a Christian, you’ve got to be different, and you may not be loved because you’re different. People fear those who are different.

Jesus took the man aside from the crowd, touched him, looked to heaven, “and with a groan,” healed him. Our healing is only made possible through the sorrows of Christ. – Des Ford

God Teaches You To Trust Him

The LORD… guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them. - Deuteronomy 32:10,11 NIV

Our Heavenly Father in his great love uses all sorts of methods to teach us to trust in him, and distrust in ourselves. Keep in mind they always go together, and are the fruit of the moving of the Divine Spirit. One way that God endeavours to teach us to distrust ourselves and to trust in him is the medium of change.

We read in Deuteronomy 32:11, that as the eagle stirs up her nest and ejects her young, all the while capably and protectively hovering over them, so God stirs up our comfortable nests in order that we might learn to fly by faith in him.

When life is monotonously the same and there are few surprises, there often seems little need of divine help. But the most significant things that happen to us are not the ones planned or premeditated. They are the ones that come out of the blue like an angel, or a demon; like the glory of a rainbow, or a shaft of lightning. Who is equal to these challenges? No one. Nobody has the strength, nor the wisdom, to successfully cope with all the emergencies of life. We need God and we need him every moment, and the wise person is the one who acknowledges that fact continually. This is faith. – Des Ford

Saving Faith Can Be Yours

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Scripture promises that God will show us the path of life. Unless he does, we will inevitably wander in hopeless circles among the tombs of the dead, soon to lie down beside them in their darkness. We need the light of the world (John 8:12; 1:9) to shine upon us every moment, as the Psalmist says, “In Your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9).

The Lord fills the hungry with good things but turns the rich away. He pulls princes down from their thrones and exalts beggars from their dunghills. When we know we are weak, we are strong:

The way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23, NKJV).

Saving faith grasps the merits of the Divine-human sacrifice for the sins of the world, and applies the merits of that sacrifice to one’s own soul. It is the sense of dependence that characterised the lepers Christ healed, the beggars he enriched, the despairing he encouraged, and the dying to whom he gave life. This same sense of dependence is the beginning and the root of saving faith.

– Des Ford

Faith Is Not The Greatest Virtue

Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT

Although faith is the key to all the treasures of this life and the next, although it is the first of all the virtues, it is certainly not the greatest. It is great in that it leads to the greater. For faith is both self-emptying and receiving of the Divine Spirit. And when the Divine Spirit comes, faith becomes perfect in love. Thus, though faith is the first, love is always the best.

The Christian believer has privileges! Confessing his or her own emptiness, poverty, inability and folly, the pleading outstretched hand takes hold of the Almighty whose name is Love. And now the world is transformed and everybody in it.

The world becomes our Father’s school, and all the other students are our brothers and sisters. Life’s hardships and joys, as well as the Scriptures of truth, are our lesson books. As long as we are in this age of sin, there will be sorrow and error and tensions. On the other hand, through faith in God’s leading, there is glorious light, and power, and the best of all fruits: enduring, invincible love. – Des Ford

Christ’s All-Conquering Church

Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. - Matthew 16:18 KJV

What a prediction! What a claim! Here we are almost twenty centuries later, and about one in three people around the globe claims membership in Christ’s church. The picture in Matthew 16:18 is that of an advancing kingdom of God converging on the gates of hell and death, error and bloody persecution. The victorious army is clothed in righteousness. Its banner is the Spirit, lifting high the blessed Gospel of Christ.

However, we must never confuse the church invisible of Matthew 16:18 with the visible church. Scripture tells us concerning the church: “There is one body” (Ephesians 4:4, compare 1 Corinthians 12:12).

Are you a member of the true church? Have you built your faith, not upon a human creed, but upon the God-human, the church’s one Foundation, Jesus Christ? Have you received the anointing of the Holy Spirit? He is yours immediately upon your committal to Christ. Do you bear the mark of the genuine disciple? Here it is:

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35; Matthew 25:34,40

In Christ, you are a member of that true church against which the gates of hell shall never prevail. – Des Ford

The Humble Church

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. - 1 Corinthians 1:25, NIV

When the true Christ came, He came in disguise. They expected a conqueror, but He came as a carpenter; they expected a king but He came as a peasant; they expected one who was lofty, but He came in lowly guise; they expected one clothed with glory but He came clothed with humility; they anticipated their Messiah would proclaim law, but when He did come He proclaimed love.

The true church, like the true Christ, is always in disguise.

Christ uses the following metaphors in picturing the Christian life: the yoke, the towel, the sword, and the cross. A watered-down gospel offering only an anaesthetic is not the genuine article. But look at that man Simon on the Via Dolorosa carrying his cross behind Christ – there is a picture of the true church. See Mary breaking her expensive box of perfume – there is another picture. See Christ washing His disciples’ feet – a third picture. And most of all, observe the Man hanging on the cross!

The true gospel is ever crucified between two thieving false gospels. Those perennial religious thieves are legalism and antinomianism. Both lack the true love and the true faith that are central for the genuine gospel of God. – Des Ford

The Spirit Builds You Up

In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. - 1 Kings 6:7, NIV

Solomon’s life was marked by glory, riches, wisdom, and peace. Do you know what the name “Solomon” means? “Solomon” means “peaceful.” Solomon is thought of as the wisest man who ever lived, the richest man who ever lived, and he had a glorious kingdom (1 Kings 5:4)

But I have left out the best thing about Solomon. He built the temple.

That temple was a symbol of the church. Just as Solomon built the temple, Christ said, “On this rock I’ll build my church” (Matthew 16:18). We are the living stones and we were cut out not by hammer or chisel but by the silent moving and moulding of the Holy Spirit. In silence, we were prepared to be living stones in the living temple of Christ’s church.

Christ talked about the Spirit, likening him to the wind. The wind blows where it likes. You can’t see it. It makes a sound but it is mysterious (John 3:8). So too the temple. The temple went up without noise, with everything prepared away from it. We are those living stones prepared by the silent moving of the Spirit (1 Peter 2:5). − Des Ford

You Can Tell God’s True Church From The False

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. - 1 John 3:14

Jerusalem becomes Babylon when it offers only rest instead of rest conjoined with battle. Babylon knows only a gospel of good advice and good views instead of the Good News.

Babylon has a series of orthodox works and beliefs that bring artificial rest rather than the ecstatic gladness resulting from the knowledge that our sins have been dealt with and the decision (acquittal) of the Last Judgement is ours already.

Babylon has much to say about man while the true church points first to what God has done in the God-man. Babylon fears the second coming and finds witnessing a burden, but the true church, having accepted Christ’s atonement is ready today through His imputed merits. And it loves to witness to God’s other lost children, telling them they have already been redeemed (See Romans 5:14-19.)

A church is not a church when it ceases to bring forth the unselfish fruit of love that results from a living union with the Redeemer.

The false church preaches itself rather than its Lord and has forgotten that justification comes freely through the grace of God, meritoriously by the blood of Christ, instrumentally by faith, and evidentially by willing works of love. – Des Ford

Peace Be With You!

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. - John 14:27, ESV

Twice, Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you!”

Our first peace comes to us when we see the wounds of Jesus and understand that he was crucified and slain for our sins. Peace comes to those who know that Jesus has paid the full penalty for their sins. They have peace in their hearts because they are no longer under God’s condemnation. This is a deep peace.

The second peace takes a person even deeper, because it is hard to enjoy the first peace of salvation while others are missing out on it. The first peace is salvation for you; this second peace comes when you offer salvation to others. Jesus is here commissioning you to go to others to share his salvation with them.

Pray that the Spirit of God himself will fill you and help you bring salvation to others. When you win souls for Jesus, great peace and happiness will fill you to overflowing. - Des Ford

The Greatest Truth of Christianity

We believe … and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. - John 4:42, NKJV

The greatest truth of Christianity is that Christ is the spotless Son of God, the divine Saviour.

In a dream Jacob saw a ladder extending from heaven to earth (Genesis 28:10-22). Jesus is that ladder (John 1). By his divinity, he reaches the heavens. By his humanity, he touches us on earth. If we break the ladder on either end, we have no Saviour, no connection with heaven. The heavens remain silent and empty, and earth is but a grave.

The very first truth about Christianity is that Christ is divine, the spotless Son of God. Unless we are clear on who Christ is, we will not be clear on anything else. The Cross is the only lever that can lift the world to God. It is the magnetic attraction that draws men and women out of the maelstrom of sin. The Cross has revealed the love of God in a way nothing else could.

A true Christian is clear on the nature of Christ. Christ is our spotless sacrifice, the Creator of all things, and the Redeemer of the world. – Des Ford

Where Does Thought Come From?

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! - Mark 9:24, NKJV

There is evil in the world, which sometimes makes us question and doubt. However, it makes no sense to deny the existence of God because there is evil in the world. First, ask the question, why do you know that there is evil at all? To accuse God means to have a standard. Where does your standard come from? It comes from the One who made the world, made your brain, and who gave you your standard of what is right and good.

If my brain is the result of the play of meaningless atoms in time and space, I have no grounds to trust its conclusions. No one yet has ever answered the question: where did thought come from? If thought matches reality, there had to be an infinite and wise Creator who gave us consciousness. But if our thoughts are the result of chance, then we should no more trust their conclusions than we should expect the accidental splash from a jug to give us a map of Australia.

Yes, there is much that we still do not understand. The Christian has not yet been glorified. He or she every day does battle with selfishness and sin.

And doubts remain. We cry with the father in the New Testament: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” – Des Ford

What Gives the Bible its Authority?

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. - Hebrews 1:1–2, NKJV

Some see in the Bible merely a collection of historical documents, most of them inaccurate. Others see in Scripture the very word of God.

The Bible is composed of many forms of literature; it underwent a multifaceted process of production with human authors and even editors. Why then, should I pay attention to the Bible? Why should I be concerned with believing and living according to its standards and directions?

Because the Bible answers the problems of this world - as a perfect key matches a lock - it reveals God as nothing else in creation reveals him. Above all, the Bible witnesses to the most unique person ever seen on this planet – Jesus Christ – whose words after twenty centuries still come to us fragrant and fresh, pungent and powerful.

The reason why so many through the centuries have sensed an authority in the Bible that transcends the authority of all other books is that through it, God has revealed himself to us. He did it over millennia through the many authors and genres, and finally he did it through Christ, who gives meaning and authority to the whole. – Des Ford

The New Testament Was Not Made Up

Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. - Luke 1:1–2, NLT

Galatians 1 carries the ring of truth. Here is a man confessing that he had been a blasphemer and a persecutor, but been turned around by the miraculous intervention of God. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that five hundred people, of whom the majority were still alive at the time when he wrote, saw the resurrected Christ. The second Gospel was written by Mark, who was Peter’s scribe. How fascinating to find that it is Mark’s Gospel that sets Peter in the worst light!

John the Baptist is presented as having his doubts concerning the character of Jesus (Matthew 11:3). We read that many of Christ’s disciples left him (John 26:56). Matthew confesses that in his hometown, Christ did not work many miracles (Matthew 13:58).

Luke quotes the scorn of unbelievers who called Christianity a superstition (Acts 25:18-19). In the Gospels we find the surprising note that even Christ’s own relatives thought he might be going insane. When our Lord’s post-resurrection appearances are described, he is presented as appearing to believers only. Wouldn’t it have made a better story if the Gospel writers had pictured him as appearing to Pilate and Herod?

The authors of the New Testament were more interested in the facts, than the impression their story might give. The New Testament has the ring of truth. – Des Ford

How Abraham Was Justified

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:6, NIV

The first time the word “righteousness” is mentioned in Scripture is in Genesis 15:6. This is also the first verse containing the word “believed”.

Abraham was not declared righteous because of any of his good works, although he had done many. Neither did ceremonial nor ritualistic works justify him, for he was declared righteous before his circumcision. Nor was he justified on the ground of his faith, for it was yet imperfect.

Abraham was justified as a result of the coming Seed, Jesus. Faith was but the hand that received. Faith is not the basis of God’s gift. All are justified by means of faith, that is, through faith; but not because of, or as a result of, faith. Justification through faith means justification through Jesus.

The way that Abraham was justified is the pattern for all of us. And how we all need justification! Not one of us is what we should be, could be, or would be. The perfect law demands not merely perfect outward performance but perfect attitude of heart, perfect motives from a perfect heart. We don’t have any of these to offer. – Des Ford

You Can Start to Live Today

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. - 1 John 5:13, NIV

At the heart of every one of us is a selfish core. It taints everything we do. Nothing we do is untainted. We never pray a prayer, preach a sermon, sing a Christian song, or do anything, that is not tainted. We desperately need forgiveness.

We have not started to live until we believe that all our sins are like a grain of sand beside the mountain of God’s forgiveness. We have not started to live until we are aware that all our guilt is but a spark quenched in the ocean of God’s mercy. We have not started to live until we believe that God is more willing to forgive than a mother is to save her child from a burning house. We have not started to live until we know it is more difficult to take love out of the heart of God than it is to take the salt out of the ocean or the blaze out of the sun.

We have not started to live until we know these things.

We will not be motivated to choose good and turn away from evil unless we know today, this hour, this moment, that God accepts us just as we are, warts and all, with all our mistakes, fumblings, and stumblings. – Des Ford

Believe That God Is

Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6

If you believe in the gospel and the infinite love of God, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. If you refuse to believe, you have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

Every decision we make rests upon our belief about the origin and meaning of the universe, either implicitly or explicitly. In the gamble of life we are forced to wager, one choice offers everything, and the other offers nothing. Try to live one day as an atheist, beginning by looking into a mirror and saying, “You meaningless clot!” Live that day, believing nothing has value or meaning. It will not work.

But instead, begin believing that God is, and that God is love, and that he has died for us, and that every moment has meaning, and that we are surrounded by his merciful providences, and that will work out gloriously.

It is our privilege to encourage others who have not yet committed to their Saviour, to share our joy. You will find assurance of the reality of God and his love to the same extent that you participate in shedding that love abroad. – Des Ford

You Can Go to the King Without Fear

I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. - Esther 4:16, NIV

Remember the story of Esther. You couldn’t go to the king unless you were called in. That was the law. To save her people, Esther made a decision to go before the king, even if it meant her own life.

God’s law of holiness requires us to be like him in character. It is a law that requires flawless and fervent obedience, not only in our actions but in every aspect of our thought and life.

The Bible says,

Whoever keeps the whole law and offends in one point is guilty of all. James 2:10

If you leave me in a room and say, “Des, there at 10 exits here. Stay in this room.” If I say to myself, “Well, I won’t go out of nine of the exits; I will just go out of one of them”, I’ve blown it, I’ve disobeyed you.

God requires an obedience that is flawless, that is perpetual, consistent, joyous, and fervent and I can’t live up to that. I am a broken, fallen creature. My natural tendencies are downward, not upward. I cannot do anything good without Him.

And so, how can I go into the king? Do you remember what the king did to Esther? He held out the sceptre. That is what our king does to us. He holds out the sceptre of grace for Christ’s sake. – Des Ford

Mary’s Kingdom Secret

Whatever He says to you, do it. - John 2:5, NKJV

The wine had run out at the wedding feast at Cana, and Mary, Jesus’ mother, knew that Jesus could provide more wine. However, she wasn’t discouraged when Jesus said to her,

“Dear woman, that’s not our problem … My time has not yet come.” v.4, NLT

The reason why she wasn’t discouraged was because she knew the secret to life’s confusions and problems. She said to the servants at the wedding,

“Do whatever he tells you…” v.5, NIV

That is the only recipe for all of life’s problems: to trust and obey Jesus. That is also the right order: first you trust, and then you obey.

Obedience without trust is useless. God rejects obedience without feeling, obedience without conviction in his goodness and unfailing love. But God is never more pleased than when you and I look around the universe and God seems to be dead, and the angels only a myth, and heaven just part of folklore, but still you choose to do what is right.

God asks that you have faith, and faith isn’t a feeling. Faith is a choice, and so God tells you how to choose. God tells you to trust and obey, and so do whatever he tells you to do. – Des Ford

Faith is the Channel of Blessing

To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. - Romans 4:5, NIV

Faith is the gospel’s chosen vehicle because faith has no virtue in itself. Faith gives all the credit to God. That’s because the moment we forget that we are paupers, on a pension from heaven, we’re in danger.

It is important to understand that faith must never be considered as the cause of our being reckoned right with God but only the channel through which the blessing comes.

Otherwise, we have made faith into a work; whereas, in truth, it is nothing but the empty hand that accepts the gift. God could only have all the glory for his gracious work of redemption if man’s part remained that of the beggar accepting the divine gifts. Faith itself is a gift bestowed on all who hear the gospel, unless they oppose and reject the Good News.

See the glory of the description of God that is found in Romans 4:5. He is called the One “who justifies the ungodly.” What a title! What wonderful encouragement for every sinner! In the Old Testament law, judges were forbidden to justify the ungodly. (See Deuteronomy 25:1.)

But God breaks all human customs and traditions by his infinite mercy and declares the penitent sinner to be righteous because he or she has embraced the Saviour and thus becomes covered with his mantle of merit. – Des Ford

You Receive Through Faith

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:6, NIV

Genesis 15:6 says that, “Abram believed the Lord.” That means Abraham trusted God. He laid hold of God. “And he [the Lord] credited it to him as righteousness.”

Abraham’s belief, trust, laying hold of God was credited, reckoned, imputed, accounted and attributed to him for righteousness. Now, this is the same man who had lied to the Egyptian pharaoh that his wife, Sarah, was only his sister. This is Abraham, the great man of faith — whose faith occasionally balked and faltered.

Do you see? God counts him righteous by faith alone, not by Abraham’s performance.

True religion is not hymn-singing. It’s not even reading the Bible and praying. True religion is the union of our heart with God.

That’s what faith does. You take hold of God. You bond with him.

Faith is an empty hand. A child’s hand that takes a delicious apple doesn’t make the apple. It doesn’t deserve the apple. The child’s hand just takes the apple. That’s how faith is.

Similarly, faith “takes” salvation. Salvation is something received, not something achieved.

Paul is saying that “The Law of Moses (i.e. the Pentateuch) bears witness to this means of obtaining righteousness. Look how it worked for Abraham.”

How did Abraham obtain righteousness?

The answer is: by trusting and believing! By faith alone!” – Des Ford

You Are Saved by Faith Alone

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. - Romans 3:21, NIV

Here’s the Acropolis of the New Testament. It’s the glorious temple of the New Testament. It’s found in Romans 3:21–25. It tells us that:

“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood… so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-25 NIV

The source of justification is the grace of God. The means of justification is the blood of Christ. The instrumental appropriation of justification is faith. The fruitage of justification is works.

You are saved by faith alone. However, the faith that saves is never alone. You’re not saved by faith plus works, but by a faith that works. But the basis is grace, manifested in the blood of Christ.

Karl Barth said, “Religion is grace, and ethics is gratitude.” That’s a great summary. Grace is simply a name for the outpouring love of God for the unlovely. Religion is grace. Every letter of Paul begins and ends with grace. The last word of the New Testament is grace:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Revelation 22:21 KJV

– Des Ford

Faith and the Cross

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. - Ephesians 2:8, NIV

Faith is not something you’ve got to self-generate. Faith is not something you develop. Faith is God’s gift as you learn that Christ loved you enough to die for you.

If Calvary doesn’t melt and break the heart, there’s nothing else God can do.

The Cross is the sun in the sky for the Christian. To take the Cross from the Christian would be like blotting out the sun. Kneeling at the foot of the Cross, Christians have reached the highest place they can attain.

The Cross is the Sermon on the Mount enacted. It’s the Ten Commandments demonstrated. It’s 1 Corinthians 13 exemplified. The cross is the fruit of the Spirit in full blossom.

At Calvary we see the almighty, pure, spotless, infinite One being made the offering of the universe for our sakes. When Jesus was on the Cross, we were all there. You can know the day of your death. It was two thousand years ago.

One died for all, and therefore all died. 2 Corinthians 5:14 NIV

The verse doesn’t say, “If one died for all, all need not die.” It says, “All died.” We died in him. Therefore, you and I have paid the penalty for all our sins, past, present, and future. – Des Ford

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Christ Our Righteousness

Righteousness is by Faith

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel… For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live”. - Romans 1:16–17, RSV

Paul says, “The just by faith shall live.” (That’s the way Romans 1:17 is probably best translated and is so in the RSV.) Remember, “just” is the same word as “righteous.”

In some denominations, “righteousness by faith” has traditionally been understood to include two things:

1. Being declared righteous (justification) and …

2. being made righteous (sanctification - our status or standing with God by faith in Christ and our condition before God; by condition we mean the Holy Spirit in the life, the doing of good works, and the developing of character)

That, of course, is not the “righteousness by faith” of the New Testament. Never, never, never.

In Paul’s discussion on acceptance and in his discussion on justification, “righteousness” and “faith,” “just” and “faith,” are linked together 13 times in 13 verses. They are never so linked in his discussion on sanctification. It is so important to understand that sanctification, or being made righteous, is the fruit of the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s the result of the gospel.

The gospel is the good news about the death and resurrection of Christ. Through faith in Christ, his perfect righteousness is imputed to us, and God accepts us now. Sanctification — or working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit — is the fruit of the gospel. – Des Ford

Even Imperfect People Can Pray

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1, NIV

There is no condemnation for the true Christian, even when that Christian fails. God does not cast us out because of our failures. We are erring children, and we will be until Jesus comes again. God doesn’t ask for our behaviour be perfect, but that it be our greatest desire to please him in everything.

Let me illustrate this with the father and his blind daughter. While he is away from home on business, the father receives a letter from his daughter. Because she is blind, the letter is brief, and all smudged. But the father kisses the letter. He loves the letter. It isn’t perfect, but it is a genuine expression of her love.

Provided that God has our hearts, and our efforts in doing his will are sincere and wholehearted, our stumblings do not decrease God’s love for us. Our failures don’t affect, in the slightest, our prestigious status before God in Christ, even when we seem down and out.

Who has the right to pray in the name of Christ? Everyone who has accepted the love of God in Jesus. Everyone who has learnt that “God loves me enough to die for me.”

Once you believe that God loves you, you are in God’s family. That gives you the right to pray in Christ’s name. – Des Ford

Let Prayer Become Natural

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:7, NIV

Because our faith is so imperfect, even though we pray about a problem, it often comes back again. Even the apostle Paul prayed three times about a physical problem.

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.” 2 Corinthians 12:8, NIV

I suspect that when Paul said, “three times,” he meant that he had prayed about the issue repeatedly. The wise thing to do is hand your problem over to God every time the problem worries you. Theoretically, once you pray about an issue, that should be enough. If you had such perfect faith that after praying just once, you weren’t worried about it, then once would be enough. But if you continue to worry about the problem, then you must continue to pray about it.

I think that prayer is a science and takes a long time to learn. It is a growing experience. None of us has fully arrived and never will. We must contemplate the great Christian truths of human sinfulness, the love and providence of God, and the working of the Spirit.

The more we do that, the more they will become more real to us than the material things we actually touch and see. Then it will become natural to pray. – Des Ford

God is a Soul Farmer

He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.” - Mark 4:2–3, NIV

God is a soul farmer. God breaks up the soil of the heart before planting the seed of eternal life and everlasting joy. How does God do this? By letting us go our own willful ways until we are almost shattered by the recoil of the whirlwind.

God is very well mannered and does not thrust himself where he is not wanted. But he is always beside us, standing patiently amid the shadows, waiting to answer our feeblest call.

Rita Snowden tells the story of a guide and an inexperienced climber forced to stay all night on the Pyrenees mountains. Towards dawn, there came a tempestuous wind that twisted trees and started rocks rolling down the slopes. The newcomer to Spain was filled with terror and apprehension.

The guide murmured softly, “This is the way dawn comes to the Pyrenees.”

Our dawn sometimes comes through storm and tempest.

When the unconditional love of God is offered, what else can be said? That love is yours if you want it. It will change all else.

Will you take it? Will you take it now? – Des Ford

Our Chief Duty is Worship

You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. - Psalm 22:3, NASB

Too often I have viewed other people in a way quite different from the way our Lord and Maker does. Jesus saw people, not as they are, but as they might be, transformed by his grace. This is the perspective we must share.

What gets our attention, gets us. If we concentrate on the weaknesses of others - or our own weaknesses - then the quality of our lives will rapidly deteriorate. It is true that “Looking around brings confusion. Looking within brings despair. Only looking up brings hope, joy, and faith.”

That’s the way it was with Noah and his family in the disaster that ended the old world.

They had only one window in the ark. They could not look out at their neighbours being crushed by falling boulders or drowned by swirling waters. They could not look behind them at the ruins of their former homes, or ahead at nature’s threatening convulsions. They could only look up, through the only window – overhead. This reminded them that God was to be the target of their thoughts and hopes throughout the traumatic voyage.

Every person’s chief duty is the adoration of God. By beholding we become changed. I repeat: “Whatever gets our attention gets us.” – Des Ford

Look to Calvary

For sin shall not be your master, because you not under law, but under grace. - Romans 6:14, Berean Study Bible

You’ve been looking for life in all the wrong places. You’ve been looking at yourself and at others. Give all that away. Look to Calvary.

See Christ dying for you, as though you are the only person in the world. Notice that his hands are nailed because of the wrong things your hands have done. His feet are spiked because of the wrong places your feet have taken you. His brow is pierced because of the idle and malicious thoughts you have thought.

Hear Jesus say to one who was guilty of all the sins in the book:

“I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

It’s all for you. Take it. Take it now, regardless of how you feel.

When we see that God accepts us just as we are, weak and evil, then simultaneously we receive strength to cease being what we have been (Romans 6:14). When you see that Christ paid for all your sins – past, present, and future – then the knowledge of his loving kindness snaps the bonds of evil habits. When you see that Christ accepts you regardless of your failures to keep his commandments, you are set free for the first time in your life.

To your surprise, you’ll find obedience both easy and a pleasure. – Des Ford

Perfectly His Child

Beloved, now we are children of God. - 1 John 3:2, NKJV

The more I see Christ’s perfect embodiment of infinite love and truth, the more I would despair, unless I also believe that Christ’s personal righteousness is imputed every moment to me, a foolish, weak, and stumbling believer (John 1:9; 13:10; 17:6).

I would despair if the Bible didn’t assure me that all who have surrendered their lives to the Saviour are “accepted in the beloved,” “cleanse[d] … from all unrighteousness,” and without “condemnation” or separation from God (Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 2:10; 1 John 1:9; Romans 8:1, 33-39).

Although we try to do what is right, we remain “unprofitable servants.” We all make mistakes. We are righteous only by faith in the merits of Christ. We must all pray daily “forgive us our debts” (Matthew 6:12; Romans 3:20-26; James 3:2). The good news assures me that if I have given myself to Christ, I am perfectly his child, though not a perfect child (John 13:1; Hebrews 12:5-7).

While I am a sinner in myself all my days, in Christ I have perfect righteousness, for “this man [Jesus] receiveth sinners,” and God is the one who justifies the ungodly who believe (Matthew 7:11; Luke 15:2; Romans 4:5). I can never be lost while I trust in his merits (Zechariah 3:1-5; Matthew 18:21,22; 1 Corinthians 1:31; Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 8:1-4). – Des Ford

Be Rich Toward God

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” - Luke 12:21, NIV

What did Jesus mean when he said that we should be “rich toward God?”

Jesus meant that we are stewards of the Almighty. It is God who gives us our ability to get wealth.

We shouldn’t be upset when people remind us of our obligations with our wealth. In the recorded sayings of Jesus about one verse in every six talks about money or possessions. About half of his parables do the same.

The Bible is full of warnings against being absorbed with things. Man cannot live without things, but he who lives for things alone is not a man but a beast. Things cannot satisfy the heart.

How shall we save ourselves from this trap of covetousness? Every Christian should have as his dearest desire to give all he can to foster the gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 7:9). Our Lord Jesus exchanged all of heaven for a cow-shed and a cross. As we consider that, what can we withhold from him?

Giving is the antidote to selfishness and covetousness. Only those who practice regular, systematic giving to the cause of the gospel will be safe and saved at last. A heart saved by grace will desire to give.

May God guide us as we reflect on our responsibility to give. May we become more and more like him in our giving. – Des Ford

Claim the Power of the Spirit

“I will not leave you orphans.” - John 14:18, NKJV

Millions of Christians regularly pray “Our Father” and then act and mourn like orphans. We need not. Jesus said, “I will not leave you orphans” (John 14:18).

What then did He leave us? We know he left his mother to John, his clothes to his crucifiers, his peace to the faithful eleven, and his spirit to his Father. What did he leave us? Himself! We can see that because the next sentence in John 14:18 is “I will come to you.” He comes to us through the invisible but omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Spirit.

The word “Comforter” means “one called alongside to help.” We are never left to our own resources! We always have the necessary strength, wisdom, power, and love. What a treasure!

In the Parable of the Vine (John 15), we are the branches but the Holy Spirit is the sap. “Apart from me you can do nothing,” says verse 5. But the opposite is also true. With him we can do all things-all things in the will of God.

As we feel our great need, and believe in God’s ability to supply our need, the vacuum is filled by the Spirit.

Never forget it – our supreme qualification is our great need. Acknowledge it, and the riches of heaven are yours. – Des Ford

Understand the Word of God

The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12, NIV

There are two things that work together to prove the authenticity of the truth of Scripture. Scripture proves itself through the power by which its word strikes the soul of an individual and transforms his or her life. The second thing is the subjective witness of the Holy Spirit in the mind of a surrendered believer. When these two things intersect, only then do we have self-authenticating truth.

The self-authenticating quality of Scripture reaches its greatest intensity in Jesus Christ. The entire Bible witnesses to him. Jesus appealed to the self-validating nature of Christian experience for anybody who has heard the word and walked in its light. He said,

“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine.” John 7:17

As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote that to:

“understand the Scriptures in all theology is to become holy. It is to be under the authority of the Spirit. It is to be led of the Spirit.”

That’s why the Psalmist wrote:

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear him. Psalm 25:14, NKJV

It is still the pure in heart who see God, and it is the meek whom he guides. We bow in submission to the truth that it is “the heart and not the head to the highest does attain.” – Des Ford

Leave Mediocrity Behind

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12, NIV

Life finds its meaning in its ultimate objective. This objective is so important that even Christ on the cross spoke of it.

If Jesus and eternal life are the prize, then every moment of this life is important. Every choice I make in thought, word, or deed, is significant. A pebble can influence the change of course of a river, and one careless choice can turn us away from Paradise. Bousset warns us that,

“The reality that each moment and each choice have eternal consequences for God and for ourselves, glorifies the whole of life. Everything now has meaning and value. The humblest activities can be glorious in the light of eternity. We should be encouraged with the thought that it is never in vain to do one’s best.”

Seeing life as a brief probationary period to prepare for the hereafter places all things in right proportion. My eternal destiny, and those whom I can influence should interest me more than all the temporary tinsel of human experience.

Christ has suffered that we might have eternal happiness. You no longer need to be a slave to sin. Love was the moving principle of Christ’s actions and all our works are to be vivified by love.

Love is the life of the heart as surely as truth is the light of the mind. – Des Ford

Faith is Not a Feeling

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13, NIV

Having faith in Christ is not some kind of feeling. It is choosing to believe what God says – and acting on it regardless of how you feel yourself and others. If you look at your feelings, you’ll miss the blessing God wants to give you.

Whether you feel like it or not, act as though you knew the good news to be infallibly true: true for you.

Remember the man who came to Christ at Cana and asked for the healing of his son at Capernaum? The father was told to go his way believing Christ had already healed his son. Every step of the way home illustrates what faith is. Faith is going on in God’s way, according to God’s directions, believing all will turn out as God has promised.

Feelings are what happen to you. Neither you nor God need be concerned with them. God looks at your choices only. Choose to believe. Your feelings will come right if you ignore them. According to Romans 15:13, joy and peace come through believing, not before.

When do you feel better, before or after you take the recommended medicine? One troubled woman came to Dwight Moody. He asked her, “What saved Noah? The ark or his feelings?” She got the point and went away rejoicing. – Des Ford

The Secret of Personal Transformation

We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV

Long ago, a schoolmaster at Eton would tell his boys, “It’s your duty to be pure in heart. If you are not pure in heart, I will flog you.” That’s crazy. Law has no power. Law never runs anything. Fellowship with the holy and the lovely – that’s another thing. That alone has power.

More than conquerors (Romans 8:37)? Yes, you and me! Not by gritting our teeth; not by more resolutions; but by regularly exposing our hearts and minds to the Chiefest among Ten Thousand, the One altogether lovely.

He has already crushed the head of the serpent. Instead of being a seven-headed dragon, that serpent has shrivelled to a tiny snake with a death wound.

In the face of even colossal enticements, we victoriously cry, “I don’t want them! I’d rather have Jesus.”

Paul taught us a better way than the way of law. The better way is to contemplate the glory of the Lord, and as we do so, we will be transformed into his glorious likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).

That’s how we are changed. We do not change ourselves any more than we can birth ourselves. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed” (Romans 12:2). We do not transform ourselves. We are transformed. – Des Ford

You Are More than a Conqueror

We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. - Romans 8:37, NIV

According to General Douglas MacArthur, “In war, there is no substitute for victory.” This is true of the Christian conflict also.

Salvation is by faith alone. However, the evidence that we have received so great salvation is the experience of being more than conquerors in the daily clash with evil.

It was Paul, the apostle of justification by faith alone, who had so much to say about the Christian warfare. Read his comments in Romans 7:23; 13:12; 2 Corinthians 6:7; 10:4; Ephesians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Best of all are his words that we are more than conquerors, in everything, “through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Conquerors! That’s good. More than conquerors. That’s better!

And not “so shall it be one day,” but we are conquerors right now, this very day!

And the method of victory Paul offers is best of all: “Through him who loved us.” That takes a lot of the strain out of it. The victory is not through us but through him.

Even when discussing warfare Paul does not depart from his chief theme: Christ. The Saviour is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, not only in the atonement, but also in all doctrine and Christian experience. – Des Ford

Replace Worry with Trust

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” - Matthew 6:31–34, NIV

What magnificent practical advice from our Lord for us worriers! After telling us not to worry, our Lord continues,

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33–34).

These are marvellous words! If you are a worrier, you must keep them deep in your soul. Write them out by hand. Read them often. Memorize them. Pray over them.

Our Lord tells us that worry is needless. He tells us that life is more than the basics and that our loving God knows what we need and he cares for us. Worry is useless. Christ reminds us that we can’t add a year to our life by worry alone.

Our Lord even tells us that worry is pagan. The heathens seek after these things as the most important thing, but if we seek the kingdom of God first, God will add all those things to us.

Finally, our Lord says that each day’s own trouble is enough for the day.

Try believing it today. – Des Ford

Be Grateful

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. - 1 Chronicles 16:34

In the healing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11–19), the despised Samaritan who returned contrasts with the other nine, who were of Christ’s own privileged people, the Jews.

The law said that they had to show themselves to the priest, so Christ ordered them to go and do that. But as they were on their way, they were healed. One of them did not continue on his journey to the priest. Instead, he returned straight to Jesus.

Sometimes the letter of the law kills, and its spirit gives life. Love must overrule the law. So Christ said to the one who received grace, “Your faith has made you well”. Spiritually, as well as physically, the Samaritan received the nobler blessing, because he showed gratitude.

The issue is the Son question, not the sin question. The only reason people will be lost from the kingdom of heaven and eternal life is because they have not appreciated Calvary (John 3:17–18).

There is only one reason why anyone will miss out on heaven. It isn’t murder, nor adultery, nor theft, nor lying – but ingratitude! (John 3:36).

When we see Jesus there on the cross for us, that’s what brings gratitude. But those whose hearts are not softened and lack the spirit of gratitude for Calvary will lose eternal life. – Des Ford

We Must Be Born Again

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” - John 3:3 KJV

Christ spoke these words to a nocturnal visitor two thousand years ago. On another occasion he expressed the same thought in the following way:

“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 KJV

These “excepts” stand between every person and eternal life.

Consider the most frightening aspect of Christ’s words, “You must be born again” – namely, the character of the person to whom he spoke them. It was not to a Mary Magdalene, a lady of the night. It was not to Zacchaeus, a cheat and thief. Christ’s words were addressed to a man of spotless reputation who spoke Sabbath by Sabbath at one of the leading metropolitan churches –Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel. (See John 3:10, RV.)

Which of us would claim a character as lofty as his or a mind as enlightened as his? Yet even Nicodemus needed to be born again. No wonder that when Wesley was asked why he preached so often on the text “You must be born again,” his reply was, “Because ‘you must be born again.’” – Desmond Ford

Make Christ’s Sacrificial Death the Centre of Your Life

None of us lives for ourselves alone. - Romans 14:7, NIV

It’s not the life of Christ, nor his teachings, but his sacrificial death that alone provides the motivation that we need to lift our lives up on the heights. It’s of no use to try and whip ourselves up with religious emotionalism. Only through Christ’s sacrificial death can we get out of ourselves and into him.

Only when faith is used as an eye to focus upon Christ on the terrible tree, can we become united with the power of the heavenly throne. If we want a mirror to gleam, we don’t spend all our time in polishing it, but rather we carry it where it can catch the sun’s rays and flash them back in glory.

All the good that we do is but an echo of God’s own goodness. Scripture says,

We love him because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

To know that we are loved, despite what we are, inclines us to love others despite what they are. To see the patience of God towards us inspires us to be patient with the rest of humanity (Romans 14:7; 2 Corinthians 5:15). To catch a glimpse of the hope of Paradise arouses in us an undying hope which can transcend the “ups and downs” of life. – Des Ford

Jesus Teaches You to Forgive

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” - Luke 23:34 NIV

“Father, forgive them.” We do not begin to live until we shut the door on the past through forgiveness. And no one lives properly until they have experienced forgiveness themselves. Fortunately, it’s not hard to know when we have received forgiveness ourselves. Just as you can’t give money to someone else until you have received it yourself, so you cannot give forgiveness to anyone else until you have received it yourself.

If you are unable to forgive someone who has sinned against you, it is because you haven’t received forgiveness yourself. And if you aren’t forgiven, then you aren’t saved (Matthew 6:14–15). Forgiveness is a bridge that we must all pass over to enter the kingdom of God.

Every relationship in life calls for forgiveness. There are no perfect wives, perfect husbands, or perfect children. There are no perfect employers or perfect employees. And there are no perfect friends or neighbours. For this reason, forgiveness must be the very essence of our relationships with others. It must be as natural as breathing. – Des Ford

You Can Get Through Suffering

The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. - 1 Peter 5:10 NIV

Christ could stand the terrible pain because he knew God was there. He rested in the fatherhood of God. It is true that at one stage the agony of the guilt of the world was so terrible that he cried out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Think on some of the events that happened at the Cross. Jesus was like a guilty prisoner at the bar. He had our sin upon him as he bore the guilt of all the world. He was suffering an infinite amount of pain. In those six hours, he experienced what was due to everybody ever born.

Jesus suffered the agony of separation from God. Jesus endured hell qualitatively; an infinite being suffering infinite pain to atone for the sin of the world. It is not wrong to ask, ‘Why?’ Jesus cried, ‘Why?’ And there will be times when we will ask the same question. But we must move on to, “Father, into your hands I commit my life.”

If we can say, “My God,” in the midst of our pain, we will survive. If we can take hold of the God that seems to be thrusting us away we will survive. When we bring God into our darkest depths, it brings light upon us. – Desmond Ford

Jesus Will Remember You

… When He Comes into His Kingdom

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. - Luke 23:42, NIV

The thief saw in the “felon” next to him – who was almost at his last gasp – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who would survive the tomb and return to usher in a kingdom such as humanity has never known. More than that, this One would rescue from death all who had come to know him as Saviour and Friend. What a faith is that!

Christ’s last companion is typical of all he came to save: one acknowledging that he has nothing to offer, except a sin-polluted heart.

What a gracious answer was received! An immediate answer! An answer full of hope and wonder! Even in the darkness and dread of that awful hour, the Saviour whispers of the glory to come for the penitent, telling him, not only of the wondrous place that would be his eternal home, but also of the even more wondrous company he would have there: “You will be with me in Paradise.”

“You will be” – others thought he would soon not be, but the Christ assures him of survival beyond the grave – of immortality. “With me” - surely the best part of heaven will be fellowship with him who loved us and gave himself for us. “In Paradise” – the Eden forfeited by the first sinners is to be restored, more magnificent than ever. – Desmond Ford

Jesus Poured Out His Blood for You

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” - Matthew 26:28 NIV

In the story of Jesus’ trial, suffering and death, we read about his seven trials, the seven charges against him, the seven people who testified of his innocence, Pilate’s seven questions, and his seven statements that he found no wrong in Jesus. Jesus suffered seven unjust punishments during that long night.

The crucified Jesus had seven wounds, and his crucifixion period lasted seven hours, six hours on the Cross and the seventh being his time of rest when he was taken down. On the Cross, Jesus speaks seven times, and there are seven statements made to Jesus while he hung on the Cross.

These series of sevens are no coincidence. The Hebrew word sheba can be translated either ‘seven’ or ‘covenant’ (see Genesis 21:27–31). God made a covenant that he would save us from our sins and that, if we accepted his salvation, we would become his people.

On the Cross, Jesus shed his blood for our salvation. He was ‘the blood of the covenant’, which would be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever we drink this ‘blood’, we show that we accept Jesus as our Saviour. – Des Ford

Christ Overcame Evil with Good

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21 NIV

We find our best lesson on tragedy in the Cross of Christ. The Cross itself is a symbol of pain, limitation, strain, hatred and rejection. Think of all the worst things involved in tragedy; they are all there at the Cross. Jesus is poised between heaven and earth to indicate he’s rejected by both, but his arms are outstretched to indicate that he will continue to love us. What a lesson about pain and tragedy! Even when you feel forsaken by God, stretch out your arms with love. Overcome evil with good.

In the wilderness Jesus was tempted to use his divine power to escape the fierce assaults of Satan. According to Mark 15:30-32, the last temptation that came to him on the Cross was likewise a temptation to use his power to escape the insults of the mob and his allotted sufferings: “Save yourself and come down from the Cross.”

He could have come down and yet he couldn’t have. He had the power to come down from the Cross. If he could move a finger he could have destroyed all his enemies. The bonds that kept him there were the bonds of love, not the nails. If Christ had saved himself, he couldn’t have saved us. There at the Cross, Christ overcame evil with good. – Desmond Ford

The Cross is About More Than Just Forgiveness

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement… he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. - Romans 3:24, 26 NIV

If we want to understand the Cross, we need to understand that it is not just about forgiveness. It is also about the holiness of God.

Yes, it is a wonderful revelation of the love of God. All of our sins are but a grain of sand compared to the mountain of his forgiveness. All of our sins are just a dewdrop falling into the ocean of his mercy.

But the Cross reveals, first of all, the holiness of God. God himself could not forgive sin until its penalty was paid. The Cross was necessary so that God might be just and the justifier of all who believe.

The Cross is a microcosm of the universe that unfolds the heart of God. God is against sin, but God is for sinners. The Cross also unfolds the heart of man. Man is so sinful he’d destroy his God.

The Cross tells the reality about Heaven and about Earth, about past, present, and future. To understand the mystery of the Cross is to have insight into all the mysteries of existence.

The Cross of Christ also proclaims, “There’s more to come!” “Life is not just pain and death. There’s resurrection and glory!’ That, too, is part of the meaning of the Cross. – Des Ford

When You Lift the Cross, It Lifts You

“Take up your Cross and follow me.” - Matthew 16:24 NLT

Our Lord’s life was a life of suffering in order that suffering might be sanctified. He was a refugee in Egypt during his childhood, that refugees might draw comfort from his plight. In youth, he lived in a home of poverty, that the poor might know that his sympathies are always with them. He knows what it is to be despised and rejected of men, in order that you and I might feel that he is always sufficient.

And on the Cross, he thought of all that would ever suffer. In those six hours he sanctified every agony through which every son and daughter of God could ever pass.

But our Lord turned Black Friday into a Good Friday, because where there is no Black Friday, there can be no resurrection Sunday. Where there is no going down into the valley of grief, there can be no rising up to the mountain of glory. Where there is no torn flesh, there can be no glorified body.

There is no such thing as the Christian life without bearing the Cross. If we will accept the Cross, it will become like wings to a bird; it will become like sails to a ship. In lifting the Cross, we shall find that it lifts us. – Desmond Ford

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Thoughts and Prayers that Work

Christ Gives Your Life Meaning

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” - John 14:6 NIV

Unless we are first clear as to the meaning of life, why we are here and where we are going, there is neither sense nor meaning for the sorrows of life. How you and I think of death makes all the difference to how we live. Only in Christ does human life find meaning. He did not idly say, ‘I am … the life’ and ‘I am … the truth’. He is the truth about all things, including life and death. If we are to be raised from the dead as he was, we must live in the spirit that he lived.

But there’s more than that. All the gifts of this life are the result of Christ’s Cross. It was his volunteering in Eden to take man’s place, his guilt and punishment, which saved the race from extinction there and then. Thus, everything we know that is good – life itself, food, drink, the air we breathe, the clothes we wear, our loved ones and friends – all are stamped with the Cross of Calvary which bought them. Therefore, we own nothing. We are but stewards of the gifts of his grace, and all should be used to his glory. To live as though we were our own, is to live and die as fools. – Des Ford

The Wounds of Jesus Bring Peace

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. - John 20:19–20 NIV

Please note the meaning of Jesus’ first words to his disciples after his resurrection.

His first word, “Peace,” reminds us of the many “fear nots” of the gospel. At the birth of Jesus, the angels come to the shepherds and say, “Fear not, we bring you good tidings of great joy that will be to all people.” When the disciples are on the sea in the storm, Jesus appears and says, “Fear not.” When the stone is rolled away from the tomb, the angel’s words are, “Fear not, he is not here for he is risen.”

There are three hundred and sixty-five “fear nots” in Holy Writ, one for every day of the year. When he says, “Peace,” he’s saying the same thing.

Please notice the grounds on which Jesus can say to these guilty men and women, like you and me, “Peace be unto you.” The answer is, “He showed them his hands and his feet.” In the wounds of Jesus Christ, and there only, can peace be found—in the awareness that all our sins have been paid for, in the assurance that all guilt has been wiped out for those who believe, because he has endured all that the broken law calls for.

There is only one place of peace, and that’s in the wounds of Jesus. – Des Ford

You Can Steal Paradise!

“You will be with me in Paradise.” - Luke 23:43 NIV

The Bible records only one deathbed repentance: only one, so no one would despair, but only one, so no one would presume. Who could imagine in a thousand years a better way of illustrating Christ’s Gospel: grace and love triumphs over sin and death in the face of true repentance. This man with blood on his hands, who had nourished hatred and violence in his heart, is transformed by the magnetic appeal of the One suffering in his stead. Now this thief makes the biggest “steal” of his life – Paradise! And the owner of Paradise rejoices to let him do it!

In his rebuke of his brother thief, he includes himself as guilty and deserving of death, yet in his appeal to Christ he takes hold of life beyond the Cross.

Why is he saved rather than the very religious Pharisees and the philosophic Sadducees? Because he has a sense of need and an awareness of his true lost estate. Even the Son of God cannot save one who has no awareness of need. The greatest blessing in the world for the unconverted, is not wealth or talent or position, but the sense of one’s true estate – one’s guilt before God and an inability to deal with it. This the thief had, and consequently, Paradise was his. – Des Ford

God’s Kingdom Is A Kingdom of Freedom

Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:2 NIV

The Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans is a great letter about freedom. In the first five chapters, it talks of our freedom from the wrath of God. Then, in chapter six it talks about our freedom from the dominion of sin. In the seventh chapter, it is saying we are free from law as a covenant. It is no longer a method to be used to gain “brownie points” with God and to assure us of our righteousness. Then, in the following chapter, Paul says we are free from death.

Read the last verses of each of these chapters and we find in each case that the freedom is “through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

The chief cause of unhappiness is not from outside but from inside, from unsatisfied desires and passions. The only free person in the world is one who wants to do what he or she ought to do.

When we really come to believe that God loves us, and that he loved us enough to die for us in Christ, then everything changes. With that glorious faith, the Holy Spirit comes into the life, and he writes the law of love in our hearts so that now we want to do what we ought to do. With Christ there is perfect satisfaction and overwhelming joy. – Des Ford

The Word of Jesus Is Miraculous

Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. - Acts 2:22 NIV

The Gospel of John records seven miracles that Jesus performed. These illustrate the transforming power of Jesus in our lives.

In these miracles, we find transformation from sadness to gladness, from disease to health, from paralysis to abundant energy, from hunger to fullness, from anxiety to tranquillity, from darkness to light, from death to life. In these miracles, we are given a picture of the transformation that takes place in the life of every person who comes to Jesus. These miracles reveal that all things are under the control of Jesus.

The main point for each of us is that Christ’s transforming Word is as strong and efficient as his actual presence. Without touching the water in the stone jars at the wedding in Cana, Christ, with a word, turned it into wine. Later, he spoke a word at Cana and healed a boy at Capernaum. And that same word called a dead man from his grave. That word is still available to accomplish a miracle of salvation in the life of even the weakest of believers who calls out to Christ in faith. – Des Ford

Christ Solves the Problem of Existence

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. - 2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV

Don’t let anyone tell you that Christianity and religion are irrelevant. The most significant fact in your existence and mine is that old-fashioned concept called ‘sin’. Human life is happy or unhappy, fruitful or unfruitful, significant or insignificant, because of its relationship, not to things, but to this distinctive: are we doing what we know to be right? There’s nothing in this world that deals with sin effectively except the gospel!

What makes life matter is friendship, love, fellowship, honesty, purity and truthfulness. You can’t cut them up, put them in a parcel and send them through the mail. They are all intangibles. But these are the things that make life significant.

Our present existence is characterised by joy or sorrow according to our love relationships with our Creator, our brother, sister, wife, husband, father, mother, children, and the people with whom we work. And only the gospel can make these relationships altogether right. Think of it this way: primarily we have only three relationships – with ourselves, our neighbour and our God. Unless we are right with God, we cannot accept ourselves; and if we cannot accept ourselves, we cannot accept our neighbour. – Des Ford

Jesus Is the Heart of Christianity

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will never pass away.” - Matthew 24:35 NIV

Christ is the only person who ever lived who claimed to be God, and yet was considered sane by the best of his generation. His influence was greater than all other teachers.

What other teacher ever dared to forecast that his teachings would last forever? Jesus declared, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35 NIV), and every day brings fresh proof of the truth of this. Each new generation finds in Jesus’ teaching what is new, fresh and inspiring. As we look across the centuries, we see how his Words have passed into laws, into church doctrines, into proverbs, and into words of comfort and support, but they have never passed away.

Jesus said, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32 NIV). This claim shows that the inner life and the unifying factor of Christianity would be a person, not a philosophy, and that person is the carpenter of Nazareth. Usually in institutions and religion, we find at the core a set of beliefs, not a person. The heart of Christianity is not a creed, but a person – Jesus Christ. – Des Ford

When It Seems God Is Not There, He Is

“I am glad for your sakes that I was not there.” - John 11:15 NKJV

Christ was glad because he had a bigger plan. He raised Lazarus from the dead to encourage all who would lose loved ones in death, and he gave encouragement to the bereaved of all ages.

Perhaps Christ is still saying, in some of the situations in our lives, “For your sake I am glad I was not there” (John 11:15 NIV). Perhaps he has a much bigger plan than the one we would thrust upon him immediately.

This we know – our God does all things well. Our perspective is so cramped, and we see but dimly.

God isn’t always to be perceived just in the light and glory. He’s also in the darkness. According to Scripture, justice and righteousness are the foundation of his throne, but clouds and darkness are round about him (Psalm 97:2). The stars shine brighter in the darkest nights.

The Bible tells us we are never alone in the darkness. There is one who holds our hand, a very present help in trouble.

We see darkly, we stumble, and we wonder in our pain. But when we see our God – who loves supremely, who is there for us, and who cares – then we realise that tears are often the birth pangs of greatness. – Des Ford

How the Cross of Jesus Should Guide Your Life

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” - John 12:32

Jesus answers the question “How shall we live?” Only the principle of the Cross of Jesus can rightly guide our hearts, minds and wills. When we, like Jesus, consent to crucify our selfishness and sacrifice ourselves for others, we begin to truly live. There is no other way.

Your response to Jesus’ death for you will determine your destiny. If you accept his sacrifice on your behalf, you will be given immortality when Jesus returns. If you reject his sacrifice on your behalf, you will be denied eternal life on that day.

The Judgement that takes place when Jesus returns will not decide your destiny – you decide your own destiny when faced with the Cross. The Judgement that takes place when Jesus comes will bestow on you the destiny that you chose when you decided to accept or reject Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

The Bible says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed”. (John 3:18 NIV). – Des Ford

Jesus is Your King

He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. - Revelation 17:14 NKJV

At one point in Jesus’ trial, the leaders of Israel took him to Herod’s palace where the Roman Governor, Pilate was staying. They did not understand that by handing Jesus over to unbelievers, they, as a nation, were rejecting their Messiah and were offering him to the Gentiles.

Pilate came out to meet the Jewish delegation that had brought Jesus and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

They evaded his question by answering, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

Pilate asked his soldiers to bring him the prisoner. When Jesus was standing before him, he asked, “Are you king of the Jews?”

Jesus admitted that he was guilty of the charge, but in such a way that he was innocent. How can that be? It’s because his kingdom is not of this world. If it were of this world, his servants would fight. Christ’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of people, a kingdom that would one day have citizens from every nation on Earth. Yes, Jesus was King of kings and Lord of lords. – Des Ford

Jesus Causes You to Bear Fruit

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” - John 15:8 NIV

Jesus said:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:1–4 NIV

Pruning is painful, but the result is wonderful. When God wants to prune away things from your life that do not produce fruit for his kingdom, don’t resist him. The best Christians – those who are full of peace and joy – are those who let God prune useless and unnecessary things from their lives.

Those who have demonstrated that they have received the crucified Christ by taking the bread and wine, now walk in the power of the Spirit of Jesus. They bear much fruit. There is no such thing as a true Christian who does not bear fruit. And a Christian can bear no greater fruit than the fruit of love. – Des Ford

What We Should Say Every Morning

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? - Romans 8:31-31, NIV

Our problem is the heart of the word ‘sin.’ Man became self-centred at the throne. This is the problem of all of us: self-centeredness. That is why we are not praising God and praying to God. All I am thinking about is how am I doing.

That’s a threat to me; thinking that God is asleep and thinking of self, self, self.

It is easy to say, but always worth thinking about what this saying means: If God is not God of all, he is not God at all. We ought to get up in the morning and say, “I am the Lord’s!” – not with reluctance, but with joy!

“I am the Lord’s, entirely and forever. I exalt at the thought! Here at the foot of the cross, I devote my life to his service. All I have has come from Him – all my talents, all my money, small or great, all my opportunities, all my energies – and I devote to thee and to your cause, forever. All will be Christ’s. Whatever comes to pass, honour or reproach, joy or sorrow, life or death. I am the Lord’s, world without end.”

That should be the Christian’s prayer. Our Lord said, If anyone would follow me, he must love me more than father or mother, son or daughter, houses or land and his own life… his own life! I submit to you it is because we do not see our sinful lost estate that we do not appreciate the Gospel. – Des Ford

Christ Died For All

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV

So, there’s a vital question to all of us. How can a man be reconciled to God? The good news for today, my friends, the good news unlimited is that the confession of the real problem can result in an immediate discovery of healing. Every needy person can be surprised by joy. The burden of the New Testament is that man’s Maker, aware of the human dilemma, has already intervened to solve it. This is the meaning of the cross. The Scriptures declare to guilty men that He Who is both Lawgiver and Judge has lived their life and died their death in order that by way of exchange we might be credited with His life and His righteousness.

The Scripture says One has died for all; therefore, all have died. And if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation for the old has passed away and behold the new is come. All this is from God Who through Christ reconciled us to Himself. For our sake, He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin Who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21.

At Calvary, again without our personal participation, we were redeemed by the second Adam. As Adam represented the race in Eden, so Christ, the second Adam, represented humanity at the cross. – Des Ford

Practice the Presence of God

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. - Colossians 3:2, NIV

We need to practice the presence of God. Too many people are practicing the absence of God. The worst thing about popular television is not its violence or impurity, though that’s bad enough. No, the worst thing about TV is its practice of the absence of God.

If we find it hard to picture a God that we can talk to in prayer, then we need to practice his presence.

How do we practice the presence of God?

We need to picture often in our minds, as we walk or drive, the scenes of Christ’s Passion Week, or the events after Pentecost, and some of the great passages of Scripture that tell us about God. We need to fasten our minds on brief snippets of Scripture, such as, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). We need to think about such things and ideas.

What keeps you from practicing the presence of God? – Des Ford

The Gospels and The Lord’s Prayer

“This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” - Matthew 6:9-13, NIV

The Lord’s Prayer is a summary of the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are summed up in this prayer. But in reverse.

The prayer begins with a summary of John’s Gospel, the last Gospel. The first part of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” is a summary of John’s Gospel. John’s Gospel mentions God as “Father” 120 times.

As we move on in the Lord’s Prayer, we find it deals with the forgiveness of sins.

This reminds us of Luke’s Gospel, which has the most to say about the compassionate nature of God and his generosity in forgiving sins. It’s full of compassion and sympathy and forgiveness. When we read the second section of the Lord’s Prayer about “forgive us our sins,” that makes us think about Luke.

And “lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” makes us think of Mark. Mark contains more of the miracles Christ. Mark is the great Gospel of victory over the adversary. When the Lord’s Prayer says, “Deliver us from evil,” that’s a summary of Mark, when mighty miracles take place.

Matthew contains the word “kingdom” 56 times. The Lord’s Prayer ends with the theme of Matthew: “Thine is the kingdom of heaven.”

Our Lord’s Prayer is a summary of John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew – in that order. – Des Ford

When God Wrestles

Then Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So, He said to him, “What is your name? “He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” - Genesis 32: 24–28, NIV

Jacob has learned that the brother he cheated is coming to meet him with his army. At midnight he feels that Esau has fallen upon him and that he is wrestling with Esau. But it is not Esau.

They wrestle on and on and on to teach Jacob something. The One Jacob wrestles puts forth a finger and puts Jacob’s thigh out of joint as if to say, “Listen, son, I could have dealt with you a long time ago. It is only in mercy to you that I let you wrestle on. You are wrestling with God!”

The Son of God comes down in human form and wrestles with Jacob. The visitant wants to get something from Jacob. What is it? Surrender, acknowledgment of his own weakness, depravity, and need.

Unless the Spirit of God comes in to motivate us differently, our only motive is to avoid pain and find happiness. Dwight L. Moody said, “I have more trouble with myself than any other man I have ever met.”

That is so true; it is our story. We wrestle with ourselves. God is very patient with us and he deals with us through his Holy Spirit. He wrestles with us so we will come to the point where give up trying to do it our way. God wrestles with us by pain, by his word, and by his spirit. He wrestles with us to try to teach us to surrender our will to his. – Des Ford

Your All–Powerful Helper

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth.” - John 14:16-17, NIV

It was on our Lord’s last night that he made the most encouraging of all revelations to humanity, apart from the forgiveness of sins. It was on that last night that he told us that his death would purchase for the weakest and worst an all-powerful, all-loving Helper.

This Helper would come to earth to stay, to abide forever in all who believed in Jesus − however weak, however foolish, however erring, however mistake prone, however bad − provided they looked to Jesus Christ.

He would send us another Comforter to be with us forever. He is here, and yet so often we live as though alone. We are never alone. We have an almighty Helper, someone who can do more for us now than Jesus could do in the days of his incarnation for his best friends. He said, “It is expedient for you that I go away.” (John 16:7).

It was an advantage for him to go in order that the Spirit might come − that he may be universally present with every believing soul. What a tremendous gift! And that Spirit is as much on earth with us today as Jesus was after Bethlehem. He abides forever. He hasn’t gone. He doesn’t come and go. He is here.

I pray the Lord will open our eyes to see the depths of the privileges of not needing to live alone. “I will pray the Father, he will give you another Comforter, someone just like Jesus.” What a tremendous encouragement! − Des Ford

Blessed is He Whose Mind Stops at God

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. - Isaiah 26:3, NIV

When we’re threatened with worry the first thing we need to remember is God himself. When we really believe that God loves us – that he intends our good – then we will stop worrying so much. We will trust God as a child trusts a loving parent. Our torments will disappear, for our wills will be swallowed up in the will of God. What a difference that can make for all of us!

Consider Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.” It can be translated this way: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind stops at you, oh God.” God lives in the future as well as the present. Nothing ever takes him by surprise.

He counts the hairs of our head. Can we not let our minds stop at God? He keeps him in perfect peace whose mind stops at God.

That person to whom eternity is real is the person who finds it easiest to live in the present moment. When God is real to us and when God is near to us, we will trust him with both past and future. Those who see the invisible – they alone can do the impossible.

All of life’s ups and downs are meant to prepare you to live with him for eternity. Say to yourself frequently: “God sees me”, which means he sees all our problems, all our perplexities, and all our difficulties. He not only sees, he cares, and he can and will do something about it. Trust him. Blessed is he whose mind stops at God. – Des Ford

Jesus Took My Place

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV

What is the cure for guilt’s alienation and sin’s compulsion? How can a person be reconciled to God? The good news for today, the good news unlimited – is that the confession of the real problem can result in an immediate discovery of healing.

The Scripture says, One:

has died for all, therefore, all have died. And if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation for the old has passed away and behold the new is come. All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to Himself. For our sake, He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

The Gospel is not good advice. It’s good news – good news unlimited. The gospel is the good news that in God’s sight sin has been made an end of and everlasting righteousness has been brought in for you, for me.

Though the news seems too good to be true, it is not. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”, so that you, by believing in Him should never perish but have everlasting life. This is good news, it is true news, and it is for you. – Des Ford

The Power of the Cross

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV

If the Bible is not true, there is no hope. If there is no Jesus, there is no hope. But if it is true, we have infinite significance. What is the key to faith and doubt? To life and death? What is the solution to sorrow, death, guilt, mortality?

God gave you something to hold onto. You hold this key.

The key is the Cross. The greatest event of history was the Cross. Through the Cross, Jesus gave away heaven to a repentant thief. The Cross signifies the greatest hour of the universe.

Without the Cross, it would be as though God was permitting sin and doing nothing about it. But He did do something about it and He spread his arms wide to the sinner.

The Cross is the sign of glory. The Cross is an anchor, a refuge, and a haven to storm tossed souls. It ransomed the world. It shook hell and condemned the devil. It brought everlasting righteousness. It brought down the Holy Spirit. It opened heaven for all who would believe.

The sweetest melody of the Christian is to talk about the Cross. Consider the Cross today and how it has affected your life as a Christian. – Des Ford

The Secret of Peace and Joy

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” - John 14:1, NIV

Even in the Christian life, trials and sadness come. Yet, we know God is faithful. He makes a way to bear it. Yes, a Christian suffers.

My own family has suffered. A dear family member has battled cancer for seven years. My son had an accident as a teenager and suffered a head injury. His life has been proven difficult since that time.

I have suffered a stroke, infection, and long hospitalisations. This is everybody’s story. Life is not a picnic. But if you believe in the God of love, you can have peace and joy no matter what.

God will dwell in your heart. God is the great giver. He is closer to you than your own breath. Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God and believe also in Jesus.

These things are written so that you know that you have eternal life. Read the Bible with faith, hope, and love. You can know that you are complete in Christ. Full of love, mercy, selflessness. He will never leave or forsake you. He comes after the one who has gone astray. He didn’t come to call the righteous. There aren’t any.

Live for Jesus. That is the secret to peace and joy. – Des Ford

Believe!

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” - John 5:24, NIV

Christ is no mere man only. He is God. The divinity of our Lord is our assurance of eternal life and our guarantee that he is sufficient for all our needs in this present time, as well as in the world to come. The Gospel of John has as its message the glorious truth that once we are united to Christ by living faith, our only limitation will be the welcome one of the will of God which is always good.

Despite our weakness and our sinfulness, all things – the failing of supply, of health, of strength, of apparent safety – work together for good. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But most of all, the Gospel is declaring that the spiritual ravages of our nature made by sin can be healed by our contact of faith with the living Christ. John is as aware of the simplicity of salvation by faith alone and therefore he uses various forms of the word “believe” approximately 100 times.

That salvation is free is the glorious good news told again and again. Sense can be made of the nonsense of life only as we believe the words of Christ. Listen again to some from the most beautiful book in the Bible.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24, NIV

Throughout the Gospel of John, the word of the divine Christ works transformation. It raised Lazarus from the dead. That same word received and believed by you and me places us too on resurrection ground translated into the eternal kingdom of God. – Des Ford

Perfectly His Child

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household. - Ephesians 2:19, NIV

The more I behold Christ’s perfect embodiment of infinite love and truth, the more my conscience would be troubled did I not also believe that his personal righteousness is imputed every moment to this foolish, erring, weak, stumbling believer.

Similarly, I would despair if the Scripture did not assure me that all who have surrendered their lives to the Saviour are “accepted in the beloved,’ “cleanse[d] … from all unrighteousness,” and without “condemnation” or separation.

Despite the fact that we strive to fulfil every known duty, we remain “unprofitable servants,” righteous only by faith in the merits of Christ, for we all make many mistakes and must pray daily “forgive us our debts”.

In other words, the Good News assures me that if I have given myself to Christ, I am perfectly his child, though not a perfect child. While I am a sinner in myself all my days, in Christ I have perfect righteousness, for “this man [Jesus] receives sinners,” and God is the one who justifies the ungodly who believe.

While at every advance step in my Christian experience my penitence will deepen; and while I will make the apostle’s confession my own, “I know that in me there dwells no good thing;” and my prayers will urgently ascend that the Saviour might help the disorders of my sin-sick soul; simultaneously, I will rejoice that Christ is made unto me righteousness, sanctification, wisdom, and redemption and that I can never be lost while I trust in his merits. – Des Ford

It’s My Life, Isn’t It?

You were bought at a price. Therefore, honour God with your bodies. - I Corinthians 6:20, NIV

We belong to God, every cell, every talent, every capacity for thought, feeling, and action. Life consists of responsibilities as well as privileges, duties as well as pleasures, obligations as well as indulgences.

The immutable nature of the universe is that of a cause-effect relationship. What we sow we reap inevitably. We take many things for granted, including the many blessings of life.

The truth is told that we are God’s, not our own. How can it be?

We were bought. We were delivered if we will accept it. God’s own Son valued us so highly that he would not leave us in the darkness of the shadow of condemnation and death. By his own agonies, he saves us from our agonies if we will let him.

We are not our own, either by origin, preservation, nature, privileges or destiny. All that I can call my own are my mistakes, my sins, my failures, my innate abysmal selfishness, and poverty.

Therefore, sing it gladly: “We are not our own, for we have been bought with a price. Therefore, will we glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God’s.” Hallelujah! – Des Ford

He Will Deliver You

For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. - Psalm 72:12-13, NIV

Psalm 72:5 tells us, “May his name endure forever; his fame continue as long as the sun. May men bless themselves by him and all nations call him ‘blessed.’” What a king is this!

And unlike most kings, he is interested in the lowliest and the humblest and the weakest and the poorest and the neediest. Look at Psalm 72:12, “He delivers the needy when he calls, the poor, and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives of the needy.”

This is the king we need, we who are needy, who are dying, who are guilty, who are judgment bound, we need a king like this. We need Jesus.

The important thing is to live each day so, at the end of the day, you can say, “It is good that I lived.” The most horrible thing that could happen to anyone is to come to the end of life and say the world is no better for my being here.

You know, we are only stewards, we own nothing. Our talents are lent to us, our days are lent us, our health is lent us, our wealth is lent us. We own nothing. In God, we live, move, and have our being. What have I done with it? There is nothing more miserable than to come to the end of life and say, so what? A wasted life.

Instead, let us live for the King of kings who promises to deliver. – Des Ford

What is Most Important?

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. - I Corinthians 12:12, NIV

Stress is the pressure from outside that makes us feel tense inside. Why can’t we avoid stress? Because it is the inevitable friction that comes from two things rubbing together. And all day we are rubbing and being rubbed by people and things. Keep in mind that most of our stresses (apart from those which are self-caused by selfishness, fear, over ambition, greed, etc.) are triggered by people.

Both in the family and on the job, we are to live by the teachings of the New Testament. “We are members one of another,” “all one in Christ Jesus,” brothers and sisters “for whom Christ died.” Therefore, this principle, that people are more important than things, can be a lifesaver in averting unnecessary tensions.

Too many or too drastic changes or pressures inevitably result in harmful tension and possible breakdown. If this is the case, then we must find wisdom to cope with such “triggers” as personal loss, illness, injury, life-style changes, job changes, money problems, family upheavals, retirement, guilt, and disappointment.

Let me encourage you. Life was meant to revolve around love. It is the greatest protecting buffer against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. God revealed the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. Here, God came to his people and we find the real secret of love.

He came again to His people in love that is manifested in the redemption only through Jesus. – Des Ford

Our Words During the Hard Times

“I am the Lord, who heals you.” - Exodus 15:26, NIV

In just six verses (Exodus 15:22-27), there is a message from God to us that can sweeten our lives wonderfully. These verses tell the story of Israel coming to Marah and finding the waters bitter, leading to howls of complaints from the refugee multitudes.

Moses, under divine direction, does not curse his charges but sweetens the waters by the addition of a miraculous tree. After that, we read, “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.” And they stayed there for several weeks.

Every time we grumble, we are in effect cursing God for messing things up. And we are always in error about the real situation. Elim was only six miles from Marah. If instead of complaining, they had continued on, they would have reached the water-springs and palm trees in just two hours. How often it is that deliverance is very close to our threatening crises! If we would only trust and push on! The shadow of death is so frequently adjoined by green pastures and still waters.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking Marahs are as common as Elims. Pain is so obnoxious to all of us that we exaggerate it and give its causes much more importance than they deserve. The bad things stand out like sore thumbs, though the rest of the body is in fine shape. The bitter time at Marah was brief, but the stay at Elim was long. That’s the way it usually is in life. There are bad patches, but the good times are more frequent and last longer.

The healing tree is a symbol of that real tree of life: The Cross of Christ. Dip it into every trouble and you will be amazed at the change. When we give due importance to the Cross, everything else dwindles. Sorrow is not entirely a wilderness. Despite bleakness and desolation, if we look closely, we will usually find the fertility and beauty of oases nearby.

Never forget it. Grumbling is atheism. Trust and praise are Christian. – Des Ford

We Get to Share in the Suffering of Jesus

Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when He makes His glorious return. - 1 Peter 4:13, CEV

The four Gospels focus on the death of Christ. If we are Christians we must share in the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Before Jesus dies, He must be betrayed. He must go into the dark recesses of Gethsemane that prefigure the darkness of Calvary. At Calvary the sun veiled its face. The sun’s darkness was in sympathy with the darkness of Christ’s soul. On the Cross, His soul suffered sheer horror and abandonment.

We cannot be Christians and at the same time always be “hail fellow, well met” type characters, and “get on well with everybody and anybody” types.

Christians have to stand for something even if everyone else opposes them. You may be a lonely figure because of your faith. You may be betrayed by your friends as Jesus was. You may be sold out by your friends, as Jesus was. You may have your reputation stripped away – they did it to Him – but you have to be a whistle-blower if circumstances demand it.

There’s no dodging the Cross. There’s no dodging betrayal. There’s no dodging Gethsemane. This is the price we pay for being a Christian.

It costs nothing to become a Christian but it may cost everything to remain one.

Christ Solves The Problem of Existence

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. - 2 Corinthians 5:20

Don’t let anyone tell you that Christianity and religion are irrelevant. The most significant fact in your existence and mine is that old-fashioned concept called “sin”. Human life is happy or unhappy, fruitful or unfruitful, significant or insignificant, because of its relationship not to things, but to this distinctive: are we doing what we know to be right? There’s nothing in this world that deals with sin effectively except the gospel!

What makes life matter is friendship, love, fellowship, honesty, purity and truthfulness. You can’t cut them up, parcel them up and send them through the mail. They are all intangibles. But these are the things that make life significant.

Our present existence is characterised by joy or sorrow according to our love relationships with our Creator, our brother, sister, wife, husband, father, mother, children, and the people with whom we work. And only the gospel can make these relationships altogether right. Think of it this way: Primarily we have only three relationships – with ourselves, our neighbour and our God. Unless we are right with God, we cannot accept ourselves; and if we cannot accept ourselves, we cannot accept our neighbour.

The Blessing of the Presence of the Heavenly Father

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people. - Psalm 125:2, NIV

There is simply no blessing like the blessing of the constant awareness of the presence of our heavenly Father. Our God is One who, for Christ’s sake, has accepted us just as we are with all our sins, failures, and weaknesses. One who does not see in us the likeness of the sinner but the likeness of his Son in whom we believe. One who is always for us and never against us.

There is no blessing in all the world like the awareness of the presence of that One. Even a heathen king got a glimpse of it on one occasion. He persecuted the Hebrew worthies and threw them into the burning fiery furnace. Suddenly he stood up amazed and confounded and said,

“Didn’t we throw in three? But I see four men in the furnace, loose, walking. And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God…” Daniel 3:24-25

The Bible is full of the thought of the presence of God. Psalm 125:2 says,

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people.

So, God surrounds me to protect me. Deuteronomy 4:39 says

The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

God is above to watch over me and below on earth beside me to care for me. Where is God? He is going before us. He is always there. – Des Ford

Who is Building Your Life?

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. - Psalm 127:1

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount we read,

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell and great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-28 NRSV

Everyone must build. We are all building character. Every thought builds character, every word builds character, every desire cherished builds character. Every conscious moment, I am building the edifice of character.

Everyone must build. That’s the first thing.

The second thing is that every building will be tested. The storms won’t pass us by, leaving us alone. Lightning will strike every one of us. The edifice of character will be tested by trial, troubles, affliction, false accusation, and bewilderment.

Every edifice of character will be tested, and unless character is built on Christ, it will go down. – Des Ford

Take Up Your Cross!

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” - Luke 18:22

Our Lord did not deceive people when he said, “Come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22). He did not say we will have a crown from the start, and no more worries.

I was the only traveller on a bus in New Zealand once. I stopped and chatted with the bus driver, and to just about everything I asked him he said, “No worries, mate … No worries, mate … No worries, mate.” What a lucky guy, I thought.

“No worries, mate!” In a sense, that was good gospel.

If you are in Christ, there will be all sorts of things that threaten worry. But our Lord says, “If you live one day at a time – even though you take up a cross, even though you hate the world, even though you have tribulation - if you are in me, you will have peace.”

Jesus does not disguise either half of the paradox. He does not tempt us by saying there will be no problems, “No worries, mate.” He says you will take my cross; every day you will die. We are to die to selfishness and our own wilfulness. But he says our cross will become a crown.

Jesus endured the cross that we might escape the cross. He simply asks us to follow him. – Des Ford

God Must be First

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” - Matthew 6:22, NIV).

Christ says the filling of our entire spiritual being with light depends on the spiritual eye of the conscience. It is the conscience which, according to its condition, admits or retards the entrance of saving light.

It can illuminate the whole personality or if ignored, it can leave man a decaying loathsomeness – a grave within, like the Pharisees to whom this warning came in Luke 11:44 saying, “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.” It is apparent from these words of Christ that it is possible for conscience to be diseased, and partly or wholly blind.

As a sun dial tells the time only when the sun is shining upon it, so conscience is reliable only when reflecting the beams of him who is the Light of the World. – Des Ford

Are You in a Season of Crisis?

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, NIV

Life is never easy, and although we may think everyone around us is intensely successful and happy, we don’t see the whole picture. No person in the world is perfectly content. No one is ever free of problems.

When a child misbehaves, we often say, “Oh, it’s just a stage he’s passing through.” Similarly, many of our own problems arise because we’re passing through some stage of personal development.

Our lives can be divided into various stages. These periods have been called “the testing teens”, “the teachable twenties”, “the terrific thirties”, “the fiery forties”, “the forceful fifties”, “the serious sixties”, “the sacred seventies”, and “the aching eighties”.

When you’re young you are sure that life gets better as you get older. But when you’re older you are sure that youth was sheer heaven. I’ve often said we should aim to die young as late as possible!

No matter the stage of life you are in today, you are loved and seen by God. If you are in crisis, know you are not alone. Turn your eyes to Jesus today. – Des Ford

God Must be First

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. … For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. - 1 Chronicles 16:23-25, NIV

“Is life worth living?” The question as to whether life is worth living usually depends on the person.

How should one live in order to have a happy life? Do we need to look for a new formula? Someone once asked Albert Einstein whether he carried a notebook with him in order to jot down his new ideas. His reply was, “No. I don’t get many new ideas.” He was right. Most of the great ideas that influence our world and our lives, in particular, are not new. They are old, very, very old.

We keep looking for some new clue to life, a new prescription, a new formula to try and turn dust into gold. But all that we need to know about life and happiness is found in the old, old platitudes. Perhaps it’s not more knowledge that we need, but more motivation to apply that which is already known.

The fact is, the world is a terrible place when viewed apart from God. Many people dodge the idea of God because they think he’s going to tell them what they ought not to do. We don’t like laws. We think they only exist to be broken. We’re so foolish we don’t see that it is we who are broken. A man who defies the law of gravity by jumping off a tall building illustrates that. The fact is, there can be no good life without laws and limits.

All depends upon whether we will put God first. Let God be God. Either God matters tremendously, or he doesn’t matter at all.

If God is God, he must be put first, ever and always. The worship of God must be seen as our first duty and the source of all our fruitfulness and joy. – Des Ford

Illuminated from Heaven

Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12, ESV

The Gospels record more cases of blindness healed than of any other malady. These were instances of men who had eyes but no sight until they met the Great Physician. The entire world will go out into insanity and darkness if it rejects the music of God’s revelation which alone can bring restoration to conscience.

Let us note a typical case of Christ’s healing of the blind. It shows the only way to moral enlightenment and health for ourselves today.

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” Mark 8:22-25, NIV

Seven times in these few verses the touch of Christ is referred to in different ways. Here then is the source of healing for conscience – contact with the living Christ. We need to emphasise that confusion over right and wrong is the result of rejecting the true source of light. To reject the Spirit of God is to invite continued darkness.

The conscience is able to shine, is constructed to shine, but it is not alight until it has been lighted by the kiss of heaven. We can never hope for the solution to our problems until like the blind man, we submit to the light brought by Christ. – Des Ford

God Delights in Forgiveness

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? - Psalm 130:3, NKJV

What can be said to grieving Christians who have a question about the eternal destiny of a loved one? We cannot comprehend all the purposes and all the knowledge of God, and all His plans.

We have a loving Saviour who came to seek and save the lost. God’s mercy is infinite. When we lose a loved one, we look at their life, and sometimes the bad stands out.

However, unless what Psalm 130:3 says about God is true, we’re all done for. Who can stand against the judgement of God? Of course, the good news of that text is that it is saying that God delights in forgiveness.

Jesus tells us that we are to forgive seventy times seven. What that tells us about God is more encouraging than what it tells us about our duty. It tells us that God forgives infinitely if we seek his forgiveness.

We are forbidden in Scripture to judge the hearts of men, because we cannot know their motives (1 Corinthians 4:5). We shouldn’t be dogmatic about how it’s going to turn out for others in eternity.

Only God knows. The salvation of many is going to be an absolute surprise to all of the rest of the saved. – Des Ford

Our Salvation Depends on God

The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. - Romans 8:7, NIV

Our salvation depends on God rather than upon us, for the Bible is emphatic that all persons, whatever their temperament or natural advantages, are powerless of themselves to live a righteous life.

To encourage everyone who knows how weak they are, the Bible says: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are” (I Corinthians 1:27-28, NIV).

Heaven is for “everyone that believes.” These promises all sound very well, but how are these promises implemented and fulfilled?

It is easy to see from Scripture that a person receives forgiveness and a new heart the moment they understand that God truly loves them. When they truly see that love, they can surrender their all to Christ by faith.

This is wonderful, but it is only half the story. The great preacher Spurgeon reminded us that we don’t just want to be pardoned, but we also want to be “purified”. This means that “Jesus came to take away sin in three ways. He came to remove the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and, at last, the presence of sin.” – Des Ford

With Me in Paradise

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” - Luke 23:43, NIV

The thief saw in the “felon” next to him – who was almost at his last gasp – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who would survive the tomb and return to usher in a kingdom such as humanity has never known.

More than that, this One would rescue from death all who had come to know him as Saviour and Friend. What good news is that!

The thief who hung on a cross beside the dying Jesus is typical of all those Jesus came to save: this man acknowledged that he had nothing to offer, except a sin-polluted heart.

What a gracious answer was received! An immediate answer! An answer full of hope and wonder! Even in the darkness and dread of that awful hour, the Saviour whispers of the glory to come for the thief, telling him, not only of the wondrous place that would be his eternal home, but also of the even more wondrous company he would have there: “You will be with Me in Paradise.”

“You will be” – others thought he would soon not be, but Christ assures him of survival beyond the grave – of immortality.

“With Me,” surely the best part of heaven will be fellowship with him who loved us and gave himself for us.

“In Paradise” – the Eden forfeited by the first sinners is to be restored, more magnificent than ever. – Des Ford

The Good News

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” - John 5:24, ESV

We were all ruined by Adam, our first representative. But Christ came as the second Adam, the second representative of the human race, and he redeemed us all.

Legally it is so. Personally, it becomes so as I believe it. Charles Wesley wrote in his beautiful poem, “Believe, believe the record true, Ye all are bought with Jesus’ blood; Pardon for all flows from His side; My Lord, my Love, is crucified.”

Only this can explain those mysterious sections of the Gospel narrative which tell us of the intensity of Christ’s mental anguish when he sweat great drops of blood and on the cross cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He was forsaken of God, or so it seemed, that we might never be forsaken.

He cried, “Why?” in order that we might never need to cry it. The lightning bolts of judgment struck the innocent Son of God in order that the guilty might find safety beneath the Cross of Calvary.

Furthermore, when we receive this blood-bought gift of righteousness, we cannot remain the same. When we look to Christ, he justifies us, and then his gaze sanctifies. Christ’s salvation dissolves our spirit of rebellion.

This is why the Bible says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24, ESV). – Des Ford

Jesus, The Judge

“For the Father judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son.” - John 5:22, NIV

Life is short and death is certain. Particularly is life short. And what then?

Ask the writer of Hebrews 9:27: “…people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement” (NIV). Also, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NIV).

Did you notice that all this seems very negative? That was the bad news, so now for the good news. You’ll find some of it, indeed, most of it, hidden in the verse just quoted.

Who is this Judge of all the earth before whom we each must stand?

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22, NIV).

The same story is found also in Romans 2: 16: “God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” It wasn’t for nothing that Paul added, “according to my gospel.”

A major part of the Good News is that One with our human nature, the Son of man, our Elder Brother, is to be our Judge. – Des Ford

Jesus is Your Representative

We are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. - 2 Corinthians 5:14, NIV

When our Lord Jesus Christ was baptised, he was baptised for the whole world. He confessed for the whole world. He was penitent for the whole world. Everything our Lord did was as our representative.

There is not a private act of Christ’s in the Bible. Everything he did has an infinite significance and an infinite depth. The essence of the gospel is that it represents Christ as representing the world.

God deals with us based on representation. Adam represented the human race. If Adam had been a victorious overcomer, so would all his successors have been. His children, his grandchildren. You and I would have been because he represented us.

But he didn’t overcome. Adam failed. We were ruined on the principle of representation.

Through Jesus, we are saved on the principle of representation. Please note, 2 Corinthians 5:14 does not say, ‘If one died for all, everybody need not die’. If it was only the principle of substitution, that is what it would say.

But we did die. Never forget. You died on the Cross of Calvary in your representative, Jesus. There, your sins were paid for through him. – Des Ford

The “Good News” Religion

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. - Romans 4:5, ESV

There are only two religions in the world, and only one of them is pleasing to God. The popular religion of the world says, “Be good and God will love you.” This religion is human-centered, works-centered, subjective, and vain.

In contrast, Bible religion – the Good News religion – is that Christ came into the world to save sinners. He loves and accepts us even while we are sinners. It is this acceptance that changes us. God “justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5, NKJV).

The glory of the New Testament religion is that we are saved on the basis of what Christ has done, not by what we do; by what he has felt, not by what we feel. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone.

The righteousness by which we are justified is 100 percent, but it is imputed rather than imparted. The righteousness of sanctification is imparted by the Holy Spirit, but it is never 100 percent in this life.

As Christians, we do not need to be anxious about what God thinks of us. We only need to remember what God thinks of Christ, our Substitute. We do not need to make our peace with God, for Christ has already done that, and Christ is our Peace. – Des Ford

Be Filled Daily

Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. - Ephesians 5:18-19, NIV

Christianity is a daily affair like all important matters. We are to be born again daily, we are to crucify the old life daily, we are to trust daily, and we are to obey daily. But faith always comes before obedience, so our primary duty each day is to seek the infilling of the Spirit by drinking deeply of the words of our Lord.

It is interesting to note that in two parallel passages of Scripture the same effects are attributed to being filled with the word as to being filled with the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18-19 we read,

Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16 tells us,

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Our primary concern every morning should be to seek God’s strength afresh before venturing into the day of toil. On one occasion when the disciples were crossing a lake without Jesus, they were overtaken by a storm. For hours they rowed fruitlessly. When they were ready to despair, they discerned Jesus himself walking on the sea toward the ship.

The record says, “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went” (John 6:21). Too many of us are battling with life’s storms on our own; we toil in rowing and arrive nowhere.

What we need is to receive Jesus on board. Then we will be immediately at our destination, and that destination will be filled with joy and fruitfulness because it is filled with him. – Des Ford

Reconciled to God

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. - Romans 5:10, RSV

Verse 18 of the same chapter goes on to tell us:

as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men.

These verses affirm that the atonement of Christ restored the whole human race to favor with God. Christ is our peace, having broken down the wall between God and humanity. By his own blood, Christ signed the ransom papers for the race.

Unlike most of the solutions offered to humanity, this one has nothing to do with a subjective experience but an objective reality: salvation was accomplished historically, outside of, and independent of ourselves. And the gospel is the glad word of that event.

Calvary is, in the words of a great old hymn “the double cure” of sin. It takes away both sin’s guilt and power. When you understand what God has done for you in atoning for your sin, it has the power to break your heart, and to free you from the bondage of a self-centred existence.

When you look at the Cross, you see the holiness of God, and repent; you see the love of God and believe; you see the power of God, and you are born again. – Des Ford

What is Your Isaac?

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. - 2 Corinthians 4:5, NIV

Faith and obedience are the wings that raise the believer heavenward. True Christian experience is dependent upon an understanding of the relationship between these two.

Faith in Christ must be the fountain of everything we do, for “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). And the Holy Spirit is given that believers might be obedient (Acts 5:32).

Obedience is the evidence of faith. This secret of holy living is illustrated in the book of Exodus. Here we read that the Lord called Moses up into the mountain to commune with him. Moses saw not only the glory of the Lord, but also a vision of the tabernacle God required him to construct.

The Book of Exodus closes with the description of the building of that tabernacle, and in the last two chapters the expression “as the Lord commanded,” occurs nearly twenty times. For example, we read that “according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it; and Moses blessed them.”

God wants every believer to be a temple of the Holy Spirit, and as we grow in character, building in every detail as the Lord has commanded, then his glory will fill us. We need to remember that all God’s commands are promises, and that the power to fulfil the commandment lies in the command as surely as the oak is in the acorn.

The person who knowingly indulges in some practice forbidden by the Word of God, or who neglects a positive duty, cannot expect the infilling of the presence of Christ. Jesus reminds us, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Either Christ is Lord of all or he is not Lord at all, for it is always true that God either matters tremendously, or he doesn’t matter at all. – Des Ford

Power in the Words of Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. - Acts 2:22, NIV

The Gospel of John records seven miracles that Jesus performed. These illustrate the transforming power of Jesus in our lives.

In these miracles, we find transformation from sadness to gladness, from disease to health, from paralysis to abundant energy, from hunger to fullness, from anxiety to tranquility, from darkness to light, from death to life.

In these miracles, we are given a picture of the transformation that takes place in the life of every person who comes to Jesus. They reveal that all things are under the control of Jesus.

The main point for each of us is that Christ’s transforming Word is as strong and efficient as his actual presence. Without touching the water in the stone jars at the wedding in Cana, Jesus, with a word, turned it into wine. Later, he spoke a word at Cana and healed a boy miles away in his home in Capernaum.

And that same word called a dead man from his grave. That word is still available to accomplish the miracle of salvation in the life of even the weakest of believers who call out to Christ in faith. – Des Ford

The Secret of the Christian Life

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” - John 14:10

Christianity can indeed be made simple. The power to live the Christian life is not a power generated from within us or by us; it is a power from without, even the power of Christ, freely given to everyone that by faith maintains a living union with him. Jesus, as the Son of Man, confessed his own lack of personal power: “I can of mine own self do nothing.” “The Father that dwells in me, he does the works” (John 5:30; 14:10).

As the Father lived in Christ and enabled him to be victorious in every phase of his experience, so Christ promises to dwell in every believer, empowering him or her to live a righteous life. Christ declares, “Without me you can do nothing,” but then encourages us by saying that we “can do all things through Christ which strengthens” us.

There is the legend of a man whose garden produced nothing but weeds. At last he met with a strange flower of singular strength. He sowed a handful of this seed in his overgrown garden and left it to work. The results exceeded all expectations: the flowers not only germinated and sprang up in profusion, but they exterminated every weed.

As he looked over his garden, nothing could be seen but the flowers of that rare plant. The story illustrates well the nature of victorious Christian living. Christ in us expels sin. The best way to get rid of the darkness is to let in the light. Thus, the apostle John affirms, “Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (I John 3:9).

In other words, whoever has received into his life the eternal Seed, Christ Jesus, thereby hates sin and can no longer make that his habit. – Des Ford

The Perfect Works of Christ

My servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. - 1 Kings 14:8

This is a remarkable statement. How could God say that when the Bible specifically records that David had broken the sixth and seventh commandments?

The answer is that David repented.

When we repent, God casts our sins into the depths of the seas; as far away as the east is from the west, God removes our transgressions from us. The God who could say of sinful David, ‘my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes’ – that God counts us as sinless for Christ’s sake, when we trust in the Saviour.

Jesus told his disciples, ‘You are already clean’ (John 15:3). Two chapters earlier we find them far from clean: they are wrangling as to who would be greatest and refusing to wash one another’s feet.

Jesus washed their feet, and pronounced, ‘You are clean’ (John 13:10). Later, in prayer, he tells the Father, ‘They have obeyed your word’ (John 17:6).

God looks at us through the cross. God looks at the broken law through the bloodstained mercy seat. We are ‘accepted in the Beloved’ (Ephesians 1:6 KJV). We are ‘complete in him’ (Colossians 2:10 KJV). That is the gospel.

Christ’s perfection, not ours, is the basis of our acceptance. We are saved by works, by perfect works – but they are not our own. They are the perfect works of Christ. – Des Ford

Jesus is Always With You

“I am with you always, even unto the end.” - Matthew 28:20 KJV

These were Jesus’ last words to his church on earth. You may know that in the Greek (and in Hebrew also), ‘I am’ is the expression for ‘God.’ It means the ever-living Yahweh (or Jehovah).

The literal translation of ‘I am with you always, even unto the end,’ is: ‘I with you am all the days unto the end.’ All the days: the bad days, good days, blue days, daze days, all days. Jesus is not only with us, he is around about us. ‘With you’ separates the ‘I’ and the ‘am.’ ‘I with you am.’ Jesus is round about us. That’s why the Psalmist writes:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there… even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

(Psalm 139:7-10 NIV).

I love Lamentations 3:57. Here, the prophet cries out in agony and pain, says,

You came near when I called, and you said, “Do not fear.”

The message, ‘Fear not’, is found 365 times in the Bible. You need not be afraid any day because, I with you am. There’s the great message of Jesus and of all of Scripture. Des Ford

The Remedy For Everyone’s Disease

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23

The thing that worries me is that the church in the West does not on the whole understand the Gospel, or it would overflow with it. It would be the salt of the earth! It would be the light of the world! From within it would flow rivers of living water instead of drops.

I have preached in third world countries. In those countries when the Gospel is understood, the people overflow! Why doesn’t it happen in the West? Because we have forgotten the Gospel or never come to understand it, and the reason for that is because we are too comfortable and too self-satisfied.

It is because the remedy is never appreciated unless the disease is known. Most people in the west are too comfortable. They mistake a full stomach for a good conscience. They mistake a good suit for the robe of righteousness. They mistake a home for the home of the true church which is composed of all the twice born.

If we don’t know the disease, we will never appreciate the remedy and I submit to you that we in the west do not fully understand the disease. What is the disease? Romans tells us: we have all sinned and we all come short of the glory of God. – Des Ford

The Spirit Builds You Up

In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. - 1 Kings 6:7

Solomon’s life was marked by glory, riches, wisdom, and peace. Do you know what the name “Solomon” means? “Solomon” means “peaceful.” Solomon is thought of as the wisest man who ever lived, the richest man who ever lived, and he had a glorious kingdom (1 Kings 5:4)

But I have left out the best thing about Solomon. He built the temple.

That temple was a symbol of the church. Just as Solomon built the temple, Christ said, “On this rock I’ll build my church” (Matt 16:18). We are the living stones and we were cut out not by hammer or chisel but by the silent moving and moulding of the Holy Spirit. In silence, we were prepared to be living stones in the living temple of Christ’s church.

Christ talked about the Spirit, likening him to the wind. The wind blows where it likes. You can’t see it. It makes a sound but it is mysterious (John 3:8). So too the temple. The temple went up without noise, with everything prepared away from it. We are those living stones prepared by the silent moving of the Spirit (1 Peter 2:5). − Des Ford

Tell God’s True Church From The False

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. - 1 John 3:14

Jerusalem becomes Babylon when it offers only rest instead of rest conjoined with battle. Babylon knows only a gospel of good advice and good views instead of the good news.

Babylon has a series of orthodox works and beliefs that bring artificial rest rather than the ecstatic gladness resulting from the knowledge that our sins have been dealt with and the decision (acquittal) of the Last Judgement is ours already.

Babylon has much to say about man while the true church points first to what God has done in the God-man. Babylon fears the second coming and finds witnessing a burden, but the true church, having accepted Christ’s atonement is ready today through His imputed merits. And it loves to witness to God’s other lost children, telling them they have already been redeemed (See Romans 5:14-19.)

A church is not a church when it ceases to bring forth the unselfish fruit of love that results from a living union with the Redeemer.

The false church preaches itself rather than its Lord and has forgotten that justification comes freely through the grace of God, meritoriously by the blood of Christ, instrumentally by faith, and evidentially by willing works of love. – Des Ford

Christ is the Foundation of the Church

“I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” - Matthew 18:18, NIV

In response to Peter’s answer, Jesus calls Peter a rock, and speaks of building the Christian church upon a rock (Mt 16:17-19). Much has been made of this passage.

Peter is a great man, whom God used to open the church to Jews and gentiles. Every time the apostles are listed, Peter is always first, and Judas last. Peter is very important; but some have claimed too much for him.

The issue in the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples is not, “Who is Peter?” but rather, “Who is Jesus?”

When Peter gives his correct answer, Jesus tells him God revealed the answer to him. Then Jesus said, “Peter, your name means a stone or a rock. This truth that you have uttered about me being the Christ, is a rock foundation into which you and the other disciples are built. You are built upon me, the Cornerstone. The temple of the Christian church will rear up on that Cornerstone.”

The very foundation of the Christian church is the truth about Christ. If Christ is merely human, then Christianity is only a philosophy. If Christ is only human, he was but a martyr on the cross, not a Saviour. If he was a sinner, too, as you and I are, he cannot forgive our sins. – Des Ford

Peace Be With You

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” - John 14:27, ESV

Twice, Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you!”

Our first peace comes to us when we see the wounds of Jesus and understand that he was crucified and slain for our sins. Peace comes to those who know that Jesus has paid the full penalty for their sins. They have peace in their hearts because they are no longer under God’s condemnation. This is a deep peace.

The second peace takes a person even deeper, because it is hard to enjoy the first peace of salvation while others are missing out on it. The first peace is salvation for you; this second peace comes when you offer salvation to others. Jesus is here commissioning you to go to others to share his salvation with them.

Pray that the Spirit of God himself will fill you and help you bring salvation to others. When you win souls for Jesus, great peace and happiness will fill you to overflowing. – Des Ford

Let Christ’s Love Transform You

We, who with unveiled faces all contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV

Trying to improve our characters, apart from Christ’s way, is as though the crew of a sailing ship tried to get the becalmed vessel moving by pushing against the masts. Or like a drowning man trying to lift himself out of the water by pulling at the hair of his own head.

Paul taught us the better way. We cannot change ourselves any more than we can birth ourselves. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed” (Rom 12:2). We do not transform ourselves. We are transformed as we contemplate the Lord’s glory.

We can be more than conquerors! (Rom 8:37). Yes, you and me. Not by gritting our teeth, not by more resolutions, but regularly exposing our hearts and minds to the Chiefest Among Ten Thousand, the One Altogether lovely.

Christ has already crushed the head of the serpent. Christ has judged and cast out the prince of this world, and his victory is for us. It is Christ who puts enmity between us and evil. When the heart is filled with the most precious thing in the universe – Christ’s love – then the alternatives offered by temptation appear in all their tawdry shabbiness. In the face of even colossal enticements, we victoriously cry, “I don’t want them! I’d rather have Jesus.” – Des Ford

Receive Jesus

As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. - John 1:12, NKJV

John’s Gospel is the deepest, most beautiful, most wonderful book in the Bible. John presents Jesus as God (John 1:1,3,10,14,18). John’s Gospel is also the Gospel that calls for a decision.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are what are called the synoptic Gospels. “Synoptic” is a technical word meaning “to see the same way,” or “seen together.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasize the human aspect of Christ and focus on what he did.

John’s Gospel emphasises the divine aspect of Christ and focuses on who he is, and what he is. John lingers more on Jesus’ words than his deeds, more on Jesus’ inner nature than his outer actions. John’s Gospel is the Gospel of the divinity of Christ.

But John’s Gospel is not some abstract, theological book, because it asks us an intensely practical question with eternal consequences. It calls for our decision. In effect, John’s Gospel says,

“In Matthew, you’ve seen Jesus as King. He has the right to command us. Our lives are in his hands. In Mark, you’ve seen Jesus as Servant. We are to serve him with like compassion. In Luke, you’ve seen the human Jesus saying, “Love’s activity grows out of love’s contemplation.”

“Now,” says John. “Do you receive this Man?” – Des Ford

Believe in Jesus

“He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” - John 5:24, NKJV

Nearly one hundred times (98 to be exact) John’s Gospel uses the word, ‘believe’. In almost every chapter, John uses the word ‘believe’.

Believing is receiving, and receiving is believing. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, to them who believe on His name” (Jn 1:12 KJV). Chapter after chapter, John asks, “Do you believe?”

The person who believes in Jesus is not condemned.

He who believes on Him is not condemned: but he who does not believe not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18, NKJV).

We have eternal life now (John 5:24), in Christ. The moment I believe, I am not only not condemned. I am justified! Justification is not forgiveness. In a practical sense, it includes forgiveness, of course. But the word means much more. It means to be treated as innocent.

The essence of the Gospel – the Good News – is that God calls the repentant sinner perfect the moment he or she believes. Though we are not good, God declares us righteous, for Christ’s sake. John’s Gospel is asking, “Do you believe? Have you received? Do you have life eternal? Have you received the favourable verdict of the Last Judgment now?” – Des Ford

God Pours His Love into Our Hearts

We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. - Romans 5:5, NLT

Because God, who is our maker and preserver is love, the love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.

God’s love is just as infinite as his wisdom and his power. It is a love that with patience and forgiveness invites the worst as well as the so-called best, saying,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16, NKJV

Whoever believes God’s promises and takes hold of Christ receives love. Now the sky above is a richer blue, and the grass around a deeper green. Now we see in all those around us the purchased fruit of the blood of Christ. Now we know that despite our imperfections we are loved and accepted.

“You are complete in him” and “accepted in the beloved” and “without condemnation” (Colossians 2:20; Ephesians 1:6; Romans 8:1)

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

It is in this reality of God’s Word that we must learn to live. – Des Ford

The Gospel Writers Tell Us of Jesus

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:10,12, NIV

We confess with Matthew that Jesus is the Christ, the son of David and Abraham, the Son of God, who is Immanuel (God with us), and that he fulfilled the law and the prophets and inaugurated the eschatological kingdom of heaven. As the perfectly obedient Messiah, Jesus made final atonement for sin by his death on the cross.

We confess with Mark that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Son of God who was also the suffering Son of man, came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. By his ministry, death, and resurrection he inaugurated the kingdom of God and will, as Lord of history, soon effect its consummation.

We acknowledge with the writer of Luke-Acts that Christianity is a universal faith, embracing all without distinction, making them one in Jesus Christ. It is a faith that in love lifts the outcasts and underprivileged, assuring them of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of humankind.

We affirm with John that the Word, who was God and with God in the beginning, became flesh and dwelt among us. We confess him to be the one who took away the sin of the world. That is how whoever believes in him will not perish but experience eternal life now. – Des Ford

Believe Your Beliefs and Doubt Your Doubts

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! - Mark 9:24, NKJV

If there is no God, no Creator of the universe, then my brain is the result of the play of meaningless atoms in time and space. If this were the case, how could I trust its conclusions?

Where did thought come from? If thought matches reality, there had to be an infinite and wise Creator who gave us consciousness. But if our thoughts are the result of chance then we should no more trust their conclusions than we should expect the splash of an accidental jug spilling to give us a map of Australia.

If the Bible’s picture of a loving heavenly Father is only a myth, and life is meaningless, we could never come to the point of understanding joy and sorrow.

We would never know darkness unless we first knew light. Suppose there was no light and we had no eyes, then the word ‘dark’ would have no meaning. It is because we know the reality of God and good that we feel the intensity of darkness and pain. The One who made the world made your brain and your standard of what is right and good. Every accusation against God is built on a standard, and our standard came from him who made us.

Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts. Never doubt your beliefs and believe your doubts. Never let what you don’t understand destroy what you do understand. – Des Ford

All Things Work Together For Good

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:2, NKJV

The testimony of Scripture is that all things work together for good to those who love God. We have a Christ who gathers up the fragments so that nothing is lost. Without suffering there would be no sympathy; without hardship there would be no hardihood; without pain there would be no patience. There is no way to holiness except through hell.

There are two ways to react to the troubles of life. Jacob said, “All these things are against me” (Genesis 42:36). But Joseph said, “You meant it for evil but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

Paul could say, year after year, after being shipwrecked, stoned, beaten with rods, meeting with false brethren, enduring a thorn in the flesh year after year, he could say,

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor things present or things to come, nor principalities or powers, nor any other created thing is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus, our Lord (Romans 8:38–39).

We’ve got to learn to dance Adam’s dance backward. He disbelieved the word of God and disobeyed; but we have to learn to believe the word of God and obey. – Des Ford

Be Grateful For The Storms

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matt 5:4, NIV.

To come to God, I must be stripped of my self-sufficiency. The blessed poor in spirit know they do not have in themselves what the righteous law demands.

All human philosophy says sorrow is the great trouble of the earth. Jesus says that sorrow is the great opportunity. Sorrow can empty your hands of dirt, so God can fill them with jewels. Sorrow can remove you quickly from the carnal, the worldly, temporal, and evil.

Jesus teaches that the purpose of sorrow is to strand us on the Rock of Ages. Jesus challenges us that if we will see our troubles correctly, they will result in blessing, because trouble punctures the illusion that ‘I am sufficient’.

We are very much like moths that are attracted by the light. The world has many glowing lights: wealth, fame, possessions, power, sex. They can burn us and scorch us. If we use them other than how God says to use them, they can destroy us. But God, in his mercy, empties our hands of tinsel and garbage so he might put something better there.

Jesus challenges us with the astonishing idea: “Blessed are you if you have problems.” He teaches us to say “Thank God” for all the things we think are unbearable weights, insufferable dilemmas, and overwhelming troubles! – Des Ford

Motivated by Calvary

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20, NIV

One of the main things wrong with this world is the lack of right standards. The multitudes think that murder, even the mass murder which we call war, is okay; rape is okay, including rape of the mind and soul by propaganda and pornography and twisted media; theft is okay, from family, employers, neighbouring territories or other people.

This lack of standards springs from the failure to worship, and to see the priorities of reverence, adoration, and holiness. These failures are a result of the greatest failure of all: the failure to meditate upon the Cross, that most terrible of all tragedies and yet most glorious of all triumphs.

Your behaviour, as the poet Matthew Arnold says, is to be “three-fourths of life,” but the other fourth is the motive power of the three-fourths. A train is much longer than the locomotive, but the locomotive provides the driving power. A building is much higher than the foundation, but the foundation is essential. A tree is much larger than the root, but the root gives life to the tree.

The Cross of Christ is the ‘locomotive’ that provides the power, the ‘foundation’ that secures the building and the ‘root’ that gives life. All Christian behaviour springs from a heart that is daily transformed by the vision of the Cross. – Des Ford

You Must Trust and Obey

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. - Psalm 84:12 NIV

It’s the difficult situations that make us into the type of people who have learned to trust and obey regardless of the circumstances. The Christian isn’t promised a life free from pressures and anxieties. He is promised the assurance that God will not forsake him, because God will be with him amidst all of life’s trials. The Christian is promised that ultimately he will see that all things have worked together for good, and that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor anything can separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. To be able to claim God as your Father is far, far better than to be the king of a great country or the wealthiest person in creation.

To have God as your Father, heaven as your home, eternal life in the present, forgiveness of sins, to walk in step with the universe: that’s worth more than all the world’s riches. When you believe this, life’s trials diminish in significance.

There are those who call for an analysis of the cause and effect relationship behind the problem, in order prayerfully and carefully to make a decision, and then to act. That’s fine, however, as the old hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.” – Des Ford

Temptation is Not Sin

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. - 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist everything except temptation.” We have to do better than Oscar. God had one Son without sin, but he has never had one son or daughter without temptation. It’s very important to know the difference between temptation and sin. There are times when all genuine Christians feel terrible, soiled, besmirched, guilty, because they have fought a battle with sin. Even though they said, “No!” they feel bad about being tempted.

Friends, there is no condemnation in being tempted. There is only condemnation in saying, “Yes!” You may be tempted to lose your temper, to do something drastic, or do something impure. That’s temptation, not sin.

Temptation is our daily companion. To a sensitive, alive, alert person, temptation is a constant associate. With most of us, it’s not the temptation to do something drastic. Our temptations are much more minor. Our temptations are things we think we can get away with. Most of us aren’t big-time murderers or big-time thieves. We can only get away with the little murders, the small unkindnesses.

You and I are so self-centred by nature, that although the whole world aches for kindness, we are tempted repeatedly to be selfish and unkind when we can get away with it. That is our greatest temptation. – Des Ford

Pain is a Teacher

Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:2–3

Shadows compose half the beauty of the world, and in every human life it is the same. You never see a great painting without shadows. Malcolm Muggeridge said, “The only ultimate tragedy is to so settle down in this world that you feel at home in it.” That is the only ultimate tragedy.

We can only learn to be patient and to be kind, forgiving and merciful if we endure pain. The best teacher is pain. In a rebellious world there is only one way that the character of rebels can be changed and made luminous and wonderful: that is by pain. Without pain we would be destroyed, and be worthless. I guess that in our pain we remember that God is in control.

The fact that Christ could feel forsaken means that we need never feel forsaken. The fact he felt forsaken did not mean he was. You and I often feel forsaken. This does not mean that we are forsaken, anymore than Christ feeling forsaken was evidence that he was.

Black Friday became Good Friday, and this is the greatest parable of all: that the things that hurt us most can ultimately help us be the best. To suffer is terrible, but to have suffered is wonderful. – Des Ford

As You Look To Jesus, You Will Be Changed

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. - Hebrews 12:2

The two doctrinal ills in the matter of salvation are legalism and antinomianism. The former teaches that we must be good in order to be saved. The latter teaches that being saved, we can do as we like.

Both of these are erroneous. God accepts us just as we are. The legalism in the New Testament was not the belief that we are saved by works, but that we are saved by faith and works. In reality, we are saved by faith alone, though the faith that saves is never alone.

Neither does sanctification come by looking to self. There we find only insufficiency, inadequacy and sin. We are saved by looking to the Saviour. For every look at your wounds of sin, give ten looks to the Great Physician. Whatever gets our attention gets us. Whatever we hold in the mind passes into action.

If the Christian continually keeps his sin and failures and mistakes in his mind, he will sin and make more and more mistakes. But if Christ is pre-eminent in the Christian’s thinking, then he will grow more and more like his Master, so that,

We all with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory. - 2 Corinthians 3: 18

– Des Ford

Have the Verdict of the Last Judgment Today

By grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

Sin is like a burden on us, like a law over us, and a disease within us. Sin is our creditor, our tyrant, and our traitor. The guilt of sin, the power of sin, the presence of sin can only be dealt with by Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

God removes the guilt of sin the moment we believe. The power of sin is simultaneously crushed in principle as we behold God’s great love for the sinner. Sin’s presence no longer reigns in us, though our sinful nature remains. (Therefore, we dare not depend upon our sanctification for acceptance with God.)

We are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6, KJV),”complete in him” (Colossians 2:10, KJV), without “condemnation” (Romans 8:1), and made to “sit with him [Christ] in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6, RSV).

The only true religion asserts with Scripture that we are saved through faith, the gift of God, and not by any good that we do ourselves. If, however, we forget this religion of the Bible, and trust anything in ourselves for acceptance and for peace, we are inviting turmoil and stress.

The believer looks for comfort only to Christ’s gift of righteousness. When the believer accepts what Christ did for him on the Cross, he has the verdict of the last judgment already, and for as long as he believes. – Des Ford

No Condemnation

God will not take away a life; he will devise plans so as not to keep an outcast banished forever from his presence. - 2 Samuel 14:13

As Adam represented the race in Eden, so Christ – the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) – represents humanity at the cross:

One has died for all; therefore all have died (2 Corinthians 5:14, NRSV).

When Christ died for the “sins of the world” (John 3:16), God counted it that you paid the price for your sinfulness. The Bible tells us that because of Adam’s disobedience, everyone who has ever lived is sinful and disobedient by nature. So Jesus, the ‘second Adam’ has paid the penalty for win by his perfect life and his death on behalf of everyone.

Now, whosoever will may come. Now, all sins will be forgiven. Now, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins because the claims of the righteous, eternal law have been met. We have died through our Substitute and Representative, Jesus.

God will not ask us to pay the price a second time if we abide in Christ. “You are complete in him” (Colossians 2:10, NKJV), and “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6 KJV), so

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1 NRSV).

If Calvary does not move us, God has nothing better to convince us. The Cross is the centre and the basis of Christianity. To refuse the Cross is to treat our own destiny with contempt, but glad-hearted acceptance begins life eternal. – Des Ford

Righteousness Through Christ

One has died for all; therefore have all died. - 2 Corinthians 5:14

The Bible asserts that when Jesus died, then the whole wicked world potentially died in him and paid the price for its sins. Because of this, God is already reconciled to all men, so he says, “Be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Potentially all men are saved; all that individuals need to do is accept so great a salvation and by that act of acceptance, lay hold of eternal life.

Faith has no virtue in itself. It is merely the hand by which we receive the One in whom is all virtue. Thus righteousness does not come through faith in our faith; it comes through looking at Jesus Christ and believing what he says.

True belief when connected with a person always involves more than a mental assent. If we believe in a banker, we will entrust our money to him; if we believe in a doctor, we go to him with our physical ills. If we are to believe in Christ the Saviour and Lord, we must permit him to save us from our sins and we must obey him implicitly.

Thus it is that repentance, confession of sin, restitution, and obedience are always associated with conversion and regeneration. By surrender we are to consecrate our all to Christ, and by faith we are to receive his all. – Des Ford

Always Be Praying

Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. Psalm 116:2

Funnily enough, we have a strange idea about prayer. We think that prayer is for when we get up in the morning and before we go to bed at night.

When Ruth Graham (evangelist Billy Graham’s wife) was asked about her prayer life, she said, “I pray on the hoof.” The kind of prayer that the Bible recommends is not long, public prayer, but brief, frequent prayer. Prayer is constant communion with God.

The best way to pray is the way Christ exemplified. His prayers were short, powerful, but frequent. That’s the best prayer life. By all means pray in the morning; by all means pray in the evening. But prayer “on the hoof” is the best way. This is what theologians call “ejaculatory prayer,” or short, brief prayers. (See Nehemiah 1:5-11; 2:4; 4:9; 6:9; Genesis 17:18.)

Prayer “on the hoof” is real praying: praying all the time, about everything. The way you should pray for people is when the Lord puts them upon your heart. As soon as you have a worry about them, commit them to God.

I pray when I collect mail, and I pray as I answer all those letters. For 50 years I’ve prayed as I’ve walked, or as I’ve jogged. True prayer life is a constant communion. – Des Ford

Rules Are Not Enough

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation. Psalm 25:4–5

Issues are rarely right or wrong. Often they are between what is bad, and which is less bad. A wise person learns that “when two duties conflict, one ceases to be a duty.”

Error lies close to truth. Because values constantly come into conflict, the Christian is never relieved from the “strain” of faith: the necessity of constantly throwing oneself afresh upon the guiding Spirit of God. Amid life’s bewildering circumstances, faith always looks beyond self to God, the Source of wisdom and strength, for each moment’s new decision.

Christians will find mere rules quite inadequate. Rules must change with situations, though principles never change. Only the prayerful, studious Christian will move wisely most of the time, even in the wider arena of compromise.

Is compromise easy for the Christian? Never! Can a Christian avoid compromise altogether? Never! Our lives are a mixture of change and stability, so every Christian will learn to adapt, while having unyielding loyalty to principle.

One day soon all the greys and all the blacks will be gone—morally as well as physically—and we will walk together in rainbow hours of everlasting day. – Des Ford

True Knowledge of God Changes Everything

Let the one who boasts, boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight. - Jeremiah 9:24

In the ancient book of Job we have the invitation “acquaint now thyself with him and be at peace” (Job 22:21). Centuries later, Jesus of Nazareth echoed these words when he said, “Come … learn of me … and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28, 29). In terms of our higher nature and potential, it is the knowledge of God that we chiefly need.

If that be so, we might anticipate that the great adversary would do all he could to give us a false picture of God. How well he has succeeded!

Think of your early childhood pictures of God and analyse your present ones. Poor God often comes out looking like a policeman in a white shirt, with his brow furrowed and his finger raised in warning. Such immature and inaccurate pictures, of course, conflict strangely with biblical passages such as:

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him (Psalm 103:13).

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you (Isaiah 66:13).

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth… forgiving iniquity (Exodus 34:6,7).

Should we not strive to have a more accurate, biblical picture of our Maker, Redeemer, and Judge? – Des Ford

Every Desire Is A Prayer

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. - Psalm 37:4

The main hindrance to prayer are the things we value and desire, because every desire is a prayer.

The prodigal son prayed, “Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me,” (Luke 15:12, KJV). He got it and landed in a famine. Lot got what he desired: Sodom – and he had to leave it with his tail between his legs. Judas got what he wanted: thirty pieces of silver – and he swung from a tree. Every desire is a prayer.

We must be careful with the things we desire, and with how we live. We can’t pray well and live wickedly. We can’t pray purposefully and live carelessly (See Isaiah 59:2).

It is because of our desires that we despise what is readily available.

Every desire is a prayer so be careful what you desire. In St. Peters in Rome, there is a door into the cathedral that is only opened four times in a century. It is called the porta sancta. Just four times every one hundred years, the pope approaches the door with a small silver hammer and knocks on the door. Then it is opened to him.

Suppose you could pray only once every 25 years. Of course, you are not restricted. But the fact that prayer is readily available makes us underestimate its value, and to desire other things. We should make God’s desires our desires. – Des Ford

Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! - Mark 9:24

If there is no God, no Creator of the universe, then my brain is the result of the play of meaningless atoms in time and space. If this were the case, how could I trust its conclusions?

Where did thought come from? If thought matches reality, there had to be an infinite and wise Creator who gave us consciousness. But if our thoughts are the result of chance then we should no more trust their conclusions than we should expect the splash of an accidental jug spilling to give us a map of Australia.

If the Bible’s picture of a loving heavenly Father is only a myth, and life is meaningless, we could never come to the point of understanding joy and sorrow.

We would never know darkness unless we first knew light. Suppose there was no light and we had no eyes, then the word ‘dark’ would have no meaning. It is because we know the reality of God and good that we feel the intensity of darkness and pain. The One who made the world made your brain and your standard of what is right and good. Every accusation against God is built on a standard, and our standard came from him who made us.

Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts. Never doubt your beliefs and believe your doubts. Never let what you don’t understand destroy what you do understand. – Des Ford

Who is this man?

“Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” - Mark 4:41

Who is this man Jesus that we should believe on him?

The Man of the Cross is the true Adam, the true Moses, the true prophet, priest, and king. Everything in the Old Testament was written for him.

Christ is Adam, the head of the race, the image of God, the representative of all humanity.

He is Noah who builds a refuge from the wrath of God and thus saves his family.

He is Isaac, the beloved child of promise, miraculously born.

He is Joseph, the most beloved son, who, for pieces of silver, is betrayed by his brethren to the Gentiles, and saves millions with the bread of life.

He is Moses the deliverer who left the palace to redeem his people.

He is our Saviour.

He is our Joshua, leading his people into the Promised Land.

He is our David, the warrior whose name means “beloved,” who was born in Bethlehem, and who never lost a battle when leading God’s people.

He is our Solomon, who builds the temple – the church of God.

Who is this man? He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega.

Scripture gives him over 208 titles. Every one of them is sufficient to provide day upon day upon day of meditation – bringing glory, insight, wisdom, and hope.

Who is this Man? He is our Saviour. – Des Ford

The four Gospels tell us of Jesus

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead… Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:10,12

We confess with Matthew that Jesus is the Christ, the son of David and Abraham, the Son of God, who is Immanuel (God with us), and that he fulfilled the law and the prophets and inaugurated the eschatological kingdom of heaven. As the perfectly obedient Messiah, Jesus made final atonement for sin by his death on the Cross.

We confess with Mark that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Son of God who was also the suffering Son of man, came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. By his ministry, death, and resurrection he inaugurated the kingdom of God and will, as Lord of history, soon effect its consummation.

. We acknowledge with the writer of Luke-Acts that Christianity is a universal faith, embracing all without distinction, making them one in Jesus Christ. It is a faith that in love lifts the outcasts and underprivileged, assuring them of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of humankind.

We affirm with John that the Word, who was God and with God in the beginning, became flesh and dwelt among us. We confess him to be the one who took away the sin of the world. That is how whoever believes in him will not perish but experience eternal life now. – Des Ford

Happiness springs from what we are

Jesus saw the crowds. - Matthew 5:1

Before Jesus spoke the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12), Matthew says that Jesus saw the crowds. He sees the crowds, not as we see them, but as God alone can see them. He saw the people as sinners. He saw them as needy. He saw them as dying. He saw them as unhappy. The crowds seek happiness in what they can have. Jesus knows better.

We were made for happiness, and Jesus knows that happiness does not spring from what we have, but from what we are. This is the clue to the transformed life. People who are always trying to add to their possessions will never find joy. Happiness grows out of what we are.

The Beatitudes are not about the things we strive to have in this world, but rather the things that we are in the kingdom. In the Kingdom of God, we are defined by what we are. These are also heaven’s congratulations. The Beatitudes are Christ’s set of congratulations to the human race – the benediction of heaven.

There is nothing here to flatter pride, nothing to feed ambitious hopes.

Jesus was saying, “Happy are the poor in spirit. Happy are the merciful. Happy are the pure. Happy are the peacemakers.” Jesus tells us that we aren’t happy in what we have, but in what we are. – Des Ford (adapted)

The Sermon on the Mount

“Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.” - Matthew 7:12

Other than the words from the Cross, the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest utterance in all human language.

The Sermon on the Mount teaches how the Christian should live in the Kingdom of God. The Christian is to love like God, forgive like God, and trust like Christ (John 8:29; 19:11). Jesus walked in the consciousness of the presence of his Father. This is how we are to live.

The Sermon on the Mount has been the comforter and the encourager of all ages; it sweetens life by bringing Heaven down to earth. Think how much it has meant to the world to have the ideal of the golden rule (Matthew 7:12).

The picture of a God who sends rain on the just and the unjust, that causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good – what that has meant to the world! The practical advice about not worrying about tomorrow: “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34, NKJV) – what that has meant to the world!

We get that from the Sermon on the Mount. Only live a day at a time. “In this manner, therefore, pray: … Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:9,11, NKJV). Not tomorrow’s bread, but this day’s. – Des Ford

Keep Christ Central in Your Life

And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. John 16:8

If we don’t understand our world and the reasons for its moral chaos, then we are like a boxer forced to fight with his eyes bandaged. Our world is very sick with an exceedingly contagious illness.

In a single word, the Bible, gives the reason for our dilemma: sin. But if you search modern books or magazines, it is quite unlikely you will come across that word. There’s also another missing word: God.

A century and a half ago, Charles Darwin wrote his Origin of the Species, which became the bible for evolutionists in every country of the world. The key idea of this influential book is chance – believing that all things arrived through luck, and not by the word of God.

Darwin robbed humanity of hope, the basic staple of existence. Nobody believes in Utopia any more.

The key challenge is to keep Christ central in your life. By dismissing God, sin, Christ, the Bible, hope and meaning, the doctrine of organic evolution leaves humanity lost and hopeless.

The main reason for rejecting Darwinism is that in dismissing Genesis we lose the doctrine of the Fall. If man is not spiritually lost, he does not need a Saviour. If Christ becomes irrelevant, then Christianity itself is dissolved.

The key challenge in every person’s life is to keep Christ central in their lives. – Des Ford

Peace with God

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:1

This is a magnificent statement of salvation and its results in our lives. The simple but powerful truth that is expressed here is that the result of justification through faith is that we have peace.

The whole world is perpetually restlessly searching for peace. The highest peace that anyone could ever obtain is peace with God. When you have found peace with God, you will be at peace with others, and at peace with yourself.

There is, however, only one way to find true peace, when we can stand before God with no condemnation, but instead perfect freedom (Rom 8:1–2). It is found only when we have been justified through faith. It is found only through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is himself the Prince of Peace.

The highest peace that anyone could ever obtain is peace with God. This core Gospel truth was powerfully illustrated by Jesus’ first words to his disciples after his resurrection:

“Peace be with you…” (John 20:19).

Now notice what happened next:

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side (John 20:20).

Here is the lesson: there is only peace in the wounds of Christ, “in the awareness that all our sins have been paid for – in the assurance that all guilt has been wiped out for those who believe”. - Des Ford

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