Good day, Mdm!
A quarter year has passed. We're about 6 over months from mission trip. How are you coping with the preparation for this trip? Will you be confident to lay hands on the sick and speak a word of faith to the healing? When confront by a demon-possessed, will you be able to cast out the demon? How about sharing the good news among the village people? Are you ready to lead them to Christ?
Please do not be pressured nor worry by all these questions that I asked. As much as you may have questions to how this mission trip is going to be, I have no clue as well. But, one thing is for sure, Jesus will be there. Amen! When two or three are gathered in His name, there He will be in our midst.
Our identity in Christ is the most important point we need to settle as a believer. Why? Because the Bible says "as He is, so are we in this world.." Note that it is NOT in heaven, it is IN this world, Amen!
This verse itself is very powerful. "He is" speak of present tense. Not "He was", "He is" mean right now He still is! Amen! Today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. Is Jesus sick today? No, so are we in this world. Is Jesus struggling with depression today? No, so are we in this world!
This is a real testimony. A lady went for mammogram and found to have lump in her breast. She was reminded of this verse. She asked herself this question "Does Jesus has lump in His breast today?" "No." she said and continued "So am I in this world!" She kept confessing this verse. Subsequently, she went back for another scan and the doctor could not find the lump anymore! Hallelujah! As He is, so are we in this world! Amen!
Why are we emphasizing so much about Jesus in the bible? There are many other characters, man & woman of God mentioned in the Bible, but why are we so focus on Him alone? Until we understand this significance thoroughly, God WILL NOT have effect on our life... We can afford not to understand the story of Moses, or the story of David, but the moment we do not understand who is Jesus and why He need to go to the cross, then we have "fallen from Grace."
What does it mean to be "fallen from grace" ? Fallen from Grace does not mean sin although the result of fallen from Grace is sin. If it is not sin, then what is fallen from Grace mean??? The only time when this phrase "fallen from grace" was mentioned in the Bible is found in Galatians 5:4.
Galatians 5:4 (AMP)
4 If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favor and unmerited blessing).
Wow.. It is very clear the moment we choose to be self-righteous, we fallen from Grace. Christ has no effect on us when we try to perform and earn our right standing with God. And the Bible says you are brought to NOTHING!
I remember when I first became a Christian, a friend of mine said to me "Being a Christian is an uphill task." And I agreed with him back then. All along, I was focusing "I must not lie, I must love God, I must read the Bible, I must attend prayer meeting, I must this I must that....I I I... Self-focus... Very tiring.. Uphill task.
And yet, despite of all this "tough" conditions of being a Christian, I came to a point, just like the Israelite with pride saying (when the ten commandments was given) "Whatever You command me, I will do." "See God, I keep Your commandments!" I felt so "holy" then and before long I fell flat on my face and broke the Law.
Everytime, I "fell", I picked up myself and "work" towards holiness. And then, I "fell" again and it went on from cycle to cycle. I came to a point I dont trust myself anymore. And that's what the Law do. The Law is holy but it cannot empower us to be holy, the Law is just but it cannot make us just. The Bible says it this way in Romans 3:20
Romans 3:20
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Here the verse says that whatever we do, we can never be justified before God. The law will point us to our imperfection. The law will reveal our sins. The purpose of the law is to point us to the end of ourselves so that we know we need a Savior. Amen!
Worst of all, if we are under law, sin has dominant over us!
1 Corintians 15:56-57
56 Now sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power [i][upon the soul] through [j][the abuse of] the Law.
57 But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.
To keep it simple, Law & Grace. Law = Old convenant = do good get good, do bad get bad.
Grace = New convenant = unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor of God
But then, there is a group that mixed law & Grace... The so called "balanced". Their thoughts are "Grace is good, but it can cause people to sin. We must keep the law, the ten commandments or else they will be out of control under grace."
What do you think God say about mixture of law & Grace?
Revelation 3:15-17
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,[g] I will vomit you out of My mouth."
Cold= under law
Hot = under Grace
lukewarm = mixture of law & Grace
When we are under a mixture of law & Grace, God will vomit... Wow, from here, we know that God want us to be hot (total relying on God) or cold (law written on stone). Because He know when we are under law, the law will point to the end of ourselves and realized we need Him.
If we are lukewarm, we acknowledge Christ and yet we try to keep our righteousness by works. Example, we acknowledge we are saved by Grace and then we start to perform works to keep our righteousness (self-rigtheous). At time, we seek God for help, at time, we try to take matters into our own hands. Christ is no longer the central source & focus in our life. Such mixture, God vomit....
Phew! So much for Law & Grace. Now, with this in mind.... go back to Grace Grace Week 27 : Great Faith, Little Faith
The reason why the disciples had little faith has to do with the law. Because they were Jews, they were required to memorize the torah from young. They knew the law by hard from young.
Whereas the centurion soldier was a non-Jews, he knew nothing about the torah. That's why he had great faith!
I hope your "eyes" are opened to this truth, for the truth shall set you free. Amen!
With that, here's a passage for you to meditate: (Jesus was speaking to the Jews who knew the law, yet He said the truth shall set you free. For sure the truth is not the law, isn't it? What is this truth???)
John 8:31-36
The Truth Shall Make You Free
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Shalom,
Bro
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Week 27: Great Faith, Little Faith
Good day, Mdm!
Praise be to God! I've to tell you the moment you grasp hold of Grace (Jesus), life will never be the same.. I'm blessed by this revelation and it has proven from time and time again Grace is the key to life! Amen!
This week, I was told to attend a departmental meeting (which i kind of not comfortable of; having to deal with my boss is nothing easy). My manager on a last minutes decided to leave me alone to handle the situation. I was filled with rage but left with no choice. I started praying in tongues for I knew fear & stress started to build-up. I whispered softly "I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, it is not about me nor my fear. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus... Not by my might nor by my power but by the power of the Spirit!"
Just before the meeting, I whispered again "Grace Grace.." The meeting started of with my boss leaning on the table. He apologized and said he was tired. The meeting was light, with occasional jokes thrown around the table. I went through my department minutes & agenda in last than 10 min! It was so much easier than I thought, knowing my boss is a difficult person....Praise the Lord! After the meeting, my colleague came and told me usually the meeting will last 2 hrs! That day was super fast... Probably the boss was "tired". I smiled and said to myself "Thank God for Your Grace! Lord, You must have made my boss "tired" so that he made the meeting a chop-chop one... Praise the Lord!
Ok.. back to Bible study... We've been talking about faith for the past few weeks... Have you wonder how we can have more faith in the Lord? Some may say if only Jesus is physically next to me, I can talk to Him directly, eat with Him, go everywhere He go, my faith will be at all time high! Really?
Let's take a look at this passage...
Matthew 8:23-27
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?
Here, the disciples had been with Jesus for a while... They ate with Him, they followed where He go... But yet, Jesus said they had "little faith!" Note that Jesus was with them all this while!
What happen? If staying close to Jesus is not the answer to a greater faith, then what is?
Let's take a look at another passage...
Mathew 8:5-13
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Here Jesus commented the centurion of his great faith... Interesting, isn't it? This centurion had not been eating with Jesus, this centurion had not been following Jesus around and yet Jesus said he has great faith! How come?
Let's do a comparison between these two passages and see if we can find some answers...
What do you think the disciples were feeling when the storm arise in their midst? Fear? Yes. The natural (storm & wave) was so real then that they said to Jesus they were perishing!
What was Jesus doing then? Sleeping! What does that speak of? Peace, rest, undisturbed by the surrounding activities. He was above all things at that time and now of course!
But did the disciples saw that? Nope, they were overwhelmed by the storm. They didn't see that Jesus was way above the situation. In other words, they were sensing the trouble around them more than they were sensing the presence of Jesus whom is way way above these troubles!. They were merely "fighting for victory" - Little Faith
Let's take a closer look at the story of the centurion....
When Jesus initiated his intention to go to the centurion house, the centurion said he was unworthy for Jesus to make that trip. Can you see how much he esteem Jesus and valued Christ over his situation? The centurion was so confident of the Lord that Jesus just need to speak and he knew his boy will be cured. He indeed was "fighting from victory" - Great Faith! Amen!
Where do you stand today? Do you fight for victory or do you fight from victory? How do you view Jesus today? Is He above your troubles or is the troubles troubling you till you forgotten Jesus is with you?
Whenever there is a "toxic" emotion (eg fear, guilt, anxiety, condemnation, rage), it mean that there is a wrong thinking and the wrong thinking come from a wrong believing and the wrong believing come from a wrong hearing... Are you hearing the right gospel message? Are you hearing the right gospel that say God is for us? Or are you hearing the wrong gospel that say God is angry with you because you just throw your temper at your kids?
God can never ever be angry with us anymore. Why? Because His fury and anger was all consumed by His Son at the cross. All the judgement of sin for all of us are dealt with at the cross once and for all. Today, our standing before God is righteous because of Jesus. And because of that, God promise He will never be angry with us again. If He does, He would have broken His promise and we know God will never lie, He will never break His promise. If He does, He is no longer God. Amen!
Faith in essence is right believing , believing the right gospel. And when we have right believing, we will produce right living. Amen!
With this, I leave you with this verse (we will probably go through this verse next week)
Matthew 8:28 (The Message)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
This is a beautiful passage. Love it. My favorite verse for this year!
Shalom
Bro
Praise be to God! I've to tell you the moment you grasp hold of Grace (Jesus), life will never be the same.. I'm blessed by this revelation and it has proven from time and time again Grace is the key to life! Amen!
This week, I was told to attend a departmental meeting (which i kind of not comfortable of; having to deal with my boss is nothing easy). My manager on a last minutes decided to leave me alone to handle the situation. I was filled with rage but left with no choice. I started praying in tongues for I knew fear & stress started to build-up. I whispered softly "I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, it is not about me nor my fear. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus... Not by my might nor by my power but by the power of the Spirit!"
Just before the meeting, I whispered again "Grace Grace.." The meeting started of with my boss leaning on the table. He apologized and said he was tired. The meeting was light, with occasional jokes thrown around the table. I went through my department minutes & agenda in last than 10 min! It was so much easier than I thought, knowing my boss is a difficult person....Praise the Lord! After the meeting, my colleague came and told me usually the meeting will last 2 hrs! That day was super fast... Probably the boss was "tired". I smiled and said to myself "Thank God for Your Grace! Lord, You must have made my boss "tired" so that he made the meeting a chop-chop one... Praise the Lord!
Ok.. back to Bible study... We've been talking about faith for the past few weeks... Have you wonder how we can have more faith in the Lord? Some may say if only Jesus is physically next to me, I can talk to Him directly, eat with Him, go everywhere He go, my faith will be at all time high! Really?
Let's take a look at this passage...
Matthew 8:23-27
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?
Here, the disciples had been with Jesus for a while... They ate with Him, they followed where He go... But yet, Jesus said they had "little faith!" Note that Jesus was with them all this while!
What happen? If staying close to Jesus is not the answer to a greater faith, then what is?
Let's take a look at another passage...
Mathew 8:5-13
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Here Jesus commented the centurion of his great faith... Interesting, isn't it? This centurion had not been eating with Jesus, this centurion had not been following Jesus around and yet Jesus said he has great faith! How come?
Let's do a comparison between these two passages and see if we can find some answers...
What do you think the disciples were feeling when the storm arise in their midst? Fear? Yes. The natural (storm & wave) was so real then that they said to Jesus they were perishing!
What was Jesus doing then? Sleeping! What does that speak of? Peace, rest, undisturbed by the surrounding activities. He was above all things at that time and now of course!
But did the disciples saw that? Nope, they were overwhelmed by the storm. They didn't see that Jesus was way above the situation. In other words, they were sensing the trouble around them more than they were sensing the presence of Jesus whom is way way above these troubles!. They were merely "fighting for victory" - Little Faith
Let's take a closer look at the story of the centurion....
When Jesus initiated his intention to go to the centurion house, the centurion said he was unworthy for Jesus to make that trip. Can you see how much he esteem Jesus and valued Christ over his situation? The centurion was so confident of the Lord that Jesus just need to speak and he knew his boy will be cured. He indeed was "fighting from victory" - Great Faith! Amen!
Where do you stand today? Do you fight for victory or do you fight from victory? How do you view Jesus today? Is He above your troubles or is the troubles troubling you till you forgotten Jesus is with you?
Whenever there is a "toxic" emotion (eg fear, guilt, anxiety, condemnation, rage), it mean that there is a wrong thinking and the wrong thinking come from a wrong believing and the wrong believing come from a wrong hearing... Are you hearing the right gospel message? Are you hearing the right gospel that say God is for us? Or are you hearing the wrong gospel that say God is angry with you because you just throw your temper at your kids?
God can never ever be angry with us anymore. Why? Because His fury and anger was all consumed by His Son at the cross. All the judgement of sin for all of us are dealt with at the cross once and for all. Today, our standing before God is righteous because of Jesus. And because of that, God promise He will never be angry with us again. If He does, He would have broken His promise and we know God will never lie, He will never break His promise. If He does, He is no longer God. Amen!
Faith in essence is right believing , believing the right gospel. And when we have right believing, we will produce right living. Amen!
With this, I leave you with this verse (we will probably go through this verse next week)
Matthew 8:28 (The Message)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
This is a beautiful passage. Love it. My favorite verse for this year!
Shalom
Bro
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Week 26: Hearing God's Voice
Good day Mdm!
I remember the day when I messed up my life... I called Roy and said to him :"It's time for me to know Him (God)." Because I knew Roy would bring me to his church. Back then, there was a longing for me to hear God's voice..
Think about it.. for a person who was totally wrecked, trusting none of himself and filled with despair and no clue about life, all he needed was to have someone to lead him out of this mess.. That person has to be someone greater in status and someone whom one can trust, someone who is on top of all things and by following his instructions, one could be assured to be delivered from the crisis... Who else qualify more than the creator of this universe, God ? The One who create the human race? ... Well, put it this way, if a device (eg handphone or TV) is spoilt, we return to the manufacturer for servicing. Likewise, when we have a problem, we go back to the creator, God. Amen!
Therefore, it was my utmost desire back then to hear God's voice.. I knew if I could hear His voice, I'll be ok, He will lead me out of the tunnel and my future will be bright. Isn't it cool if God can speak to us and give us a direction out of our situation? God is God and He is in charge of all things and if one can hear from Him, it will bring hope, confidence and assurance to the hearer. Amen!
But, is that how it works? For many years after being saved, I couldn't understand how to "hear" from God... Every time, when the pastor said "I heard from the Lord saying...." I often questioned in my heart "Really? How come I can't hear? Must I become a pastor before God can speak to me?"
I am not belittling those man of God who can hear from God like the pastors or even prophets.. I just felt that sometimes we maybe to engross looking out for His voice or signs from the outside that we may miss the point of how communion with our God is supposed to be.
Let's go back to last week Bible study...
Matthew 3:13-17
John Baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”[a]
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”[b]
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”[c]
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e]
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Notice right after Jesus was baptized by John, God spoke and said that Jesus is His beloved Son whom He is well pleased.
When Satan came and tempted Jesus after He fasted, Jesus kept quoting the Scriptures and said "it is written....it is written...it is written..."
Jesus could have said " Hello Satan, You deaf ah! Didn't you hear what my Father just said at the Jordon river? He said I am His BELOVED Son... Isn't that enough.. What else do I need to prove to you?"
What is the point, bro? You ask.... Well, if Jesus really rely on the voice of God to fight Satan.. Everyone of us will have problems... because every time when we are attacked by Satan, every time when we are faced with challenges.. we always look outwardly for signs from God or search for audible voice from God... "God, speak to me...God if it is You, show me a shooting star... God, if it is You, show Yourself to me in my dream ..."
This way of seeking confirmation from God can be misleading and erroneous. Unless one is discerning in the Spirit, one could be misguided by depending solely on the outward confirmation.
Thank God Jesus set the example for us to follow.. Instead of rebuking Satan with the confirmation from God's voice, He used the Word of God to fight against Satan. Likewise, we should quote the Scriptures in time of our trouble or attack from the rulers of darkness. Amen!
Everything that is needed to say to us by God is all written in this book Bible. Every situation can be overcome by speaking God's Words into that situation. If Jesus chose to use the Scriptures instead of God's voice to overcome Satan, how much more we should do likewise and not be dependent on the outward signs or voice from heaven. Amen!
Ok, I shall stop here and leave you with this Bible verse to meditate:
Mat 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Grace & Peace be with you.
Bro
Dated: 12 Mar 2014
I remember the day when I messed up my life... I called Roy and said to him :"It's time for me to know Him (God)." Because I knew Roy would bring me to his church. Back then, there was a longing for me to hear God's voice..
Think about it.. for a person who was totally wrecked, trusting none of himself and filled with despair and no clue about life, all he needed was to have someone to lead him out of this mess.. That person has to be someone greater in status and someone whom one can trust, someone who is on top of all things and by following his instructions, one could be assured to be delivered from the crisis... Who else qualify more than the creator of this universe, God ? The One who create the human race? ... Well, put it this way, if a device (eg handphone or TV) is spoilt, we return to the manufacturer for servicing. Likewise, when we have a problem, we go back to the creator, God. Amen!
Therefore, it was my utmost desire back then to hear God's voice.. I knew if I could hear His voice, I'll be ok, He will lead me out of the tunnel and my future will be bright. Isn't it cool if God can speak to us and give us a direction out of our situation? God is God and He is in charge of all things and if one can hear from Him, it will bring hope, confidence and assurance to the hearer. Amen!
But, is that how it works? For many years after being saved, I couldn't understand how to "hear" from God... Every time, when the pastor said "I heard from the Lord saying...." I often questioned in my heart "Really? How come I can't hear? Must I become a pastor before God can speak to me?"
I am not belittling those man of God who can hear from God like the pastors or even prophets.. I just felt that sometimes we maybe to engross looking out for His voice or signs from the outside that we may miss the point of how communion with our God is supposed to be.
Let's go back to last week Bible study...
Matthew 3:13-17
John Baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
 |
| The Baptism of Christ |
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”[a]
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”[b]
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”[c]
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e]
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Notice right after Jesus was baptized by John, God spoke and said that Jesus is His beloved Son whom He is well pleased.
When Satan came and tempted Jesus after He fasted, Jesus kept quoting the Scriptures and said "it is written....it is written...it is written..."
Jesus could have said " Hello Satan, You deaf ah! Didn't you hear what my Father just said at the Jordon river? He said I am His BELOVED Son... Isn't that enough.. What else do I need to prove to you?"
What is the point, bro? You ask.... Well, if Jesus really rely on the voice of God to fight Satan.. Everyone of us will have problems... because every time when we are attacked by Satan, every time when we are faced with challenges.. we always look outwardly for signs from God or search for audible voice from God... "God, speak to me...God if it is You, show me a shooting star... God, if it is You, show Yourself to me in my dream ..."
This way of seeking confirmation from God can be misleading and erroneous. Unless one is discerning in the Spirit, one could be misguided by depending solely on the outward confirmation.
Thank God Jesus set the example for us to follow.. Instead of rebuking Satan with the confirmation from God's voice, He used the Word of God to fight against Satan. Likewise, we should quote the Scriptures in time of our trouble or attack from the rulers of darkness. Amen!
Everything that is needed to say to us by God is all written in this book Bible. Every situation can be overcome by speaking God's Words into that situation. If Jesus chose to use the Scriptures instead of God's voice to overcome Satan, how much more we should do likewise and not be dependent on the outward signs or voice from heaven. Amen!
Ok, I shall stop here and leave you with this Bible verse to meditate:
Mat 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Grace & Peace be with you.
Bro
Dated: 12 Mar 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Week 25 (Supplement): Be Established In God’s Righteousness
Isaiah 54:14
In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Have you ever asked yourself why some Christians are constantly beset with overwhelming challenges, sicknesses and defeat if God’s promise, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17), is true?
Well, this promise comes with a condition — “In righteousness you shall be established”. When you are established in righteousness, you will be far from oppression and terror, and not a single weapon formed against you will prosper!
This condition is not hard to meet. For a start, you already have righteousness! When you received Jesus as your Savior, you received the gift of righteousness which enables you to reign in life. (Romans 5:17) This righteousness does not come from you but the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17) And when you are established in His righteousness, no weapon formed against you will prosper.
But what does being established in righteousness mean? To be established in something is to have that something as your very foundation for security. So God wants you to know, be sure of and grow in the revelation that you are righteous by the blood of Jesus, by His perfect sacrifice at the cross.
When you feel as if you are in a storm, tossed here and there, and you begin to experience worry and fear, remind yourself of who you are in Christ. You are the righteousness of God in Christ and you have His righteousness!
As you do this, you will begin to notice the worry and fear slide off you, for when you are established in righteousness, “you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”! That is why God wants you to be established in righteousness. He wants you to be free from fear, and far from oppression and terror.
So when the pressure is on, hold fast to the belief that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. That is where no weapon formed against you can prosper. As you keep believing and confessing your righteousness in Christ, revelation will break forth and you will experience the release of God’s miraculous provision, divine protection and blessings into your life!
Dated: 6 Mar 2014
Week 25: When we see His Grace, He will see our faith (Part 2)
Good day, Mdm!
What a ride... emotionally.. Just as I was sharing His Grace and goodness last week...Then this week I was brought to the "wilderness"...My colleague resigned this week and is leaving this Friday. This news has added much pressure on me because my colleague has been helping out to shoulder some of the responsibilities on the desk. All of a sudden, I could feel the additional weight on my shoulder.
I knew there's this warfare in the spiritual realm with dark clouds over my head. The first thought that came to my mind was "I better resign as well; How am I going to handle so many outstanding task? What? Thinking back at what I have shared about God's grace upon me on this job last week made this week somewhat puzzling???
Here's goes so much of the sharing for the past 24 weeks...Now is the reality of life and is time to put "classroom" lesson to exercise... So, I thought I better take the self-focus off me... I started to speak in tongues. The heaviness of the heart persisted and I noticed my mind was trying very hard to make me think of the amount of responsibilities I need to shoulder... What a warfare of my mind! I continued to speak in tongues...
Then I began to confess the bible verse like" Peace I give to you, the peace I give to you not as the world give I give unto you. Therefore, let not your heart be troubled nor let it be afraid." "All things work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."
To keep me in the rhythm of His Grace, I kept listening to praise and worship music, proclaim His Words & speak more tongues...
Has practising all these help me?? I may not have quit the idea to quit the job, at least my impulse to tender my resignation has subsided. I kept focusing on His Grace and believe that if God has brought me so far in this job, He would have heard my cry and know what is best for me..For all things will work for good for me... He will open door that no one can shut and close the door that no one can open. Amen!
So much so for the warfare... I hope you benefited from this experience of mine as I narrated the essence of a typical spiritual warfare.
In fact, as I'm penning down this thoughts, I am reminded of the story on Jesus being baptised by John the baptist at the Jordon river. Let's do a bible study on this passage this week:
Matthew 3:13-17
John Baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”[a]
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”[b]
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”[c]
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e]
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Let's look at the first part of this story... Jesus came before John and wanted John to baptise Him. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He came before John as a Man. We can see that when John said" I need to be baptised by You (Jesus) ..."
Now, when Jesus came up from the water, the Spirit of God descended upon Him and God said "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Remember last week, we said when we see His Grace, He will see our faith? Are you seeing this in this passage?
Do you know that the name John mean "God is gracious"? Mat 3:13 says that "Jesus came.." which mean He is approaching/seeking/taking an action towards...Now when we replace John with "God is gracious", we notice that Jesus is demonstrating an act of seeking God's Grace...
From this passage, we know that a water baptism will bring forth the Spirit of God.. By faith we believe when we go through a water baptism, the Spirit of God will be upon us ..Amen! That's what Jesus did.. He approach John to be water baptised not as a God (God doesn't need to water baptised) but as a Man. In doing so, God see Jesus faith and He is well pleased. The bible says "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." And we say that we don't focus on our faith but focus on His Grace (in this case, water baptism and believe in carrying out such act in receiving the Spirit), God see our faith. Amen!
Now let's go one step deeper... verse 14 when John tried to prevent Jesus from baptising, Jesus said "Permit it... for it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness"
In other words, He is saying in due course (fulfill-mean something not yet filled) if one touch Grace, he will touch righteousness as well.
This righteousness is not the self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is focusing on DOING to get right with God.
The righteousness refer to gift of righteousness or Jesus righteousness which is focus on what has already been DONE. That's why it is a gift. A gift is not a gift if one need to work for it.
When we believe in what Jesus had done 2000 years ago at the cross for us, God see us righteous on Jesus account, even though we may not have behave righteous at that point. His blood was shed for you and I. All we need to do now is not to do anything but just believe that we are righteous before God in Jesus name. Amen!
Phew! So much to talk about... We'll stop here and continue next week...Here I leave with you this bible verse to meditate:
Romans 5:17
17 For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Grace & Peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Dated: 6 Mar 2014
What a ride... emotionally.. Just as I was sharing His Grace and goodness last week...Then this week I was brought to the "wilderness"...My colleague resigned this week and is leaving this Friday. This news has added much pressure on me because my colleague has been helping out to shoulder some of the responsibilities on the desk. All of a sudden, I could feel the additional weight on my shoulder.
I knew there's this warfare in the spiritual realm with dark clouds over my head. The first thought that came to my mind was "I better resign as well; How am I going to handle so many outstanding task? What? Thinking back at what I have shared about God's grace upon me on this job last week made this week somewhat puzzling???
Here's goes so much of the sharing for the past 24 weeks...Now is the reality of life and is time to put "classroom" lesson to exercise... So, I thought I better take the self-focus off me... I started to speak in tongues. The heaviness of the heart persisted and I noticed my mind was trying very hard to make me think of the amount of responsibilities I need to shoulder... What a warfare of my mind! I continued to speak in tongues...
Then I began to confess the bible verse like" Peace I give to you, the peace I give to you not as the world give I give unto you. Therefore, let not your heart be troubled nor let it be afraid." "All things work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."
To keep me in the rhythm of His Grace, I kept listening to praise and worship music, proclaim His Words & speak more tongues...
Has practising all these help me?? I may not have quit the idea to quit the job, at least my impulse to tender my resignation has subsided. I kept focusing on His Grace and believe that if God has brought me so far in this job, He would have heard my cry and know what is best for me..For all things will work for good for me... He will open door that no one can shut and close the door that no one can open. Amen!
So much so for the warfare... I hope you benefited from this experience of mine as I narrated the essence of a typical spiritual warfare.
In fact, as I'm penning down this thoughts, I am reminded of the story on Jesus being baptised by John the baptist at the Jordon river. Let's do a bible study on this passage this week:
Matthew 3:13-17
John Baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”[a]
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”[b]
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”[c]
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e]
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Let's look at the first part of this story... Jesus came before John and wanted John to baptise Him. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He came before John as a Man. We can see that when John said" I need to be baptised by You (Jesus) ..."
Now, when Jesus came up from the water, the Spirit of God descended upon Him and God said "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Remember last week, we said when we see His Grace, He will see our faith? Are you seeing this in this passage?
Do you know that the name John mean "God is gracious"? Mat 3:13 says that "Jesus came.." which mean He is approaching/seeking/taking an action towards...Now when we replace John with "God is gracious", we notice that Jesus is demonstrating an act of seeking God's Grace...
From this passage, we know that a water baptism will bring forth the Spirit of God.. By faith we believe when we go through a water baptism, the Spirit of God will be upon us ..Amen! That's what Jesus did.. He approach John to be water baptised not as a God (God doesn't need to water baptised) but as a Man. In doing so, God see Jesus faith and He is well pleased. The bible says "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." And we say that we don't focus on our faith but focus on His Grace (in this case, water baptism and believe in carrying out such act in receiving the Spirit), God see our faith. Amen!
Now let's go one step deeper... verse 14 when John tried to prevent Jesus from baptising, Jesus said "Permit it... for it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness"
In other words, He is saying in due course (fulfill-mean something not yet filled) if one touch Grace, he will touch righteousness as well.
This righteousness is not the self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is focusing on DOING to get right with God.
The righteousness refer to gift of righteousness or Jesus righteousness which is focus on what has already been DONE. That's why it is a gift. A gift is not a gift if one need to work for it.
When we believe in what Jesus had done 2000 years ago at the cross for us, God see us righteous on Jesus account, even though we may not have behave righteous at that point. His blood was shed for you and I. All we need to do now is not to do anything but just believe that we are righteous before God in Jesus name. Amen!
Phew! So much to talk about... We'll stop here and continue next week...Here I leave with you this bible verse to meditate:
Romans 5:17
17 For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Grace & Peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Dated: 6 Mar 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)