All posts by John (HFJ Director)

All Powerful / King of All, Am I on the path?, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Peace / Rest, Thankfulness

Sing for Joy to the Lord!

I know I do not take time to praise Him joyfully often enough. What a great reminder today in Psalm 95.

Psalm 95

Praise to the LORD, and Warning against Unbelief.

     1O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

      2Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

      3For the LORD is a great God
And a great King above all gods,

      4In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.

      5The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.

      6Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

      7For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice,

      8Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

      9“When your fathers tested Me,
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.

      10“For forty years I loathed that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.

      11“Therefore I swore in My anger,
Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

Spend some time humbly before our Lord in prayer, focused on His greatness and thanking Him for His blessings. Ask the Spirit to show you if you are not fully surrendered to God and to help you do so today. Do not put it off, but come before Him now and submit to His rule. Ask for help to change your life to His glory and your joy.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Peace / Rest, Study the Word, Traditions / Holidays

The Lord Wants Our Hearts

The Lord wants our hearts. He wants to walk in close relationship to us. This is why He sent Yeshua to die for us when sin entered the world. He wants to make a way to reconcile His people to Him. His desire for His people is not new with the New Testament. He has always looked forward to this reconciliation through Christ. The sacrifices and offerings in the Old Testament simply foreshadow the ultimate sacrificial lamb, Yeshua. They remind people of their sin and that sin is punishable by death. They remind people that they need to repent and come humbly before Jehovah often for forgiveness and reconciliation.

The death of Yeshua is sufficient for all time for all people for all sin. We no longer need sacrifice animals, but rather admit we are sinners in need of a savior, accept Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, repent and believe that Yeshua died for our sin, ask the Lord to forgive us, and repent or change our lives to be more in line with His instructions.

However, we can see through the Old Testament how many times Jehovah emphasized certain holy days for His people. The emphasis was on reconciliation with the Lord and a series of offerings with a range of symbolic meaning (worth studying at least for surface level understanding), and time. Jehovah often called His people to special Sabbath days of rest so they could focus on Him and their relationship with Him rather than remain busy in their every day life. He has not changed His instructions for recognizing Sabbath days, whether they are weekly or associated with specific holy days. To truly honor the Sabbaths that He instructs, allows us time to focus on our relationship with Him and with fellow believers. These are worth celebrating.

Numbers 29

Offerings of the Seventh Month

     1‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. 2‘You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; 3also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 5‘Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, 6besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

      7‘Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. 8‘You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect; 9and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

      12‘Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days. 13‘You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the LORD: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without defect; 14and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, 15and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      17‘Then on the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 18and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 19and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

      20‘Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 21and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 22and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      23‘Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 24their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 25and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      26‘Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 27and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 28and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      29‘Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 30and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 31and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offerings.

      32‘Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 33and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 34and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      35‘On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. 36‘But you shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 37their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 38and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      39‘You shall present these to the LORD at your appointed times, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings.’” 40Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

I encourage you to pray and study the meanings of the different holy days, offerings as well the designated Sabbath days. Challenge yourself to observe the Sabbath days Jehovah instructed. Your relationship with Him will grow as a result.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Parenting, Traditions / Holidays

Will You Follow The Traditions of Man? or God?

It is important to remember what Jehovah has done for us. He is our Creator and Lord. He is all powerful, all knowing, and present at all times in all places. Still He takes time to know each one of us and He loves each one of us as a father. Sometimes He dwells on a certain instruction to emphasize it so that we pay attention and do not miss it. Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread is one of those.  As we read through Exodus 12, we experience God’s instruction about celebrating these as remembrance of God setting His people free from bondage in Egypt.

Given how much the Christian church today distances itself from these God-commanded celebrations, we may be tempted to think… “Ok, glad I am done with Exodus 12 and can get on with the story.” God however, is not done commanding and emphasizing to us that we should celebrate Passover and Feast of Unleavened bread in remembrance of His actions on behalf of His people. He comes back to it in Exodus 13.

Exodus 13:1-16

Consecration of the Firstborn

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”

      3Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. 4“On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. 5“It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month. 6“For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7“Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders. 8“You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9“And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. 10“Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.

      11“Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. 13“But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16“So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

You may find yourself asking, “Why is this so important to God? The church has not taught me to celebrate it.” God tells us why it is important to Him… the church is wrong not to teach Jesus’ followers to honor Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.

 8“You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9“And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. 10“Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.

and again…

 14“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16“So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

Our heavenly Father wants us to remember His love and power in setting His people free from bondage in Egypt. Although we could have a longer discussion on how to celebrate today, it really should be a short discussion regarding whether or not we should celebrate today… God said we should. Once we make the decision to do it, then we take the next step and begin to study how… that is the journey my family and I are on today. We find great joy in obeying God’s instruction more completely and as we do it also becomes more evident the power of God’s plan even to teach our children about His power and love for us.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Abortion, Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Homosexual Behavior, Hypocrisy, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Selfishness, Wickedness / Evil

Woe To You Hypocrites

Yeshua does not pull punches. He does not go around behind someone’s back talking about them. He goes right to them and speaks the truth boldly when it is called for. There are other times where He takes time to build relationship first, as with the Samaritan woman at the well. In Luke 11 when He confronts the Pharisees and lawyers, He is very direct.

The warnings apply for us too. Let us heed them. Are we more concerned with managing outward visible signs of our faith or actually internalizing and living out our faith in all aspects of our lives. Do we just make a good impression on the outside, but on the inside there is wickedness or selfishness?

Luke 11:37-54

Woes upon the Pharisees

     37Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. 38When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal. 39But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40“You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41“But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.

      42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43“Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44“Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

      45One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” 46But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48“So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49“For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, 50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’ 52“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

      53When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, 54plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.

Ask the Spirit to help you evaluate your walk with Christ. Ask Him to show you any areas where you may just be “going through the motions” or not fully committed and submitted to the Lord and His ways. We have a culture around us that constantly tries to pull us away from Christ and His ways. Even in our church community there are many who will focus on “good enough” or “better than most” or “I help people”, or “I am a good person”…  but these are insufficient standards. We are to live to God’s standard. That requires us constantly submitting our lives to Him in all areas.

We can not say be fully committed to Him by attending church weekly and then turn around and not oppose something like abortion, the murder of millions of innocent lives, just because it is accepted culturally.  We can not pay a tithe and then accept and endorse homosexuality, which God clearly condemns. Should we accept removing any reference to God in our government and schools and public spaces just because our sinful culture demands it? Are we here just to be liked and make friends with everyone while they live sinful lives rejecting Christ on their way to hell? We should not be “silent” or “private” Christians. The Lord did not hide the light but put it on a lampstand for all to see.  We should be living in the example of Christ and that includes calling out sin appropriately and, at times, directly and with boldness… even when those hearing the message will hate us for it.

Pray for boldness and the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life. When He leads, obey and follow.

Woe unto any of us who pay lip service to Christ but live in hypocrisy by not living submitted to Him.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Purposeful / Intentional, Righteous, Righteousness / Serving God, Selfishness, Sin Nature, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Let There Be Light Rather Than Darkness In You

Yeshua is the light of the world. He shown brightly as He walked this earth and taught people about the kingdom of God. He taught truth. He called out evil for what it is and did so directly. Many unbelieving people rejected Him. They could not see the truth of Christ as Messiah right before their eyes. God did not hide Christ but raised Him up publically for the light to shine brightly.

The truth of Christ is still with us today and available to lead us through the historical record of the Bible and through the Spirit of God who dwells amongst believers. Pray that the Lord would open your eyes so you could see clearly the truth of Christ… that your eye would be clear and thus your whole body full of light. We must first accept Christ and then we can, with the help of the Spirit, transform our hearts and minds to His service rather than our own desires.

In this way we become a light as well. Let us not hide our light, our faith in Christ, under a lampstand. Even if we must face adversity, let us shine forth for all to see. If we accept the world’s view of truth, we will be filled with darkness rather than light. Pray for the Spirit to lead and guide you and help you see clearly and understand the truth of God’s word and build relationship with Him.

Luke 11:29-36

   29As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30“For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31“The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

    33“No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35“Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36“If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Curse, Fear / Reverence for God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Self Control, Selfishness, Wickedness / Evil

Shall We Choose Wickedness or Righteousness?

Yeshua pulls no punches. He can be very straight and direct. The time of His earthly ministry was unlike any other in history… God Himself in human form walking amongst us and revealing Himself to us. For those who reject Him face to face and deny Him when He shows up right before them… even others who rejected Him will condemn them for they had the greatest sign of all. They had Jesus in the flesh and then his death and resurrection, the sign of Jonah.

Luke 11:29-32

The Sign of Jonah

     29As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30“For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31“The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

We have the earthly ministry of Yeshua recorded and available practically at our fingertips through the written word and now online access as well. We can carry a Bible(s) with us on our phones everywhere we go. Generally speaking we have amazing time on our hands with which to seek Him, pray, worship, study the word. We can say we are busy, and we can allow ourselves to be busy… but by and large we are not desperately seeking our next meal to survive. We fill our time with games and videos and all manner of trivial distractions. But do we fill our time with building relationship with the Lord?

We have time and access to our Lord and a record of His works and who He is. We have clearly documented history of the sign of His death and resurrection. If we are to reject Him still, than we truly are a wicked generation as was the generation which rejected Him during His earthly ministry.

Put God first. Seek Him first. Do not wait for Him to have the leftover time you don’t fill with other busyness.  Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else shall be given to you. This is the way to experience His blessings in abundance.

 Matthew 6:33

33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Each of us has an opportunity to decide for ourselves… shall we choose righteousness and blessings? or wickedness and selfishness and the curse that goes with it?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Demons, Jesus (hearing from God), Miracles, Spiritual Warfare

A Demon Will Attempt To Return

Jesus cast a demon out of a man and took the opportunity to teach about how Satan works in these types of attacks. Satan preys upon the sin and selfishness in our hearts and makes a place for himself. He is a strong man, guarding what he has taken. Only one who is stronger, God, can cast out Satan.

Jesus gives further warning, however, that simply casting out a demon is not sufficient. We must take the opportunity to “fill up the space” with the Holy Spirit. If we simply clear out the demon, but develop no relationship with our Lord and Savior, then we will be no better off in the end and perhaps worse. The demon will return with others and we will once again be prey to Satan’s forces.

Luke 11:14-26

      14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. 18“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19“And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. 22“But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

      24“When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25“And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26“Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

Embrace God as the one who can disrupt and cast out Satan and his demons from your heart and life. Admit you are a sinner who cannot save himself/herself. Submit to Christ. Repent and ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life. Declare Christ as savior. From there, build your relationship with God for the rest of your life focused on prayer, worship, and Bible study, fellowship with other believers.

Once you have the Spirit in your heart, Satan has no foothold in your life.

Learn more about Spiritual Warfare.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Miracles, Mockers, Share the Good News, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

Demanding A Sign From Heaven

Those who truly do not want to believe in Christ will ignore any sign He provides. Luke 11 documents an example where Jesus was literally expelling a demon such that a man who was mute, could now speak. Obviously some were amazed and their eyes were opened by the grace of God to seek after Christ. Others, who had already decided that Christ could not be God, look for all sorts of crazy, irrational ways to reject Him. Imagine accepting that the man was mute because of a demon and then saying that Jesus cast the demon out by Satan’s power? How foolish a logic is this… by Satan’s power someone casts out Satan’s minions? It is absurd.

They had just witnessed a sign, casting out a demon, and then some demanded… yes… a sign from heaven.  As they ignore one sign, they demand another. These men had surely already decided that Christ could not be God and they were not about to be persuaded otherwise, no matter what sign may be presented.

Jesus clearly articulates that only one stronger than Satan, namely God Himself, could overpower the demons and cast them out.

Luke 11:14-23

Pharisees’ Blasphemy

     14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. 18“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19“And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. 22“But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

As you go about your daily walk and engage people for Christ, try not to be discouraged that there will be some, many, who reject the message of Christ. Many rejected Christ even as He demonstrated miracles. These same type of people will reject Christ as we present Him to them. Our role is to present the truth to others, God will have to open their eyes to accept it.

We should also take care not to overlook verse 23. Jesus highlights that there is no middle ground. You are either with Him, or against Him. You can not “sit on the fence” or be “neutral”.    With that said, let us pray the Spirit gives us the courage to engage people boldly for the sake of Christ.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Purposeful / Intentional

Who Better To Ask About Prayer Than Jesus Himself?

Who better to ask about how to pray effectively than Jesus Himself?

Note how He guides His disciples. These are not “magic words” but rather a framework to help guide us. Start with focus on the Jehovah and His relationship with us as our Father. He is a loving Father who wants what is best for us. Focus on His name being holy and His kingdom rather than our own. Then we transition to asking for Him to provide for us and we are to come to Him daily.

Our relationship with the Father is not complete without recognizing our sin and asking forgiveness. We must also forgive others and we can ask the Lord to help us avoid temptation.

Luke 11:1-13

Instruction about Prayer

     1It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

2And He said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.

      3‘Give us each day our daily bread.

      4‘And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

      5Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

      9“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12“Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

We may have a tendency to think we are bothering God or not having faith if we keep asking Him over and over again for something. Here Yeshua encourages His disciples to be persistent in prayer before the Lord. It is interesting to note in the text it focuses on something the neighbor would want to give the person asking and it is just a timing issue. He is in bed. The neighbor does not agree to give something to Him that is bad for Him or that He would not normally give Him just because of persistence.

The closing verses of this topic, 9-13, are a very important reminder as well.  Jehovah is our loving Father. He wants what is good for us. If we ask for something which is good, will He give us something bad? No. We can also deduce from context that a loving Father who is asked for something which is bad will indeed withhold it and perhaps instead give something which is good… even if it was not asked for.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Abortion, All Powerful / King of All, Discerning / Judging, Homosexual Behavior, Humility, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Protector / Deliverer, Purposeful / Intentional, Selfishness, Strife, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

For The LORD Will Not Abandon His People

There are certainly times when we look around us and see wickedness rotting out our culture and the people of the world. Often we see the wicked oppress or attack the righteous, perhaps at times for no other reason than to feel better about their own wickedness by influencing others to join them rather than call them out for their sin.

Pray for the plans of the wicked to be destroyed and the righteous to be elevated. For the LORD will not abandon His people. Pray for repentance in the wicked that they would turn from sin and humble themselves before the Lord.

Psalm 94

The LORD Implored to Avenge His People.

     1O LORD, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!

      2Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.

      3How long shall the wicked, O LORD,
How long shall the wicked exult?

      4They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.

      5They crush Your people, O LORD,
And afflict Your heritage.

      6They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.

      7They have said, “The LORD does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

      8Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?

      9He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?

      10He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?

      11The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.

      12Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD,
And whom You teach out of Your law;

      13That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.

      14For the LORD will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

      15For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.

      16Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?

      17If the LORD had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.

      18If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”
Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.

      19When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.

      20Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,
One which devises mischief by decree?

      21They band themselves together against the life of the righteous
And condemn the innocent to death.

      22But the LORD has been my stronghold,
And my God the rock of my refuge.

      23He has brought back their wickedness upon them
And will destroy them in their evil;
The LORD our God will destroy them.

There is evil of many shades around the world. Some openly persecute and execute Christians, such as is common in some Muslim dominated countries. Others just constantly try to shame Christians for standing up for God’s instructions in life and pointing out sin in the society around them or for just refusing to participate in the sinful culture around them. They use lawsuits and lawmakers to discriminate against Christians living out their beliefs. They stir up anger and strife against businesses, calling for boycotts.

These same people are willing to murder unborn babies for their own selfishness and demand that it be free. They demand that Christians embrace and support and participate in homosexual marriage. They take no accountability for their own lives and just demand government pay them so they can buy what they have not earned.

Pray for repentance and revival. Pray for the righteous to rise up and be moved by God to take back our local, state, and national government proudly and without fear standing for and living out our beliefs. Then listen for how God wants you to be active and engaged in this revival and allow Him to direct you. Prepare yourself that if you are to serve Him, you will likely have to make changes in your own life and may likely face adversity and conflict… as He did.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.