Every Calvary Step Was Love

 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. (1 John 3:16)

The love of Christ for us in his dying was as conscious as his suffering was intentional. If he was intentional in laying down his life, it was for us. It was love.

“When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

Every step on the Calvary road meant, “I love you.”

Therefore, to feel the love of Christ in the laying down of his life, it helps to see how utterly intentional it was.

Look at what Jesus said just after that violent moment when Peter tried to cleave the skull of the servant, but only cut off his ear.

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:52–54)

It is one thing to say that the details of Jesus’s death were predicted in the Old Testament. But it is much more to say that Jesus himself was making his choices precisely to see to it that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.

That is what Jesus said he was doing in Matthew 26:54. “I could escape this misery, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

In other words, I am not choosing to take the way out that I could take, because I know the Scriptures. I know what must take place for my people to be saved. It is my choice to fulfill all that is predicted of me in the word of God. It is my choice — every step of the way — to love my people to the uttermost. And I want them to feel this. And be utterly secure and free and radically different from the world.

GOD WORKS IN THE BELIEVER TO PLEASE HIM!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2022.

SUBJECT: GOD WORKS IN THE BELIEVER TO PLEASE HIM!

Memory verse: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2 vs 13.)

READ: Hebrews 13 vs 20 - 21:

13:20: Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

13:21: make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

INTIMATION: 

To please God is to do His will; to walk in accordance with His precepts. It’s on this pivot that all that pertains to life and godliness revolves. God works in us as we have responded to His work for us. He worked for us through the cross; the gift of His only begotten Son as a propitiation for our sins. We are sinners who had know hopes of saving ourselves from God’s condemnation, but Christ came, took our place, paid the wages we owed—the wages of sin which is death. And died for our sins to salvage us—set us free—from the consequences of sin and death, and separation from God. 

It is on this premise that we work out our salvation in appreciation of what Christ has done for us. Our sense of gratitude to the work of God in reference to our salvation, therefore, should move us into action. In this way God is living in us. When we are motivated into action by the redemptive work of God, then we work according to His purposes. And when we work according to the purposes of God, it is God who works in us. Christians do not work in order to be saved. They work out their salvation because they are saved. When we respond to the sacrificial blood of Jesus on the cross, then it is God who is working in us. 

God has not left us alone in our struggles to do His will—to obey His laws. He wants to come alongside us and be within us to help, hence His gift of the Holy Spirit—our Helper. God gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. As a believer, you are not left to your own resources to cope with problems. God created you for His specific purposes that are predetermined by Him, even before the foundation of the world. Consequently, only Him can work out His plan and purpose in you. 

In Ephesians 1 vs 11, the Scripture says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” God is sovereign and in control of all things. He works all things in us according the counsel of His will. God’s purposes for the believers cannot be thwarted, no matter how hard Satan tries, or what he brings our way.

Jesus gave us the assurances when He said, in John 6 vs 37 - 40, “All the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Godhead—the Trinity—in union with one another, is at work in the world, and in every believer. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never work independently of the other. The will of the Father (Loving Father) is accomplished by the Son (our Sacrificial Savior) with the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit (our Faithful Companion). Thus, anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior is secure in God’s promises, even the promise of everlasting life with Him. 

God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now, the Holy Spirit—our Helper—lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day, helping us accomplish the will of God for us. This is the Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus, and continues until Christ returns to perfect us and take us home to the Father.

Sometimes, by human assessment, you feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life, especially when sometimes you fall into sin. But be of good cheer, it is a gradual process that will only come to perfection when Christ returns. Now, look at this Scripture, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1 vs 6.) Be confident that when God starts a project, He completes it! God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us grow in grace until He has completed His work in our lives. Never let your shortcomings, and your feeling of incompleteness, or distress becloud you of God’s promise and provision.

All that is required of the believer is to believe Him and keep His commandments. The same commandments He has sent an Helper—the Holy Spirit—to help us in our weaknesses. God works in us to make us the kind of people that would please Him, and He equips us to do the kind of work that would please Him. Yours is to yield to the total control of the Spirit that His fruit will be fully manifested in you—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In the real sense of it, He does all things. What a benevolent Father!

Prayer: Abba Father, I surrender completely to You. Work Your work in me that I may be complete in every good work to do Your will and please You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WORSHIP THE CREATOR NOT THE CREATION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2022.

SUBJECT : WORSHIP THE CREATOR NOT THE CREATION!

Memory verse: “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who  have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19 vs 10.)

READ: : Acts 14 vs 8 - 15:

14:8: And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked.

14:9: This man heard Paul speaking. Paul observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,

14:10: said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

14:11: Now, when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

14:12: And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermès, because he was the chief speaker.

14:13: Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending and to sacrifice with the multitude.

14:14: But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes, and ran in among the multitude, crying out

14:15: and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

INTIMATION:

Worship is to make obeisance, do reverence to. It is used as an act of homage or reverence. Regarding God Almighty, it is the appropriate response to God’s self-revelation. The worship of God is nowhere defined in the Scripture. Broadly it may be regarded as the direct acknowledgement to God; of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise or thanksgiving or by deed done in such acknowledgement. 

God is Supreme, and there is none like Him (Exodus 9 vs 14; Isaiah 46 vs 9). In recognition of God’s supremacy and unique attributes, the Scripture says we should worship Him alone. In our memory verse, this truth is reiterated; the angel instructs John to “worship God,” and worship is a major emphasis in the book of Revelation. The Scripture says, “Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I had heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book: worship God.” (Revelation 22 vs 8 - 9.) 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul, after performing a miracle of raising the crippled man in Lystra, observed that the people wanted to honor and sacrifice to them as gods. Paul and Barnabas refusing to allow such, tore their clothes, and ran in among the multitude, cried out in a loud voice and said to the people, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you...” 

In the same manner, the apostle Peter corrected Cornelius when he visited him at Caesarea as instructed by the Spirit of the Lord: “As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I am also a man.” (Acts 10 vs 25 - 26.)

However, this wrong practice of not worshiping God alone is common among believers. They put aside worshiping the Creator in order to worship the creation. Their reverence and worship of their spiritual leaders are far more pronounced than what the angel and apostles admonished their followers not to do. It is a common site in our churches and fellowships where the congregants fall on their knees before the spiritual leaders to acknowledge them, even in ordinary greetings. While the name of Jesus is often called in vain and without reverence by many; a small occurrence in their lives, like something falling off their hands, occasions the shout of the name ‘Jesus.’ Where is the reverence of the name in such circumstance? The Lord says in Malachi 1 vs 6, says, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master, If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?”  

God should be worshipped alone. That we do not see Him, is not an excuse not to honor and worship Him appropriately. Reverence to His name should be at all times, and in all situations. Never use His name in vain: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20 vs 7.) God’s name is special because it carries His personal identity. Using it frivolously or in a curse is so common today that we may fail to realize how serious it is. The way to use God’s name conveys how we really feel about Him. We should respect His name and use it appropriately, speaking it in praise or worship rather than in curse or jest. We should not take lightly the abuse or dishonor of His name.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the only God, there is no other. You alone will I worship. Give me the grace to acknowledge You always for who You are, in all my ways, and to thank You for all You do, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Christ as Means and End

 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Why did God create the universe? And why is he governing it the way he is? What is God achieving? Is Jesus Christ a means to this achievement or the end of the achievement?

Jesus Christ is the supreme revelation of God. He is God in human form. As such, he is the end, not a means.

The manifestation of the glory of God is the meaning of the universe. This is what God is achieving. The heavens, and the history of the world, are “telling the glory of God.”

But Jesus Christ was sent to accomplish something that needed doing. He came to remedy the fall. He came to rescue sinners from inevitable destruction because of their sin. These rescued ones will see and savor and display the glory of God with everlasting joy.

Others will continue to heap scorn on the glory of God. So, Jesus Christ is the means to what God meant to achieve in the manifestation of his glory for the enjoyment of his people. No one would see and savor and celebrate the glory of God apart from the saving work of Christ. The aim of the universe would abort. So, Christ is a means.

But in that accomplishment on the cross, as he died for sinners, Christ revealed the love and righteousness of the Father supremely. This was the apex of the revelation of the glory of God — the glory of his grace.

Therefore, in the very moment of his perfect act as the means of God’s purpose, Jesus became the end of that purpose. He became, in his dying in the place of sinners and his resurrection for their life, the central and supreme revelation of the glory of God.

Christ crucified is therefore both the means and the end of God’s purpose in the universe.

Without his work, that end — to reveal the fullness of the glory of God for the enjoyment of God’s people — would not have happened.

And in that very means-work he became the end — the one who forever and ever will be the focus of our worship as we spend eternity seeing and savoring more and more of what he revealed of God when he became a curse for us.

Jesus is the end for which the universe was made, and the means that makes that end possible to enjoy by justified sinners.

WE NEED AN EPIPHANY BY BISHOP TD JAKES

 

The Perfect City

 He has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)

No pollution, no graffiti, no trash, no peeling paint or rotting garages, no dead grass or broken bottles, no harsh street talk, no in-your-face confrontations, no domestic strife or violence, no dangers in the night, no arson or lying or stealing or killing, no vandalism, and no ugliness.

The city of God will be perfect, because God will be in it. He will walk in it and talk in it and manifest himself in every part of it. All that is good and beautiful and holy and peaceful and true and happy will be there, because God will be there.

Perfect justice will be there and recompense a thousandfold for every pain suffered in obedience to Christ in this world. And it will never deteriorate. In fact, it will shine brighter and brighter as eternity stretches out into unending ages of increasing joy.

When you desire this city above everything else on the earth, then you honor God, who, according to Hebrews 11:10, is the designer and builder of the city. And when God is honored, he is pleased and not ashamed to be called your God.

He has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)

No pollution, no graffiti, no trash, no peeling paint or rotting garages, no dead grass or broken bottles, no harsh street talk, no in-your-face confrontations, no domestic strife or violence, no dangers in the night, no arson or lying or stealing or killing, no vandalism, and no ugliness.

The city of God will be perfect, because God will be in it. He will walk in it and talk in it and manifest himself in every part of it. All that is good and beautiful and holy and peaceful and true and happy will be there, because God will be there.

Perfect justice will be there and recompense a thousandfold for every pain suffered in obedience to Christ in this world. And it will never deteriorate. In fact, it will shine brighter and brighter as eternity stretches out into unending ages of increasing joy.

When you desire this city above everything else on the earth, then you honor God, who, according to Hebrews 11:10, is the designer and builder of the city. And when God is honored, he is pleased and not ashamed to be called your God.

GOD’S WORD MAKES US WISE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2022.

SUBJECT: GOD’S WORD MAKES US WISE!

Memory verse: "Every word of God is pure: He is a shield to those that put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30 vs 5.)

READ: Luke 4 vs 3 - 12:

4:3: And the devil said to Him, “If You be the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4:4: But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

4:5: Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

4:6: And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

4:7: Therefore, If You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

4:8: And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

4:9: Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.

4:10: For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You,’

4:11: and, ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

4:12: And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord thy God.’”

INTIMATION:

God’s Word makes us wise—wiser than our enemies and wiser than any teachers who ignore it. Knowing God’s Word equips us to navigate through life’s circumstances in victory. In this life we walk through a dark forest of evil. But the Bible can be our light to show us the way ahead so we won’t stumble as we walk. It reveals the entangling roots of false values and philosophies. It’s an effective weapon against temptation, and it is the only offensive weapon in the believers’ armor (Ephesians 6 vs 17). The Scripture notes that, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119 vs 130.) 

True wisdom goes beyond amassing knowledge; it is applying knowledge in a life-changing way. Intelligent or experienced people are not necessarily wise. Wisdom comes from allowing God’s teachings to guide us. We gain wisdom through constant process of growing. First, we must trust and honor God. Second, we must realize that the Bible reveals God’s wisdom to us. His wisdom is infinite. The Scripture notes, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!.” (Romans 11 vs 33.) But God has revealed Himself and wisdom in His Word. Therefore, through constant study and meditation in the Word of God we are enriched in wisdom and understanding. 

People don’t develop all aspects of wisdom at once. For example, some people have more insight than discretion; others have more knowledge than common sense. But we can pray for all aspects of wisdom and take steps to develop them in God’s Word. Resolve to set aside time each day to read and think about God’s Word. Remind yourself of God’s words day and night, applying what you know that God has said in your daily living, and God’s Word will build you up in wisdom and understanding in this life.

Knowing and obeying God’s Word is an effective weapon against temptation, the only offensive weapon provided in the Christian’s armor (Ephesians 6 vs 17). In the passage we read today, Jesus used Scripture—the Word of God—to counter Satan’s attacks, and so also we should. But to use it effectively, we must have faith in God’s promises because Satan also knows Scripture and is adept in twisting it to suit his purposes. Obeying the Scripture is more important than simply having a verse to quote, so read them daily and apply them to your life. Then your “sword” will always be sharp.

The Word of God is not simply a collection of words from God, a vehicle for communicating ideas: it is living, life-changing, and dynamic as it works in us. God’s Word reveals who we are and what we are not. It penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is within us, both good and bad. The demands of God’s Word require decisions. We must not only listen to the Word; we must also let it shape our lives. Study the Bible so you will be able to see your way clear enough to stay on the right path.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have magnified Your Word above all Your name. Divine wisdom is embedded in Your Word. Give me the grace to study and meditate in Your Word daily that I may be wise, and toe the right path at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!