The Family Prayer to our Father, God

Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.”

Here Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. Showing them God, in a most tender aspect: Our Father.
Since He is God, He is Almighty. We do not come to One who can do nothing; but One who will see His Will done.
Since He is our Father, He looks on us in Christ, and He is concerned for our well-being more than we are.

We are to come as sons and daughters to God, our Father; for Christ Jesus has given all the born again ones, a place in the family of God. We are joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and have received the Spirit of Adoption. (Romans 8:15-16)

As God is our Father, there is that special love relationship.

Jude 20-21 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

Keep yourselves in the love of God, in other words:
Walk in the sunshine of His love.

When we pray “Our Father which art in heaven”, we know that the Great God is ready to give us an audience.

This raises our eyes to see Him above, and it raises our hearts from earth to heaven’s court.
We come before Him with our requests in full assurance that He will hear. That we can pour out our hearts before Him.

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

It is to a Divine Person we come.
One who has our best interests at heart.
And He, through Christ Jesus, has invited us to come, and come boldly, to His throne.
Boldly means that without fear we come close to God.

When we pray “Our Father which art in heaven”; we realize how elevated, and blessed we are, by His grace, given us. How much we have, because of Christ Jesus, our Savior.

 

We also see that we are a member of a family. Fellow Christians are our Brothers and Sister in Christ. For it is to “Our Father” we pray, and we are told we should love them, and pray for them.

He is in heaven, directing all things on earth. Nothing takes Him by surprise, and He has an answer for every situation.

Psalm 115:3, 16 “But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lords: but the earth hath He given to the children of men.”

And we should pray for the glory of God’s Name. “Hallowed be Thy Name.”

Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

The glory of God is the ultimate end of everything.

Psalm 115:1 “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.”

We are to seek the glory of God in every prayer and act. His Holiness is a beauty which makes the glory of the sun and stars, pale in comparison.
Imagine a world full of His Holiness (as it will be one day): full of compassion, and goodness. Full of joy and peace.

Sin has brought all the evils, sickness, and death with it.

But God’s Holiness has redeemed us from sin by His sending His son to die for our sins, and taking all the penalty of them from us.

Colossians 1:12-14 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”

 

How easy it should be for us, as His beloved children, to pray and seek the glory of His Name, here on earth and in our lives. “Let Thy Name be magnified.”

 

 

And Having Done All, to Stand

Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

When it comes to our defense against the devil’s wiles, we are to stand.
Having done all we can, using the grace given, we are to stand with Jesus Christ our Lord.

But Jesus gives us protection by His Word, and through His faith. These come in the form told here: the armor.

Ephesians 6:14 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

In the belt that goes around us, we see our subjection to Jesus Christ, for He is the Truth. As we are subject to Him, His truth surrounds us, strengthening us in all our battles ahead. When we see the truth, we have been given a great advantage over our enemy.
(Many people say, “There is your truth, and my truth.” No, there is Truth. And there are lies. God is Truth. The devil is the father of all lies. When we apply God’s truth to us; grace or the unmerited favor of power is given. John 1:17)

And His righteousness which, as born again ones, covers our “breastplate”, or hearts. His righteousness is applied to us (2 Corinthians 5:21), that we might stand before Him. For we stand not in our own righteousness, but His.
Our hearts are so fickle, that He gives us a special covering to protect them, as we are obedient to His word. For the Adversary would seek to wound or trick our hearts, to turn them out of God’s way for us.

 

Ephesians 6:15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

And the shoes of peace, or the knowledge that you stand here, now in His Name, and by His power! Here I stand for Jesus!

 

Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

And Faith, which is our shield, or extra protection wherever it is needed, against the accusations of the devil. If our minds are being attacked by doubts, fears, or evil suggestions; up goes the shield of faith which removes the ground of accusation by belief, courage, and God’s purity (for faith sees God, as He is, in power to help, and to give the victory over).

 

Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
And the helmet of Salvation: plainly we need to “think saved”. It helps us to see the temptations of the world, and the tricks of the Adversary.
It keeps in clear vision God’s plan for us; for things can get pretty confused in our minds, if we listen to the Adversary’s version of what is going on.

And the Word of God as our sword. This is a saying of the Word; you need not quote the verse exactly, but as a portion of the Word comes to mind, you say it, and the Holy Spirit is the One who enforces it against the Adversary.

 

Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereinto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

And of course, all prayer. It is His will we seek, His will we ask done. Prayer is simply talking to God about everything. All the irritations, frustrations, and temptations which come to us.
And praying for others.

 

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

The wiles of the Adversary are his tricks. He knows us well; we once belonged to him, before we were born again. So he knows what we like, what we wish for, and what makes us angry.

If you could think of the biggest scammer you have heard of; that would not even come close to the scams the devil runs, for he is the father of all lies.

The devil hates God, and seeks to get us to get mad at God.
The devil wants us to think of God in a bad light, or God’s way of doing things, as hard.
When we think that way, the devil has taken joy from us.
And he will just keep attacking us, trying to take the enjoyment of walking with God from us.

That is why it is so important to know God’s Word, and Trust and Obey it.
Then we can stand covered in the protection God has for us.

Go down to the Potter’s House.
Jeremiah 18:1-2 “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there will I cause thee to hear my words.”

Jeremiah was God’s Prophet. He spoke to Judah for God. But when callled to go to the potter’s house, he did not refuse, because God spoke to him; but rather went, without question, to hear what God would say, through the potter.
He didn’t say. “Hey, Lord, I am your prophet. I don’t need to go to a potter’s house. You know he only makes pots, but I give your message to priests, the king, and the people.”
No, Jeremiah wanted to hear the Lord’s Word, no matter how it came.

Jeremiah 18:3-4 “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it.”

Now the potter uses clay and water, lots of water, to make the clay very pliable in his hands.
The two are mixed together, and when the clay seems soft enough; the shaping takes place.
The potter starts the wheel and puts the clay on; and begins to shape the vessel he wants to make.
But the vessel was marred, because the clay had a hard spot. The water had not been absorbed into that part of the clay, so when the potter’s hand was trying to form it, it refused to bend, and so it destroyed the pattern, marring the vessel.

Often we are the same way. The Holy Spirit has spoken to us, (in scripture water is a picture of the Holy Spirit working through the Word; Ephesians 5:26) trying to work the water of the Lord’s Word in us, and we just refuse to hear. It becomes a dry, hard spot in our life. Then when the Lord is forming us after His Will, we become marred, and unable to be molded into what He wants.

“so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”
So what does the potter do? What did He do with Israel? And what does God do with us?
Does He give up on us? No:
He takes the hard clay out , and then adds more water till the clay is completely pliable, so that the rest of the clay is reusable: to be able to be made into what the Lord wants.

The hard spots in us, are those things the Lord has told us to do, and we have put off.
We know what the Lord is telling us. We know what we should do; but we think we have a better plan.
We even come to believe that the Lord will not care…it is such a small thing.
But it becomes a hard place, and comes between us and God in our lives, until it is removed.

But once it is removed, the Holy Spirit can add the water of the Word to us, making us pliable in His hands; so he can form us into a Vessel unto honor, meet for the Master’s use.

2 Timothy 2:19-21 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that Name the the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor and some of dishonor.
If an man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

 

A more excellent Way.

1 Corinthians 12:31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”

Some say there are many “ways” to God. There are not; the only way to come to God is through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life.

But once we have come to Christ and been born again; our gifts and talents are to be for the service of Jesus, to honor the One who saved us.

But it is serving out of love, that is the more excellent way.
We should love Him, for He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

1 Corinthians 13:1 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal”

Though I could speak in every language of this earth; proclaiming the gospel far and wide.
And if I could testify of the gospel story in angels language:
If love for Jesus is not the motivation for all that preaching…
It would be just so much noise.
Loud noise; “sounding brass” like trumpets. “How great!” man will say; but to God it would be just noise.
Soft noise; “tinkling cymbal” like the end of a orchestra piece. Empty and just noise.

 

1 Corinthians 13:2 “And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

This is the one that used to shake me up. I am a preacher; and I study a lot. But all of that study and knowledge would be useless if I don’t use this knowledge, so I know Jesus, the lover of my soul, more.

And faith to remove mountains; that’s something that everyone wants….but without love to Jesus as our motive; we will be nothing. (Remember Paul was writing this; and he had great knowledge, and understood many mysteries. He gave his life in service to Christ, for he loved Him; and thought that going to be with the Lord would be “far better”. 2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23)
But Paul also understood, that to do for God, without love to God; is really doing for a reward from God.
Which is another way of saying, you are doing it to please yourself.

 

1 Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

If I give all my possessions to God’s work of feeding the poor; and if I die a martyr’s death: burned at the stake, as many down through the ages have.
Though it cost me everything, as well as my life; if love for Jesus is not the reason; then it profits me nothing, with God.
I am none the better, for eternity, for it.

You say, surely that can not be!
But let us consider what love is. We love, when we prefer a certain One, over all others.
Love is willed. We think of emotions and surely, they are there.
But love is a choice, and our choices come from our wills.
God is asking, “Will we love Jesus?”
He does not ask the world; they hate God and Christ.
But He asks Christians, those who have been saved from sin; will you love Jesus?
There is a price for love. It is certainly, a turning away from others, to the One loved. It is giving time and effort to please the One loved. And most of all, it is standing with that One, even till death.

1 Corinthians 12:31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”
The “more excellent way” is to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The first and greatest commandment. And the Holy Spirit within us gives us that fruit of love, if we will.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ” And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
To truly love God is the greatest work we can do.

 

Christ calls us, as Christians, to Sacrifice

To sacrifice anything is to place on an altar, with the intent of giving all to God, by means of death. When you place it on the altar, it is dead to you.

Romans12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

We are to present our bodies as this sacrifice, for it is to place the whole of our existence in the hands of the Holy Spirit of God, willingly.

It is to yield our bodies as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13), which means that the body is moved by the heart, mind, and will into the service of God, because of the love which is placed there by the Holy Spirit.

It is called a living sacrifice here, because we do not die physically, but we die to our love of the world.
Let me explain that “the world” in scripture is not the trees, birds, and our garden; but the world’s attitudes toward things.

1John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

(Yes, any “thing” or person can be an idol: something we worship or love more than the Lord. John warns us, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (1 John 5:21)

But this is to be a free-will sacrifice; something you do because you know, and love the Lord.

 

Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

“And be not conformed to the world”.
The word “conformed” means to fashion.
(In the world we all know about fashion. We see movie stars wearing certain things; and we try and copy them, sort of.)
To fashion ourselves after the world is to “go along” with the opinions and attitudes of it, whether they are right or wrong.

So Paul says, we are to die to the attitudes and opinions of the world.
But how?

We are to be “transformed” or made different in our minds and thoughts, by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit within.
After conversion, which is to be born again by the Spirit of God; this renewing is usually a little at a time.

The Holy Spirit shows us how God feels about this thing, or that thought; and we go along with Him.
Some things are easy to let go of; others are not. But the Holy Spirit is there to empower us.

[Frankly, we like “going along with the crowd”. It saves us the trouble of being made fun of, or being an outcast.
But when it comes to Christ; we must choose Him.

The world is always looking for a “good” time. Our good time should be with Christ, and His people.

The world is always angry, which leads to resentments, hatred, and violence. We must forgive, and forgive, and remember how He has forgiven us; and forgive again. (That does not mean we should tolerate evil; Colossians 2:21 “Touch not; taste not; handle not;”
But that we should forgive the injury, so that it does not touch and influence our hearts.)

The world is always running here, and there for something new. We should follow Christ, no matter where He leads.]

 

“Which is your reasonable service”.
Reasonable means that you have considered this. You have not hurried into it because of emotion; but you have thought about it.

The reasons are there:
God’s mercies have been great to us; and we can expect that they will continue.
In His service is joy, and peace; with the constant help and Presence of the Holy Spirit.
His Will is best, though I often can not see it, till I go through it.
His grace will uphold me, when I fail (which is too often), and when I accomplish the work.
His love is my constant companion, as I yield myself to His Holy Spirit within.

He calls us to present to Him, ourselves.
Will we?

Abraham and the Great Sacrifice

(This is a “picture” of God’s great sacrifice of His beloved Son.
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”)

Genesis 22:2 “And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, who thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

Abraham and Sarah finally had a son by a miracle. Sarah had been enabled by God to have Isaac. They both had been past age for child bearing, and Sarah had been barren, as well.

But God had given them Isaac. And now, some years later, God calls Abraham to sacrifice this well beloved son.

The obedience of Abraham is necessary to see.
We often hesitate, or try and get around what God wants (and yes, this happened to Abraham, too, in the early life with God.), but Abraham believes God’s word: that in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Genesis 22:3. “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place which God had told him.”

Abraham gets up early. Not eager to go; but eager to return, and that would not happen without going.

He takes two servants to keep the donkey that carried the wood, and to carry the fire in a container.

He and Isaac go. It is a three days journey to Mt. Moriah, where God has told him to take Isaac.

Three days to contemplate his failures: was this in consequence for his many failures?

Three days to look at the promised son, and remember the love he and his mother have for him.
Three days to remember his first step, first word, and the strong quiet young man he had become.

Three days to consider this command, and therefore the obedience was more reasonable and honorable.

What did they speak of? Of the promises of God, I believe, for Abraham was counting on God to fulfill His Word.

Hebrews 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

They could have talked of the promise of the land in the future. The promise God had told him of future generations. And the promise that the coming Savior would come from them.

They come to the mountain, and Abraham leaves the servants with the donkey at the foot of the mountain and says:
Genesis 22:5 “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye hear with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again unto you.”

“We will come again”

To believe is to place the whole of our being upon the thing or person we say we believe in.

Abraham believed God. Isaac and he would come back down the mountain.
Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead, if necessary.

So they climb up Mt Moriah (in the New Testament, it is called Calvary), together.
Genesis 22:6-8 “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father, and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is a lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

“Together”, Abraham is trusting that God will bring Isaac back to life; and Isaac is trusting that God will supply the sacrifice.

Genesis 22:9 “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.”

Abraham bound his sons hands; those that had been held out to him when he was learning to walk. He bound his legs, and placed him on the wood. Perhaps taking a final kiss on the forehead of Isaac.

Let me mention here, that Isaac was a strong young man—not a child. If he had willed to, he could have resisted Abraham, anytime.
But he did not.

Genesis 22:10 “And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.”

Abraham begins to do exactly what God told him….
He does not hurry, nor delay to sacrifice his well beloved son.

Sacrifice means: to place on an altar with the intent of giving all to God, whither by knife, or fire, or other means of death. When you placed it on the altar, it was dead to you.

Genesis 22:11 “And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.”

The angel calls Abraham twice, to make sure he got Abraham’s attention.
God had wanted to test Abraham’s devotion to Him, by his obedience to Him.

Genesis 22:12-13 “And he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything to him: for I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; And Abraham went and took the ram; and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.”

The test was done. God had provided the sacrifice.

 

Genesis 22:14. “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.”

Jehovah-jireh means in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen to, or provided.
God did provide the True Sacrifice through Christ Jesus; to take away the sins of the world.

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

 

 

Hezekiah and the Sun Dial

Isaiah 38:1 “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.”

Hezekiah had just had a victory over one of the greatest armies of that time; the Assyrians.
God had interfered with Sennacherib, Assyria’s king, from destroying Jerusalem, and defeating God. (Of course that could never happen; but Sennacherib had boasted of doing so; foolish man!)

But now Hezekiah is taken with a disease, which will be fatal if God does not help.

Isaiah is sent for; and in the middle of a life of usefulness, Hezekiah is told to prepare for his death.

2 Kings 20:1 “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, set thy house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live.”

Some believe the pestilence which the angel of the Lord put on the Assyrians; was the same that came upon Hezekiah. It was a boil, or plague-sore; that afflicted him.
(Why send this on Hezekiah? It is not said, but perhaps a little pride had entered his heart, and God was trying to show it to him.
How often we take the praise that God should have, and put it on ourselves; or at least a little of it. )

Hezekiah was approximately thirty-nine years of age, and he had no son to be heir to the throne. God had promised that David’s line would have a man on the throne, and yet there was none to take over after his death.

These were many of the things he thought of as he lay dying.
What could he do?

He was a very good king and had done many things that had glorified God to the people in both Judah and Israel (this was a the time of the two kingdoms).
He had “removed the high places, and brake the images” (idols) that people had worshipped.
He “trusted in the Lord God of Israel;”
2 Kings 18:6 “For he clave (gave his whole heart) to the Lord, and departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.”

 

Hezekiah sees himself as dead. What could he do?
He turns his face to the the wall, probably toward the Temple; and prays:

First: he tells the Lord that when he dies, he will leave many things undone. “The residue of my years.”(Isaiah 38:10)

Second : he thinks on the wasting of his body. In weakness, he contemplates more weakness till death.

Third: he prays that God will “undertake for me”. (Isaiah 38:14). For there is nothing he can do. He is a king, a good king, yet nothing exempts him from death. So God is his only hope.

Forth: He begins to feel that God will act, and in fact; God is acting. He prays, “but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.” (Isaiah 38:17)

It is good to remember our sins, when we are praying to the Lord. That we may be sure they are confessed up to date.

This word “love” here is a very affectionate love.
(And certainly by looking forward to the merits of Christ, all Hezekiah’s sins were purged.)

Isaiah has given his message, and is leaving the palace, when God speaks to him:

2 Kings 20:4-6 “And it came to pass afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of My people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the House of the Lord.
And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for Mine own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.”

God has heard Hezekiah’s prayer, and answered it with peace.

Even in this miraculous message, there is a use of means: a way for the disease to be healed.
Hezekiah would have three more days of illness; then health.

Isaiah 38:21 “For Isaiah had said, Get them a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.”

Hezekiah is grateful, and asks Isaiah for a sign.
2 Kings 20:8 “And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the House of the Lord the third day?”

Now we might think this was a bad thing; but it actually was often the way God affirmed His Word in the Old Testament.

2 Kings 20:9-11 “ And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, the Lord will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or back ten degrees?
And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees, nay, but let the shadow turn backward ten degrees.
And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord; and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.”

Hezekiah asked that the sun might go back ten degrees; symbolizing that God gave him more life.

Isaiah prays for it; and it is accomplished.
Ten degrees the sun went backward. (Most believe that the sun dial of Ahaz was outside the sick chamber of Hezekiah; and that he could see the shadow cast by the dial actually go back.)
But it was not only that sun dial, that went backward. All over, they went back ten degrees.

Fifteen years were added to Hezekiah’s life. Fifteen more years, to do good for God and His people.

Our lives are in the Lord’s hand.
But no matter how long we have here; what He calls us to do with them is:

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whither therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

The Still Small Voice
1 Kings 19:12 “And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

 

When we think of POWER; we think of miracles from the Bible, or the sun standing still (Joshua 10:12-14) or time going backward (2 Kings 20:8-11).
Indeed, there has been power there.
But, when God’s POWER is seen, it is usually thru His Word.
(He stressed this , at the first:
Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” He did not have to speak; All He had to do was Will it. But He did speak, to show the Value He places on His Word.)

To stress the real Power of His Voice, we would do back to a cave and a hiding Prophet.

1 Kings 19:9 “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?”

Indeed, What was Elijah doing in that cave? How did he come to this?

Elijah was a man of Gilead, who was distressed at the low spiritual state of Israel. So he began to pray. God had told Israel that if they worshipped other gods , then He would withhold the rain. (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). Elijah prayed God would withhold rain, to get Israel’s attention, so they would turn back to God.

James 5:17 ” Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain:and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”
For six months Elijah prayed for God to withhold the rain, and He did.

Then Elijah was told to go to Ahab, king of Israel and tell him:
1 Kings 17:1 ” And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD GOD of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

This might seem the wrong way to go about it….but Ahab did not believe in God…he had completely become an idol worshipper.
But someone coming and saying , in effect, God is listening to my prayers,
And HE is going to stop the rain until I pray again.

That got Ahab’s attention!

Elijah was told to go and hide…for Ahab would try and kill him. He did TRY. But God hid him till:
After 3 years, Israel was in famine….cattle, crops, everything withering,
Then…
Elijah was told (1Kings 18:1). “….Go, show thyself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”

How would he do that? Through Elijah’s prayer…but first, Elijah wanted to showed Ahab and all the Israelites , the power of the prayer of God’s servant.
So , he set up a “contest” between the priests of the idol, and him.
1 Kings 18:19 “Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred which eat at Jezebel’s table.”
It was a simple contest :
1 Kings 18:23-24 “Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and PUT NO FIRE UNDER: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.”
So the prophets of Baal began:
1 Kings 18:26 “And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. BUT THERE WAS NO VOICE , NOR ANY THAT ANSWERED. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.”

So now it was Elijah’s turn. Remember Elijah began this, by praying that God would withhold rain, so Israel would be awakened to their sin of idolatry and come back to God. But how would they be awakened? By a mighty demonstration of God’s Power?
Called to a certain work: Which was to make everyone know that God was NOT pleased with Israel’s sin. This he did when he went before Ahab. EVERYONE knew that he had gone before the king and declared “No rain or dew” till he said.

And there had been no dew or rain for 3 years!

What were the means to Awaken the hearts to God’s demands for His people?
How were they to “hear” for themselves?

Elijah was told to go back and God would send rain. As for the “contest”, I believe Elijah got into this, by thinking (as most of us would), if the people could just see some MIGHTY WORK , that only God could do, then it would be settled –once for all–that God was God, and that he was God’s servant.

1 Kings 18:30-35 ” And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, ….And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it a second time. And they did….And he said, Do it a third time. And they did it the third time. And water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.”
(Where did he get the water? Mt. Carmel is about a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea)
He made the Altar so wet it could never burn….except by the Power of God.

Listen to the Prayer of Elijah:

1Kings 18:36-39 ” And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said,
LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know a that thou art the LORD GOD, and THAT THOU HAST TURNED THEIR HEART BACK AGAIN.
The the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.”

Two things to notice:
Elijah did not pray for rain, here.
And the people said “the LORD, he is THE God…..not OUR God.

The fire came down! First the burnt sacrifice was consumed, which meant God heard Elijah, and honored him before the king and the people.
Then the wood,
Then the stones of the altar, itself
Then the very dust on the ground where the altar sat.
And licked up the water in the trench.
Then the prophets and priests of Baal were slain!
This was a mighty demonstration; so….
Everything is set in order , RIGHT?

But what did it do for King Ahab, or the people?
Where was the rain?

It came, and at Elijah’s prayer, but who was noticing , then?
1 Kings 18:42-45 “So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now , look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand……..And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”

The fire falling was a mighty answer to prayer, but the people’s hearts were not turned back to God.
They might have been shown the true GOD . But I believe, that to turn their hearts back , required Elijah to preach to the people that he had prayed for, till their hearts said The Lord is OUR God.
That requires people hearing for themselves God’s requirements on their own lives.
And that comes through Preaching and Teaching and prayers.
(We can know God is able, without ever knowing God is able for me. That is the problem here; God was real now, They had to believe in His power…but they did not believe in Him for their lives)
Then what did this mighty demonstration do for Elijah? For Ahab? For the people?

For Ahab there was no change in his heart.
1 Kings 19:1 ” And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.”
He ran home and told Jezebel; nothing changed in life either.

For the people? Some say that the worship of Baal was never the same. But most did not turn back to God, even tho they knew He was “The God.”

And for Elijah? That is the saddest situation of all.
Having done such a Mighty Demonstration of God’s Power….
Since the rain was given in answer to his prayer….he thought:
Surely everything is over with….Israel will now worship The Lord God , and Elijah could go and relax.
Everything was fixed…they were God’s People again. Right?
God enables His servants….there was ample power at Elijah’s disposal.
But God requires His servants to see the job done; and Elijah thought the job was over with.

But it wasn’t:
1 Kings 19:2 “Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time”
Now as God’s Servants, we should expect trials, and enemies in this world.
But Elijah was thrown off guard, by thinking that the work was done, that he and God had won. There would be no opposition.
But, again, that was not the case.
1 Kings 19:3 “And when he saw that , he arose, and went for his life,….”
After such a mighty demonstration, then running for his life.

Now , I would not judge Elijah….I have been tricked up myself, thinking things were not what they actually were.
And thinking that if I could just somehow show God’s Power, too, things would be different.

What we need to come to is God’s Word, and Voice.
What was it that began Elijah’s ministry?
The Word of God spoken to Moses so many years before…a promise that God surely would; and did, bring to pass by his seeking it.
And what caused Elijah to return , to pray for rain, after three years….God’s Word to him.

So now let us consider a lesson that God used to teach His runaway prophet. (For He was not done with him, though he had run away.)

1 Kings 19:9-10 “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life , to take it away. ”

Maybe he actually thought he WAS the only one left. A sure sign that no one seemed to stand with him. And here he was hiding inside the cave.

1 Kings 19:11-13 “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by , and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE WIND: and after the wind an earthquake; BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE EARTHQUAKE: And after the earthquake a fire; BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE FIRE: and after the fire A STILL SMALL VOICE. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”

God’s Word and Voice began his ministry; and here God teaches His prophet a lesson about His Voice in comparison to Mighty Demonstrations of Power.

God calls Elijah to come out of hiding, after showing him He was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire….but it is His Voice that brings out His real servants to Himself. Here God gives his runaway servant some instructions, and Elijah just goes and does it. No need for anything else.

And what else does God show him? The prophet who said “I only am left”?
1 Kings 19:18 “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”

There were seven thousand of God’s servants, through out Israel.

The important thing here, is: Having heard the Word of the Lord again, Elijah just goes and does it.
There is no fear, no hesitation, he just does what he is told.

This is true power…God’s Voice speaking to us. He can do what He says, and He can take care of us through it all, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed.

On the third day, after Jesus died on the cross, He arose.

Shortly after there was an earthquake:
Matthew 28:2 “And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and come and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

The stone was rolled away, not to let Christ Jesus out; He was already risen; but to let his disciples in—to see and believe.

1st Were the women bearing spices to anoint Jesus. It had been the time of the evening sacrifice, and Passover, and there had been no time to anoint Jesus after death.
Luke 24 :1 “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”
(You will remember He was anointed “aforehand”, by a woman with an alabaster box of ointment. John 14:6-8)

When they saw the stone rolled away and heard the words of the angel, they departed and told the disciples.

 

2nd. They went and told the eleven disciples, and Peter and John came to see. Though John came first, he looked but did not go in. Peter followed and entered the tomb and simply wondered. (Luke 24:12). But John then went in and believed. Then they went away.
John 20:4-8. “So they ran together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher.
And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed.”

 

3rd. One of the women was Mary Magdalene. She was crying because she thought they had stolen the Lord’s body. (She stayed and actually saw Jesus, though at first she thought He was a gardener.)

John 20:11. “But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher”

Angels talked to her, but she cared only for her Lord. She would have tried to carry the body, thinking some had robbed the tomb.
But as soon as she heard Jesus say, “Mary.” She knew it was Jesus and believed.
John 20:16 “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say Master.”
Then Jesus speaks to her, and shows her one of the greatest truths to Christians. God is our Father, not our Judge because of His sacrifice.

John 20:17 “Jesus saith unto her, ……but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

She went and told the disciples she had seen the Lord.

 

4th. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came and again see the tomb and the angel tells them, “He is risen”. Then they see Jesus, and worship Him.
Matthew 28:9 “And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by His feet, and worshipped Him.”

 

5th. He shows himself to the disciples in the upper room, but Thomas is not there.
John 20:19, 24 “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.”

 

6th. He walks along the road with two disciples, and instructs them about the death and resurrection from the scriptures. Proving by the Word of God that the Christ was meant to die a sacrifice for sin and be raised the third day.

Luke 24:13, 15-16, 26-27. “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him.
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?
And beginning at Moses and at the prophets, He (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

Then he went in with them to eat, and as soon as He gave blessing they knew who he was, and returned to Jerusalem with joy and told His disciples.
Luke 24:30-31 “And it came to pass, as He set at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and break and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight.”

 

7th. He shows Himself again, in their midst, and eats before them and again speaks to them of scripture, opening their understanding to it.
Luke 24:36,41-43, 45-47. “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself thus stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
And while they believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb.
And He took it, and did eat before them.
Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

8th. Eight days latter He shows Himself again to them in the upper room, especially for Thomas’s benefit.
John 20:26-29 “And after eight days His disciples were within, and Thomas was with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; And reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and My God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

 

9th. He saw them on the Sea, and restored Peter from his sin of denying Him three times.
He asked him three times, “Do you love Me?”
John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith unto Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith unto him the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, lovest thou me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

Jesus knew Peter loved Him, but three times he had denied Him; so three times he affirmed his love to Him.
10th. Jesus stayed 40 days after His resurrection, teaching them.
Acts 1:3 “To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

Jesus ascended to heaven, after telling them to wait till the Holy Ghost was given them; for He would abide with them and empower them for the work. Acts 1:8-9 “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

His promise is to come again:
Acts1:10-11 “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel;
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.”

Revelation 22:20 “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

He arose. He is risen, and at the right hand fo the Father in heaven for us as our Mediator.
He will come again, as He said.

Even so come Lord Jesus.

They mocked Him, beat Him, and Spit upon His Face

Three times Jesus had to endure the humiliation of mockery, and the cruelty of the various beatings:

The chief priests and elders:
Mark 14:63-65. “Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we of any further witnesses?
Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death.
And some began to spit on Him, and to cover His face, and to buffet Him, and say unto Him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike Him with the palms of their hands.”

They first spit on Him, covering His face with their spit.

They struck Him and said, “Tell us who hit you?” “Tell us which hand hit you, left or right?”
But notice it is the servants of these priests and elders which do the striking. The chief priests and elders would not get their hands bloody, so they could say they were “clean” when it came to His blood.
(How they fooled themselves!)
Then they led Him away, so they could kill Him.

Herod and His soldiers:
Luke 23:11 “And Herod with his men of war set Him at nought, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate.

Herod did the least, but mocked Him in his court.

He made Him contemptible in front of his soldiers, by putting a robe on Him. Then they bowed, and called Him king. Laughing at the sorry sight of Jesus with such a beautiful robe.

But Jesus was a king.
The King of kings: as He said later, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence…..To this cause I was born….that I should bear witness of the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.” (John 18:36-37)

Pilate and His soldiers:
John 19:1 “And Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.”

The scourge was made of the sinews of oxen. Sharp bones were intertwined in places, so that every time the lash came down, these small bones would tear into the flesh of the prisoner.

Though Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, yet he commanded Him to be scourged.
The cruelty of this is seen in Pilate washing his hands; saying he is innocent of Jesus’s blood.

Matthew 27:27-31. “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers.
They stripped Him, put on Him a scarlet robe.
And when they had pleated a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews!
And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head.
And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.”

First they beat Him with out mercy with the scourge. Tearing into His flesh, and making the blood run.

But that was not enough sport: They stripped Him naked, giving only a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns to wear. They gave Him a reed as a scepter, but there was a cruel reason.

Bowing and mocking, first. Then taking the reed the whole band of soldiers beat Him on the head with it.

Isaiah 52:14 “As many were astonished at Thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:”
(This was the prophesy concerning the beatings. His face was so beaten, they could not tell it was the face of a man.)

Jesus was beaten in cruel mockings. But He endured all of this for us.

Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”

Imagine, He did all of this for me.
Hallelujah, What a Savior!