The winter of 2015 has been one of the most severe in recent years in the Maritimes. There have been blizzards whiteouts, freezing temperatures and amazing amounts of snow. There seemed to be no end. But finally, spring came, the sun did shine again, temperatures warmed up and snow banks melted. Reminds one of life. Storms of sickness, hardships, broken hearts, disappointment, harden our hearts. In our frustration we sometimes blame God for our troubles. But one day, we hear the story of God’s Son and how His love shines in, and our frozen, hardened hearts begin to melt. Roads that were impassable before, open as we learn to walk by faith. Storms may come again, but now when we turn to Christ, we have God living in us. Paul explained, “…do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body…” Then, “with Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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A Florida grandmother, Emily Phillips wrote her own obituary for the Jacksonville Times-Union newspaper. Philips died the end of March. In her obituary, she wrote, “It pains me to admit it, but apparently I have passed away. I was born, I blinked, and it was over.” She was 69. Such is the brevity of life. The Psalmist asked the question, “What man can live and not see death?” The answer is that death comes to us all. Job seemed to have no illusions about death, but asked, ”If a man die shall he live again?” The answer is a resounding “Yes” which Job later answered himself, with the words, “I know that my Redeemer lives and He shall stand at last on the earth…and this I know, that in my flesh I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold and not another.” How can one have that assurance for the next life? Because Jesus promised, “I am the resurrection and the life. …And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” He died to pay the bill for our sins, and His resurrection is the receipt.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Last month, a veteran politician Jim Prentice, Premier of Alberta, made a statement which has caused him some backlash. He may regret having said it. Referring to the financial difficulties in Alberta related to the drop in oil prices, Prentice said, “in terms of who is responsible, we need only look in the mirror. Basically, all of us have had the best of everything and have not had to pay for what it costs.” It may not have been good politics, but it was probably very close to the truth. It reminds one of the rather blunt statement in the New Testament, where James was inspired to write, “if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” When we look into the Bible and learn that we are in need of a Saviour, it is foolish for us to see it, then go away and try to forget what we have seen. We too need to “look into the mirror” of God’s Word and then take the appropriate action

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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 Louis Cyr was a famous Quebec strongman whose career spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His recorded feats, include lifting 500 pounds (227 kg) with one finger and backlifting 4,337 pounds (1,967 kg). In 1892, Cyr set a total of seven world records and earned himself a spot in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. According to former International Federation of Body Building & Fitness chairman Ben Weider, Louis Cyr was the strongest man who ever lived. But there is One who has lifted more. His name is Jesus. The Bible says, that He “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we…might live for righteousness…” Louis Cyr lifted huge physical burdens. Jesus lifted the burden of the sins of the whole world. Dr. John M Moore wrote a song that describes Jesus burden-bearing. “Days are filled with sorrow and care, Hearts are lonely and drear. Burdens are Lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near. Cast your care on Jesus today, Leave your worry and fear Burdens Are Lifted At Calvary. Jesus is very near”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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I read recently of a young man applying for a job at a newspaper. He was asked, “Are you good at condensing material?” “Sure” he replied. “Okay, do a write on this and really cut it short.” The editor then passed him a copy of the Ten Commandments. The applicant quickly read the material, returned the re-write and was immediately hired. He wrote only one word- “Don’t.” Terse and not very explicit, the young reporter at least had caught the message of the law of God. Because we are constantly straying from the path of right living, since we are all sinners, the law can only thunder, “Don’t!” But God also lays out His standard of righteousness in the law, and teaches us that we can never be good enough to keep the commandments or earn our way to heaven. Why was the Law given? Because of God’s great love, He provided the law to convict us, but then to provide a way of escape. His Son Jesus went to the Cross and took the punishment for our sin. That’s why Paul explained, the purpose of the law, , “the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Alcohol abuse is a serious problem in the Maritimes, increasingly affecting high school and university students. There are various type of alcoholics: those who have anti-social tendencies, those with pleasure seeking needs, and those who are anxiety ridden people who are able to go without drinking for long periods of time but unable to control themselves once they start. Someone who has had problems with alcoholism made the following revealing statement. “We drank for happiness and became unhappy. We drank for joy and became miserable. We drank for friendship and made enemies. We drank for sleep but awakened without rest. We drank to erase problems and saw them multiply.”. Many good people are trying to help those struggling with alcohol addiction. One organization helping addicts speaks of a “Higher Power.” That “Higher Power” is Jesus, God’s Son. He invites all who struggle with alcohol or other addictions, “ “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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This past week, many have been saddened by the passing of loved ones or good friends. So it is natural for us to consider the oft repeated question- “If a man or woman dies, shall they live again?” As we grieve for the the one taken from us, the question is often, “will I ever see her, or him again?” It was Job, who first asked that riveting question. But later he gave us the happy answer with the words, “I know that my Redeemer lives and He shall stand at last on the earth….that in my flesh shall I see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold…” Jesus later explained the connection.- saying, “I am the Resurrection and the life, He who believes in Me thought he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. “

While mourning for loved ones, it is impossible not to become acutely aware of the fact that we too will one day pass from this life.Death comes to us all- whatever our rank, position, or age. The amazing phenomenon is that we are living, breathing one moment, then gone from this life the next.

At such times it is important to remember that death is not the end of our existence. It is only the end of this life. Unfortunately some of us convince ourselves that the grave ends all. But this is merely wishful thinking, and it is a very bad gamble. As someone well said, “we are going to live somewhere forever we had better learn how to live.”

As we come to grips with this solemn truth, it is important, for us to also realize God, in the Bible assures us that it is possible to know, here and now where we will spend eternity.

This assurance is based on a personal relationship, because John 5:11-13 says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

This assurance is also based on an inner confirmation. We know this because Paul was inspired to write in Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” From the moment we invite Christ into our lives, God, takes up residency. Our bodies become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. From that time on we are convicted, prompted, and comforted.

And finally, this assurance is based on the truthfulness of the Bible. We know that because John 5:24 assures us, “He who hears my Word and believes in Him who has sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.”

If I refuse to believe that the Bible is God’s inspired Word and therefore true, I am betting my eternal destiny on the premise that it is not true, and that all those believers who have gone before have been misled and have based their lives on a fairy tale, a gigantic hoax. I am not willing to do that. I believe the Bible is completely true Archaeology, history, prophecy and the life experience of billions of believers support that view. The answer to the question, “If a man or woman die, shall they live again?” is a resounding “YES.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Dr. A.C. Guyton one time head of the Medical School of the University of Mississippi, once made the following remarkable statement- “The human body is the most beautifully engineered and most complicated system there is. It works by means of several hundred patterns of control, each affecting the other. The brain has 10 billion nerve cells to record what you learn. The information travels inside you at speeds of up to 300 miles per hour. over a network of nerves, fibers, 100 thousand miles long. Our brains weigh less than four pounds but can do things that can’t be matched by all the world’s computers.” No wonder the Psalmist David exclaimed, “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” But David also acknowledged that he was responsible to his Maker, praying, “Search me O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Yes, God has created our bodies, and He holds us responsible for what we do with them.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Recently it was announced that Swiss audiologists have developed a new hearing chip that restores speech comprehension, particularly with hearing loss in the high frequency range. It is important, because the number of people who can hear well, but can’t understand what’s being said, is increasing. The dilemma is that people with hearing loss in that high frequency range do not consider themselves to have a hearing problem. Very interesting! And the Bible too has much to say about the importance of proper hearing and understanding. For example, John wrote, –“ He that is of God hears God’s words…” A little later, he wrote, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…”And Paul explained, “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”Dr. Luke warned in his gospel, “Take heed how you hear…” The wise will hear the Word of God, but will always compare scripture with scripture, always interpret it in context, and not accept biased interpretations. We need to take heed how we hear.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Rembrandt, the famous Dutch artist, painted a picture of the crucifixion of Christ. Vividly, he portrayed the agony Jesus suffered on the cross. He depicted the various attitudes of those who stood about the cross watching Jesus’ suffering. Apart from the realistic facial expression of Christ, the most significant thing about the painting was Rembrandt’s painting of himself, standing on the edge of the onlookers. It was his way of saying, “I was there too. My sin helped to crucify the savior.” And it is only when we realize that we are part of a fallen race of sinners that we will see our need to turn to Jesus for forgiveness, salvation and a heavenly home some day. Paul wrote, “there is none righteous, no, not one.” And Jesus said, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Since there are none who are righteous in God’s eyes before we become properly related to Him, that means that every single one of us, myself included, need to humble ourselves and invite Christ to make us His children.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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