How marvelous how wonderful

“A prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. ³The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.” Nahum 1:1-3 NKJV

““I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. ⁶I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. ⁷All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”” Nahum 3:5-7 NKJV

Lord Almighty,

Who only can rightly judge the nations. You has seen, heard, know and understand it all. In the past You sent Jonah to Nineveh and they repented en masse! Perhaps we underestimated what a frightening prospect that was. An enemy city full of heathen idol worshippers greedy for new territory and bloodthirsty. One man. Since then Assyria had returned to idolatry, become powerful, defeating their enemies and neighbouring territories Especially the Northern kingdom of Israel.

Even though You God were angry at Your children for disobeying You, You cannot overlook Nineveh’s terrible treatment of them. Nahum reminds us that You sovereign. The nations.are Yours whether they believe it or not. And one day that judgement will be seen by the whole world. The illustration Nahum uses of being put to shame now, and made a disgusting spectacle of, is both vivid and dreadful. Shame is a terrible thing. It constantly condemns, constantly brings guilt and is endless in its degradation.

Thank You, God we can fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. who for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame to take his place at Your throne. He scorned our shame. That is He rejected, dismissed, removed it from us along with our sin. We do not have to have shame eat us up for the rest of our lives. How wonderful.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Sunday 5th July 2026
Just needed a familiar hymn to say what I believe and with great gratitude.

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Saviour’s love for me!

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how he could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Saviour’s love for me!

He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them his very own;
He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
And suffered and died alone.

Chorus

When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
‘Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of his love for me.

Chorus repeat . . .

Lyrics: Chas H Gabriel

“This is the messagethat the Lord gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi. ²“I have always loved you,” says the Lord. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the Lord replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, ³but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.”

⁶The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honours his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’ ⁷“You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. “Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’ “You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. ⁸When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ⁹“Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favour at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Malachi 1:1-3 and 6-9

Lord of Heaven and earth,

It is thought that Malachi might have spoken, written this prophetic book, when Nehemiah popped back to Babylon. At the time worship slipped because Eliashib perverted the use of the Temple. No-one can ever say You never told me God because You always find away to speak. Sometimes when I look back I can see You have been warning me. Or You have been showing me the way and I have been focussed on asking You for clear direction! Paul says You God, witness to the world that You are in creation (Romans 1:20). So those who refuse to believe in a creator cannot say You did not provide a witness.

Malachi talks about the lack of respect. Even begging will not find Your favour back again God. But Your opening statement, the introduction, the foundation of truth is I have always loved You. You still loved even though You had to send judgement.

Today, we grasp hold of it, the promise of Your love, for we have nothing else to hang on to. There is nothing we can do to earn it, receive it or merit it. But You God sent a way to know it, see it and experience it through Jesus. Not just theoretical love, practical love, spiritual love. But an all compassing love that completes us. Even though we are sinners and have at one time disrespected You by not believing and even keeping the first commandment. You loved us, You love us. A present reality that will not go away. As we look forward to stepping into the New Testament in a couple of days we thank You that You have not changed. You loved us in the beginning You loved us in the middle and You will love us into eternity.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Wednesday 15th October 2025
Nothing like a hymn with a familiar chorus to reinforce the truth and lead one to worship.

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how he could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Saviour’s love for me!

Repeat first verse and chorus . . .

He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them his very own;
He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
And suffered and died alone.

Chorus

When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
‘Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of his love for me.

Chorus twice . . .

Lyrics: Chas H Gabriel