She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. - Matthew 1:21

Wait for the LORD;  be strong, and let your heart take courage;  wait for the LORD! (Psalm 27:14) - Knowing when to act - and when not to act - are the twin pillars of faith. To have one without the other is to live the Christian life out of balance.

One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38) - The law exposes the problem, and the gospel gives the solution.

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” - Luke 24:31

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) - We might not be the best people, our understanding of God might be patchy, but God can make up what is lacking in us. “My power is made perfect in weakness”.

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!

If you seek him, he will be found by you (1 Chronicles 28:9) - The point is we have to seek, but as you do please be assured that in the verse above ‘if’ is quickly followed by ‘he will’.

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8) - The feeling of being shaken is a disturbing one: the near miss; a phone call with bad news; life crowding in at four in the morning when you just can’t sleep. The godly King David has determined to keep God in this mind, to walk in the ways laid out by God and to follow God’s prompting.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8) - What a great hymn of praise this is from the fisherman! Densely packed phrases crowd together to give an overwhelming sense of the height, width, depth and breadth of the gospel.

"This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses." (Acts 2:32) - Here, mere weeks after the resurrection, we find Peter looking into the bright mystery of the divinity and humanity of Christ. And then proclaiming it to the world.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” The flame of faith was flickering, but was still burning.

“I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.” (Zechariah 10:8) - There are seasons in the Christian life, but we should never fear we will end on a low.

I stand up here among you seasonably to-day, as alive from the dead, if I may hope to impress it upon you, and induce you to prepare for that solemn hour, which must come to all, by a timely acquaintance with, appreciation of, dependence on, the death of Christ.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4) - It is a great vision of God himself - God himself! - wiping the tears from the cheeks of the believer.

but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. (Daniel 11:32) - There is a great difference between knowing something, and knowing about something. Head knowledge is useful, but is only half the story. Heart knowledge is needed too.

The one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (Galatians 6:8) - In the end it is often patience we lack, rather than effort. Stickability is a spiritual discipline to set alongside our daily routines. Foolish indeed would be the farmer who re-ploughs the field after a week because shoots cannot be seen. More foolish the Christian who gives up praying before God answers.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench (Isaiah 42:3) - Whilst we should not seek adversity, we shouldn’t fear it. And when you do feel weak, do remember: “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench”.

This is why Easter stands at the hinge of history. It is more than simply a tale about a human coming back to life, it is the account of how God restored the human race so that we might be reconciled to him.

Holy Week (Saturday) - We need have no doubt that as the sun sets on Easter Eve that Jesus lies dead within a sealed and guarded tomb.

Holy Week (Friday) - “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)

Holy Week (Thursday) - And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” (Matthew 26:21-22)

Holy Week (Wednesday) - But whatever you do, don’t sell your saviour.

Holy Week (Tuesday) - "And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” (Mark 14:3-9)

Holy Week (Monday) - “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17)

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 22:1-11)

“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27) - Sometimes it takes the stripping away of the familiar to reveal the care and presence of God.

Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,. Who wondrous things has done, in whom his world rejoices - Such was the man who penned this hymn, from a city which was three times over-run by armies and which for decades suffered from plagues. It stands as a testament to the grace of God in the midst of suffering.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) - When we place our present, and our future, in the hands of Almighty God we can lie content that we are in safe hands indeed.

He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:6–11) - This Spirit brings life to bodies long deadened by sin. This life is indestructible, and eventually brings each Christian through the grave into eternity of life in the presence of God.