Who is Jesus?

January 12th, 2024

Dear church family

It has been so rewarding for those who have been journeying with Psalm 37 and benefitted from the Ruah space these past two weeks. There is so much that God has been saying to different people through these verses. Psalm 37 is packed with wisdom, you could be forgiven for thinking you are in the book of proverbs as you read through the verses. Katie has helpfully guided us through the psalm using the key themes of trust and delight.
One of the key instructions in the Psalm is 'Do not fret'; we are warned that to do so 'only leads to evil'. There are many things we can fret about in the world at the moment. It is astonishing how many of us have had car trouble these last few weeks, in my experience this always leads to a lot of fretting! But others have faced more serious challenges - relationship breakdown, illness, financial challenges, problems at work.

When we look at the problems in the world, it is very easy to give in to the spirit of the age which is one of fear and anxiety, of fretting. There is an overwhelming sense at the moment that things can only get worse. But as God's people, we know how the story ends. Not only that, in the meantime - even in the midst of material challenges, climate issues and conflict in our world - as God's people we are entering into what is potentially the time of greatest spiritual opportunity we have ever seen, as many people see through the lies of the enemy, realise the futility of self-reliance, and discover their need for God.

What do we need to do in the midst of these circumstances as followers of Jesus? We trust and delight. We delight ourselves in the Lord - we have something more precious than anything the world has to offer, we have a saviour who gave everything for us, and an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. We trust in the one who knows the beginning from the end and has already overcome the grave and all the forces of evil in this world. And we do not fret; fretting is the enemy of trust and delight and only leads to evil.

Those who trust in delight are able to do as verse 7 says, to wait patiently for the Lord - to be still (this is a rare gift in our world today). Those who do not fret are able to do as verse 26 says, to be generous and lend freely (even in an environment of scarcity). Those who trust and delight in the Lord know the salvation and deliverance of God described in the last two verses:

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him. [Psalm 37:39-40]
May God grow our delight and our trust in him this year by the power of the Holy Spirit. May we be known for the way we delight in God and trust him no matter what happens, whatever this year holds for us.

With much love,

Mark

SUNDAY GATHERING - 10:30AM Join us this Sunday as we begin a new sermon series 'I AM - Who is Jesus?', starting with 'I AM the Bread of Life'. For those who are unable to attend in person please join us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LZEe0oMsKt0

TOGETHER TUESDAYS - Tuesday 30th January at 6pm. Come and enjoy a free meal & some company! This is for anyone who wants to join from our church family and wider community. Please sign up on ChurchSuite asap if you would like to be a part of this. Book your place below - & let us know if you have any dietary requirements: https://willesboroughbaptistchurch.churchsuite.com/events/epqws0vk

LEAD Join us for the 3rd session of our 10 part Theology Course on Saturday 13th of Jan at 9:30am./events
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