TEXT: ‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him’ (John 14:7) When the disciples wanted to know what God the Father was really like, Jesus said a remarkable thing, ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9). So to understand who the Father is, all we have to do is study the life of Jesus. Millions throughout the world have a “god” that’s nothing more than an idol, with hands that cannot hold anything, ears that cannot hear anything, mouths that cannot say anything, and feet that cannot walk anywhere. Thank God, the Christian does not believe in a God like that! Millions more have no faith in God at all and therefore have no hope. Such are plunging headlong into a lost eternity without even a thought as to what happens after they die. Note that Romans 15:4 reveals we get patience or endurance and comfort through the scriptures. God is the same as He is revealed in the Bible. Mankind has all sorts of ideas of God, but it’s what the Bible says that counts, and it is the final authority on the matter. That is why Jesus said,...
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TEXT: ‘Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit’ (James 5:17-18) Today’s Teaching focusses on prayer, a subject of interest to Christians who wonder, “How can I be more effective when praying?” There are three things I want to highlight from our text. 1. The Person – ‘Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings]’ (James 5:17 AMP). The previous verse says, ‘The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results’ (James 5:16 NLT). This statement can discourage us from praying, for we know only too well our personal weaknesses and failures. We need instead, to focus on the word “righteous”, as that will give us confidence to come boldly to the throne of grace. Righteousness that is not dependent on us to achieve, other than to believe what God has said is true, ‘For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21)....
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TEXT: ‘Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people’ (1 Chronicles 13:3-4) David’s heart desire was to bring the Ark of the Covenant (the symbol of God’s presence) to Jerusalem. Years earlier the Israelites had lost a battle and the Ark had been taken captive by the Philistines, who soon discovered the God of Israel could look after Himself (see 1 Samuel 4:1 – 7:2). To stop the plagues and safeguard the nation against further calamity, the Philistines sent the Ark back to Beth Shemesh. Tragedy struck the inhabitants when they looked inside the Ark and several died for their lack of reverence. Panic-stricken, the people invited the citizens of Kirjath Jearim to come, take the Ark and look after it. It was from here that David and all Israel came to transport the Ark to Jerusalem. A carnival atmosphere ensued as the Ark was put on a new cart, as the Philistines had done. Arriving at Chidon’s threshing floor, the oxen stumbled and Uzza put out his hand to steady the Ark....
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TEXT: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to him’ (Luke 4:18-19 TLB) These verses prophesied how Jesus would start His ministry, but it was the same at the end. What do you expect when approaching retirement from a job, church ministry, or nearing the end of your life? You don’t have to be an old person to reach that point, because Jesus was just 33 years old when He died. The elderly and housebound often ask, “What can I do?” The answer is, “Plenty!” Jesus said, ‘I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work’ (John 9:4). The Holy Spirit reminded me how Jesus acted at the end of His life on earth and we can do the same. 1. Pass on what you know Jesus was continually sharing with His disciples about principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. Shortly before He was...
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TEXT: ‘One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”’ (Luke 11:1 NIV) Luke’s gospel records seven occasions when Jesus prayed. Today’s Teaching is studying each one to see why Jesus prayed and what was the result, so we can safely imitate them and enjoy a more successful prayer life! In Parts 1 & 2, we studied how Jesus prayed: to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit; to guard Himself against the dangers of pride and self-reliance; to be cautious in decision-making and to promote evangelism. In this final part, we consider three more occasions when Jesus prayed. 5. To maintain focus – ‘And as he was praying, his face began to shine, and his clothes became dazzling white and blazed with light’ (Luke 9:29 TLB) The previous time we studied Jesus praying, Peter received the revelation about who Jesus really was, the Christ of God. Now, on the mountain of Transfiguration, he sees something he will never forget. As Jesus prayed, His face began to shine like the sun and His robe became ultra-white and glistening. The divine Jesus radiated glorious light out of His human...
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