Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. John 11:21-27
Jesus’ affirmation, “I am the resurrection and the life,” is a powerful and important statement, I like this passage more because of the question that follows that statement, “Do you believe this?” Answering this question means more than just assenting to the words Jesus has said, it means shaping our lives according to the affirmation that Jesus has made. We also must have faith that Jesus is.
Martha seems to have lost faith.
She is certain that Jesus has missed his opportunity for a miracle and her brother Lazarus is gone for good. Jesus assures Martha that her brother will rise again, but Martha does not seem to find much hope in this. Her response to Jesus is almost yadda, yadda.., “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” It’s as if she is saying to Jesus, “what’s the big deal, lots of people will be resurrected.” This was part of Jewish belief, even during that time. Martha, it seems, has blindly accepted this message of eternal life, she finds no real hope or encouragement in Jesus’ words that Lazarus will rise again.
Sometimes, blind acceptance of the Gospel means that we never expect to see its promises carried out. Martha did not have any faith or hope that Jesus meant what he had just said in a very real sense; she was just answering the question the way it was “supposed” to be answered. To Martha, Jesus’ words were not a present reality; they were just some prediction of a distant future.
Often, it is very difficult to look at the present situation and see a different reality; it’s easier to put our expectations in the future. This is exactly what Martha did when she responded to Jesus that she knew Lazarus would be raised in the resurrection on the last day; Martha set Jesus’ words, as some far distant possibility, not a reality of the here and now.
If we are able to truly say that we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, then we will have a faith that goes beyond just hearing Jesus’ words and imagining a different future. When Jesus says, “Your brother will rise again,” we will know that to be true even now. And in answer to the question, “Do you believe this?” we will offer a resounding, “Yes!”
Will you live like you believe?
Despite all that’s going on in your life, will you live like you believe?
Don’t just say you believe and give some Sunday school answer like Martha first did. Live your life based on your belief that Jesus Christ will take you to heaven.
Living like you believe means receiving life itself.
Your spiritual life cannot survive without the one who gives life. Jesus asks Martha this question because Martha wasn’t living like she believed. She said she believed but from her obvious amount of frustration with the way Jesus didn’t heal her brother proved that she didn’t really believe. So the question is not only, “Do we believe?” But also, “Do our lives show evidence that we are taking Jesus at his word, that we do indeed believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?”
Martha answered Jesus a second time. “Yes lord; I have believed that you are the Christ, the son of god, even he who comes into the world.” Live like you believe! Jesus asked a very simple and yet ultimate question, “do you believe?” If so, then live like it. If not, let me introduce to the miracle of the life that only Jesus can provide.
Jesus loves us so much that he died on a cross so that we can live forever with God. We know that offer of life is real because three days after he died, Jesus was resurrected. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in him, though they die, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in him will never die. This life was given to us by God in love. And in love, God offers to us eternal life. If we are to know that love and that life, we must place our reliance totally in God’s hands. We must surrender our sins, We must put aside our selfishness, And we must seek God first in everything in our lives. And when Jesus asks that question of us that he asked of Martha, “Do you believe this?” We must be prepared to say yes not only with our words, but also with our minds, our hearts, and our whole lives!
Do you believe that:
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe the He is . . .” Hebrews 11:6
1. I am the resurrection
“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” Rom 1:4 We need to believe in His person. Who He is.
“looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god.” Hebrews 12:2
2. The life
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6.63
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. John 10:18
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3
3. Belief
“Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established.” 2Chr 20:20
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Peace in the Midst of Peril
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. [37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. [38] "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. " Romans 8:35-39
This world's a crazy place. There's not a day goes by that the media is not filled with distress, persecution, famine, peril, wars, or poverty. When we read Paul's letter to the Roman church, it's as though he had been transported to the 21st century! Yet the early Christian church faced the same peril that we face every day.
Our Scripture, Romans 8:31-39, presents the climax of Paul's great exposition of "God's Plan of Salvation" in the first eight chapters of Romans. They contain some of the most wonderful words from the pen of the noble apostle. This Scripture presents the thought that the battle of life is to live victoriously.
When Paul asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" he does not speak figuratively but literally. Daily, men and women faced those terrors for the name of Jesus. The Christians in Rome had their perils and we have ours.
Look at the challenges we face today. Yes, every generation has its perils. But Paul says that there is NOTHING that can occur in the life of a Christian that can force him to take his focus off Jesus Christ. Let me repeat that. There is no peril in your life that can force you to take your focus off Jesus Christ….unless YOU choose to.
When the Romans began to persecute the early Christian church, those new Christians had a decision to make. Face death with Jesus, or face it alone. Paul had to remind them there is nothing that can force you to take your eyes off Jesus Christ. It was their choice. And they chose Jesus!
Man desperately struggles against the pressures and forces from without. He struggles against the weight and discouragement of trials; against the pollution and corruption of life; against the relentless accusations and bombardments of conscience and law; against the pain and decay of his body; against the striking fear and hopelessness of an eternal judgment hereafter. He struggles against the unknown and against pain, hurt, sorrow, loneliness, alienation, aging, death, and hell. And all of man's suffering, says Paul, points us to one simple solution...Get right with God! If we can establish a right relationship with God, we WILL make it through our perils.
To face your peril, you must first be set free from your peril, for sin enslaves, accuses, condemns, and strikes hopelessness within the heart (Romans 7:1-25). "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24). "I thank God [that] Jesus Christ our Lord" shall free me from struggling and suffering (Romans 7:25a; Romans 8:1-39).
Christ protects the believer from the severest circumstances. "Who [or what] can separate us from the love of God?" Too many people, even believers, feel that God does not love them, that He just could not love them. They feel unworthy of His love, for they come too short, are too disobedient, and have failed too often. How could God possibly love them when they go against His will so much? To them I say, "There is no circumstance, no situation, no event that can cause Christ to turn away from you." The turning is yours to do. You can turn toward Him, or you can turn away from Him.
Paul was whipped, beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, left for dead…yet he learned to trust Christ. No matter how terrible or severe the situation, it cannot separate the true believer from the love of Christ, because Christ loves the believer regardless of circumstance.
Scripture declares loudly and clearly…There is absolutely nothing-no matter how dark and depressing, no matter how severe-that can separate the believer from the love of Christ. Circumstances are not evidence that God does not love us. God loves us, whatever our circumstances may be.
No matter the circumstances, we are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us (Romans 8:37).
Christ offers peace in the midst of peril. Here Him as He says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Christ does not remove all temptation, but he does provide us with an escape from temptation. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Christ does not remove all trials, but He does comfort us through all trials. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Christ cares for us no matter the situation. He calls you today to cast "all your care upon him; for he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).No trial, No poverty, No government, No war, No pestilence, No shame, No failure, No persecution, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus".
The Victory Is in Christ. "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us"(Rom. 8:37). The victory is in Christ and in Him alone is victory because:
A. In Christ one is on God's side. "If God be for us, who can be against us?"(Rom. 8:3 1).
B. In Christ one is justified. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:33,34). No one can condemn a person whom God has justified on the basis of Jesus' atonement. In heaven Jesus intercedes for us. He pleads not our righteousness but His own. (See Rom. 5:1,2; 8:1,2; Heb. 4:14-16.)
C. In Christ one has the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps the Christian overcome sin (Rom. 8:4-13). The Holy Spirit guides (Rom. 8:15,16). The Holy Spirit helps the Christian to pray (Rom. 8:26,27)
D. The Assurance of Victory Is in Christ's Love. In our text, Romans 8:3 5- 3 7, Paul exhausts his vocabulary in an effort to state that nothing past, present, nor future, in heaven, earth, or hell can ever separate us from God's love revealed in Christ.
The proof of God's love is in the cross. If God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).
Conclusion. The victory is in Jesus Christ. Trust Him. He invites you to come. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37), He assures. Trust God. Trust Jesus. If Jesus Christ be true it matters everything; if Jesus be false, nothing matters.
This world's a crazy place. There's not a day goes by that the media is not filled with distress, persecution, famine, peril, wars, or poverty. When we read Paul's letter to the Roman church, it's as though he had been transported to the 21st century! Yet the early Christian church faced the same peril that we face every day.
Our Scripture, Romans 8:31-39, presents the climax of Paul's great exposition of "God's Plan of Salvation" in the first eight chapters of Romans. They contain some of the most wonderful words from the pen of the noble apostle. This Scripture presents the thought that the battle of life is to live victoriously.
When Paul asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" he does not speak figuratively but literally. Daily, men and women faced those terrors for the name of Jesus. The Christians in Rome had their perils and we have ours.
Look at the challenges we face today. Yes, every generation has its perils. But Paul says that there is NOTHING that can occur in the life of a Christian that can force him to take his focus off Jesus Christ. Let me repeat that. There is no peril in your life that can force you to take your focus off Jesus Christ….unless YOU choose to.
When the Romans began to persecute the early Christian church, those new Christians had a decision to make. Face death with Jesus, or face it alone. Paul had to remind them there is nothing that can force you to take your eyes off Jesus Christ. It was their choice. And they chose Jesus!
Man desperately struggles against the pressures and forces from without. He struggles against the weight and discouragement of trials; against the pollution and corruption of life; against the relentless accusations and bombardments of conscience and law; against the pain and decay of his body; against the striking fear and hopelessness of an eternal judgment hereafter. He struggles against the unknown and against pain, hurt, sorrow, loneliness, alienation, aging, death, and hell. And all of man's suffering, says Paul, points us to one simple solution...Get right with God! If we can establish a right relationship with God, we WILL make it through our perils.
To face your peril, you must first be set free from your peril, for sin enslaves, accuses, condemns, and strikes hopelessness within the heart (Romans 7:1-25). "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24). "I thank God [that] Jesus Christ our Lord" shall free me from struggling and suffering (Romans 7:25a; Romans 8:1-39).
Christ protects the believer from the severest circumstances. "Who [or what] can separate us from the love of God?" Too many people, even believers, feel that God does not love them, that He just could not love them. They feel unworthy of His love, for they come too short, are too disobedient, and have failed too often. How could God possibly love them when they go against His will so much? To them I say, "There is no circumstance, no situation, no event that can cause Christ to turn away from you." The turning is yours to do. You can turn toward Him, or you can turn away from Him.
Paul was whipped, beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, left for dead…yet he learned to trust Christ. No matter how terrible or severe the situation, it cannot separate the true believer from the love of Christ, because Christ loves the believer regardless of circumstance.
Scripture declares loudly and clearly…There is absolutely nothing-no matter how dark and depressing, no matter how severe-that can separate the believer from the love of Christ. Circumstances are not evidence that God does not love us. God loves us, whatever our circumstances may be.
No matter the circumstances, we are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us (Romans 8:37).
Christ offers peace in the midst of peril. Here Him as He says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Christ does not remove all temptation, but he does provide us with an escape from temptation. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Christ does not remove all trials, but He does comfort us through all trials. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Christ cares for us no matter the situation. He calls you today to cast "all your care upon him; for he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).No trial, No poverty, No government, No war, No pestilence, No shame, No failure, No persecution, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus".
The Victory Is in Christ. "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us"(Rom. 8:37). The victory is in Christ and in Him alone is victory because:
A. In Christ one is on God's side. "If God be for us, who can be against us?"(Rom. 8:3 1).
B. In Christ one is justified. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:33,34). No one can condemn a person whom God has justified on the basis of Jesus' atonement. In heaven Jesus intercedes for us. He pleads not our righteousness but His own. (See Rom. 5:1,2; 8:1,2; Heb. 4:14-16.)
C. In Christ one has the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps the Christian overcome sin (Rom. 8:4-13). The Holy Spirit guides (Rom. 8:15,16). The Holy Spirit helps the Christian to pray (Rom. 8:26,27)
D. The Assurance of Victory Is in Christ's Love. In our text, Romans 8:3 5- 3 7, Paul exhausts his vocabulary in an effort to state that nothing past, present, nor future, in heaven, earth, or hell can ever separate us from God's love revealed in Christ.
The proof of God's love is in the cross. If God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).
Conclusion. The victory is in Jesus Christ. Trust Him. He invites you to come. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37), He assures. Trust God. Trust Jesus. If Jesus Christ be true it matters everything; if Jesus be false, nothing matters.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Getting My Faith Working
You cannot study the Bible very long before you understand the importance of faith. We cannot be saved apart from faith. Ephesians 2:8-9. “The gospel of Christ…is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth…for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written the just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17.
Faith is one of the most crucial terms in the entire Bible – it denotes the trust one has in another – but it also conveys the idea of the trustworthiness or reliability of someone. Faith is not a passive resignation to life like fate; rather, it is a confidence that God will fulfill His promises and as a result causes people to act upon those commands that lead to the promises. Faith means both to believe and to be faithful to the belief.
Faith is personal confidence. We use the word in everyday conversation, as follows, "I have complete faith in my doctor." We mean that we trust him with our case. So, in the Bible, faith is personal confidence in God. It means that we believe what He says, and trust Him to save us and to keep us.
God gives men the power to believe on Him. The source of faith is a gift of God. John 3:27. But how does a man receive faith? "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17
Therefore, if we don’t have faith in God, we should read the Bible. God has promised that anyone who wishes to do His will, will come to a knowledge of the truth. John 7:17. The Bible sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the true object of faith. Acts 20:21. The important thing is not how much faith a man has, or what kind of faith he has, but that the object of his faith must be Jesus Christ, to trust Him to save you from your sins, help you to live now and take you to heaven.
Faith trusts in the living and true God and in his promises. Faith obeys God’s commands exactly, immediately, and with great delight - people with this kind of faith shall experience victory. If you are living a defeated life, then listen to the word of God, believe it, and you shall be delivered.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not onto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”.
F-reedom in Christ
“If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
Accepting Christ as Savior and Lord brings freedom and victory, enabling one to “overcome the world.” (John 8:32)
A-ssurance from Christ
“But Jesus,…said… “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” Mark 5:35-36
We can trust the Lord without reservation, confident that He is able to handle everything that comes into our lives. (Jude 24).
I-nvolvement for Christ
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37
The victory of faith includes working for Christ, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). We must share Christ with all, bringing them to a knowledge of salvation. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38 NAS
T-riumph through Christ
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37
Faith enables the Christian to triumph through Christ. No mountain is too steep, no valley too deep, no burden too heavy, no problem too difficult for Christ to handle. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NAS
H-eaven with Christ
“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3
Faith is the victory! God said it, we believe it, and that settles it. No matter what the scientists and the psychologists and the philosophers say, we believe what God has spoken.
Eyes see storms. Faith sees Noah’s rainbow.
Eyes see wilderness. Faith sees Canaan.
Eyes see the lion. Faith sees Daniel’s angel.
You see your faults. Your faith sees your Savior.
Your eyes see your guilt. Your faith sees His Forgivness.
Faith is trusting what the eye can’t see.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.” 1 John 5:4
Faith is one of the most crucial terms in the entire Bible – it denotes the trust one has in another – but it also conveys the idea of the trustworthiness or reliability of someone. Faith is not a passive resignation to life like fate; rather, it is a confidence that God will fulfill His promises and as a result causes people to act upon those commands that lead to the promises. Faith means both to believe and to be faithful to the belief.
Faith is personal confidence. We use the word in everyday conversation, as follows, "I have complete faith in my doctor." We mean that we trust him with our case. So, in the Bible, faith is personal confidence in God. It means that we believe what He says, and trust Him to save us and to keep us.
God gives men the power to believe on Him. The source of faith is a gift of God. John 3:27. But how does a man receive faith? "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17
Therefore, if we don’t have faith in God, we should read the Bible. God has promised that anyone who wishes to do His will, will come to a knowledge of the truth. John 7:17. The Bible sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the true object of faith. Acts 20:21. The important thing is not how much faith a man has, or what kind of faith he has, but that the object of his faith must be Jesus Christ, to trust Him to save you from your sins, help you to live now and take you to heaven.
Faith trusts in the living and true God and in his promises. Faith obeys God’s commands exactly, immediately, and with great delight - people with this kind of faith shall experience victory. If you are living a defeated life, then listen to the word of God, believe it, and you shall be delivered.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not onto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”.
F-reedom in Christ
“If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
Accepting Christ as Savior and Lord brings freedom and victory, enabling one to “overcome the world.” (John 8:32)
A-ssurance from Christ
“But Jesus,…said… “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” Mark 5:35-36
We can trust the Lord without reservation, confident that He is able to handle everything that comes into our lives. (Jude 24).
I-nvolvement for Christ
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37
The victory of faith includes working for Christ, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). We must share Christ with all, bringing them to a knowledge of salvation. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38 NAS
T-riumph through Christ
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37
Faith enables the Christian to triumph through Christ. No mountain is too steep, no valley too deep, no burden too heavy, no problem too difficult for Christ to handle. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NAS
H-eaven with Christ
“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3
Faith is the victory! God said it, we believe it, and that settles it. No matter what the scientists and the psychologists and the philosophers say, we believe what God has spoken.
Eyes see storms. Faith sees Noah’s rainbow.
Eyes see wilderness. Faith sees Canaan.
Eyes see the lion. Faith sees Daniel’s angel.
You see your faults. Your faith sees your Savior.
Your eyes see your guilt. Your faith sees His Forgivness.
Faith is trusting what the eye can’t see.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.” 1 John 5:4
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Three Steps to an Answer
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Mat. 7:7-8
What makes a prayer really a prayer? The saying of it?; Or the hearing of it?; Or is it the answering of it? I believe, in these verses, Christ revealed three elements to real prayer. Each of these elements must be active for the prayer to reach fruition.
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF ASKING Ask, and it shall be given you...
The Greek word for "ask" is "aiteo" and it means to beg or to crave. This kind of asking is serious, humble and dependent. It is respectful and honoring to the one asked.
Jeremiah 33:3 says Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Psalm 2:8 says Ask of me, and I shall give thee... Psalm 145:18, The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Prayer is not shopping for an answer, prayer is asking expectantly for an answer. Jesus taught us to ask, Give us this day our daily bread... The blind man called out to Jesus by the way, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. When Jesus asked him his need, he said, Lord, that I might receive my sight... Peter, when sinking beneath the waves, said Lord, save me.
One would think that this principle would be a simple one. But alas, ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2) The first great principle of answered prayer is to ask.
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF ABIDING “seek, and ye shall find”
The second great principle of answered prayer is to seek. This word, "zete", means to seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, and reasoning; to inquire into. God continually calls on His people to seek Him in His fullness.
“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat. 6:33
“I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.” Pro. 8:17
Jesus expounded on this condition of continual seeking in the Gospel of John. He called it "abiding."
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:4-7
We abide with Him wherever He is, all the time, and in whatever condition we find ourselves. This is the place where we find answers to our prayers!
The life and fruitfulness comes from the vine to the branches. Jesus says Without me ye can do nothing. We can be successful only by Christ dwelling and abiding in us.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTICIPATING
“..knock, and it shall be opened unto you..”; Our last principle deals with "knocking." It means to literally knock on a door. It is the same word, krouo, used in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus says Behold, I stand at the door and knock... To knock on a door is to anticipate an answer. We knock because we seek entry; we have a desire to have dealings with someone inside. There is a sense of expectation, or anticipating, in knocking. Simply, there is faith. Jesus commanded us to have faith in God. He constantly chided the disciples, How is it that you have no faith?
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14
Our heart's reply to those verses is "if only it were that easy." But it is that easy, if we have faith! Jesus said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. But remember the order of the principles: ask, abide, and lastly, anticipate. Are you abiding in Him? Is your request pleasing unto Him? Are you sure you are asking "according to His will"? If so, then have faith in God!
What makes a prayer really a prayer? The saying of it?; Or the hearing of it?; Or is it the answering of it? I believe, in these verses, Christ revealed three elements to real prayer. Each of these elements must be active for the prayer to reach fruition.
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF ASKING Ask, and it shall be given you...
The Greek word for "ask" is "aiteo" and it means to beg or to crave. This kind of asking is serious, humble and dependent. It is respectful and honoring to the one asked.
Jeremiah 33:3 says Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Psalm 2:8 says Ask of me, and I shall give thee... Psalm 145:18, The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Prayer is not shopping for an answer, prayer is asking expectantly for an answer. Jesus taught us to ask, Give us this day our daily bread... The blind man called out to Jesus by the way, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. When Jesus asked him his need, he said, Lord, that I might receive my sight... Peter, when sinking beneath the waves, said Lord, save me.
One would think that this principle would be a simple one. But alas, ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2) The first great principle of answered prayer is to ask.
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF ABIDING “seek, and ye shall find”
The second great principle of answered prayer is to seek. This word, "zete", means to seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, and reasoning; to inquire into. God continually calls on His people to seek Him in His fullness.
“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat. 6:33
“I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.” Pro. 8:17
Jesus expounded on this condition of continual seeking in the Gospel of John. He called it "abiding."
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:4-7
We abide with Him wherever He is, all the time, and in whatever condition we find ourselves. This is the place where we find answers to our prayers!
The life and fruitfulness comes from the vine to the branches. Jesus says Without me ye can do nothing. We can be successful only by Christ dwelling and abiding in us.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTICIPATING
“..knock, and it shall be opened unto you..”; Our last principle deals with "knocking." It means to literally knock on a door. It is the same word, krouo, used in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus says Behold, I stand at the door and knock... To knock on a door is to anticipate an answer. We knock because we seek entry; we have a desire to have dealings with someone inside. There is a sense of expectation, or anticipating, in knocking. Simply, there is faith. Jesus commanded us to have faith in God. He constantly chided the disciples, How is it that you have no faith?
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14
Our heart's reply to those verses is "if only it were that easy." But it is that easy, if we have faith! Jesus said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. But remember the order of the principles: ask, abide, and lastly, anticipate. Are you abiding in Him? Is your request pleasing unto Him? Are you sure you are asking "according to His will"? If so, then have faith in God!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Plan of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
It is the greatest thing that you will ever do! Though there are no rules or steps to becoming a Christian, the following is a biblical summarization of what you need to know to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior:
God Loves You!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
God has a wonderful plan for your life!
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10b
The Bible tells us what the gospel is in 1 Cor. 15:1-4,
Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."
Because of our sin, we are separated from God.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
The Bible says that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). This means that we have all offended God. We have all broken His revealed will that is written in His word, the Bible. Because of this, we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), dead in our sins (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:3), cannot please God (Rom. 3:10-11), and will suffer damnation (2 Thess. 1:9) if we are not saved through Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
The Penalty for our sin is death.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ!
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; 8:58; Col. 2:9), bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). In other words, He died in our place. He paid the penalty for offending God that should have fallen upon us. He satisfied the very heart of God the Father by dying on the cross.
Jesus is the one who forgives sins:
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....'He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home"'" (Mark 2:10-11, NIV).
You must believe that Jesus is the only way to God:
"I am the way, the truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from our sins!"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9,10
You must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins because Jesus has the authority to forgive you of your sins: "Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me'" (Matt. 28:18, NIV)...and
Jesus told you to ask Him for your requests:
"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14, NIV)...and
This last "step" is called receiving Jesus.
John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (NIV).
“Lord, I Believe, save me, help me, use me, and make me!”
Now that you are a "new creation" in Jesus Christ, the road ahead will be full of life changing experiences.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
God Loves You!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
God has a wonderful plan for your life!
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10b
The Bible tells us what the gospel is in 1 Cor. 15:1-4,
Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."
Because of our sin, we are separated from God.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
The Bible says that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). This means that we have all offended God. We have all broken His revealed will that is written in His word, the Bible. Because of this, we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), dead in our sins (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:3), cannot please God (Rom. 3:10-11), and will suffer damnation (2 Thess. 1:9) if we are not saved through Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
The Penalty for our sin is death.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ!
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Jesus, who is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; 8:58; Col. 2:9), bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). In other words, He died in our place. He paid the penalty for offending God that should have fallen upon us. He satisfied the very heart of God the Father by dying on the cross.
Jesus is the one who forgives sins:
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....'He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home"'" (Mark 2:10-11, NIV).
You must believe that Jesus is the only way to God:
"I am the way, the truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from our sins!"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9,10
You must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins because Jesus has the authority to forgive you of your sins: "Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me'" (Matt. 28:18, NIV)...and
Jesus told you to ask Him for your requests:
"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14, NIV)...and
This last "step" is called receiving Jesus.
John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (NIV).
“Lord, I Believe, save me, help me, use me, and make me!”
Now that you are a "new creation" in Jesus Christ, the road ahead will be full of life changing experiences.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
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