DO NOT LOOK BACK- GEN.19:15-26. 
A new year Resolution?
God's Judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah, the places of Sin and degradation.
Lot, a kind of believer with mixed loyalties and family. God never led him to live in Sodom- Gen. 13:10-18.
Two angels came to Lot but God stayed behind with Abraham, Lot's Fellowship and witness with God had broken down. The Angels urged them to get out of Sodom but they lingered on. Finally they took refuge in a remote cave.
God's command was clear, 'Do not look back', but the wife disobeyed, Why? Their hearts were in Sodom. She had family in Sodom, perhaps a nice house, all the comforts of modern life, a nice SUV?
When Christ comes for us in the air will we be ready to disengage from this world?
The result of that disobedience was a disaster for that wife, God's judgement never fails. Love not the
world....' 1 John 2:15-17.
Today the Sodomites are pressing on our doors wanting respectability and acceptance. There is no room for compromise.
The stay in Sodom must have had an adverse affect upon Lot and his family. Their minds were polluted by the vileness of that place. What is God's advice? 'Come out and be separate....'
Though we live in a dark and evil world, God promises to keep us till the very end. Paul the Apostle
has the final word in Phil. 3:13-14, not to look back but unto Jesus.
There are moments when we need to look back and consider past failings so that we amend our ways, but to look back in longing for past experiences and lusts is definitely out. It is not a sign of a
healthy christian life.

CHRISTMAS, MT.2;1-12.
The familiar story of Christmas. What else do we need to know, apart from Mangers,
Christmas trees, gifts, gluttony, etc. etc.
The story unfolds with some wise men who set off from their home in a far country, east of 
Judea, to find the New born King, in order to worship Him.
What is the situation? We have the Jews who knew everything about their Messiah but when He came they missed the event. A wicked king who will not stop at genocide in order to keep His throne,
the town of Bethlehem where business is good because of Caesar's decree, but has no room for the
Messiah. 
The story is familiar to us today, it begins with the sudden appearance of a star in the sky. Only a trained eye could observe this happening. Only a trained ear could observe God's message to our hearts today: Christ is coming again.
The wise men, led by the star arrived at their destination but they knocked on the wrong door but God
was in control. Do not knock on wrong doors if the Holy Spirit is leading you.The Psalmist says in Ps.119:105, 'Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path'.
Imagine the amazement of the wise men when the star led them to a stable, not a palace and they found a mere baby in a manger; but they were not put off. 
How did they recognize the New born King? Was there a sign outside the stable or a halo over the baby? How do we recognise our Saviour and God?
They came to find the new born King and to worship Him. They were not holidaymakers. They came, they saw and they worshiped Him. They offered their gifts Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh,
ingredients for true worship. No empty signs, no hype nor a lot of noise.
Having fulfilled their purpose they departed by the way God led them.
This story of the First Christmas still speaks to the hearts of true worshipers of the King of Kings.

Parable of the Friend at Midnight, Luke 11:5-13.
Message: God is willing to answer even at the last hour.
In the story, an unexpected guest brings the unreadiness of the person to the light, like the foolish
virgins.
The man lacked a vital necessity-bread. We often find ourselves in that kind of situation, having
nothing to give. We cannot give people anything if we are lacking in ourselves.
There are so many needs around us, especially the need for Salvation. The man in the story did the reasonable thing, he went and knocked at somebody's door, a friend.
Jesus said, ' Knock and it shall be opened to you' He also said, ' I am the Bread of life' God's provision for us.
The man asked for 3 loaves, but he could have asked for a lot more. Let us not be timid in asking God, He is very rich, do not limit God. James 4:3.
We must admire the man's determination and boldness. He could easily have been put off by the late hour or by another excuse. Remember, he went to a friend. Jesus called us His friends. If our relationship is good with our friends we have the confidence to ask. If we sit in meetings, enjoying
ourselves and expecting nothing from God, we should not be surprised if we receive nothing.
Our Heavenly Father is willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, ' If you being evil know......', but we need to knock till the door of Heaven is opened. Remember, it does not say how long we need to keep knocking.
Though the friend was inconvenienced by the lateness of the hour, yet he got up to please his friend.

Parable of Rich man and Lazarus- Luke 16:19-31.
Message: The reality of Hell, a place of torment without escape.
Two types of people here, those who have riches and those who have not.
Rich man:Nameless, wealthy, having comfort, no regard for anybody. He relied on his wealth, cared only for himself. Not all rich people go to hell. Rich man died and is in hell tormented but fully conscious.
Lazarus: Poor, destitute, nobody to lean on, only God. Not all poor people go to heaven. Jesus said,
'Blessed are the poor in Spirit.....' Matt. 5:3.
Is God unjust in sending people to Hell? There is no excuse for anybody, everybody is warned about going to Hell but people regard it as a joke- Rom.1:18-20.
Poor man died and is found in Abraham's bosom, i.e. comforted.
Rich man can see Lazarus in Abraham's bosom and calls Abraham 'Father' i.e he is a person of God's people, a  person of religion but of no Faith- James 2:19-20.
Rich man's request for comfort from the torment is flatly rejected. Nobody can cross over from Hell to Heaven. Repentance only on earth while living, Jesus has the key to hell.
The rich man's second request is also rejected, 'Please send someone....' 'If they do not hear Moses.....'
It is the preaching of the Gospel that leads to repentance'. We may admire the life of Jesus and His teaching but that will not lead us to heaven.
The final plea is also rejected ' If someone rose from the dead.....' Jesus rose from the dead but people still do not believe or want to repent.
Finally, is there a way out of Hell?  Yes there is, Jesus went down into Hell so that I can be given a chance of escape. Christ is the way; but we must accept this way before death

Parable of Pharisee and Publican-Lk.18:9-14.
Message:Who is justified before God?
A story of everyday life. Two men went to pray in God's House, but with different motives.
The Pharisee: The religious person, full of his righteousness, pride and hypocrisy.
The Publican: The real sinner, hated for his greediness, working for the Romans.

Contrast the attitude of each man:
 The Pharisee full of his pride puts himself above everybody else, ' whoever exalts himself shall be abased....' Lk 14:11. True religion before God is to visit the widows and fatherless and keep oneself unspotted from the world-James 1:27. 
Five times we hear the Pharisee say'I am not.....' What he did were not necessary evil things, but the motive was not right 1Cor.10:31. Do not leave God out of your daily life in whatever you do.
The Publican: Convicted about his sin and repentant. David cries out in Ps.51, 'A broken and a 
contrite heart you will not despise......' Repentance is a daily experience for the believer. It is God's call. We need to put our lives right before God and with our fellow humans- Luk.19:1-10.
Jesus made it clear which of the two was justified before God.

Parable of Fig Tree Luke 13:6-9.
Message:A Christian life that is unfruitful will be rejected by God.
Three trees are used in the Scripture to symbolize the Nation of Israel, The Olive, the Vine and the Fig tree.
In a wider sense Trees symbolize persons or committed believers -Ps.1:1-3.
Life is geared to growth and fruit bearing. Whenever that fails drastic action is called for. This call applies to a Christian life also.
What is fruit, why the need for it?  Fruit is the natural product of a tree, it identifies the tree. No fruit
means a barren tree or life- Matt.7:15-20.
Fruit is what God is looking for in a believer's life because it brings glory to His Name.
There are two kinks of fruit in the Scriptures. The fruit of the flesh-Gal.5:16-23 and the fruit of the 
Spirit. Both are called Fruit but vastly different A corrupt tree will bring bad fruit whereas a good tree will produce good fruit- Luke 6:43.
God the Father watches over His trees to tend them. They are His trees.His desire is for us to bring fruit that will honour His Name-John 15:1-8 A farmer will prune his trees so that they become more productive, bearing good fruit. God will apply the same process to our lives to bring good fruit,
otherwise they are cut down.
Notice the righteousness of God in the parable. He gave the tree another chance before uprooting the tree. How many chances has God given us?

The Parable of New Wine - Matt.9:16-17.

Message: God's New Life given to His believers cannot fit into Old Moulds.

We become new Creations in Christ when we are Saved. God does not give us a new body or a new nature automatically but the old nature, the Old Man, remains in us. Why? If He had taken it away , our character and personality would collapse. We need time to grow in Christ for our new character to be formed by the Word of God. The two natures co-exist in us and are at enmity with each other. This is where our problems arise-Rom.7:15-20.

Why do believers fail so often in living out their New Character? The failure to deal with the Old Nature and let the New One grow in Christ.

New Wine: Speaks of God's New Life with its dynamic drive and joy. For example, telling lies is a sign of the  corrupt Old Nature. The New Nature does not want to practice this sin, therefore conflict arises, there will be a rupture, a disruption of the New Life that wants to obey the Commands of God, the old wine skins will break.

What is the remedy? We need to know the ways of the Old Nature and deal a deadly blow to it- Crucifixion-Col.3:5-10.

At the same time we need to nurture the new life, the New Wine- Gal.5:12-24.

2 Kings 5:1-20.
A delightful story full of meaning
Naaman, represents the world's power but sin sick and incurable by its own power and might. When in need he turns to God and His people to find healing and deliverance. This is through the despised believer (the slave girl), the Church. The girl could have kept quiet about the enemy's need for healing, 'Love works no ill to its neighbour.....'
Naaman went to the King of Israel, a type of the official Church in the land, 'Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof'. Jesus condemned the Laodicean Church, the lukewarm
Church that has no power.
God however has His servants everywhere (Elisha). Elijah, the prophet, thought he was alone in Israel but God told him that he was mistaken. God's command to Naaman was unspectacular, 'We preach Christ crucified.....' 1 Cor.1:23. To the unregenerate the Cross is foolishness. Ananias thought God was mistaken when told to go and pray for Saul.
God's remedy was, 'Dip seven times in the Jordan' Naaman's pride was  tempered, however, by some wise counsellors (servants). We are glad we have the Holy Spirit, the counsellor, abiding with us.
There was not only a physical healing but also a healing in Naaman's heart. Many people only want the benefits of God for their lives, not His great work of Salvation.
Naaaman got his priorities right, to God and to the king of Syria. There was no condemnation from
Elisha. Do we condemn?
A sad end to this wonderful story, the servant of Elisha. Speaks of the carnal believer, 'Love not the world, neither the things.....' 1 John 2:15-17.