EMBRACE CHRIST, BE NOT AFRAID OF HIM!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2021.

SUBJECT: EMBRACE CHRIST, BE NOT AFRAID OF HIM!

Memory verse: "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all districts, from two years old and under, according to the time he had determined from the wise men.” (Matthew 2 vs 16.)

READ: John 3 vs 15 - 21:

3:15: That whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

3:16: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

3:17: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

3:18: He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

3:19: And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

3:20: For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

3:21: But he who does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

INTIMATION:

The problem of mankind is that from the beginning we have all done things that are wrong, and have failed to obey God’s laws. This, however, caused our separation from God our Creator. The consequence of that separation from God is death; condemnation by our Creator that we have no solution by ourselves—we can do nothing to become united with God. He is a fair and just God who will not break His own laws. His law says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6 vs 23), “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18 vs 4 & 20). Bud God, in His infinite mercy and love nature, provided a remedy by the gift of His only begotten Son—Jesus Christ—as a propitiation for our sins.

Therefore, Jesus came to save us. He could help us because He was not only a man; He was God’s unique Son. Because Jesus never disobeyed God and never sinned, only He can bridge the gap between the sinless God and sinful people. Jesus freely offered His life for us, dying on the cross in our place, taking all our wrongdoing upon Himself, and saving us from the consequences of sin, including God’s judgement and death. Jesus said, “...I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10 vs 10.) Jesus gives life. The life He gives right now is abundantly rich and full. It is eternal, yet it begins immediately. Life in Christ is lived on a higher plane because of His overflowing forgiveness, love, and guidance. Don’t be afraid of Christ, take His offer of life. 

Many people don’t want their lives exposed in God’s light because they are afraid of what will be revealed. They don’t want to be changed because they feel that the evil in their lives if exposed or revealed will earn them condemnation from God. But know sin is beyond God’s forgiveness except the sin of denying the power of God in Christ for the forgiveness of sin: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him: but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12 vs 31 - 32.)

The unpardonable sin is the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God’s power in Christ. It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. Those who have turned their backs on God and rejected all faith can’t be forgiven, not because their sin is worse than any other, but because they will never ask for forgiveness. Whoever rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit removes himself or herself from the only force that can lead him or her to repentance and restoration to God.

In our memory verse, Herod was afraid of Jesus, he thought that the newborn king would one day take his throne. He completely misunderstood the reason for Christ’s coming. Jesus didn’t want Herod’s throne; He wanted to be king of Herod’s life. Jesus wanted to give Herod eternal life, not take away his present life. Today people are often afraid that Christ wants to take things away from them, in reality, He wants to give them real freedom, peace, and joy. Don’t fear Christ rather give Him the throne of your life.

The truth is that Jesus took our past, present, and future sins upon Himself so that we could have new life. Because all our wrongdoing is forgiven, we are reconciled to God. Furthermore, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the proof that His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross was acceptable to God, and His resurrection has become the source of new life for those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. All who believe in Him may have this new life and live it in union with Him.

Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life because their lives are miserable. But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s miserable, mortal life; eternal life is God’s life embedded in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin. When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective. 

Put your trust and confidence in Jesus, He alone can save you. Put Him in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting His words as reliable, and relying on Him for the power to change. If you have never trusted Christ, let this promise of everlasting life be yours, and believe. We believe in God by recognizing the insufficiency of our own efforts to find salvation and by asking Him to do His work in us. When Jesus talks about unbelievers, He means those who reject or ignore Him completely, not those who have momentary doubts.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, as a propitiation for our sins. I confess Him as my personal Lord and Savior and in Him I live, and move, and have my being. And He is the solid rock I stand forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

7 Reasons Not to Worry, Part 2

 

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:27–30)

Matthew 6:25–34 contains at least seven promises designed by Jesus to help us fight the fight for faith and be free from anxiety. Yesterday we saw Promises 1 and 2; today we look at 3 and 4.

Promise #3: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27)

This is a promise of sorts — the simple promise of reality that you can discover from experience: Being anxious will simply not do you any good. That’s a promise. This is not the main argument, but sometimes we just have to get tough with ourselves and say, “Soul, this fretting is absolutely useless. It promises nothing. You are not only messing up your own day, but a lot of other people’s as well. Renounce it. Leave it with God. And get on with your work.”

Anxiety accomplishes nothing worthwhile. That’s a promise. Believe it. Act on it.

Promise #4: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28–30)

Compared to the flowers of the field you are a much higher priority for God, because you will live forever, and can thus bring him eternal praise as his loved children.

Nevertheless, God has such an overflow of creative energy and care, he lavishes it on flowers that last only a matter of days. So, he will certainly take that same energy and creative skill and use it to care for his children who will live forever. The question is: Will we believe this promise, and put away anxiety?

THE CHRISTIAN CONDUCT THAT GOD DESIRES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2021.

SUBJECT : THE CHRISTIAN CONDUCT THAT GOD DESIRES!

Memory verse: "Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (First Peter 2 vs 12.) 

READ: Matthew 5 vs 13 - 16:

5:13: You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? it is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and to be trampled underfoot by men.

5:14: You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hidden.

5:15: Nor do they light a lamp, and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

5:16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.

INTIMATION:

Salt is a seasoning that possesses the purifying, perpetuating, and antiseptic qualities. In the Lord’s teaching it is symbolic of that spiritual health and vigor essential to Christian value and counteractive of corruption that is in the world. Light is an electromagnetic radiation which makes vision possible. It illuminates. In Scriptures, it emphasizes spiritual enlightenment; exposure to the truth. In darkness, light illuminates. In our Lord’s teaching, Christians are figuratively the salt and light of the world.

If a seasoning has no flavor, it is worthless. If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they are worth nothing before God. If we are too much like the world, we are worthless. Christians should not blend in with everyone else. Instead, we should affect others positively, just as seasoning brings out the best flavor in food. Jesus used salt to illustrate three qualities that should be found in His people; (1) We should remember God’s faithfulness, just as salt when used with a sacrifice recalled God’s covenant with His people (Leviticus 2 vs 13). (2) We should make a difference in the “flavor” of the world we live in, just as salt changes meal’s flavor. (3) We should counteract the moral decay in society, just as salt preserves food from decay. When we lose this desire to “salt” the earth with the love and message of God, we become useless to Him.

Salt can lose its flavor when it gets wet and then dries, nothing is left but a tasteless residue. Many Christians blend into the world and avoid the cost of standing up for Christ. But Jesus says if Christians lose their distinctive saltiness, they become worthless. Just as salt flavors and preserves food, we are to preserve the good in the world and bring new flavor to life. This requires careful planning, willing sacrifice, and unswerving commitment to Christ’s kingdom. But if a Christian fails to be “salty,” he or she fails to represent Christ in the world. How salty are you? 

Christians—Christ followers—as the light of the world, should illuminate the world they live in. If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like. If Christians then fail to illuminate the world, they are worthless or valueless before the Lord. When they fail to live in accordance with Christian beliefs (being Christ-like), they hide their light. And they hide their light by (1) being quiet when they should speak, (2) going along with the crowd, (3) denying the light (denying Christ), (4) letting sin dim their light, (5) not explaining their light to others, or (6) ignoring the needs of others. Christians ought to be a beacon of truth. They should not shut their light off from the rest of the world. 

The lives of Christians should be characterized by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that they will “shine” as “lights” in a dark and depraved world. Their actions should be above reproach so much so that even hostile people will end up praising God. Those hostile people are in the habit of spreading vicious lies about Christians. Gracious, godly, and winsome behavior on the part of Christians could show these rumors to be false and might even win some of the unsaved critics to the Lord. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word. Are you shining brightly, or are you clouded by complaining and arguing? Don’t let dissensions snuff out your light. Shine out for God. Your role is to shine until Jesus returns and bathes the world in His radiant glory.

Many Christians today are hidden from sight, reluctant to be identified as Christians. Such a Christian is like a brand-new light that never leaves the carton it came in. If a lamp doesn’t help people see, it isn’t worth much. Does your life show people how to find God and how to live for Him? If not, ask what “basket” have hidden your light. Complacency, resentment, embarrassment, stubbornness of heart, or disobedience could keep you from shining. What do you need to do to let your light shine? Show Christ to the world by your life.

When the light of the truth about Jesus Christ illuminates us, we have the duty to shine that light to help others. Our witness for Christ should be public, not hidden. We should not keep the benefits for ourselves alone but pass them on to others. In order to be helpful, we need to be well placed. Seek opportunities to shine your light when unbelievers need help to see. 

Prayer: Abba Father,give me the grace to be an effective witness, and ambassador of Christ in this world, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

7 Reasons Not to Worry, Part 1

 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25–26)

We are going to spend three days on this part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus is dealing specifically with anxiety about food and clothing. But, in fact, it relates to all anxiety.

Even in America, with its extensive welfare system, anxiety over finances and housing and food and clothing can be intense. Not to mention Christians who live in situations where much greater poverty threatens life. But Jesus says in verse 30 that our anxiety comes from little faith in our Father’s promise of future grace: “O you of little faith.”

These verses (25–34) contain at least seven promises designed by Jesus to help us fight the good fight against unbelief and be free from anxiety. (Today we look at Promises 1 and 2 — then over the next two days at the rest.)

Promise #1: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

Since your body and your life are vastly more complex and difficult to provide than food and clothing are, and yet God has, in fact, created and provided you with both, then surely he will be able and willing to provide you with food and clothing.

Moreover, no matter what happens, God will raise your body someday and preserve your life and body for his eternal fellowship.

Promise #2: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

If God is willing and able to feed such insignificant creatures as birds who cannot do anything to bring their food into being — as you can by farming — then he will certainly provide what you need, because you are worth a lot more than birds. You, unlike the birds, have the amazing capacity to glorify God by trusting, obeying, and thanking God.

THE WISDOM YOU NEED!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2021.

SUBJECT : THE WISDOM YOU NEED!

Memory verse: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1 vs 5.)

READ: Psalm 119 vs 97 - 104:

119:97: Oh, how I love Your law! it is my meditation all the day.

119:98: You through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me.

11:9:99: I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.

119:100: I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts.

119:101: I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.

119:102: I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me.

129:103: How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

119:104: Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

INTIMATION:

Wisdom is simply defined as the ability to discern right from wrong. It is the ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight. Wisdom is the ability to see life from God’s perspective and then to know the best course of action to take. Most people would agree that wisdom is a valuable asset, but how can we acquire it? Proverbs 9 vs 10 teaches that the fear (respect and honor) of the Lord  is the beginning of wisdom. 

The wisdom that we need is not only gotten by acquiring knowledge, that is, it’s not just sensual. But we need both knowledge (an understanding heart with the ability to discern what is best in every circumstances), and the strength of character to act upon that knowledge. Therefore, wisdom is the ability to make good decisions based on proper discernment and judgement, and applying such decisions to the peculiar circumstances confronting you. Knowledge refers to the practical know-how necessary for handling everyday matters. Wisdom therefore, is applied knowledge. 

However, this required wisdom comes from God, and the first step to such wisdom is the “fear of God,” to honor and respect God, to live in awe of His power. Therefore, we need the ability to see life from God’s point of view, and to know the best course of action to take. This ability can only be given to us by God, and He gives it liberally and without reproach when you ask. Faith in God should be the foundation for your understanding of the world, your attitudes, and your actions. You can’t be wiser than the Creator and Owner of the world Himself. We should ask God to give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to follow through on it. Wisdom is both the ability to discern what is best and the strength of character to act upon the knowledge. 

The wisdom that we need has three distinct characteristics: (1) It is practical: The wisdom from God relates to life even during the most trying times. It is the ability to make good decisions based on proper discernment and judgement, and applying such decisions to the peculiar circumstances confronting you. It is applied to all facets and circumstances of life, even in suffering and trials. For instance, an intelligent person may have profound ideas, but a wise person puts profound ideas into action. Intelligence will allow someone to describe several reasons why the car broke down, the wise person chooses the most likely reason and proceeds to take actions. 

(2) It is divine. God’s wisdom goes beyond common sense. Common sense will let us sorrow in the midst of troubles or trials, but divine wisdom leads us to choose joy in the middle of trials, and giving thanks to God in negative circumstances. This wisdom begins with respect for God, leads to living by God’s direction, understanding that God is Supreme and controls all things, including the negative circumstances confronting us, and results in the ability to tell right from wrong. Such wisdom leads us to do good to those who hate, or don’t wish us well. This wisdom is the tool by which trials are overcome. 

(3) It is Christlike. Asking for wisdom is ultimately asking to be like Christ. The Bible identifies Christ as the “wisdom of God.” Knowing Christ personally is the greatest wisdom anybody can have. Christians don’t have to grope around in the dark, hoping to stumble upon answers. We can ask for God’s wisdom to guide our choices. We seek the wisdom of being lead by the Hoy Spirit in every area of our lives. We should never trust on our intellect or speaking ability, but on the knowledge of God. 

Wisdom is both God-given gift and the fruit of an energetic search (the pathway to wisdom is strenuous). Wisdom’s starting point is God and His revealed Word—the source of knowledge and understanding. Therefore, we must trust and honor God, and also, realize that the Bible reveals God’s wisdom to us. This gift of God is given only to those who earnestly seek it. With God is true wisdom—Divine wisdom, and we cannot create it by our own efforts. And because God’s wisdom is hidden from the rebellious and foolish, it takes effort to find it and use it.

True wisdom can be measured by a person’s character. Just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit it produces, you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act. Foolishness leads to disorder, but wisdom leads to peace and goodness. Are you tempted to escalate the conflict, pass on the gossip, or fan the fire of discord? Careful, winsome speech and wise, loving words are the seeds of peace. God loves peacemakers (Matthew 5 vs 9.)

Prayer: Abba Father, engrace me with Divine wisdom that I may see life from Your perspective, and know the best course of action to take at all circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

How to Fight Anxiety

 [Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Notice: it does not say, “I never struggle with fear.” Fear strikes, and the battle begins. So the Bible does not assume that true believers will have no anxieties. Instead, the Bible tells us how to fight when they strike.

For example, 1 Peter 5:7 says, “[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” It does not say, you will never feel any anxieties. It says, when you have them, cast them on God. When the mud splatters your windshield and you temporarily lose sight of the road and start to swerve in anxiety, turn on your wipers and squirt your windshield washer.

So my response to the person who has to deal with feelings of anxiety every day is to say: that’s more or less normal. At least it is for me, ever since my teenage years. The issue is: How do we fight them?

The answer to that question is: we fight anxieties by fighting against unbelief and fighting for faith in future grace. And the way you fight this “good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7) is by meditating on God’s assurances of future grace and by asking for the help of his Spirit.

The windshield wipers are the promises of God that clear away the mud of unbelief, and the windshield washer fluid is the help of the Holy Spirit. The battle to be freed from sin — including the sin of anxiety — is fought “by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

The work of the Spirit and the word of truth. These are the great faith-builders. Without the softening work of the Holy Spirit, the wipers of the word just scrape over the blinding clumps of unbelief on the windshield.

Both are necessary: the Spirit and the word. We read the promises of God and we pray for the help of his Spirit. And as the windshield clears so that we can see the welfare that God plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), our faith grows stronger and the swerving of anxiety straightens out.

Grace Must Be Free

 What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Picture salvation as a house that you live in.

It provides you with protection. It is stocked with food and drink that will last forever. It never decays or crumbles. Its windows open onto vistas of all-satisfying glory.

God built it at great cost to himself and to his Son, and he gave it to you free and clear.

The “purchase” agreement is called a “new covenant.” The terms read: “This house shall become and remain yours if you will receive it as a gift and take delight in the Father and the Son as they inhabit the house with you. You shall not profane the house of God by sheltering other gods nor turn your heart away after other treasures, but find your contentment in the fellowship of God in this house.”

Would it not be foolish to say yes to this agreement, and then hire a lawyer to draw up an amortization schedule with monthly payments in the hopes of somehow balancing accounts and paying for the house?

You would be treating the house no longer as a gift, but a purchase. God would no longer be the free benefactor. And you would be enslaved to a new set of demands that he never dreamed of putting on you.

If grace is to be free — which is the very meaning of grace — we cannot view it as something to be repaid.