163. Rock Goes The Gospel - Saxon "Ride Like The Wind"

"Ride Like The Wind" is a classic and tells the story of a condemned man on the run to Mexico. The storyline is one not often heard on Adult Contemporary radio, but the precise instrumentation and soaring background vocals, which were provided by Michael McDonald, helped make the song a big hit. What you probably didn't know about the song: Christopher Cross was on acid when he wrote the lyrics. "We were living in Houston at the time, and on the way down to Austin to record the songs, it was just a beautiful Texas day, I took acid. So I wrote the words on the way down from Houston to Austin on acid." Speaking about his inspiration for the outlaw theme in this song, Cross told us: "I grew up with a lot of cowboy movies. Serials and stuff, like The Lone Ranger and these cowboy serials where they were always chasing the bad guy. And I lived in San Antonio near Mexico, so there was always this anarchistic allure about if you could get to Mexico, you could escape the authority. Also, Mexico was a place where you could go down there and drink and do all this debauchery that as a kid, you think sounds really cool. So getting to the border in Mexico was a fascinating thing to me." It was covered by Saxon on their 1988 Destiny Album.

It is the night
My body's weak
I'm on the run
No time for sleep
I've got to ride
Ride like the wind
To be free again

I was born the son
Of a lawless man
Always spoke my mind
With a gun in my hand
Lived nine lives
Gunned down ten
Gonna ride like the wind

And I've got such a long way to go
To make it to the border of Mexico
So I'll ride like the wind
Ride like the wind

Accused and tried and
Told to hang
I was nowhere in sight
When the church bells rang
Never was the kind
To do as I was told
Gonna ride like the wind
Before I get old

And I've got such a long way to go
To make it to the border of Mexico
So I'll ride like the wind
Ride like the wind
So I'll ride like the wind
Ride like the wind

It is the night
My body's weak
I'm on the run
No time for sleep
I've got to ride
Ride like the wind
To be free again

And I've got such a long way to go
To make it to the border of Mexico
So I'll ride like the wind
Ride like the wind

And I've got such a long way to go
To make it to the border of Mexico
So I'll ride like the wind
Ride like the wind 

 

It is often said that Christianity is a religion of GRACE, which is certainly true. We talk about GRACE, we sing about GRACE, and if anyone were to ask us, we certainly believe in GRACE, but we really don’t talk much about GRACE. Philip Yancey has said that part of our problem is the nature of GRACE itself. GRACE is very difficult for us to accept. And if you don’t believe that, think about how you react when a telephone sales person says, “I’m not trying to sell you anything. I just want to offer you a free trip to Spain.” Automatically we wonder, “What’s the catch?” because we’ve all been taught “there’s no such thing as a free lunch", which is really just another way of saying, “There’s no such thing as GRACE.” Yancey goes on to say that GRACE shocks us because of what it does. GRACE teaches us that God does for others what we would never do for them. Because, if it were up to us, we would only save the not-so-bad people. GRACE is a gift given to those who don’t deserve it and sometimes don’t even appreciate it.  God is a lot more gracious than I am. He saves people I wouldn’t save if I were God. He blesses people I wouldn’t bless if I were God. He uses people in his service that I wouldn’t use if I were God.  Perhaps the best description of God’s GRACE in the scriptures is found in Jonah 2:9, where we read that “Salvation is of the Lord."  It’s ironic that Jonah would be the one to make such a profound statement about God’s GRACE because Jonah is probably the worst missionary of all time. He ran from God! The Saxon song "Ride like the wind" is exactly this......someone on the run, looking to get to the border of Mexico....running away from what ever is behind them....... trying to be free.

At the beginning of the book, Jonah is running away from God; at the end of the book, he’s arguing with God. In between he is praying and preaching, but he’s not the hero. God is.  In the book of Jonah the fish is mentioned 4 times, the city of Nineveh is mentioned 9 times, Jonah is mentioned 18 times and God is mentioned 38 times. The book of Jonah is a book about God and about how much GRACE he has for his prodigal sons and daughters who run away from him. And as we read through the story of Jonah, we find there’s a little bit of Jonah in all of us and a whole lot of Jonah in some of us. Which is why we are all so much in need of God’s GRACE.

The story of Jonah is a true story. Contrary to the critics and the skeptics, I believe this book is historical truth. I’m sure you’ve heard the story about the little girl who was talking to her teacher in school about Jonah and the whale (and yes, I know the Bible says it was a “fish”, not a whale). The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though they are a very large mammal, their throat is very small. The little girl said she still believed that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The teacher said that nobody in their right mind would believe that ridiculous story. She asked the little girl, “Just how do you explain it?  The girl said, "I’m not quite sure how it happened. I guess when I get to heaven, I’ll just ask Jonah how it happened."  The teacher said, "What if Jonah didn’t go to heaven?"  She said, “Well then, you can ask him." 

It’s certainly true that there are a lot of very UNUSUAL elements in the story of Jonah, but like that little girl, I believe that it all happened just as it is recorded in the word of God. That is, there really was a man named Jonah who really did FLEE to Tarshish, who really WAS swallowed by a great fish, who really DID survive for three days in the fish’s belly, and who ACTUALLY was vomited up on dry ground. It’s not a myth or a legend or a fable or a parable. Jonah is a TRUE STORY. We can date the book at about 765 B.C. during the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel. By the way, Jonah came from the town of Gath-Hepher. It was a little town in the northern part of Israel, in the region the New Testament calls Galilee, not far from the village of Nazareth where Jesus grew up. The story of Jonah is a short story -- only four chapters, 48 verses. You can read through the whole book in about 15 minutes. Someone has summarized the story of Jonah in this way – chapter 1 is Jonah RUNNING AWAY from God, chapter 2 is Jonah RUNNING BACK to God, chapter 3 is Jonah RUNNING WITH God, and chapter 4 is Jonah RUNNING AHEAD of God. 

Jonah is one of the minor prophets, but there’s really only one prophecy in the whole book and it only takes up one sentence. Jonah is the only minor prophet JESUS mentioned by name when he said in Matthew 12:40 that the time he would spend in the grave was the same amount of time that Jonah spent in the belly of the fish. 

Our story begins with these words: "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.'" (Jonah 1:1-2). Jonah was told to go to Nineveh and “preach against it.” This was not a “GOD LOVES YOU AND HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE” sermon. Go to Nineveh and PREACH against it. The time had come for God’s JUDGEMENT. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. It was one of the largest cities of that day. It’s estimated that it had a population of about 600,000 people in the days of Jonah.  According to one record, its walls were 100 FEET HIGH and were so wide that four chariots could ride around it side by side. And inside the walls, there were great palaces and beautiful gardens. But though it was a beautiful place, it wasn’t a very nice place to live.  When God said that Nineveh was WICKED, he wasn’t kidding. The Assyrians had a REPUTATION for cruelty that’s hard for us to even imagine. Whenever their armies captured their enemies, they would commit terrible atrocities. Things like skinning people alive, decapitation, mutilation, ripping out tongues. And so, it comes as no surprise that the Jews HATED the Assyrians. HATED them for their bloodthirsty cruelty. HATED them for their idolatry. For a Jewish man to be told to go preach to Nineveh was disgusting. As far as Jonah was concerned, Nineveh could go straight to HELL. “Go ahead, Lord. Push the button. Open the trapdoor. Let ‘em fall straight down into the pit.” That’s how Jonah FELT about Nineveh. But God said to Jonah, "Go PREACH to these wicked people." Even though they were terrible sinners, God wanted to REACH OUT to them. Because, as Peter said, God "is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). 

And so, even though he might not have wanted to, you would EXPECT that Jonah – being God's prophet – would do EXACTLY what God told him to do.  When God said, “Arise, Jonah. Go to Nineveh and preach against it,” you would EXPECT the next verse to read, “And Jonah arose and went to Nineveh." But, of course, that’s NOT what happened  "But Jonah arose to FLEE to Tarshish from the PRESENCE of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." (Jonah 1:3).  It helps to know a little bit of geography at this point. NINEVEH was about 500 miles north and east of where Jonah was. It was a MAJOR city on the banks of the Tigris River. In contemporary terms, it would be in Iraq, just outside the city of Mosul. Tarshish, on the other hand, was far to the west. It was probably in what is now called SPAIN; it was the most distant trading post of the Phoenicians. And if Jonah had SUCCEDED in getting there, he would have been about 2500 miles from Nineveh! Jonah's INTENT was to get as FAR away as he could from the spot where God told him to go.  But it wasn't long before Jonah DISCOVERED that a person CAN'T really run away from God. Now I don't think that Jonah was so IGNORANT as to believe that he could actually run away from God and HIDE. But I think what he was trying to do was to run away from his RESPONSIBILITY to God. And that makes me realise that I’m a lot more like Jonah than I’d like to admit.

Because while I would never have the AUDACITY to tell God to his face, “I’m not going to do what you tell me to do”, there are a lot of times when I know what God EXPECTS me to do and I just don’t do it. And that INCLUDES my responsibility to SHARE the gospel with a community of people around us who are LOST without Jesus Christ. And so I think, “Maybe if I get involved in doing enough stuff over here, then God won’t notice that I’m totally ignoring what he told me to do.” Or maybe you’ve found that you’re RUNNING like Jonah. Not physically. You’re smart enough to know that you CAN'T run away from God. But you STOP going to all those places where you know God is. Maybe you don’t come to WORSHIP quite as often because you don’t want to be reminded of what you know God wants you to do. Or maybe you AVOID your Christian friends. Or maybe you don’t PRAY nearly as often as you ought to, because you feel guilty, and you think that somehow if you STAY away from God that he won’t notice those things going on in your life. The truth is, we’re all a LOT like Jonah.

But why was Jonah so hesitant to go to Nineveh? There are several possible reasons for his disobedience.

1. PERHAPS Jonah was afraid – he was FEARFUL for his life.  After all, as I said, the Assyrians were a violent and brutal people. They were barbaric in the slaughter of their captives. In every city they conquered, the Assyrians built a pyramid of human skulls. That’s not exactly the kind of place that EVERYONE is anxious to go visit.  Have you ever noticed that whenever somebody mentions mission work in nice climate and beautiful safe place, everyone wants to go with you? But, if there were a place where they KILL people and build a pyramid out of those human skulls, there’s not nearly as many people EAGER to get in line for that missionary trip. So maybe Jonah was afraid to go. But the BIBLE doesn’t tell us that he ran away because he was afraid.

2. MAYBE Jonah thought it was a LOST cause - what difference could one man possibly make?  Imagine being sent to the middle of LONDON. You see all the corruption and immorality on the streets. And God says, “Start preaching. You just go up and down the streets and tell them they have 40 days to get their lives straight or I’m going to destroy this city.” I don’t know how you would react to that, but my reaction would be, “You’ve got to be KIDDING! There is absolutely NO WAY that’s going to make any DIFFERENCE.” And that’s the WAY Jonah must have felt. In the midst of this wicked city, who in the world is going to LISTEN to Jonah – some Jew who lives hundreds of miles away? “Lord, didn’t you say something about casting your pearls before swine? If ever there was a GROUP of people who qualified as swine, this was it. These people don’t care about anything of a spiritual nature – that’s OBVIOUS. There’s no sense wasting my time.” But again, the word of God doesn’t tell us that Jonah RAN AWAY because he thought it was a lost cause. HE RODE LIKE THE WIND

3. MAYBE Jonah thought the MESSAGE God gave him was a bit HARSH.  And it was a harsh message, wasn’t it? “Forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. TURN OR BURN! Get your lives STRAIGHT with God or he’ll wipe you off the face of the earth!” Nobody likes to PREACH a message like that. Maybe Jonah wasn’t too KEEN on preaching fire and brimstone. But again, the word of God doesn’t tell us that Jonah was UNHAPPY with the message. What we are told is that, 1. Jonah didn’t CARE about Nineveh.  2. He didn’t THINK God should care about Nineveh.  3. He didn’t WANT Nineveh to repent and be saved.  4. And FINALLY, he didn’t WANT a God who loved people like that.  It was perfectly OK with Jonah if God sent them straight to hell. In fact, that was his PREFERENCE. Ultimately, we’re going to see that Jonah’s PROBLEM wasn’t so much with Nineveh. Jonah’s problem was with GOD. So Jonah decided to RUN AWAY from God. He headed for Joppa where he just “happened” to FIND a boat that was going where he wanted to go. I mean, what are the chances of that? Isn’t that an AMAZING coincidence? It’s a long way from Joppa to Tarshish. It’s not like they had a boat leaving for Tarshish EVERY DAY. But when we decide to disobey God, there’s ALWAYS a boat headed where we want to go. And there is always ROOM for one more passenger. When we DECIDE to run away from God, Satan is happy to PROVIDE the transportation.

There’s one more question that I think we need to look at. How FAR will God let us go? And it appears that sometimes the answer is that God will LET us go pretty far. He doesn’t always STOP us.  God could have ARRANGED things so that the ship wasn’t available that day. He could have ARRANGED things so the ship didn’t have enough room for Jonah. He could have ARRANGED things so a thief robbed Jonah of his money and he couldn’t buy a ticket.  But sometimes the judgment of God is that God lets us CONTINUE so that we have to face the CONSEQUENCES of our own disobedience. I think that’s what Paul meant in Romans 1 when he said three times that “God gave them over” (Romans 1:24,26,28). When a society decides that it doesn’t need God, his response is not always to bring out the thunder and lightning. More often, God says, “I’ve warned you time and time again not to JUMP off the cliff, but if that’s what you want to do, I’m not going to stop you.”  But, as we LOOK at this part of Jonah’s story, it’s IMPORTANT to see that while Jonah tried to LEAVE the Lord, the Lord NEVER left him. God was with Jonah every step of the way.  God NEVER gave up on Jonah.

Remember three things:  1. EVERY act of disobeying God is a DOWNWARD step.  If you notice the action in this chapter, you’ll see that Jonah went “DOWN” four times: He went “DOWN” to Joppa (v. 3). He went “DOWN” into the hold of the ship (v. 4). He went “DOWN” into the sea (v. 15).  He went “DOWN” into the belly of the great fish (v. 17). I don’t think that’s a COINCIDENCE. I think it symbolises what happens when we DISOBEY God’s call. Any time you RUN AWAY from God, you never go “UP"; you always go “DOWN."  2. We tend to get away QUICKLY, but we recover SLOWLY.  It’s EASY to go down, it’s EASY to get off the right path, it’s EASY to fall. But the road back is difficult and often very painful.  3. Satan can work through CIRCUMSTANCES just like God can.  Satan has his SHIPS, and he always has ROOM on his ships. His ships always go where we want to go when we’re running from God. He can make DISOBEDIENCE look like the right thing to do by giving us favourable circumstances.  On board that ship, Jonah may have thought, “Things are going so well for me. This must be GOD'S WILL.” But if he thought that, he was WRONG. The Lord had already made his WILL clear. No set of favourable circumstances could OVERRIDE what God had CLEARLY said. Down deep Jonah knew GOD'S WILLl. He just didn’t WANT to do it.

Now, I began this devotion by saying that the message of Jonah is a message about God’s GRACE. And you may be wondering, “Where’s the GRACE of God in this chapter?” The answer is simple. God LET Jonah disobey. He didn’t kill him on the spot. He GAVE him the FREEDOM to mess up his own life. That didn’t seem like GRACE at the time, but it was.  God WORKS even in the midst of our disobedience to BRING US BACK to him. Sometimes God LETS us go way off course so that when we FINALLY see our sin for what it is, we’re ready to RETURN to him.  But sometimes God needs to RATTLE our cages just a bit to get our ATTENTION and call us back.

162.Rock Goes The Gospel - Metalica "Nothing Else Matters"

"Nothing Else Matters" is a power ballad by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released in 1992 as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, Metallica. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart as well as top-ten positions on many European charts. "Nothing Else Matters" was featured as a playable track in the music video game Guitar Hero: Metallica. Recognized as one of Metallica's best known and most popular songs, it has become a staple in live performances. The song has been covered over forty times.

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

I never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they say
Never cared for games they play
Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
And I know

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No nothing else matters 




Band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett wrote this. According to Hetfield, he wrote the song about a girlfriend he once had, but when he looks back at it, he can't remember why he wrote it. Now, Metallica just considers it a song about their fans, because nothing else matters but their fans. The orchestration in the song was arranged by Michael Kamen, who also conducted the San Francisco Symphony orchestra. This song appears on Metallica's 1999 live album S&M, which was recorded with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra. James Hetfield has cited the band's constant touring as an inspiration for this song. They wrote pieces of the song on their tour bus and in numerous hotels. This is one of the few Metallica songs where James Hetfield played the guitar solo rather than Kirk Hammett. Hetfield explained this song to Mojo magazine December 2008. Said the Metallica singer: "It's about being on the road, missing someone at home, but it was written in such a way, it connected with so many people, that it wasn't just about two people, it was about a connection with your higher power, lots of different things." Hetfield added: "I remember going to a MC's Clubhouse in New York, and they showed me a film that they'd put together of one of the fallen brothers, and they were playing Nothing Else Matters. Wow. This means a lot more than me missing my chick, right? This is brotherhood. The army could use this song. It's pretty powerful."

So many things matter to people in today's world. Money, Position, Power or the things people own or the things people do, or the things people say. Most of these things don't really matter in the end though. For me the one constant thing that matters is all wrapped up in relationships. It's love....to love and be loved not because of what I bring to the table, but because of who I am that's what really matters to me. In this mornings devotion we will be exploring this thought a little further as we look at life in relationship with God.  In Paul's letter to the Philippian church we find in chapter 3 vs 7-14 Paul is speaking of something that really matters to him RUNNING THE RACE -For him nothing else matters.

According to Paul, the Christian life is just like a race. And like a race, you can run it in one of two ways. You can be a SERIOUS runner – like Paul. His eyes are on the goal. He’s straining towards the line. To win the prize. Nothing else matters! King Jesus loved him. King Jesus had saved him. Even when he was persecuting him. And King Jesus will RESURRECT him, and bring him to GLORY. And so Paul’s going to give him EVERYTHING as he runs for that goal. His mind is on heavenly things. And he’s not going to get bogged down along the way/ by earthly distractions. And although the race can be tough, Paul couldn’t imagine anything else. Because the race of the serious runner is one of joy and purpose and progress and power. Your feet might be throbbing, your lungs aching, the muscles in your legs burning. But your focus is on the FINISH LINE. On the PRIZE. That’s the race of the serious runner.

And then there’s the OTHER type of runner in the Christian race. The BACK OF THE PACK SLACKER. They’ll tell you they’re in the race, but their mind is on everything BUT the finishing line. Paul says their mind is on EARTHLY THINGS. Lots of other things matter!  It’s the pretty things along the way that grab their attention. The bright lights, the expensive shop fronts. Or the fun and parties along the way. And they can’t think about glory, and resurrection bodies THEN, because all they can think about are the distractions NOW. About pleasure and promotions and profit. Rewards that rust and break and disappoint. And they forget why they began the race in the first place. They lose sight of the finish line.

When it comes to YOUR Christian race – which are you? A serious runner, or a back of the pack slacker? How hard are you RUNNING? Whichever you are. Take the advice of Paul. And follow his example. Run with determination, keeping your eyes on the prize. There’s nothing HARDER, but there’s also nothing BETTER. Or more SATISFYING.

Keep knowing Christ more (10-11)  - NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

And the key to the whole thing for Paul is back up there in v10. “I want to KNOW CHRIST” That’s what DRIVES him. He’s already said it back in v8. There’s nothing worth MORE than knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. Everything else is RUBBISH. He’s not saying that he DOESN’T ALREADY know Christ. Just that he wants to know him BETTER. Every Christian knows SOMETHING of Christ. But the goal of the race is to KNOW HIM BETTER. Because Christianity ISN’T knowing about a BOOK. Or knowing a set of rules. Or words to songs. It’s about knowing a PERSON. A living, active, powerful person. To think his thoughts. To know his mind. To experience his presence. To understand more and more of his love and his power and his priorities. That’s what Paul wants. To know Christ more. And he goes on to give us some specifics. The two events in Jesus’ life on earth that DEFINE who he is. Look there at v10. I want to know Christ and THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION/ and the fellowship of sharing in HIS SUFFERINGS, Jesus is BOTH the resurrected Saviour/ AND the suffering servant. He’s both the victorious God, and the weak and frail human being. He’s the mighty Lion of Judah/ who is ALSO the slain lamb. And for Paul to KNOW Christ/ is to know those qualities in his OWN LIFE. BOTH of them. To know Christ better/ means to EXPERIENCE the power of Christ’s RESURRECTION. And to join in Christ’s SUFFERINGS. I can understand wanting to know the power of Christ’s resurrection. Everyone wants to see a bit more VICTORY in their life. But what about “sharing in his sufferings”? It’s a big call, isn’t it, for Paul to say that he wants to know the fellowship of SHARING IN CHRIST’S SUFFERINGS.

The key, I suggest, is keeping the two sides together. Power of resurrection AND participating in sufferings. Not either/or. Some Christians like the FIRST phrase. For them the Christian life is all about VICTORY. Being in Christ is about SUCCESS and POWER. Powerful spiritual gifts. No excuses. No weakness. Victory over sin. Over sickness. Victory in witness. In relationships. Victory in wealth creation, or possessions. But that’s not knowing Christ. Some Christians are more drawn to the second phrase. “Fellowship of sharing in his sufferings”. For them the Christian race is more about endurance than enjoyment. A miserable, world-weary, stoic, defeatist attitude. Slugging it out in the trenches. They see this life as a trade-off for heaven. They’re prepared to be miserable NOW, compared to eternal happiness. They live with little sense of Christ’s presence and power. Or the assurance and joy and peace he promises. But that’s not knowing Christ either. The key to knowing Christ is to keep the two together. In fact, it seems to me, that ONE is the key to the OTHER. It’s only by personally experiencing the POWER that raised Christ/ that Christians are ABLE to share in his sufferings.

Gordon Fee, in his commentary, puts it like this “Paul was so certain of Christ’s RESURRECTION/ and thus of his own, that he could throw himself into the present SUFFERING / with a joyful and thankful abandon – not because he ENJOYED suffering, but because Christ’s resurrection had given him A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE on present suffering / as well as AN EMPOWERING PRESENCE whereby the suffering was TRANSFORMED into intimate fellowship with Christ himself (Fee, 331)

You see, when we became Christians, God made us new people. And gave us His Spirit. And it’s His SPIRIT who gives us the STRENGTH to run a cross-shaped race. To run through suffering. A race that’s IMITATES what Jesus experienced. And imitates the way he DEALT with it. We run a cross-shaped race as we LISTEN rather than REACT to criticism and ridicule. When we show PATIENCE to keep our mouth closed. Or when we show SELF-CONTROL to say No to the immoral choice everyone else thinks is fine. The LOVE to put the needs of OTHERS before ourselves. The PERSEVERANCE to keep going in the tough relationship. All because we’re following the way of the cross. A cross-shaped life will show God’s POWER/ as we SUFFER for the sake of others, and for the sake of Christ. That’s what Paul wants resurrection-power for! Listen to how Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 4. He’s talking about the treasure of knowing Jesus and the power of the gospel. And how it’s a treasure that’s found in modest, weak containers like us Christians. (2 Cor 4:7-11 NIV) But we have this treasure (the treasure of the gospel) in JARS OF CLAY to show that this ALL-SURPASSING POWER is from God and not from us. {8} We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; {9} persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. {10} We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. {11} For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

God’s POWER is revealed in the Christian/ as he SUFFERS like Jesus/ on the way of the cross.

And as the Christian follows Jesus through suffering, he becomes more LIKE him. Look at the logic of v10. I want to know … the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS DEATH,

As we take on the LIFESTYLE of Christ, we also take on the CHARACTER of Christ. The fruit of obedience is Christlikeness. It’s literally that we “share in the shape of his death”. We are moulded into the shape of servants/ as we follow THE SERVANT KING. As we pour out our lives in his service, and the service of others.

Keep your eyes on your prize (12-16)  - NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

And just like, for Jesus, resurrection followed suffering. So too for Paul. V11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

The race might be about suffering, and following Christ. But the finish line is his RESURRECTION. He’s CERTAIN of it. He doesn’t know what turns the road will take, how many hills there are ahead (That’s what the “somehow” means). But he DOES know that his own resurrection is the finish line. When his aching, beaten, weary body will be transformed into something GLORIOUS.

And even though Paul can’t WAIT for the finish line. He doesn’t make the mistake of thinking he’s arrived already. Look at v12. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect..

I remember watching a Cross Country race a number of years ago. For runners it was not about being a sprinter, it was about good endurance. Their coach may have said to them before the start, “Don’t worry if people sprint right at the start. They’ll run out of puff. You know how far 3 km is. Just take it nice and steady. Run your own race.” And the Christian race is like THAT. It’s immature to pretend you’ve made it/ when you’ve still got a long way to go. But Paul’s not like that. He knows he’s still got a long way to go. That’s what MATURITY is.

But what’s he talking about? What’s the “all this” he hasn’t obtained yet? It’s the complete knowledge of Christ, and complete Christ-likeness that he hasn’t achieved. He’s not COMPLETE, or PERFECT, or MATURE, or perhaps even FULLY-EQUIPPED. The word for “perfect” can mean all of those things. And you can see that Christ-likeness is what he’s talking about when you look at the second half of that verse. It’s tricky, but it’s beautiful. V12. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect/ but I press on to take hold of that / FOR WHICH Christ Jesus took hold of me. In other words, I’m working towards the goal which is the very reason Christ chose me to begin with. My job-description is to be Christ-like. That’s why Christ chose me and took hold of me. And that’s what I’m working towards. Following him. Becoming like him. Living FOR him. And I do it as I live a cross-shaped life of suffering and service empowered by God’s Spirit – the same Spirit who raised Jesus.

Press on to take hold/ of THAT FOR WHICH Christ Jesus took hold of you.” Take hold of Christlikeness. Take hold of a life which glorifies Jesus. Aim to be more like him every day. In word and thought and deed.

And that’s a goal Paul is SINGLE-MINDED about. Look at HOW he presses on. V13. But ONE thing I do: FORGETTING what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, {14} I press on toward the goal to WIN THE PRIZE for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ONE thing. Pressing on. And he does it by FORGETTING what’s behind. That’s failures AND victories. Forget past hurts, and disappointments, and discouragements. They can sap the LIFE out of you. Make you BITTER. People who’ve laughed at you, or rejected you. And you wonder why you’d ever bother doing THAT again. Forget past sins. God’s forgiven and forgotten them, so why are YOU dwelling on them? But the way to press on/ is to forget what’s past. And sometimes we need to forget THE VICTORIES TOO. Especially if they make us complacent and proud. And make us trust in our own abilities. And make us think we’re further along the race than we really are. Don’t look back. Press on toward the goal. And keep your eyes on your prize.

What’s the prize? From the context it’s probably Christ himself. We know Jesus now only A LITTLE. But COMPLETE and INTIMATE knowledge is what’s waiting for us at the finish line. That’s the prize. Eternal fellowship with Jesus. Resurrection. And turning up to the throne of judgment. And King Jesus is there. And he says, “Good friend. I’ve been waiting for you. I ran the race. And although it was tough, you followed after me. “Well done, good and faithful servant. I can’t WAIT to spend eternity with you. Enter into your rest. You should see the party I’ve got ready for you!” That’s a prize worth striving for!

Keep clear of bad examples (18-19) - NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

And yet there are plenty of people who DON’T strive for it. Who DON’T press on. They’re too interested with the scenery along the way. The back of the pack slackers. And Paul’s HEART-BROKEN by them. They’re probably people who are known to the Philippians. They probably even call themselves Christians. Notice in v18 how Paul’s shed many tears for these people, and how he’s warned them many times before. And yet, Paul sees their Christian race differently. They think they’re in the race, just not TOO SERIOUS. Not TOO radical. Keeping some perspective. Taking time to stop and smell the roses. But Paul says they’re not SLOW COACHES in the race. They’re NOT EVEN IN THE RACE. Look at the end of v18. They’re “ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST”. And look at why in v19. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. Compare that to PAUL, whose destiny is HEAVEN, whose God is his Saviour, and whose glory is his resurrection.

And while Paul wants to KNOW CHRIST. Anything else BUT Christ occupies their minds– their minds are on earthly things. They’re headed for destruction. Self-satisfaction is the ultimate goal. And the things they should be ASHAMED of, they GLORY in. I’m sure we’ve all experienced THAT. As we listen to workmates telling us how much they got back as a tax refund, and how they did it. Or about what they did on the weekend. How drunk they got. Who they slept with. Things they GLORY in – BRAGGING of – they should be ASHAMED of. But there are even more SUBTLE things. Things that we Christians can glory in. They’re things that should be SECONDARY, but they’ve become PRIMARY. How much money they’re house is worth, or how much they spent on that new dress. How they can’t WAIT to get the partnership. How studying for that qualification becomes the most important thing. Or how proud they are of their son’s new job. Or sporting achievement. But when you ask how the son’s Christian walk is going. They becomes strangely quiet. Their glory has suddenly become shame. What about YOU? Are you a serious runner like Paul? Or a back of the pack slacker? What do YOU glory in? Press on. Take hold of the very thing which was the reason Christ took hold of you. Christlikeness. Knowing Christ. In his sufferings and power. Forget the past. Strain forward to win the prize.

Keep your perspective (3:20-4:1) NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

And if the glory of earthly things is distracting you, then shut your eyes, and imagine this final image. It’s how Paul finishes the chapter. Keep your perspective. Forget the glory of earthly things. Imagine instead the glory of resurrection bodies. As citizens of the new Jerusalem. With Jesus on his throne. The glory of no more crying or sickness or pain or death. Hope for the finish line. The heavenly city. V20 But our citizenship is IN HEAVEN. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, {21} who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Run for THAT prize. Pursue THAT goal. Live for THAT vision. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.

161. Rock Goes The Gospel - Queen "It's A Miracle"

"The Miracle" is the fifth and final single from Queen's 1989 studio album of the same name. It was composed by the entire band, though Freddie Mercury and John Deacon were the primary writers. It was released as a single in late November 1989, some six months after the album. It was the last of the singles from that album to be released, and the first 5th single released from any of Queen's albums from EMI. The sleeve artwork for the single uses the album's artwork inverted with a hologram-like fashion. The B-side of the single is a live version of the song "Stone Cold Crazy", which can be found along with "My Melancholy Blues" from the album News Of The World. The idea for the song came from Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, who wrote the basic chord structure for the song. All four contributed to the lyrics and musical ideas, and the song was still credited to the entire band because they had agreed to do so during the album recording, regardless of who had been the actual writer. While both Mercury and May regarded this as one of their favourites, Taylor said in the audio commentary of Greatest Video Hits II that although it was not a favourite of his, he respected it as "an incredibly complex track". The song describes several of "God's creations, great and small", such as great buildings like the Taj Mahal and the Tower of Babel, all described as "miracles" in the song. The song also references such well-known figures as Captain Cook, Cain and Abel, and Jimi Hendrix.

Every drop of rain that falls in Sahara Desert says it all,
It's a miracle,
All God's creations great and small, the Golden Gate and the Taj Mahal,
That's a miracle,
Test tube babies being born, mothers, fathers dead and gone,
It's a miracle,
We're having a miracle on earth, mother nature does it all for us,
The wonders of this world go on, the hanging Gardens of Babylon,
Captain Cook and Cain and Able, Jimi Hendrix to the Tower of Babel
It's a miracle, it's a miracle, it's a miracle, it's a miracle,
The one thing we're all waiting for, is peace on earth - an end to war,
It's a miracle we need - the miracle, the miracle we're all waiting for today,
If every leaf on every tree, could tell a story that would be a miracle,
If every child on every street, had clothes to wear and food to eat,
That's a miracle,
If all God's people could be free, to live in perfect harmony,
It's a miracle, we're having a miracle on earth,
Mother nature does it all for us
Open hearts and surgery, Sunday mornings with a cup of tea,
Super powers always fighting,
But Mona Lisa just keeps on smiling,

The wonders of this world go on,
It's a miracle, it's a miracle, it's a miracle, it's a miracle,
The one thing we're all waiting for, is peace on earth and an end to war,
It's a miracle we need, the miracle, the miracle,
Peace on earth and end to war today,
That time will come one day you'll see when we can all be friends,
[repeat ...]


The song "It's a Miracle" by Queen is a song that begins with the great and the small things in life being "Miracles" The song moves on to suggest that world peace, harmony and friendship are all part of the miracles that are to come "One Day". The songs big theme is that miracles do happen in life, it's a matter of seeing them for what they are. Also that the bigger miracles are going to happen, the song ends with "It's a miracle we need, the miracle, the miracle - peace on earth and and end to war today. The theme of today's devotion is on miracles and what the bible says about them.

Miracles are one of the ways God gives evidence of His power and authority. It’s in the Bible, Hebrews 2: 4, “God also bearing witness both with signs, and wonder, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”

Miracles are to glorify God. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 9:7-8, NKJV. “And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.”

There is nothing that is impossible with God. It’s in the Bible, Jeremiah 32:27, NKJV. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”

Does that mean God will do any miracle I ask of Him? There is a difference between faith, and presumption. It’s in the Bible, Luke 4:9-13, NKJV. “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.”

Miracles validated the ministry of the early church. It’s in the Bible, Acts 5:16. "And crowds came in from the Jerusalem suburbs, bringing their sick folk and those possessed by demons; and every one of them was healed."

I can’t work miracles, is there something wrong with my faith? Working miracles is only one of the several gifts the Holy Spirit gives. It’s in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:10-11, NKJV. “to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

Miracles are not proof that someone is a servant of God, if they disobey God’s Word and instruction. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 7:22-23, NKJV. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

While miracles are a sign of God's ministry, one needs to be alert, for Satan can perform miracles too. It’s in the Bible, Revelation 16:14, NIV. "They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle of the great day of God Almighty."

How do we avoid being deceived by Satan’s deceptions and miracles? We need to have a love for the truth. It’s in the Bible, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, NKJV. “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

To have faith in God does not require miracles. It’s in the Bible, John 20:29, NKJV. “Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”

Miracles remind us that nothing is too hard for God. It’s in the Bible, Exodus 14:21-22. "Meanwhile, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the sea, with walls of water on each side; and a strong east wind blew all that night, drying the sea bottom. So the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground!"

Trust God with your problems and anxieties. It’s in the Bible, Job 5:8-9, NKJV. “But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause—Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.”

When God does a miracle in your life, tell people about it! It’s in the Bible, 1 Chronicles 16:24, NKJV. “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”

When you are troubled, remember how God has done great things for you in the past. He won’t let you down now! It’s in the Bible, Psalm 77:10-11, NKJV. “And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the LORD”

Some people say they cannot believe the Bible because they do not believe the miracles in the Bible are possible. It is true that there are some very notable miracles in the Bible, but they do not disprove the existence of God or the truth of Scripture. If anything, they prove God’s existence and show His love and concern for His people. If you doubt the miracles in the Bible, the first question you should ask yourself is, “Do I believe in God?” If the answer to that is “No,” then the reason you are doubting the miracles in the Bible is obvious: you do not believe in a God who could do those miracles.

If you believe in God, but do not believe in the miracles in the Bible, you would be wise to ask yourself why you do not believe. God created the heavens and earth, and each year we know more about the vastness of space and the complexity of the things in it. Is it really so hard to believe that the God who created millions of galaxies could have stopped the sun for a day (Josh. 10:13)? Is it hard to believe that the God who created the great oceans could have brought water out of a rock (Exod. 17:6)? Is it really so difficult to believe that the God who created the life force in all living things, including plants, animals, and mankind could put that life force in a dead body and bring it back to life (Matt. 28:7; John 11:1-45)?

Anyone who observes the Creation and believes there is a God who created it all should have no reason to doubt the miracles in the Bible. The people who lived at the time the Bible was written knew these miracles occurred. As we have said earlier, it is unrealistic to think that the words of a liar or lunatic would be carefully preserved and passed down from one generation to the next as the truth. When Moses wrote about the crossing of the sea, or water coming from a rock, the people at the time had witnessed those events, and readily accepted his writings. When Daniel wrote about being in the lion’s den, the people of that time knew it was true, and carefully preserved what he penned. Numerous biblical records document that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. In Acts 1:3 we learn that Jesus “…gave many convincing proofs that he was alive….” 1 Corinthians 15:2-8 documents that Jesus appeared after his resurrection to not only the apostles, but also to more than 500 people at one time. The people of the time knew the truth about the miracles and accepted the biblical account.  Miracles do happen, the great and the small. I wonder what miracle will be in your life today?

160. Rock Goes The Gospel - Pat Benatar "Promises In The Dark"

Precious Time is the third studio album by Pat Benatar, released on July 6, 1981. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, chart and produced the top 20 hit "Fire and Ice"; the song that would later win the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1982 and reached No. 17 on the U.S. Pop chart and No. 2 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. The single "Promises in the Dark" reached No. 38 on the U.S. Pop chart and No. 16 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. Precious Time was also Benatar's first album to chart in the UK, reaching No. 30.

Benatar wrote this song with her guitarist and future husband Neil Giraldo. The song deals with trials and tribulations of past relationships and how they affect the one you're in now. Haven't we all had to tend the emotional scars left behind from whoever got there first? In the case of Giraldo and Benatar, things worked out quite well: they got married in a cow pasture in Maui in 1982, and have been married ever since. They've also continued their musical partnership as well, with Giraldo producing all of Benatar's next albums. Giraldo and Benatar were dating when they wrote this song, which was early in their musical partnership. In an interview with Neil Giraldo, he explained: "That was a song that Patricia started first. I mean, I start probably 93% of them, and she'll jump in after I get it started. But she actually started writing that on an airplane. And then she put some words together, and she said, 'Here, try to do something with this thing.' Actually she slipped the words under the door of our music room in this little house we had. We wrote that I think in 1980. Even though we could have put it on Crimes of Passion, we ended up putting it on Precious Time instead. But she put the words under the door because she was too embarrassed to let me see the words face to face. Then she had a little bit of an idea of a melody, so I took a little bit of what that was, and I wrote it on piano in our little music room. My favorite guitar I had in the room at the time fell and busted while I was writing, and busted the top of the neck off it. So that was like a curse. And then when we went to record it, we had everything but the last verse, and then I just wrote the words for the last verse in the studio while we were recording it. So that's how that one goes."

Never again, isn't that what you said
You've been through this before
You swore, this time, you'd think with your head
No one would ever have you again
And if takin' was gonna get done, you'd decide where and when

Just when you think you got it down
Your heart securely tied and bound
They whisper promises in the dark

Armed and ready, you fought love battles in the night
But too many opponents made you weary of the fight
Blinded by passion, you foolishly let someone in
All the warnings went off in your head, still you had to give in

Just when you think you got it down
Resistance nowhere to be found
They whisper promises in the dark

But promises you know what they're for
It sounds so convincing, but you heard it before
'Cause talk is cheap and you gotta be sure
And so you put up your guard
And you try to be hard but your heart says try again

You desperately search for a way to conquer the fear
No line of attack has been planned to fight back the tears
Where brave and restless dreams are both won and lost
On the edge is where it seems it's well worth the cost

Just when you think you got it down
Your heart in pieces on the ground
They whisper promises in the dark 

This mornings devotion is about promises. We have all made them and perhaps some of us have broken them. We have had people promise us things and we have had those promises end up being broken and then trust is lost and relationships and friendships end. This morning we look at the promises of God.

The true hope of salvation in Jesus Christ, the hope of the gospel, is founded upon promises made by God in the Bible. These are described by the Apostle Peter as “great and precious promises”, by which we may share “the divine nature”, that is, eternal life (2Pe 1:4).

A promise is an undertaking from one person to another, guaranteeing to do or give something in the future. The promises of God are concerned with the future, both of mankind and of the world He has created. Unlike our promises, which can be and often are broken, God’s promises cannot fail. But to become effective for any individual, they must be believed; in Biblical terms, faith is the belief of God’s promises, centered in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The phrase ‘to give one’s word’ has the same sense as ‘to promise’. In the Scriptures, God gives His word concerning the future, with all the force of a promise. All of the prophecies in the Bible concerning the future are therefore, in a sense, promises. But those principal promises that constitute the gospel are linked to covenants, or binding agreements. It is remarkable that the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, should be prepared to enter into covenants with us, and to affirm us by solemn oaths, but this is what the Bible records.

The beginning of the promises
The expression of God’s gracious intention and promises to save begins in Scripture immediately after the Fall of Adam and Eve, in this pronouncement: “I will put enmity between thee [the serpent] and the woman [Eve], and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15). these words foretell a conflict between good and evil that would be resolved by the victory of a Saviour provided by God, the promised seed (or descendant) of Eve. In the course of time, our own wickedness drove God to bring the judgement of the Flood upon the earth. But in the aftermath, He made a second great promise to faithful Noah: “I will not again curse the ground any more… While the earth remaineth… summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen 8:21,22). This promise of the permanence of the earth was confirmed by a covenant, made by God with all flesh, and symbolized in the rainbow (Gen 9:11-13).

God’s promises to Abraham
The next great development in the unfolding of God’s promises for the future was made to Abraham (originally Abram). He was called by God, about 2000 BC, to leave his home in Mesopotamia to journey to Canaan, which was to become known as the Promised Land.

The promises God made to him were amazingly wide in scope:

• “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great… and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen 12:2,3);
• “Lift up now your eyes, and look… for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed for ever” (Gen 13:14,15);
• “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall your seed be” (Gen 15:5).
• Abraham’s belief in the last of these promises from God was “counted… to him for righteousness”, in other words, his sins were forgiven because of his faith (v 6; cf Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6; Jam 2:23).

These promises once again focused on the promised seed, descended from Abraham, eventually revealed as the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 3:16). The multiplication of that seed “as the stars of heaven” refers to the multitude of people of all ages who would gain salvation through Jesus, by believing the same promises (Dan 12:3; Heb 11:12,13). God endorsed His promises to Abraham by covenants, first a covenant for the land of Israel (Gen 15:18) and then one with his seed, that He would be their God. This was marked in Abraham’s natural descendants, the nation of Israel, by the rite of circumcision (Gen 17:1-14). Finally God sealed all of His promises and covenants with a solemn oath: “By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD… that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven… and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen 22:16-18). These promises, subsequently reiterated to Isaac and Jacob (Israel), are the very foundation of the gospel of salvation (Gal 3:8,9). They require that Abraham and all the faithful must rise from the dead, as Jesus did, in order to enjoy them (Acts 24:14,15; 26:6-8).

God’s promises to David
Nearly 1,000 years after Abraham, when his descendants, the nation of Israel, had become a kingdom in the land of promise, God made further momentous promises to David the king: “I will set up your seed after you… and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be My son” (2Sa 7:12-14). These promises too were affirmed by God by covenant and oath (Psa 89:3,4), and were reiterated by the angel Gabriel at the annunciation of Jesus’ birth (Luk 1:32,33). God was faithful.

God’s promises fulfilled in Jesus
All of these promises are centered in Jesus,  (Acts 13:32,33; Rom 15:8,9; 2Co 1:19,20), and so the New Testament begins with the words: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mat 1:1). But there are other promises in the Old Testament directed personally to him. For example, Jesus is personally promised rulership of God’s Kingdom: “Ask of Me, and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession” (Psa 2:8). Exalted to God’s throne in heaven, Jesus is affirmed by an oath to be a priest or mediator for all believers: “Sit thou at My right hand… The LORD hath sworn… Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psa 110:1,4; 1Ti 2:5; Heb 5:5-10).

God’s promises to us
While God’s promises cannot fail to be fulfilled. He is a covenant keeping (Promise Keeping) God he will not go back on a promise. He laways seeks to fulfill his promises to us. He will never break them. We need to receive the truth about the promises of God. We need to appropriate them in our lives. We need to see the God behind the promise and have an intimate relationship with him. Promises are the commitment he has for us. It is said that there are over 7,000 promises in  the bible more than enough for a life time of relationship with Christ.