Isaiah 40:21-31

"Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)

Who is this God we worship? What can this God do for us today, who has blessed us in the HEAVENLY REALMS with every spiritual blessing in Christ? He is not a God that is created by men. He is not only the God of the heavens, or only the God of the earth; He is both the God over all the earth and the God over all the HEAVENS. He sits above all creation and He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. 

I hope that we don’t say the things that Israel said as they complained that God was unaware of what was happening in their lives, and that He didn’t care to help them. The God who has placed His affections on us, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, who holds us up to His enemies as the example of His wisdom and His glorious grace, is the ONLY True God who cares for each star in the universe. His power is limitless. He never tires. His knowledge is limitless and His grace and mercy abound to us. 

Oh friend, the stars hear Him call their name and follow the course He laid for them! Can you hear His voice this day calling you to worship Him? Will you go forth into the path He has laid out for you today, confident in His power and His grace?

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John 1:1-18

"God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, who no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen." 

1 Timothy 6:15b, 16 (NIV) 

Who is this God we worship? What does this God, who in love predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, look like? No one can describe Him, for no one has seen Him. John tells us that the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ has made him known, but no human has ever seen Him. 

Light is absolutely necessary for the human eye to see and yet God lives in too much light for our eyes to handle. A light that burns with the fiercest of intensity. A light of such radiance and brilliance that we cannot bear it. Saul fell blinded to his knees before this light from heaven. The disciples were awestruck as they saw the Lord change before their eyes and shine with the most brilliant light. 

Light was the first to be created by God; He created by a Word and separated it from darkness. Oh friend, the God that we worship lives in unapproachable light and yet one day we will live in His Presence and we will not need the sun or any lamp of any kind, for God Himself will give us light (Isaiah 60:19 & Rev. 22:5). Even more amazing then that - our God has caused His light to shine within our hearts! Praise His Holy Name! 

"I Saw the Light", Johnny Cash, via YouTube

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Job 38:1-21

"God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."

1 Timothy 6:15b,16 (NIV)

Who is this God we worship? Who is this God who chooses us in Christ before the creation of the world? We are so blessed that God made Himself flesh and appeared among us as a human, and yet we make a huge mistake if we think of Him in human terms.

God is spirit and He is the only One who is immortal. Nothing can kill God! Time kills us, but time can’t kill Him. Nature kills us, but nature can’t kill Him. Humans can kill us, but humans can’t touch Him. Death cannot touch God; He made death, and He will destroy death. 

We tell each other ghost stories, and our imaginations run wild with all sorts of creatures that have some form of existence apart from our physical world. Yet in every one of those movies and stories there is someone or something that can end their existence. God and only God is immortal, and because of this truth about God, we can look forward with Paul to the day that our mortality is clothed with God’s immortality – that day when death is swallowed up in victory!

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Genesis 1

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

John 4:24 (NIV)

Surely we believe that the Lord Jesus knows what God is like. Will we accept His Words in the matter of the essence of God? God is not made of matter; on the contrary, God made matter. God has always existed and will always exist; He is described by our Lord as spirit. This means that He must manifest Himself to us in order for us to see Him, for our natural state is spiritual death. People whose spirits are dead cannot comprehend God. We don’t use our ears to appreciate or comprehend a painting. Nor do we use our eyes to appreciate or comprehend a beautiful piece of music. Our eyes and ears don’t help us appreciate chocolate; we need taste for that. If we are deaf, we can’t comprehend a piece of music. If we are blind we can’t appreciate a family portrait, and so we also cannot appreciate or comprehend God unless our spirit is alive. This is rebirth, that God’s Spirit entered our beings and brought our spirits to life. Now we are truly able for the first time to comprehend God, to know Him, to have fellowship with Him, to worship Him. Praise His glorious Name for the miracle of spiritual birth!

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Ezekiel 37:1-14

"He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." 

Titus 3:5b,6.7 (NIV)

Only the Spirit can save. We can say all the prayers we want, do all the good things we want, hang around church as much as we want, even read the Bible from cover to cover as much as we want, and yet we are only saved when the Holy Spirit enters us and brings our spirits alive. 

New birth/ born again/ renewal/ new creation – these are all biblical words and terms that describe the miracle that happens each time the Holy Spirit enters a person and brings their spirit to life. Ephesians 1:13 tells us that this miracle occurs in those who hear the word of truth, and then believe it. Ezekiel 37 teaches the same order: “prophesy to these bones” – “prophesy to the breath”. This breath that comes from the four winds (this Spirit who hovers over the earth) comes and enters the dead bones and they come to life. The Word is spoken and then the Spirit enters. You could say that this means “physical first, spiritual second”, but that is only true if by “physical” you mean bones, tendons, flesh and skin walking around; dead yet walking, going through the motions. That is what every person has been ever since Adam and Eve sinned - dead people walking. Praise God that His grace appeared to us – the walking dead - that we heard the Word and we believed and His Holy Spirit entered into us and brought us to life!

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Mark 2:1-17

 

"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know." 

Acts 2:22 (NIV)

A person thinking quickly over the life of the Lord could say physical first, spiritual second. It is true that during the three years of Jesus' ministry, He healed countless numbers of people from physical ailments. He basically outlawed sickness from His presence. Many of the gospel accounts seem to indicate that this happened regardless of the level of faith in the individuals. However, the account of the healing of the paralyzed man, makes it clear that our Lord healed physical ailments as a demonstration of His authority and ability to heal spiritually, through the forgiveness of sins. 

Peter declares in his sermon at Pentecost that Jesus was accredited to us by God through these acts of physical healing; accredited as the Christ - the One through whom we can be forgiven. The Lord's primary concern was that we would be able to enter His kingdom through the forgiveness of our sins. His acts of healing, including the delivery from demons and bringing dead people back to life, serve as a window or a glimpse into the blessed state of the kingdom that we will enter one day because we have found forgiveness of our sins and new life in Christ Jesus. All disease, oppression, decay and death come from sin, and will only be dealt with after sin is removed. Spiritual first. Physical second.

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Romans 7:14 - 8:11

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." 

Luke 4:18 (NIV) 

Our Lord stood up and declared His "manifesto". Because the Lord Jesus is the Eternal Word, His manifesto is from Isaiah 61. The question that theologians debate is: is this freedom for prisoners and the oppressed, and sigh for the blind a physical mission or a spiritual mission? We could say that the answer to that question is both - both spiritual and physical, as long as we keep them in that order - spiritual first and physical second. Spiritual first, physical second. 

God works from the inside out. Paul describes the bondage that our sin nature has over us in Romans 7. We are by nature, spiritual prisoners, spiritually blind, and spiritually oppressed. In a word, we are prisoners of our sin nature. The Lord Jesus came to set us free. We hear the gospel; we we believe and the Holy Spirit enters us, putting our sin nature to death and creating a new person in Christ. We don't have to obey our evil impulses and thoughts. We can now clearly see the spiritual issues at stake. We don't have to act in such a way that brings death, destruction and oppression into our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Spiritual first, physical second. 

The places in the world where human rights abound, where women are the freest, where freedom reigns, where oppression is now defined as "bullying", and where people are the healthiest, are the places where the gospel has had influence the longest. Spiritual first, physical second. 

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Ephesians 4

"Why not say - as some slanderously claim that we say - "Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is just!" 

Romans 3:8 (NIV)

Who were these people who misrepresented Paul's preaching? For him to say that their condemnation is just, leads us to believe that the apostle, who has penned "therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ" (Rom. 8:1), believes that the people who think that Paul's gospel of grace encourages us towards evil behaviour, are not in Christ, nor have the mind of Christ. The proper understanding of the gospel of the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, will always lead us towards holiness and away from evil. Any person who sins and says to themselves: "What does it matter? Jesus paid the price. I am free to live any way I want" is either a baby in Christ and needs to hear the truth in love or they don't have the Spirit at all and are in the kingdom of darkness. The Lord Jesus rose from the grave so that we might have His life now! There is power available for those who by faith choose to put off the sinful deed that are natural to us, and choose to put on the deeds of love; the deeds of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul calls it, "his incomparably great power for us who believe - the same power God used to raise Christ from the dead" (Rom. 8:11). Power to Change: power to put off the acts of our old person and put on the acts of Christ, who dwells in our hearts thru faith. 

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Mark 4:1-20

"In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace."

Colossians 1:6 (NIV) 

We tend to think that the fruit of the gospel is only the initial act of a person surrendering their lives to the Lord Jesus and receiving forgiveness of their sins and eternal life. Paul’s commendation to them for the gospel bearing fruit and growing among them, appears to suggest that the fruit continues past the initial act of salvation. 

Paul points out that the Colossians truly understand God’s grace. Do we truly understand God’s grace? Do we understand that God’s grace is not just about preparing a home for us in heaven, but also about real fruit, real spiritual growth happening in our lives each day? Our Lord’s parable of the sower reveals the truth that the Word only bears fruit when the heart receives it. A true Christian has the Holy Spirit living them, who continually works with power to make our hearts receptive to the Word of God. As we hear the Word, surrender to the Holy Spirit and apply the Word to our lives through faith, we grow and grow and grow. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians comes true, and Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. 

Friend are you growing? Can you see progress in your spiritual life? Has anyone who knows you, ever told you that you are different then you were 6 months ago? Our Christian life is meant to be a life of never ending growth; becoming more like Christ each and every day, as the gospel bears fruit in our lives. May this song be continually true in our lives:

"Things are different now, something happened to me

Since I gave my heart to Jesus

Things I loved before have passed away

Things I love far more have come to stay

Things are different now, something happened that day

When I gave my heart to Him."

(Words and music: Stanton W.Gavitt)

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Romans 10

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." 

Romans 10:17 (NIV)

Oh friend, it is so simple. A person hear the Word and then believes. You can't believe unless you hear the Word. Paul believed this; it formed his philosophy of ministry. You can see it demonstrated in the records of his ministry contained in Acts. When he entered a city, he didn't try to make friends, or impress anyone with his good deeds. Paul went straight to the synagogue and preached the Word. He then would go to a gathering of seekers and preach the Word. 

Paul knew that the only way anyone will ever be saved, is if they actually HEAR the Word of Christ. Paul didn't get bent out of shape with God when people didn't believe. Romans 10 and 11 are all about God's sovereignty in determining who believes when they hear. Paul was content to allow God to determine who would enter His Kingdom, but Paul knew that His part was to speak the Word of truth. 

Now, we are not Paul; we are not an apostle and we don't travel the world. We live in a community and we belong to a church. The Lord calls us to live our lives as salt and light among these who KNOW us. We are told to be ready to give the reason for the hope we have (1 Pe. 3:15. Which is a response to people questioning us about our lives). Yet we would do well to think on the truth of this verse in Romans. How then can our loved ones believe unless they hear? 

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John 3:1-21

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." 

 John 1:12, 13 (NIV)

This was God's plan to save the world. This was God's plan to rescue creation. He is going to do it through a bunch of babies. I can't imagine trying to accomplish anything with a bunch of whiny, needy babies! Fathers call it babysitting, which is our first mistake, because it is supposed to be "parenting" not "babysitting". Moms get ticked off, because they care for the babies, plus do a pile or work. Dads can't do anything when they have a baby to look after. No one phones a friend and says, "Bring your baby over so that I can get the deck finished today." You wouldn't even think of it. But God's plan to rescue the world was to start with creating new spiritual babies (a study of how the disciples behaved in the gospels, proves this in techno-colour). Speak the Word of truth to them. When they believe, enter them through the Spirit and make them into new spiritual creatures. Do this over and over again all over the world, over thousands of years, and through this body of believers called the church, for God's Kingdom. Paul reminds us that through the Spirit, we call God, "Daddy" - "Abba Father" (Rom. 8:15).

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgements, and His paths beyond tracing out! 

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Matthew 18

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."

Matthew 18:10 (NIV)   

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world...” The gospels are very clear about the attitude of our Lord toward children. We sing about this, and we teach children all over the world this truth, and what a wonderful truth it is. 

We make a mistake if we think that our Lord’s attitude towards children is a reflection of His humanity. It is a reflection of His deity, not His humanity. God makes these children in the womb (Ps 139:13). He chooses their time and place of birth and He even chooses their parents. He does all this all over the world so that people will seek Him (Acts 17:26,27). He loves them as only their Creator could! 

Not only is this true physically of all the children in the world, it is also true spiritually of all the children of God. When we heard the Word, we believed and received the promised Holy Spirit. We were, at that moment, reborn; we became at that moment a spiritual baby, a new creation in Christ. We might have thought of ourselves as quite wise and mature, but really we were just babies. We were babies who needed nurturing, who needed feeding, who needed parents and protection, and love. 

May we not despise these spiritual infants in our midst at Parkdale. May we instead love them with the love of Christ, serving them in humility and gentleness and bearing with them in love.  

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Philippians 2:1-13

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Ephesians 4:3 (NIV) 

There is only One True God. Not many gods, each with their own kingdoms, for a god over the air who isn’t a god over the land isn’t a god at all! A god over conception who isn’t the god over death isn’t a god at all. One True God, the Heavenly Father over everything, that is: His One and Only Son the Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit - One Father, One Lord, One Spirit. 

So, if being saved means that God’s Spirit is within us, why are we not automatically united in thought and Spirit? Because our default position is our sin nature. Paul tells the Ephesians to make every effort to keep this unity of the Spirit through peace. He describes every effort as "being completely humble, gentle and patient". He tells the Philippians to make his joy complete by being like-minded, having love and humility towards each other, just as Christ did for us. When we put ourselves ahead of others, when we demand our “way” and “rights” we are mimicking the world, and grieving the Spirit. Unity starts with us having the Saviour’s mindset. Unity requires God’s grace and power at work within us. Unity requires effort from us; daily/hourly surrender, and hard work, but unity glorifies God more than anything else can. 

Let’s make every effort together.

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John 17:13-26

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message..."

John 17:20 (NIV)

I am one of "them". Are you one of "them"?  We have believed the message of the apostles. We haven't seen the Lord, or experienced His miracles. We haven't sat at His feet or listened to the sound of His voice. Rather, we have heard the gospel, the word of truth as written down by the apostles, and we imitate their lives of faith. Our belief is not in them, but in the Lord that they worshiped. 

The Lord Jesus is praying for us. He is asking the Father to make us all into one, just as the Father and His Son are One! He tells God that He has given us the same glory that was given to Him. By this, He must mean the Holy Spirit, for He goes on to say, "I in them, and you in me." Now, He has already told the Father that He has given us the Word. So we can see very simply that the Lord has given us His Word and His Spirit and that He is asking God to protect us, sanctify us, unite us and then bring us to His side in heaven. 

Friend, we have everything we need for protection, for sanctification and for unity. We have the Word and the Spirit, and we have the effective prayer of our Lord. Let us cooperate, no - better yet - let us surrender to the Word and the Spirit and we will see the Lord's prayer answered in our lives and in our church. 

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Psalm 133

"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" 

Psalm 133:1 (NIV) 

This is a neat psalm! You read it and think, 'hey, that's a different picture. Kinda weird.' But when you realize that Aaron was the high priest under the old covenant and that our (the church's) high priest is the Lord Jesus Christ, it really takes on a special meaning. 

Our Lord's parable of the 10 virgins teaches pretty clearly that we need oil as we wait for His return. How do we get oil from heaven? We dwell together in unity! God pours out oil onto the head of His precious Son and it covers His entire body, which is the church.

As we read this psalm, we should consider that in our situation, in our age of grace - the age of the church, that the Lord has taken Aaron's place (Heb. 8:1), that we are the body of our Lord (Eph. 4:12), that the oil of anointed is the Holy Spirit (1 Sam. 16:13), and that Mount Zion is now the church (Heb. 12:22). 

Now tell me, is this psalm still a little weird, or does it bless you to the depths of your being and cause you to desire unity with the Christians you worship with at Parkdale? Friend, unity is not a nice option, it is critical to our life as a body of believers. This psalm teaches us that our Father in heaven blesses those who dwell together in unity. May God bless His church at Parkdale as we keep the unity of the Spirit though the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). 

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Psalm 68:18-35

"Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary." 

Psalm 68:24 (NIV) 

The book of Ephesians teaches us that we, the church, are the manifold wisdom of God made known to the spiritual authorities in the heavenlies.  In other words, God demonstrates through His grace displayed in our lives and His infinite wisdom to the angels and demons. 

Paul refers to Psalm 68 as he explains how the Lord portions out "gifts" to His church. This heavenly procession is the procession of the victorious King entering His home with His entourage , which demonstrates His glorious wisdom and power. Earthly kings have done this for as long as kingdoms have existed in this world, but they all pale in comparison to the heavenly procession still going on as millions of righteous souls march into heaven behind their Lord and Saviour. Earthly processions last hours, possibly days, and involve hundreds, possibly thousands of people. This heavenly procession is almost 2,000 years long and contains millions, possibly billions of people. 

Numbers 22:3 records the terror that the Moabites felt when they saw the large multitude of God's people. What do the demons think of the procession of Christians? Oh friend - have you given your life to Christ? Then know this, friend - you are part of the Lord's triumphant procession into the heavenly sanctuary! Let's life our heads high and march (live our lives) like children of the King! 

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Proverbs 31:1-9

"It is not for kings, Lemuel - it is not for kings to drink wine, for not rulers to crave beer..."

Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)

Most of us know Proverbs 31 as the chapter about the model Christian wife, and yet the first 9 verses are all for the children of the eternal King! These are the words of a mother to her young prince. They are words of warning and encouragement. Words that encourage him to behave in a different way than the people around him, based on his identity as a child of the king. Children of earthly kings should behave differently than other children. Children of the eternal King should behave differently than other humans. 

This mother, warns her son of the dangers of sexual immorality. Oh if we Christians would take this to heart! How large is the multitude of Christians who have been ruined by sexual immorality. She warns him about the dangers of alcohol; the befuddlement that drugs of all kinds bring into our lives. She tells him that he has a higher calling - a higher purpose that supersedes his rights to enjoy that which God made to cheer our hearts (Ps. 104:14-16). She then encourages him to set his sights on his purpose; "To speak for those who can't speak, to defend their rights." 

There is a lot of wisdom in these words of a mother. Let us listen to our mother and live like our heavenly Father! 

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Jeremiah 10

"But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath." 

Jeremiah 10:10 (NIV) 

Eternal - always has been; always will be. Without beginning and without end.  

King - the highest authority among the highest forms of creation. The ultimate rule of all residing within His kingdom or territory. 

Eternal King - is a beautiful description of the God we worship, the God above all gods, the God who sits on a throne that is firmly established over all the earth and over all of the spiritual forces of heaven.

His throne is based on righteousness and justice (Ps. 89:14). He laughs at the most powerful humans on earth as they conspire against Him (Ps. 2:4). He looks down over humans and throws them into confusion as they seek to reach Him (Ge. 11:9). He oversees even the smallest creatures by caring for their needs and setting their point of death (Job 39:1; Matt. 10:29). The spiritual forces of evil, the mighty angels of darkness do his bidding (1 Kgs. 22:22; Lk. 8:28; Jude 9). The wind and the waves obey Him (Mk. 4:41), yet we as humans rebel; resist and seek our own way. What fools we were until one day, in His glorious grace, He turned His face toward us and called to us through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We heard the gospel; we believed and He sent His Spirit into us and we became children of the Eternal King. Children of the king, children of the King! (1 Jn. 3:1) 

"Child of the King", Skeeter Davis, via YouTube

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Ephesians 1:1-14

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you in power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." 

Ephesians 3:16, 17a (NIV)

Paul is praying for Christians. That is, he is praying for people who have already "asked Jesus into their heart". So many of us parents pray for the day that our children come to that place of praying and asking Jesus to come into their heart, and it is a glorious day, isn't it! But it isn't full glory. 

Paul is demonstrating through his prayer that the act of salvation (hearing/believing/receiving), is not the destination, it is only the first step. His prayer is not that Christ may be invited, but that Christ may dwell. To have Christ Jesus dwell, mean He lives and rules in every aspect of our lives, through His Spirit. He will only dwell where He is welcome and comfortable. Unless we as Christians purposefully surrender each area of our lives, He will not dwell with us. This takes faith. It takes hearing the Word and obeying the Word - one decision at a time, area after area in our lives. 

Faith requires God's power at work within us! So let's pray like Paul did. Let's ask the God of miracles to do miracles in our hearts and in our children's hearts! 

Change our hearts Oh Lord. 

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Matthew 19:16-30

"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but the God all things are possible." 

Matthew 19:26 (NIV) 

The disciples believed that having money was a sign that God was pleased with you. They also believed that the more you obeyed the Law, the closer you were to God. So it blew them away when Jesus told the man to give away all his money as the "good" thing he needed to do to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

This is a wonderful passage that contains multifaceted teaching, yet if we approach it from the man's question, we realize that at the heart of the passage is the truth that there is no "good" thing we can do to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is impossible for any human to do anything that will bring them eternal life. How many millions - even billions - of people have not learned this lesson? How many people strive to find the good thing they should do in order to have eternal life with God?

Our Lord told us with God all things are possible, but there is one thing that is impossible for God. Hebrews 6:18 tells us that God cannot lie! Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." Oh friend, only God can save; only His grace, only His Spirit, only His Christ. He alone is mighty to save! 

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Mark 14:27-72

"While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 

Luke 5:12 (NIV) 

Not if you can - NO - this man believed Jesus could; the question was: Are you willing? In this man's case, our Lord was willing and He made him clean. It seems that while our Lord walked this earth, He was willing to heal all who came to Him. Now, however in this age of grace as we see children of God succumb to sickness, accidents and death, the wise approach for us is the approach of the leper. It was the approach of the Lord in the garden. Mark records that He told God that He knew all things were possible for Him, including removing Jesus from the torturous death that awaited Him. Yet Jesus submitted to God's will - more than that - Jesus embraced God's will. 

Isaiah the prophet of old, looked forward to that moment in time and wrote, "it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer" (Isaiah 53). Peter wanted God's will for his life, and it caused the death of himself and his wife. Paul wanted God's good, pleasing and perfect will for his life and it let him to prison and death. 

The Israelites were led by God's will out of the luscious land of the Nile and into the desert of no water and no food. Where will God lead you and me? What is God's will for the dire situation before me? He is ABLE to deliver me from any circumstance, but is He WILLING? 

Oh Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

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Mark 9:1-29

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Mark 9:23, 24 (NIV)

The father’s problem is identical to the problem the Israelites had when they looked over the promised land (Nu 14): a lack of belief! The father had enough belief to bring his son to be healed, but after seeing the disciples try and fail, he was no longer sure of that Jesus had the power to deliver his son. 

I have prayed this prayer before: “I do believe; help me to overcome my unbelief.” Without faith I can’t please God. Without faith I can’t enter the rest that God has prepared for me in Christ Jesus. Without faith I can’t move forward in my relationship with Christ Jesus. I am saved through faith; I am healed through faith and I gain victory through faith, because faith is the conduit of God’s grace and power into my life. 

This man’s unbelief was centered on the person of Christ. He was no longer sure that Jesus was able, because men had let him down. It is amazing how quick unbelief enters us when we look at the people around us instead of looking at the Lord Jesus and focusing our minds on Him. Doubts and random thoughts of unbelief are weapons our enemy uses against us. Our only defense is to pray this prayer: “I do believe; help me to overcome my unbelief.”

"Voice of Truth", Casting Crown, via YouTube 

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Daniel 3

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Daniel 3:17, 18 (NIV)

This is my most favorite story from Sunday School! Talk about confidence and faith. Here these men are, in a foreign land far from the Presence of God (the promised land and the temple) and yet they are sure that God sees them and that God is able to deliver them, and so they shake their fists at the king. However they aren’t sure that God wants to deliver them (that would be presumption). They aren’t sure that it is God’s good and pleasing will to deliver them from this horrible death, and so they tell the king this and then refuse to forsake their God. 

Now that I am older, I recognize the parallel for older Christians in this age of grace. We are quite confident that God has the ability to heal us and deliver us from all sorts of terrible illnesses and death, and yet we realize that God may not be willing to deliver us. I wish I could say that we are OK with this truth, though I know that even reading these words will expose the turmoil inside us over prayers that are answered with NO. Yet all around me, I witness Christians in these situations who refuse to stop worshiping God. (At Parkdale, Cecil Hinze comes to mind, and there are many others as well) Their confidence was not that God will allow them to escape death. Nope; their confidence was that their Lord will walk with them through the fire of death and that He will deliver them safely to the other side. Oh friend, may God give each one of us the measure of faith we need to face death like these three men.

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2 Kings 18

"The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours?'"

2 Kings 18:19 (NIV)

The Assyrian didn't know where Hezekiah's confidence came from, but a person reading 2 Kings 18:5-7 can understand clearly where Hezekiah's confidence came from. "He trusted in the LORD. He held fast to the LORD. He kept the commands the LORD had given Moses, and the LORD was with him." 

Take these 3 verses from 1 Kings 18 and line them against our Lord's teaching in John 14 & 15. There is no doubt that Hezekiah is in spiritual union with the LORD, the God of Israel. Would you like to live in such a way that people wonder how you could have so much confidence in God? Trust Him. Abide in Him. Keep His commands and the Lord Jesus will abide with you. 

What a great external victory was won for God's people by the confidence their king had in the LORD. But before the external victory, there was the many internal victories, as king Hezekiah continually and systematically placed the LORD as king over his innermost being. Faith and confidence spring from submission to Christ Jesus and spiritual union with the Saviour of our souls. Friend, may each of us hold fast to our Saviour this day. 

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