As we look ahead into the New Year we are aware of many uncertainties. 

On the positive side we will see many acts of courage and goodness from many people. No doubt there will be new medical advances bringing relief of suffering to large numbers of people. Some old conflicts will end and some enemies will be reconciled to one another. 

On the negative side there will be the continuing uncertain but dangerous consequences  of climate change and the spread of ethnic and national hatreds.

At the time of writing peace between the Arab peoples and Israel seems farther away than ever. The commentators tell us that the sticking point is Jerusalem. Will Jerusalem ever live up to the meaning of its name: 'City of Peace'? 

It was in that city that long ago the Lord of glory was crucified. His followers gave up all hope. But it was not the end of the story for God raised Him from death. And so, in a mysterious way, that very death and resurrection of Christ guarantees the final hope for Jerusalem - that one day it will live up to its name. The good promise is from God for all peoples - Arabs, Jews and the whole world. The marvellous last few verses of Isaiah 19 express it (in that very order!) so wonderfully. Please look them up! (Here we find verses showing that ultimately God has no ethnic favourites - all have sinned yet all are loved.) 

The doctrine that the Lord rules the history of the world and His purposes cannot be thwarted by the sin of man is called the doctrine of 'The Sovereignty of God'. It is a major theme of the Old Testament Prophets, the New Testament Apostles, and not least our Lord Himself. The more we know the Bible and understand the world, as we see it unfolding in accordance with His Word, the more we will be convinced of the truth of this doctrine.

We may wonder, when we see all the evil around us, whether this state of the world really is the will of God. It clearly is not His will that we behave as we do for it brings great sorrow to His heart. In Genesis 6 we read that God was so pained at the violence of the world that He was sorry that He had made man upon the earth! 

Nevertheless He was determined to redeem the world from its sin and suffering. The only way was to bear the judgement we all deserve in Himself. 

So the cross stands at the centre of history. It is the clue to understanding the mysterious history of Jerusalem  - which both in its good and its bad represents us all before God. It too is the clue to help us understand the destiny of all nations and the destiny of each one of us. We too are a mixture of the good and bad that we see in Jerusalem's story. 

And this is where we see the wonderful sovereignty of God. There was no evil we could do that would foil that purpose He had. Indeed it was our very sin, represented by the sin of Jerusalem, which, humanly speaking, gave us the cross so that we might be saved and forgiven, AND THIS WAS GOD'S PURPOSE FROM THE BEGINNING.  The New Testament in making this point quotes the Old Testament. (Romans 11.7-12, Mark 4.12, John 12.37-41). 

We know from our own experience that there have been times when we have gone wrong and God has mercifully used our wrong doing for our ultimate good. We even may have seen His purpose in it! Nevertheless that does not excuse our sin. It was wrong and we need to repent. God did not cause us to do wrong. We must not say 'Let us sin that God's grace may abound'! That would be to spurn the very point of the gospel.

If in this coming year we see mounting crime in Britain and escalating turmoil in the world what should our attitude be?  We should, like the Lord Himself, be grieved but not afraid. 'Such things must come but woe to the man through whom they come.'   '...see to it that you are not alarmed, such things must happen...' (Matt 18.7 and 24.6)

Just as in the rejection of Jesus by Jerusalem God revealed His love and glory, so in the end of history we will see that even the 'wrath of man will praise Him'. 

The Apostle Paul sums it up by saying 'He has consigned all men to disobedience that He might have mercy on all'.(Romans 11.32). 

This does not mean that all are ultimately saved for, as the whole Bible shows us, it is possible finally to reject the love of God and despise His grace.

For you and me it is to humbly look to the Lord, confessing our failings, praying earnestly for the lost world that the Lord so dearly loves, speaking up for goodness, and longing for that day when His kingdom will come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
 
 

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