Mat 13:31-32 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field.
Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
The kingdom of heaven- a tiny seed-becoming the greatest of its kind. A tiny seed growing to become a resting place for the birds. A tiny seed growing and growing and growing until at its full growth it is something quite amazing. A tiny unassuming seed containing such potential! The kingdom of heaven while we might realize the kingdom of heaven's greatness right now, we also understand that we won't understand its fullness until we realize it when our Savior returns for us. The kingdom has to be a reality to us. Would Jesus go to such great lengths to give parable after parable on something we are not to think a lot about? The kingdom of heaven is truly our life because the kingdom of heaven is our Savior- there is no kingdom of heaven without Jesus. As often as we think of Jesus we need to think of the kingdom of heaven- this was the message HE brought to us! The kingdom of heaven as something REAL not something of mere fantasy or speculation, but REALITY. Every single day we live is one day closer to the realization of the fullness of God.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
We should think of the kingdom now not sometime in the future. We shouldn't wait until we are contemplating our end, but preparation for the kingdom of heaven begins when our life begins.
Jesus tells us the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed- but He doesn't stop there. Jesus continues on and He tells us that seed is taken and sowed in a field. Continuing further He tells us that tiny seed is the GREATEST of herbs full grown. But He doesn't even stop there, Jesus wants us to know that the birds can lodge in that tiny seed full grown into the tree it was meant to become. We can't ignore this parable, we have to understand it because we have ear and we desire to hear all the truth of our Savior. We have eyes and we long to see all the wondrous things our Lord has for us to see. Our kingdom of heaven is our ultimate dream home, our ultimate dream life, NOTHING here and now on earth can compare to the joys waiting for us, nothing! The trouble is-- too many want joy right NOW, they want the joy of heaven NOW, they believe their lives here and now should be having a *dream* life, is there any wonder so many people are depressed and disappointed? The joy we have now is in the truth that Jesus gives us that we will one day be with Him, this is a joy that even the worst of the worst that life has to give us cannot destroy. This joy of eternal life in Him is something NOTHING can take from us as we journey on our pilgrimage through the highs and lows, through the valleys and peaks, through the heartaches and loves, through the life and death.
Having a bad day on your pilgrimage? Is Satan doing all he can to tear you away from your joy in Christ? Have you succumbed to vile temptations and believe all is hopeless? Does your future only look grim without a shred of peace, a shred of love, a shred of happiness? Has Satan completely blinded you to the kingdom of heaven? Is that tiny seed become tree lost to you? This is the sole purpose of the evil one- to distract us by LIFE with all its awfulness, distract us from the kingdom of heaven!
We should wake up every morning with the kingdom of heaven our goal. Seriously. Before we even crawl out of bed we should praise God that we have been given the promise of the kingdom of heaven through our Savior's sacrifice.
And BEFORE someone jumps in and says that's being selfish, desiring the kingdom, let me just say it's SELFLESS desiring to do the will of God. Satan wants us to believe it's selfish to think about the joys of the kingdom. Jesus however wants us to think a lot about the kingdom- living for Him, living in Him, living because of Him, living with the hope He died to bring to us.
AND ANOTHER KINGDOM PARABLE...
Mat 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them
The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,
which a woman took,
and hid in three measures of meal,
till the whole was leavened.
Leaven makes bread rise nice and fluffy. If you leave leaven out of dough then the bread is a flat unleavened sort. Putting leaven into meal would make that meal rise, it would make that meal change. Some leaven creates a huge difference in the result of the dough, other makes a more subtle difference. Here Jesus is saying a woman took 3 measures of meal- enough for a loaf of bread and put enough leaven in that bread so that the whole loaf was leavened. Till the WHOLE was leavened. This wasn't subtle sort of leavening, no, this was enough leaven so the whole of the three measures of flour was affected by that leaven. Not a bit of that meal flour was left without alteration.
The kingdom of heaven is like that leaven. ALL of this world will be affected by the kingdom of heaven not one bit will go untouched by it, not the most miniscule of particles will be left out. Jesus offers the way to the kingdom of heaven and this way is offered to all- and one day all who have accepted the offer will realize in a most literal manner- LIFE in the kingdom of heaven with our Savior. And those who refuse to accept the offer of our Savior will be touched by the kingdom of heaven- and the loss of the most wondrous of gifts. Regardless of any and all things the kingdom of heaven will leaven the whole of our existence.
Do you see? Do you hear? Do you understand? The kingdom of heaven is our ONLY true reality! Yet we live as if it's the last thing on our minds, we live as if the cares of this life here and now are all that matter. We care only for now as if we are not even pilgrims but have arrived at our destination and this is all there is, this horrible, horrible sin-filled existence. Praise God for eyes to see! Praise God for ears to hear! Praise God for enlightenment through the Holy Spirit! Praise God!
Rounding off this portion of lengthy discourse filled with kingdom parables we are told…
Mat 13:34,35 - All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Amazing!
'I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world!'
The kingdom of heaven realized!
Salvation in the form of a God-man.
The Messiah come at last and not as a worldly conquering mystical magical king, but as a humble man, a servant of the Father in heaven, a sacrifice for all, a gift of eternal life, conqueror of the second death, our Lord now and forever!
How wondrous, how amazingly wondrous!
By the unfathomable love of our Savior may we be His always!
Amen
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Another kingdom parable...
Jesus wasn't done with the kingdom parables, our Lord had more to say on this ever important subject…
Mat 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.
The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Again the sowing of seed in relation to the kingdom of heaven. We really need to understand this…
The kingdom of heaven is LIKENED unto a man.
Not just a man, but a man which sowed good seed in his field.
Just imagine yourself as this farmer sowing seed in a field. You sow that good seed expecting what to come up? Good plants, you expect a good crop to appear. No crop springs up fully grown but as a seedling. When the seedlings come up you can see right away if they're good seedlings. But you might need a little more time to see if that good seed will bring forth good fruit. From personal experience I've watched this process first hand. I've planted seeds and watched them spring up, then grow day after day until I spied the first sign of *fruit* a tiny tomato flower turning into a teeny tiny green ball which quickly grows bigger and bigger. At the sign of those tiny little green tomatoes I was thrilled, and even just today at my mother's house where she's has a small garden I was thrilled to see a tiny green jalapeño picture my niece took on her cell phone, it was adorable. These tiny fruit bear witness of good fruit coming forth. This farmer sowing good seed and watching it bring forth good fruit didn't know that someone had also sown tares until his servants came and told Him. Then the servants suggested pulling up the tares but the master knew better… he told them right off that he didn't want that because they might pull up the wheat with the tares. When the crop was finished growing then the tares and wheat could be separated. After separation the tares would be burned up and the wheat gathered into the barn, safe.
Before I say any more on this parable lets jump a little further and listen to Jesus explain this parable to His disciples...
Mat 13:36-43
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man.
The field is the world.
The good seed are the children of the kingdom.
But the tares are the children of the wicked one.
The enemy that sowed them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the world.
And the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Remember just yesterday we talked about those who refuse to hear? That Jesus was talking in parables because He knew that people really didn't want to hear the eternal truths He wanted and needed to share with them. These last words here to the disciples are.. WHO HATH EARS TO HEAR…LET HIM HEAR.
We are NOT forced to hear. We are NOT forced to listen. We are NOT forced to believe. We are NOT forced in any way whatsoever, but we are instructed, it's up to us to follow instructions. If we follow instructions what happens? The expected and desired result happens. If we neglect to follow instructions we cannot expect the results to turn out to be anything good. Many do though, MANY think they will know and be known of the Lord without following any instructions. Many believe they only have to follow a few of the instructions and not all. Some want to do things their own way without any instructions at all. We are given an instruction- Who hath ears to hear…let him hear. Those who want to learn, those who want to understand, those who let their hearts open to the influence of the Holy Spirit will HEAR. Let us hear, by the grace of God, let us hear!
Jesus explained- the sower is the Son of man - JESUS HIMSELF. The field is the WORLD. The good seed are the CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM. But the tares are the CHILDREN OF THE WICKED ONE. The enemy that sowed the tares is the DEVIL. The harvest is the END OF THE WORLD. The reapers are the ANGELS.
The parable is so clear, so true. Jesus is sowing the truth! The whole world will be sown with good seed- the whole world has children of the kingdom. The devil has his own children mingling with the children of the kingdom. We live in a world where the children of the kingdom and the children of the devil LIVE together until the end of the world! People don't like this idea. People like the idea of separating the good from the evil right now. People have gone so far as to set up communes where only people believing the things they believe can live, keeping out those they consider undesirable, the ungodly. Churches are filled with people that often don't like strangers coming in- strangers that have different beliefs. People love to have others conforming to their beliefs- telling people they HAVE to believe a certain way- their way- or else. Separating wheat from tares- THIS IS NOT WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE US DO. The REAPERS - the ANGELS will do the separating at the END of the WORLD.
This is a parable of the KINGDOM. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sows good seed. The kingdom of heaven is our Savior sowing the truth and that truth resulting in His children- children of the kingdom. We children of the kingdom have to live with the children of the devil until the end of the world and we can't forget this. We will grow up with the children of the devil and that doesn't mean we are to live among known evil, embracing evil happily living among evil. The devil is very deceptive and not all evil is the sort of murdering, hateful, spiteful, lustful kind… a child of the devil is simply one who refuses to accept salvation in Christ and you know what??? It is NOT our job to separate ourselves from the tares, it is NOT our job to be suspect of anyone and everyone trying to figure out if they love God as God would be loved. God and God ALONE knows the heart, we don't, we can't and Jesus doesn't want us to EVER believe we have that sort of power, NOT ever! We are to love God with all our heart and others as God would have us love them and that is what we are called to do, nothing more.
Jesus wants us to know that HE is in charge of us, He is our sower, we are His seed, by the grace of our God in His mercy, His love, His righteousness forever!
Amen.
Mat 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.
The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Again the sowing of seed in relation to the kingdom of heaven. We really need to understand this…
The kingdom of heaven is LIKENED unto a man.
Not just a man, but a man which sowed good seed in his field.
Just imagine yourself as this farmer sowing seed in a field. You sow that good seed expecting what to come up? Good plants, you expect a good crop to appear. No crop springs up fully grown but as a seedling. When the seedlings come up you can see right away if they're good seedlings. But you might need a little more time to see if that good seed will bring forth good fruit. From personal experience I've watched this process first hand. I've planted seeds and watched them spring up, then grow day after day until I spied the first sign of *fruit* a tiny tomato flower turning into a teeny tiny green ball which quickly grows bigger and bigger. At the sign of those tiny little green tomatoes I was thrilled, and even just today at my mother's house where she's has a small garden I was thrilled to see a tiny green jalapeño picture my niece took on her cell phone, it was adorable. These tiny fruit bear witness of good fruit coming forth. This farmer sowing good seed and watching it bring forth good fruit didn't know that someone had also sown tares until his servants came and told Him. Then the servants suggested pulling up the tares but the master knew better… he told them right off that he didn't want that because they might pull up the wheat with the tares. When the crop was finished growing then the tares and wheat could be separated. After separation the tares would be burned up and the wheat gathered into the barn, safe.
Before I say any more on this parable lets jump a little further and listen to Jesus explain this parable to His disciples...
Mat 13:36-43
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man.
The field is the world.
The good seed are the children of the kingdom.
But the tares are the children of the wicked one.
The enemy that sowed them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the world.
And the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Remember just yesterday we talked about those who refuse to hear? That Jesus was talking in parables because He knew that people really didn't want to hear the eternal truths He wanted and needed to share with them. These last words here to the disciples are.. WHO HATH EARS TO HEAR…LET HIM HEAR.
We are NOT forced to hear. We are NOT forced to listen. We are NOT forced to believe. We are NOT forced in any way whatsoever, but we are instructed, it's up to us to follow instructions. If we follow instructions what happens? The expected and desired result happens. If we neglect to follow instructions we cannot expect the results to turn out to be anything good. Many do though, MANY think they will know and be known of the Lord without following any instructions. Many believe they only have to follow a few of the instructions and not all. Some want to do things their own way without any instructions at all. We are given an instruction- Who hath ears to hear…let him hear. Those who want to learn, those who want to understand, those who let their hearts open to the influence of the Holy Spirit will HEAR. Let us hear, by the grace of God, let us hear!
Jesus explained- the sower is the Son of man - JESUS HIMSELF. The field is the WORLD. The good seed are the CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM. But the tares are the CHILDREN OF THE WICKED ONE. The enemy that sowed the tares is the DEVIL. The harvest is the END OF THE WORLD. The reapers are the ANGELS.
The parable is so clear, so true. Jesus is sowing the truth! The whole world will be sown with good seed- the whole world has children of the kingdom. The devil has his own children mingling with the children of the kingdom. We live in a world where the children of the kingdom and the children of the devil LIVE together until the end of the world! People don't like this idea. People like the idea of separating the good from the evil right now. People have gone so far as to set up communes where only people believing the things they believe can live, keeping out those they consider undesirable, the ungodly. Churches are filled with people that often don't like strangers coming in- strangers that have different beliefs. People love to have others conforming to their beliefs- telling people they HAVE to believe a certain way- their way- or else. Separating wheat from tares- THIS IS NOT WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE US DO. The REAPERS - the ANGELS will do the separating at the END of the WORLD.
This is a parable of the KINGDOM. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sows good seed. The kingdom of heaven is our Savior sowing the truth and that truth resulting in His children- children of the kingdom. We children of the kingdom have to live with the children of the devil until the end of the world and we can't forget this. We will grow up with the children of the devil and that doesn't mean we are to live among known evil, embracing evil happily living among evil. The devil is very deceptive and not all evil is the sort of murdering, hateful, spiteful, lustful kind… a child of the devil is simply one who refuses to accept salvation in Christ and you know what??? It is NOT our job to separate ourselves from the tares, it is NOT our job to be suspect of anyone and everyone trying to figure out if they love God as God would be loved. God and God ALONE knows the heart, we don't, we can't and Jesus doesn't want us to EVER believe we have that sort of power, NOT ever! We are to love God with all our heart and others as God would have us love them and that is what we are called to do, nothing more.
Jesus wants us to know that HE is in charge of us, He is our sower, we are His seed, by the grace of our God in His mercy, His love, His righteousness forever!
Amen.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Kingdom parables....
Let's read a little more about the kingdom Jesus speak so much about…
Mat 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Now imagine- because this is what Jesus wants us to do, just as He wanted those back then listening to Him to do- use their imaginations. Jesus wanted them to picture what He was saying, make it real to them. They could all imagine someone sowing seed- it was a way of life. It's not so much a way of life for us here- we buy most of our food from grocery stores. As a rule it seems *most* people do not farm, and a lot of people have never even had a small garden. We know what it means to sow seed though- planting seed so crops can grow and then be harvested once they've matured. While most of our food might come off store shelves it didn't start there- it had to be grown.
Now let's use our imagination here and picture what Jesus is saying:
A sower went forth to sow.
When he sowed- some of the seed he was sowing fell by the way side- not where it was intended to go- and the birds came and ate up the seed.
Some of the seed he sowed fell among stones where there was very little dirt. Those seeds didn't take long to sprout in that little patch of dirt surrounded by stones. Unfortunately because there was more stone than dirt the roots couldn't go deep into the ground for protection from the sun's heat. With the roots having no depth they were exposed to the sun and they withered up- killing the little seedlings.
The sower continued to sow and some of that seed fell in among thorns. The thorns being more plentiful and wild quickly choked out the little seedlings, killing them.
However- some of the seed fell onto GOOD ground- no way side, no stones, no thorns- and this seed grew up healthy and strong producing fruit- some of those seeds brought up plants to produce lots of fruit and others less, and still others little, but all the fruit those seeds sown on the good grown produce was good.
This story is a good one. At first glance it's a good message for those sowing seeds to sow it properly. Jesus had more in mind though- this was a parable- a story with a meaning behind it.
Now the disciples wanted to know something, let's read it…
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Why was Jesus speaking in parables, this is what they wanted to know.
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
What words! What amazing words! Jesus was speaking in parables because He knew some had hearts ready to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but others didn't. Could it be that some wanted to hear nice little stories but not stories that had real meaning? Is it possible that understanding the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were the last thing on some people's minds? They weren't interested in the kingdom of heaven not like Jesus' disciples were. So Jesus would speak to them, but understanding mysteries wasn't necessarily something that would happen. Jesus had more to say about it...
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Now this is something to really think about. Could it mean that to those who desire to know these mysteries, those whose hearts are receptive to the truth being told will have their hearts filled with understanding? And those whose hearts are not open at all to the truth who have nothing receptive in them towards the knowledge of God's mysteries will not only NOT be able to understand the mysteries but the little understanding they might have will be taken from them- it wasn't real understanding to begin with.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Truth. The people were listening for the novelty of doing so but they didn't not listen to really learn from Jesus. Their hearts were waxed gross, they couldn't really hear, their eyes were closed and this is how they wanted to live- without understanding, without truth, not hearing, not seeing. These people did not want to understand with their heart- they did NOT want to be converted- they did NOT want to be healed- not in the manner we ALL need healing- spiritually.
Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Amazing! Wonderfully amazing!
Now Jesus would have us understand… we MUST understand by His grace may we do so, through His love and by the Holy Spirit's enlightenment.
Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Hearing without understanding- is there ANY sense to that? Think about it for a moment. There is absolutely NO sense listening if you don't listen to gain understanding. If we go to listen to someone speak it's with the hope of learning from them isn't it? We listen to people giving speeches because we are learning more about them and their beliefs from their speech. We listen to our loved ones when they talk to us because we want to understand what they're trying to say to us. Hearing and understanding is SO important, hearing and NOT understanding is senseless, it's empty, meaningless.
When hearing the word of the kingdom we need understanding! If we don't understand then Satan will quickly take away that spark of interest right out of the heart! We don't want the seed to be on the wayside for Satan to snatch away, we want that seed sown in fertile soil in our hearts with full understanding of the kingdom of heaven!
Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Hearing the word and not receiving it with joy, hearing the word and that word meaning nothing with substance to us, then we've received it without any power because as soon as troubles come because we are God's then we get offended. We CAN'T get offended, we just can't! We have to have the love of the words of Jesus in our hearts. We have to receive the words with joy, with understanding, with knowledge - knowing and believing that those words, that truth will triumph! We are protected by the truth and should NOT be offended when we face tribulation and persecution because of this truth we believe.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Thorns of riches….deceitful riches.
Thorns of worldly care.
People might believe it's impossible for riches to be deceitful.
People might believe that worldly cares are a part of life we have to accept and embrace- it's hard not to, right? Well those worldly cares can be thorns that CHOKE the words of truth, the words of the kingdom of heaven, the words of LIFE. Choke the life right out the words of Jesus- killing our eternal life. You can be on the path to eternal life and those thorns can creep up and those thorns are deceitful riches and worldly cares something that are WAY too familiar to us and WAY to acceptable to us! We have to be so careful not to let ANYTHING keep us from the kingdom of heaven, those words, that reality has to be FULLY in our hearts, in our lives. WE are LIVING FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN! All this we live through now is temporary!!!!! WE have to LIVE for the kingdom of heaven, we have to live for our Savior!
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Hear the word.
Understand the word.
Bear fruit from that understanding… any fruit…little or lot!
Let us LISTEN!
Let us UNDERSTAND!
Let us BEAR FRUIT!
By HIS GRACE!!!!!!!!
Kingdom parables- we need to understand our Savior wants us to understand- all life is through Him, He is the kingdom of heaven, He is the way, the truth, and the life! HE has to be OUR way, OUR truth, OUR life, no other…no other!
In His love!
Amen.
Mat 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Now imagine- because this is what Jesus wants us to do, just as He wanted those back then listening to Him to do- use their imaginations. Jesus wanted them to picture what He was saying, make it real to them. They could all imagine someone sowing seed- it was a way of life. It's not so much a way of life for us here- we buy most of our food from grocery stores. As a rule it seems *most* people do not farm, and a lot of people have never even had a small garden. We know what it means to sow seed though- planting seed so crops can grow and then be harvested once they've matured. While most of our food might come off store shelves it didn't start there- it had to be grown.
Now let's use our imagination here and picture what Jesus is saying:
A sower went forth to sow.
When he sowed- some of the seed he was sowing fell by the way side- not where it was intended to go- and the birds came and ate up the seed.
Some of the seed he sowed fell among stones where there was very little dirt. Those seeds didn't take long to sprout in that little patch of dirt surrounded by stones. Unfortunately because there was more stone than dirt the roots couldn't go deep into the ground for protection from the sun's heat. With the roots having no depth they were exposed to the sun and they withered up- killing the little seedlings.
The sower continued to sow and some of that seed fell in among thorns. The thorns being more plentiful and wild quickly choked out the little seedlings, killing them.
However- some of the seed fell onto GOOD ground- no way side, no stones, no thorns- and this seed grew up healthy and strong producing fruit- some of those seeds brought up plants to produce lots of fruit and others less, and still others little, but all the fruit those seeds sown on the good grown produce was good.
This story is a good one. At first glance it's a good message for those sowing seeds to sow it properly. Jesus had more in mind though- this was a parable- a story with a meaning behind it.
Now the disciples wanted to know something, let's read it…
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Why was Jesus speaking in parables, this is what they wanted to know.
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
What words! What amazing words! Jesus was speaking in parables because He knew some had hearts ready to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but others didn't. Could it be that some wanted to hear nice little stories but not stories that had real meaning? Is it possible that understanding the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were the last thing on some people's minds? They weren't interested in the kingdom of heaven not like Jesus' disciples were. So Jesus would speak to them, but understanding mysteries wasn't necessarily something that would happen. Jesus had more to say about it...
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Now this is something to really think about. Could it mean that to those who desire to know these mysteries, those whose hearts are receptive to the truth being told will have their hearts filled with understanding? And those whose hearts are not open at all to the truth who have nothing receptive in them towards the knowledge of God's mysteries will not only NOT be able to understand the mysteries but the little understanding they might have will be taken from them- it wasn't real understanding to begin with.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Truth. The people were listening for the novelty of doing so but they didn't not listen to really learn from Jesus. Their hearts were waxed gross, they couldn't really hear, their eyes were closed and this is how they wanted to live- without understanding, without truth, not hearing, not seeing. These people did not want to understand with their heart- they did NOT want to be converted- they did NOT want to be healed- not in the manner we ALL need healing- spiritually.
Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Amazing! Wonderfully amazing!
Now Jesus would have us understand… we MUST understand by His grace may we do so, through His love and by the Holy Spirit's enlightenment.
Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Hearing without understanding- is there ANY sense to that? Think about it for a moment. There is absolutely NO sense listening if you don't listen to gain understanding. If we go to listen to someone speak it's with the hope of learning from them isn't it? We listen to people giving speeches because we are learning more about them and their beliefs from their speech. We listen to our loved ones when they talk to us because we want to understand what they're trying to say to us. Hearing and understanding is SO important, hearing and NOT understanding is senseless, it's empty, meaningless.
When hearing the word of the kingdom we need understanding! If we don't understand then Satan will quickly take away that spark of interest right out of the heart! We don't want the seed to be on the wayside for Satan to snatch away, we want that seed sown in fertile soil in our hearts with full understanding of the kingdom of heaven!
Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Hearing the word and not receiving it with joy, hearing the word and that word meaning nothing with substance to us, then we've received it without any power because as soon as troubles come because we are God's then we get offended. We CAN'T get offended, we just can't! We have to have the love of the words of Jesus in our hearts. We have to receive the words with joy, with understanding, with knowledge - knowing and believing that those words, that truth will triumph! We are protected by the truth and should NOT be offended when we face tribulation and persecution because of this truth we believe.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Thorns of riches….deceitful riches.
Thorns of worldly care.
People might believe it's impossible for riches to be deceitful.
People might believe that worldly cares are a part of life we have to accept and embrace- it's hard not to, right? Well those worldly cares can be thorns that CHOKE the words of truth, the words of the kingdom of heaven, the words of LIFE. Choke the life right out the words of Jesus- killing our eternal life. You can be on the path to eternal life and those thorns can creep up and those thorns are deceitful riches and worldly cares something that are WAY too familiar to us and WAY to acceptable to us! We have to be so careful not to let ANYTHING keep us from the kingdom of heaven, those words, that reality has to be FULLY in our hearts, in our lives. WE are LIVING FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN! All this we live through now is temporary!!!!! WE have to LIVE for the kingdom of heaven, we have to live for our Savior!
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Hear the word.
Understand the word.
Bear fruit from that understanding… any fruit…little or lot!
Let us LISTEN!
Let us UNDERSTAND!
Let us BEAR FRUIT!
By HIS GRACE!!!!!!!!
Kingdom parables- we need to understand our Savior wants us to understand- all life is through Him, He is the kingdom of heaven, He is the way, the truth, and the life! HE has to be OUR way, OUR truth, OUR life, no other…no other!
In His love!
Amen.
Thine is the kingdom
Our Father which art in heaven
Mat 6:13 ... thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
The kingdom, the power, the glory forever.
In the beginning of studying about Jesus teaching us the manner in which to pray we learned these words…
…Thy kingdom come.
At the end of the prayer we are being taught to pray…
...Thine is the kingdom.
Maybe we don't think about the kingdom as much as we should be. Twice the kingdom is mentioned. Twice we are reminded of the kingdom. The kingdom that is coming and the kingdom our Father possesses right now- the SAME kingdom that is coming. Twice Jesus uses this word- KINGDOM. We need to study this more, we just do, so let's read a few more verses on this word we are to keep in our thoughts in the beginning of our prayers and at the end of them.
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
When Jesus BEGAN to preach He said… Repent. Why? Because the KINGDOM of heaven is at hand.
Eternal life was at hand. The opportunity to have eternal life in the kingdom of heaven was there, right there. This opportunity wasn't something dwelled upon by the majority of Jews. Their misguided beliefs of a future Messiah were clouding their minds. Their rituals and self-importance were priorities. Jesus came to bring the kingdom of heaven to them, to us… the WAY was made! The WAY was there! The foreseen way was right there! The promised way was tangible!
Mat 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Jesus did not just heal- He PREACHED the gospel of the KINGDOM. The healing was a vehicle, the healing was a miracle brought to life. Every single person healed, every single person who knew someone who was healed, all of them had their hearts touched by the Kingdom of God. With their illnesses gone, with their wounds healed, with their minds whole, with their hearts set right they were able to really HEAR what Jesus had to tell them - the gospel of the KINGDOM. The most important message ever- eternal life in Christ with God the Father forever and ever and ever in heaven and then in an earth made new. This life while eased was still only temporary and Jesus needed people to hear of the life everlasting because it was the most important message any one would ever, could ever hear. He was not only the bearer of that message He WAS THAT MESSAGE. Is it ANY wonder at all it is mentioned not once but TWICE when Jesus is teaching us the manner of praying?
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
The kingdom of GOD is come unto you!
This should NEVER be out of our minds. Our lives need to revolve in a very real way around the reality of life eternal in our Savior, through our Savior. Every day we are given here and now is a day of pilgrimage, a day of preparation, a day closer to that eternal day, a day for us to live for the gospel of the kingdom.
Help us Lord, help us to preach your message, help us to be ready for your kingdom now and forever always in YOU.
Mat 6:13 ... thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
The kingdom, the power, the glory forever.
In the beginning of studying about Jesus teaching us the manner in which to pray we learned these words…
…Thy kingdom come.
At the end of the prayer we are being taught to pray…
...Thine is the kingdom.
Maybe we don't think about the kingdom as much as we should be. Twice the kingdom is mentioned. Twice we are reminded of the kingdom. The kingdom that is coming and the kingdom our Father possesses right now- the SAME kingdom that is coming. Twice Jesus uses this word- KINGDOM. We need to study this more, we just do, so let's read a few more verses on this word we are to keep in our thoughts in the beginning of our prayers and at the end of them.
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
When Jesus BEGAN to preach He said… Repent. Why? Because the KINGDOM of heaven is at hand.
Eternal life was at hand. The opportunity to have eternal life in the kingdom of heaven was there, right there. This opportunity wasn't something dwelled upon by the majority of Jews. Their misguided beliefs of a future Messiah were clouding their minds. Their rituals and self-importance were priorities. Jesus came to bring the kingdom of heaven to them, to us… the WAY was made! The WAY was there! The foreseen way was right there! The promised way was tangible!
Mat 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Jesus did not just heal- He PREACHED the gospel of the KINGDOM. The healing was a vehicle, the healing was a miracle brought to life. Every single person healed, every single person who knew someone who was healed, all of them had their hearts touched by the Kingdom of God. With their illnesses gone, with their wounds healed, with their minds whole, with their hearts set right they were able to really HEAR what Jesus had to tell them - the gospel of the KINGDOM. The most important message ever- eternal life in Christ with God the Father forever and ever and ever in heaven and then in an earth made new. This life while eased was still only temporary and Jesus needed people to hear of the life everlasting because it was the most important message any one would ever, could ever hear. He was not only the bearer of that message He WAS THAT MESSAGE. Is it ANY wonder at all it is mentioned not once but TWICE when Jesus is teaching us the manner of praying?
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
The kingdom of GOD is come unto you!
This should NEVER be out of our minds. Our lives need to revolve in a very real way around the reality of life eternal in our Savior, through our Savior. Every day we are given here and now is a day of pilgrimage, a day of preparation, a day closer to that eternal day, a day for us to live for the gospel of the kingdom.
Help us Lord, help us to preach your message, help us to be ready for your kingdom now and forever always in YOU.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Our Father which art in heaven
Mat 6:13 ... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Delivered from evil.
What is the ultimate evil? What's the worst evil of all? Seriously what is the evilest thing you can ever imagine?
Anything that would keep us from God is evil. Being delivered from anything that would keep us from God is something that is desperately desired. When we are delivered from evil we are not being consumed by ANYTHING that would keep us from God.
Satan desires to keep us separated from God. If we are already separated from God- Satan desires to keep us that way. Through anger, through despair, through heart ache, through lusts of all kind, through any evil means- because ANYTHING that keeps us from God is evil- Satan will strive to separate us from our Savior, our Creator. Can Satan use things we wouldn't generally consider evil to keep us from God? YES! Who considers a wonderful spouse, and delightful children- evil? Who considers a nice paying job in a good field- evil? Who believes ministering to the helpless- evil? Not many people consider those things evil and yet if we allow even the seemingly *GOOD* things in life to keep us from God, they are part of the evil Satan will use.
Temptation might not be lust for another person's spouse, temptation might not be to steal riches, temptation might not be to garner power over others, temptation might not be pornography, temptation might not be alcohol or drugs, temptation might not be gambling though all these things are considered sinful, considered evil. Temptation could be the inner belief that is skewed to put self first- even when you believe you are helping others. Temptation might be to put ANYTHING in the place of God- first. You might not be a thief, a murderer, a liar, a whoremonger, a prostitute, a gambler, an adulterer- but you can be the worst of sinners. You don't think that's true? Read this…
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
SCRIBES and PHARISEES- those considered to be CLOSEST TO GOD! In truth they were the farthest from God. We are in danger of the same thing! Don't think for one moment anyone professing to be a Christian, professing the love of God is not consumed by evil of a sort that we can't readily see. We have to look into our own lives and find out where God is at. What position does God hold in our lives? How important is God to us? Do we LIVE the way God would have us to live- loving Him and loving others more than we love ourselves? Are we guilty of pure selfishness? Do our lives revolve around our own needs, our own desires?
Mat 6:13 ... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
We do not want to be led into ANY direction that would keep us from God. We do not want to be led into despair, we do not want to be led into selfishness, we do NOT want to fail any test of faith put before us. When we pray to our heavenly Father to 'lead us not into temptation' it is asking Him to keep us from ANYTHING that would separate us from Him. When we are praying 'deliver us from evil' we are praying to be kept from ANYTHING that would keep us from God.
May this lesson Jesus is teaching us, this lesson on prayer, be something we NEVER forget and always remember to use if not in exact wording then in the same manner- understanding that we are His and He would have us be His- and this is a choice we make, a free-will choice we make and hold to by His power, through His grace and mercy, by His righteousness always.
Amen.
Mat 6:13 ... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Delivered from evil.
What is the ultimate evil? What's the worst evil of all? Seriously what is the evilest thing you can ever imagine?
Anything that would keep us from God is evil. Being delivered from anything that would keep us from God is something that is desperately desired. When we are delivered from evil we are not being consumed by ANYTHING that would keep us from God.
Satan desires to keep us separated from God. If we are already separated from God- Satan desires to keep us that way. Through anger, through despair, through heart ache, through lusts of all kind, through any evil means- because ANYTHING that keeps us from God is evil- Satan will strive to separate us from our Savior, our Creator. Can Satan use things we wouldn't generally consider evil to keep us from God? YES! Who considers a wonderful spouse, and delightful children- evil? Who considers a nice paying job in a good field- evil? Who believes ministering to the helpless- evil? Not many people consider those things evil and yet if we allow even the seemingly *GOOD* things in life to keep us from God, they are part of the evil Satan will use.
Temptation might not be lust for another person's spouse, temptation might not be to steal riches, temptation might not be to garner power over others, temptation might not be pornography, temptation might not be alcohol or drugs, temptation might not be gambling though all these things are considered sinful, considered evil. Temptation could be the inner belief that is skewed to put self first- even when you believe you are helping others. Temptation might be to put ANYTHING in the place of God- first. You might not be a thief, a murderer, a liar, a whoremonger, a prostitute, a gambler, an adulterer- but you can be the worst of sinners. You don't think that's true? Read this…
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
SCRIBES and PHARISEES- those considered to be CLOSEST TO GOD! In truth they were the farthest from God. We are in danger of the same thing! Don't think for one moment anyone professing to be a Christian, professing the love of God is not consumed by evil of a sort that we can't readily see. We have to look into our own lives and find out where God is at. What position does God hold in our lives? How important is God to us? Do we LIVE the way God would have us to live- loving Him and loving others more than we love ourselves? Are we guilty of pure selfishness? Do our lives revolve around our own needs, our own desires?
Mat 6:13 ... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
We do not want to be led into ANY direction that would keep us from God. We do not want to be led into despair, we do not want to be led into selfishness, we do NOT want to fail any test of faith put before us. When we pray to our heavenly Father to 'lead us not into temptation' it is asking Him to keep us from ANYTHING that would separate us from Him. When we are praying 'deliver us from evil' we are praying to be kept from ANYTHING that would keep us from God.
May this lesson Jesus is teaching us, this lesson on prayer, be something we NEVER forget and always remember to use if not in exact wording then in the same manner- understanding that we are His and He would have us be His- and this is a choice we make, a free-will choice we make and hold to by His power, through His grace and mercy, by His righteousness always.
Amen.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Forgive us as we forgive
Our Father which art in heaven…
Mat 6:12 ...forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
Forgive.
Have you ever wanted someone to forgive you? Think of a time, just one time out of probably many- at least in my case. Wanting people to forgive us means one thing- we feel guilty for some wrong doing.
Can anyone who is not guilty want forgiveness? Seriously. Sure people can give half-hearted I'm sorry's because they don't really believe they are guilty but want the other person to just stop blaming them for something they perceive they've done wrong. People can even ask forgiveness for something they haven't done, just to make peace in a tense situation. Many under the hands of a torturer have confessed and pleaded for forgiveness- having NEVER done what they've been accused of, simply because they want the pain, the agony, to stop. So yes, people can want forgiveness from someone for something they never did, for something they're not guilty of.
Seeking forgiveness for real guilt- you know what that's like. Do you know what it's like to seek forgiveness from someone and be denied that forgiveness? How does it make you feel- having a heartfelt, deep soul searching need for forgiveness and not getting it?
If you can't think of a time like this, then imagine it. The need to be forgiven after hurting someone, after wronging someone, after sinning against someone is so great. The guilt weighs down heavy and seeking that forgiveness is something you feel desperate for. Finally if you can't get that forgiveness from the one you're seeking it from you're left holding onto the guilt but at least you know you tried to apologize, tried to gain forgiveness. That's how we do it isn't it? We apologize, we repent of our wrong, we promise to never do that wrong again, we hate ourselves for sinning, hate that we sinned against someone.
Sins that aren't against another person can be against God and we need to seek forgiveness from God for our sins against Him and against others.
Jesus tells us to pray this way… forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
We can ONLY expect forgiveness from our Father in heaven as we forgive others.
We aren't told that we can only expect forgiveness from our Father in heaven as other forgive us. This is important to remember! Our being forgiving is not conditional upon getting forgiveness from each other. Our being forgiving is however conditional upon US forgiving others. People might think that's wrong and a crazy idea- but read it again.
'forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors'
Forgive us… as we forgive.
If we don't forgive how can we ever expect our Father in heaven to forgive us? Seriously.
Impossible to forgive others? Sometimes it feels that way doesn't it? Some hurts seem unforgiveable don't they? Some sins against us seem to be so horrific that even when we try to forgive we find ourselves feeling the same old upset and anger rising up over and over and each time we seek to forgive that person all over again. Yet as we forgive we will be forgiven.
We need to be forgiven don't we? We've sinned, right? When we sin we are transgressing against the laws of God. Some call them laws of nature, especially those who don't want to believe in God, but they are laws of God. Without God there would be no laws. What laws does Satan have? Seriously. Evil has no laws. Evil inherently encourages sinning in every and any form- there is no law to adhere to whatsoever. Evil allows everything- evil sees NO wrong in murder. Evil sees no wrong in stealing. Evil sees no wrong in harming another. Evil sees no wrong in torture. Evil sees no wrong in the deepest depravity in all the world. There is NO standard to hold to with evil, none. Those truly evil people are those who have no sense at all of their sinfulness. People can be blinded to their sinning by evil, and don't for one moment believe that Satan doesn't do ALL he can to blind us to our sins. I've heard people say they had nothing to do with Jesus dying… as if their sins aren't in need of forgiveness and that Jesus didn't die for their sins. Jesus died for all of our sins! For all who repent and seek forgiveness from Him, He will forgive them. If you truly believe you had nothing to do with Jesus' dying then you don't believe He died for you. You can't really believe that Jesus forgives you if you don't believe He died for you. No, you might not have wielded the hammer that nailed Jesus to the cross, but He submitted to that torturous death, He allowed Himself to be nailed to that cross FOR YOU. Figuratively our sins- every sinner forgiven- their sins are the reason our Savior died to pay the price of sin for us. From the first repenting sinner seeking forgiveness right up to the very last repenting sinner seeking forgiveness - Jesus died for them, for us. To those who sought forgiveness before Jesus came, to those who sought and seek forgiveness after Jesus came- Jesus died for them, for us.
'forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors'
Sinners forgiving sinners- that's what we are when we forgive others. We NEED to be forgiven by our Father in heaven. We NEED to forgive others even as we recognize that it is an imperfect forgiveness. Our imperfect forgiveness is just that and it's no wonder that we might find ourselves having to forgive someone over and over for the same offense? We have to expect this and not let Satan use this as something to throw in our faces as in order to tell us that God, our Father in heaven, cannot forgive us because we cannot forgive others. Is it any wonder Jesus tells us this…
Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Seventy times seven. Yes, it's saying this regarding someone sinning over and over against you, but you can see where there is NO limit to the forgiveness we can extend. Surely Jesus understood that we have to know that we can forgive over and over. It is by the grace of our Savior that we can forgive at all.
Yes, we need to forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors…we need to do this and we need to pray for this. Pray to BE forgiven and pray TO forgive. We need to pray for this, we need to ask our heavenly Father for this, Jesus would have us learn that we aren't automatically forgiven, we have to ask.
To think that Jesus will forgive us, to think that we will be forgiven automatically is a mistake. Some might say- oh yeah, I was saved and forgiven, I'm fine. But forgiveness is continuous, it's constant.
May we forgive and be forgiven by our Father in heaven.
By His Grace now and FOREVER always!
Amen
Mat 6:12 ...forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
Forgive.
Have you ever wanted someone to forgive you? Think of a time, just one time out of probably many- at least in my case. Wanting people to forgive us means one thing- we feel guilty for some wrong doing.
Can anyone who is not guilty want forgiveness? Seriously. Sure people can give half-hearted I'm sorry's because they don't really believe they are guilty but want the other person to just stop blaming them for something they perceive they've done wrong. People can even ask forgiveness for something they haven't done, just to make peace in a tense situation. Many under the hands of a torturer have confessed and pleaded for forgiveness- having NEVER done what they've been accused of, simply because they want the pain, the agony, to stop. So yes, people can want forgiveness from someone for something they never did, for something they're not guilty of.
Seeking forgiveness for real guilt- you know what that's like. Do you know what it's like to seek forgiveness from someone and be denied that forgiveness? How does it make you feel- having a heartfelt, deep soul searching need for forgiveness and not getting it?
If you can't think of a time like this, then imagine it. The need to be forgiven after hurting someone, after wronging someone, after sinning against someone is so great. The guilt weighs down heavy and seeking that forgiveness is something you feel desperate for. Finally if you can't get that forgiveness from the one you're seeking it from you're left holding onto the guilt but at least you know you tried to apologize, tried to gain forgiveness. That's how we do it isn't it? We apologize, we repent of our wrong, we promise to never do that wrong again, we hate ourselves for sinning, hate that we sinned against someone.
Sins that aren't against another person can be against God and we need to seek forgiveness from God for our sins against Him and against others.
Jesus tells us to pray this way… forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
We can ONLY expect forgiveness from our Father in heaven as we forgive others.
We aren't told that we can only expect forgiveness from our Father in heaven as other forgive us. This is important to remember! Our being forgiving is not conditional upon getting forgiveness from each other. Our being forgiving is however conditional upon US forgiving others. People might think that's wrong and a crazy idea- but read it again.
'forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors'
Forgive us… as we forgive.
If we don't forgive how can we ever expect our Father in heaven to forgive us? Seriously.
Impossible to forgive others? Sometimes it feels that way doesn't it? Some hurts seem unforgiveable don't they? Some sins against us seem to be so horrific that even when we try to forgive we find ourselves feeling the same old upset and anger rising up over and over and each time we seek to forgive that person all over again. Yet as we forgive we will be forgiven.
We need to be forgiven don't we? We've sinned, right? When we sin we are transgressing against the laws of God. Some call them laws of nature, especially those who don't want to believe in God, but they are laws of God. Without God there would be no laws. What laws does Satan have? Seriously. Evil has no laws. Evil inherently encourages sinning in every and any form- there is no law to adhere to whatsoever. Evil allows everything- evil sees NO wrong in murder. Evil sees no wrong in stealing. Evil sees no wrong in harming another. Evil sees no wrong in torture. Evil sees no wrong in the deepest depravity in all the world. There is NO standard to hold to with evil, none. Those truly evil people are those who have no sense at all of their sinfulness. People can be blinded to their sinning by evil, and don't for one moment believe that Satan doesn't do ALL he can to blind us to our sins. I've heard people say they had nothing to do with Jesus dying… as if their sins aren't in need of forgiveness and that Jesus didn't die for their sins. Jesus died for all of our sins! For all who repent and seek forgiveness from Him, He will forgive them. If you truly believe you had nothing to do with Jesus' dying then you don't believe He died for you. You can't really believe that Jesus forgives you if you don't believe He died for you. No, you might not have wielded the hammer that nailed Jesus to the cross, but He submitted to that torturous death, He allowed Himself to be nailed to that cross FOR YOU. Figuratively our sins- every sinner forgiven- their sins are the reason our Savior died to pay the price of sin for us. From the first repenting sinner seeking forgiveness right up to the very last repenting sinner seeking forgiveness - Jesus died for them, for us. To those who sought forgiveness before Jesus came, to those who sought and seek forgiveness after Jesus came- Jesus died for them, for us.
'forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors'
Sinners forgiving sinners- that's what we are when we forgive others. We NEED to be forgiven by our Father in heaven. We NEED to forgive others even as we recognize that it is an imperfect forgiveness. Our imperfect forgiveness is just that and it's no wonder that we might find ourselves having to forgive someone over and over for the same offense? We have to expect this and not let Satan use this as something to throw in our faces as in order to tell us that God, our Father in heaven, cannot forgive us because we cannot forgive others. Is it any wonder Jesus tells us this…
Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Seventy times seven. Yes, it's saying this regarding someone sinning over and over against you, but you can see where there is NO limit to the forgiveness we can extend. Surely Jesus understood that we have to know that we can forgive over and over. It is by the grace of our Savior that we can forgive at all.
Yes, we need to forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors…we need to do this and we need to pray for this. Pray to BE forgiven and pray TO forgive. We need to pray for this, we need to ask our heavenly Father for this, Jesus would have us learn that we aren't automatically forgiven, we have to ask.
To think that Jesus will forgive us, to think that we will be forgiven automatically is a mistake. Some might say- oh yeah, I was saved and forgiven, I'm fine. But forgiveness is continuous, it's constant.
May we forgive and be forgiven by our Father in heaven.
By His Grace now and FOREVER always!
Amen
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Our Daily Bread
Mat 6:9 Our Father which art in heaven…
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Yesterday we talked about the first half of this verse- Give us this day.
God wants us to ask Him for our sustenance because He is the life force we exist by. When we ask Him to provide for us we are acknowledging that we don't exist without Him. Yes, we talked about people believing they live without God just because they don't believe that He exists, but we know the truth. Everyone- good and evil exists by the grace of God. It won't always be this way though. Eventually all who exist will be good by the grace of God and evil will be done away with completely.
Jesus wants our prayers to include this plea to the Father in Heaven, to give us this day, the day of the prayer, our daily bread.
Let's look at a few verses of God providing for daily sustenance.
Exo 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Exo 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
Exo 16:17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
Exo 16:18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
Exo 16:19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
Exo 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
We know the story of the newly friend Egyptian slaves- the Hebrews having followed their deliverer out into the wilderness where they quickly realized there was no great plan for where they were going and what they were doing. Moses didn't lead them to some new land overflowing with sustenance, at least he didn't do it immediately and that's what they wanted. They wished to go from a life of slavery into a life of freedom with all the luxuries they imagined freedom meant having- those of their masters in Egypt who had been free- they lived in the lap of luxury. Being a freeman meant having wealth and so much more. The African slaves of America and elsewhere understood this as well. Being free was emotionally and in some cases physically gratifying but then the reality set in that they had to provide for themselves and their families and there wasn't much of a chance for that right away. Most had to turn around and work for the same people getting paid for it but the work, the life was just as hard if not harder. Nowadays we can all look back and see how the last 140 some years have completely wiped out that sort of existence for the African slaves and it was the same for the newly freed Hebrews, after a hundred and forty some years they probably could barely recall the horrors of slavery they lived under. NO, I'm not belittling what happened, I'm just trying to speak of facts here. Most of us here in the United States come from immigrant families, from slave families, all but the Native Americans. Most of us have hardships in our past- just because a person is free doesn't mean they haven't lived through other horrors life has to offer. For most of us living here now we don't live under the conditions of a world that existed a hundred and forty something years ago- technology alone has altered life so much it's barely possible to imagine that sort of primitive existence.
Anyway, I think enough has been said about all that, the point is that the newly freed Hebrew slaves weren't expecting to die in the wilderness by starvation- in fact they most likely wouldn't have followed Moses had they imagined the harsh reality they faced. But there they were, feeling the privations of not having food readily available. They had no gardens, no farms they could go to and get what they needed. They no longer had the Egyptians giving them of their bounty- not much of it- but enough to keep their bellies filled and people healthy enough for them to work. They didn't want to die of starvation and God never planned that they would.
Manna. Food from Heaven. Food that rained down from Heaven. Imagine it for a moment. Close your eyes and just imagine going to sleep at night and waking up the next morning and outside in your yard was food from Heaven - enough for all of your household to live on. NEVER having to worry again about having enough money to buy food. Never having to worry about food. Sure a lot of us might say we don't have to worry now, but more and more people whose incomes have been slashed or have disappeared and they are now scrimping and saving just to buy food - they understand. People in third world countries- they understand. Food from heaven, the miracle of it, the wondrous miracle God provided for the newly freed slaves who were no longer in bondage to Egyptian authority.
Did you catch that part up there at the end of the verses we read- how some people kept some of the manna left over- after God told them not to. Some didn't believe! Some didn't trust in God! Some believed they were being wise by setting some aside for later use- just incase this source of miracle food dried up on them. They quickly found out that it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep leftover manna. The very next day that food was stinking and rotten. God was endeavoring to teach His people to trust in Him for their very existence, for their daily bread.
Of course after their wilderness journey ended people were required to work farms, producing their own food- God had led them to a land perfect for doing just that. Did God teach the people that they no longer had to rely on Him? No. By the time the people were established in the promised land they had God's holy commandments- one in particular would be a HUGE reminder to them of their days eating manna. On the sixth day they all had to gather TWICE as much manna because the seventh day was the SABBATH of God, a Sabbath God made for man way back in Eden. Miraculously the manna that was leftover that next morning wasn't rotten and it didn't stink, it was kept fresh by God proving even more that what God commands is what we should do. The people in the promised land were to forever carry on honoring the Sabbath- it was the fourth of the ten great commandments. So the people were truly to remember their wilderness journey and God's providing- always. The Sabbath is a GREAT reminder of God in many, many ways and it was meant to be that way throughout time. God never taught the people they didn't have to rely on Him, never.
Let's read a bit more about manna-
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Joh 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
Joh 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
How wondrous! Jesus teaching that manna symbolized physical life and it really did, but it also symbolized the TRUE bread from heaven to come. God rained down food to give life to His people and God came down from heaven to give eternal life to His people.
Joh 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
Joh 6:42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
Joh 6:43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Joh 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Joh 6:52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Joh 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Joh 6:59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
Joh 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
Joh 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
Joh 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
The words I speak unto you they are SPIRIT and they are LIFE. Jesus was NOT telling us to eat his physical flesh or drink his physical blood! Jesus was speaking of SPIRITUALLY eating and drinking of all that HE is. We can't for ONE moment believe that Jesus wanted people to physically take a bite out of Him- HE DIDN'T mean that and NEVER meant it! He tells them plainly- The words I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life! We have everlasting life through the sacrifice of our Savior's life. Later on before He died Jesus would initiate a ceremony that symbolized this very thing and people throughout time had to pervert even that into a belief that bread and wine are altered into REAL flesh and blood, but Jesus never meant that- NEVER. The symbolism was introduced and was to take place of old covenant rituals pointing to the Messiah's arrival. This new symbolism was to represent the new covenant in Christ- pointing to His life, His death, and His everlasting life and the fact that we will share in everlasting life with Him one day.
No, I haven't gotten sidetracked, at least not too much, hehe.
Give us this day our daily bread. Yes, this was to be a DAILY reminder of Christ- our Heavenly bread, better than manna that sustained physical life. Our daily bread for eternal life- our Savior! Yes, God the Father- give us this day our Daily Bread!
Does this mean we aren't to ask God for our physical needs? No, God wants us to ask, but God also wants us to realize that more important than physical life is spiritual life. If we had to choose between physical life and spiritual life- we must choose spiritual life which will lead us to eternal life. Physical life will NOT lead us to eternal life other than the fact we were born, we were brought into existence.
Read this--
1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1Ti 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Follow after RIGHTEOUSNESS, GODLINESS, FAITH, LOVE, PATIENCE, MEEKNESS!
Fight the good fight of FAITH.
Lay hold on ETERNAL LIFE.
We are not to focus on the physical.
Some people are starving right now! Do you think they are all God-less people undeserving of eternal life? That some how God has abandoned them to their fate of death eternal because they aren't provided for right now physically? NO! And NO! We can't understand all the whys and wherefores of all God allows- that's not for us to question. We have to have faith that 'ALL things work together for good to them that love God...' Ro. 8:28 This isn't a Bible promise for riches and ease of life. This is the promise that no matter what we face in this world- whether we are among the starving, the dying, the tortured, the hated- it will be for good towards our ETERNAL life in God- loving God forever and ever!
If we pray as Jesus is teaching us to pray and we ask our Heavenly Father to give us this day our daily bread- and then we go another day without any food- does this mean our Heavenly Father isn't answering our prayer? NO! We have to believe in the HEAVENLY BREAD and ask daily for this HEAVENLY BREAD, God will not deny us the right to life, the right to be filled spiritually until we can be filled no more, God will fill us to overflowing with the richness of His glory in Christ!
We aren't asking God to provide our *wants* or even our physical needs - not first and foremost, we can't, we have to desire eternal life in Him before all else, we have to desire to be with fully reunited, fully one with our God again without sin separating us. By His grace! In His love! Forever!
Amen.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Yesterday we talked about the first half of this verse- Give us this day.
God wants us to ask Him for our sustenance because He is the life force we exist by. When we ask Him to provide for us we are acknowledging that we don't exist without Him. Yes, we talked about people believing they live without God just because they don't believe that He exists, but we know the truth. Everyone- good and evil exists by the grace of God. It won't always be this way though. Eventually all who exist will be good by the grace of God and evil will be done away with completely.
Jesus wants our prayers to include this plea to the Father in Heaven, to give us this day, the day of the prayer, our daily bread.
Let's look at a few verses of God providing for daily sustenance.
Exo 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Exo 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
Exo 16:17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
Exo 16:18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
Exo 16:19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
Exo 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
We know the story of the newly friend Egyptian slaves- the Hebrews having followed their deliverer out into the wilderness where they quickly realized there was no great plan for where they were going and what they were doing. Moses didn't lead them to some new land overflowing with sustenance, at least he didn't do it immediately and that's what they wanted. They wished to go from a life of slavery into a life of freedom with all the luxuries they imagined freedom meant having- those of their masters in Egypt who had been free- they lived in the lap of luxury. Being a freeman meant having wealth and so much more. The African slaves of America and elsewhere understood this as well. Being free was emotionally and in some cases physically gratifying but then the reality set in that they had to provide for themselves and their families and there wasn't much of a chance for that right away. Most had to turn around and work for the same people getting paid for it but the work, the life was just as hard if not harder. Nowadays we can all look back and see how the last 140 some years have completely wiped out that sort of existence for the African slaves and it was the same for the newly freed Hebrews, after a hundred and forty some years they probably could barely recall the horrors of slavery they lived under. NO, I'm not belittling what happened, I'm just trying to speak of facts here. Most of us here in the United States come from immigrant families, from slave families, all but the Native Americans. Most of us have hardships in our past- just because a person is free doesn't mean they haven't lived through other horrors life has to offer. For most of us living here now we don't live under the conditions of a world that existed a hundred and forty something years ago- technology alone has altered life so much it's barely possible to imagine that sort of primitive existence.
Anyway, I think enough has been said about all that, the point is that the newly freed Hebrew slaves weren't expecting to die in the wilderness by starvation- in fact they most likely wouldn't have followed Moses had they imagined the harsh reality they faced. But there they were, feeling the privations of not having food readily available. They had no gardens, no farms they could go to and get what they needed. They no longer had the Egyptians giving them of their bounty- not much of it- but enough to keep their bellies filled and people healthy enough for them to work. They didn't want to die of starvation and God never planned that they would.
Manna. Food from Heaven. Food that rained down from Heaven. Imagine it for a moment. Close your eyes and just imagine going to sleep at night and waking up the next morning and outside in your yard was food from Heaven - enough for all of your household to live on. NEVER having to worry again about having enough money to buy food. Never having to worry about food. Sure a lot of us might say we don't have to worry now, but more and more people whose incomes have been slashed or have disappeared and they are now scrimping and saving just to buy food - they understand. People in third world countries- they understand. Food from heaven, the miracle of it, the wondrous miracle God provided for the newly freed slaves who were no longer in bondage to Egyptian authority.
Did you catch that part up there at the end of the verses we read- how some people kept some of the manna left over- after God told them not to. Some didn't believe! Some didn't trust in God! Some believed they were being wise by setting some aside for later use- just incase this source of miracle food dried up on them. They quickly found out that it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep leftover manna. The very next day that food was stinking and rotten. God was endeavoring to teach His people to trust in Him for their very existence, for their daily bread.
Of course after their wilderness journey ended people were required to work farms, producing their own food- God had led them to a land perfect for doing just that. Did God teach the people that they no longer had to rely on Him? No. By the time the people were established in the promised land they had God's holy commandments- one in particular would be a HUGE reminder to them of their days eating manna. On the sixth day they all had to gather TWICE as much manna because the seventh day was the SABBATH of God, a Sabbath God made for man way back in Eden. Miraculously the manna that was leftover that next morning wasn't rotten and it didn't stink, it was kept fresh by God proving even more that what God commands is what we should do. The people in the promised land were to forever carry on honoring the Sabbath- it was the fourth of the ten great commandments. So the people were truly to remember their wilderness journey and God's providing- always. The Sabbath is a GREAT reminder of God in many, many ways and it was meant to be that way throughout time. God never taught the people they didn't have to rely on Him, never.
Let's read a bit more about manna-
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Joh 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
Joh 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Joh 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
How wondrous! Jesus teaching that manna symbolized physical life and it really did, but it also symbolized the TRUE bread from heaven to come. God rained down food to give life to His people and God came down from heaven to give eternal life to His people.
Joh 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
Joh 6:42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
Joh 6:43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Joh 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Joh 6:52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Joh 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Joh 6:59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
Joh 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
Joh 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
Joh 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
The words I speak unto you they are SPIRIT and they are LIFE. Jesus was NOT telling us to eat his physical flesh or drink his physical blood! Jesus was speaking of SPIRITUALLY eating and drinking of all that HE is. We can't for ONE moment believe that Jesus wanted people to physically take a bite out of Him- HE DIDN'T mean that and NEVER meant it! He tells them plainly- The words I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life! We have everlasting life through the sacrifice of our Savior's life. Later on before He died Jesus would initiate a ceremony that symbolized this very thing and people throughout time had to pervert even that into a belief that bread and wine are altered into REAL flesh and blood, but Jesus never meant that- NEVER. The symbolism was introduced and was to take place of old covenant rituals pointing to the Messiah's arrival. This new symbolism was to represent the new covenant in Christ- pointing to His life, His death, and His everlasting life and the fact that we will share in everlasting life with Him one day.
No, I haven't gotten sidetracked, at least not too much, hehe.
Give us this day our daily bread. Yes, this was to be a DAILY reminder of Christ- our Heavenly bread, better than manna that sustained physical life. Our daily bread for eternal life- our Savior! Yes, God the Father- give us this day our Daily Bread!
Does this mean we aren't to ask God for our physical needs? No, God wants us to ask, but God also wants us to realize that more important than physical life is spiritual life. If we had to choose between physical life and spiritual life- we must choose spiritual life which will lead us to eternal life. Physical life will NOT lead us to eternal life other than the fact we were born, we were brought into existence.
Read this--
1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1Ti 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Follow after RIGHTEOUSNESS, GODLINESS, FAITH, LOVE, PATIENCE, MEEKNESS!
Fight the good fight of FAITH.
Lay hold on ETERNAL LIFE.
We are not to focus on the physical.
Some people are starving right now! Do you think they are all God-less people undeserving of eternal life? That some how God has abandoned them to their fate of death eternal because they aren't provided for right now physically? NO! And NO! We can't understand all the whys and wherefores of all God allows- that's not for us to question. We have to have faith that 'ALL things work together for good to them that love God...' Ro. 8:28 This isn't a Bible promise for riches and ease of life. This is the promise that no matter what we face in this world- whether we are among the starving, the dying, the tortured, the hated- it will be for good towards our ETERNAL life in God- loving God forever and ever!
If we pray as Jesus is teaching us to pray and we ask our Heavenly Father to give us this day our daily bread- and then we go another day without any food- does this mean our Heavenly Father isn't answering our prayer? NO! We have to believe in the HEAVENLY BREAD and ask daily for this HEAVENLY BREAD, God will not deny us the right to life, the right to be filled spiritually until we can be filled no more, God will fill us to overflowing with the richness of His glory in Christ!
We aren't asking God to provide our *wants* or even our physical needs - not first and foremost, we can't, we have to desire eternal life in Him before all else, we have to desire to be with fully reunited, fully one with our God again without sin separating us. By His grace! In His love! Forever!
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)