The Enemy we must fight: Crafty and Convincing.
Matt. 4:1-11 – Luke 4:1-13
The Temptation of Jesus
Introduction:
Satan is so crafty and a practical thinker. He knows he cannot win in a one-on-one fight with a believer so instead of a direct confrontation, he uses basically two approaches: He comes to you with 1) a problem or a proposal. In 2 thes. 2:18, he gave a problem by preventing Paul from visiting the Thessalonians.
The Bible tells us in Eph. 6 that all the Christians are facing a spiritual warfare where we have to be properly armored in order to stand our ground. Eph. 6 speaks about the various types of demons and different ranks in the spirit world both on earth and in the space above the earth. But, although this sounds scary for most people, which is not our greatest personal spiritual fight. Eph. 6 describes a fight for the entire church and not for a people only. The Greatest spiritual fight that we have is when we have a ONE-ON-ONE ENCOUNTER WITH SATAN and he desires to defeat us in order to control us. That is our greatest encounter.
Do I mean then that Satan is interested not only in the people of the world in general but also specifically in certain individuals? Yes. Listen to this verse:
Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.
Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
2 Corinthians 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
All these verses are reminding that Satan takes personal interest in our individual downfall and he has a complete computerized record of every weakness there is in life because that is part of his job as the accuser. I believe that although he is a very busy being, Satan, the god of the world, time the prince of power of the air, the king of the demonic kingdom, finds the time to have a personal encounter with you and I that rare, terrible and dark encounter with him is what we call our GREATEST SPIRITUAL FIGHT. THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIVES.
Today, it is possible that some of us may be going through the greatest fight of our lives, the WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE OF OUR LIFE, without actually realizing it if you are going through something far too difficult to contemplate, think carefully and listen carefully. If you still have not gone through the greatest spiritual fight of your life, listen carefully. You want to be prepared when the time comes for your turn to fight. It will come just as surely as the darkness comes everyday.
Jesus Himself, as a man, went through this wilderness experience. It was the not the only great fight in his life for there were two greatest fights in his life. One at the wilderness and one at the cross. He won both. What is this GREATEST SPIRITUAL FIGHT OF OUR LIFE? How does Satan accomplish this?
1. HE POINTS OUT A PROBLEM…
We all have needs. But there are times when our needs seem to be so large that it is larger than life. There are times when our needs become so powerful that we feel so helpless. There are times when our needs are so pronounced that our minds cannot think of anything else but our needs. Whenever you have an unusual preoccupation with your needs, whenever you feel that your needs seem to be the controlling force in your life, whenever you feel that the needs have become the biggest issue in you life, think again, you be unaware that the king of the demonic world has arrived and is now waging a personal war against you. ONE-ON-ONE, you against Satan. His primary instrument: Your need.
What were the needs of Jesus that Satan somehow identified? Note:
• Jesus had a need of food. He has fasted for 40 days and night. For us, even the matter of food supply can become Satan’s instrument for torturing our minds. How many times have you heard of true stories where a parent killed his children because of extreme poverty and inability to provide for the food supply of the family. Food of course represents the many other physical and material needs we have in life. Yes, whenever you feel that the physical needs have become to powerful and you are about to give up, remember, you may be, without realizing it, engaged in a ONE-ON-ONE fight with Satan.
• Needs for Companionship. Jesus was alone. For forty days and forty nights, he was alone in his struggles. Although Jesus was a very strong person, he also needed the companionship of others. Later, we find him having 12 disciples and having a core group of 3 persons, James, John and Peter. His need for companionship was clearly revealed when he shouted at the cross-My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
My friend, you may be here today as someone already deep in debts because of a wrong decision in the past or because you were cheated, or because business is really bad. You may be here today as a single parent finding it difficult or cope up with the needs of your family and your own personal needs. You may be here today and is need of deliverance form some kind of a power oppressing you and you want to be freed from it but you feel that you are so alone. The nights are cold and lonely. The prospect for income is so insignificant if not completely zero. Companionship and friendship from others seem to be unexpected. Your mind is slowly becoming too focused on one thing: Your needs.
Be warned. Satan may already have started his ONE-ON-ONE WAR AGAINST YOU. Satan against the failing businessman. Satan against the oppressed husband or wife. Satan against the unloved son or daughter. Satan against the unrecognized father or mother. Satan against the lonely, helpless single parent. Is Satan already fighting with you? Listen as we go on.
So Satan begins this personal ONE-ON-ONE WAR AGAINST US by pointing out and emphasizing our needs until we become desperate. Next. This is what he does.
2. He PROPOSES ANSWERS TO YOUR NEEDS THE WRONG WAY
Jesus’ case: Test God by jumping. Anyway God will rescue you even if killing yourself-which is self-inflicted murder is wrong. Second. Call people’s attention by jumping. God will surely rescue you and more people will gather around you as a result.
In our case, after Pointing out and emphasizing our needs, Satan then proposes that:
• We look for answers even if these happen to be against God’s law. As if he is saying to us. Do it. God will stop you anyway if this is really dangerous and wrong. Jumping is wrong but test it anyway. It’s like a ma who says going to the Casino is wrong but I have a great need and if it is really that wrong, God will do something to stop me anyway.
• We give attention to people’s praise and adoration. Satan showed Jesus the people of the world, their splendor, their glory. All these can be yours. I’ll give it to you. It was invitation to be a person of prestige and fame in the world. A person praised and adored by others. May be some can say, I am not concerned about that. I don’t really go for people’s praise and adoration. May be. To be concerned about people’s praise and adoration does not only come by wanting people to actually praise us, but it can also come by not wanting people to see our poverty. To be embarrassed when we are in need. To be embarrassed when we are economically down at certain times.
Sometimes, Satan aggravates this whole fight by forcing us to:
• Doubt your spiritual identity
• Offer to do short-cuts in life
• Misinterpret the Word (Ps. 90:11-12)
• Recognize Satan as worthy of worship
3. He Presents the ultimate answer to our concerns: Change your identity
• Satan then proposes an ultimate answer to the needs Jesus. Worship me and I’ll give you everything. You have a need. I have the answer. Even that is wrong by your standard but I can provide. Change your identity and worship me.
Therefore anyone who, by reason of poverty and extreme need, acquires an answer to his needs through means involving the compromise of his faith and the honor of God, has in fact, without intending to do so, given his body to the control of the enemy.
Better to be poor and be assured by God than to be rich and be insured by Satan. Better to be alone but have Jesus and than to be never alone and have Satan as companion.
CONCLUSION:
We now come to the concluding question: What do we do when we realized that on account of our needs, difficulties and crisis in life, Satan has actually started a ONE-ON-ONE- fight with us, what do we do?
• Re-assess your physical and material needs and look for answers only in the context o obedience
• Re-assess your needs for companionship and social recognition in the context of obedience. Don’t be fooled into thinking that because you are alone and lonely, you are an abnormal person and hopeless. A certain Mr. Edward Hale has said; I AM ONLY ONE. BUT STILL, I AM ONE. I CANNOT DO EVERYTHING, BUT STILL I CAN DO SOMETHING. AND BECAUSE I CANNOT EVERYTHING, I WILL NOT REFUSE TO DO SOMETHING I CAN DO. There is something you can do. When you have a setback in life, don’t rush things. Sit back, think, meditate and pray for specific direction.
• Acquire proper grounding in the Word. This was the secret of Jesus. He was not controlled by his circumstances for he dealt with his circumstances by is set of attitudes taken from a good grounding from the word of God. Mr. Hugh Downs has said: A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstance, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
• Face your Difficulties with a sense of victory although nothing is clear. James 1.
• Use your authority over the enemy to rebuke him.
• Decide to turn temptation into a trial and decide to win.
• Be willing to be prayed for deliverance even now if you think you have already given up your life or a part of your life to Satan without intending to do so.
Conclusion:
No excuse for falling into temptation… 1 Cor. 10:13. But if you have fallen, get up and move forward. There really is no excuse for not getting up and moving forward.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
THE ENCOUNTER IN THE WILDERNESS
THE ENCOUNTER IN THE WILDERNESS
(A Short Story)
An Indecent Proposal:
In the eye-squinting and almost blinding sun of the desert, he saw what looked like and shaped like a loaf of bread. In the faint light of the cold and quiet Judean night, the object really looked like bread. Was it? The Hungry Man (HM for brevity) in our story was well aware what it was but there was something else he was acutely aware of: the undeniable and attention-grabbing hunger, a result of many days and nights of intentionally avoiding food.
Hunger spares no one and it is characterized by a bodily sensation that changes its call from urgent to very urgent. Naturally, the simple answer to hunger is food, assuming that food is available and within reach. It was not so at this time. There was no plant from which grains may be plucked off. There was no house in the vicinity whose owner can be requested, even compelled to provide food. There was no store from which to buy food of any kind. Hunger is a simple issue and never complicated when food is available and accessible. It was not so at this time. But, there is that nagging object a few meters away. It does look like bread. Any observer would know that it was not bread but its presence may be a sign that it can and must be turned into bread. Is it possible?
The silence of the meditative mind was interrupted, rather rudely, in fact, by the arrival of a visitor whose presence is always a portent of difficult events and bad news. The visitor is not a stranger and he is known to be preoccupied with two ambitions: control and gain. Anyone that can be controlled becomes his slave and the one that cannot be controlled becomes his enemy. And if he cannot win over his enemy, he tries the most surreptitious approach implemented in a very cunning manner in order to steal from, kill and destroy the enemy he cannot hope to defeat. That day, in the soul-gripping silence typical of a wilderness, the visitor appeared again- to steal, to kill and destroy. It was a strange sight: the visitor confronting a person whose assistant defeated this same visitor long time ago in a far, distant part of the universe. Oh yes, HM knows this visitor quite well. Actually, they knew each other quite well.
Using his usual suave and disarming linguistic skills, the visitor says: “turn this stone into bread.” No long preliminaries were necessary because both HM and the visitor knew that hunger had become an undeniable reality and that no food was within a reachable distance. HM was hungry and there was this bread-shaped stone which requires nothing but a word or a command and it would gladly transform itself into the best-tasting bread one can ever bite into in this world.
But look, HM not only knows this visitor quite well in terms of dossier. He also knows that this visitor is called THE TEMPTER, the one who invites people to sin or invites people to take a step beyond the limits God has set for His people. The visitor pointed out a problem that HM was already aware of. The assumption is that a hungry man would naturally want food and will want to get it ASAP. Assuming that HM believes in what everyone else believes – that man lives by having bread or food, the visitor tells the HM: “turn this stone into bread.” This has always been the visitor’s method and in his past dealings with many others, he was successful in selling his ideas to the hungry person and the visitor’s will was forced on the hungry person’s life. Not this time.
HM’s answer was succinct, beyond debate and an answer that every child of God must learn to keep in his heart, confess with his mouth and uphold in his mind with utmost firmness: “Man does not live by bread alone”. It was not a disparaging view of bread for man does need bread or food to live in this world. There was no argument about the need for bread but it was wrong to equate life with food. There is something very important, in fact, far more important in a man’s life: “Every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” The visitor was using a classic and time-tested formula for causing human beings to fight God: Don’t wait for God to solve your problems. Solve it yourself. Do it your way. Patience is not a virtue when one is hungry. Turn this stone into bread. HM used a time-tested and time-honored principle called HIERARCHY OF IMPORTANCE: Man needs bread, yes but he also needs every word that comes out of the mouth of God. It is a way of saying: I’ll do it if the word of God approves of it or does not frown on it. HM’s answer can be summarized this way: VALUE THE WORD OF GOD!
The visitor was frustrated but he was not about to give up. He has two more proposals to make. He was familiar with the adage that says: If at first try you don’t succeed, try again and again. So he tried again.
An Invitation To Prove God’s Care And Kindness.
The visitor presented his second proposal and it had a tinge of spirituality to it: “throw yourself down.” They were perched on the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem (how they got there remains a mystery) and both HM and the visitor can see clearly the very busy streets of Jerusalem with people going to and fro to pursue their business for the day. Jumping from that height (about 60 feet high) would means sure death. But, the visitor says: “throw yourself down.” He gives an added encouragement: “The angels will come and catch you with their hands so that you remain safe.”
HM was fully aware of what the visitor was trying to do. He was inviting Him to try the goodness and care of God by doing an act that is both foolish and sinful. Jumping off the building was suicide and does not find justification anywhere in the Word of God. Both HM and the visitor were familiar with the Old Testament. Both were aware that suicide is a form of murder and something that the Law prohibits. Both were aware that the phrase TESTING GOD is used in the Old Testament in two ways: Test God’s goodness by obeying Him fully (Malachi) or testing God by disobeying Him (Israelite travel from Egypt to the Promised Land).
HM’s answer was a forgone conclusion: We cannot and should put the Lord our God to the test. Yes the angels will come and help but not by way of disobedience. Yes I the Son of God but I do not have to prove that by death through suicide (another form of death would be required later). HM’s answer was very clear: VALUE THE HONOR OF GOD. Don’t put Him to the test. The visitor was becoming increasingly frustrated but he cannot and would not easily give up. One more try and maybe this one will work.
An Invitation To Change Identity:
Finally, the last proposal was simplistic in its presentation but with implications that defy human analysis and valuation: The visitor asked HM to worship him. In return the visitor will put the wealth of the world in the hands of the HM. HM was perceptive enough to know that the issue was not wealth and never will be. The issue was worship. We are to worship God alone. This the most non-negotiable item in man’s spiritual library: Worship God and serve Him only.
There was no arguing about who owns the wealth of the world. That was not the issue. There was no arguing about who can grant power or withdraw power in this world. That was not the issue. The main issue was WORSHIP. We worship God alone and serve Him only. What was the main principle involved here?
It’s called the PRINCIPLE OF SPIRITUAL IDENTITY. A child of God has an unchangeable and non-negotiable identity: WORSHIPER OF GOD. The visitor attempted everything but the main issue he was raising, the main proposal he was presenting was simply this: CHANGE YOUR SPIRITUAL IDENTITY, to which HM answered back in no uncertain terms: NO WAY. HM was upholding a very important spiritual principle and task: VALUE GOD’S MAJESTY.
CONCLUSION:
In summary, the encounter in the wilderness between the HUNGRY MAN and the VISITOR went like this: Visitor: You are hungry and the answer is food. Here is a stone that can be turned into bread. So, turn this into bread. HM: In everything consider first the WORD OF GOD. PRINCIPLE: VALUE THE WORD OF GOD.
Visitor: You are assured of God’s care for you. Put it to the test by jumping off this temple. Anyway the angels will rescue you. HM: God will be dishonored by an attempt to commit suicide. I won’t put God’s honor to the test. PRINCIPLE: VALUE THE HONOR OF GOD.
Visitor: You are in this world. I have control of the wealth and power of the world. So, change your identity. Worship me and I’ll give you all these. HM: Worship God and serve Him only. That is non-negotiable. PRINCIPLE: VALUE GOD’S MAJESTY.
NOTE: This is not a work of fiction. The story is found in Matthew 4:1-11. By the way, what is your track record in the times the visitor presented his proposals to you?
(A Short Story)
An Indecent Proposal:
In the eye-squinting and almost blinding sun of the desert, he saw what looked like and shaped like a loaf of bread. In the faint light of the cold and quiet Judean night, the object really looked like bread. Was it? The Hungry Man (HM for brevity) in our story was well aware what it was but there was something else he was acutely aware of: the undeniable and attention-grabbing hunger, a result of many days and nights of intentionally avoiding food.
Hunger spares no one and it is characterized by a bodily sensation that changes its call from urgent to very urgent. Naturally, the simple answer to hunger is food, assuming that food is available and within reach. It was not so at this time. There was no plant from which grains may be plucked off. There was no house in the vicinity whose owner can be requested, even compelled to provide food. There was no store from which to buy food of any kind. Hunger is a simple issue and never complicated when food is available and accessible. It was not so at this time. But, there is that nagging object a few meters away. It does look like bread. Any observer would know that it was not bread but its presence may be a sign that it can and must be turned into bread. Is it possible?
The silence of the meditative mind was interrupted, rather rudely, in fact, by the arrival of a visitor whose presence is always a portent of difficult events and bad news. The visitor is not a stranger and he is known to be preoccupied with two ambitions: control and gain. Anyone that can be controlled becomes his slave and the one that cannot be controlled becomes his enemy. And if he cannot win over his enemy, he tries the most surreptitious approach implemented in a very cunning manner in order to steal from, kill and destroy the enemy he cannot hope to defeat. That day, in the soul-gripping silence typical of a wilderness, the visitor appeared again- to steal, to kill and destroy. It was a strange sight: the visitor confronting a person whose assistant defeated this same visitor long time ago in a far, distant part of the universe. Oh yes, HM knows this visitor quite well. Actually, they knew each other quite well.
Using his usual suave and disarming linguistic skills, the visitor says: “turn this stone into bread.” No long preliminaries were necessary because both HM and the visitor knew that hunger had become an undeniable reality and that no food was within a reachable distance. HM was hungry and there was this bread-shaped stone which requires nothing but a word or a command and it would gladly transform itself into the best-tasting bread one can ever bite into in this world.
But look, HM not only knows this visitor quite well in terms of dossier. He also knows that this visitor is called THE TEMPTER, the one who invites people to sin or invites people to take a step beyond the limits God has set for His people. The visitor pointed out a problem that HM was already aware of. The assumption is that a hungry man would naturally want food and will want to get it ASAP. Assuming that HM believes in what everyone else believes – that man lives by having bread or food, the visitor tells the HM: “turn this stone into bread.” This has always been the visitor’s method and in his past dealings with many others, he was successful in selling his ideas to the hungry person and the visitor’s will was forced on the hungry person’s life. Not this time.
HM’s answer was succinct, beyond debate and an answer that every child of God must learn to keep in his heart, confess with his mouth and uphold in his mind with utmost firmness: “Man does not live by bread alone”. It was not a disparaging view of bread for man does need bread or food to live in this world. There was no argument about the need for bread but it was wrong to equate life with food. There is something very important, in fact, far more important in a man’s life: “Every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” The visitor was using a classic and time-tested formula for causing human beings to fight God: Don’t wait for God to solve your problems. Solve it yourself. Do it your way. Patience is not a virtue when one is hungry. Turn this stone into bread. HM used a time-tested and time-honored principle called HIERARCHY OF IMPORTANCE: Man needs bread, yes but he also needs every word that comes out of the mouth of God. It is a way of saying: I’ll do it if the word of God approves of it or does not frown on it. HM’s answer can be summarized this way: VALUE THE WORD OF GOD!
The visitor was frustrated but he was not about to give up. He has two more proposals to make. He was familiar with the adage that says: If at first try you don’t succeed, try again and again. So he tried again.
An Invitation To Prove God’s Care And Kindness.
The visitor presented his second proposal and it had a tinge of spirituality to it: “throw yourself down.” They were perched on the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem (how they got there remains a mystery) and both HM and the visitor can see clearly the very busy streets of Jerusalem with people going to and fro to pursue their business for the day. Jumping from that height (about 60 feet high) would means sure death. But, the visitor says: “throw yourself down.” He gives an added encouragement: “The angels will come and catch you with their hands so that you remain safe.”
HM was fully aware of what the visitor was trying to do. He was inviting Him to try the goodness and care of God by doing an act that is both foolish and sinful. Jumping off the building was suicide and does not find justification anywhere in the Word of God. Both HM and the visitor were familiar with the Old Testament. Both were aware that suicide is a form of murder and something that the Law prohibits. Both were aware that the phrase TESTING GOD is used in the Old Testament in two ways: Test God’s goodness by obeying Him fully (Malachi) or testing God by disobeying Him (Israelite travel from Egypt to the Promised Land).
HM’s answer was a forgone conclusion: We cannot and should put the Lord our God to the test. Yes the angels will come and help but not by way of disobedience. Yes I the Son of God but I do not have to prove that by death through suicide (another form of death would be required later). HM’s answer was very clear: VALUE THE HONOR OF GOD. Don’t put Him to the test. The visitor was becoming increasingly frustrated but he cannot and would not easily give up. One more try and maybe this one will work.
An Invitation To Change Identity:
Finally, the last proposal was simplistic in its presentation but with implications that defy human analysis and valuation: The visitor asked HM to worship him. In return the visitor will put the wealth of the world in the hands of the HM. HM was perceptive enough to know that the issue was not wealth and never will be. The issue was worship. We are to worship God alone. This the most non-negotiable item in man’s spiritual library: Worship God and serve Him only.
There was no arguing about who owns the wealth of the world. That was not the issue. There was no arguing about who can grant power or withdraw power in this world. That was not the issue. The main issue was WORSHIP. We worship God alone and serve Him only. What was the main principle involved here?
It’s called the PRINCIPLE OF SPIRITUAL IDENTITY. A child of God has an unchangeable and non-negotiable identity: WORSHIPER OF GOD. The visitor attempted everything but the main issue he was raising, the main proposal he was presenting was simply this: CHANGE YOUR SPIRITUAL IDENTITY, to which HM answered back in no uncertain terms: NO WAY. HM was upholding a very important spiritual principle and task: VALUE GOD’S MAJESTY.
CONCLUSION:
In summary, the encounter in the wilderness between the HUNGRY MAN and the VISITOR went like this: Visitor: You are hungry and the answer is food. Here is a stone that can be turned into bread. So, turn this into bread. HM: In everything consider first the WORD OF GOD. PRINCIPLE: VALUE THE WORD OF GOD.
Visitor: You are assured of God’s care for you. Put it to the test by jumping off this temple. Anyway the angels will rescue you. HM: God will be dishonored by an attempt to commit suicide. I won’t put God’s honor to the test. PRINCIPLE: VALUE THE HONOR OF GOD.
Visitor: You are in this world. I have control of the wealth and power of the world. So, change your identity. Worship me and I’ll give you all these. HM: Worship God and serve Him only. That is non-negotiable. PRINCIPLE: VALUE GOD’S MAJESTY.
NOTE: This is not a work of fiction. The story is found in Matthew 4:1-11. By the way, what is your track record in the times the visitor presented his proposals to you?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
outline of John 14:1-6
LIVING ON A BORROWED TIME:
CONFIDENCE IN A DYING WORLD
John 14:1-6
MAIN TRUTH:
In a rapidly deteriorating world, our best source of confidence is still the person and the promise of Jesus Christ.
Introduction:
Signs of deterioration:
Disappearing forest cover
Diminishing water supply
Household and industrial wastes
Abuse of our oceans, rivers and lakes
Increasing tendency to kill and destroy each other
I THE PROMISE:
1. The promise about his person: He is coming again
2. The promise about us: He will take us to be with Him.
3. The promise about eternal relationship: We will be with Him forever more.
II THE PLACE
1. With the Father in heaven
2. With sufficient space for everyone
3. With a personal touch of Jesus
III THE PROGRAM
1. Finding the way, the truth and the life
2. Fending off the world and its traps
2.1. The false peace offered by the world. 14:27
2.2. The false prince of the world. He looks for victims. He tempts. He destroys. 1 Pt. 5:6
2.3. The hatred of the word. 15:18
3. Fruit bearing as a lifestyle. 15
Conclusion:
The role of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we carry out our lives in this dying world.
1. He lives in us. 14:17
2. He will stay by our side as our helper (14:16)
3. He will teach us all things (14:26)
4. He will guide into all truth (16:13)
CONFIDENCE IN A DYING WORLD
John 14:1-6
MAIN TRUTH:
In a rapidly deteriorating world, our best source of confidence is still the person and the promise of Jesus Christ.
Introduction:
Signs of deterioration:
Disappearing forest cover
Diminishing water supply
Household and industrial wastes
Abuse of our oceans, rivers and lakes
Increasing tendency to kill and destroy each other
I THE PROMISE:
1. The promise about his person: He is coming again
2. The promise about us: He will take us to be with Him.
3. The promise about eternal relationship: We will be with Him forever more.
II THE PLACE
1. With the Father in heaven
2. With sufficient space for everyone
3. With a personal touch of Jesus
III THE PROGRAM
1. Finding the way, the truth and the life
2. Fending off the world and its traps
2.1. The false peace offered by the world. 14:27
2.2. The false prince of the world. He looks for victims. He tempts. He destroys. 1 Pt. 5:6
2.3. The hatred of the word. 15:18
3. Fruit bearing as a lifestyle. 15
Conclusion:
The role of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we carry out our lives in this dying world.
1. He lives in us. 14:17
2. He will stay by our side as our helper (14:16)
3. He will teach us all things (14:26)
4. He will guide into all truth (16:13)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
GOD IS GREAT IN HIS FAITHFULNESS BUT HIS GREAT FAITHFULNESS IS FOR BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE.
The TEXT:
Lamentations 3:20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul," Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man that he should bear The yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and be silent Since He has laid it on him.
The TITLE: GOD IS GREAT IN HIS FAITHFULNESS BUT HIS GREAT FAITHFULNESS IS FOR BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE.
Introduction:
If you have just seen your house burned down; If you have just been told you’re your bank has been closed by the Authorities; If you have just come to realize that your savings have been put in serious jeopardy; If you have just been told that your position in the company has been declared redundant and that you must therefore go: if you have just been told that you are suffering from an incurable illness, would you respond to your situation by singing the hymn:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Would you sing that? It is easier to sing GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS when things are going well and when life is generally favorable. But, if something bad has already taken place, it is difficult to sin GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.
The PHRASE Great Is Thy Faithfulness in the Hymn is taken from lamentations 3:23. What was the context of the Lamentations 3? A quick historical background. In 922 BC, the Kingdome of Israel was divided into two: the Northern kingdom (10 tribes) and the Southern Kingdom (2 tribes). In 722 BC, the Northern Kingdom crumbled and its people exiled to different parts of the world and never really returned as 10 tribes. In 587 BC, the Chaldeans or Babylonians started the SEIGE of Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom. In 586 BC, Jerusalem was captured after a year of terrible siege which resulted to a terrible suffering of the people of the Kingdom. Lamentaions 3 and the words GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS was written after the capture of the City when the people were living in defeat, in misery still nursing the effects of the terrible suffering. After such a terrible suffering, how can one say to God: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, OH GOD MY FATHER!
When the people were still facing the possibility of a prolonged and terrifying warfare, they were all intensely wishing that they will be spared from the terror that war brings; that they would be spared from the shame of being led out as slaves. But it was not to be the case. But, surprise of all surprises, after the terrible defeat and they were still trying to handle their pains, they acquired a new understanding of the goodness of God. It was the midst of their pains and defeat and they said the words: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.
Here is an important lesson about God’s faithfulness from this passage and the background story. THE GREAT FAITHFULNESS OF THE LORD IS A SPECIFIC GIFT TO THE FOLLOWING PERSONS: Who are these?
His Great Faithfulness is given:
1. To those who are HOPING in Him.
Lamentations 3:20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
What does it mean to HOPE IN GOD?
Ps 42:11. 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. NIV
To Hope means to be in a difficult and desperate situation but instead of complaining, to wait upon God and say: What is happening is disturbing but God will make a way and I will have the privilege of praising Him. To hope in God means to acknowledge our difficulties- we don’t say we are okay when we are not okay- but we also affirm that the God of the universe in on our side and soon He will do something about our situation. It means to bring our concerns to God- Take it to the Lord in Prayer- and look to the days ahead with confidence even if the present situation is not encouraging.
2. To those who are SEEKING Him
Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
From a study of how and where the word DARASH (Seek) is used in the Old Testament, it becomes clear that to SEEK THE LORD HAS TWO SPECIFIC MEANINGS:
2.1. A life founded on Prayer. Ps 34:4. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. NASB. Clearly, seeking has something to do with PRAYING. The more intense the prayer, the more intense the seeking. But there is another dimension to Seeking as prayer and it is beautiful. Seeking also means that you believe that your best option during a difficult time is to call upon God and spend time with Him.
2.2. A life founded on repentance and righteousness.
Deuteronomy 4:30 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. NASB
Repentance may not immediately remove your problems but it will surely strengthen you and prepare the way for the revelation of God’s answer. In repentance we receive forgiveness and if you remember 2 Chronicles 7:14, the healing of the land is a divine gift that is given after the first gift has been given. Do you remember what the first gift was? Forgiveness.
3. To those who are WAITING for Him
Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
What does it mean to WAIT FOR HIM? To wait means to be silent while believing that God will act at the right time. This waiting is not the impatient type. It is the waiting of the patient and trusting. It is not the waiting that is accompanied by complaining. It is the waiting that trusts God for His perfect timing and while we wait, we trust, we sing, we do no lose heart and we do not complain in impatience.
Lam. 2:24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul," Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
The Hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness is based on some words in Lamentations 3 and it summarizes so beautifully our lessons for today.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Our advantage is that God may actually allow us no longer to be defeated nor held in bondage as was true in the case of the people of Jerusalem. We can learn from them and actually avoid the costly and terrifying defeat. We will overcome the challenges of 2009 and we will gather again to celebrate during our anniversary on May 16 and have a wonderful Christmas season in December of 2009.
Are you willing to sing GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS as DOCTRINAL AFFIRMATION OF OUR HOPE IN GOD?
The TEXT:
Lamentations 3:20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul," Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man that he should bear The yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and be silent Since He has laid it on him.
The TITLE: GOD IS GREAT IN HIS FAITHFULNESS BUT HIS GREAT FAITHFULNESS IS FOR BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE.
Introduction:
If you have just seen your house burned down; If you have just been told you’re your bank has been closed by the Authorities; If you have just come to realize that your savings have been put in serious jeopardy; If you have just been told that your position in the company has been declared redundant and that you must therefore go: if you have just been told that you are suffering from an incurable illness, would you respond to your situation by singing the hymn:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Would you sing that? It is easier to sing GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS when things are going well and when life is generally favorable. But, if something bad has already taken place, it is difficult to sin GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.
The PHRASE Great Is Thy Faithfulness in the Hymn is taken from lamentations 3:23. What was the context of the Lamentations 3? A quick historical background. In 922 BC, the Kingdome of Israel was divided into two: the Northern kingdom (10 tribes) and the Southern Kingdom (2 tribes). In 722 BC, the Northern Kingdom crumbled and its people exiled to different parts of the world and never really returned as 10 tribes. In 587 BC, the Chaldeans or Babylonians started the SEIGE of Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom. In 586 BC, Jerusalem was captured after a year of terrible siege which resulted to a terrible suffering of the people of the Kingdom. Lamentaions 3 and the words GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS was written after the capture of the City when the people were living in defeat, in misery still nursing the effects of the terrible suffering. After such a terrible suffering, how can one say to God: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, OH GOD MY FATHER!
When the people were still facing the possibility of a prolonged and terrifying warfare, they were all intensely wishing that they will be spared from the terror that war brings; that they would be spared from the shame of being led out as slaves. But it was not to be the case. But, surprise of all surprises, after the terrible defeat and they were still trying to handle their pains, they acquired a new understanding of the goodness of God. It was the midst of their pains and defeat and they said the words: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.
Here is an important lesson about God’s faithfulness from this passage and the background story. THE GREAT FAITHFULNESS OF THE LORD IS A SPECIFIC GIFT TO THE FOLLOWING PERSONS: Who are these?
His Great Faithfulness is given:
1. To those who are HOPING in Him.
Lamentations 3:20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
What does it mean to HOPE IN GOD?
Ps 42:11. 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. NIV
To Hope means to be in a difficult and desperate situation but instead of complaining, to wait upon God and say: What is happening is disturbing but God will make a way and I will have the privilege of praising Him. To hope in God means to acknowledge our difficulties- we don’t say we are okay when we are not okay- but we also affirm that the God of the universe in on our side and soon He will do something about our situation. It means to bring our concerns to God- Take it to the Lord in Prayer- and look to the days ahead with confidence even if the present situation is not encouraging.
2. To those who are SEEKING Him
Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
From a study of how and where the word DARASH (Seek) is used in the Old Testament, it becomes clear that to SEEK THE LORD HAS TWO SPECIFIC MEANINGS:
2.1. A life founded on Prayer. Ps 34:4. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. NASB. Clearly, seeking has something to do with PRAYING. The more intense the prayer, the more intense the seeking. But there is another dimension to Seeking as prayer and it is beautiful. Seeking also means that you believe that your best option during a difficult time is to call upon God and spend time with Him.
2.2. A life founded on repentance and righteousness.
Deuteronomy 4:30 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. NASB
Repentance may not immediately remove your problems but it will surely strengthen you and prepare the way for the revelation of God’s answer. In repentance we receive forgiveness and if you remember 2 Chronicles 7:14, the healing of the land is a divine gift that is given after the first gift has been given. Do you remember what the first gift was? Forgiveness.
3. To those who are WAITING for Him
Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
What does it mean to WAIT FOR HIM? To wait means to be silent while believing that God will act at the right time. This waiting is not the impatient type. It is the waiting of the patient and trusting. It is not the waiting that is accompanied by complaining. It is the waiting that trusts God for His perfect timing and while we wait, we trust, we sing, we do no lose heart and we do not complain in impatience.
Lam. 2:24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul," Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
The Hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness is based on some words in Lamentations 3 and it summarizes so beautifully our lessons for today.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Our advantage is that God may actually allow us no longer to be defeated nor held in bondage as was true in the case of the people of Jerusalem. We can learn from them and actually avoid the costly and terrifying defeat. We will overcome the challenges of 2009 and we will gather again to celebrate during our anniversary on May 16 and have a wonderful Christmas season in December of 2009.
Are you willing to sing GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS as DOCTRINAL AFFIRMATION OF OUR HOPE IN GOD?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
THE WISE KNOWS HE LACKS WISDOM
THE WISE KNOWS HE LACKS WISDOM
Wisdom may not guarantee long life but it guarantees victory. James 1
SOPHIA - PHRONESIS
SOPHIA- Nature of things. Wisdom helps to understand why a problem is a problem.
PHRONESIS- Modes of Action (choices in terms of what should be done) with projected results. Phronesis helps us to understand what action must be taken, what its projected results would be. HOW DO YOU SWAT THE FLY?
James 1: 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
7 For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; 10 and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
The argument in James 1
Without wisdom, one gets defeated by his trials
With wisdom, one benefits from trials
The Value of Sophia and Phronesis
Wisdom requires understanding its value and understanding how to acquire and use it. Wisdom helps us in 3 specific ways:
1. WISDOM HELPS US TO:
A. Understand the reasons, meaning and value of our trials. James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. NO TRIAL IS WITHOUT A REASON FOR OUR BENEFIT.
B. As a consequence, wisdom helps us gain joy out of our trials. James 1:2 Consider it all joy
2. WISDOM HELPS US TO:
Understand the mysteries of life:
The “high” position of the poor believer. James 1:9 But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; James is describing the poor’s discovery that once he becomes a Christian, he gets position in the kingdom of God that is equal with everyone, including the rich. This is something that he really had not hope of achieving by himself and by his own efforts.
The “humiliation” of the rich believer. James 1:10 and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.”
The rich man here was someone who had always believed as culture for hundreds of years made him believe, that the glory of a man is in his riches. Once he becomes a Christian, he realizes that the rich and poor are the same in terms of the shortness of life and all the problems that come with being alive. He now knows that his wealth is not the ultimate reason for his confidence in life. In this sense, he has been humiliated.
3. WISDOM HELPS US TO:
Acquire the characteristics of the Victor:
Quick to hear- We listen to learn and we are listeners first of all before we are speakers.
Slow To speak- in the context it means not responding to a provocation right away but giving it time for processing.
Slow to anger- emotions can get in the way of our reaction to an issue. Don’t be. Control the emotions.
James 1:19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God
The Right Attitude Towards Sophia And Phronesis
Acquire- Ask it from God.
Apply- Use in making decisions everyday and planning for your future.
Assess the use of wisdom in your life. Find out if your decisions are palpak or pangpalakpak.
Wisdom may not guarantee long life but it guarantees victory. James 1
SOPHIA - PHRONESIS
SOPHIA- Nature of things. Wisdom helps to understand why a problem is a problem.
PHRONESIS- Modes of Action (choices in terms of what should be done) with projected results. Phronesis helps us to understand what action must be taken, what its projected results would be. HOW DO YOU SWAT THE FLY?
James 1: 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
7 For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; 10 and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
The argument in James 1
Without wisdom, one gets defeated by his trials
With wisdom, one benefits from trials
The Value of Sophia and Phronesis
Wisdom requires understanding its value and understanding how to acquire and use it. Wisdom helps us in 3 specific ways:
1. WISDOM HELPS US TO:
A. Understand the reasons, meaning and value of our trials. James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. NO TRIAL IS WITHOUT A REASON FOR OUR BENEFIT.
B. As a consequence, wisdom helps us gain joy out of our trials. James 1:2 Consider it all joy
2. WISDOM HELPS US TO:
Understand the mysteries of life:
The “high” position of the poor believer. James 1:9 But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; James is describing the poor’s discovery that once he becomes a Christian, he gets position in the kingdom of God that is equal with everyone, including the rich. This is something that he really had not hope of achieving by himself and by his own efforts.
The “humiliation” of the rich believer. James 1:10 and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.”
The rich man here was someone who had always believed as culture for hundreds of years made him believe, that the glory of a man is in his riches. Once he becomes a Christian, he realizes that the rich and poor are the same in terms of the shortness of life and all the problems that come with being alive. He now knows that his wealth is not the ultimate reason for his confidence in life. In this sense, he has been humiliated.
3. WISDOM HELPS US TO:
Acquire the characteristics of the Victor:
Quick to hear- We listen to learn and we are listeners first of all before we are speakers.
Slow To speak- in the context it means not responding to a provocation right away but giving it time for processing.
Slow to anger- emotions can get in the way of our reaction to an issue. Don’t be. Control the emotions.
James 1:19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God
The Right Attitude Towards Sophia And Phronesis
Acquire- Ask it from God.
Apply- Use in making decisions everyday and planning for your future.
Assess the use of wisdom in your life. Find out if your decisions are palpak or pangpalakpak.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Wonderful New Year's Eve service
We had a very encouraging and wonderful worship service last night. The church was not only full of people. It was full of real worshipers.
2010 Elections
We should now start praying for the candidates we will vote for. I'm starting with the senatorial line up. Number one in my list is Senator Pia Cayetano, a reelectionist. Second is Atty. Adel Tamano. I'm still studying the other names.
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