Grosey's Messages

Tuesday, July 07, 2026

How Sweet The Name

TEXT:: John Newton
MUSIC:: Alexander Reinagle, Bill Moore

1. How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

2. It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.

3. Dear Name, the rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!

4. By Thee, my prayers acceptance gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am owned a child.

5. Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my life, my way, my end,
Accept the praise I bring.

6. Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I'll praise Thee as I ought.

7. 'Til then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 7:36 AM

Do you know Jesus?

Our beautiful granddaughters Today we had half a day with our lovely kind loving daughter Beth and her two beautiful children Ella (4) and Mila (2). It moved me deeply when little Ella came and brought me over her mum’s book of poems by Sally Lloyd Jones “ pop, do you know Jesus?” I cannot begin to say how much it moved my heart that my granddaughter asked me that question. “Yes I do Sweet Ella” her confidence and trust overflowed her young heart. “We will one day be with grandma in heaven with Jesus. She is there now with Jesus.” Her dad’s mum had passed into glory just two years before. And how she missed her. Her simple faith as a child “Do you know Jesus ?” She did. Her simple witness. “Do you know Jesus?” Pop it’s for you We are permitted not simply to know about Him, but to know Him, not only to read of His excellency and beauty in the Book, but to have fellowship with the Apostles, who saw, heard, beheld, and handled the Word of Life. 1 John 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the heart and essence of Christianity. Other religions are content with ornate rites, an elaborate priesthood, an intricate system of doctrine and regulations, but the Christian, taught by the Holy Spirit, refuses to rest in any of these, and in comparison with the Master counts them as so much refuse. We may know Him personally, intimately, face to face. Christ does not live back in the centuries, nor amid the clouds of heaven : He is near us, with us, compassing our path and our lying down, and acquainted with all our ways. But we cannot know Him in this mortal life except through the illumination and teaching of the Holy Spirit. Let us ask Him to shed His clear beams on the face of Jesus, Reconciled to God! HONESTY Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; He realised he cannot save himself He realised he needed a Saviour He let his pride go, and traded it all for Christ alone. He was reconciled to God. INTIMACY 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. We should never rest until we know Him Moses: Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.'13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people." 14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth." 17 So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name." 18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." To know Christ in the storm of battle ; to know Him in the valley of shadow.. TO KNOW The power of His resurrection As soon as the soul is united to Him by a living faith, you begin to know His resurrection power in your life. the ' power of His Resurrection.' The power of the life which resides in Christ pours into the receptive spirit, forthwith it rises from the grave of passion in which it had been imprisoned, escapes from the bondage of corruption by which it was held, and goes forth into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Just as the Christ could not be held by the bands of death, so the soul which trusts Him is emancipated, enthused, raised into an altogether new atmosphere, breathes the life of eternity, is thrilled by the powers of the unseen, and meets all appeals from the lower world with an abundance of life, which is impervious to disease, infirmity, and temptation. Just as a really healthy life may pass through micropes of disease, which would effect the overthrow of less vigorous and buoyant health, so the soul which is infilled with the Resurrection power of Christ, is more than a conqueror in the midst of the most virulent temptation. TO KNOW The fellowship of His Sufferings The power of His resurrection life may enter and infill, and in the fulness of your joy you will not stay to count the cost of having fellowship with His sufferings. The experience of suffering will, so to speak, be forgotten in the radiancy of your exultation. As the pain of the woman in travail is forgotten amid the joy of bearing a child into the world, so will the keenest suffering seem but a pin-prick compared with the eternal weight of glory. It is inevitable that if we are to know much of Christ's Resurrection, and in proportion as we know it, we shall drink of the cup of His sufferings. 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. INTENSITY but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Hosea 6 so let us know let us press on to know the Lord. SIMPLICITY 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. S M Lockeridge wrote He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of glory. He’s the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that’s my King. Well, I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him? Don’t try to mislead me. Do you know my King? David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is the only one of whom there are no means of measure that can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of the shore of His supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. That’s my King. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Saviour. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s honest. He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s pre-eminent. He’s the grandest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of historic theology. He’s the carnal necessity of spiritual religion. That’s my King. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He’s the only one able to supply all our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He’s the Almighty God who guides and keeps all his people. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharged debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek. That’s my King. Do you know Him? Well, my King is a King of knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the heroes. He’s the leader of the legislatures. He’s the overseer of the overcomers. He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you . . . but He’s indescribable. That’s my King. He’s incomprehensible, He’s invincible, and He is irresistible. I’m coming to tell you this, that the heavens of heavens cannot contain Him, let alone some man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree about Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my King. He always has been and He always will be. I’m talking about the fact that He had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor. There’s nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him and He’s not going to resign. That’s my King! That’s my King! Do you know Jesus? Philippians 2:6-11 ESV - who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Have you a heart that's weary, Tending a load of care; Are you a soul that's seeking Rest from the burden you bear? Where is your heart, O, pilgrim, What does your light reveal; Who hears your call for comfort When naught but sorrow you feel? Who knows your disappointments, Who hears each time you cry; Who understands your heartaches, Who dries the tears from your eyes? Chorus: Do you know my Jesus? Do you know my friend, Have you heard He loves you, And that He will abide till the end? Do you know Jesus?

# posted by Groseys messages @ 7:29 AM

Monday, July 06, 2026

Our beautiful granddaughters

Today we had half a day with our lovely kind loving daughter Beth and her two beautiful children Ella (4) and Mila (2). It moved me deeply when little Ella came and brought me over her mum’s book of poems by Sally Lloyd Jones “ pop, do you know Jesus?” I cannot begin to say how much it moved my heart that my granddaughter asked me that question. “Yes I do Sweet Ella” her confidence and trust overflowed her young heart. “We will one day be with grandma in heaven with Jesus. She is there now with Jesus.” Her dad’s mum had passed into glory just two years before. And how she missed her. Her simple faith as a child “Do you know Jesus ?” She did. Her simple witness. “Do you know Jesus?” Pop it’s for you too.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 9:30 PM

Psalm 59

the Hebrew the difference between the words

"wait " and "sing," as appearing in this passage,

is very slight. They are spelt, indeed, alike,

with the exception of a single letter. The

parallelism, therefore, between these two verses

is very marked.

9. Upon Thee, 0 my strength, I will wait,

For God is my high tower.

17. Unto Thee, 0 my strength, I will sing,

For God is my high tower,

The inscription indicates the occasion on which this Psalm,

one of the oldest, was written. "A Psalm of David : when

Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him." The.

allusions of the Psalm substantiate this title, especially that

of the sixth and fourteenth verses, in which the Psalmist

compares the troop of soldiers, bitten with their master's

spleen, who encamped around his house, belching out their

curses and threats, to the vicious curs of an Eastern city,

that prowl the streets by day and night, clearing them of their

offal and refuse, and filling the night with their uproar.

"They return at evening; they make a noise like a dog,

And go round about the city :

Behold, they belch out with their mouth."

But meanwhile David is in his house, waiting upon God,

and singing aloud of his mercy in the morning.

I. THE EVENTS WHICH LED UP TO THIS ASSAULT ON

DAvrn's HousE.-As the victorious army returned home

from the valley of Elah, the whole land went forth in

greeting. . The reapers stayed their labours in the field ;

and the vineyards were depleted of the women that plucked

the grapes, and the men that trod them in the presses.

From village to town the contagious enthusiasm spread ;

and the women came forth out of all the cities of Israel,

with song and dance, with timbrels and tabrets, to meet

King Saul. To the song of victory there came this refrain,

which was strikingly discordant to the soul of the king :-

" Saul hath slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands."

In that hour · the first jealous thought awoke in Saul's

heart ; the pitted speck became visible in the goodly fruit

of his character, which was destined to rot and ruin all.

Happy had he been if he had trodden the hell-spark

beneath his feet, or extinguished it in seas of prayer. But

he nursed it till, to change the simile, the trickling stream

undermined the sea-wall, and became a raging turbid flood.

" Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him ; and

he eyed David from that day and forward."

But Saul was more than jealous. He deliberately set

himself to thwart God's purpose. Samuel had distinctly

told him that the Lord had rent the kingdom of Israel from

him, ,and had given it to a neighbour of his that was better

than himself. And, without doubt, as he saw the stripling

return with Goliath's head in his hand, and as he heard the

song of the Israelite women, the dread certainty suggested

itself to him that this was the Divinely designated king.

"What though he be," said Saul to himself, as Herod in

after days, " I am king, and will see to it that this prediction

at least shall not come true. A dead man cannot reign ;

and there are many ways short of direct murder by which

a man's life can be taken. But this is what it must

come to." He supposed that if only he could take David's

life, God's purpose would miscarry, and Samuel's predictions

be falsified. He is not the last man that has descended into

the arena to match himself with God, and been crushed

ih the attempt. No student of history is likely to forget

the cry of Julian the Apostate, which mirrors the experience

of thousands more, "Thou hast conquered, 0 Galilean ! "

Saul's murderous passion sought to fulfil itself in many

ways. On the following day, as David essayed to soothe

him with his harp, he twice hurled his javelin at the

minstrel, in the hope that if it pinned him to the wall

the act might be imputed to insanity ; but on each occasion

the weapon sped harmlessly past, to quiver in the wall

behind, instead of in that young heart.

Next, Saul gave him an important military commission,

and made him his captain over a thousand, in the vain hope

that this sudden elevation into the slippery place of worldly

prominence and power might tum his head dizzy, and lead

him to some traitorous deed, for which death would be the

obvious penalty. But David behaved himself wisely in

all his ways, avoiding every pitfall, eluding every snare;

so that the king, who watched closely for his falling, became

more than ever convinced that he was God's ward, and

stood in awe of him.

Then he offered the young soldier the hand of his eldest

daughter in marriage, and treacherously withdrew the offer

as the time of the nuptials approached-the intention being

to arouse his ardent spirit to retaliate, and so to become

liable to the charge of treason ; but all his efforts failed

to arouse even a transient impulse for revenge.

Again, by the lure of his second daughter, Michal, as

prize to be won by the evidence of one hundred J\hilistines

having been slain, he sought to involve his rival in frays out

of which only a miracle could bring him unhurt. But

, David returned unscathed with double the number required;

and the love of the people grew.

Thwarted thus far, the God-forsaken monarch, driven by

the awful fury of his jealousy, spake to Jonathan and to all

his servants that they should rid him of David's tormenting

presence: but of course this plot failed; for Jonathan

delighted much in David, whilst all Israel and Judah loved

him,' for he went out and came in before them. Jonathan

indeed stood in the breach to turn away his father's ang(,!r,

and elicited ftom him the promise that his friend should not

be put to death. But his pleadings and reasonings had only

a temporary effect ; for shortly after, as the young minstrel

endeavoured to charm away the spirit of melancholy, the

javelin again quivered past him from the royal hand, and

would have transfixed him to the wall, but for his lithe

agility. It was the evening, and David fled to his young

wife and home. And Saul, intent on murder, " sent

messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to

slay him in the morning." These were the men whom -

he characterised so vividly, as we have seen.

Michal's quick wit saved her husband's life. She let him.

down through the window, and he went and escaped ;

whilst an image, covered with a quilt and placed in the

bed, led Saul's emissaries to suppose that he was sick.

There was no real occasion, however, for her to resoi:t to

either teraphim or deceit, to secure his safety from her

father's murderous rage; for when, shortly after, the king

proposed to snatch his prey from the midst of the sacred

college, and from the very presence of Samuel, three sets of

messengers were rendered powerless by the Divine afflatus,

and an arrest was put on Saul himself, who was prostrated

before the mighty impression of God's Spirit, and lay help·

less on the earth (1 Sam. xix. 24).

That must have been a marvellous experience for David.

To the eye of sense there was absolutely nothing to prevent

the king's messengers, or the king himself, from taking him.

But by faith he knew that he was being kept within the

curtains of an impalpable pavilion, and that he was hidden

beneath an invisible wing. As the air, itself invisible, fills

the diving bell and saves the inmates from the inrushing

water ; as a stream of electricity poured over a heap of

jewels protects them from the hand of the plunderer; as

the raying forth of Christ's majesty flung his captors to the

ground-so did the Presence of God environ and protect·

both Samuel and David. And thus our God will still do

for each of his persecuted ones.

" In the secret of his tabernacle shall He hide them,

He shall set them up upon a rock."

II. DAVID'S COMPOSURE AMID THE ASSAULTS OF HIS

FoEs.-This hunted man is a lesson for men and angels.

Saul is his inveterate foe ; traps and snares are laid for him

on all sides. Sometimes the sun shines on his golden

locks, but more often the skies are thick with cloud and

storm. Now the women of Israel welcome him ; and

, again he is torn from his wife, and driven forth from his

home to go whither he may. Yet all the while his heart is

tranquil and reposeful-yea, it actually breaks forth into

praise, as the closing verses of this psalm prove. What was

the secret of his serenity?

It lay, first, in the conviction of what God was. God

was his strength-that was God within him ; God was

his high tower-that was God without and around him.

He was God-poscsessed and God-encompassed. God dwelt

in him, and he in God ; there was no demand for which He

was not sufficient, no peril whkh He could not keep at

bay. What a blessed conception is here! You are too

weak for some great task which has C been entrusted to

your care. In your judgment it would task the energies of the best and wisest you know; but lo ! it has been placed

in your hands. "0 Lord," you cry, "wherewith shall I

save Israel ? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh ;

and I am the least in my father's house." Then the

Spirit of God reveals God as strength, that He may be

so received into the heart as to become the principle of a

new and heaven-born energy, which shall rise superior

to every difficulty, and breast the mightiest waves that

would beat the swimmer back. Listen to the laughter of

the apostle's soul, as he surveys herculean tasks on the one

hand, and enormous opposing obstacles on the other, and

says with unhesitating assurance, "I can do all things

through Christ that strengtheneth me.". 0 weakest of the

weak, remember Jesus Christ, and take Him to be the

strength of thy life ; be strong, yea be strong, in the grace

that is in Christ Jesus.

Or tum to the other conception. See those fugitive

soldiers, hotly pursued by their enemies as clouds before

the Biscay gale ; on yonder cliff is perched a fortress, whose

mighty walls and towers, if only they can be reached,

will ensure protection. Breathlessly they scale the ascent,

rush across the drawbridge, let down the portcullis, and

fling themselves on the sward, and know that they are safe.

God is all that to the soul which has learnt to put Him

between itself and everything. We have not even to flee

to God, for that implies that we have been allured out of

Him ; but we are to abide in Him, to stand fast in the

liberty wherewith He has made us free ; to reckon

that, whatever Satan may say and however he may

rage, we are absolutely secure so long as we abide

in God.

When we realize these things, and add the further con-

ception with which the Psalm closes, that God is the fount

of mercy: when we dare to believe that there is mercy in

Saul's hate, mercy in the difficulties of our lot, mercy in the

clouds that veil our sky and the flints that line our path, mercy in the sharpest, bitterest experiences~then we can

sing, we can say with David:

" I will sing of Thy strength ;

Yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning,

For Thou hast been my high tower, and a refuge in the day of my

distress."

It lay, next, in his attitude towards God. " 0 my

strength, I will wait on Thee." The word so translated is

used in the Hebrew of the shepherd watching his flock, of

the watchman on the tower, of the sentry passing to and fro

upon his beat. Is this our habitual attitude? Too many

direct their prayer, but do not look up the ladder for the

descending angels, laden with the heavenly answer. Many

a ship passes in the night, touching at our wharf with the

precious freight which we have been praying for; but we

are not there to receive it. Many a relieving fore~ comes

up the pass with glittering spears and flashing helmets ; but

our gates are closed. Many a dove comes to our window

from the weltering waste of waters ; but we are too

immersed in other things to notice its light tap. We pray,

but we do not wait ; we ask, but we do not expect to

receive ; we knock, but we are gone before the door is

opened.

This lesson is for us to learn-to reckon Oll' God; to

tarry for the vision ; to wait till Samuel comes ; to believe

that He who taught us to trust cannot deceive our trust ;

to be sure that none of them that wait on Him can be

ashamed; to appropriate by faith; and to know that we have

the petitions we desired, nay, to do more, to take them

and count them ours, though we have no responsive

emotion, no sense of possession-this is waiting upon God :

this will keep us calm and still, though dreaded evils frown

around our homestead ; this will change our waiting into

song.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 12:10 PM

Sunday, July 05, 2026

6 Christological heresies

# posted by Groseys messages @ 2:51 PM

Saturday, July 04, 2026

Philippians 3 Do Not Disturb Antagonists Enemies of the Gospel

Philippians 3:17-21 Do not disturb: I am disturbed enough already!

Don’t Let Them Mess With Your Head Phil 3:15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

The Earthly Minded vs The Heavenly Minded

They are enemies of the cross of Christ:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ

Antagonistic Enemies

Their Appetites -bellies

Their Affections Revelation 2:20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

Their Allegiance -earthly

Their Aspirations -glory in shame

ANTAGONISTS AFFECT US EMOTIONALLY (embittering –these guys got Paul in jail), MENTALLY depression, anger, revenge, RELATIONALLY.

Don’t park your mind note on car to grey ghost ‘forgive us our trespasses’, ‘lead us not into temptation’ in temptation ;bitter. in trials. in troubles.

Park Your Mind Here! 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Are You Forgetting Forever! Are You Forgetting “Your Final Destination?” 40,000 counsellors in Australia therapeutic model

The Body Of Benjamin Franklin, Printer, (Like the cover of an old book, Its contents torn out, And stript of its lettering and gilding,)

Lies here, food for worms. But the work shall not be lost, For it will, as he believed, appear once more, In a new and more elegant edition,

Revised and corrected By The Author.

Park Your Mind Here

I Will Not Despair 3:20 we also eagerly wait for the Savior,

I Will Not Be Bitter the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

I Will Not Compromise 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,

I Will Not Be Intimidated according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

When all labours and trials are o’er And I am safe on that beautiful shore With my dear Saviour whom I adore THAT will be glory, glory for me!

# posted by Groseys messages @ 12:51 PM

Friday, July 03, 2026

Clouds by Lawrence Finley

CLOUDS, A NATIVE HEALING.

Some are pale and stray away.

Some present a fierce display:

whorls and smudges black and grey!

Some seem sad at close of day.

Clouds are evanescent friends.

Who or what on cloud depends?

Farmer smiles as rain descends.

Surely then his worry ends.

Find a time of rest to lie.

Stay and watch the clouds go by.

Find a beauty in the sky?

Find a healing in the sky?

Back in about 2005 my PhD supervisor Professor Ron Laura of the University of Newcastle did something that helped me immensely: he sent me out to his garden in Wallsend to look at his flowers. He made me spend 20 minutes in his garden. Initially it was frustrating as everything in my life was of a goalie’s purposeful nature: how could time in a garden be purposeful for a driven man? I had forgotten to see the beauty and the messages in each portion of God’s creation.

“Smelling the flowers” was immensely important to restoring my workaholic soul.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 11:04 AM

From Chuck Swindoll

During the months ahead you can expect that your courage will be tested. You'll face a wall you don't think you can get over, a battle you don't think you can win, or an obstacle you don't think you can get beyond. You've probably thought about that battle today. It may have robbed you of sleep last night or preoccupied your thoughts in random moments. Your "opponent" may be someone in your community, in your congregation, or among your leadership. It may be a battle with pride, anger, some habit, or perhaps a secret addiction. Whatever the challenge, the battle you face right now looks impossible to overcome. You may be right. You may not ever be able to win this battle because you're fighting the wrong way, using the wrong strategy. We were raised to match strength for strength. If the opponent is strong, we must be stronger. If he is smart, we must be smarter. The only way to win is through intimidation. All of this is true, of course, unless you're going to fight God's way. God's strategy is altogether different. God specializes in impossible situations. When you are overwhelmed, outnumbered, outmanned, outmuscled, or outsmarted, God steps in, because only He is qualified to lead you to victory. The courageous Joshua faced a battle that he knew he couldn't win. God's charge to him was to go and take the land. "I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous." (Joshua 1:5-6) I wonder if Joshua thought, "Conquer the mighty city of Jericho? No way! Can't be done." All our lives, we've been singing, "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho." But the song is wrong. Joshua didn't fight the battle. He marched and shouted just as God told him to, and the walls fell down. There was no fight to get over the walls! Joshua listened for the trumpet blast, like the other people in the army, and simply stood back and watched God's miraculous intervention. The odds were against them, and they couldn't possibly battle against their fierce enemy all alone. Their only hope of victory was obeying God... and the walls fell flat. This week is a good time for us to consider: Am I trying to fight this battle in my own strength or in God's? When you're overwhelmed and outmatched, remember: God specializes in impossible situations. The battle belongs to the Lord.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:07 AM

Thursday, July 02, 2026

Phil 3

The Contrast in Antagonisms

B. The Contrast in Appetites

C. The Contrast in Affections

D. The Contrast in Allegiance

E. The Contrast in Aspirations

I. The Right Mandate

II. The Right Method

III. The Right Mindset

A. I Will Not Despair Lord is coming

B. I Will Not Be Intimidated My Lord is subduing all

C. I Will Not Be Bitter He is my Lord

D. I Will Not Compromise. My Lord is transforming me

E. I Will Not Drop Out. The game is not over until He returns

# posted by Groseys messages @ 10:22 PM

Departure

Two friends were talking and one said to the other, “What were your father’s last words?” The friend replied, “He didn’t have any. Mother was with him till the end.” Everybody has last words. Some are trivial, but some are immortal. The apostle Paul wrote the book of 2 Timothy, which is his parting challenge to his young protégé named Timothy. Paul knew that he was at the end of his life. His last days were ahead, death was waiting, and the mantle of leadership would soon pass on to someone else.

Out of all the words in the Bible that are used to describe the death of a Christian, I think perhaps the one that is most vivid and meaningful is the one the apostle Paul uses here to describe his own death when he says, “The time of my departure has come.” The word “departure” literally means “to loosen, to unloose.”

It was used in a number of different ways in secular Greek. Sometimes the word was used for the unyoking of oxen and animals from a plow, setting them free from the burden of pulling. Sometimes the word was used to describe the setting free of a criminal. His hands and his feet would be in chains, locked up, restricted, held fast. And then he was set free. Somebody came and unlocked the chains that held him, and suddenly he was released from bondage into the liberty and freedom of a whole new life.

Paul uses that same word to describe the death of a Christian. As he sought to explain his own death, he paints a very beautiful picture to help us to understand what it was like to die as a child of God. This is the confidence and assurance we ought to have as we live—and as we most surely die—as the people of God.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 7:21 PM

Philippians 3 a topsy turvy world

But wait…. I just told you where not to park. I need to tell you where to park.

3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

2:8 the death of the cross.9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We live in a topsy turvy world. If you seek to be first you will be last in God’s sight. Mk 9:35

If you seek to win you lose, and if you seek to lose you win Mk 10:25

If you seek to serve you will reign. Mk 10:35-45

Wait.. so if I really want to reign I gotta serve right? Isn’t there something wrong with my thinking there? I trade this for this and I win!!

It is sort of like the guy who asked the question on altruism at Teachers’ College: “If altruism is to be unselfish and not think of yourself, why should I be altruistic?” The lecturer proceeded to answer: “You will be better off in the end: You will have people like you, you will find it opens doors for work for you, you will get wealth from it.” “So how is that altruistic?”

Likewise the Lord Jesus promises fulfilment in life. John 10:10 “I am come that they might have life and have it abundantly.” But wait, if you seek to have abundant life by using Jesus to get it, you won’t get it. Love is the most fulfilling of things.. but if you love to get love, you are not being loving.

That’s why the cross is central to the universe.

“But God commendeth His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The cross the death, resurrection and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ is the central fact of history. His coming again is the culminating fact of history on earth.

Paul doesn’t ask us to look at the cross and emulate it. He asks us to look at the cross, death resurrection, ascension, enthronement and return of Christ as the culminating fact of eternity, and the culminating fact of your life. Everything else pails into insignificance alongside that.

You won’t worry about your vindictive, hateful criminal, malicious, indifferent, ungodly, self serving enemies when you park your mind at the cross and His return in glory. Because even the bad things in you will be transformed by that!

Park your mind here!!

# posted by Groseys messages @ 11:41 AM

Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Your Final Destination Philippians 3 The Enemies Of The Gospel

Philippians 3 The Enemies Of The Gospel

Philippians 3:17-21 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things.20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Paul has already warned against those who pervert the gospel of Christ. He has called them:

Beware of: The Dogs, The Evil Workers, The Mutilation. He now has either another category or a summation the enemies of the gospel.

Paul has struggled with his detractors.

Some years ago my daughters gave me a little sign for my office door that I could not put up.

“Do not disturb: I am already disturbed enough!”

I was in a struggle with detractors that included:

A pedophile network that expressed anger at my refusal to participate in fellowship activities with them.
Denominational executives that were angered at my conservative beliefs and refusal to participate with the interdenominational committee representing the above network.
Local church members who supported both groups.

Yes my daughters were concerned that the stress would kill me.

Paul was disturbed by his detractors. He saw them as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Enemies of the gospel use lies and intimidation to pressure their opponents.

I have experienced this many times in pastoral ministry. Paul lifts our eyes from the present dangers to the eternal perspective.

Folks, these struggles mess with your head. Even today I found myself struggling with some who have proven themselves enemies of the cross of Christ, whose god is their belly, who glory in their shame. A photo appeared on Facebook of a deacon in a former church, holding a beer. He and his wife had cheated Lorelle and I out of $1500, threatening he would suicide unless someone made up for damages he had caused when his work truck hit another car. They then used the money I gave on alcohol for their family that Christmas! No thought of repaying the emergency request..ever! He initiated a program of lies to remove me from ministry at that church that was highlighted by an hour long abusive, profanity-laden phone attack. Yes, bitterness and anger had significantly affected my own mental health after this and I concluded my ministry at that church, and as the same time, from that denomination over what I considered (as did a police commissioner, and others) a very inappropriate permission of recently released predator to a pulpit.

As one who has endured a lot of strife over many years, this has affected me most deeply.

How can a Christian keep his mind sane when dealing with the enemies of the cross of Christ?

Paul was sitting in a jail cell in Rome awaiting execution, because of the initiated complaints of just such professed Christians who were really enemies of the cross of Christ.

Yes our minds and psychi’s are fragile things. Stress is a killer. My blood pressure rose to 177!

Phil 3:15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

Paul contrasts the Earthly Minded enemies of the cross of Christ:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things. With others whose “citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

Let me highlight again, this happens in churches, sometimes frequently!

Revelation 2:18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, 'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:19 "I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

I know a guy who in order to be an elder and a counselor in the local church, had to get rid of his pastor to whom he had confessed things that the bible says prohibits his election to those positions. Without proof, he circulated slander so he could kick the pastor out and be unaccountable for his sin. He is accountable to God.

They are enemies of the cross of Christ:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things.

I have seen a woman in a church exalt herself like “Jezebel’ in a church. A man complained to me that he had succumbed to her. He wouldn’t put it in writing or want it revealed so she could be approached about her sin. She continued to devastate the church for years with her wickedness, enemies of the cross of Christ:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things.

How do we not be bitter and angry when these things bring shame to the Christian churches? How do you and I stabilize our minds under such stress?
Paul’s answer is to look to the return of Christ.

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Living in light of the return of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly transformation of our bodies to be free from sin and stress and distress, and the subjugation of all things under the Savior’s feet radically changes our everyday lives.

Embedded in the promise of future eternal grace is the guarantee of “right here, right now” grace for what you’re facing today. And when you begin to understand your story from the unique perspective and promises of Forever, you begin to live with unshakeable hope and confidence today as you wait for the promise of Forever.

The opposite, however, is also true. When you forget Forever and live as if today is all you have, then your life and faith will be anything but unshakeable!

Forgetting Forever Is Becoming Earthly minded!

Paul Tripp comments “In my many years as a biblical counselor, a recurring pattern appeared. As I listened to their stories of disappointment, anger, confusion, and grief, I realized, “I need to give eternity back to this person.” It became increasingly evident that most of the people I counseled were struggling with the situations, locations, and relationships of everyday life because there was a critical element in their story that they either never knew or had completely forgotten.

I was counseling eternity amnesiacs.(And I must admit, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I, too, was more like my counselees than unlike them!)

What is an eternity amnesiac? It’s someone who lives with unrealistic expectations, unfulfilled dreams, unmet goals, and a functional hopelessness that results when we tell ourselves that this life, right here, right now, is all there is to life. Even though we say we believe in the promise of eternity, in very significant ways in our street-level Christianity, we don’t always live in a way that is consistent with what we confess to believe.” We know this conceptually, but in practice, we so frequently fail to embrace this life-changing truth: our lives are more than earthly and being earthly minded is out rightly self destructive. We need to live for eternity!

Counselling as a profession was only really established in the UK in the 1960’s. By 1970 there were a few hundred. At the turn of the century, it was around 20,000. But today it is estimated that there between 80-100,000. In Australia the number is 40,000 – a doubling in the past 15 years. It seems that counselling is in vogue. We are a counsel culture. One of the reasons for the increase is that the number of issues we can receive counselling for keeps increasing. We have moved from counselling for the trauma of death, horrific accidents and terrible abuse, to counselling for hurt feelings, ‘harmful’ words and even political results. When Trump was elected in 2016, some school districts in the US offered professional counselling to their students (it is unlikely they would have done so if Hillary Clinton had been elected). I suspect that if Pauline Hanson spoke at Sydney University, counselling could be offered. Perhaps counselling should have been offered to the long-suffering Scottish football supporters? Where the culture goes you can be pretty sure that the Church will follow.

Remembering Forever Makes Us Mindful of Our Heavenly Home.

I laugh when my sat nav takes me to a cemetery and says rather spookily “You have arrived at Your Final Destination!” It isn’t our final destination!

What would seem like the last chapter—human mortality and drawing our last breath on this earth—isn’t the last chapter in the story. The Bible invites you to celebrate, and requires you to face, the exciting and inescapable reality of life after death.

This present life today is not all there is. In fact, it is just a speck, a tiny dot on your Forever timeline. There is a Forever on the other side of this life. Eternity is not a mystical creation of overly spiritual people. Forever is a reality. It is the product of God’s plan and design. And once you believe in Forever and live with Forever in view, not only will you understand things you have never understood before, but you will live in a radically different way than you did before.

But in the 10,000 mundane moments of everyday life, in the chaos, confusion, and busyness of today, we have lost sight of and forgotten about Forever. The results can be discouraging, if not devastating.

What happens when we forget about Forever? Well, here’s just a short list:

Our marriages struggle because we load the burden of our happiness onto the shoulders of a far-from-perfect spouse

We put way too much pressure on our children to be successful and live as trophies to our identity

We have a hard time getting along with family and friends, constantly surprised and disappointed when friends and brothers and sisters hurt us

We spend more than we earn and find ourselves in crippling financial debt

We stand in front of full closets and say we have nothing to wear

We look into fully stocked refrigerators and say we have nothing to eat

We struggle with envy

Trials and suffering paralyze us more than they should

We overmedicate, overeat, and numb ourselves with entertainment and sexual pleasure

As a culture, we “believe” in eternity the way we “believe” in God. Most people say they do, but you wouldn’t know it from observing the way they live. We have abandoned a self-conscious allegiance to the reality of eternity, which structures how we think about and approach the here and now.

Eagerly Expecting Forever Lifts Us Above

In a few days, America will be celebrating its 250th birthday. Consider the words that one of its founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, penned for his own epitaph:

The Body Of Benjamin Franklin, Printer,
(Like the cover of an old book, Its contents torn out, And stript of its lettering and gilding,) Lies here, food for worms. But the work shall not be lost, For it will, as he believed, appear once more, In a new and more elegant edition, Revised and corrected By The Author.

Eagerly Expect Forever to Break Into Your Ever

So where do we go from here? Well, in a word: remember. It sounds so simple, but for many of us, we have just forgotten or neglected to remember Forever. So, pray every day for the grace to remember that this life is not all that there is.

This present world, with all its joys and sorrows, is not our final address. When we treat it as if it is, we try to get from this world what we can only experience in the next. We try to pack as much pleasure, happiness, and excitement into our present life as we can. We do this because the thought that this life is all there is carries an inescapable fear that life will somehow pass us by. Here is what a destination mentality fails to understand: our complete, present, personal happiness is not what God is working on in the here and now. Why? Because the plan of his grace is to deliver us out of this world to one that is much, much better.

God has designed that this would not be the final destination for his children. He knows that this is a terribly broken world that, in its present state, does not function the way that he intended. This world is not a safe place to look to for a sense of well-being. For that, we need to live with a preparation mentality, approaching each day knowing that this world is not intended to be our final destination, and that God is preparing another world for us.

God is using the disappointments and difficulties of this world to prepare us for the next. God uses the pressures of the present to craft us into the kind of individuals with whom he would choose to spend eternity.

You were made for Forever. You are citizens of heaven! That is your inescapable identity, and it is your guaranteed destination. Life only works as it was meant to work when you live with Forever in view.

Heaven is our Home and Hope. The Saviour is our Hope and Lord

But. It’s not your best life now! Scripture points us to our best life hereafter.

When all labours and trials are oer

And I am safe on that beautiful shore

With my dear Saviour whom I adore

THAT will be glory, glory for me!

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter. So, he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: “I have circled the block ten times. If I don't park here, I’ll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses.” When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: “I've circled this block for ten years. If I don't give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.”

If you’re looking for a sign, this is it! DON’T PARK HERE!

There are some places you should not park. Don’t park your mind on this earth. Here are three of them.
Don’t park your mind in a tempting place. Someone said, “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.” Dr. C. William Fisher explains, “In Bunyan’s familiar classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian, on his way from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, was frequently tempted to turn aside and park awhile—especially in the Town of Vanity Fair.” I read about a man who was struggling with a diet. He had to go downtown and as he started out, he remembered that his route would take him by the doughnut shop. As he got closer, he thought that a cup of coffee would hit the spot. Then he remembered his diet. That’s when he prayed, “Lord, if You want me to stop for a doughnut and coffee, let there be a parking place in front of the shop.” He said, “Sure enough, I found a parking place right in front—on my seventh time around the block!”
Don’t park your mind in a trying place. In his biography titled, God in My Corner, two-time world heavyweight champion, George Foreman, recounts, “Someone once asked an elderly woman her favorite Scripture verse. She replied, ‘And it came to pass.’ ‘And it came to pass?’ But that doesn’t mean anything.’ ‘Yes it does,’ she answered. ‘I know that whenever a trial comes, it doesn’t come to stay; it comes—to pass. It’s not going to be around forever.” The Israelites spent forty long years in a trying place because of their unbelief.
Don’t park your mind in a troubling place. Jesus doesn’t want you to park there. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). Dr. Vance Havner recalls finding a handwritten note in his late father’s desk which read, “Nothing is ever settled until it is settled right, and nothing is ever settled right until it is settled with God.”

# posted by Groseys messages @ 6:55 PM

Counsel culture

One of the reasons for the increase is that the number of issues we can receive counselling for keeps increasing. We have moved from counselling for the trauma of death, horrific accidents and terrible abuse, to counselling for hurt feelings, ‘harmful’ words and even political results. When Trump was elected in 2016, some school districts in the US offered professional counselling to their students (it is unlikely they would have done so if Hillary Clinton had been elected). I suspect that if Pauline Hanson spoke at Sydney University, counselling could be offered. Perhaps counselling should have been offered to the long-suffering Scottish football supporters?

Where the culture goes you can be pretty sure that the Church will follow. Which is why I was not surprised at an e-mail I received in preparation for the upcoming NSW General Assembly. To quote the letter “The Assembly is providing confidential pastoral support through Jericho Road Chaplains for people affected by the ongoing discussions and decisions relating to the overture on eldership and the broader Assembly process.”