If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others. Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers. Often, sharing them results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.
“…time with the Master…”
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others. Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers. Often, sharing them results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.
“…time with the Master…”
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others. Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers. Often, sharing them results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.
“…time with the Master…”
Feature Photo: Adam Kring Upsplash.com
The Sermon on The Mount – Part Three
If you missed the introduction to The First Sermon on The Mount please tap on this link.
You will reach Part Two here.
Matthew 7:1-28
In this final session, Jesus begins by teaching on the issue of the judgment of others. He warns that in terms of how the Disciples judge others, they themselves will be judged by the same measure. In comparatively harsh words, He explains why they are not in a position to judge others. Rather they should concentrate judgment of themselves.
Changing subjects, Jesus goes on to tell His disciples they should be discerning with whom they share these teachings. Unholy people will mock their words, damming them, and finally, use those words to attack the disciples personally.
Jesus now tells them that there are three things they should always do: Ask, if they are in need; they should seek if they are in doubt, and should they wish to enter Him and follow his example, they only have to knock. He assures them, in asking, they will receive what they ask for, in seeking they will find what they are looking for. Lastly, if they knock to enter Him, he will open the door.
He now compares their giving to that of His Father and states his Father’s giving to be the stronger, this is the way that their giving should be.
Wrapping this point up, Jesus states that they should always do unto others as they would have others do to them. He explains that this is the fulfillment of their law.
Now Jesus talks about the way forward, saying, the entrance to the Kingdom of God on earth is only accessible through a narrow gate. This leads to an equally narrow walk. Because the gate is narrow, few find it. Because the way is so narrow, it is a difficult walk. They will observe though, that the world at large enters their lives via a wide gate, easy to find and easy to walk.
He warns His disciples concerning those that would approach them with differing doctrines. He says that whilst they would appear as mild as lambs on the outside, they will be as ferocious as wolves on the inside. The way they should judge this ilk is to look at the fruit they bear in their lives. They well know that grapes don’t grow on thorn bushes and figs are not found on thistles. Neither do good trees bear bad fruit or bad trees bear good fruit. Those that do not bear good fruit are uprooted and destroyed. In short, don’t entertain these, they will ultimately destroy themselves.
Jesus continues; saying that because there will be those that call Him “…Lord, Lord…” does not necessarily mean they will enter into the Kingdom. Only those who do His Father’s will. Even when these protest that they performed miracles in His name, He will say, “I don’t know you, away from me you thugs!”
Jesus concludes by saying that any person who hears His words and acts on them would be compared to a wise person, who builds their house on firm foundations. When violent storms ravaged the earth, the house stood firm. Those, however, who hear His words and do not act on them are like the foolish person, who built their house on sandy foundations. When the storms raged the house collapsed in a huge heap.
The crowds below observed that Jesus did not teach like the teachers of their day, but as a person who had authority.
My prayer is that this series enlivened the Spirit within you and me, resulting in us thanking God for etching these Kingdom principles into our hearts.
Blessings
Peter.
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others. Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers. Often, sharing them results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.
“…time with the Master…”
The King and His Kingdom Video
Session 3
Welcome to part 3 of the King and His Kingdom which we’ve entitled the Role of Husband. In the coming sessions, we’ll see what it is that God expects from our specific roles in the Kingdom.
In the last session we said the following:
We become ‘agents’ (or vessels) of the Kingdom, here on earth – permitting/forbidding that which has been permitted or forbidden in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt.16:19).
All of this is being done in order to prepare us for the greatest fulfillment of prophecy – the ruling of the saints with Jesus over the “House of Jacob” in the millennial reign as seen in the book of Luke (Luke1: 33).
God designed marriage as the cornerstone of our society. When we “go and make disciples” (Matt.28:19-20), if we are married, we need the testimony of a solid marriage because we can only disciple others to the level we ourselves are with God.
Never before in history has there been such a need for examples of Godly marriages, as now. Therefore – what does God expect from us in our marriages?
Until we have some knowledge of the character of God, it is difficult to understand what He expects of us. Next, it is important to understand what He desires from us in the long term, eternally speaking, before we will be able to perform according to His will.
God’s Government (The Kingdom of God)
In Isa.55:8-11 we see the fact that God is sovereign. He is supreme and not accountable to anyone except Himself. We see in the books of Zecharia and Daniel that His government, another expression for His word or law, is beyond debate or question and is final and irreversible (Zech.14:9; Daniel 2:44). The Kingdom of God (His government) is a separate system under which God does that which pleases Him. We see this in the scriptures of Psalms and 1 Timothy (Psa.135:6; 1.Tim.6:15). God himself is powerless to reverse His own Government (Is.40:8). Pray for a revelation to understand this fact to gain meaningful change in our lives.
Anyone who obeys His government (or God’s Will) is blessed. Anyone who does not walk according to His principles will struggle through life (Psa.1:1-3). God is powerless to help the one who wilfully disobeys Him (Heb.10:26), yet His infinite mercy provides us with ‘grace’ – the power to obey Him.
His government is precise and exacting and has far-reaching and often devastating consequences for those who will not follow in it.
Clearly defined area
The role of the Husband, like the role of the Wife and that of the church, is specific and VERY CLEARLY detailed in the word of God. There are NO grey areas, no aspects of uncertainty. If Husbands have a heart’s desire to be the type of Husband God intends, he shall be blessed among all people. If he does not have this desire, he needs to pray for it, because without it, he will struggle much in this life. Not only will he suffer, but he may drag others into his situations.
Both the role of the Husband and the role of the Wife, are Godly principles
(We can refer back to Part 2—The King and His Kingdom)
Suitable Partner
Genesis 2:18 says that God decided that it was not good for man to be alone. He needed a ‘helper’. Someone to help him in his needs: spiritual, emotional, and physical. The animals were paraded before man and whilst he named them all, NONE WERE FOUND AS A SUITABLE HELP FOR HIM! (Gen.2:19-20).
God put Adam to sleep and created a helpmeet for him, from his own body … from a rib taken out of Adam. The woman was “brought unto the man” she was given to him as his possession, and it was him that named her ‘woman’ (Gen.2:21-23).
She came from his rib, out of his side and this is symbolic that God intended her to always be at his side, to be an assistant to him and him alone. Not a slave, who would walk behind him – or ahead of him to take authority – Husband and Wife are inseparably linked by their spirits, as a team working with, and for, each other. (Gen.2:24).
All of this is the government of God (God’s Kingdom) – Undisputable, irreversible, and final.
Understand your wife
The husband is commanded to live with his wife in an understanding way. He is commanded to honor her. He is commanded to treat her as a weaker vessel, yet as a joint heir to the blessings of eternal life. The scripture of 1 Peter tells us this should be so, in order that the husbands’ prayers will not be hindered (1 Pet.3: 7).
In addition to this, the Husband is commanded to teach his wife that which she desires to know. (1 Cor.14:35).
To live with one’s wife in an understanding way is to accept by faith that which the scriptures say of her. To pray for a Christ-like attitude toward her and the way she has been created – the husband always putting himself in his wife’s shoes.
Honor and love your wife
To honor one’s Wife according to the scripture is to esteem her in the HIGHEST degree – to maintain her dignity. She is a critical support to man: such as a crucial body part for instance, without which a man would find life very difficult. She is honored because she is critically part of man and because she is a gift from God (Prov.19:14). Not honoring the wife will limit God’s blessings on the husband (Mal.2:13-14).
Paul says that husbands should love their wives as their own bodies! – even as Christ loved the Church (Eph.5:25; 28; 33). He says in Colossians that Husbands should love their wives and not bear any unforgiveness (bitterness) towards them – neither for past or present circumstances (Col. 3:19).
The husband should be a provider for his wife and family (1 Tim.5:8). This not only materially, but spiritually and emotionally. He will be desirable because of his kindness (Prov.19:22).
To treat her as a weaker vessel is to accept that she is weaker physically, emotionally, and spiritually – but this should never be seen as a negative point (1 Peter 3:7). She is his partner. She compliments the usefulness of her husband and she is a co-heir of the grace of life.
She is treated as the weaker vessel because in order to perform her task as a helper – loving her husband, children, and managing the home (Psalm 31), she has to be sensitive. Her role calls for sensitivity, but it can leave her vulnerable and therefore she needs understanding and protection.
But NEVER is she inferior in terms of her ultimate reward of eternal life, because in the Kingdom of Heaven there is neither male nor female. (Gal.3: 28).
God’s Line of Authority
The Husband is also the head of the Wife. Jesus is the head of the Husband and God is the head of Jesus. This is the word of God, whether we agree or not (1 Cor.11:3). Therefore, the husband is the spiritual authority of the wife. He is to instruct her in the ways of the Lord, by word and by example. (1 Cor. 14:34-35).
God seeks Godly seed from the covenant of marriage. In the book Malachi, we see this is the SOLE OBJECTIVE of the union of marriage (Mal.2:15 NLT), but it is imperative to accept that this objective will only be achieved jointly. The scripture says that the two are one. (Gen. 2:24).
As God’s chosen authority, never can a husband fulfill his role as a Christian unless he is fulfilling his role as a husband.
He has a very essential partner as assistant, spiritual, physical, and emotional support, in his wife. It is almost like the pair who run the ‘two-legged’ race. They can never be out of step, the stronger even carrying the weaker at different times. However, that very ‘carrying’ must be done in the position that each of the partners occupies. Individual roles should never be taken over or changed.
Our Role Models
Tragically today the family model is being poorly molded. Beginning with our parents: if we had a father who was dominated by our mother, we as children grow to accept that this is the norm. The boys of the family will marry dominating women and the girls will dominate their husbands. In some communities today ‘Fathers’ are scarcely ever seen, never mind fulfilling their roles – having left home to find employment in other areas.
The world, through the vast availability of media at its disposal, pounds our minds with all kinds of false impressions and possible worldly solutions, when all the time the only lasting and workable solution is the word of God.
We face a ‘dog chasing its tail’ circumstance. The professing church of today seems not to be able to teach the truth (The Gospel). It seeks its help from worldly concepts and all this because it was never taught the true Gospel in the first place.
We as Christians need to take a firm stand in this last hour. This situation must be reversed. The best place to begin is in the family. Husbands as the spiritual authority must be the initiators.
Next Step…
The beginning for the husband is to go earnestly before God and pray for the desire to change, whatever the cost. Whilst this prayer may seem frightening; in terms of eternity, no price can be too great. However, all of the effort of the husband to fulfill his role will amount to nothing, if it is not borne out of his relationship with God (Ps.127: 1). Only in this way will he be the type of husband God wants him to be.
Right… let’s recap what we’ve shared this week:
Please join me soon for PART 4, where we will explore some more principles of the Kingdom of God. Be blessed during this coming week – I look forward to being with you soon.
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others. Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers. Often, sharing them results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.
“…time with the Master…”
Feature Photo: Adam Kring Upsplash.com
Matthew 5:1–48 – Introduction
I would like very much to share some thoughts I have on one of the (I feel) most powerful sermons I have ever read in all of my involvement with the scriptures in the bible.
After eighteen years of missionary work and specifically bible teaching I was left wondering if any of us could ‘teach’ others the meaning of scriptures without those being taught referring to God. I recall in those days saying to my disciples that they should not attempt to ‘study the bible, but rather to just read it. And if they came across any pieces that stood out, they should meditate on these and let them be fused into their hearts and God would reveal the interpretation of the scriptures to them.
To all those I ever taught, I would say, “Do not blindly accept my teaching, but go to God and ask Him.”
My reasoning in teaching this approach was to draw people into the discipline of seeking to receive their interpretations directly from God in addition to those of their teachers. In Mark 4 it was said that Jesus taught in parables and His disciples asked Him why He did this, as they did not understand the meaning of the parables. Later, alone with His disciples, he explained the meaning of those parables.
I learned from those days that I did not have all the answers (although, at the time I believed I did.) It was later, in the course of my life that I realized that there was much more for me to learn; and I don’t think any human will ever have all the answers, not on this Earth in any event.
These days I am touched more about the life and power of Jesus on this earth than anything else in the Bible. This is because, in Matthew 10, Jesus is taking His disciples through the process of preparing for their initial walk-about. It is in this walk-about that they discover first-hand, the teaching of Jesus in a practical way. It is also interesting that Jesus was not actually teaching the crowds, as a whole, but just His disciples. One thought I have on this is, His disciples had already had their spiritual eyes and ears opened and this meant they could receive what Jesus taught them. Whereas the crowds had to wait until Jesus ascended to His Father and His Spirit came down on earth.
I would love to take you on a walk with me through the scriptures; from Matthew chapter 5 to 7 inclusive, and will share my thoughts with you over three Sunday sessions beginning from Sunday 18th July. If you would like to join me, you would be so welcome. It would really help if you read through these chapters first before joining me.
Until next Sunday then.
Blessings
Peter.
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others. Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers. Often, sharing them results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.
“…time with the Master…”
Wanted Dead or Alive?
We’ve heard it said that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, but I wonder if we have really applied deep thought into what actually took place on the Cross at Calvary. Normally when thinking about Jesus’s death, we are inclined to focus on His physical death, the pain suffered, how His body was disfigured and how much it was damaged. Now I certainly don’t wish to take anything away from the seriousness of His physical death, it must have been horrendous to say the least, but is His physical death what the Lord wants us to focus on?
Continue reading “Wanted; Dead or Alive”
Albert Einstein spoke of the greatest power on earth.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. 6Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. 12Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others, Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers and very often when we share them, it results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.
If you are worldview inclined see my other site; www.sirpeterjames.com
Please feel free to send in questions (see ‘Contact’) and comments (hit ‘Comments’
button).
Have you ever wondered why it is that we find ourselves in the daily situations and circumstances that we do?
There are a number of answers to that question but one answer is that we are used by God as vessels to bring salvation to others as well as presenting situations before Him. What an exciting thought – to be used by the almighty Father! Is it possible the Lord would need to use us as ‘agents’ here on earth? Well, yes it is!
Continue reading “A Privilege to be Used”
Ad Crucem Christi - The Cross of Christ 