Matthew 25:1-13

"Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."

Revelation 3:3 (NIV)

WAKE UP! The virgins heard the cry at midnight and woke up; some to find oil in their lamps and some to find their lamps dry. The foolish Christians asked the wise Christians to share their oil, but the wise Christian knows that oil can’t be shared, it must be bought.

The invitation rings through the ages (Isa 55:1) come and buy; buy without money and buy without cost. A Christian receives oil, food, milk (all symbols of spiritual life and vitality) by continually maintaining a right relationship with our Lord through His Spirit who is alive within us. This is what Jesus taught, it is what Isaiah taught, it is what the apostles taught, and it is what we have received and heard in our churches so let us do it! Let us all hold onto the teaching we have received by practicing it. Repent, draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Surrender each area of our lives to the Spirit and He will bring unction and life into those areas. Walk with God daily, sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His Words, and our supply of oil will overflow!

When will He come back? Well, it may be today or tomorrow, or another 2,000 years, but friend that is the wrong question. The right questions are: Will I be ready to meet Him when He comes? Do I have oil overflowing in my life right now? Am I awake and doing His work? If the answers to those questions are YES, then when He comes back isn’t going to be a problem for us, for we will be ready. May we hear His voice calling WAKE UP right now, so that we won’t be caught by surprise when the whole earth hears the shout when He comes to get His church. May each of us be ready for His return. May we all be awake, dressed in white, with our lamps overflowing with oil!

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Matthew 19:27 thru 20:16

"Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God." 

Revelation 3:2 (NIV) 

Deeds matter! We have work to do, brother and sister, and our Lord calls us to wake up and be about His business. Our Lord taught us in Matthew 20 that we are like labourers hired for work in a vineyard. We are saved for work, not saved by works. A labourer sweats and struggles. A labourer doesn’t know the big picture; they aren’t filled in on the inner-workings and thoughts of those in the ivory tower. They have a specific role to play and they do it. In our 21st century economy, a labourer is the lowest paid employee in the company, and many field labourer jobs have to be filled by off-shore workers, because Canadians won’t stoop to the task.

In the kingdom, we are all labourers and we all receive the same wage personally paid out by the Lord on the day we meet Him. What a wonderful day that will be when our labour is over and we see Him face to face and He gives us our reward! But until that day comes, our Lord calls us to WAKE UP and keep working. Many of us grow weary and weak; some of us grow cold and apathetic. Some of us have been working in the kingdom for a long-long-long time, and want a break. Some of us protest like the labourers did in our Lord’s story and question the fairness of the different lengths of work periods.

Friend, our Lord calls some of us earlier in our lives than others. Some He calls while they are on their deathbed, and the only deed they do is trust Him, but others, like Peter, pour their entire lives out for His kingdom. Friend may we hear our Lord’s voice as He tells us: WAKE UP – FINISH the WORK I have given you!

We used to sing “Joy in Serving Jesus”;  haven’t sang it for years, but there is a lot of truth in its words:

                                       There is joy in serving Jesus - Joy amid the darkest night
                                For I've learned the wondrous secret - And I'm walking in the light
                                                There is joy, joy - Joy in serving Jesus             
                                     Joy that throbs within my heart - Every moment, every hour
                                                 As I draw upon His power - There is joy, joy
                                                                Joy that never shall depart

"Joy in Serving Jesus" via YouTube

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1 Kings 17

"I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.  Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon."

Luke 4:25,26 (NIV)

Another unnamed lady! Just reading the glimpse of her life that is recorded in 1 Kings 17 is enough to bring tears to my eyes. No husband; on her own and she is gathering sticks for their last meal before they die of starvation. We often see images of ladies and children like this on TV in far away places. Then her son dies and she blames herself and her sin for his death! This is a lady in distress living in a hard age, and a desperate time, with nothing to offer God or His prophet. Except there was something in this lady that caused her to OBEY the Word of the prophet.

Did she know that Elijah was the cause of this famine that was killing her? It is likely that she did; surely people were talking about the root cause of the extreme weather. Why would she listen to him, and why would she prepare his meal before hers? The Lord’s point is that God knew that she would listen and obey, and so He sent Elijah to her. Our Lord told us that there were many widows in similar situations to this widow, and yet there was a huge difference between all the other widows and this one Syrian widow. She stepped out in faith and obeyed the Word of the Lord through His prophet, and the saving presence and power of the LORD worked miracles in her life. The others suffered alone, without experiencing the saving presence and power of the LORD.

May the spirit of this lady be alive in us today. May we obey no matter the cost!

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2 Kings 5

"And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

Luke 4:27 (NIV)

This little unnamed Israelite girl is one of my heroes! She amazes me with her courage, compassion and her faith, so much so that I am looking forward to meeting her and hearing the “rest of her story”: how was she captured, was her family killed, what happened to her after Namaan came back healed, did her mistress worship the LORD, etc, etc? Make no mistake, this is the story of the conversion of a pagan. This man, who is the enemy of Israel, became a worshipper of the Most High God! All because a little girl, who was poor, oppressed, and a captive, cared enough to tell her mistress that God had a man in Israel who could heal her husband.

The king of Israel had no faith at all, and Gehazi the servant of Elisha loved money to his detriment; actually our Lord’s point is that no one in Israel had enough faith. Her parents must have been killed, for surely she received her faith from them! Namaan raged against the Word of God; it was foolishness to him, but his servants were very practical and managed to calm him down enough, to humble himself under the Word of the prophet and do what the prophet told him to do. To obey the Lord requires humility. It requires us to set our pride and reputation to one side and just OBEY. If Namaan hadn’t obeyed, he wouldn’t have been healed.

The Lord knew that His hometown wouldn’t do this. He knew that they would not OBEY Him. They would love to hear Him talk, but they would not OBEY, and therefore there would be no miracles for them. When He told them that their attitude was the issue, Namaan’s rage became their rage, and they tried to remove Jesus from their lives! Oh friend, are you looking for a miracle? Do you desire the saving presence of your Lord? Then OBEY Him. Swallow your pride and OBEY.

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Acts 1&2

"The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."

Revelation 22:17 (NIV) 

As we wait our Lord to come for us, what are we to do? Our Lord told the disciples that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit and that they would be His witnesses. They were eye witnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and by them making this, a stipulation of the disciple replacing Judas, we know that they realized their importance in the spreading of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We read about Pentecost and the conversions that resulted from their witnessing and preaching, and we long for their power. We aren’t eye witnesses; we have heard about these things, they are recorded for us, but we must rely on the testimony of others who have been gone from this earth for a long time. So we wonder, how can we be witnesses? Was that just for them? Then we read this amazing verse at the end of the Bible, written to people like us who were not eye witnesses. The verse reminds us that we will be witnesses exactly the way the disciples were witnesses! They witnessed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and so shall we. The Spirit and the bride (the people of Parkdale) call “Come!”.

Witnessing is something that we do with and through the Spirit. The key to being a witness is dependence upon the Spirit of God. Friend, who is on your mind today? Who is it that you would like to witness to? Pray; commit this unto the Lord, and then wait - wait for the opportunity and then move with the Spirit and speak. Invite this person to come and receive the water of life that you know so well. “The Spirit and the bride call “Come!”

"The Spirit and the Bride", Matt Maher, via YouTube

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John 4:31-41; 6:25-39

"Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it."

Revelation 2:17 (NIV)

  
The letters to the seven churches are PERSONAL letters to each local church. They contain references in the praise, the warnings and exhortations, and the blessings that we can make educated guesses about, but really all we can say emphatically is, that those Christians who were part of those local churches would have understood the meaning of these local references.

There are several theories about what the white stone with a new name written on it is, but truly no one knows what this reference means, just as no one knows who Antipas was except those believers who were there when he was martyred. The hidden manna however becomes very clear in light of our Lord’s teachings recorded by John in John 4 & 6. Manna is heavenly food provided by God in a miraculous way in the wilderness. Our Lord taught that He was that Bread of Life, and that if we ate of Him we would have life. The manna is our Lord. The hidden aspect of the manna is revealed by our Lord’s response to the disciples when they came back to the well in Samaria with food for Him, and He told them that He had food they know nothing about. His food was to do the will of God (which echoes His response to the 1st temptation by Satan in the wilderness).

To the PERSON who is victorious (defined by not sharing in demon feasts and not being sexually immoral) our Lord will come and in a miraculous hidden way give that INDIVIDUAL the sustenance of life. Others won’t know what keeps us going; they will wonder at our hidden supply, but we will be sustained by the Lord Himself. What a blessed Saviour we serve!

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Jeremiah 23:25-40

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." 

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) 

How many words have been uttered by humans since the beginning of mankind? We speak softly and we shout loudly. We speak in love and we curse in hatred. Words are tools that we use to get what we want, and they also set us apart from animals. Animals can make noises; they can communicate but only humans can form words. Words form pictures; words always mean something, whether spoken or written. Language forms us into communities, and separates us from other communities. I wonder what language we will speak in the kingdom, or will we speak all languages for we all understand?

The Word of God is different than human words, in that the Word of God is alive. It does more than form a known picture, it reveals the unknown. The Word of God reveals the secret things of God we need for life, but it also reveals the secret things of each human. The Word of God is our Judge; it holds a bright light to our innermost being and it cuts through the deception that is inherent in our sin nature. The Word of God is creative, for it created everything out of nothing, and the Word of God continues to create life where there is death, and light where there is darkness inside of humans who will listen.

What grace the Father has shown us, to speak us into existence, to send the Eternal Word to speak love and life, to speak Words of forgiveness, and Words of desire. Oh friend, take time to allow those Words to cut through the darkness and deception, open your life and allow the Sword and the Grain and the Fire and the Hammer that is God’s Word to shape you into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Hebrews 12

 "Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: "Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored." Aaron remained silent." 

Leviticus 10:3 (NIV)

Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God Almighty! Blessed are those who are His holy people, who are His possession, for they have been given a privilege and a blessing out of all the peoples of the earth.

If God was not holy, what a terrible world it would be. God’s holiness, his ‘other than human-ess’, is the only good thing in this world, and it is to be praised and His holy Name to be lifted high for all of creation to praise. He is holy and His people will be a holy nation. He forgives our sins and cleanses us and He wields the rod of discipline and beats the sin nature out of us. There are friends of mine who talk about God hitting them with a 2 X 4, but I must tell you that my experience with the discipline of my Lord has not been brutal, but gentle and loving. He speaks and speaks and then corrects and corrects. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.” (Matt 12)

Our Lord is gentle at heart and bears our burdens. He took our stripes, and the phrase that human parents use: “This hurts me more then you” is only true in the Lord’s case, for the punishment for my sin hurt Him more than it hurt me.

We are the light of the world, we are the lamp-stand on which the light is placed and therefore we must be holy! We told Him we would honour Him and therefore we must be holy! We desire to be with Him forever, and therefore we must be holy!  The best thing for us, for our loved ones, for our church and for our community, is that we would be holy.

May we willingly submit to our loving, Holy, Heavenly Father, and may we remember this encouragement from Hebrews 12: "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

Holiness Is What I Long For, via YouTube

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Revelation 2:12-29

"So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord."

1 Corinthians 5:4,5 (NIV)

[ Footnotes: a. 1 Corinthians 5:5 // In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
b. 1 Corinthians 5:5 // Or of his body ]

We don’t like to think about consequences for Christians who sin, but 1 Corinthians 5 and Revelation 2 force us to think. Even if these two passages are not so clear, we have the story of the beginning of temple worship (Lev. 10), the story of beginning to possess the Promised Land (Joshua 7), and the story of the beginning of the Spirit-filled church (Acts 5).

Some people teach that Nadab, Abihu, Achan and his entire family and Ananias and Sapphira were not God’s people; that these accounts are about God getting rid of pagans in our midst and yet Revelation 2 teaches us that the Lord of the church will kill Christians in order to remove sin from the local church. This is a hard blog post to write, and it is a hard text to teach and yet the TRUTH is: God punishes His people, with sickness and death. (I hurry to add that under no circumstances are we to repeat the mistakes of Job’s friends and apply this TRUTH to other people’s lives, for we are then trying to sit in the seat of God) No! It is enough for us to apply the truth to ourselves and continually seek to be obedient servants of the Lord, and stay as far away as we can from sin. He punishes us as a LOVING Father, and if we challenge His LOVE because physical death is part of the punishment, then we have forgotten that our Lord taught us that the life of the soul is more important than the life of the body (Matt 10), and we have forgotten the lesson of Hebrews 12 that teaches that discipline proves LOVE.

Some say if death is the punishment, then it doesn’t matter WHY God does it, for death from God’s hand is no different than death from Satan’s hand. David knew better than that; 2 Samuel 24 records that David was given a choice between having his enemies punish him or having God punish him.  Verse 14 records David’s answer: “David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”” To which all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ would say AMEN!

May I fall in the hands of the Man of Sorrows for His mercy is great! May I fall into the hands of the Son of Man for His love overwhelms me! May I fall into the hands of the Lamb of God, for He knows my struggle! May I fall into the hands of the Great Physician, may He cut the sin out of my life!

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Romans 6

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

Galatians 6:7 (NIV)

Do my actions as a Christian matter? 

I am saved! I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead! (Rom 10:9) His Spirit testifies with my spirit that I am His child! (Rom 8:16) I have eternal life, for the Lord Jesus is alive within me, and He is Life and Light! That being truthfully said,  my question is this: “Do my actions, what I do with my body, my mouth and my mind, have consequences?” 

Our Lord gave us His expectations of our behaviour in the Sermon contained in Matt 5 thru 7, and warned us at the end that if we don’t put His instructions into practise in our lives (our actions), that our lives would end up in a heap of ruins. Paul teaches us that we are to live by the Spirit who is alive within us; that we are to offer our bodies as slaves to the One who bought us with His blood, for His gift to us was freedom and the ability to choose to behave in a righteous way. But many Christians act as if they have a free pass to sin and to live in whatever way they want, not realizing that we have been given a free pass to righteousness, not a free pass to sin. Friend, God will not be mocked! And mocking God is exactly what a person does when they claim Christ’s blood but refuse to allow Him to reign in their lives. We mock God and insult the Spirit of grace when we use the precious freedom we have in Christ, to live for sin and for ourselves instead of for our Lord.

Do my actions today have consequences?

Yes - when I sin I will reap death and ruin, but when I act righteously, life abounds.

May we this day choose life!

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Romans 8:18-39

“...Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)  

The NIV 2011 uses the English word "pioneer" instead of "author" (NIV 1984). This seems to be closer to the meaning of the original Greek (according to my Greek/English interlinear by Mounce and Mounce), and it can bear great fruit for us if we would dwell on this description of our Lord as a "pioneer" as we continue to consider this week: temptation, tests and wilderness.

Pioneers go before us, they open up new uncharted areas, they are our leaders who are at the front of the procession. The pioneers that passed through, opened up the west for generation after generation of people, including our generation. More than simply explorers, they came to settle the land, and to make it fruitful.

Paul tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus who went before us into the wilderness; who suffered as He was tempted and tested, and yet endured. Paul tells us that Jesus went through the wilderness for the joy – not in the journey, but in the destination. Glory and unspeakable joy awaited our Lord, and so He put one foot in front of the other, and walked the path God called Him to. He put one knee beside the other and prayed, “Not my will but thine.” Through all His suffering, through all His humiliation and shame, He kept His mind and His heart on the joy that awaited Him.

Oh friend, may we fix our eyes on Jesus: the One who opened up the way, the One who made the wilderness fruitful, the One in whom we can rest, for He, and He alone, knows the way through the wilderness.

There is a children’s song that I used to sing with the children in Sunday School and VBS. This is a kids song and yet there is a truth in this song that through my adult life has blessed me, for as I look around and realize I am in a wilderness situation, I start to sing this song, and it reminds me that He is here with me, that all I need to do is keep walking and keep praying.

"My Lord Knows the Way Through the Wilderness", via YouTube

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Exodus 17

"Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah." 

Deuteronomy 6:16 (NIV) 

The LORD brought His people out of Egypt, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. He brought them out with an abundance of goods and people, and He destroyed the military threat against their continuing freedom. The Israelites are free and they are rich! The LORD then led them into the desert and when the people got thirsty, they asked, "Is the LORD among us or not?" (Ex. 17:7) 

The LORD brought His Son into the world, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. His Son was free from the ruthless taskmaster of sin. His Son declared His intention to live in submission to God and His Father told all creation that He was pleased with His Son. Then God led Him into the desert and when He got hungry, He refused to check to see if the LORD was really with Him.

Jesus refused to test God. He refused to force God's hand to prove His Presence, for Jesus knew that the desert was a test for Him not for God. Friend, may we realize that the desert experiences are there to test us and refine us. May we resist the temptation to play the devil's game and make them about testing God. May we have the attitude of Job when he replied to the temptation to curse God for the trouble in his life: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:10) 

Job said a lot of things to God. He asked "why" over and over again, and he demanded an audience with God. Yet, Job did not for a moment, doubt God's presence. The LORD is with us in the desert! 

Even though I walk

through the darkest valley, 

I will fear no evil, 

for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, 

they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 

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Deuteronomy 8

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." 

Luke 4:1 (NIV)

Why Lord? Why? Why do You by Your Spirit lead us into the wilderness? Why do You lead Your children, whom You love, and with whom You are well pleased, by Your Spirit into a dry and thirsty land? Why, O Lord, do we cry out and not hear Your answer? Why, O Father, do you leave us thirsty and hungry, desperate for a Word of cheer, a sense of Your blessing? Why do we wonder if You are angry if You truly are pleased? 

Oh heavenly Father, please lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 

Then I thought, (Ps. 77:10-12) "To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds." 

Then I remembered Jesus: (Mk 14:34-38) "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." Going a little father, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Couldn't you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

Give me Jesus, not Adam! 

"Everything and Nothing", Matt Maher, via YouTube

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Genesis 3

"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." 

Romans 5:19 (NIV)

In the beginning, Adam was created by God; Adam had no human father. In the dawn of the new creation, Jesus of Nazareth was formed in Mary's womb by the power of the Holy Spirit; Jesus had no human father. As soon as Satan heard God declare that Jesus of Nazareth was His Son whom He loved, Satan came down to see if he could lead Jesus in disobedience just like he led Adam into disobedience and destroy God's creation. 

The account of Satan's deception of Eve, which led to Adam's disobedience and the account of Satan's temptation of Jesus have striking similarities: 

Aimed at the appetite

 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food. 

He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 

Aimed at personal advancement 

 Pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom.

"I will give you all their authority and splendor."

Shortcut to glory

  "And you will be like God, knowing good and evil. "

"If you worship me, it will all be yours."

Misuse of the Word of God

 "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" 

"Throw yourself down from here. For it is written:" 

Oh friend, Satan has a limited playbook; he uses the same plows over and over again. He uses our appetites against us. He uses our desire for our own advancement (pride). He offers us "shortcuts" to glory and He twists God's Words. 

What will we do today? Will we read God's Word for ourselves and take the time required to consider the meaning and application of the Word into our lives? Will we recognize the desire for personal advancement as the sin of pride and seek to attain to John the Baptist's attitude of "He must become greater; I must become less" (Jn 3:30). Will we seek to discipline our appetites to recognize them as potential allies of Satan? Will we refuse the shortcut to glory, no matter how tempting it may look? Will we WAIT on our Lord to save us in His time and in His way? Will we live our lives in these bodies through faith in the Son of God, who loves us and gave Himself up for us? Jesus, the friend of sinners. Jesus, the Son who obeyed. 

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Luke 3:21-38

"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" 

Romans 5:17 (NIV)

Luke places his genealogy behind the baptism of Jesus. Many wonder at this placement, but you have to rule out carelessness and lack of order, for Luke is very careful and orderly in his writing. It is easy to identify the different sections of the first four chapters of Luke for he opens each section with a historical description, identifying either time or place, and sometimes both, and then closes each section with physical movement (i.e: 1:23, 1:39, 1:56, 2:20, 2:39, 2:51, 3:20, 4:1). 

The baptism of Jesus, the declaration of His divine Sonship by the Father, the anointing of Jesus by the Holy Spirit and the genealogy are in the same section of text and are therefore related to each other by subject. Luke's identification of Adam as the son of God makes his intent clear - Luke is contrasting Adam with Jesus. He has given us the Father's testimony that Jesus is the Son of God. He then reminds us that Joseph and every other human is a son of Adam, who also was the son of God, but a son of God who chose his own will over God's will and brought death into the world. 

Luke's next section records that this "second" son of God chose God's will over the desires of his flesh. Clearly a contrast! Some would say, "Who cares? So what?" To which I reply, "Whom to you want to imitate today? Adam or Jesus?" I don't know about you, but I want to imitate Christ Jesus. I want to reign in life; not surrender to death. I want to please God, not cause Him pain! I want to live my life in the power of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

Give me Jesus, not Adam! 

"Give Me Jesus", Fernando Ortega, via YouTube

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Daniel 7

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence." 

Daniel 7:13 (NIV)

LIKE a son of man.

Daniel 7 is an awesome chapter of the Bible, and there are many great lessons and mysteries in this chapter, but I want us to think about one phrase today: “like a son of man”. John used the same phrase to describe what he saw as the Lord Jesus gave him the Revelation (see Rev 1:13 and 14:14). Son of Man is a title that our Lord took on Himself. All four gospels use it. Stephen told his murderers in Acts 7 that he saw heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Luke explains to us that he used the term to refer to Jesus. Son of Man seems simple enough to understand, really almost self-explanatory, but when the word like is added, the meaning changes.

We could understand Daniel and John adding the word like, because their visions were of the glorified Person of the Lord of lords and King of kings, and yet Stephen (Acts 7) saw the glorified Lord and he used His title without adding like.

May I suggest that while our Lord was here on earth everyone saw His humanity, and only saw glimpses of His Deity. Now that our Lord is seated at the right hand of God in all His glory, everyone sees His Deity and only see glimpses of His humanity. Hebrews 2:17 teaches us that Jesus was made fully human and yet Hebrews 1:1-3 teaches us that He is fully God. He is like us in every way, but He is not the son of “a” man. He is the Son of God. He is the Son of Man, but not the son of “a” man, for the Eternal God is His Father.

I am the son of “a” man, and all you see when you look at me is fallen humanity. But I have this light within me, a treasure in a jar of clay as Paul describes it in 2 Cor 4, and slowly, very slowly (the slowness is my fault) little glimpses of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ can be seen in me. As we spend time trying to get our heads around this topic, contemplating the greatness of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, which makes us then aware of the sinfulness and sorry state that we are in in this flesh, may we be encouraged by 1 Corinthians 15:51-53: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”

Psalm 2

"Kiss his son..." 

Psalm 2:12a (NIV) 

YHWH's son is the Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the grave and is at the right hand of God. 

How can we kiss the Lord Jesus? 

In David's day and culture, men would kiss each other as a gesture of peace. David and Jonathan kissed each other and give oaths of friendship to each other (1 Samuel 20:41) and David's general, Joab, pretended to kiss a rival named Amasa and stuck a dagger in him instead (2 Samual 20:9). 

God spoke in a still small voice to Elijah and told him that seven thousand had not bowed their knees to Baal nor their mouths kissed him. From this we can deduce that there is a spiritual sense to kissing. A kiss communicates and demonstrates allegiance, friendship and loyalty. 

But how can we kiss the Lord Jesus? 

Luke 22 records that Judas kissed the Lord, to identify Him to those who wanted to arrest Him; it was a kiss of betrayal. Luke 7 records that Simon did not kiss the Lord, although he had invited Him into his home. Instead, a woman barged into the dinner, went to Jesus' feet and wouldn't stop kissing them. These kisses were kisses of love that came from a heart that overflowed with love because she was forgiven. 

But how can we kiss the Lord Jesus? 

Friend - find a way today! Seek Him out; sit at His feet. Listen to His voice through the Word; speak to Him in prayer. Bless His Name; weep over your sin and His grace. Show your love for Him today. 

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"Leave a Light On" Matt Maher, via YouTube

Psalm 2

"I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father."

Psalm 2:7 (NIV)

The LORD is YHWH, the One True God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Eternal Spirit. He is big on His Son! He loves His Son, and He thinks highly of Him, for He is well-pleased with Him. If we miss this truth and try to approach God without making peace with His Son, we have made an unrecoverable mistake. 

Can you imagine standing before the One True God, having lived your life seeking Him, trying to please Him and believing that He will receive you with joy, only to discover that His Son, whom you have ignored, is the One who controls access to this God? Millions of people have made this mistake! Some people in our day and age teach that all religions point to the same God, and yet only Christians worship a God who has a Son! 

This royal psalm ends with: “Blessed are those who take refuge in him”. Oh friend, are you “in Christ”? Verse 2 calls Him anointed. Verse 6 calls Him king. Verse 7 calls Him God’s Son, and verse 12 tells everyone of us to kiss the Son. Christ is the English word for the Greek word Christos. Christos is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah. Messiah is a Hebrew word that means anointed one. Anointed One/Christ/Messiah/Son are all terms that refer to one person:Jesus of Nazareth. 

Psalm 2 tells us there is only one way to God, and Jesus preached the same message in John 14:6: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

BE WISE today; kiss the Son and live!

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Psalm 119:161-168

 

"Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble." 

Proverbs 28:14 (NIV)

Will we LISTEN to the wise? Or will we pretend that always doesn't mean always?

ALWAYS is life-long. 

ALWAYS is every situation. 

ALWAYS is without exception. 

This wise saying clearly teaches that God's personal attention is given to the individuals (Num. 6:24-26) who make trembling before God their way of life. 

Psalm 119:161-168 teaches us what trembling before God looks like: 

When we rejoice in the promises contained in God's Word, we are trembling. 

When we HATE falsehood in our life, but LOVE the Law, we are trembling. 

When we regularly (7x a day) praise God for those Laws, we are trembling. 

When we experience great peace while we read His Laws, we are trembling. 

When we follow His commands and trust Him to deliver us, we are trembling. 

When we obey the spirit of the Law, and get past the letter, we are trembling. 

When we remember that our lives are lived on a stage before God, we are trembling. 

Heavenly Father, be gracious to me today. 

Strive with me; break my heart. 

Cause me to tremble before YOU, every moment of this day, and in every situation I find myself. 

Bless me I pray. 

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1 Samuel 15

"These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at my word." 

Isaiah 66:2b (NIV)

When we see God as He truly is, we then and only then, are able to see ourselves as we truly are, for we will see our sin. 

Isaiah saw God high and lifted up and He describes the LORD as a God whose throne is heaven and whose footstool is earth. He describes a God who is the Maker of everything and everyone. Isaiah then tells us that God looks with favour on those who tremble at His Word. God turns His face towards those who obey Him; who do what He tells us to do. 

Do we tremble at His Word? He has graciously given us His Word, do we obey it? Saul rationalized his disobedience; to us it is so obvious that he is wrong. Many of us read 1 Samuel 15 and think to ourselves, "Boy oh boy. This Saul is pretty stupid" and yet we are outsiders looking in. The truth is that we all rationalize disobedience to God. Our reasoning seems sound to us; it seems wise and entirely rational, and yet to an outsider and to God, it is the height of stupidity and foolishness. 

Many of us have been Christians for years and years. Our rationalization is so deep in our lives that it was become denial. Just read the rest of Isaiah 66 to see what the outcome of denial is for God's people. Oh friend, do not make the mistake of thinking that repentance is only for non-Christians. A life of repentance is the characteristic of a person who trembles at God's Words. May we be those who tremble at the Word of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and rush to obey His every command! 

"Were you there when they crucified my Lord? 

Were you there when they crucified my Lord? 

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. 

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" 

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Luke 15

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repent than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." 

Luke 15:17 (NIV)

"Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace, 

I want to see my Saviour's face, heaven is a wonderful place!"

This little chorus never fails to lift my spirits. Heaven is truly a wonderful place and I look forward to being there!

One of the many verses that speak to the wonderfulness of heaven is this verse out of the great parable of Jesus. Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents. Are you a sinner my friend? Do you see the sin in your life today, yesterday or the day before? That's GOOD NEWS! For the Spirit is striving with your spirit and He is speaking God's Word into your life or you wouldn't even be aware of it.

Oh friend, repent. You have seen the sin, are you sorry for it? Then confess it. Agree with God that it is sin and He will forgive you and cleanse you. Ask Him for His heart in this matter. Ask Him for the holy hatred that He has for this sin. Ask Him to lift you up out of the muck and the mud of our own nature and the demon horde. Then live as a child of the King. Live as a child of the Most High God! 

That is REPENTANCE and that behaviour causes great rejoicing in heaven. It must be God who rejoices, for Heaven is His. It must be the angels rejoicing, for what delights God delights them. It must be the saint who have gone before us rejoicing, for they can see clearly now what we can only see darkly. That all of heaven rejoices when a sinner repents.

Oh fellow sinner, may we search our hearts today and repent! 

"Search My Heart", Hillsong United, via YouTube

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