15/09/2024

Angus Buchan

15/09/2024

Religion

September 15, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Matthew 23:24, Luke 6:9

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 15th of September, 2024 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Gospel of Matthew 23:24:

”Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

Religion is a killer. These are the words of Jesus. Now, do you know what a gnat is? I looked up the Oxford dictionary to find out the exact meaning of a gnat. A gnat is a small two-winged fly, resembling a mosquito. Now Jesus says, you strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. We need to be so careful on this one. We go to Luke 6:9. Jesus asked the pharisees, the religious people:

Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”

See, and they never said a word. Now there was a man with a withered hand and Jesus wanted to heal his hand but the religious people said you mustn’t do any work on a Sabbath day, and that is when the Lord asked, “Is it right or wrong to do good on the Sabbath?” We must be very careful that we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Now, moms and dads, tell your children what that means.

A few years back, two young women came into our church, and I must be honest with you, they were very skimpily dressed and very suggestively dressed, and there was a visitor that came from overseas. He was clearly a pharisee because after the service he came up to us and he said, ”How can you allow two women, so badly dressed, to come into the church?” and we looked at him and we said, ”But sir, we have never seen those women before. This is the first time they’ve ever come to church.” You see, folks, those two women were obviously seeking the Lord, and they decided to be brave and come to church to meet with Jesus, but if the pharisee had his way, he would have never allowed them in. How many times do we read in the bible that Jesus was eating with the tax collectors, the publicans, the prostitutes. Even the disciples didn’t come into those eating houses. “Lord, do you know who those people are?” “Yes, I know who they are. I came for the sick, not the healthy.”

Be careful today, that we don’t swallow a camel and try and strain out a little mosquito, a gnat, out of our food.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.

Goodbye.

16/12/2024

December 16, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Daniel 5:27

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 16th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Book of Daniel 5:27: “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting…” Now, this Guest was not even invited to the king’s palace, to his celebration, but He wrote on the wall. This was the One who was not invited but He came and He wrote with His finger upon the wall. What did He write? “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting…” How is it with you this morning? I know with me, without God, I’ve got no chance. Without the Lord Jesus Christ, I am in terrible debt. I remember as a young farmer and I’m sure this applies to businessmen, it applies to everybody. We put in a beautiful crop, oh what a crop it was that year! It was golden unto harvest. We had two months to go and then we’d reap that crop, pay all our debt and we’d carry on living. Then we got the phone call from the bank. Oh dear! The lady said, “The Bank Manager wants to see you urgently.” Now I knew that my time was up, I had to pay. The crop was there it was on the ground but he wanted his money obviously. So I got in the pickup, I asked Jill - I said, “Please just pray for me," and off I went to town. I gingerly walked into his office. Of course, you take your hat off, especially when you owe money. I walked into his office, I sat down at that beautiful big oak desk and he sat at the other side of the desk. He had his glasses on and he looked at me over the top off his glasses. He said, ”Angus, I’ve called you here today with regard to your overdraft.” I said, ”Yes Sir, I understand and Sir, I’ve got a wonderful crop and I’ll be able to pay you.” He said, ”Hang on minute, I haven’t finished.” He said, ”Yesterday, somebody walked into this office and paid the whole overdraft, cash. He’s anonymous. He doesn’t want to be known.” I couldn’t believe it. I think I maybe broke into tears. I said, ”Thank you very much.” I went out rejoicing. As I was walking out the door, I said, ”Sir, who is he?” He said, ”He’s a Carpenter.” It’s just a story - but so true is it not? Do you remember that beautiful old hymn we used to sing? I want you to sing it with me, it goes something like this: He paid the debt, He did not own. I owed the debt, I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away, and now I sing a brand new song Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid the debt I could never pay. Jesus bless you and have a lovely day, Goodbye.

15/12/2024

December 15, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Daniel 4:31, Proverbs 16:18

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 15th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start off in Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” Then we go straight to the Book of Daniel 4:31 and: “…the kingdom has departed from you! “ Oh my dear friend, we need to be careful of that terrible thing called pride. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man on earth. He was the King of Babylon. That is modern-day Iran. He ruled the whole world in those days and yet he fell in a moment. He ended up grazing grass in the field like an ox. The Bible tells us his hair grew long, his nails like claws of a bird. For seven seasons he did that until he humbled himself and acknowledged that Father God was the Ruler of the earth and everything in it. We need to put men and women around us that can advise us and then we need to be humble enough to take their godly counsel. It’s safe to have men and women around you to guide you. Listen to your wife, young man. She loves you and will tell you the truth. Be careful of flatterers, those who guide you and tell you what you want to hear. Yes-men around you are very dangerous. You don’t need them. I have no less than five advisers. These are men of substance. They are from different churches, different walks of life, and we meet every year regularly and they advise me on what to do. They don’t tell me what to do, they advise me, and they don’t necessarily agree with me because they are trying to look after me and the Word of God. When Nebuchadnezzar finally had understanding, the Bible says, 'reason', he realised he could do nothing without God and when he did that, his kingdom was restored to him. Today, take good counsel from people who love you and don’t tell you what you want to hear but tell you the truth and then you will succeed and God will get all the glory through your life. Jesus bless you and goodbye.

14/12/2024

December 14, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Mark 2:17

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 14th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go straight to the Book of Mark 2:17: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Oh folks, He came for the whosoever’s. He came for you and He came for me, and that is why we love Him so much. Isn’t that so? He came for the tax collector, the prostitute, the drunkard, the so-called untouchables. And you know, the amazing thing is, when people like this get saved, when they meet Jesus Christ, they change and they change forever, and they have an incredible witness to the world for what Jesus Christ has done for them. Like overnight, after being an absolute waster, becoming a follower of Christ. Remember Zacchaeus, that little man who climbed up the sycamore tree because he wanted to see Jesus? When Jesus came past, the Lord looked up, and He saw Zacchaeus. I don’t think He had ever seen him before in His life and He said, “Zacchaeus, I am coming to your house today to have lunch with you!” Zacchaeus must have gotten such a fright, he probably nearly fell out of the tree. He went and called all his friends, all the thieves, the prostitutes, all the tax-collectors, and they had a huge banquet, and Jesus was seated right in the middle of them. But you see, what happened was, there was such repentance in that place that Zacchaeus got up and he said in the midst of all his friends, “Lord, if I have taken anything away from anyone, I will repay them four-fold, 400%.” Some of us think we are doing well because we give the Lord our tithes of 10%. This man who had been saved, this sick man, this sinner, who had been set free by Jesus Christ, said, “I will pay any man that I have taken anything away from, 400% in return." And what did Jesus say? He said, “Today, salvation has come to this house.” We really need to understand what The Friend of sinners means. I love all the titles that are given to the Lord, make no mistake - The Alpha and the Omega: The Beginning and the End; The Bright Morning Star; The Lily of the Valley; The Great Ploughman; The Shepherd of the sheep; but the title that I love and brings tears to my eyes, more than any other is when He is known as The Friend of sinners. Oh today, speak to Him. He wants to meet with you. Jesus bless you and goodbye.