The Good Samaritan 

We all know the story Jesus told here.  It was told to a man who wanted to “justify himself” or excuse himself from the responsibility of loving his neighbor.   He wanted to talk of high things,  religious things to other people, but to do what God wants for others,  he was quick to find an excuse:  Who is my neighbor?

Luke 10:30 “And Jesus answering said,   A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho,  and fell among thieves,  which striped him of his raiment,  and wounded him,  and departed,  leaving him half dead.”

Now this poor man who was robbed, was only half dead,  so there was hope for his recovery:    If he could get some help.

Luke 10:31 “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way;  and when he saw him,  he passed by on the other side.”

This priest was no help.  Although they were to offer sacrifices in the Temple;  they were to also help the people draw near to God in understanding and praise. 

Yet he did not take the opportunity to at least see if there was anything he could do spiritually for the man.   

After all the man was wounded, and maybe dying.

Instead, he walked to the other side of the road, and passed by.

Luke 10:32 “And likewise a Levite,  when he was at the place,  came and looked on him,  and passed by on the other side.”

This is worse:  the Levite came to the man,  looked on his misery, and said nothing.   No comfort, or questions.  He did not ask if he wanted him to contact his family,   nothing.

He just left.

Levites were to help the people who came to the Temple in any way they could.  They were the ones who could explain what God’s Word said for them to do, and would be the ones to help them.   But there was no spirit or action of help here.

He came,  looked at the man,  and left.    On the other side.

Luke 10:33 “But a certain Samaritan,  as he journeyed,  came where he was;  and when he saw him,  he had compassion on him,”

Finally, some compassion!    But wait!   This was a Samaritan.   

The Samaritans were half Jews,  and as such,  unclean to have fellowship with.

Some Samaritans resented this,  but this man did not worry who the wounded man was.       He just helped him.

And what help!  

Luke 10:34-35 “And went to him,  and bound up his wounds,  pouring in oil and wine,  and set him on his own beast,  and brought him to an inn,  and took care of him.

                          And on the morrow when he departed,  he took out two pence,  and gave them to the host,  and said unto him,   Take care of him:  and whatsoever  thou spendest more,  when I come again,  I will repay thee.”

He bound up his wounds,  taking his supplies to do so.   Taking time, in an unfriendly place (who knows whether the thieves would come back).

Then he placed him on his beast, and took him to a inn and took care of him through the night.

He then gave the inn-keeper money:  two days wages,  to care for him.

And promised to pay any other fee for caring for this man. 

The Samaritan did not know this man,  and if they had met on the streets of Jerusalem before this incident,  the man would probably have not even looked his way.

Yet he cared for him as if he were a brother.

Jesus turns to the lawyer, who wanted to justify himself:

Luke 10:36 “Which now of these three,  thinkest thou,  was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?”

The question was meant to awaken his heart to his own responsibility to others.

What would he answer.

Luke 10:37 “And he (the lawyer) said,  He that showed mercy on him….”

(Mercy here is kindness.  So he gave the right answer.  But if that is the answer,  what should he be doing!)

“…Then said Jesus unto him,    Go, and do thou likewise.”

You see, it is not just what we say, as Christians, that makes a difference.

It is what we do.

A Battle won by Prayer and Sword 

Israel, had come to a place where there were no streams or rivers.  No springs or wells, in their crossing the wilderness to go to the Promised land.

And they were two million strong, and thirsty.

So God told Moses to:

Exodus 17:6 “Behold, I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb,  and thou shalt smite the rock,  and there shall come water out of it,  that the people may drink.   And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

God gave them water from the rock;   and all were supplied!  All the people, cattle, sheep;  all were supplied.

Exodus 17:8 “Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim.”

But then came Amalek.   Amalek was a wandering people.  Fighters, which took anything they could take.   

And when they heard of water at a place where no water was;  they decided to come and destroy the Israelites (after all they were mostly women and children), and take it for themselves.

So suddenly Israel was being attacked!  They had fought back as best they could, but they were not doing well.

Exodus 17:9 “And Moses said unto Joshua,   Choose us out men,  and go out,  fight with Amalek:  tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.”

Here was the plan.   Joshua, who was the fighting leader, chose out the best men to fight.

Moses and Aaron, and his son, Hur, would go to the top of the hill by the battle and raise the rod of God. 

(This rod was the shepherd’s rod which God told Moses to take into Pharaoh.  Remember it changed into a snake. It was the rod he raised over the Red Sea.  It was the symbol of God’s call to him.)

Exodus 17:10-11 “So Joshua did as Moses had said to him,  and fought with Amalek:  and Moses,  Aaron,  and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

                               And it came to pass,  when Moses held up his hand,  that Israel prevailed:  and when he let down his hand,  Amalek prevailed.”

Raising up this rod, which God had told him to take,  showed his prayer.

And when it was held up,  Israel was winning the battle against Amalek.

But when he let it come down,  they started to lose the battle.

Moses kept holding up as long as he could,  but he grew tired from holding it up by himself, so it would come down, and Israel would start to lose.  So:

Exodus 17:12-13 “But Moses hands were heavy;  and they took a stone,  and put it under him,  and he sat thereon,  and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands,  the one on the one side,  and the other on the other side;  and his hands were steady till the going down of the sun.

                              And Joshua discomforted Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

As long as Moses hands held the rod up toward heaven,  Joshua and his men were winning.

And when Aaron and Hur helped Moses,  the battle was in their favor till there was no more sunlight to fight.

This is a great lesson for us.  For it shows how important our prayer is.

Moses did not act alone.   Joshua and his men needed to fight (even though they were not used to fighting).   

And Aaron and Hur needed to help strengthen Moses arms.

But the blessing was from the Lord.

Exodus 17:15 “And Moses built an altar,  and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi”

Jehovah-nissi  means The Lord my banner.   

When we fight our battles against our sin, the world’s attitudes, and the tricks of the devil:  we fight under the Banner of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is our protection.

Do we need to pray as Moses did?   Of course we need to keep in constant touch with the One who guides and helps us.  And the Lord gives us help, by the Holy Spirit strengthening our efforts.  And sometimes through others praying with us. 

What do we pray?  For God’s will done.

How do we pray?  Using His promises to us.

Do we need to use our sword, as Joshua did?   Of course we need to hold onto His Word, and keep the enemy at our sword’s point (or away from harming us, and taking what God has given us).

Both need to be used,  but the blessing is by the Lord to us.

He is our banner over us in every battle we have.  

Trust Him.

Hope (which is the confident expectation that He will do what He said) in His Word.

And He will give the Victory.

Not willing that any should Perish, But that All should come to Repentance

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; But is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Jesus promise is:
John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Christ Jesus came to save all who would come to Him.
Salvation is four fold:
First, from the love of sin. (Conviction)
Second, from the guilt of sin. (By being Born Again)
Third, from the power of sin. (Called Sanctification, or the Natural man becoming Spiritual)
Fourth, from the presence of sin. (In Heaven)

And we are saved by the Word of God, believing and receiving what Christ has said, in the Bible.
1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.”
John 3:7 “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

Now this was said to a very religious Pharisee.
He had come to Jesus (although at night), to understand His message; for he knew it was of God.

John 3:1-2 “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

And Jesus got right to the point: If you want to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again.

Nicodemus asked what that meant, exactly.
So Jesus begins to teach this very religious Pharisee, exactly what God requires from the man who would have everlasting life.

John 3:5-8 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily,(or Truth, truth), I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but can not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.”

In other words, Nicodemus, you must be born of the Holy Spirit from above to enter into the kingdom of God.
It is not natural birth, even for a Jew (though they had the oracles of God, they refused to honor and obey God).
It is the “birth” of the Holy Spirit within you, in your heart and life, that makes you a subject of God’s Kingdom. This new birth gives you a new nature (desires, and attitudes)for it is Christ’s life in you.

And, Nicodemus, like the wind which blows; it is shown by the effects of it (you can not see the wind: but you can see the leaves blowing around).
“So is everyone that is born of the Spirit”: they will show it, by changing into His character, and doing His Will.

John 3:9 “Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?”

Under the Law, it was your own power which was at work.
But here, Jesus was saying that God would, by His Spirit, work within each man, who came to Him, to be born again.

This was something wonderful. So much so, that at first Nicodemus did not understand it. (It had been spoken of in the Old Testament, but for the future.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:
That they may walk in my statues, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”)

So Jesus again explains exactly what would happen, and how this life could be; but first He corrects Nicodemus:

John 3:10 “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?”

“Are you a ruler of religion, a Pharisee, which ought to know the Scriptures; and yet do not know these things I am speaking about? This life was foretold in the Scriptures, do you not know them?”

John 3:14-18 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
And whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall 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.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

(Condemnation from God is a horrible thing: To hear “Depart from Me” will sink a man to Hell.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19)

Jesus is saying here, quite plainly, that He was going to be “lifted up” (on the cross),
and that all that looked to Him and believed on Him as the Son of God, would be saved.

(Moses “lifted up” or put on a pole, a serpent. He placed it high above the camp of Israel, when they were in the wilderness.
He did this by command of the Lord, because the people had spake against God, Moses, and the manna God had given them.
He , therefore, sent fiery serpents among the people; which when they were bit, died.
Repenting, the people came to Moses to pray for them; and the Lord told Moses to place a serpent of brass on a pole.
Anyone who was bitten by a serpent, and would looked up to the Brazen serpent, would live.)

John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

We are to receive Him into our heart and lives.

And How do we receive Him?
Romans 10:8-13 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

For whosoever that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

We receive Him, by coming to Him in belief, and calling on Him with our mouths to save us from our sins.
“God, be merciful unto me, a sinner; and save me for Jesus sake. Amen.”

The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Have you received Christ Jesus?

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.”