Is Christ Worth It?

 

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26–27)

Jesus is unashamed and unafraid of telling us up front the “worst” — the painful cost of being a Christian: hating family (verse 26), carrying a cross (verse 27), renouncing possessions (verse 33). There is no small print in the covenant of grace. It is all big, and bold. No cheap grace! Very costly! Come, and be my disciple.

But Satan hides his worst and shows only his best. All that really matters in the deal with Satan is in small print on the back page.

On the front page in big, bold letters are the words, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), and “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). But on the back page in small print — so small you can only read it with the magnifying glass of the Bible — it says, “And after the fleeting pleasures, you will suffer with me forever in hell.”

Why is Jesus willing to show us his “worst” as well as his best, while Satan will only show us his best? Matthew Henry answers, “Satan shows the best, but hides the worst, because his best will not [counterbalance] his worst; but Christ’s will abundantly.”

The call of Jesus is not just a call to suffering and self-denial; it is first a call to a banquet. This is the point of the parable in Luke 14:16–24. Jesus also promises a glorious resurrection where all the losses of this life will be repaid (Luke 14:14). He also tells us that he will help us endure the hardships (Luke 22:32). He also tells us our Father will give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). He promises that even if we are killed for the kingdom, “not a hair of your head will perish” (Luke 21:18).

Which means that when we sit down to calculate the cost of following Jesus — when we weigh the “worst” and the “best” — he is worth it. Abundantly worth it (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17).

Not so with Satan. Stolen bread is sweet, but afterward the mouth is full of gravel (Proverbs 20:17).

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 23, 2022. 

SUBJECT: BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

Memory verse: "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbushes, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7 vs 16.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 15 - 20:

7:15: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

7:16: You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbrushes, or figs of thistles?

7:17: Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

7:18: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

7:19: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

7:20: Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

INTIMATION: 

There are those who claim to be followers of Christ, but in actual facts they are wolves in sheep’s clothing, deceiving believers with their seemingly godly actions. The Scripture calls them ‘False prophets.’ They are very common today, and prophesy only what the people want to hear, claiming it is God’s message even when it is obvious that the people and the nation are wallowing in sin, and not following God’s ways. 

Their words usually sound religious but they are motivated by money, fame, or power. You can tell who they are because in their teaching they minimize Christ and glorify themselves. We should not be fooled by smooth talk and glowing word. Their miracles are short-lived, their teachings hardly point out people’s sins. They allow and even encourage all kinds of immorality, especially sexual sin. We must be careful to avoid them today. 

Their works can come through books, tape series, or TV messages, and must be evaluated in the light of God’s Word. Beware of special meanings or interpretations that belittle Christ or His work. God admonishes us in the Scripture, thus, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You shall have peace”’; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’” (Jeremiah 23 vs 16 - 17.)

Christians who study God’s Word, asking Him to reveal the truth, will not be fooled, even though superficial Christians may easily be taken in. The Bible gives us example of believers who carefully checked God’s Word in Acts 17 vs 11; “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily, to find out whether these things were so.” 

True nobility in the sight of God is that one allow God to speak to him through His inspired word. Those who do not allow God to speak to them through the Bible will be mislead either by their emotions, traditions, or the teachings of the false prophets or teachers. 

The Bible says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone into the world.” (First John 4 vs 1.) There are many ways to test teachers to see if their message is truly from God. One is to see if their words match what God says in the Bible. Other tests include their commitment to the body of believers, their lifestyles, and the fruit of their ministries. But the most important test of all is what they believe about Christ and the Word of God. 

Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak for God. We should evaluate their words by examining their lives. Just as trees are consistent in the kind of fruit they produce, good teachers or prophets consistently exhibit good behavior and high moral character as they seek to live out the truth of Scriptures. This does not mean that they are perfect, but rather striving to lead a godly lifestyle. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the excellent spirit of humility, and obedience to Your Word, that I may please You and have fellowship with You at all times. Give me the grace to prove all things in accordance with the Scriptures, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

6 REASONS WHILE YOU BE PRAYERFUL BY APOSTLE JOSHUA SALMAN

 

Jesus Knows His Sheep

 

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” (John 10:27)

Jesus knows those who are his. What is this knowledge?

John 10:3 is a close parallel to John 10:27. It says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

So, when Jesus says, “I know them,” this means at least that he knows them by name; that is, he knows them individually and intimately. They are not anonymous, lost in the flock.

John 10:14–15 provides another insight: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”

There is a real similarity between the way Jesus knows his Father in heaven and the way he knows his sheep. Jesus sees himself in the Father, and he sees himself in his disciples.

To some degree Jesus recognizes his own character in his disciples. He sees his own brand mark on the sheep. This endears them to him.

He is like a husband waiting for his wife at the airport, watching as each person disembarks from the plane. When she appears, he knows her, he recognizes her features, he sees in her eyes a happy reflection of his own love. He delights in her. She is the only one he embraces.

The apostle Paul puts it like this: “God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Timothy 2:19).

It is hard to overemphasize what a tremendous privilege it is to be known personally, intimately, lovingly by the Son of God. It is a precious gift to all his sheep, and it contains within it profound, personal fellowship and affection and the promise of eternal life.

THE HUMBLE AND CONTRITE HEART!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 22, 2022. 

SUBJECT: THE HUMBLE AND CONTRITE HEART!

Memory verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, these O God, You will not despise." (Psalms 51 vs 17.)

READ: Isaiah 57 vs 15:

57:15: For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

INTIMATION:

The heart is the seat of the affections or sensibilities, collectively or separately, as love, hate, joy, grief, courage, and the like; It is the spring of all our actions and purposes; the seat of moral life and character. it is rarely, the seat of the understanding or will; usually in a good sense, the spring of all our actions and purposes; It is the seat of moral life and character; the individual disposition and character; as, a good, tender, loving, bad, hard, or selfish heart.

Though God is exalted above the heavens, at the same time the omnipresent God dwells in the hearts of the humble and contrite. In our relationship with God, He demands a humble and contrite (grieving and penitent for sin) heart. Humility means proper respect for God, and only in such manner can one fellowship and hear Him. You can never please God by outward actions—no matter how good—if your heart attitude is not right. The heart attitude is what God is mindful of.

God’s demand for a humble and contrite heart is because with such heart, one recognizes his humanity, his spiritual poverty and destitution. One must empty himself of self-reliance and learn to humble himself before God. Those with such attitude of mind will submit to the kingdom reign of God. Such people recognize their spiritual poverty and, therefore, humbly grieve over their sinfulness—their inadequacies before God.

When one mourns over his sin, his relationship with others change. He becomes mild, gentle, lowly and unselfish in character. He is not arrogant or self-seeking. Those who realize their sinful condition and mourn or contrite over their sin, hunger and thirst after justification (righteousness) that can come only from God by His grace. They seek the knowledge of God through His word. It is the word of God that will supply the knowledge of how to be justified of one’s sin. God is the source of all righteousness. 

Those who recognize their own spiritual poverty are merciful to others. They sympathize and have pity on others. They, therefore, seek to relieve the suffering of others because God has had mercy on them in relation to their sin. And the mercy will reap mercy from God. Those who recognize their own sinfulness will seek peace of mind with others. Such are sons of God for they portray the spirit of God in their relationship with others. They are not contentious, nor do they have a spirit to argue with others.

One’s honest recognition of his spiritual dilemma leads him to frustration. The morally conscious person who seeks to do right realizes the law of his own natural fallibility to live flawlessly in reference to law. Every man must come to the point of self-recognition. Each person must recognize that his life is a “body of death” because we cannot obey law in a manner to justify ourselves before God. Therefore, we must humble ourselves before God for justification by His grace.

Christians have been chosen by God as Christ’s representatives on earth. They, therefore, should conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the calling they have received—the awesome privilege of being called Christ’s very own. This includes being humble, gentle, patient, understanding, and peaceful. People are watching your life. Can they see Christ in you? How well are you doing as His representative?

Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves. It does not mean we should put ourselves down. Before God, we are sinners, saved only by God’s grace, but we are saved and therefore, have great worth in God’s kingdom. We are to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy, God desires a broken spirit that was manifested through repentance, and this is what a humble and contrite heart offer.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the excellent spirit of humility, and create in me a clean heart contrite for my sins always, that I may please You and have fellowship with You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God Works for You

 

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. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. (Psalm 121:1–3)

Do you need help? I do. Where do you look for help?

When the psalmist lifted up his eyes to the hills and asked, “From where does my help come?” he answered, “My help comes from the Lord” — not from the hills, but from the God who made the hills. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

So, he reminded himself of two great truths: One is that God is a mighty Creator over all the problems of life; the other is that God never sleeps. “He who keeps you will not slumber.”

God is a tireless worker. He never wearies. Think of God as a worker in your life. Yes, it is amazing. We are prone to think of ourselves as workers in God’s life. But the Bible wants us first to be amazed that God is a worker in our lives: “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).

God is working for us around the clock. He does not take days off and he does not sleep. In fact he is so eager to work for us that he goes around looking for more work to do for people who will trust him: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

God loves to show his tireless power and wisdom and goodness by working for people who trust him. The sending of his Son, Jesus, was the main way the Father showed this: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Jesus works for his followers. He serves them. The gospel is not a “help wanted” sign. It is a “help available” sign.

This is what we must believe — really believe — in order to “rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and “[give] thanks always and for everything” (Ephesians 5:20) and have “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), and “not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6), and hate our lives “in this world” (John 12:25), and “love [our] neighbor as [ourselves]” (Matthew 22:39).

What a truth! What a reality! God is up all night and all day to work for those who wait for him.

THE FRUIT OF A CHRISTLIKE LIFE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 21, 2022. 

SUBJECT: THE FRUIT OF A CHRISTLIKE LIFE!

Memory verse: "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbushes, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7 vs 16.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 15 - 20:

7:15: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

7:16: You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thornbrushes, or figs of thistles?

7:17: Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

7:18: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

7:19: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.

7:20: Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

INTIMATION:

Fruit is edible growth of plants, it also signifies the result or product of an endeavor; the consequence of some effort or action. Our actions and their consequences reveal who we are. For instance, in God’s kingdom, our faith in Christ is demonstrated by actions that depict such faith. If we say we follow Christ we must strive to be like Him; doing things in accordance with His ways. And it is by our actions (fruit) that people, and even God, will know our sincerity in following Him. 

The “Christian life” is a “faith life.” Faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away. Some of the faith actions are: soul winning, learning to know God better, developing perseverance, doing God’s will, and loving others. These character traits are found in the nature of Christ, they do not come automatically, but require hard work. 

In Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23, and Second Peter 1 vs 5 - 8, the Scriptures list additional fruit qualities of Christian character: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23.) 

“And also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; to virtue knowledge; to knowledge self-control; to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Second Peter 1 vs 5 - 8.) 

They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of the Christian life. We don’t finish one and start the next, but we work on them all together. God empowers and enables us, but He also gives us the responsibility to learn and grow.

For the genuine followers of Christ, the fruit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in them. They are the by-product of Christ’s control—we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit to grow in us, we must join our life to His (John 15 vs 4 - 5.) We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbor. 

God’s people can produce fruit that survives even death. God will remember our love, kindness, and faithfulness, and those who accept Christ through our witness will join us in the new earth. Be sure that your values are in line with God’s values, and decide today to produce fruit that lasts forever. The Scripture says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors; and their works follow them.” (Revelation 14 vs 13.)

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with Your excellent Spirit that I may bear fruit after the nature of Christ, that lasts to eternity, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!