Resource Manager Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 01 September 2014 2 Kings 6Lamentations 21 Corinthians 15 “OF FIRST IMPORTANCE” Possibly the most heart moving chapter for us in Scripture is today’s 15th chapter in 1st Corinthians – of course, that depends on how ‘alive’ our heart is! Paul writes on the absolute certainty that the resurrection of Christ really happened. It is the foundation of “the gospel in which you stand and by which you are being saved.” [1 Corinthians 15:1-2] He reminds these former idol-worshippers that “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins … that he was raised the third day …” [1 Corinthians 15:3-4] This gave real meaning to their lives, as it does to ours. We can say that if we have real conviction of this event, that conviction becomes the ‘engine’ of the ‘thought processes’ that transform the way we see the meaning of life. How well that ‘engine’ is functioning is evidenced by the priorities we have in daily and weekly life. The people of Corinth had formerly been idol worshippers, they had believed they had a ‘soul’ that was immortal that it was a blessing when it escaped from their body at death to then lead some sort of immortal existence! There are still some relatively primitive people today who believe this, but far more significant at the moment is the Islamic conviction, from the Qur’an, that the souls of martyrs go directly to paradise – a conviction that is surely a significant factor in the minds of those who commit the atrocities we are witnessing in the world at the moment. Paul goes on to list the witnesses that Christ rose from the dead; on one occasion “he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive” [1 Corinthians 15:6] We reflect the thinking of the Roman Centurions – their thinking was effectively challenged through their contact with Jesus, at least some were convinced of his divine powers, see Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 3:3-6. A Centurion and others with him saw “what took place (at the crucifixion) and they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" [Matthew 27:54] Then of course Acts 10 has the account of the conversion of the Roman Centurion Cornelius – and many with him. Surely the impact of these experiences was the reason why there were so many followers of Christ in Rome in A.D. 63 whom the emperor Nero sought to put to death, according to Roman historians, e.g. Tacitus, circa AD 110. They saw the events of Calvary as “of first importance” – it transformed their thinking, as it did all those who had witnessed him alive after his resurrection – creating the conviction of their own hope of resurrection! Those alive at his return, and surely that includes some (many?) alive today who truly believe these things are “of first importance” and are baptised, they, says Paul, “shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet … and put on immortality.” [1 Corinthians 15:51,53] All with this conviction of belief and expectation, will, as Paul expresses it at the end of this chapter, “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord …” -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 02 September 2014 2 Kings 7Lamentations 31 Corinthians 16 “IT IS GOOD THAT ONE SHOULD WAIT QUIETLY” The Lamentations of Jeremiah are a remarkable mixture of positive thinking, but also at times. of deep depression. We meditate on Jeremiah’s state of mind through all his experiences. What a pathway he had in life! beginning as a young priest in the good reign of Josiah, how spiritually stimulated he would been in that era. We will read of this in a couple of weeks, Josiah was the final good king in Jerusalem “who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul …” [2 Kings 23:25] and a remarkable Passover was held [2 Kings 23:22], but soon after this he was killed in battle and “Jeremiah … uttered a lament” for him” [2 Chronicles 35:25] What a total contrast his life became after that! The climax he was fully involved in was the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. After that the Governor the Babylonians appointed is murdered, those who remain decide, against the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah, to go to Egypt; probably some were blaming the prophet for their distressed state. Jeremiah is overwhelmed by sorrow, in the opening chapter of his Lamentations he writes of his “groaning, yet there was no one to comfort me.” [Lamentations 1:21] In today’s chapter it is evident that the people have turned against him, it is so often human nature to look for someone to blame; politics especially is a blame game! . We judge Lamentations 3:61-63 to be a prayer; “You have heard their taunts, O LORD, all their plots against me. The lips and thoughts of my assailants are against me all the day long … I am the object of their taunts.” Also in Lamentations 3:17, “my soul is bereft of peace,” it is obvious he is ‘talking’ to the LORD. However, Jeremiah is blessed with times of uplifting vision, a lesson for us when we are weighed down by sadness or anxieties. “The LORD is good for those who wait for him,” he writes, “to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” [Lamentations 3:25-26] Jeremiah is granted an all embracing view of his total relationship with the LORD – surely this is granted as he looks back on the pathway he has travelled – how the LORD has led him. All who believe in the LORD and his (their) Messiah should seek to perceive such a vision, most of all, in times of stress.. Jeremiah perceives of God that, “though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men” [Lamentations 3:32-33] Jeremiah lifts up his mind to see the ‘big picture’ of his relationship with God – and we must do the same, “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 03 September 2014 2 Kings 8Lamentations 42 Corinthians 1; 2 “…HELP US BY PRAYER” We started reading 2nd Corinthians today: the opening chapter needs to be read slowly, carefully, as Paul makes so many points. He shows the inter-reaction of events and the great value of prayers in all the difficulties they and he are experiencing. “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s suffering, so, through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too.” [2 Corinthians 1:5] It is, writes Paul “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction … [2 Corinthians 1:3-4] This is a comfort we have a responsibility to pass on to others. Let us meditate and reflect on the inter-reaction of events we have personally experienced. The more we have been active in the service of Christ, the more clearly we will perceive this. In Paul, the Corinthians saw the most outstanding example of service. “The afflictions we experienced,” writes Paul, was such that “we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” [2 Corinthians 1:8] But Paul then came to realize, “that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God ….” [2 Corinthians 1:9] “On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again” [2 Corinthians 1:10] Then Paul makes an appeal that we should specially take notice of. He tells the Corinthians, “You also must help us by prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us by the prayers of many.” [2 Corinthians 1:11] Many are aware today through the almost instant communication the internet provides of the desperate situations some believers have experienced. There are also other believers who are experiencing persecution, and a few truth seekers who have felt it wise to return to their own country. Let us help them by prayer. Also, may we, as Paul writes in his 2nd chapter, spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved …” [2 Corinthians 2:14-15] The world is ‘smelling’ ever more evil, as the darkness becomes ever darker, but then the light should be even more evident! It is a tragedy, as we will read tomorrow in 2 Corinthians 4, that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel …” [2 Corinthians 4:4] But, what a wondrous blessing we have that “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” [2 Corinthians 4:6] That ‘light’ shone physically as creation began countless aeons ago, but the wondrous fact for us is, as we will read in 2 Corinthians 5, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” [2 Corinthians 5:17] May all those who are part of that “new creation” help one another by prayer.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2014 04 September 2014 2 Kings 9Lamentations 52 Corinthians 3; 4 "OUR INNER NATURE IS BEING RENEWED DAY BY DAY" This statement by Paul in today’s readings [2 Corinthians 4:16] really sums up what we aim to achieve by reading portions of God’s word every day. Of course this depends on the spirit with which we read. Many face the challenge each day of finding adequate time to read; and then have little or no time for meditation on what they have read. But it is important to make an effort to do this for it multiplies in our minds the effectiveness of our reading. In this ever more godless world many have times of difficulty and frustration to face and overcome. Note what Paul says next; “for this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” [2 Corinthians 4:17]. Nearly all have some positive things in their daily experiences and if we highlight these in our minds they are invaluable in preventing worldly concerns from dominating our thoughts. It is God’s word that helps most of all – but that depends how we read it, how receptive our minds are – what we look for! We try to demonstrate this in the daily thoughts we circulate. We all experience things which tend to frustrate us, but Paul says, “we do not lose heart” [2 Corinthians 4:16] and, as we see his list of afflictions, ours are nothing in almost every case! The reason why Paul did not lose heart was because he did not look on “the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” [2 Corinthians 4:18] Let’s try harder to follow his way of thinking. We have climbed a few mountains in our younger days and, for much of the time we climbed surrounded by clouds, but then, suddenly there is a break in the clouds and we realise both how much we have climbed, but greater still, we marvel at the vista of the distant scene that suddenly unfolds. Is not progress in the believer’s life like this? Now Jeremiah is an exception to the general experience of “light affliction” and as we completed reading his Lamentations today we noted his lament; “we get our bread at the peril of our lives …the joy of our hearts has ceased” [Lamentations 5:9,15] and we think this could be happening at times to some of our brethren in the Middle East and in one or two parts of Africa and maybe, even amongst those elsewhere whom the Government is trying to force to return to their homeland. For all these, Paul’s words are really full of meaning and it is vital and they know it is vital that their “inner nature is being renewed day by day.” They may sometimes feel somewhat as Paul felt, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair … struck down, but not destroyed” [2 Corinthians 4:8-9] Let us include them in our prayers – sensing how it helps in the renewal of our own inner nature, remembering what we read in 2 Corinthians 1:11. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 05 September 2014 2 Kings 10Ezekiel 12 Corinthians 5; 6; 7 “BRINGING HOLINESS TO COMPLETION” Following Christ is a journey – what a wonderful journey it should be! In today’s 3 chapters in 2nd Corinthians we see how Paul opens out more and more to them the wonder and challenges of this journey. We are reminded of Solomon’s ‘vision’ that “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until …” [Proverbs 4:18]! Yes, until the “full day” comes, when faith is turned to sight. Is the path you are treading, shining brighter and brighter? Are you “bringing holiness to completion”? The increasing spiritual darkness around us – should make the brightness of our path more evident! But sadly, ‘official’ Christianity is showing ever more clearly that God “has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn …” [John 12:40]. The ‘evidence’ was there for them to ‘see’ in the days of Jesus but their minds refused to accept what their eyes saw! They were unable to “turn.” And today! The contrast between “light” and “darkness” has grown really great; those in darkness have convinced themselves there never was a Creator. We are challenged to clearly understand what Paul means! He says, “while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened – not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” [2 Corinthians 5:4] The more we are “further clothed” in our minds, the pathway before us will become increasingly clear and bright. “We are always of good courage”, says Paul, “and we would rather be away from the body and present with the Lord” [2 Corinthians 5:8] Those who believe their “soul” is immortal usually misunderstand Paul’s meaning. Mortality will be “swallowed up” when Christ returns as Paul explained in detail in 1 Corinthians 15 also when he stated his expectation of what is “laid up for me” in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. We will be physically “at home with the Lord” when he returns. Paul challenges them (and us) to be more and more spiritually “at home” with him now so that when we “appear before the judgement seat of Christ (when) … each one … receive(s) what is due for what he has done in the body …” [2 Corinthians 5:10] This means what he has done in “the body” of Christ - as Paul made clear in Ephesians 1:22-23. 2 Corinthians 6 in today’s readings ends by making the Corinthians aware of God’s promises of the life to come in his kingdom as recorded in the Old Testament (he quotes from Leviticus 26:12 and Isaiah 52:11). 2 Corinthians 7 starts, “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement … bringing holiness to completion in the fear (awe) of God”. He tells them to “widen your hearts” [2 Corinthians 6:13] How “wide” is your heart?. Our readings are the essential ‘food’ for our hearts; God’s scriptures are a foundation ingredient if our hearts are to really become wide and so see “the path” really clearly so that we anticipate the “full day” with the greatest eagerness. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2014 06 September 2014 2 Kings 11; 12Ezekiel 22 Corinthians 8; 9 “WHETHER THEY HEAR OR REFUSE TO HEAR” Yesterday we started reading the intriguing prophecy of Ezekiel. He is in Babylon with those taken captive there before Jerusalem fell, along with King Jehoiachin. This is recorded in 2 Kings 24:12-15. It is in “the fifth year of the exile” [Ezekiel 1:2-3] that “the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel … and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.” It maybe he was sent by the LORD to join the exiles. There are many varied prophecies and visions that the LORD reveals to him climaxing with a vision in his final 9 chapters of a wondrous temple that will come into being in the ultimate future of the world. In today’s chapter he is told to preach to the exiles, and their attitude to his message have a number of comparisons with attitudes today. He is told, “I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels who have rebelled against me.” [Ezekiel 2:3] He is told, “The descendants also are impudent and stubborn … And whether they hear or refuse to hear … they will know that a prophet has been among them … Be not afraid of them … nor be dismayed at their looks …” [Ezekiel 2:4-6] We see a real comparison with the situation and attitudes today when there is an inclination to give up on efforts to witness about the word of God. But the final “ingathering” (see Matthew 22:9-10) must be completed and “the labourers are few” [Matthew 9:37]. The vast majority we preach to “refuse to hear” – but we recall the parable of Jesus about the final ingathering before his return when the “master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people …. “ [Luke 14:23] and these words, we feel, have an application to us today. Let us renew our efforts in the area in which we live. So let us take the lesson of the LORD’s instructions to Ezekiel to heart in whatever situation we are in and make known God’s word in these last days so that “whether they hear or refuse to hear” – we can really feel we are carrying out our responsibility before God. This is an essential part of our “sowing” – noting the point Paul makes in today’s 9th chapter of 2nd Corinthians. “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” [2 Corinthians 9:6] so, while Paul is not applying this primarily to preaching, let us take (and create) opportunities to sow the word of God in the ears of the those with whom we have contact so that “they will know that a prophet has been among them” and we show we are heeding Paul’s words to “abound in every good work” [2 Corinthians 9:8] -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2014 07 September 20142 Kings 13Ezekiel 32 Corinthians 10; 11"THE MEEKNESS AND GENTLENESS OF CHRIST" Our world is full of distractions; these seem to increase every year! This is especially so for the young; at every twist and turn of daily life they encounter “voices” “words” and messages clamouring for their attention. These “voices” might come via iPods, mobile phones or whenever they turn on their Laptop.The words of Paul to the Corinthians we read today can be applied to the present situation. The church in Corinth had been established for some years and the believers were being distracted by some who were full of their own self-importance and were creating problems. We read, “I Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ” [2 Corinthians 10:1]. This was the Christ-like attitude Paul had toward the genuine heart-motivated believers there, but it was a challenge to have it toward those who envied his popularity and sought to undermine his work for the Lord; we remember how our Lord responded to those who were envious of his popularity. Paul was putting into practice what Christ had said, “Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden … Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart…” [Matthew 11:28-29].We see how Paul expresses his distress at the attitude of many in Corinth who were not doing this. It is the same today: God’s words get wilfully distorted. Paul writes, “I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough” [2 Corinthians 11:3-4].Tragically the ‘Christian’ world has seen so many different gospels over the centuries, it is only the regular and prayerful reading of God’s word, so wonderfully preserved, that provides the foundation for us to truly walk in Christ’s footsteps – and, at the same time, to be motivated to develop the spirit of “meekness and gentleness.” This should apply equally as much when we seek to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” [2 Corinthians 10:5] May we find that, on at least some occasions, “the soft answer” [Proverbs 15:1] can penetrate the hard hearts we encounter.Finally, note how this chapter ends; “it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” May the Lord commend you on that day for being faithful to his word, and in turning from this world’s distractions to daily read and meditate on his word knowing they provide an essential foundation for all you think and do.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 08 September 2014 2 Kings 14Ezekiel 42 Corinthians 12; 13 “EXAMINE YOURSELVES … TEST YOURSELVES” Today we completed reading Paul’s second letter to the believers at Corinth; he is still anxious about them, his letter expresses many concerns. Let us recognise that correcting faults in our life in Christ is a personal responsibility. The concept of endless ‘grace abounding’ that exists among many who see themselves as Christians is dangerous. Let us carefully note the points Paul makes as he brings his letter to a conclusion. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” [2 Corinthians 13:5]. And so also must we. Let us fully realize that Christ, by his spirit, is present among believers and sees their actions, knows their minds and that this knowledge will be the ‘foundation’ for his right judgment on the day of judgment. Paul is developing the points he made in his first letter when he said, “Let a person examine himself … and so eat … and drink” [1 Corinthians 11:28] when he or she comes to the table of remembrance to have fellowship. This self-examination is not only when we come together to the table of the Lord; in 2 Corinthians 11:3 of this last chapter Paul stresses, “Christ is … not weak … but is powerful among you.” Christ sees their thoughts and actions (and, of course, ours). Paul stresses the need to, “Test yourselves. or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless you fail to meet the test.” [2 Corinthians 11:5] Let us realize the sense he is “in us – and that we meet all the tests the ungodly world around us, puts on us.? When we were baptised we entered into a wonderful spiritual relationship with him, we were no longer our own; Paul expressed his own feeling to the Galatians, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” [Galatians 2:20]. Let us realize the reality of this, our Saviour is watching over us, this is both wonderful and awesome. Paul completes his message to the Corinthians by writing; “finally brothers (& sisters) Rejoice … comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” [2 Corinthians 13:11] It is the same today, our “peace” and teamwork together, means we will also fully have divine fellowship: remember Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” [Matthew 18:20] How wonderful! It is beyond our human comprehension. Let us appreciate the full meaning of the final verse of Paul’s letter, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” Let us try ever harder to sense that “fellowship” as we “EXAMINE” and “TEST OURSELVES” every day.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 09 September 2014 2 Kings 15Ezekiel 5Luke 1 “HIS MERCY IS FOR THOSE WHO …” What a depressing account we have today in 2 Kings 15! It lists a succession of godless kings in the northern kingdom of Israel and makes us think of the world in which we live! If we listen to or watch the news - there is a complete lack of good news on every hand – so it seems that people ‘bury’ their minds in the sports news. Similarly, in Ezekiel 5, we read the acted parables the prophet has to perform to indicate how “fire will come out into all the house of Israel” [Ezekiel 5:4] and the LORD’s comment in Ezekiel 5:13, “Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them …” And we meditate with awe and fear in our minds on the ways the Creator will vent his fury more and more on the utterly godless world of the 21st Century. In contrast, it is uplifting to read the 80 verses of the first chapter of Luke. The author says that “it seemed good to me … having followed all things closely for some time past to write an orderly account … that you may have certainty …” [Luke 1:3-4] Through Luke’s writings, we, in these last days, “may have certainty” too! After compiling his gospel Luke put together an orderly account of the acts of the apostles after their Lord ascended to heaven. This contained so many historical references that the sceptics of the 19th and 20th Centuries were sure they would uncover flaws in Luke’s records as more and more ancient details came to light through archaeological and other discoveries – but none have come to light! What Luke has recorded includes major planks for the foundations of our faith. Today’s chapter includes the testimony of Mary before Jesus was born, she was inspired to say how her “spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” and that “his mercy is for those who fear him” [Luke 1:47,50]. May we truly rejoice and “fear him” – that is – be in awe of him. We especially pray that we may experience his mercy and gain strength from him as our godless world disintegrates more and more in coming days, months and years – if years yet remain? We are going to have a need to even more earnestly take to heart the words of the Master, “and when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place …” [Luke 21:9] May we all fully realise and know in our hearts that “his mercy is for those who fear him – but who learn - not to fear the world! -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 10 September 2014 2 Kings 16Ezekiel 6Luke 2 “… AMONG THOSE WITH WHOM HE IS PLEASED” Once again our 2nd Kings chapter is an account of depraved worship in Jerusalem, but it ends on an encouraging note, the wicked king Ahaz dies – but the new king will be his son Hezekiah. How is it that he shows himself to be godly, after such a father? It is reasonable to think that his mother must have been a worthy woman – surely a lesson for today. Ezekiel 6 is another message of God’s anger against the godlessness of idol worship, with the LORD saying, “Thus will I spend my fury upon them. And you shall know that I am the LORD when their slain lie among their idols.” [Ezekiel 6:12-13] A prophet today would bring the same message to our world. But, in contrast, what a pleasure for uplifting meditation is our chapter (2) in Luke with its’ account of the birth of our Lord. We read the well-known account of “the angel of the Lord” appearing to the “shepherds out in the field.” Are his words too familiar to us? Imagine you were one of the shepherds. “… behold I bring you good news of great joy for unto you is born … a saviour who is Christ (Messiah) the Lord.” [Luke 2:10-11] The angel is then joined by “a heavenly host” who sing words often sung at Christmas, but the original English version of the words, so familiar to us, is wrong. The angels did not sing “peace on earth” but, as modern versions correctly translate the Greek, “Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” May we be among those who experience this in our hearts, especially as our world is experiencing, as we will read the words of Jesus in Luke 21, “distress of nations in perplexity” and “people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.” [Luke 21:25-26]. Genuinely faithful believers will have his encouragement echoing in their minds, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” [Luke 21:28] People are not yet fainting with fear, but when that time comes the Lord’s coming will surely be near and he will be wonderfully “among those with whom he is pleased” May we all, by his mercy, be among all those who “raise their heads”, but, as a hymn, by Islip Collyer, we sing expresses it, ‘we make the answer now.’ -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 11 September 2014 2 Kings 17Ezekiel 7Luke 3 “CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS” The world is a spiritual wilderness today. We read today of when John the Baptist appeared on the scene and that he was a “voice crying in the wilderness” [Luke 3:4] – it was a spiritual wilderness then too, there had been no prophet from God for about 400 years – since the days of Malachi. Today there has been no message from God that people have taken serious notice of since the Bible was translated and printed and became available in all major languages, this was at least 400 years ago. People “listened” to God’s “voice” then and the world underwent a spiritual reformation; but deafness set in again more and more with each generation until today, nearly all are totally ‘deaf.’ We saw significant parallels in our Ezekiel reading [Ezekiel 7] today. The 10 northern tribes that made up the kingdom of Israel, as distinct from Judah in the south, had become so wicked that they were all in the process of being taken away into captivity: the southern kingdom was soon to follow. However, God’s words through Ezekiel, could be his words to the great majority today. It seems no one was listening to Ezekiel – and it’s the same today, so few are seriously listening. “Behold the day! Behold it comes! Your doom has come” [Ezekiel 7:10] wrote Ezekiel, adding, “Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness” [Ezekiel 7:11] He continues, “The time has come; the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all …” [Ezekiel 7:12] “When anguish comes they will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster comes upon disaster….” [Ezekiel 7:25-26] Thankfully, wonderfully, there is an end coming to the disasters that will surely multiply in today’s world’. Those who know God’s word and have established a relationship with him, will know where to “seek peace” and that “the prince of peace” will return “and the government shall be upon his shoulder” [isaiah 9:6] and “the wilderness” will be no more – but only those who have heard (by reading and thinking and believing) “the voice crying in the wilderness” will experience the everlasting wonders that “that day” will bring. Are you listening? What effect is it having on your heart?-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2014 12 September 2014 2 Kings 18Ezekiel 8Luke 4 “THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM” How hard it is to hear or find any “good news” these days! All nations and kingdoms appear to be in disarray especially in the Middle East, only Israel stands firm. The nations think that their destiny is entirely in their own hands, but God’s purpose is being worked out and dedicated Bible students diligently watch events trying to see more clearly how the various prophecies apply. We read in 2 Kings 18 of the faith of the good king Zedekiah in Jerusalem, standing firm against the boasting of the invading Assyrians (which is called Iraq is today). We will read tomorrow of how the prophet Isaiah comes on the scene and, through God’s spirit, sees and says what God will cause to happen because Hezekiah is a spiritually minded king. In contrast, the prophet Ezekiel (chapter 8) is caused to be carried in vision to Jerusalem and made aware of the abominations taking place in the Temple; for him, it is the opposite kind of news of what will soon happen! Ezekiel is told that God is so angry that, when trouble comes, “though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” [Ezekiel 8:18] In Luke’s gospel (chapter 4) we read how Jesus travels to many places and heals many, and “the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” [Luke 4:42-43] Those who really listened were few, most were fascinated by seeing miracles or being miraculously fed but the really important work of Christ was proclaiming, “The good news of the kingdom of God.” This was not as many have imagined over the centuries up until today – a ’sky kingdom’ but, as in the ‘Lords’ prayer, ‘Thy will be done on earth” – What wonders “Isaiah … saw … it shall come to pass in the latter days … the house (temple) of the LORD shall be established … and all nations shall flow to it …” [isaiah 2:1-2] Jesus came to bring this wondrous message of God’s ultimate purpose for the earth - to happen when he returns. Let us ever more surely make this our hope and expectation and share it with anyone who will listen.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 13 September 2014 2 Kings 19Ezekiel 9Luke 5 "THE SURVIVING REMNANT" Today’s chapter 19 of 2nd Kings brings Isaiah onto the scene. King Hezekiah in his great distress at the conquests of the Assyrians and now their presence outside the walls of Jerusalem sends his secretary and senior priests to the prophet, with a message saying, “It may be that the LORD your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh,” adding, “therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left” [2 Kings 19:4] Isaiah’s response is very positive; “Say to your Master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumour and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'" [2 Kings 19:6-7] This happens, but as the Assyrians depart they say, "Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. ‘Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered?” [2 Kings 19:10-11] History is full of human boasting like this, but “The word of the LORD” comes to Isaiah over this [2 Kings 19:21-28] that the LORD is “aware of their raging against me” [2 Kings 19:27] Within a generation or two the Assyrians fade into history and Nineveh is a heap of ruins to this day – the Babylonians then become the main enemy, but in time Babylon too becomes a heap of ruins, as it is today. Then Isaiah conveys a remarkable long term prophecy. “ … the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this.” [2 Kings 19:30-31] We witness the resilience of the “surviving remnant” today. We can read in Isaiah’s book, the prophecy the LORD gives him, how “in that day the Lord will extent his hand a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people … and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” [isaiah 11:11-12] We are witnessing that event and are in awe of the climax when God “shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” [isaiah 11:4] Soon, in Luke’s gospel, we will come to Jesus’ awesome words predicting this. How awesome the fate of the great Assyrian army, because they reviled God! (185,000 died – 2 Kings 19:35) How awesome the fate awaiting at least some who do so today! Let us do the opposite. And what is the opposite?. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 14 September 2014 2 Kings 20Ezekiel 10Luke 6 “I HAVE SEEN YOUR TEARS” We read and thought yesterday about the anxieties of King Hezekiah over the Assyrian invasion and the potential fall of Jerusalem. The king appealed to Isaiah to seek the help of the LORD. Later he went into the Temple and “prayed before the LORD” [2 Kings 19:15] himself. There is a progression in his approach to God – do we have the same experience as we seek to get closer to our Creator and His Son our Saviour? It is natural that we should if we are truly spiritually minded.. Today in 2 Kings 20 we read of Hezekiah’s illness, one that he is told, will be fatal; Isaiah comes with this message, “Set your house in order for you shall not recover” [2 Kings 20:1] He makes an impassioned prayer to the LORD, “I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” [2 Kings 20:3] His prayer is heard and answered – “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you” [2 Kings 20:5] God hears and sees all things in the lives of those who truly seek to serve him. We should each meditate on whether we could utter such an impassioned prayer if we found ourselves in a life threatening situation - when we feel we still have work we can do in serving our Lord. It may not be a health situation as with Hezekiah. Our world, especially in some parts, increasingly threatens us; potentially there could be extreme difficulties. In our prayers could we say we have serve him with “our whole heart.”? This week we will read in Ezekiel how the prophet is told of God’s impending judgements, “Thus says the Lord GOD: None of my words will be delayed any longer…” [Ezekiel 12:28] The time is coming, we do not know how soon, when God will be saying the same about our godless world. In Luke today we read the challenging words of Jesus, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I tell you” [Luke 6:46] Let us not be guilty of reading God’s word but then failing to put into practice what we read. We can talk and preach about it – and exhort each other – but this must not be only an outward show. We are all building the “house” of our life: Jesus said, “the one who hears (reads) my words … I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock …” [Luke 6:48] A lot of sweat and tears are involved in such earnest building: so in our building, can our Lord say to you, and me, “I have seen your tears.”-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 15 September 2014 2 Kings 21Ezekiel 11Luke 7 “BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO …” As usual, all our chapters are full of meaningful lessons: first, Hezekiah after his life is extended 15 years is succeeded by a 12 yr old son, Manasseh who turns out to be a very bad king. We wonder about the role of Hephzibah, his mother in this. The spirituality of whom we marry is very important. Her name is apparently of Phoenician origin, meaning, ‘delight of Baal.’ Again the spirit takes Ezekiel to Jerusalem and gives him insight into God’s reaction because of his full awareness of the minds of those living there. God always has such knowledge! Awesome! Ezekiel learns, “But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.” [Ezekiel 11:21] And today? In Luke (Chapter 7) we read how messengers come to Jesus from John the Baptist. Our Lord has been doing many remarkable miracles, but when he brings to life again a young man who is being carried out to his burial, “fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and ‘God has visited his people!’ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" [Luke 7:16-19] The way Jesus answers him is instructive – and challenging! John evidently had certain expectations of the Messiah’s work – and what was happening did not fit these. We look back at Luke 4 and see how Jesus quoted from a scroll of Isaiah when in the Synagogue, Luke 4:17-19. It is now instructive to note how Jesus responds to these messengers, “"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." [Luke 7:22-23] He is telling John to check out and “believe all that the prophets have spoken”! These are the words of Jesus we will read in Luke 24:25, when, after his resurrection he speaks to 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. This is a lesson for us as we anticipate the return of our Lord and our expectations are increasing! We must take a lesson from the quandary of John the Baptist and look to “all that the prophets” have written! Are they not like pieces of a jigsaw! We have more and more pieces that seem to fit, but there are still others we are not sure about: events yet to come, maybe very soon, will make the picture clearer and clearer. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 16 September 2014 2 Kings 22; 23Ezekiel 12Luke 8 “ASKED HIM TO DEPART” We read of a remarkable miracle today in Luke 8., the healing of a man who had become totally deranged in mind. He was well known, owned a house and lived in the city before he became insane. Jesus did many miracles in many different ways but this healing was particularly challenging to those who knew the man and lived in his city. Jesus came to “the country of the Gerasenes and this man, in his insane state, now lived among the tombs, “When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” [Luke 8:28] His insane mind led him to perceive who Jesus really was! There was nothing to be gained by Jesus explaining that such a state of mind was not caused by an ‘evil spirit’ taking over control of the mind; this belief had arisen as a result of the Greek conquest; this was what the Greeks superstitiously believed: the Old Testament shows that no such beliefs were held in earlier years. A dramatic healing occurs! The supposed ‘demons’ are ‘seen’ to be in the pigs because they madly rush down the slope and drown in the waters of Galilee. Now eating pork, even touching their carcases was ‘unclean’ under the law God gave to Moses [Leviticus 11:7-8]; obviously those keeping the pigs had no regard for the law! The event was a challenge to the “people (who) went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.” [Luke 8:35] Every other healing Jesus did resulted in many more coming for healings but not here! “All the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them for they were seized with great fear. [Luke 8:37] We suspect they were afraid of other things that might happen that would cause a further loss of livelihood. The reasons are not entirely different today for those who believe in evolution rather than a Creator who will hold them responsible for how they live their lives. Those who believe in a Creator have at least some responsibility! Recall what we read last week in Ezekiel 3. “If I say to the wicked, ’You shall sure die,” God says to Ezekiel, “and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn … he shall die for his iniquity but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked … you will have delivered your soul” [Ezekiel 3:18-19] Any words we attempt to speak or write must be done in love. Jesus told his hearers to “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” [Matthew 5:44]. We do not want Jesus “to depart” from us. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 17 September 2014 2 Kings 24; 25Ezekiel 13Luke 9 "LET THESE WORDS SINK …" What effect do the words of the Bible have on you as you read them? They vary greatly as we have seen today: but this causes us to exercise our minds in many different ways – and this is good for us. God has overseen the recording of many different events and messages so that what he has caused to be written is a lifelong study – indeed, more than a study, often a cause of prayerful meditation. So often it is about human failure and the causes of that failure. Our Old Testament readings today were both about the dismal end of God’s nation. The final 2 chapters in 2nd Kings detailed the dreadful destruction of Jerusalem and the distress of the people - and Ezekiel 13 is about the ungodliness at the time and how the Lord GOD said, “I will make stormy winds break out in my wrath … and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end.” [Ezekiel 13:13] And today? The Psalms of David had long been written so would one here and there, who knew them, have mediated on them? Maybe Psalm 12, to take one example; it ends with the words, “on every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted …”! Those trying to be righteous would surely have meditated on the two previous verses which start, “The words of the LORD are pure words …”! We compare the forecasts of the destruction of Jerusalem with the forecasts Jesus made of his death and the reaction of his hearers to these forecasts. We read today in Luke 9, "… while they were all marvelling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: the Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.’ But they did not understand this saying …" [Luke 9:43-45] Their minds were focussed on "which of them was the greatest" [Luke 9:46]! With that state of mind his words would not sink into their minds! We see a telling comparison with what we will read later in Luke 24. After his resurrection, 2 disciples who had walked with an unrecognized Messiah later confessed, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” [Luke 24:32] They were in a mood to “let these words sink” into their minds! He had chided them, that they “were slow of heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken” [Luke 24:25]. It seems to be our nature to believe only what we want to believe – but in looking at all that the prophets have spoken and seeing alarming comparisons with our world today to the forecasts then of the destruction of Jerusalem and the reasons for it, let us cause the words of Christ and the prophets to sink more fully into our minds, so we can walk with greater and greater faith in the increasing darkness of today’s world.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 18 September 2014 1 Chronicles 1Ezekiel 14Luke 10 "LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ..." How depressed Ezekiel must have been! The LORD caused him to be aware of the totally godless attitude that existed in Jerusalem. He writes, “certain of the elders of Israel came to see me.” [Ezekiel 14:1] The “word of the LORD” comes to him, “… these men have taken their idols into their hearts and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?” [Ezekiel 14:3] The lesson is plain, it is folly to come to seek God and yet retain fleshly thoughts in our minds. Ezekiel is further told, “any one of the house of Israel … who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart … and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I, the LORD will answer him myself. And I will set my face against that man (or woman)…” [Ezekiel 14:7-8] Surely the same applies today to those who “consult” God through reading his word – but have a wrong motive in their hearts. Peter’s words come to mind about Paul’s writings, “There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” [2 Peter 3:16] In our chapter [10] in Luke there is some comparison with the attitude of the lawyer who asked Jesus, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself." [Luke 10:25-27] Jesus says to him, “You have answered correctly: do this and you will live.” But he asks, “and, who is my neighbour?” In response Jesus tells him the well-known account of the ‘Good Samaritan’ and asks the man, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among robbers?” [Luke 10:36] He answers, “The one who showed mercy” and is told, “You go and do likewise.” Let us all love our Lord, with all our heart, our soul, our strength and our mind showing our love by our actions day after day: of course, we will sense at times, something similar to what the LORD caused Ezekiel to sense. But surely, in at least some cases, it will cause others to “do likewise” and – for at least one or two to take serious notice of the message and meaning of what we talk about – the wonder and real meaning of the word of God – as the only ‘light’ in the darkness that covers the world today.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 19 September 2014 1 Chronicles 2Ezekiel 15Luke 11 “THEREFORE BE CAREFUL LEST …” Our chapter (11) in Luke’s gospel today is full of challenging sayings by our Lord. There is great spiritual value in deeply meditating on them and seeing the extent to which they have application to the circumstances in which we live today. The background to many of them is the self-righteous attitudes of the religious leaders who contended with Jesus. Praise of Jesus’ mother developed in early centuries and led to the cult of a sort of Mary worship. Luke records a little incident which those influenced by such attitudes must gloss over and ignore. We read the response of Jesus to a woman in the crowd who calls out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed” Jesus responds, “Blessed rather are those who hear the words of God and keep it.” [Luke 11:27-28] May we all be blessed for that reason, and recognise our additional blessing in being able to read all the words of God. The way that we “keep it” will result in us being “full of light”! As a result our “eye is healthy” [Luke 11:34] and so our eye (or ear) keep bringing ‘healthy food’ into our minds. This is more and more essential today as our world is so full of junk food! Underline the next 2 verses, “Therefore be careful lest the light (you think you have) be darkness” [Luke 11:35] Let’s fully absorb the point Jesus makes in the next verse, “If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” Are you and I “full of light”? How difficult it is to maintain such light in the increasing darkness of this world – evil words and deeds multiply all around us. Now the words of David in Psalm 139 are a special inspiration to us with his perception of the light of God in the darkness. “If I say,’ writes David, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.” [Psalm 139:12] Read the rest of that Psalm, especially the last 2 verses – and then you and I will be even more dedicated to “be careful lest” the light of God’s word be smothered by the darkness that increasingly surrounds us. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 20 September 2014 1 Chronicles 3Ezekiel 16Luke 12 “FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS …” They did not have banks in those days! We read today in Luke 12:16-20 of a man who built many barns to “store all my grain and my goods” so he could “relax, eat, drink and be merry.” This is the spirit among many in Australia today, the emphasis is on material well-being! Of course it is not necessary to build bigger barns or have barns at all, but what security do banks offer? Figures in computers, plenty of ‘paper’ money! As the Creator brings more and more of his promised time of trouble, a time, to quote our Lord (in Mark 13:19) when “there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be” again - it will almost certainly be useless to have any money in the bank, or any money at all, the only thing of value for the true believer to have – will be an overflowing abundance of faith. Jesus calls the man in his parable who built bigger barns a “Fool!” adding, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." His next words to his disciples are, “"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food ... more than clothing …" [Luke 12:24] Human minds today are totally concerned about such things - but we take to heart in what Jesus goes on to say, " For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you." [Luke 12:30-31] His next words are, ""Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom...." Those who belong to his “little flock” spend their time developing more and more "treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys." [Luke 12:33] Finally note an even more vital point Jesus makes, " For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." And he adds this instruction; "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning ..." [Luke 12:32-35] Are you "dressed for action?" Is your faith shining bright? Let us all be conscious, with full honesty of heart, where our treasure is!-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 21 September 2014 1 Chronicles 4Ezekiel 17Luke 13; 14 “NO KNOWLEDGE OF GOD” Sin is not a word people use these days, I even met a teenager who had never heard the word ‘adultery’ – and had no idea what it meant – she came into our Bible Education Centre on a rainy morning while waiting for the Internet place next door to open. Today, attitudes are as they were in the days of Hosea who wrote, “ the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants … There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God” [Hosea 4:1] That is exactly the case with our world today – “the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants” – and soon this will become awesomely evident. In the days of Jesus, people more widely believed that God was the ultimate arbiter of punishment for their sins. Our readings in Ezekiel also show this, making the point that God had been merciful toward his people, yet there comes a point when God, seeing that his people do not change although he keeps showing mercy, ultimately brings awesome destruction - and Jerusalem came to a terrible end because of the abundance of their sins and lack of repentance. It is significant that only once does Ezekiel use the word ‘mercy’ – although Jeremiah uses it frequently. God’s people abused his merciful attitude in Jeremiah’s time. The one occasion Ezekiel uses it in Ezekiel 39:25 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name” A latter day prophecy we believe will soon occur. Now Jesus makes a very interesting point in today’s chapter 13 in Luke. Evidently people had been saying that when a tower collapsed in Siloam and killed 18 people [Luke 13:4], those people must have been worse sinners than other people. How did Jesus respond? “No” he says, “I tell you they were not, and if you fail to repent you will all likewise perish.” There is less and less belief in God these days, so no spirit of repentance. We must look at ourselves! If we are not on God’s side, trying our best to do his will, there is no future for us. Jesus followed up his warning about Siloam by telling them a parable about a man who planted a tree [Luke 13:6-9] and who came for 3 years, looking for fruit, but found none. It was given one more year to produce fruit and a special effort was made to fertilise it. If it did not produce fruit it would be destroyed. Jesus came to the lost sheep of Israel, most would not follow him, 40 years later there was terrible destruction, especially in Jerusalem. The response of Peter on the day of Pentecost when the people were ‘cut to the heart’ in realizing they had killed their Messiah, was to tell them to “Repent and be baptised” [Acts 2:38] So we have done that! Good. Are we heeding the lessons of God’s word – not only with a repentant attitude - we must each ask ourselves, are we producing fruit? There is no point in having a “knowledge of God” if we do not.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 22 September 2014 1 Chronicles 5Ezekiel 18Luke 15 “MAKE YOURSELVES A NEW HEART” Our chapter (18) in Ezekiel offers us a change of focus, instead of describing the sins of God’s nation, the prophet is caused to express God’s encouragement to individuals in that nation to turn from their evil ways and serve him. This is also a chapter which stresses the divine judgement on individuals and shows that the word ‘soul’ does not mean some ‘spirit’ part of a person, often referred to as ‘the soul’ that is able to continue ‘living’ in some way – even though the body is dead. This is what the Greeks and Romans believed – and the Catholics believed and most other ‘christians’- under their influence - came to believe in later centuries – and, of course, the Muslims. Twice in this chapter Ezekiel records the words of God, “the soul who sins shall die” [Ezekiel 18:4,20]. The Hebrew word can be translated as ‘the person’ wherever it occurs. Ezekiel conveys God’s blunt words to the people, “Therefore I will judge you … every one according to his (her) ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.” [Ezekiel 18:30] Godlessness is obviously going to be the ruin of our world today. Just as Jerusalem and its wonderful temple were destroyed in the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, so will our world experience an awesome judgement by God. Our present readings of the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke are making this increasingly clear. The final verse in our Ezekiel chapter catches our attention; its appeal applies just as much now as it did then. “Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die …?” [Ezekiel 18:31] This is equally a question for today, “why will you die” eternally – never again to see the light and experience and explore the wonders of existence? Many Scriptures ask this question, read Psalm 49 as an outstanding example. Luke records Jesus’ parable about a lost coin. A diligent search is made and finally it is found – what rejoicing follows! “Just so,” says Jesus, “I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Jesus is the only person who ever lived who has never had to repent about anything. Has there been “joy in heaven” over you? Or will there be when you “make yourself a new heart” and marvel in “a new spirit” of mind as you are baptised into the name of Christ and commit yourself to use your particular talents in the service of Christ – before he returns! -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2014 23 September 2014 1 Chronicles 6Ezekiel 19Luke 16 “BUT GOD KNOWS YOUR HEARTS” Luke has left on record for us two intriguing parables, probably those which are most difficult to grasp as to their meaning of all the parables of Jesus. Let’s start though with recalling yesterday’s chapter 15 where we see that as the “tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him ... the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." [Luke 15:1-2] Jesus then tells 5 parables, the last two we read today. There is a common thread - the need to be genuine in seeking to serve God and God's willingness to forgive when people are genuinely repentant. Today we have a parable about a "dishonest manager" [Luke 16:1-13] and, as with all parables, its climax makes its’ application clear. The religious leaders are totally focussed in looking after their own interests, they are "faithful" to themselves. As a result they are dishonest managers of God's vineyard, corrupt spiritual leaders serving their own interests before serving God's. Jesus ridicules their self-interest, their "eternal dwellings" will be their grave - and archaeologists have discovered the elaborate tomb of the high priest's family, made as a miniature replica of the Temple. We understand that the High Priest had "five brothers" [Luke 16:28]. Jesus, in the parable of the 'rich man and Lazarus' ridicules their Greek influenced belief in the afterlife, this final parable is being told against the Sadducees, with its' closing 'punch line' that “if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Father Abraham says, ”If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." [Luke 16:30-31] How true this proves to be. We are not like those religious leaders are we, or is it possible that Jesus would say to you or to me, "you are those who justify yourselves before men" [Luke 16:15]? We live in a world that abounds with self-justification! It is before God, in prayer, that we should seek to justify our actions - and ask forgiveness where-ever it is necessary. The Master's next words are, "but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” May we, in true humility, in a spiritual sense, be “exalted … in the sight of God” because he knows our hearts. Whether this truly the case will be evident when the kingdom is here. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 24 September 2014 1 Chronicles 7Ezekiel 20Luke 17 “YOU SHALL REMEMBER YOUR WAYS” One of the most widely used Hebrew words in the Old Testament is the word Zakar. It is usually translated ‘remember’ but it does not necessarily mean ‘suddenly bringing to mind something you have forgotten’. It means focusing your mind on something in particular, it first occurs in Genesis 8:1 “And God remembered Noah and all…that were with him in the ark”. The work “remember” occurs in both our Ezekiel and Luke chapters today and conveys a significant message in them both. The long term future of his nation is revealed to Ezekiel, it creates a wonderful ‘silver lining’ in contrast to the ugly picture of Israel in Ezekiel’s time. God tells him that ultimately the time will come for his nation “When I will bring you out from all the peoples and gather you out of all the countries where you have been scattered”. But this is to be more than a remarkable world-wide regathering! “And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel…And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds….And you shall loath yourselves for all the evils you have committed. And you shall know that I am the LORD”. [Ezekiel 20:41-44] How soon before this happens? It is in God’s hands. We have a book, written by David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel; it includes reference to a stirring of interest and some knowledge of God’s prophets, such as Isaiah. They are starting to remember and search out the foundations on which their nation was originally built. But what of ourselves? How well do we know the foundations of our faith – how real are they to us? Is it just ‘head knowledge’? Jesus, when asked, “When the Kingdom of God would come?” [Luke 17:20] draws the lesson of the days of Noah and how people were “eating and drinking” and life seemed totally normal “until the flood came” [Luke 17:27]. The people had forgotten God and put him out of their minds just as they have today. But God remembered, but only Noah and his family remembered God! Jesus also reminds his audience of the destruction of Sodom, and how “they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building….” Luke 17:28, but then God acted. We know the account well, it is brief and to the point. A vital question - if our minds are absorbed and distracted by the interesting and exciting things in our world today, will we be ready when God acts? Reflect deeply on Luke 17:32, it has just three words; “Remember Lot’s wife”.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted September 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2014 25 September 2014 1 Chronicles 8Ezekiel 21Luke 18 “ALL FLESH SHALL KNOW” Our Ezekiel chapter (21) starts with Ezekiel being told to “Prophecy against the land of Israel” and that the LORD “will cut off from you both righteous and wicked … and all flesh shall know that I am the LORD” [Ezekiel 21:2,4,5] In effect God is now saying, ‘I mean what I say.’ The fascinating part of the chapter is the long term prophecy Ezekiel then receives from the LORD, “… O profane wicked prince of Israel … thus says the LORD ... take off the crown. Things shall not remain …A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it … until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.” [Ezekiel 21:25-27] This is what happened, we await the completion of the prophecy. The last proper king in Jerusalem is killed, the Jews have not had a king since. Kings Herod and Agrippa in the New Testament era were Idumean’s appointed by the Romans. The Jewish leaders in the days of Jesus were proud of their heritage, but they said they had “no king but Caesar.” Their pride was self-centred, they had no meaningful concept of the God they claimed to worship – let us make sure that we do have! In today’s chapter 18 in Luke we particularly noticed the words of Jesus portraying the contrasting attitudes of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector as they went into the Temple to pray. The Pharisee suffered from ‘I’ trouble. He “standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes ….” [Luke 18:11-12] In contrast, the Tax Collector humbly asked, “Lord be merciful to me a sinner.” The Lord makes the point, “the one who humbles himself will be exalted” [Luke 18:14] May we fully absorb the point the so that we may be there, and be among the “exalted” when “all flesh shall know” there is a God, an all-knowing, all seeing Creator. The prophets became totally conscious of this, this is how they were able to endure in all their difficult surroundings: how difficult are our times going to become? Remember what we read in Jeremiah a few weeks back, "O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause." [Jeremiah 20:12] May we be there at that incredible time when “all flesh shall know” there is a Creator. Let us pray now that our Lord will be merciful to us. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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