Let's take a look at 1 Cor 10:13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: We, sometimes, get under the conviction that bad things happen to us because God is mad at us. Deuteronomy 8:2 says And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. First of all, if you are trying hard to live for Jesus, this applies to you. On the other hand, if you are dabbling around in sin and only living for Jesus in a haphazard manner, you get what's coming to you. You deserve your whippin's. Temptations will come to a Christian for a reason. God is wanting to see what is in your heart. He is trying to prove you through this test. He is also trying to prove Himself to you. Basically, He was fixing to bring His children into a place that was flowing with milk and honey. He wasn't going to leave them in the wilderness for the rest of their lives. He had an abundant blessing in store for them. But, He needed to see whether they really loved Him or not.
But God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; Notice our theme ---GOD IS FAITHFUL. Malachi 3:6-For I am the Lord, I change not; Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. You aughta be shoutin' right about now. God is faithful and He never, never, never, never changes. Luke 22:31-And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat: Jesus brings us into the reality of temptations, or times of trial. He said that Satan desires to bring things our way. Satan's desire it to tear us up. God only allows it to sift us, to separate the undesireable things that weigh us down. Here again, He wants to prove our hearts and prove Himself to us. Don't ever think that Satan is just plowing through us at his every whim. That is not the case. Our precious Heavenly Father is faithful to watch over us. Satan can only bring things into a Christian's life with the permission of a loving Heavenly Father. Notice what 1 Cor. 10:13 says--GOD WILL NOT ALLOW A TEMPTATION THAT WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE. Did you get that? When it looks like things are all messed up and way, way, way out of control. My Heavenly Father still, still, yes, He still has it under HIS control. Never, at any time, no way Jose, couldn't do it if he wanted to, can the devil just rip and tear into our lives just any old way he wants to. The God I serve has that mangy dog on one of those electric leashes and He has his finger on the power button. Glory to God. He only operates with God's permission and God is faithful to jerk back on that leash and pop the power button on him if he tries to get to high-handed with any child of God. (Go on and shout for a while, I know you want to. I know that I want to right about now.)
Hebrews 12:1 says that were are surrounded by a 'cloud of witnesses.' Read through Heb. 11 at the heroes of faith. God was faithful to bring them out of their time of temptation into the glory that He had for them. Most of them had worse circumstances than any of us. If He was faithful to bring them out and He never changes, then I can expect and praise Him to bring me out of what I am going through right now. I can say with all of the authority of the Word of God, that whatever you are going through, God will be faithful to bring you out, also.
Rom 8:28--And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. What is the qualification to have good things come our way---to love God. Can I qualify for that? You bet I can. Can you qualify for that? You bet you can. After all that the Apostle Paul went through, he could stand flat-footed, toe-to-toe, staring eye-to-eye with any devil (and that might include your in-laws, spouse, pastor or deacons) and say, "The God that I serve will work this shipwreck, and this beating and your tongue-wagging into something good for me. But, hey, sport, you'd better step back some because when He comes down to deliver me, he's gonna wipe out everything that looks like sin. And that just might be you."
If you're not shouting the victory right now, wait til you read this. The rest of 1 Cor 10:13 says this-but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. Keep this in mind the next time a trial comes. BEFORE God allows the time of trial to begin, He already has set aside enough power and blessing to bring you out. Read this part of that verse again and again and again until it sinks way down into your spirit. It says that when God releases the temptation to come to you, He also releases more than enough of whatever it takes to bring you out of it. He is faithful to bring you out. His love never fails. If you are in the middle of a trial right now, God released the blessing at the same time He released the trial. Did you see it in the Word? It said, 'With the temptation.'
And it also said, 'That ye may be able to bear it.' That means that God has been bragging on us to the devil. Remember, the devil has to ask permission first. God looks at us and sees something within us that can whip whatever the devil is asking to do. Remember, when Satan asked to sift Peter as wheat, Jesus did not say 'I'm gonna whip the devil for you.' No Jesus said that He would pray for Peter that his faith fail not. Jesus knew that it was necessary for Peter to face this horrible mistake Peter was fixing to make so that it would 'convert' him. Not that Peter was not saved. But the time of his testing converted Peter into the man of God that God always knew existed, the man the he saw in Peter. God was only allowing satan to sift all of the 'fluff and bluff' out of Peter so that all that was left in him was a strong relationship with Jesus Christ. When God got through with the trial, Peter was a powerful leader and soul-winner.
Remember these things as you go through life's trials. God is faithful. He brought many people through times of temptation just to show His mighty hand in their lives. The end result is always that souls are won and revival comes. Let Him reign in your heart and life today.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
What Do You Know About Jesus?
In Luke 18, there is a story about a blind man just outside of Jericho. He was sitting by the roadside begging. That was the only thing that he knew to do. That was his only way of making a living. Life had dealt him a hard blow. He could never, never, never, never be like the majority of mankind who could see. He was condemned by circumstances to be a helpless, blind beggar until the day he died.
Does that sound familiar to you? Do you feel that life is passing you by and you will be no better than you are now? Do the circumstances that surround you dictate your constant failure? Possibly you are in an invironment that does not promote healthy, vibrant Christianity. Maybe that invironment is your home. Or, unfortunately, that invironment could be the church you attend. Sadly, the last statement is far too often the truest statement of all. Most churches, not all, but most churches are the main reason that God cannot move.
One day, this blind man heard a commotion. Being blind, he asked what was going on. Someone told him that Jesus was passing his way. The blind man had heard about Jesus. First of all, let me say that what he did next was not the result of the local church. The local and national church of that day despised Jesus just like they do today. He had heard the testimony of people whose lives Jesus had touched and ministered to. Do you remember that he was sitting by the roadside? Notice he was not in church. That was in his favor. That roadside he was begging at was the main road that led to Jerusalem. The temple was at Jerusalem and it was commanded by God that the men show up three times a year to worship there. A lot of people came through Jericho to Jerusalem and then back through Jericho to go home. Out of all the people that were coming and going at that point in time, Jesus happened to be one of them.
As I said before, every man had to come to the temple in Jerusalem at least three times a year. In the past three years since His baptism and empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Jesus made His appearance at least 7 or 8 times. Of course, this was to be His last because He was going to be crucified. As you read the New Testament, every where Jesus went, he blessed and healed people. Crowds followed him all of the time. So, in the past few years, out of all the gossip he heard on the road outside of Jericho, this blind man began to hear something new. That God had sent His Son to the earth. He kept hearing of how this Jesus was more than just a religious man. He carried the message from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that God had come down in the form of a human and was performing miracles.
I can see this man, Bartimaeus Mark 10:46, sitting on this same road for years. Business was great during the days of the feasts. There was more traffic. More traffic meant more money. More traffic meant more gossip. That was how he kept up with the news, by listening to what everybody said. However, these surges in traffic three times a year began to take on a different tone. The news was different. Peoples voices got louder. There was more excitement than there used to be. And it all centered around........Jesus. Not the religious leaders. Not what the church was doing. But what Jesus was doing. God sent His Son to bring deliverance and His Son was getting the job done. All the religious leaders were doing was playing around talking about the good stories of the Bible. The news on the street was what God was doing in the lives of people. There was more excitement about God on the street three times a year than there ever was in the church for hundreds of years.
As Bartimaeus kept hearing of Jesus and His miracles, his faith in God began to grow. He began to experience hope for the first time in his life. The more he heard about miracles, the more hope began to spring up in his life. Finally, this one day, Jesus was passing by and he knew that this might be the only opportunity to receive his healing. He made so much noise trying to get Jesus' attention that the two-faced religious people tried to stop him until Jesus commanded for them to bring him to Him. Do you think that Bartimaeus was louder than anyone else? I don't think so. Besides, the crowds that followed Jesus were pretty big. And a pretty big crowd brings a bunch of noise. Well, was it the fact that he was crying out for Jesus to have mercy? Not exactly. Although that would be a great prayer for the whole world to pray.
It wasn't the words Bartimaeus prayed that got Jesus' attention above all the other words that were being spoken at that time. It was Bartimaeus' heart that Jesus heard, not just his words. Bartimaeus had heard testimony after testimony about how Jesus had changed the lives of hundreds of people. People's voices that he had heard for years had begun to ring with the praises of Almighty God instead of the curses and woes that he normally heard. Instead of gossip, jealousy and anger, there was joy, gladness and praise. It wasn't just fleeting words, he heard a change in people's lifestyle. Grouchers had become glad. Sinners had become saints. Instead of cursing they began praising God and encouraging each other. People had been healed and that was exciting. But the daily change of a life turned over to Jesus was what Bartimaeus noticed the most. That was what Bartimaeus wanted more than anything. Not just a miracle but a whole lifestyle change.
The heart of Bartimaeus cried out for a relationship with the Holy One of Israel. He wasn't interested in the bland diet of the local church. He wanted a vibrant life like the ones he was hearing about every day. Healing of the flesh is great. But the healing of a heart broken by sin is the greatest healing that could ever take place. Bartimaeus wanted a relationship with Jesus that would open up the rest of his life to love, joy, and peace and not just the same old, same old. So, it wasn't what he said that Jesus heard. It was Bartimaeus' heart and he faith that Jesus heard above the crowd. Bartimaeus didn't want just the one-time blessing. He wanted the excitement of a relationship with Jesus.
Jesus is not just a one time God. He is the every day presence that makes life worth the living. It is not how much church you have in you that makes people sit up and take notice. It is how much Jesus you are walking around with. Take some time to know Him today. Give Him space to change whatever He needs to change in your life so that others will see Him more than they know which church you belong to.
Does that sound familiar to you? Do you feel that life is passing you by and you will be no better than you are now? Do the circumstances that surround you dictate your constant failure? Possibly you are in an invironment that does not promote healthy, vibrant Christianity. Maybe that invironment is your home. Or, unfortunately, that invironment could be the church you attend. Sadly, the last statement is far too often the truest statement of all. Most churches, not all, but most churches are the main reason that God cannot move.
One day, this blind man heard a commotion. Being blind, he asked what was going on. Someone told him that Jesus was passing his way. The blind man had heard about Jesus. First of all, let me say that what he did next was not the result of the local church. The local and national church of that day despised Jesus just like they do today. He had heard the testimony of people whose lives Jesus had touched and ministered to. Do you remember that he was sitting by the roadside? Notice he was not in church. That was in his favor. That roadside he was begging at was the main road that led to Jerusalem. The temple was at Jerusalem and it was commanded by God that the men show up three times a year to worship there. A lot of people came through Jericho to Jerusalem and then back through Jericho to go home. Out of all the people that were coming and going at that point in time, Jesus happened to be one of them.
As I said before, every man had to come to the temple in Jerusalem at least three times a year. In the past three years since His baptism and empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Jesus made His appearance at least 7 or 8 times. Of course, this was to be His last because He was going to be crucified. As you read the New Testament, every where Jesus went, he blessed and healed people. Crowds followed him all of the time. So, in the past few years, out of all the gossip he heard on the road outside of Jericho, this blind man began to hear something new. That God had sent His Son to the earth. He kept hearing of how this Jesus was more than just a religious man. He carried the message from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that God had come down in the form of a human and was performing miracles.
I can see this man, Bartimaeus Mark 10:46, sitting on this same road for years. Business was great during the days of the feasts. There was more traffic. More traffic meant more money. More traffic meant more gossip. That was how he kept up with the news, by listening to what everybody said. However, these surges in traffic three times a year began to take on a different tone. The news was different. Peoples voices got louder. There was more excitement than there used to be. And it all centered around........Jesus. Not the religious leaders. Not what the church was doing. But what Jesus was doing. God sent His Son to bring deliverance and His Son was getting the job done. All the religious leaders were doing was playing around talking about the good stories of the Bible. The news on the street was what God was doing in the lives of people. There was more excitement about God on the street three times a year than there ever was in the church for hundreds of years.
As Bartimaeus kept hearing of Jesus and His miracles, his faith in God began to grow. He began to experience hope for the first time in his life. The more he heard about miracles, the more hope began to spring up in his life. Finally, this one day, Jesus was passing by and he knew that this might be the only opportunity to receive his healing. He made so much noise trying to get Jesus' attention that the two-faced religious people tried to stop him until Jesus commanded for them to bring him to Him. Do you think that Bartimaeus was louder than anyone else? I don't think so. Besides, the crowds that followed Jesus were pretty big. And a pretty big crowd brings a bunch of noise. Well, was it the fact that he was crying out for Jesus to have mercy? Not exactly. Although that would be a great prayer for the whole world to pray.
It wasn't the words Bartimaeus prayed that got Jesus' attention above all the other words that were being spoken at that time. It was Bartimaeus' heart that Jesus heard, not just his words. Bartimaeus had heard testimony after testimony about how Jesus had changed the lives of hundreds of people. People's voices that he had heard for years had begun to ring with the praises of Almighty God instead of the curses and woes that he normally heard. Instead of gossip, jealousy and anger, there was joy, gladness and praise. It wasn't just fleeting words, he heard a change in people's lifestyle. Grouchers had become glad. Sinners had become saints. Instead of cursing they began praising God and encouraging each other. People had been healed and that was exciting. But the daily change of a life turned over to Jesus was what Bartimaeus noticed the most. That was what Bartimaeus wanted more than anything. Not just a miracle but a whole lifestyle change.
The heart of Bartimaeus cried out for a relationship with the Holy One of Israel. He wasn't interested in the bland diet of the local church. He wanted a vibrant life like the ones he was hearing about every day. Healing of the flesh is great. But the healing of a heart broken by sin is the greatest healing that could ever take place. Bartimaeus wanted a relationship with Jesus that would open up the rest of his life to love, joy, and peace and not just the same old, same old. So, it wasn't what he said that Jesus heard. It was Bartimaeus' heart and he faith that Jesus heard above the crowd. Bartimaeus didn't want just the one-time blessing. He wanted the excitement of a relationship with Jesus.
Jesus is not just a one time God. He is the every day presence that makes life worth the living. It is not how much church you have in you that makes people sit up and take notice. It is how much Jesus you are walking around with. Take some time to know Him today. Give Him space to change whatever He needs to change in your life so that others will see Him more than they know which church you belong to.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Holy is the Lord.
Isaiah records, in Isaiah 6, a visit to heaven. The first thing he notices is that all of the inhabitants of heaven were singing 'Holy, Holy, Holy' to the Lord. It was not because He was the one who would bash their heads in if they didn't. They sang that because of what they knew He was. If you do a study of that Hebrew word 'Holy,' you will find that it not only means 'sacred one' but it also means 'set apart.' If you go deeper into the meaning, you will find it's greatest attribute of Almighty God, 'devoted.' The angels sang that to God, not because they were afraid of Him, but because they saw His actions towards the man that He had created.
When God created heaven and earth, as recorded in the early chapters of Genesis, they saw Him create a special place for only one thing He created. God created the garden of Eden for his special creation, man. Yes, earth was a beautiful place. In the beginning all of it was beautiful and self-sustaining. I am sure all the animals were well cared for. But only for His man did God build a special garden and put him there. Only with His man did God come down and commune. The angels watched Him go every day down to the same spot on the same earth to commune to the same creation......His man.
Then as His man and man's mate, woman, fell into the trap of Lucifer, the angel that sinned and was cast out of Heaven, they must have seen the look on God's face and sensed the heaviness of His heart. They must have seen the agony as God realised that his man would have to die. But they also sat in on the plans God immediately made to send His only begotten Son to die for them and destroy all of Satan's power.
They saw and sensed His joy as He brought Israel out of bondage and set them on the pathway to the promised land. They also saw and sensed His dismay when they sinned and doubted time and time again. But every time His man stumbled or balked at His Word, they saw the determination in God's eyes to give His man the very best that He had. They saw God work through situations that were un-workable just to bless His man. They saw Him work behind the scenes to prepare blessing after blessing for His man. No problem was too hard for Him to solve, no situation was too rough that He could not smooth out for His man. They saw God carefully watch over every Word of His to perform it (Jer 1:12, Jer 29:10).
God never let man's mistakes keep Him from doing what He said He would do. The angels watched as God overlooked man's sin and plotted another course of action for him. They watched God meticulously plan circumstances and events, sometimes 400 years in advance and longer, because He was determined to bless His man just the way He promised. When some sinner messed up God's plan for His believer, God always put plan B into action. The angels watched God patiently and lovingly put together a plan of action for the man He created.
That's why, in Isaiah 6, the angels sang to each other, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' They were describing His heart, 'Dedicated, Dedicated, Dedicated, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' It should give us ample reason to praise Him in rough situations to know that God is dedicated to us, His man-creation. He is not dedicated to the ungodly that are working against us. He is dedicated to circumvent those ungodly plans and bring us into His covenant.
Between Exodus and Deuteronomy, God spoke over 32 times words to this effect, "When I bring you into the land...." He never talked about anything else but bringing His children into the land He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was dedicated to His Word. Even though David had to spend some time in a cave and had to constantly run away from King Saul, God was still working on a plan to bring His Word to pass.
Keep this in the forefront of your mind as you go about today's tedious task. God is Holy. God is Devoted to YOU. Not just to preachers and those with lots of money. God is devoted to you, even if you have slipped and missed Him. God is devoted to you whether anyone else believes in you or not. God is working on His plan right now to bless you abundantly. Don't give up on Him. Stay in His presence through prayer. Stay in His Word and let it sink deep into your heart until His Word means more to you that the situation you are in. God is not disappointed in you. God is devoted to you. He did not give up on His children who doubted in the wilderness and He did not give up on Peter when he cussed and lied. God had a plan and was faithful enough to bring His children and Peter into the blessings of His Word. God has a plan devoted especially for you. Make your plans to be devoted to Him and let Him work His plan out for you.
When God created heaven and earth, as recorded in the early chapters of Genesis, they saw Him create a special place for only one thing He created. God created the garden of Eden for his special creation, man. Yes, earth was a beautiful place. In the beginning all of it was beautiful and self-sustaining. I am sure all the animals were well cared for. But only for His man did God build a special garden and put him there. Only with His man did God come down and commune. The angels watched Him go every day down to the same spot on the same earth to commune to the same creation......His man.
Then as His man and man's mate, woman, fell into the trap of Lucifer, the angel that sinned and was cast out of Heaven, they must have seen the look on God's face and sensed the heaviness of His heart. They must have seen the agony as God realised that his man would have to die. But they also sat in on the plans God immediately made to send His only begotten Son to die for them and destroy all of Satan's power.
They saw and sensed His joy as He brought Israel out of bondage and set them on the pathway to the promised land. They also saw and sensed His dismay when they sinned and doubted time and time again. But every time His man stumbled or balked at His Word, they saw the determination in God's eyes to give His man the very best that He had. They saw God work through situations that were un-workable just to bless His man. They saw Him work behind the scenes to prepare blessing after blessing for His man. No problem was too hard for Him to solve, no situation was too rough that He could not smooth out for His man. They saw God carefully watch over every Word of His to perform it (Jer 1:12, Jer 29:10).
God never let man's mistakes keep Him from doing what He said He would do. The angels watched as God overlooked man's sin and plotted another course of action for him. They watched God meticulously plan circumstances and events, sometimes 400 years in advance and longer, because He was determined to bless His man just the way He promised. When some sinner messed up God's plan for His believer, God always put plan B into action. The angels watched God patiently and lovingly put together a plan of action for the man He created.
That's why, in Isaiah 6, the angels sang to each other, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' They were describing His heart, 'Dedicated, Dedicated, Dedicated, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' It should give us ample reason to praise Him in rough situations to know that God is dedicated to us, His man-creation. He is not dedicated to the ungodly that are working against us. He is dedicated to circumvent those ungodly plans and bring us into His covenant.
Between Exodus and Deuteronomy, God spoke over 32 times words to this effect, "When I bring you into the land...." He never talked about anything else but bringing His children into the land He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was dedicated to His Word. Even though David had to spend some time in a cave and had to constantly run away from King Saul, God was still working on a plan to bring His Word to pass.
Keep this in the forefront of your mind as you go about today's tedious task. God is Holy. God is Devoted to YOU. Not just to preachers and those with lots of money. God is devoted to you, even if you have slipped and missed Him. God is devoted to you whether anyone else believes in you or not. God is working on His plan right now to bless you abundantly. Don't give up on Him. Stay in His presence through prayer. Stay in His Word and let it sink deep into your heart until His Word means more to you that the situation you are in. God is not disappointed in you. God is devoted to you. He did not give up on His children who doubted in the wilderness and He did not give up on Peter when he cussed and lied. God had a plan and was faithful enough to bring His children and Peter into the blessings of His Word. God has a plan devoted especially for you. Make your plans to be devoted to Him and let Him work His plan out for you.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
"I'm Just Trying to Pay You Back, Smart Aleck"
Heb 6:10 - For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Let's take a look at Luke 5. Verse 2 says - And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing [their] nets. Wait a minute. Verse 5 will tell you that they had been out all night fishing. I know that I'm not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but if they had been out fishing all night, that means that those nets had been in the water. Why did they need to be washed? If you read all of the previous verses, you'll know that Peter and the boys had taken the nets out of the boats to a separate place. They needed to spread the nets out, take out foreign particles like seawead or things that might have gotten tangled during the night of fishing. These items could cause the nets to tangle and keep them from opening correctly. Also, it gave them a chance to examine the nets for torn webbing that would allow fish to escape. All of these things were important to the fishermen. It meant the difference between catching fish or losing them because of tangled or broken nets. It meant having enough money to put food on the table. It meant being able to buy the things that they needed to to live. It was a vital part of their day.
It is just like daily Bible reading and daily prayer for the Christian. These two are vital parts of our lives. They give God an opportunity to untangle things in our lives that daily living tangles up. They give God an opportunity to patch up holes in our lives that daily "strains" seem to put there. Amen? Can you see the parallel? Every day problems that we face sometimes get us tangled up as to what God's will is for us. The "strain" of facing these problems sometimes "tears us apart." Never, never, never, ever forget that Jesus' blood was shed to redeem us from sin, sickness and poverty. That is why it is so important to get a daily dose of His Word. And how can He speak words of kindness to us if we never come to Him and prayer and shut up during prayer. Spend some silent time with Him and let Him do some talking if He wants to.
Luke 5:3 - And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
Luke 5:4 - Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luke 5:5 - And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
Peter and the boys were probably thinking, "Hey, Jesus-whoever-you-think-you are, you sound pretty good at preaching. Well, we're pretty good at fishing because that's what we've been doing all of our lives. Why don't you just stick to preachin' and let us tend to fishin." However, Jesus had just finished a sermon in front of hundreds if not thousands of people. They believed this Jesus guy to be a real somebody. All hundreds or thousands of them were standing there watching to see what Blowhard Peter was going to do.
So, Mr. Slickster thinks he is going to pull a fast one on Jesus, since Jesus is only a preacherman. Go down to verse seven. It says that they had to call for help from the other ship. Peter knew that it took two boats to properly fish with a net. Trying to pull a fast one on the stupid preacher, ain't you Petey boy? You know it's a good thing that none of us try to pula fast one on Jesus, ain't it? R-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght.
Notice that in verse 5, Peter says "Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." Peter knew where the fishing spots were and was not even going to give Jesus a hint. His plan was to drop the nets into the water, and wait a little while until the crowds started leaving. He knew that the nets would never fully open with just one ship. That's right, drop the nets overboard, pull them back in real quick, make a fool out of Jesus and go home and get some sleep. It was a real slick plan.
Did Jesus fall for this plan? He sure did. He was in the the whole creation thing back in Genesis 1. He knew where the good spots were. He also knew the fish. But most of all, the fish knew who Jesus was. They knew that He was King of kings and Lord of lords and to disobey Him was to bring on disaster.
Up at the top of this lesson, Hebrews 6 tells us that God always remember our work and labour of love. Sure, He was asking a strange thing of Peter. Sure, it did not make sense to go fishing during the day when the fish were supposed to be out in the deep water where their nets couldn't reach. But, Jesus had used Peter's boat and He was just paying Peter back for it's use. He knew that Peter was hard-headed and a blowhard. Trying to reason with Peter would have been useless until he realized who Jesus was. Once Peter found out, he would make a great disciple.
Sometimes God asks strange things of us. First of all, our relationship with Him needs to be so up-to-date that we know when He is speaking and when it's just us thinking. He might be directing us to take a position in the church. He might be directing us to attend another church that needs help. He might be directing us in a specific way of giving or of increasing our giving. Sometimes, the things that He asks do not make sense to us. Sometimes, they go against the grain of the way we have been doing things all of our lives. If we know God, and know that He is directing us in a thing, then go for it and let Him be responsible for the blessing. Remember Peter. In all his vast experience, what Jesus asked him to do did not make sense at all. However, to Jesus, it made perfect sense. Peter did not realize that until Jesus was through blessing him. Have patience with God. He might just be trying to pay us back abundantly for all the hard work we have done. Know Him and know His blessings.
Let's take a look at Luke 5. Verse 2 says - And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing [their] nets. Wait a minute. Verse 5 will tell you that they had been out all night fishing. I know that I'm not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but if they had been out fishing all night, that means that those nets had been in the water. Why did they need to be washed? If you read all of the previous verses, you'll know that Peter and the boys had taken the nets out of the boats to a separate place. They needed to spread the nets out, take out foreign particles like seawead or things that might have gotten tangled during the night of fishing. These items could cause the nets to tangle and keep them from opening correctly. Also, it gave them a chance to examine the nets for torn webbing that would allow fish to escape. All of these things were important to the fishermen. It meant the difference between catching fish or losing them because of tangled or broken nets. It meant having enough money to put food on the table. It meant being able to buy the things that they needed to to live. It was a vital part of their day.
It is just like daily Bible reading and daily prayer for the Christian. These two are vital parts of our lives. They give God an opportunity to untangle things in our lives that daily living tangles up. They give God an opportunity to patch up holes in our lives that daily "strains" seem to put there. Amen? Can you see the parallel? Every day problems that we face sometimes get us tangled up as to what God's will is for us. The "strain" of facing these problems sometimes "tears us apart." Never, never, never, ever forget that Jesus' blood was shed to redeem us from sin, sickness and poverty. That is why it is so important to get a daily dose of His Word. And how can He speak words of kindness to us if we never come to Him and prayer and shut up during prayer. Spend some silent time with Him and let Him do some talking if He wants to.
Luke 5:3 - And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
Luke 5:4 - Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luke 5:5 - And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
Peter and the boys were probably thinking, "Hey, Jesus-whoever-you-think-you are, you sound pretty good at preaching. Well, we're pretty good at fishing because that's what we've been doing all of our lives. Why don't you just stick to preachin' and let us tend to fishin." However, Jesus had just finished a sermon in front of hundreds if not thousands of people. They believed this Jesus guy to be a real somebody. All hundreds or thousands of them were standing there watching to see what Blowhard Peter was going to do.
So, Mr. Slickster thinks he is going to pull a fast one on Jesus, since Jesus is only a preacherman. Go down to verse seven. It says that they had to call for help from the other ship. Peter knew that it took two boats to properly fish with a net. Trying to pull a fast one on the stupid preacher, ain't you Petey boy? You know it's a good thing that none of us try to pula fast one on Jesus, ain't it? R-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght.
Notice that in verse 5, Peter says "Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." Peter knew where the fishing spots were and was not even going to give Jesus a hint. His plan was to drop the nets into the water, and wait a little while until the crowds started leaving. He knew that the nets would never fully open with just one ship. That's right, drop the nets overboard, pull them back in real quick, make a fool out of Jesus and go home and get some sleep. It was a real slick plan.
Did Jesus fall for this plan? He sure did. He was in the the whole creation thing back in Genesis 1. He knew where the good spots were. He also knew the fish. But most of all, the fish knew who Jesus was. They knew that He was King of kings and Lord of lords and to disobey Him was to bring on disaster.
Up at the top of this lesson, Hebrews 6 tells us that God always remember our work and labour of love. Sure, He was asking a strange thing of Peter. Sure, it did not make sense to go fishing during the day when the fish were supposed to be out in the deep water where their nets couldn't reach. But, Jesus had used Peter's boat and He was just paying Peter back for it's use. He knew that Peter was hard-headed and a blowhard. Trying to reason with Peter would have been useless until he realized who Jesus was. Once Peter found out, he would make a great disciple.
Sometimes God asks strange things of us. First of all, our relationship with Him needs to be so up-to-date that we know when He is speaking and when it's just us thinking. He might be directing us to take a position in the church. He might be directing us to attend another church that needs help. He might be directing us in a specific way of giving or of increasing our giving. Sometimes, the things that He asks do not make sense to us. Sometimes, they go against the grain of the way we have been doing things all of our lives. If we know God, and know that He is directing us in a thing, then go for it and let Him be responsible for the blessing. Remember Peter. In all his vast experience, what Jesus asked him to do did not make sense at all. However, to Jesus, it made perfect sense. Peter did not realize that until Jesus was through blessing him. Have patience with God. He might just be trying to pay us back abundantly for all the hard work we have done. Know Him and know His blessings.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Know God, Know the Word, Know Yourself
Let's take a look at the temptation of Jesus and learn a few things.
Matthew 4:3 -And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Matthew 4:4 - But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
The important question here is, do you know who you are? Jesus did not have to turn stones into bread to know who He was. He already knew who He was by what the Word of God said about Him. He knew about His past, He knew about His present, and He knew about His future. He knew what His job was and it wasn't turning stones into bread. It was seeking and saving the lost. It was healing the sick.
The problem most Christians have is allowing their denomination, their family, their past or their church determine who they are and how they should act. Jesus gave us the example of how we should look at ourselves. We should define ourselves by what God says about us in the Word. After all, He makes the rules and what He says goes. If He says that our sins are gone and He will never remember them, then quit remembering them. Others might bring them up again and again, but live by the Word. I am saved and washed by the blood of Jesus. God threw my sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and He will never remember them (Is 43:25). God said that I am more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37). OK, then. I am going to think, act and pray like someone who can whip any devil and anything that comes my way. I refuse to dread today. I refuse to dread anyone who is operating in the flesh by not holding to the Word of God. That might be my spouse. That might be my boss. That might be my pastor. That might be the church. From today forward, I will act like everything that the Word of God says about me is true. I will live by every word the proceeds out of the mouth of God. I have made Him the Lord of my life and I am going to believe every word He has said about me. Now, my precious Christian, dig into the Word of God and find out who you are. Patiently wait on God's creating power to mold you into what He says. Don't be dismayed by anyone or anything that tries to remind you of your past failures. Just like Jesus said to the devil, "No thanks, devil. I don't need miracles to tell me who I am. I already know because of one reason and one reason alone. God told me who I am in His Word. I know it and you know it, too."
Matthew 4:5 - Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Matthew 4:6 - And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
This time, the devil challenged Jesus to prove to the world that He was the Son of God by performing some supernatural feat in front of the muckety-mucks. Every single one of us desires approval among their peers. It is so easy to get caught up in longing for the applause of those around us. However, Jesus came to minister healing to lost souls. He didn’t come to play and sing the flashy songs. He didn’t come to dress in fancy duds. He didn’t come to build a fancy church and name it the Jesus of Nazareth Memorial Worship Center. His Father’s mission was to bring abundant life to a world that he loved (John 3:16). Would there come a time when mankind would shout the praises of Jesus? Sure. Now, we hail Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. However, Jesus knew that His Father had everything organized and all He had to do was follow His Father’s plan for His life, one day at a time. We have a tendency to judge our effectiveness in the Lord by how much praise we get from the world. We get discouraged when no one seems to notice how hard we work or how much we have had to sacrifice to serve the Lord. However, Heb. 6:10 - For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name. God always rewards faithfulness and not flash. He is well able to perform His word to you and His timing is impeccable. Wait for His promotion.
Finally, Matthew 4:8 - Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Matthew 4:9 - And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:10 - Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Jesus knew this about the devil. John 8:44 - Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. There is no truth in what the devil says. Those kingdoms were created by His Heavenly Father. God had already promised them to Jesus. Why should He serve the devil to get something that already belonged to Him anyway?
Jesus was not looking to own the glory of the world. He came to bring the glory of the Father into hungry lives. Let that same desire rise in the children of God. Let revival come!!
Matthew 4:3 -And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Matthew 4:4 - But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
The important question here is, do you know who you are? Jesus did not have to turn stones into bread to know who He was. He already knew who He was by what the Word of God said about Him. He knew about His past, He knew about His present, and He knew about His future. He knew what His job was and it wasn't turning stones into bread. It was seeking and saving the lost. It was healing the sick.
The problem most Christians have is allowing their denomination, their family, their past or their church determine who they are and how they should act. Jesus gave us the example of how we should look at ourselves. We should define ourselves by what God says about us in the Word. After all, He makes the rules and what He says goes. If He says that our sins are gone and He will never remember them, then quit remembering them. Others might bring them up again and again, but live by the Word. I am saved and washed by the blood of Jesus. God threw my sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and He will never remember them (Is 43:25). God said that I am more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37). OK, then. I am going to think, act and pray like someone who can whip any devil and anything that comes my way. I refuse to dread today. I refuse to dread anyone who is operating in the flesh by not holding to the Word of God. That might be my spouse. That might be my boss. That might be my pastor. That might be the church. From today forward, I will act like everything that the Word of God says about me is true. I will live by every word the proceeds out of the mouth of God. I have made Him the Lord of my life and I am going to believe every word He has said about me. Now, my precious Christian, dig into the Word of God and find out who you are. Patiently wait on God's creating power to mold you into what He says. Don't be dismayed by anyone or anything that tries to remind you of your past failures. Just like Jesus said to the devil, "No thanks, devil. I don't need miracles to tell me who I am. I already know because of one reason and one reason alone. God told me who I am in His Word. I know it and you know it, too."
Matthew 4:5 - Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Matthew 4:6 - And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
This time, the devil challenged Jesus to prove to the world that He was the Son of God by performing some supernatural feat in front of the muckety-mucks. Every single one of us desires approval among their peers. It is so easy to get caught up in longing for the applause of those around us. However, Jesus came to minister healing to lost souls. He didn’t come to play and sing the flashy songs. He didn’t come to dress in fancy duds. He didn’t come to build a fancy church and name it the Jesus of Nazareth Memorial Worship Center. His Father’s mission was to bring abundant life to a world that he loved (John 3:16). Would there come a time when mankind would shout the praises of Jesus? Sure. Now, we hail Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. However, Jesus knew that His Father had everything organized and all He had to do was follow His Father’s plan for His life, one day at a time. We have a tendency to judge our effectiveness in the Lord by how much praise we get from the world. We get discouraged when no one seems to notice how hard we work or how much we have had to sacrifice to serve the Lord. However, Heb. 6:10 - For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name. God always rewards faithfulness and not flash. He is well able to perform His word to you and His timing is impeccable. Wait for His promotion.
Finally, Matthew 4:8 - Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Matthew 4:9 - And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:10 - Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Jesus knew this about the devil. John 8:44 - Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. There is no truth in what the devil says. Those kingdoms were created by His Heavenly Father. God had already promised them to Jesus. Why should He serve the devil to get something that already belonged to Him anyway?
Jesus was not looking to own the glory of the world. He came to bring the glory of the Father into hungry lives. Let that same desire rise in the children of God. Let revival come!!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
It's Not Who You Are, But What He Has Done!!!
The lyrics of one on my favorite worship songs goes something like this, "Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are, Not because of who I am but because of what You've done." God works in people's lives not because of their qualifications for miracles, but because of who He is and because of what He has done. Read all through the Bible and you will find that His great men of faith, that He worked miracles through and for, were far less qualified than what you would think. We have gotten into the un-Godly idea that only a certain class of people qualify for miracles. Therefore, the enemy has convinced most of us that God just won't do for us peons what He has done for those "special" people.
What was so special about Abraham that God would choose him to build nations from? What great university did he graduate from? He didn't. Was his family the ruling family of the area? Nope. If you will read in Genesis, his father had taken the family away from their home town and were not native to the area that God called him from. God chose Abraham because Abraham had the heart to believe that whatever God said was true. Abraham believed that whatever God said He was going to do, that He was God enough to back it up. Abraham believed that God would never let him down. The greatest qualification that Abraham had was--He believed God and God showed up just like He said He would.
David, the apple of God's eye, was not chosen because of who he was. He was the youngest son of a lowly shepherd family in the sleepy little town of Bethlehem. He was the brunt of all the little brother jokes. He wore all the hand-me-downs. One day, the prophet Samuel came to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse's boys to be the next king. All of the boys took baths, dressed in their dignified clothes, put on their best smell-goody and stood before Samuel. Samuel looked at the oldest one. He looked like a future king but he was not the one that God had in mind. Look at what God said in 1 Samuel 16:7 says, But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. Here we find GOD'S QUALIFICATION. God qualified David because of what He saw in David's heart.
Moses came from a dysfunctional family. They were slaves. They were afraid he would be killed so they hid him in the river. He was found by Pharaoh's daughter who raised him as an Egyptian. He later killed an Egyptian and had to run away from home a wanted man. He was shy and couldn't talk very well. But God saw something in his heart and He chose Moses, out of two and one-half million people.
Peter was a stinky fisherman. He was a loud-mouthed, foul mouthed, scaredy cat that let Jesus down when Jesus needed him the most. He was not from a prominent family. He was not chosen by the high priest. He did not go to a seminary. But, God saw something in his heart. Peter was chosen and anointed to be the leader of God's very first church because God saw something in Peter that no one else could see.
What about Paul the apostle, who wrote the biggest part of the New Testament. Now, here was a college-educated man from one of the finest families in Israel. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and concerning the law, he was perfect. He was respected by the high priest and was one of the muckety-mucks of the Jewish religion. Yeah, boy! He was qualified, all right. He took those very qualifications started killing Christians and putting them in jail for serving Jesus. He tore homes apart, made widows out of wives and orphans out of children. He was really qualifed to be called into the ministry, wasn't he? A religious, holier-than-thou murderer and home-wrecker. That's who Paul was originally. But God saw something in his heart that He could work with.
God qualifies people. People might go to religious seminaries and stand before the grand councels of the religious organizations and become ordained. But in no way, shape, or form, does that qualify them for miracles. It's what you have in your heart. All of the people that God chose to anoint had one thing in common. God saw in them a heart that would run after Him with all of their might. No matter what you have done in the past, if you feel God tugging at your heart to run after Him, run on. Let God worry about your qualifications. Obviously, if He is tugging at your heart, He has already qualified you. So, run on, my friend and be oblivious of what men may say or how they look at you. It is not what you have done, it's who He is. And it is not who you are, it is what Jesus Christ has done for you on Calvary's cross that qualifies you to do what He has asked you to do. Run on, faithful Christian, run on.
What was so special about Abraham that God would choose him to build nations from? What great university did he graduate from? He didn't. Was his family the ruling family of the area? Nope. If you will read in Genesis, his father had taken the family away from their home town and were not native to the area that God called him from. God chose Abraham because Abraham had the heart to believe that whatever God said was true. Abraham believed that whatever God said He was going to do, that He was God enough to back it up. Abraham believed that God would never let him down. The greatest qualification that Abraham had was--He believed God and God showed up just like He said He would.
David, the apple of God's eye, was not chosen because of who he was. He was the youngest son of a lowly shepherd family in the sleepy little town of Bethlehem. He was the brunt of all the little brother jokes. He wore all the hand-me-downs. One day, the prophet Samuel came to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse's boys to be the next king. All of the boys took baths, dressed in their dignified clothes, put on their best smell-goody and stood before Samuel. Samuel looked at the oldest one. He looked like a future king but he was not the one that God had in mind. Look at what God said in 1 Samuel 16:7 says, But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. Here we find GOD'S QUALIFICATION. God qualified David because of what He saw in David's heart.
Moses came from a dysfunctional family. They were slaves. They were afraid he would be killed so they hid him in the river. He was found by Pharaoh's daughter who raised him as an Egyptian. He later killed an Egyptian and had to run away from home a wanted man. He was shy and couldn't talk very well. But God saw something in his heart and He chose Moses, out of two and one-half million people.
Peter was a stinky fisherman. He was a loud-mouthed, foul mouthed, scaredy cat that let Jesus down when Jesus needed him the most. He was not from a prominent family. He was not chosen by the high priest. He did not go to a seminary. But, God saw something in his heart. Peter was chosen and anointed to be the leader of God's very first church because God saw something in Peter that no one else could see.
What about Paul the apostle, who wrote the biggest part of the New Testament. Now, here was a college-educated man from one of the finest families in Israel. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and concerning the law, he was perfect. He was respected by the high priest and was one of the muckety-mucks of the Jewish religion. Yeah, boy! He was qualified, all right. He took those very qualifications started killing Christians and putting them in jail for serving Jesus. He tore homes apart, made widows out of wives and orphans out of children. He was really qualifed to be called into the ministry, wasn't he? A religious, holier-than-thou murderer and home-wrecker. That's who Paul was originally. But God saw something in his heart that He could work with.
God qualifies people. People might go to religious seminaries and stand before the grand councels of the religious organizations and become ordained. But in no way, shape, or form, does that qualify them for miracles. It's what you have in your heart. All of the people that God chose to anoint had one thing in common. God saw in them a heart that would run after Him with all of their might. No matter what you have done in the past, if you feel God tugging at your heart to run after Him, run on. Let God worry about your qualifications. Obviously, if He is tugging at your heart, He has already qualified you. So, run on, my friend and be oblivious of what men may say or how they look at you. It is not what you have done, it's who He is. And it is not who you are, it is what Jesus Christ has done for you on Calvary's cross that qualifies you to do what He has asked you to do. Run on, faithful Christian, run on.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
How Do You React to the Word of God?
In Luke, chapter 1, we see how three people reacted to the Word of God. First of all, there was a man named Zacharias. He was a priest of the temple. It was his month to burn incense in the temple of the Lord. On this particular day, however, God showed up and began to unfold His plan for the world.
Keep in mind what I just said. God was beginning a plan, not only for Zacharias and Elizabeth, but for the whole world. God needed a forerunner for His son, and He had handpicked two faithful servants. As He looked into their hearts, God knew that they would be faithful in what He called them to do. God is still the same and He still operates the same way. If you wonder why He hasn't called you into a particular area of ministry, it is because He has seen your heart and knows you better than you know yourself. He knows that you have some more growing to do for the task HE has for you to do. We should be waiting on HIS promotion and not try to manufacture our own.
Back to Zacharias. Notice that he was faithfully doing the job that he was assigned to. (Now there is a sermon in itself. Be faithful in what God has you doing.) He didn't have his application in to be the "Forerunner Parent." He wasn't sitting on the bench and "waiting for the call." He was busy, faithfully doing what he was called to do. He wasn't criticizing others for not being as good as he was. Do you want God to take notice of you? He doesn't need you to fill out an application with Him. He needs you to be faithful to Him. That not only gets you to first base with God, it get's you a home run, and as many homers as God wants you to have.
Now, How did he react to the Word of God. We see that he met God's first qualification, faithfulness. An angel appeared to him while he was burning incense on the altar. This angel told him that Elizabeth and he would finally have a child in their old age. This child was going to be special. This child would be great in the sight of the Lord and would turn the hearts of the children of Israel to God. (See Luke 1:11-17) He also told him that this child would come in the spirit of Elias and prepare the way for the Lord. Pretty heavy stuff, huh?
Zacharias reacted by asking this question, "Whereby shall I know this?" About this time, the angel probably would have wanted to answer him by grabbing him up by the scruff of his neck, lifting him about five feet in the air, popping him on the butt a few good times, setting him back down and yelling in he ear "BECAUSE GOD SAID SO YOU BIG DOOFUS." But this angel was sweet and politely said, Luke 1:20-And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. You see, contrary to popular belief, God is smart. Zacharias had already started off spouting his doubts. If God didn't shut him up, he would have talked his way out of a miracle. "Why, Bro. Henry, I would never do anything like that." To which Bro. Henry would answer, "Oh, really?"
Okey-dokey then, let's read further on in this chapter and see how believers acted and we will see. Even though Zacharias could not speak, we know that he could write. After John was born, every one wanted to name him Zacharias. (See verses 59-64) I am sure he conveyed the message of the angel to Elizabeth. So what did she say? She began to tell everybody (vs 25) that God had taken away her reproach. She began to praise God not only for the child but for what God had said about the child. She lived in the same house that Zacharias did, under the same set of circumstances that he did, surrounded by the same daily events that he did. However, she chose to not only believe God that what He said was true, she talked to everybody as if it was going to come to pass like God said. I am sure that when she prayed, she thanked God for bringing it to pass.
Mary had a similar experience. The angel came to her and told her that she would have a child, His name was to be Jesus and that God would give Him the throne of his father David. Mary's question was about it coming to pass was simply, "But I'm not married yet." The angel simply said to her (vs 35) The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. The angel then told her the good news about her cousin Elizabeth who was now six months pregnant and he ended by saying in verse 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. Look at Mary's answer, in verse 38 Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy Word. When she called herself the handmaid of the Lord, she committed the performing of the miracle to God. Her answer to God was, 'I'm going to do everything You ask me to do, because I have faith that You are going to do everything You said You would do.'
Let's look quickly at how Mary and Elizabeth talked to each other. As soon as Mary stepped inside the house, the Holy Spirit came on Elizabeth. She began speaking about the goodness of the Lord to Mary. She ended by saying in verse 45, Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Mary, through the unction of the Holy Spirit, began speaking about all the great things of the Lord. Never was there a question as to how God was going to do it. They began to talk excitedly about what God was going to do. The question of how these things were going to come to pass was not in the conversation. Read the remainder of this chapter to refresh your memory of everything that was said and see if they questioned God or not.
Zacharias wanted to know how God was going to perform His word before he would believe it. Elizabeth and Mary got so excited about what God had promised that they declared themselves servants. In other words, they said "God, I believe what You said. I don't know how You will accomplish these things. I haven't got a clue how you will get me from here to this miracle. However, I believe You are smart enough and big enough to take care of every situation that will come up between now and then. Whatever I need to do, I am Your servant."
Their conversations became words of joy and praise as they waited on the promise of God. As we accept the promises of God, we too, should let our conversations be filled with the praises of the Almighty. He doesn't want us to get labored down with the 'how to's' and the 'whatevers'. That's what He wants us to trust Him for. When we make plans to buy something for our children that we know that they will love and bring them joy, do we do it with sadness or joy? Even though we have some work to do to provide the funds to buy it, we constantly think about how much joy it is going to bring to our child when we give it to them. When our children come to us and ask us how we are going to do such-and-such, what do we say? "You just let me worry about that." You know that they probably would not understand if you went into every detail that it would take to give them the present. It gives God great pleasure to provide for His children the same way that it gives us great pleasure to provide for ours. Let's quit the doubting and join in with Elizabeth and Mary and begin praising Him for the answer. Let's talk about the answer just like they did.
How does it make you feel when your child tells people, "My mom and dad are going to buy me a such-and-such." You break out into a big smile in front of everybody because of the joy of your child that believes you and is telling everyone of your goodness to them. When they praise you in front of other people, it solidifies the fact in your heart that you will give them the gift that you promised. Matthew 7:11-If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Your heavenly Father knows how to give you good gifts, just like you know how to give your children good gifts. Why don't we just praise Him for a while?
Keep in mind what I just said. God was beginning a plan, not only for Zacharias and Elizabeth, but for the whole world. God needed a forerunner for His son, and He had handpicked two faithful servants. As He looked into their hearts, God knew that they would be faithful in what He called them to do. God is still the same and He still operates the same way. If you wonder why He hasn't called you into a particular area of ministry, it is because He has seen your heart and knows you better than you know yourself. He knows that you have some more growing to do for the task HE has for you to do. We should be waiting on HIS promotion and not try to manufacture our own.
Back to Zacharias. Notice that he was faithfully doing the job that he was assigned to. (Now there is a sermon in itself. Be faithful in what God has you doing.) He didn't have his application in to be the "Forerunner Parent." He wasn't sitting on the bench and "waiting for the call." He was busy, faithfully doing what he was called to do. He wasn't criticizing others for not being as good as he was. Do you want God to take notice of you? He doesn't need you to fill out an application with Him. He needs you to be faithful to Him. That not only gets you to first base with God, it get's you a home run, and as many homers as God wants you to have.
Now, How did he react to the Word of God. We see that he met God's first qualification, faithfulness. An angel appeared to him while he was burning incense on the altar. This angel told him that Elizabeth and he would finally have a child in their old age. This child was going to be special. This child would be great in the sight of the Lord and would turn the hearts of the children of Israel to God. (See Luke 1:11-17) He also told him that this child would come in the spirit of Elias and prepare the way for the Lord. Pretty heavy stuff, huh?
Zacharias reacted by asking this question, "Whereby shall I know this?" About this time, the angel probably would have wanted to answer him by grabbing him up by the scruff of his neck, lifting him about five feet in the air, popping him on the butt a few good times, setting him back down and yelling in he ear "BECAUSE GOD SAID SO YOU BIG DOOFUS." But this angel was sweet and politely said, Luke 1:20-And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. You see, contrary to popular belief, God is smart. Zacharias had already started off spouting his doubts. If God didn't shut him up, he would have talked his way out of a miracle. "Why, Bro. Henry, I would never do anything like that." To which Bro. Henry would answer, "Oh, really?"
Okey-dokey then, let's read further on in this chapter and see how believers acted and we will see. Even though Zacharias could not speak, we know that he could write. After John was born, every one wanted to name him Zacharias. (See verses 59-64) I am sure he conveyed the message of the angel to Elizabeth. So what did she say? She began to tell everybody (vs 25) that God had taken away her reproach. She began to praise God not only for the child but for what God had said about the child. She lived in the same house that Zacharias did, under the same set of circumstances that he did, surrounded by the same daily events that he did. However, she chose to not only believe God that what He said was true, she talked to everybody as if it was going to come to pass like God said. I am sure that when she prayed, she thanked God for bringing it to pass.
Mary had a similar experience. The angel came to her and told her that she would have a child, His name was to be Jesus and that God would give Him the throne of his father David. Mary's question was about it coming to pass was simply, "But I'm not married yet." The angel simply said to her (vs 35) The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. The angel then told her the good news about her cousin Elizabeth who was now six months pregnant and he ended by saying in verse 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. Look at Mary's answer, in verse 38 Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy Word. When she called herself the handmaid of the Lord, she committed the performing of the miracle to God. Her answer to God was, 'I'm going to do everything You ask me to do, because I have faith that You are going to do everything You said You would do.'
Let's look quickly at how Mary and Elizabeth talked to each other. As soon as Mary stepped inside the house, the Holy Spirit came on Elizabeth. She began speaking about the goodness of the Lord to Mary. She ended by saying in verse 45, Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Mary, through the unction of the Holy Spirit, began speaking about all the great things of the Lord. Never was there a question as to how God was going to do it. They began to talk excitedly about what God was going to do. The question of how these things were going to come to pass was not in the conversation. Read the remainder of this chapter to refresh your memory of everything that was said and see if they questioned God or not.
Zacharias wanted to know how God was going to perform His word before he would believe it. Elizabeth and Mary got so excited about what God had promised that they declared themselves servants. In other words, they said "God, I believe what You said. I don't know how You will accomplish these things. I haven't got a clue how you will get me from here to this miracle. However, I believe You are smart enough and big enough to take care of every situation that will come up between now and then. Whatever I need to do, I am Your servant."
Their conversations became words of joy and praise as they waited on the promise of God. As we accept the promises of God, we too, should let our conversations be filled with the praises of the Almighty. He doesn't want us to get labored down with the 'how to's' and the 'whatevers'. That's what He wants us to trust Him for. When we make plans to buy something for our children that we know that they will love and bring them joy, do we do it with sadness or joy? Even though we have some work to do to provide the funds to buy it, we constantly think about how much joy it is going to bring to our child when we give it to them. When our children come to us and ask us how we are going to do such-and-such, what do we say? "You just let me worry about that." You know that they probably would not understand if you went into every detail that it would take to give them the present. It gives God great pleasure to provide for His children the same way that it gives us great pleasure to provide for ours. Let's quit the doubting and join in with Elizabeth and Mary and begin praising Him for the answer. Let's talk about the answer just like they did.
How does it make you feel when your child tells people, "My mom and dad are going to buy me a such-and-such." You break out into a big smile in front of everybody because of the joy of your child that believes you and is telling everyone of your goodness to them. When they praise you in front of other people, it solidifies the fact in your heart that you will give them the gift that you promised. Matthew 7:11-If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Your heavenly Father knows how to give you good gifts, just like you know how to give your children good gifts. Why don't we just praise Him for a while?
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