I want to start by sharing with you a story from the gospel of John chapter 12:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."
[John 12:1-8]
Poverty has always existed and will exist until Jesus comes to reign on this earth. The current financial crisis has affected people all over the world.
There is a woman I know who has no money to feed herself and her children. One of her relatives is sick and none of the family has the money to buy the medication that can cure that person.
There are other causes of poverty too:
A man i know left his country with his young sister because of a war in that region. they live in a refugee camp and he is not able to get a job to support them. He would like to leave that place and move to a nearby country where he will have a chance to make a better life for him and his sister but he doesn't have the money he needs to do it.
I talked to a friend of mine last week in Africa. He told me he had a beloved relative who had terminal cancer. he was desperate to find any way to help her. Because the cancer in her neck had caused swelling to the degree that she could no longer eat or drink. When I asked if she was in the hospital he told me no. the doctor had given one piece of advice, to take her to a western country where she would get better medical attention but my friend couldn't afford to do that. The following day I heard that my friend's relative passed away.
Another person I know had a business in an African country. One night his place of business burned to the ground. In a country like Australia it's likely he would have had insurance or at least he would have received an unemployment benefit to help him live until he got a job somewhere or decided what he wanted to do with his future but there was no help like that available for him.
Even in this country there are people who struggle with poverty. There are homeless people, or families who don't quite manage to make ends meet even with both parents working, or single parents with young children to support.
We can hear stories like that and think "what can I do?" I would love to be able to give money to all the people I know who are in severe poverty but i can't afford to do that. One thing i can do is pray for them. That's what I am encouraging all of you to do who read this. I'm sure you know people who are struggling with poverty to some degree or other. Maybe you can't help them financially but you can certainly pray for them to the one who can help them the most ... god. He already knows the people and situations we will pray for but he wants us to pray about these things. The word of god says:
The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.
[James 5:16b]
the bible also describes our prayers as incense. Maybe we aren't in the position of Mary who poured expensive perfume over the Lord, but we can pray to God about the poor and about other things that are on our hearts and our prayers will rise like incense to the throne of god. We will talk more about prayer another day but I want to encourage you that our prayers for the poor or any other prayers we pray can do a lot of good. We may not see the results of our prayers, or we may pray for years before we get the answer, but we should not give up praying.
When we pray for the poor we can ask god if he wants us to do something else to help, such as working in a soup kitchen to feed those who can't afford to buy food, or giving some money to a charity. He will show us what we should do and then we must obey him.
I want to finish by saying a word to any of my readers who may be experiencing the sort of poverty we have been talking about. I can't understand exactly what you are going through but be assured that god does. I am also happy to pray for you and if you wish you can email me your prayer requests on the following email address:
rishie@dodo.com.au
May God bless you. Thanks to all who read these messages, I am really blessed to know that someone out there is reading this and I pray that God will be with you. Thank you.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Friday, 20 May 2011
God's Good Plans for Us, a Devotional
For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.
[1 Corinthians 15:9:10a]
I am sure we all feel discouraged sometimes when we remember our past, the mistakes we made, the sins we committed, the people we hurt. We think "god couldn't possibly use us to do his work. The enemy encourages this belief by whispering to us "Surely you didn't think that god could use you after all you've done? Surely you didn't expect that God would have a purpose for you?"
I want to encourage you today that no matter where you've been or what you have done, God still has a wonderful plan for your life and he has work for each of us to do. As the bible says:
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
[Jeremiah 29:11 NLT]
you might ask "But what can I do for god?"he will show you in his good time. God knows exactly what he wants us to do and he will help us to do it , empowering and enabling us to do the work he gives us. Our part is to obey him and he even helps us to do that.
In reality none of us are worthy that God should use us to do his work. We all fail him so often. if he was looking for those who were perfect to do his work he would use angels, and of course he does send out his angels to do his will, but the wonderful truth is that god chooses to use us, weak, sinful human beings though we are. Of course, we need to be saved first, that is a prerequisite. We also need to be willing to obey him, even when he gives us work that is difficult and challenging. He won't tell us to do something that he wont give us the power and ability to do. Remember he knows us better than we know ourselves.
So how do I know that god can and will use anyone, no matter what they have done in the past, who is willing to follow him and do what he says? Well I know the story of a guy called Saul of Tarsus who called himself "The worst of sinners", the man who became known as the Apostle Paul.
He wasn't exaggerating when he called himself the worst of sinners, before he was saved he persecuted the Church. let's read about it:
But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house,
he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
[Acts 8:3]
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at
Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
][Acts 9]
Yet, once God revealed himself to him, he didn't look back. Almost at once he started preaching about Jesus with great boldness. Paul and his companions travelled around telling people about Jesus and were the first to take the message to the people of Europe. While in prison for his faith Paul wrote letters that have had an impact on lives even to this day.
If God can use a man like Saul of Tarsus aka the apostle Paul, he can use a person like you or I. Jesus can use anyone to do his work who is willing to obey him . Let us seek God and ask him to show us what he wants us to do, trusting him to give us the power and ability to do all that he asks of us.
though doing the work God has for us is a big part of the Christian life, God has other plans for us too. The most important thing about being a child of God is to develop a relationship with our loving heavenly father, who is always with us and delights to bless us with good things. Each new day is a gift from god full of promise. His mercy is new to us every morning and his love for us is everlasting!
Prayer: thank you god for all that you do for us and have done for us. Thank you that you can use anyone, no matter what their past, to do your work here on earth. We know that you have a reward in heaven for those who faithfully obey you. Thank you Lord that you love us enough to accept us as we are but you love us too much to leave us that way. I give you praise in the name of Jesus, amen.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.
[1 Corinthians 15:9:10a]
I am sure we all feel discouraged sometimes when we remember our past, the mistakes we made, the sins we committed, the people we hurt. We think "god couldn't possibly use us to do his work. The enemy encourages this belief by whispering to us "Surely you didn't think that god could use you after all you've done? Surely you didn't expect that God would have a purpose for you?"
I want to encourage you today that no matter where you've been or what you have done, God still has a wonderful plan for your life and he has work for each of us to do. As the bible says:
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
[Jeremiah 29:11 NLT]
you might ask "But what can I do for god?"he will show you in his good time. God knows exactly what he wants us to do and he will help us to do it , empowering and enabling us to do the work he gives us. Our part is to obey him and he even helps us to do that.
In reality none of us are worthy that God should use us to do his work. We all fail him so often. if he was looking for those who were perfect to do his work he would use angels, and of course he does send out his angels to do his will, but the wonderful truth is that god chooses to use us, weak, sinful human beings though we are. Of course, we need to be saved first, that is a prerequisite. We also need to be willing to obey him, even when he gives us work that is difficult and challenging. He won't tell us to do something that he wont give us the power and ability to do. Remember he knows us better than we know ourselves.
So how do I know that god can and will use anyone, no matter what they have done in the past, who is willing to follow him and do what he says? Well I know the story of a guy called Saul of Tarsus who called himself "The worst of sinners", the man who became known as the Apostle Paul.
He wasn't exaggerating when he called himself the worst of sinners, before he was saved he persecuted the Church. let's read about it:
But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house,
he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
[Acts 8:3]
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at
Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
][Acts 9]
Yet, once God revealed himself to him, he didn't look back. Almost at once he started preaching about Jesus with great boldness. Paul and his companions travelled around telling people about Jesus and were the first to take the message to the people of Europe. While in prison for his faith Paul wrote letters that have had an impact on lives even to this day.
If God can use a man like Saul of Tarsus aka the apostle Paul, he can use a person like you or I. Jesus can use anyone to do his work who is willing to obey him . Let us seek God and ask him to show us what he wants us to do, trusting him to give us the power and ability to do all that he asks of us.
though doing the work God has for us is a big part of the Christian life, God has other plans for us too. The most important thing about being a child of God is to develop a relationship with our loving heavenly father, who is always with us and delights to bless us with good things. Each new day is a gift from god full of promise. His mercy is new to us every morning and his love for us is everlasting!
Prayer: thank you god for all that you do for us and have done for us. Thank you that you can use anyone, no matter what their past, to do your work here on earth. We know that you have a reward in heaven for those who faithfully obey you. Thank you Lord that you love us enough to accept us as we are but you love us too much to leave us that way. I give you praise in the name of Jesus, amen.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Freedom
[All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
Copyright © 2001 by
Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.]
FREEDOM
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
[Proverbs 14:12]
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
[Judges 17:6]
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
[Romans 6:14]
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom
to serve one another in love.
[Galatians 5:13]
What is freedom? Everyone wants it, people work to attain it but what is real freedom all about? Is it, as some people seem to think, the ability to cast off all restraint and do what they want when they want because they want, irregardless of the consequences? Any thinking person should be able to see that this would be disastrous. Can you imagine saying to your teen-age child "Ok you're 13 now so I'm going to let you live exactly as you want to. I won't try to correct you, I won't tell you what to do, you're on your own." can you imagine the results? the child wouldn't go to school, which would mean they wouldn't learn the skills that will help them later in life. What if they felt like trying drugs or alcohol and physical intimacies that a child that age shouldn't be engaging in? They wouldn't do their chores. Their bedroom would be a disaster area and soon enough it would spread to the rest of the house as they left dirty plates and things around, dirty clothes on the floor, books and papers scattered around. If it continued for long can you imagine what sort of state that child's life would be in? I'm not a parent but I couldn't stand by and see any child of mine wreck their lives in such a way.
For another example, imagine the leader of your country making an announcement over the media that they were dispensing with the law altogether. "We have discovered that the law is hindering people's freedom, so we're getting rid of it," he says. can you imagine the disastrous results if that happened? People would feel free to do whatever they wanted including robbing other people's houses or mistreating animals or speeding on the roads and causing accidents. Could you imagine the crime figures? The country would descend into anarchy and life would be held very cheap.
Some people think that they can be free if they get rid of all religious beliefs, as the bible says:
Why do the nations gather together?
Why do their people devise useless plots?
Kings take their stands.
Rulers make plans together
against the Lord and against his Messiah by saying,
“Let’s break apart their chains
and shake off their ropes.”
The one enthroned in heaven laughs.
The Lord makes fun of them.
[Psalm 2:1-4 GWT]
So we can see that even in freedom there needs to be some sort of boundary to keep freedom safe and to keep us safe in freedom.
But,you might say, how can freedom be freedom if there are restraints and boundaries? Isn't that something of an oxymoron? no, the boundaries make freedom truly free. think of the biblical example of a shepherd and his sheep. The sheep are safe when they are with the shepherd. As long as they stay in the safe area near the shepherd they are free to wander around and find the best grass to graze on. of course, they may choose to wander away from the shepherd, but then they are not protected by him and the lions and bears are free to kill them.
If you look in the bible you will see it is rich with commandments, things we should and shouldn't do. God tells his people to obey him not because he wants to restrict their freedom but because these commandments are the boundaries God sets for our freedom. As long as we stay in these boundaries we are truly free, our great shepherd protects us and lovingly watches over us. outside those boundaries is a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour, as the Bible says:
Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.
[1 Peter 5:8]
Let's continue to look at freedom from a Christian perspective. Jesus taught on this subject and we are going to look at a couple of passages that discuss this. The first one is in John chapter 8:
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free." They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become
free'?"
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son
remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
[John 8:31-36]
So we can see from this that we need to be set free from sin. But aren't our sins forgiven when we confess them and repent? yes indeed they are. we are fallen humanity, however, we can't even live a day without sin, not even an hour, or a minute without falling in some way. We will never be perfect this side of heaven and god knows that. We can be blameless however. Blameless in this context means not being captive to any persistent and wilful sin. For an example, if I'm talking to a friend and we begin to gossip about someone, then both of us have sinned and need to repent. however, if I, on a regular basis, gossip about people then that is a persistent sin and, if I'm doing that, I am no longer blameless and need God's help to be free and blameless again. yes, Jesus gives us freedom from persistent sins, if we ask him. He forgives all our sins and helps us to live in a right way.
So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did
not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
[John 10:7-10]
Remember before we talked about the sheep and the shepherd? Jesus is the shepherd and we are his sheep. The nearer we stay to the great shepherd, the safer and freer we will be. We also talked about the lion outside the sheepfold ready to devour the strays. The devil is the lion, he is also the thief in this passage. he wants to take away the freedom that we have in Jesus. He sets traps for us all along the way we walk, just waiting for us to fall into them. Jesus is our great shepherd, the closer we stay to him the more we are likely to avoid those traps. if we fall into one Jesus will help us to get free and he will heal and strengthen us and set us back on the right road. All we have to do is ask him, it doesn't matter what trap we have fallen into or how terrible the things we have done, Jesus will forgive and heal us if we call out to him for help. If Jesus was able to free and heal Saul of Tarsus,a man who killed and tortured Christians, and afterwards use him in a mighty way to preach the Gospel and write letters that have impacted millions of lives, then he is able to forgive and heal you and I, no matter what we have done. The man I am talking about of course is the Apostle Paul, the book of Acts tells his story.
So what do we do now that we are free?
1. We do not use our freedom to indulge in sinful practices that displease God. Remember that we need to be blameless.
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
[Romans 6:14]
2. We are given freedom so that we can develop Christlike character, we are not bound by what the world thinks of us, we are not bound to follow the attitudes and behaviour of people in the world. We are free to grow in maturity, to love God and others, to serve and, with god's help, to become more like Jesus all the time. We must use our freedom for these godly purposes and any more that he brings to mind.
3. we are free to worship god and thank him for setting us free. He is worthy of all praise and adoration because he cared enough to send his son to die for the lost an the captives, so that he could save us and set us free.
4. We are free to stay in god's word and it will help us to stay free from the traps and snares of the devil. Study gods word and live by what it teaches and ask god to help you stay free from the enemy's snares and traps. Remember that the devil is the father of lies and he will trap us into wrong thinking and wrong behaviour if he can but if we stay in the sheepfold close to the great shepherd our enemy has a harder time trapping us.
Before we conclude, I want to share with you a passage from the book of Matthew:
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
[Matthew 4:16-21]
Wow, how generous our god is! Look at this closely and see all the things that god has provided. I may just do a message on these verses and the things god has given us and done for us that are mentioned in this passage. God has set us captives free; but more than that, we are in the time of the Lord's favour and he is so merciful to us. he is worthy of all praise and thanks!
So,in conclusion, we have seen what freedom is not, and what it is. We have had a brief look at freedom from a Christian perspective. If we belong to god then Jesus has set us free so let us walk in that freedom, in the boundaries god has set, not being enslaved again to sin but using our freedom to grow in our faith and to do the things we know god wants us to do.
Questions:
Here are a few questions you might want to think about, just between you and god.
1. how would you define freedom?
2. What do you think Jesus meant when he talked about freedom in John chapter 8 verses 31-36?
3. what are some of the ways the devil uses to trap god's people who are walking in freedom?
4. What are some of the things the devil has done to trap you?
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
Copyright © 2001 by
Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.]
FREEDOM
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
[Proverbs 14:12]
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
[Judges 17:6]
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
[Romans 6:14]
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom
to serve one another in love.
[Galatians 5:13]
What is freedom? Everyone wants it, people work to attain it but what is real freedom all about? Is it, as some people seem to think, the ability to cast off all restraint and do what they want when they want because they want, irregardless of the consequences? Any thinking person should be able to see that this would be disastrous. Can you imagine saying to your teen-age child "Ok you're 13 now so I'm going to let you live exactly as you want to. I won't try to correct you, I won't tell you what to do, you're on your own." can you imagine the results? the child wouldn't go to school, which would mean they wouldn't learn the skills that will help them later in life. What if they felt like trying drugs or alcohol and physical intimacies that a child that age shouldn't be engaging in? They wouldn't do their chores. Their bedroom would be a disaster area and soon enough it would spread to the rest of the house as they left dirty plates and things around, dirty clothes on the floor, books and papers scattered around. If it continued for long can you imagine what sort of state that child's life would be in? I'm not a parent but I couldn't stand by and see any child of mine wreck their lives in such a way.
For another example, imagine the leader of your country making an announcement over the media that they were dispensing with the law altogether. "We have discovered that the law is hindering people's freedom, so we're getting rid of it," he says. can you imagine the disastrous results if that happened? People would feel free to do whatever they wanted including robbing other people's houses or mistreating animals or speeding on the roads and causing accidents. Could you imagine the crime figures? The country would descend into anarchy and life would be held very cheap.
Some people think that they can be free if they get rid of all religious beliefs, as the bible says:
Why do the nations gather together?
Why do their people devise useless plots?
Kings take their stands.
Rulers make plans together
against the Lord and against his Messiah by saying,
“Let’s break apart their chains
and shake off their ropes.”
The one enthroned in heaven laughs.
The Lord makes fun of them.
[Psalm 2:1-4 GWT]
So we can see that even in freedom there needs to be some sort of boundary to keep freedom safe and to keep us safe in freedom.
But,you might say, how can freedom be freedom if there are restraints and boundaries? Isn't that something of an oxymoron? no, the boundaries make freedom truly free. think of the biblical example of a shepherd and his sheep. The sheep are safe when they are with the shepherd. As long as they stay in the safe area near the shepherd they are free to wander around and find the best grass to graze on. of course, they may choose to wander away from the shepherd, but then they are not protected by him and the lions and bears are free to kill them.
If you look in the bible you will see it is rich with commandments, things we should and shouldn't do. God tells his people to obey him not because he wants to restrict their freedom but because these commandments are the boundaries God sets for our freedom. As long as we stay in these boundaries we are truly free, our great shepherd protects us and lovingly watches over us. outside those boundaries is a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour, as the Bible says:
Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.
[1 Peter 5:8]
Let's continue to look at freedom from a Christian perspective. Jesus taught on this subject and we are going to look at a couple of passages that discuss this. The first one is in John chapter 8:
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free." They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become
free'?"
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son
remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
[John 8:31-36]
So we can see from this that we need to be set free from sin. But aren't our sins forgiven when we confess them and repent? yes indeed they are. we are fallen humanity, however, we can't even live a day without sin, not even an hour, or a minute without falling in some way. We will never be perfect this side of heaven and god knows that. We can be blameless however. Blameless in this context means not being captive to any persistent and wilful sin. For an example, if I'm talking to a friend and we begin to gossip about someone, then both of us have sinned and need to repent. however, if I, on a regular basis, gossip about people then that is a persistent sin and, if I'm doing that, I am no longer blameless and need God's help to be free and blameless again. yes, Jesus gives us freedom from persistent sins, if we ask him. He forgives all our sins and helps us to live in a right way.
So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did
not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
[John 10:7-10]
Remember before we talked about the sheep and the shepherd? Jesus is the shepherd and we are his sheep. The nearer we stay to the great shepherd, the safer and freer we will be. We also talked about the lion outside the sheepfold ready to devour the strays. The devil is the lion, he is also the thief in this passage. he wants to take away the freedom that we have in Jesus. He sets traps for us all along the way we walk, just waiting for us to fall into them. Jesus is our great shepherd, the closer we stay to him the more we are likely to avoid those traps. if we fall into one Jesus will help us to get free and he will heal and strengthen us and set us back on the right road. All we have to do is ask him, it doesn't matter what trap we have fallen into or how terrible the things we have done, Jesus will forgive and heal us if we call out to him for help. If Jesus was able to free and heal Saul of Tarsus,a man who killed and tortured Christians, and afterwards use him in a mighty way to preach the Gospel and write letters that have impacted millions of lives, then he is able to forgive and heal you and I, no matter what we have done. The man I am talking about of course is the Apostle Paul, the book of Acts tells his story.
So what do we do now that we are free?
1. We do not use our freedom to indulge in sinful practices that displease God. Remember that we need to be blameless.
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
[Romans 6:14]
2. We are given freedom so that we can develop Christlike character, we are not bound by what the world thinks of us, we are not bound to follow the attitudes and behaviour of people in the world. We are free to grow in maturity, to love God and others, to serve and, with god's help, to become more like Jesus all the time. We must use our freedom for these godly purposes and any more that he brings to mind.
3. we are free to worship god and thank him for setting us free. He is worthy of all praise and adoration because he cared enough to send his son to die for the lost an the captives, so that he could save us and set us free.
4. We are free to stay in god's word and it will help us to stay free from the traps and snares of the devil. Study gods word and live by what it teaches and ask god to help you stay free from the enemy's snares and traps. Remember that the devil is the father of lies and he will trap us into wrong thinking and wrong behaviour if he can but if we stay in the sheepfold close to the great shepherd our enemy has a harder time trapping us.
Before we conclude, I want to share with you a passage from the book of Matthew:
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
[Matthew 4:16-21]
Wow, how generous our god is! Look at this closely and see all the things that god has provided. I may just do a message on these verses and the things god has given us and done for us that are mentioned in this passage. God has set us captives free; but more than that, we are in the time of the Lord's favour and he is so merciful to us. he is worthy of all praise and thanks!
So,in conclusion, we have seen what freedom is not, and what it is. We have had a brief look at freedom from a Christian perspective. If we belong to god then Jesus has set us free so let us walk in that freedom, in the boundaries god has set, not being enslaved again to sin but using our freedom to grow in our faith and to do the things we know god wants us to do.
Questions:
Here are a few questions you might want to think about, just between you and god.
1. how would you define freedom?
2. What do you think Jesus meant when he talked about freedom in John chapter 8 verses 31-36?
3. what are some of the ways the devil uses to trap god's people who are walking in freedom?
4. What are some of the things the devil has done to trap you?
Fear ... and fear
[All scriptures, unless otherwise stated, come from:
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.]
Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you
do not fear me?
[Isaiah 57:11]
well that sure looks confusing to me, he asked them who it was they dreaded and feared, then he says:\
Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you
do not fear me?
So, let's talk about fear. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I would say the answer depends on who we are fearing. I think Jesus sums it up rather well when he said:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
But let's get back to our Isaiah verse. The word "fear" is used twice in the English translation but in the original Hebrew there were 2 separate words. The first one is "Yare'" which means: to fear, revere, be afraid, to stand in awe of, be awed, to fear, reverence, honour, respect
and the second word is "da'ag" which means:
to fear, be anxious, be concerned, be afraid, be careful, to dread.
[This information thanks to
The Old Testament Hebrew lexicon, Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon.]
Ok so what is the point of all that? There is a difference between fearing the Lord and fearing anyone else. the bible tells us that we are to fear God but we are not to fear other things or people, why is that? First of all because god is worthy to be feared, we will look at this later. secondly the fear of god is different from the fear of man. A lot of our fears are unreasoning and can cause panic when we are brought in contact with what we fear: a person who is afraid of spiders, for example, will keep as far away from spiders as possible and even if they just see one they will either run as fast as possible or be so afraid they can't move. If a person has a fear of god, however, it will cause them to keep as close to God as possible. The fear of God is a reverent, worshipful awe and fear, that recognises god's sovereignty and holiness and doesn't want to displease god our heavenly father. Fear of God will help us stay on the straight and narrow road that leads to eternal life, where we will be with God and all his saints and angels forever and ever.
It is a good thing for us to cultivate the fear of the Lord in our lives. Why is that? Because the safest place from the wrath of god is in the love of god. Have you ever been in the eye of a storm? It's raging all around your area but where you are it's quiet and safe, until the storm moves on that is. our sin makes God angry, actually it makes him furious. When we sin we are in essence saying that we prefer other things to him. That might not be in our minds but it is at the back of every sin. God is our creator and lord, the king above all kings and by rights he should always come first in our lives and we should always do what he wants, but you and I know it isn't like that. We fail to keep god's standard which is absolute perfection. We do and think and say a lot of things he doesn't like and that deserve punishment. Fortunately for us, the Lord Jesus took all our sins on himself when he died for us. he also took the punishment for sin. all God's wrath at our rebellion and disobedience, all his anger at our preferring other things to him; the wrath and punishment for all that was put on Jesus, who gave his life as a sacrifice to save those who believe. If we accept the finished work of the cross, if we have faith in what God has done for us, then god puts us in the eye of the storm and keeps us there, unless we reject him and choose to walk away from him. Outside that place of safety is his wrath. he will pour it out on those who reject him and refuse to believe.
yes we do right to fear god, our creator and judge. When we die we will see him face to face. he will demand an accounting of us, and he knows us better than we know ourselves. the bible says:
.... it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
[hebrews 9:27]
Our fear of god should encourage us to stay as close to him as possible. It shouldn't be an unreasoning fear and panic that will cause us to stay far from him, that wouldn't accomplish anything and would be detrimental to our faith.
the right sort of fear of the Lord should affect the way we live now and the choices we make. For example, say there is someone in your life who hurt you badly and they come to you asking your forgiveness. your natural reaction is to say "no way!" and to hold a grudge against them for what they did to you, but you know God says in his word that if we don't forgive we will not be forgiven, so you choose to forgive that person even though it's hard. You have just allowed the fear of God to affect your choices and this is what God wants. The bible teaches:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
[Proverbs 1:7]
or, as the Amplified version renders it:
The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but
fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.
So how do we develop the fear of god in our lives? May I make a few quick suggestions?
1. Ask god to help us cultivate the fear of him.
2. Search the scriptures for verses that talk about the fear of God and meditate on them. Remember we talked about meditation before? It involves taking some time to think over a verse or concept an ponder what it means and how we can apply it to our lives.
3. As we read the bible we can take notice of people who feared god and see how it affected their lives, for example, the fear of god kept Joseph from sleeping with his master's wife.
We have seen that it is important to fear God, but what about our other fears? Remember that Jesus says:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
and Isaiah 41:10 tells us:
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
There are other verses in the Scripture too that tell us to "fear not". We should take our fears to the Lord, talk to him about them and ask his help to deal with those things so that he is the only one we fear.
Of course there is sooo much more to be said on this subject but I hope I have given you something to think about.
Questions::
Here are some questions to ponder. The answers should be kept between you and god and I hope they will help you to get a better understanding of the subject of fear.
1. What are some of the things you are afraid of?
2. Look at the definitions for the two Hebrew words that are translated as fear in English. Notice the similarities and the differences in the two types of fear.
3. why do you think god is worthy to be feared.
4. Is there anything else you think you can do to develop the fear of god in your life?
5. is there anything else you think you can do to deal with other fears in your life?
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.]
Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you
do not fear me?
[Isaiah 57:11]
well that sure looks confusing to me, he asked them who it was they dreaded and feared, then he says:\
Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you
do not fear me?
So, let's talk about fear. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I would say the answer depends on who we are fearing. I think Jesus sums it up rather well when he said:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
But let's get back to our Isaiah verse. The word "fear" is used twice in the English translation but in the original Hebrew there were 2 separate words. The first one is "Yare'" which means: to fear, revere, be afraid, to stand in awe of, be awed, to fear, reverence, honour, respect
and the second word is "da'ag" which means:
to fear, be anxious, be concerned, be afraid, be careful, to dread.
[This information thanks to
The Old Testament Hebrew lexicon, Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon.]
Ok so what is the point of all that? There is a difference between fearing the Lord and fearing anyone else. the bible tells us that we are to fear God but we are not to fear other things or people, why is that? First of all because god is worthy to be feared, we will look at this later. secondly the fear of god is different from the fear of man. A lot of our fears are unreasoning and can cause panic when we are brought in contact with what we fear: a person who is afraid of spiders, for example, will keep as far away from spiders as possible and even if they just see one they will either run as fast as possible or be so afraid they can't move. If a person has a fear of god, however, it will cause them to keep as close to God as possible. The fear of God is a reverent, worshipful awe and fear, that recognises god's sovereignty and holiness and doesn't want to displease god our heavenly father. Fear of God will help us stay on the straight and narrow road that leads to eternal life, where we will be with God and all his saints and angels forever and ever.
It is a good thing for us to cultivate the fear of the Lord in our lives. Why is that? Because the safest place from the wrath of god is in the love of god. Have you ever been in the eye of a storm? It's raging all around your area but where you are it's quiet and safe, until the storm moves on that is. our sin makes God angry, actually it makes him furious. When we sin we are in essence saying that we prefer other things to him. That might not be in our minds but it is at the back of every sin. God is our creator and lord, the king above all kings and by rights he should always come first in our lives and we should always do what he wants, but you and I know it isn't like that. We fail to keep god's standard which is absolute perfection. We do and think and say a lot of things he doesn't like and that deserve punishment. Fortunately for us, the Lord Jesus took all our sins on himself when he died for us. he also took the punishment for sin. all God's wrath at our rebellion and disobedience, all his anger at our preferring other things to him; the wrath and punishment for all that was put on Jesus, who gave his life as a sacrifice to save those who believe. If we accept the finished work of the cross, if we have faith in what God has done for us, then god puts us in the eye of the storm and keeps us there, unless we reject him and choose to walk away from him. Outside that place of safety is his wrath. he will pour it out on those who reject him and refuse to believe.
yes we do right to fear god, our creator and judge. When we die we will see him face to face. he will demand an accounting of us, and he knows us better than we know ourselves. the bible says:
.... it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
[hebrews 9:27]
Our fear of god should encourage us to stay as close to him as possible. It shouldn't be an unreasoning fear and panic that will cause us to stay far from him, that wouldn't accomplish anything and would be detrimental to our faith.
the right sort of fear of the Lord should affect the way we live now and the choices we make. For example, say there is someone in your life who hurt you badly and they come to you asking your forgiveness. your natural reaction is to say "no way!" and to hold a grudge against them for what they did to you, but you know God says in his word that if we don't forgive we will not be forgiven, so you choose to forgive that person even though it's hard. You have just allowed the fear of God to affect your choices and this is what God wants. The bible teaches:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
[Proverbs 1:7]
or, as the Amplified version renders it:
The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but
fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.
So how do we develop the fear of god in our lives? May I make a few quick suggestions?
1. Ask god to help us cultivate the fear of him.
2. Search the scriptures for verses that talk about the fear of God and meditate on them. Remember we talked about meditation before? It involves taking some time to think over a verse or concept an ponder what it means and how we can apply it to our lives.
3. As we read the bible we can take notice of people who feared god and see how it affected their lives, for example, the fear of god kept Joseph from sleeping with his master's wife.
We have seen that it is important to fear God, but what about our other fears? Remember that Jesus says:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
and Isaiah 41:10 tells us:
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
There are other verses in the Scripture too that tell us to "fear not". We should take our fears to the Lord, talk to him about them and ask his help to deal with those things so that he is the only one we fear.
Of course there is sooo much more to be said on this subject but I hope I have given you something to think about.
Questions::
Here are some questions to ponder. The answers should be kept between you and god and I hope they will help you to get a better understanding of the subject of fear.
1. What are some of the things you are afraid of?
2. Look at the definitions for the two Hebrew words that are translated as fear in English. Notice the similarities and the differences in the two types of fear.
3. why do you think god is worthy to be feared.
4. Is there anything else you think you can do to develop the fear of god in your life?
5. is there anything else you think you can do to deal with other fears in your life?
Monday, 2 May 2011
comfort and Peace, a Devotional
He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
[psalm 147:3]
Heavens and earth, be happy.
Mountains, shout with joy,
because the Lord comforts his people
and will have pity on those who suffer.
[Isaiah 49:13]
Early in January I had a loss; My cousin died of cancer. As I sat on my bed crying I called out to god to comfort me and let me feel his peace.
After some time I began to feel it, god's peace had come softly into my heart.
It didn't take the grief away but it helped me to deal with it: I knew I wasn't coping with this on my own.
Later that day my best friend Came and sat with me for a while, I am sure the Lord sent her to me to comfort me.
It's hard to understand why bad things happening our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. we know we live in an imperfect world and that sin is the cause of a lot of our problems. When things go wrong in our lives we call out to God,asking him to tell us why these things happen, but I think there are things we won't understand until we see Jesus face to face.
there is one thing we can know without a doubt, however. god understands our grief and pain, and he is with us when things go wrong. I think one of the most profound bible verses is also the very shortest verse in scripture
john 11:35 simply says
Jesus Wept.
Jesus was at the grave site of his friend Lazarus who died 4 days previously. the Lord was moved to tears by the grief of the man's sisters and friends and he wept, Even though he knew he was going to raise his friend from the dead.
Jesus understands our pain and grief. It's part of the reason why he
came down from heaven and lived as a man. Because we know he understands what we or our loved ones are going through, we can turn to him for help and comfort and strength to get through the difficult time.
Remember that he is in heaven praying for us and he knows how it feels to be sad, he knows how it feels to be in pain and to feel helpless at our friend's grief and pain. Jesus knew that Lazarus was dying and I'm sure he wanted to go to Bethany straight away or even say a word to heal him from where he was, but he had to stick to god's plan and he knew God would be glorified even more if Jesus was obedient to his will and waited but can you imagine how Jesus felt knowing how much they were suffering and having to wait till the right time before he helped them? I believe part of the reason why god wanted Jesus to wait before raising Lazarus is that Jesus could get an idea of the helplessness we feel when we see others hurting.
So, remember these things when you or one of your loved ones is suffering pain or loss or going through any other sort of hard time. don't let the situation push you away from god but draw near to him and cling to the rock of ages. He is ready to comfort and help us, to give us his peace and joy, if we will ask him.
I want to leave you with a thought and a promise from god's word. The bible says:
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
[psalm 30 5b]
Father I pray for anyone reading this who is going through grief or loss or sickness or any other sort of hard time that we may experience in this life. Father I pray for your peace to fill their hearts and that you would comfort them by your Holy spirit. I pray that the situation they are facing will only make them cling to you more and more. pour your steadfast love into their hearts and give them the strength they need to get through the hard time they are facing.
I also pray for those who's loved ones are facing grief or pain or hard times. we can feel so helpless Lord when we know someone we care about is suffering, give us wisdom to know when to speak, what to say, or when to be silent and just be there for them. I also pray that you will meet the needs of those who are facing hard times today. Lord we know that you hear us when we pray and that you are with us in every situation. Thank you for that dear Lord. I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
and bandages their wounds.
[psalm 147:3]
Heavens and earth, be happy.
Mountains, shout with joy,
because the Lord comforts his people
and will have pity on those who suffer.
[Isaiah 49:13]
Early in January I had a loss; My cousin died of cancer. As I sat on my bed crying I called out to god to comfort me and let me feel his peace.
After some time I began to feel it, god's peace had come softly into my heart.
It didn't take the grief away but it helped me to deal with it: I knew I wasn't coping with this on my own.
Later that day my best friend Came and sat with me for a while, I am sure the Lord sent her to me to comfort me.
It's hard to understand why bad things happening our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. we know we live in an imperfect world and that sin is the cause of a lot of our problems. When things go wrong in our lives we call out to God,asking him to tell us why these things happen, but I think there are things we won't understand until we see Jesus face to face.
there is one thing we can know without a doubt, however. god understands our grief and pain, and he is with us when things go wrong. I think one of the most profound bible verses is also the very shortest verse in scripture
john 11:35 simply says
Jesus Wept.
Jesus was at the grave site of his friend Lazarus who died 4 days previously. the Lord was moved to tears by the grief of the man's sisters and friends and he wept, Even though he knew he was going to raise his friend from the dead.
Jesus understands our pain and grief. It's part of the reason why he
came down from heaven and lived as a man. Because we know he understands what we or our loved ones are going through, we can turn to him for help and comfort and strength to get through the difficult time.
Remember that he is in heaven praying for us and he knows how it feels to be sad, he knows how it feels to be in pain and to feel helpless at our friend's grief and pain. Jesus knew that Lazarus was dying and I'm sure he wanted to go to Bethany straight away or even say a word to heal him from where he was, but he had to stick to god's plan and he knew God would be glorified even more if Jesus was obedient to his will and waited but can you imagine how Jesus felt knowing how much they were suffering and having to wait till the right time before he helped them? I believe part of the reason why god wanted Jesus to wait before raising Lazarus is that Jesus could get an idea of the helplessness we feel when we see others hurting.
So, remember these things when you or one of your loved ones is suffering pain or loss or going through any other sort of hard time. don't let the situation push you away from god but draw near to him and cling to the rock of ages. He is ready to comfort and help us, to give us his peace and joy, if we will ask him.
I want to leave you with a thought and a promise from god's word. The bible says:
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
[psalm 30 5b]
Father I pray for anyone reading this who is going through grief or loss or sickness or any other sort of hard time that we may experience in this life. Father I pray for your peace to fill their hearts and that you would comfort them by your Holy spirit. I pray that the situation they are facing will only make them cling to you more and more. pour your steadfast love into their hearts and give them the strength they need to get through the hard time they are facing.
I also pray for those who's loved ones are facing grief or pain or hard times. we can feel so helpless Lord when we know someone we care about is suffering, give us wisdom to know when to speak, what to say, or when to be silent and just be there for them. I also pray that you will meet the needs of those who are facing hard times today. Lord we know that you hear us when we pray and that you are with us in every situation. Thank you for that dear Lord. I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Our help Comes from the Lord, a Devotional
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
[Psalm 121:1-2]
the second verse of Psalm 121 has been a favourite of mine for a long time. there are a few reasons why I like it. it's short and to the point, it tells me something about god: that he made heaven and earth, and it tells me something about myself: my help comes from the Lord.
People look for help in all kinds of places. Maybe they think if they have enough money it will solve all their problems. Or, they might think if they work hard enough they can solve all their problems. They might depend on friends to fix things for them, which might work for a while but in time even the best of friends will let us down if we totally depend on them for all our help, because there is only so much anyone can do. Some people have given up on solving their problems and gone to parties or the bottle or casual sex or even drugs for help to forget their problems, even temporarily. None of these things are much help and some are counter-productive.
But, there is one who can and will always help us in our time of need, if we ask him ... that is, God. The help he may give us isn't always what we expected, maybe not the help we wanted, but later on we will look back and see how God's help was most helpful after all.
The Psalm lists a few ways that god helps us and i will list them for you now.
- "he will not let your foot be moved..." [verse 3a]
This promises that if we keep walking in God's ways then the Enemy will not be able to pull the rug out from under us. Once we are in God's hands he keeps us safe, if we will stay as close to him as possible.
-- he who keeps you will not slumber. [verse 3b]
God doesn't have business hours. He's always available at any time. he doesn't sleep so even in the night if troubles come god is available, only ever a prayer away.
-- "The LORD is your keeper;" [v5a]
he is the one who keeps us safe. he is our great shepherd and he always watches over us, his flock.
-- " the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night."
The LORD will keep you from all evil; [V5b-7a]
This speaks of protection. God protects us from the enemy's schemes, he even protects us from our own folly at times. We must stay close and obey him. we have to realise that he sees the bigger picture and we don't so we must do what he says is best for us.
This reminds me of the Lord's prayer where it says
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[Matthew 6:13]
The enemy will trap us any way he can and our flesh is often a willing accomplice. we need God's help to avoid the pitfalls the enemy leaves for us. God is willing to help us but again we must obey him and keep close to him. With god's help the enemy will not be able to get a foothold in our lives.
-- "he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore. [v7b-8] "
God watches over our lives and helps us to live them in the best way we can. He will help us make wise choices about our future. his word is full of principles that, if we follow them, will make our lives the best they can be, bringing glory to our god.
Of course, there are many other ways in which god helps us. The bible is full of stories about how God helped different people as they faced a variety of situations. So, if you need help today, turn to the one who is most able and willing to help you, even if it's not in the way you wanted or expected. Turn to God and humbly ask him for the help you need, then wait and see what he does. In time you will be able to say:
" My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth."
Prayer:
O god we thank you that you are willing to help us. You are so generous to us Lord. help us to remember, when things get crazy in our lives, that you are always there, reaching out your hand to help us if we will take it. May we glorify you in all that we do and may we choose to live in ways that are pleasing to you. In the name of your son, our Lord and saviour Jesus, the Messiah, the holy one, amen.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
[Psalm 121:1-2]
the second verse of Psalm 121 has been a favourite of mine for a long time. there are a few reasons why I like it. it's short and to the point, it tells me something about god: that he made heaven and earth, and it tells me something about myself: my help comes from the Lord.
People look for help in all kinds of places. Maybe they think if they have enough money it will solve all their problems. Or, they might think if they work hard enough they can solve all their problems. They might depend on friends to fix things for them, which might work for a while but in time even the best of friends will let us down if we totally depend on them for all our help, because there is only so much anyone can do. Some people have given up on solving their problems and gone to parties or the bottle or casual sex or even drugs for help to forget their problems, even temporarily. None of these things are much help and some are counter-productive.
But, there is one who can and will always help us in our time of need, if we ask him ... that is, God. The help he may give us isn't always what we expected, maybe not the help we wanted, but later on we will look back and see how God's help was most helpful after all.
The Psalm lists a few ways that god helps us and i will list them for you now.
- "he will not let your foot be moved..." [verse 3a]
This promises that if we keep walking in God's ways then the Enemy will not be able to pull the rug out from under us. Once we are in God's hands he keeps us safe, if we will stay as close to him as possible.
-- he who keeps you will not slumber. [verse 3b]
God doesn't have business hours. He's always available at any time. he doesn't sleep so even in the night if troubles come god is available, only ever a prayer away.
-- "The LORD is your keeper;" [v5a]
he is the one who keeps us safe. he is our great shepherd and he always watches over us, his flock.
-- " the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night."
The LORD will keep you from all evil; [V5b-7a]
This speaks of protection. God protects us from the enemy's schemes, he even protects us from our own folly at times. We must stay close and obey him. we have to realise that he sees the bigger picture and we don't so we must do what he says is best for us.
This reminds me of the Lord's prayer where it says
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[Matthew 6:13]
The enemy will trap us any way he can and our flesh is often a willing accomplice. we need God's help to avoid the pitfalls the enemy leaves for us. God is willing to help us but again we must obey him and keep close to him. With god's help the enemy will not be able to get a foothold in our lives.
-- "he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore. [v7b-8] "
God watches over our lives and helps us to live them in the best way we can. He will help us make wise choices about our future. his word is full of principles that, if we follow them, will make our lives the best they can be, bringing glory to our god.
Of course, there are many other ways in which god helps us. The bible is full of stories about how God helped different people as they faced a variety of situations. So, if you need help today, turn to the one who is most able and willing to help you, even if it's not in the way you wanted or expected. Turn to God and humbly ask him for the help you need, then wait and see what he does. In time you will be able to say:
" My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth."
Prayer:
O god we thank you that you are willing to help us. You are so generous to us Lord. help us to remember, when things get crazy in our lives, that you are always there, reaching out your hand to help us if we will take it. May we glorify you in all that we do and may we choose to live in ways that are pleasing to you. In the name of your son, our Lord and saviour Jesus, the Messiah, the holy one, amen.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Easter Reflections
I've been reflecting on the events of this week which is known as Holy week. One thing that really stands out to me is that so many things that happened were fulfillment's of prophecies written hundreds of years earlier. The Jewish leaders of the time who rightly prided themselves on knowing god's law should have realised what was going on, but they didn't because they chose to ignore some of the prophecies and think about Messiah as the conquering hero who would save Israel from the romans. Jesus will return as conquering king and deal with evil once and for all but the first time he came he came as a humble servant who would give his life as a sacrifice for sin.
let's look at a few of the prophecies and see how Jesus fulfilled them.
1. Zechariah predicted that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Here's how Jesus fulfilled this
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village
in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you
shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 "Say to the daughter of Zion,'Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of
the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!" And when he
entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."
[Matt 21:1-11]
Zechariah prophesied that the one who betrayed the Messiah would be paid 30 pieces of silver.
"So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ -
that princely price they set on me."
(Zechariah 11:12-13)
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And
they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Isaiah prophesied
that he would be despised and rejected:
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
[Isaiah 53:3]
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
[Matt 27:15-23]
Isaiah predicted that he would be so badly beaten and suffer so much that he wouldn't even look human anymore.
As many were astonished at you-
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-
[Isaiah 52:14]
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped
him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before
him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked
him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
[Matthew 27:27-31]
Isaiah prophesied that the death of Jesus would be the sacrifice for our sins.
"But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, ...
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity [sin] of us all."
(Isaiah 53:5-7)
I don't have one specific scripture for this one, but if you read the crucifixion account in Matthew or any of the Gospels you will see how Jesus fulfilled it.
Isaiah prophesied that Jesus' back would be whipped and that this would be the means for us to experience healing:
And by His stripes [whip lashes] we are healed.
[Isaiah 53:5b]
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
[Mark 15:15]
And Peter, writing of this later in his life, confirmed the words of the prophet Isaiah:
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
[1 Peter 2:24]
David, in Psalm 22, gives us insight into the thoughts of Jesus when he died on the cross. He also predicted that Jesus' clothes would be divided among the men who crucified him.
"They divide my garments among them, and for My garments they cast lots."
(Psalm 22:18)
Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be laid in the grave of a rich man:
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
[Isaiah 53:9]
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body
of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb,
which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting
opposite the tomb.
Isaiah also prophesied that Jesus would give his life as a sacrifice for sin:
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one,
my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
The writer to the hebrews talks about this:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify
our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
[hebrews 9:11-14]
This is by no means a definitive list of prophecies that were fulfilled at Calvary. All through his life and even to his last breath Jesus was focused on fulfilling the prophecies that had been made about him by god's prophets.
so why am I sharing all this with you? because there are a few things I want you to see.
1. It was god's plan from before the world was created that Jesus would die on the cross as a sacrifice for sin.
2. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy spoken about his first coming and he will fulfill the rest of the prophecies when the time is right.
3. If you ever doubted that god loves you, I hope that what I have done here will help you to see just how much he does love you. Look at the lengths Jesus went to so that he could save and redeem us! noone could ever love us as much as God does.
Let us reflect on these things this Easter season. I wish you all a very happy Easter.
let's look at a few of the prophecies and see how Jesus fulfilled them.
1. Zechariah predicted that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Here's how Jesus fulfilled this
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village
in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you
shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 "Say to the daughter of Zion,'Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of
the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!" And when he
entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."
[Matt 21:1-11]
Zechariah prophesied that the one who betrayed the Messiah would be paid 30 pieces of silver.
"So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ -
that princely price they set on me."
(Zechariah 11:12-13)
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And
they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Isaiah prophesied
that he would be despised and rejected:
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
[Isaiah 53:3]
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
[Matt 27:15-23]
Isaiah predicted that he would be so badly beaten and suffer so much that he wouldn't even look human anymore.
As many were astonished at you-
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-
[Isaiah 52:14]
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped
him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before
him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked
him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
[Matthew 27:27-31]
Isaiah prophesied that the death of Jesus would be the sacrifice for our sins.
"But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, ...
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity [sin] of us all."
(Isaiah 53:5-7)
I don't have one specific scripture for this one, but if you read the crucifixion account in Matthew or any of the Gospels you will see how Jesus fulfilled it.
Isaiah prophesied that Jesus' back would be whipped and that this would be the means for us to experience healing:
And by His stripes [whip lashes] we are healed.
[Isaiah 53:5b]
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
[Mark 15:15]
And Peter, writing of this later in his life, confirmed the words of the prophet Isaiah:
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
[1 Peter 2:24]
David, in Psalm 22, gives us insight into the thoughts of Jesus when he died on the cross. He also predicted that Jesus' clothes would be divided among the men who crucified him.
"They divide my garments among them, and for My garments they cast lots."
(Psalm 22:18)
Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be laid in the grave of a rich man:
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
[Isaiah 53:9]
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body
of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb,
which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting
opposite the tomb.
Isaiah also prophesied that Jesus would give his life as a sacrifice for sin:
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one,
my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
The writer to the hebrews talks about this:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify
our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
[hebrews 9:11-14]
This is by no means a definitive list of prophecies that were fulfilled at Calvary. All through his life and even to his last breath Jesus was focused on fulfilling the prophecies that had been made about him by god's prophets.
so why am I sharing all this with you? because there are a few things I want you to see.
1. It was god's plan from before the world was created that Jesus would die on the cross as a sacrifice for sin.
2. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy spoken about his first coming and he will fulfill the rest of the prophecies when the time is right.
3. If you ever doubted that god loves you, I hope that what I have done here will help you to see just how much he does love you. Look at the lengths Jesus went to so that he could save and redeem us! noone could ever love us as much as God does.
Let us reflect on these things this Easter season. I wish you all a very happy Easter.
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