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
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