Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a]3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare[b] the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
If John the Baptist were alive today, a noisy passenger on an airplane, or an unkempt passenger on a commuter train, a homeless person sitting against a building with his sign or someone standing on some street corner or in some other public place with a bullhorn or mic running his mouth, his message to the masses would be the same message he preached in the wilderness so long ago.
“Where do you think you are going , how far can you run you brood of snakes?”
“Do not think for even one hot second you can flee from God’s coming wrath!”
Picking up a rock or stick he says shaking them; “God can raise up far better Christians than you with these!”
“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Who is actually going to take any time to actually listen to any of those words without thinking: “He is Drunk!” “He is off of his medications!” “Arrest him!”
We certainly won’t ever go near him to be baptized in any river called Jordan!
Just another sad, down on his luck soul in weird clothing not worth any time.
Yet, I wonder how many of us would take him seriously – in our world that is deafened by the constant noise and chaos, how many would actually listen to a man in the streets of any city who claimed to be preparing the way of the Lord?
John’s timeless message is like a banner waving over every heart on the planet.
It continues to wave bold and strong, even in our darkest of days – like today!
We all need only look up, pay attention and see that God’s kingdom is at hand.
Our present circumstances are not our final destination-here is not all there is!
The beautiful thing about that ancient John the Baptist’s invitation, is that it does not require any whole google search check-list of things to accomplish.
There is no get-your-life-together-first requirement – there are no rules you and I have to follow before repentance – for repentance now is where it begins.
A moment of recognition then a moment of confession (Peter’s Confession of Christ as Messiah when the disciples were asked by Jesus who did the people say, and thought Jesus was – and Jesus proclaiming BINGO) Matthew 16:13-20
The Bible assures us that when a person, or a nation, repents of sin, God is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9).
When people humble themselves and with their whole heart seek the Lord, He will hear them – He will heal them. And, He forgives them (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Have we lost that “very first loving feeling” of being 1000% forgiven by God?
32 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up[b] as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
What a simple, yet unheeded message from the Psalmist’s and John’s call:
“Know you will be blessed” “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
If that ancient John the Baptist declared the kingdom of heaven was at hand, more than 2,000 years ago, exactly how much nearer is God’s kingdom today?
Every new moment of everyday, we are one step closer to our heavenly home.
Yet, how likely is it that we will continue to live as though this is all there is?
We will continue to strive for the things of earth, which will one day pass away.
Even Jesus himself said to those who had gathered around Him, His Message,
Matthew 5:4 Amplified Bible
4 “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].
Today, let’s take 1% more heed to John’s ancient, yet relevant message, ask God to begin, renew our hearts, minds, souls, surrendering more everything to Him.
Every spark of coming chaos, darkness, hardship, trial, sin, and struggle, let us enter our prayer closets, invite God inside, confess them, to lay them at His feet.
Will you read John’s ancient admonishment as recorded here in Scripture and in some part of your busy day-take the time to absorb them-try to find relevance?
There is a brooding, budding John the Baptist within every single unbeliever!
There is a brooding, budding John the Baptist within each and every Christian!
When does our world of chaos and darkness around us-hear his words of truth?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, We come before You, humbly seeking Your will and Your way. Forgive us, Lord, for doing as we please, in a world that is not our home. Help us to gain a heavenly perspective of “By Your stripes we were healed”. Help us heed the timeless call of John the Baptist—“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Please, ABBA Father, give us a fresh and refreshed and refreshing boldness and more clarity to share this message with those around us, to break away from the noise and chaos and speak words of truth. Thank You, Father, for preparing the way through Your Son. There is no other way. Continue to work in our lives until the glorious day when Jesus returns. For it is by Him, for Him, and because of Him that we live, and move, and have our being. It is in His name above all names that we pray. Amen.
3 It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler[a] over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler[b] over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. 6 And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’”[c]
7 When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
14 “What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
The Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Hypothetically, imagine slipping into an airline seat for a three-hour flight or boarding that same old commuter train for that long morning work commute.
The man next to you politely begins to exchange some general pleasantries.
But as the commute continues, the polite tone of the conversation changes.
The man begins to mutter something, in fact, he mutters several somethings.
These “somethings” are things which instantly cause you to bristle, to squirm.
Luke 3:7-9The Message
7-9 When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: you “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and is it even flourishing? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.”
Very soon you discover, realize that he also has extreme views about religion, even more extreme views about politics and governance, how people respond.
His goal as you fly the friendly skies or just try to get to work for another day, is to convince you that your far too casual way of life is putting you in danger of snake venom, the fires of hell – it dawns on you it’s going to be a very long day!
Now imagine that it is not just you who are in ear shot of all these harsh words.
You aren’t the only one on the airplane nor the only one on the commuter train.
On the plane we might hope that the louder and more raucous this guy gets that the flight attendants would not be so slow to intervene on this guys intrusions.
They might even try to move him to another seat – but that is no promise nor is it any guarantee that this guy will not just stand up and cause another ruckus.
Maybe if it gets to be too much – someone would inform the pilot – or if there was an Air Marshall with a pair of handcuffs and something to cover his mouth.
Maybe if it goes to the extreme of extremes, the Pilot will turn the plane around.
Anything, anywhere-as long as someone figures out how to shut the guy down.
Now, back in the commuter train – the people just have to sit restlessly and just listen until they get to the next station and hope he gets tired and he gets off or they do and they simply accept the uncomfortable fact they will be late for work.
Imagine walking the downtown streets of any city or serving meals in a shelter and this guy walks up beside you, gets into your ears, or hands you a meal tray.
Perish the thought and pray such an occurrence is one you’ll never experience.
In a homeless shelter?
In an overnight shelter?
Spending a morning, an afternoon or evening or a whole night with the words of John the Baptist ringing in your ears would have been a similar experience.
After all, John’s hardcore extremist views believed you got ready for Christ’s coming by taking a hard, long, intense look at the ethical quality of your life.
Hearing enough of this message, listening to all the vitriol, high end criticism spewing from his mouth about quite literally everybody – who would not want have the plane turned around, to call the police this guy arrested – like Herod?
Luke 3:19-20 New Living Translation
19 John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[a] for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. 20 So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.
Which one’s of us reading this reflection would be praying to God to keep such a man out of our lives, as far away from our “Christian experience” as is possible?
The Covenant Reality of Becoming an Advent Prophet
Isaiah 40:1-3 New Living Translation
Comfort for God’s People
40 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.”
3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
Yet our preparing a pathway for the coming of the Messiah is our Advent task.
That means listening to John’s words and some (Psalm 51) clearing away the moral rubble that prevents God from taking His straight path to your hearts.
I mean we’ll never like, nor appreciate, anyone calling us a “brood of snakes!”
Yet, OUR King is coming, and He will remember the poor, cut down the proud.
The all too comfortable, utterly corrupt order of things, must come to a change.
The hardest thing for “contemporary Christians” is actually taking the time for us disciples to make the U-turn of repentance, to straighten out their priorities.
Preparing our homes for the season, getting it ready for Christmas isn’t first a matter of our remembering our perfect gifts for everyone on our family gift list.
It’s about remembering the very nature of citizenship in the King’s kingdom!
It’s about taking a moral inventory of our lives. What changes do we need to make so that we can welcome Christ with integrity on Christmas morning?
More Like Christ – More Like John the Baptist First?
Ephesians 5:1-2 New Living Translation
Living in the Light
5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
When I have asked, very Christian I have ever known will always profess this:
“Work in progress, trying to be more like Jesus every moment of every day!”
But, what about a bit more like John the Baptist in his camel hair wardrobe?
Luke 3:10-14 New Living Translation
10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
14 “What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
The changes John the Baptist was calling for do not appear .0001% radical.
One teacher I know of thinks John’s counsel is, for us, rather commonplace.
All we need to do, it seems to him, is to love a little, show a little kindness.
No career change is required.
I believe that interpretation goes too easy on many of us.
After all, many of us are well-to-do.
Many of us out there in the world have far more than two sets of clothing; many of us also have two cars, two or more credit cards, and maybe even two homes.
Our freezers are probably most full preparing for the Christmas feasts to come.
Yet, our hardcore reality: in light of our riches, John’s words become unsettling.
They demand a radical generosity that few of us are genuinely accustomed to.
True, John the Baptist does not specifically order anyone to leave his or her job.
But he definitely and directly does demand that we actually live out our faith by actually being honest and genuinely content and not ever abusing our power.
Clearly, any reading of Luke’s narrative reveals “John the Baptist Discipleship” is not something for the uncommitted, the timid nor for “after-hours only.”
We are not, so to speak, called or covenanted by God to moonlight for Christ.
Quite the contrary, our allegiance to Christ rules not only our after-work hours but also our hours travelling to work, our hours of actual work in the office, at the plant, on the road, in the air, on the trains, in class, at those sales meetings.
We can neither ignore the hardcore words of John the Baptist, leave Christ in church on Sundays nor let him “wait for us in the parking lot” on weekdays.
Here’s a question:
How do we, who are supposed to be dying to self and coming alive to Christ, do our work and other activities so that we honor Christ and respect our neighbor?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord Jesus, too often after hearing the good news we go right back to business as usual. Forgive us, and make our every thought captive to you. Lord, we admit that our lives are a mess. It’s been a long time since we’ve held them up to the light of your truth. Now is the time. Help us to begin today. Let us read these words from Luke’s narrative, let us hear the hardcore accusations spoken by John the Baptist against us as so called “contemporary Christians” and your so called Body of Christ, the Church in your kingdom, let us finally come to our senses. In your name, Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.[a] It began 2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written:
“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.[b] 3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’[c]”
4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with[d] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
A Message is Sent – “There Will Come a Fresh Start!”
After Israel’s long 40 year sojourn in the desert, God opened a way before Joshua for the people through the Jordan River and into the promised land.
The waters upstream “piled up in a heap,” perhaps like the “wall of water” on the right and left as the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22).
Both stories say that the people passed through “on dry ground” (Joshua 3:17).
Although God had been faithful to Israel, keeping His promises to rescue them and bring them to the land He had promised them (Genesis 12:1-8; 15:13-16; 28:10-15; 46:3-4; Exodus 3:4-10), the people turned away and rebelled.
They did that again and again in a long history of unfaithfulness (Exodus 32; Numbers 14; Judges 2:10-23; 2 Kings 17:1-23; 25:1-21).
Eventually they were punished and sent into exile, but God, still ever faithful, brought them back again (Ezra – Nehemiah).
Nehemiah 8:1-11 New King James Version
Ezra Reads and Explains the Law
8 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate [a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
4 So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.
Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the [b]governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
The people who had been gathered in that place before Ezra and the Scribes had just just been read, had just received for the first time in who knows how long, a fresh reading and a fresh anointing from God’s messenger, of the Word of God.
Then they were sent on their ways back to their homes – to their families – to their friends – to their neighbors – to their neighborhoods – their communities. (Verse 10) “Be Still for the Day is Holy; Go and Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!”
Then, about 30 years after the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1; Luke 2), God called a man named John to again send God’s message before the people: prepare ye the way for the Messiah, who had come to be the Savior of the world (John 1:29-31).
John 1:29-31 The Message
The God-Revealer
29-31 The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’ I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.”
Now, here in the first 8 verses of Mark 1 we see John preaching in the wilderness, calling the people to gather, to repent and baptizing them in the Jordan River.
And here the people are called not to cross the Jordan but to be baptized in it.
God calls them back to receive a fresh anointing, to make a new start through repentance, seek forgiveness, prepare their hearts for the coming of the Savior.
God’s Messengers Are Still Sent With God’s Message
Christmas is always a time when everyone tries to give that special someone that perfect gift – that gift that genuinely says “I Love You and I always will!”
In these days when those perfect gifts are probably far too expensive to buy, but we still have the same heart to give that special someone a “100% perfect gift,”
I suggest that this year for Christmas, remembering that Christ comes first in the season of Christmas because that is the way it is spelled, the gift of a Bible.
Yeah! I know, another Bible … but this year make a plan to go beyond just the receiving of the physical book, but instead, enter into the messengers head.
The coming of the new year is always a great time to begin a new challenge.
On January 1st 2024, many of us make those self same automatic resolutions.
Some resolve to break bad habits, while others resolve to pick up good habits.
Others attempt to acquire a new hobby or even a new skill throughout the year.
Many Christians might even resolve to read the Bible daily or might challenge themselves (a bit self centered) with another reading plan throughout the year.
Here are 5 challenges for you to consider (selflessly this time) sharing in 2024.
1. Read through the Bible in a Year
The most basic challenge is to read through the Bible in an entire year.
There are 1,189 chapters in a typical English Bible.
Divide this by 365, that means you would need to read only a little over three chapters of the Bible each day to read through every word of the Bible in a year.
When you consider that some of these chapters are only a few verses long, that is not that daunting of a task.
But where do you start?
Is it always good to start in Genesis and read three chapters of every book?
That is one possibility, but my experience is that most people end up just like the Israelites – lost in the wilderness for 40 years inside the book of Leviticus.
Many give up these challenges when they have to trudge through the historical books of 1 and 2 Kings 1 and 2 Chronicles, then sort through the minor Prophets.
From all your Android and Apple smart phones, you can go to their respective “stores” and you can download many apps to assist with a Bible reading plan.
Many of these plans will have the reader in one chapter of the Old Testament, read a Psalm or Proverb per day, and a chapter or two in the New Testament.
2. Devote Your Year to Discerning God’s Wisdom
Reading through the Bible in a year can be incredibly daunting and rewarding.
You often “open your eyes” to see those things that you’ve never seen before.
But that can also be a bit like taking a road trip through a state where you only see the state through tinted windows while driving 70 mph to your destination.
You learn things and see beautiful sites, but you may not get the full impact.
Wouldn’t you know a state better if you decided to live there for an entire year?
What if you decided to spend an entire year in a book like Psalms or Proverbs?
Solomon’s wonderfully simple Proverbs is helpful because there are 31 chapters.
That corresponds to each day on the calendar – except in those months which only have 29 or thirty days and those years – like 2024 – which are “leap years.”
Pick up that nice monthly business planner with those individual days which are set apart by all those wonderfully convenient lines for the individual hours.
Look at your monthly calendar, spot the date, look for all of those wonderfully empty lines just waiting for a single entry and read that chapter of Proverbs.
Do that for every day of the year, with some Biblical text and the Psalms and you’ll be quite surprised at how much wisdom you glean from the Scriptures.
You can do the same thing with Psalms.
There are 150 psalms.
If you choose to dedicate the 31st of each month to working through the largest Psalm, Psalm 119, then that means you have 5 psalms you could read each day.
Simply take the day on the calendar and then add 30, 5 times.
For example, as today is the 5th, you could read Psalm 5, 25, 51, 10o, or 150.
3. Do Twelve 30-Day Challenges
This is the same concept as reading through Proverbs and Psalms.
Yet, here you would find twelve different 30-day Bible reading challenges.
Here you would challenge yourself to pick 12 books of the Bible and spend a month in each one, or seek, find, a topical 30-day challenge and conquer it.
You could take that challenge even further – add something like a chronological New Testament Bible Reading Plan to send this challenge to furthest horizons.
There is a great one at Bible Study Tools that you can use here.
This one will be much more difficult to organize but might be one of the more rewarding yearly challenges.
Consider working with your Pastor’s at picking a point of doctrine or Christian living and deep ocean-diving into everything the Bible says about that topic.
You could do several of these as mini-challenges throughout the year as well.
Can you imagine how high your understanding would increase if you picked something like justification and studied it in the Scriptures for an entire year?
Years ago, I independently tried something like this with the attributes of God.
I meditated upon a particular attribute of God every month of the year and used these attributes to preach and teach the gospel to myself and to a legacy church.
It was incredibly daunting but also incredibly “eyes>ears>hands” beneficial.
If you decide to do this challenge, consider picking up a Strong’s Concordance to find out quite everything the Bible text’s says on a particular word or topic.
5. Pick a Person and Start Your Own Bible Fellowship
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 New Living Translation
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
Proverbs 27:17 Amplified Bible
17 As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].
2 Timothy 2:14-18 English Standard Version
A Worker Approved by God
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[a] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[b] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
In fellowship together we are “as Iron” motivated when reaching toward a goal.
Our adrenaline flows, our creative juices churn, and our mind works overtime at solving the problems that stand in the way of achieving God’s vision for our life.
In the United States, where I live, there is an defeating, unhealthy trend toward mediocrity.
Recent sales of tee shirts; the most widely distributed logo in the United States is now seemingly “Undereducated and Underachiever and !@%$ Proud of It.”
I remember the days when the most popular shirt read, “We’re Number One.”
Even in our church today we can become more satisfied with less than our best.
Paul admonishes Timothy, faith communities, and the church community to “come together, to fellowship, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman [a community] who does not need to be ashamed.”
Paul was not content with anything but the best. He valued repetition, valued community here now instructing Timothy to “keep reminding” his listeners.
Fellowship and Repetition through Bible study and prayer really works for me.
There are certain critically important messages I must hear over and over again. from someone other than “Me, Myself and I.”
My Mother’s favorite Proverb saying “the early bird gets the worm” nudges me out of bed each morning to feast on God’s manna.
I used to have a card in my wallet, “Prayer changes things,” moved me to pray before I attempted to fix a problem in my own malignant, selfish strength.
A sign on my wall once reminding me, “People are forever,” calls me to put people before projects no matter how inconvenient that may seem at times.
God has given us His permission to come together to create GOD opportunity.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear Lord, as I read these passages of scripture, show me Your truth and what you want me to learn. Pinpoint the things in my thinking and my life that aren’t right. Help me to remember that Your word is life and always true, whereas my ideas are often fleeting. Use the truth of Your Word to transform my limited thinking and behavior. Let Your truth inform my faith and let my faith guide my actions. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
18 Without prophetic vision people run wild, but blessed are those who follow God’s teachings.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
We serve a God of boundaries.
In God’s limitless capacity, endless creativity, and boundless existence God still chose to create boundaries which man cannot hope to pass. (Genesis 3:22-24)
Genesis 3:22-24 New King James Version
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Even so, God still had vision for what was good, right, pleasing, and perfect.
And as children made in His image, we are to live, think, and create as he does.
In this time of year leading up to Christmas marked by busyness and infinite distractions from seemingly infinite opportunities to be more like our God, it’s important now more than ever for us to create boundaries, establish priorities.
May we find our vision of God, find freedom and joy these days ahead as we receive His vision and set boundaries under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
About Being The Person Who Sees What God is Doing
Proverbs 29:18 The Message
18 If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
The world we live in constantly bombards us with its attempts to define who we are and what we should do.
The internet and television are bombarded with advertisements hard selling all their products telling us why we fall short of expectations, sell us what we need.
Our jobs tell us how we should spend our time and find a sense of self-worth.
Our families and friends often define us by what we’ve done or said in the past.
And even our churches will sadly define us according to how we can best meet the needs of the worlds cultures rather than getting to know who God truly is.
TBTG, we serve ONE God who knows us even better than we know ourselves.
Psalm 139:1-4 says, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”
And then later in Psalm 139 verse 16 David writes, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
Then as we try to plumb the depths of God’s words, we simply have no concept so, instead of trying to reach the ends of understanding, grasping God’s Words,
David concludes with blessed words which accept His humanities limitations –
Psalm 139:17-18 English Standard Version
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
From the foundation of the earth, God knew He would make us.
On the day we took our first breath He already had perfect, pleasing plans for us.
He has known our every thought and looked upon our every action with grace.
We could not be more known than we are right now by our heavenly Father.
And there could not possibly be anyone better, Shepherd us through the chaos, morass, of this life than God, the Father and God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 23 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Reading, envisioning those ancient words of Psalm 23, to be that person with healthy, life-giving, God first boundaries starts with being a person of vision.
And the only place to get true vision is from the only One who truly knows us.
God longs to be the true north on our compass.
The Word of God which stands as the only Global Positioning System we need.
Through His Words, He longs to give us honest insight into how He’s made us.
He longs to give us a prophetic vision of how He sees us and feels about us.
And in our receiving a prophetic revelation of who we are we will each be better equipped to envision God, follow his leadership into his perfect, pleasing will.
As we take the Word of God into the next week of Advent, proceed into this week of vision and boundaries by a fresh meeting with our heavenly Father in prayer.
From Alpha to Omega, Our God longs to help us see ourselves, this world, and vision opportunities before us, as He does that we might gain wisdom, insight.
We can choose to become more like God – become that person of Godly visions.
We can choose to pick our heads up and put on the lens of the Holy Spirit.
We can Ask God questions.
We can inquire of God about our vision of our life and our “God” opportunities.
In response God will provide the leadership we all need, exactly how we need it.
May we be overwhelmed by fresh revelation of how loved we are-just as we are.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
1. Meditate on the simple truth that God truly knows you.
Allow Scripture to lead you to a place of faith, trust, in God’s knowledge of you.
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” Psalm 139:1-4
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:16
Psalm 139:17-18 Authorized (King James) Version
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
2. Ask God to give you a revelation of how he sees you. Ask Him for a revelation of his nearness and love. Begin to talk to Him about any imperfections you have.
Psalm 23 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31
3. Ask God for a revelation of what God has called you to.
Ask Him about your role in your family and His calling on your life as a spouse, child, parent or grandparent.
Ask Him for vision for your work, for your roles with your co-workers and even with that “connection” those “relationships” you have with your Supervisors.
Ask Him for vision for your relationship with His Son – Journal His responses.
God my Creator, God my Father, pray restrain me to your will and vision for my life. Father I will wait expectantly for your vision and the steps I should take according to your will. I will go forth in faith as I step because I surrender my will to you. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
2 The people who walk in darkness will see a bright light. The light will shine on those who live in the land of death’s shadow.
3 You will expand the nation and increase its happiness. It will be happy in your presence like those who celebrate the harvest or rejoice when dividing loot. 4 You will break the yoke[a] that burdens them, the bar that is across their shoulders, and the stick used by their oppressor, as you did in the battle against Midian. 5 Every warrior’s boot marching to the sound of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel in the fire. 6 A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Sar Shalom. 7 His government and peace will have unlimited growth. He will establish David’s throne and kingdom. He will uphold it with justice and righteousness now and forever. Yahweh Tsebaoth is determined to do this!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
If it was in our power exactly right now, how would we go about redressing the division, tyranny, oppression, and suffering that marks and mars our world?
What would our “completely perfect” solution look like?
We all have our grandiose ideas and plans on achieving them—but now here is God’s: His definitive answer to all of the world’s darkness was to send a child.
The people of Israel had long been awaiting the arrival of the one who would embody all of their hopes.
The ancient prophets of old had long been declaring the coming of a Messiah, and as the centuries passed, the expectation of such a deliverer steadily grew.
God’s Prophet Isaiah added significant fuel to the fire of this longing, declaring that the Messiah would come as “a child,” “a son,” and that “the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Such a complete and comprehensive picture in an 8×12 glossy biblical frame!
But the ancient question remained: Who could possibly fill this description?
Surely no one had yet come who lived up to such high, lofty heavenly language.
But it was this child-—sent of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, who came not in military might or with flashes of lightning but in a trough, surrounded by animals and shepherds at His birth—who was God’s answer to sin and death.
Isaiah prophesied: He alone would govern His kingdom “with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:7).
Isaiah says the child-king would be called “Wonderful Counselor.”
Kings were known in some measure by their counselors.
The extent of their authority and rule was made apparent by the number of advisers they could call upon for their heavenly vision, wisdom and guidance.
And yet this King would have none.
Because He Himself is the Wonderful Counselor; He has no need of any outside wisdom in order for Him to rule with absolute perfection and total authority.
This self same Wonderful Counselor is the sole remedy for all expressions of division, and suffering and evil in our own world—including those in our life.
Are we joyfully submitting to His plans and are we bowing our knee to His rule?
Have you entrusted all of our ways and all of our concerns unto His counsel?
When His ways and ours are not the same, what “names do we give Him?
By what “socially engineered construct” do we envision His place in our life?
Do we accept that He knows better than us and walk the way He calls us to?
What “signs of the times” do we raise and march and protest and declare Him?
Whose name do we exalt, shout out above all others as we block intersections?
Do we even, right in this exact moment, know why we should block the streets?
Overwhelm the news media with songs as the angels did before the shepherds?
With shouts of exclamation for our God’s gift to His world is no ordinary child.
This is Christ the Lord, our Counselor, Prince of Peace, our wonderful Savior!
Have we not known?
Have we not heard?
Have we not called to Him by His name?
Have we not acknowledged Him or even recognized Him by His Words, deeds?
Have we not scratched all of our hair off of our collective heads enough yet?
Have we not yet begun to shout loud enough “over the hills and everywhere?”
Well, there will will surely come a day, as God always promised, when we will!
Maybe, just maybe, that glorious day of salvation will come into our lifetimes?
Perhaps, it might even be today – God willing and the name of the Lord Arises!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus as the Light of the world to enlighten everyone coming into the world. Thank You that in Him is the light of the glorious gospel of grace that can never be quenched by the darkness of this world. I praise and thank You that His Light has come into my life and enlivened my spirit and enlightened my soul. Open my eyes more and more to see Jesus and to grow more like Him. Give me greater understanding of all that You have achieved in my life, for without You I would remain in darkness and dead in my sin. Thank You for Your great salvation, to You be all praise and glory forever. Loving Lord, no matter how many times I read of the wonder of Your incarnation as the Word made flesh, it fills me with wonder and praise. Lord, I worship You in the beauty of holiness, and I bow down before Your throne of grace in wonderment, for holy is Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
1 O come, O come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
2 O come, O Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain
3 O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times did give the law in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
4 O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem, unto your own and rescue them! From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave. Refrain
5 O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain
6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar! Dispel the shadows of the night and turn our darkness into light. Refrain
7 O come, O King of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind. Bid all our sad divisions cease and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain
2 [a] The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon[b] his shoulder, and his name shall be called[c] Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
From Alpha to Omega, the Bible never ever disguises just how dark life can get.
The Scriptures are clear that when sins multiply, when evil is celebrated, when God is left out, darkness ensues, darkness spreads to every corner it can reach.
And yet, over and over in the Bible’s storyline, we are abundantly reminded that God is not afraid of, not shy about His thoughts of or defeated by such darkness.
In fact, He makes an everlasting habit of drawing near and turning it into light.
We see Him drawing near in the third chapter of Genesis.
Sin had entered the world; the only two people alive had rebelled against their Maker, and when God came near to them they ran, they were hiding in shame.
Thinking about it, it would have been completely understandable for God to have shown up in Eden, dropped a hammer of His hardcore judgment on Adam and Eve, picked up more dust, and started over with another man and woman.
But that’s not what He did.
That is not what we read and learn in the Word of God for His Children.
He arrived in the garden, came near and asked, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
And when He found them naked and ashamed, He stayed on the scene, and He put enmity, open hostility, between the serpent and all mankind in mercy, He provided animal skin covering for them, and expelled them from the Garden.
So, too, with His people Israel.
By the time Isaiah began his ministry, there was again an established history of the people forgetting God and ignoring His prophets – all would lead to exile.
As a result, they labored long and hard under the wicked kings they deserved and found themselves “greatly distressed and hungry,” leading them to “speak contemptuously against their king and their God” (Isaiah 8:21).
Again, it would have been reasonable for the Lord to have done away with His people at this point, start over – leaving them to experience the “distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish and defeat” (v 22), without a hope or a future.
After all, by their words and their actions, they were communicating that they didn’t want Him around in their garden of the knowledge of both good and evil.
Imagine God’s thought process here – Why would He, should He, stick around?
But the next chapter of Isaiah begins with a glorious, even miraculous reversal:
“There will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish” (Isaiah 9:1).
The Lord would not leave His people, and He would not allow them to remain in misery – No, for these people in darkness, “on them has a great light shone.”
The light of the grace of God was breaking into their self-inflicted gloom of sin.
Centuries after the words of Isaiah were written, spoken, preached and taught, that endless cycle of sin – the people of God again found themselves in anguish.
There were again foreign rulers over them, and now came something different from God – there had been no prophetic word heard for too many, many years.
Imagine the thought of the people – “Perhaps He’s really finally done it this time, the people may have thought – the Lord has finally had enough of us, turned His back.
In these contemporary of days, we know better.
We believe that into this darkness a child was born.
We believe a glorious once in a lifetime has light shone in the sky, leading to the discovery of a baby who would prove to all to be the light of the entire world.
The question for us this Advent season, in any season, is whether the light has dawned in our own hearts or whether we have let the darkness of sin creep in.
The good news of this season of Advent and Christmas is that the God of the Bible is the God of grace, the God of Light who comes into the darkness and emptiness of our hearts to bring His light, His love, His joy, and His peace.
It is a great certainty we are each walking in darkness today, whether that is the darkness of our own sin, our fear or the darkness caused by the sin of others.
God’s promise is this: God is neither afraid of nor defeated by, these things.
In Immanuel, God with us, God is within us – in Jesus, He has drawn near.
By His Spirit, He can bring light to the dark.
Look to Him and look for Him for He wants to be found – and walk in His light.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Psalm 8 Names of God Bible
Psalm 8
For the choir director; on the gittith;[a] a psalm by David.
1 O Yahweh, our Adonay, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Your glory is sung above the heavens.[b] 2 From the mouths of little children and infants, you have built a fortress against your opponents to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the creation of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place— 4 what is a mortal that you remember him or the Son of Man that you take care of him? 5 You have made him a little lower than yourself. You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him rule what your hands created. You have put everything under his control: 7 all the sheep and cattle, the wild animals, 8 the birds, the fish, whatever swims in the currents of the seas.
9 O Yahweh, our Adonay, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
4-6 All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God’s order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They’ve got him all backward.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Why do we anticipate Christmas with such relish?
Because we eagerly anticipate that someone will read our mind, discern all of our thoughts, catch on to all those hints we drop in the year for the perfect gift?
What about that “perfect gift?”
Who would know such things at the level where the gift can indeed be called “good and perfect” and exactly what we need at all those times, in all places?
James 1:16-18 English Standard Version
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[a]18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.
James 5:10-11 The Message
10-11 Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
Right down to the last detail: For the believer, the answer must surely lie, above all, in the awareness that Jesus Christ appeared and lived to take away our sins.
When we read from the Books of the Prophets, when we read the Gospel writers, we discover the gift of this truth at the very heart of their Christmas message.
From Matthew come the words of the angel to Joseph: “[Mary] will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Ahead of what might be regarded as the first ever Christmas concert, the song, the message the angel gave to the shepherds was incredibly similar: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
The Narrator John began his message to us from a very different vantage point.
As he highlighted the commencement of Jesus’ earthly ministry, having raised our gaze to the eternal Word becoming flesh (John 1:14),
John gave us the immortal words of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who comes to take away the sin of the world!” (v 29).
And Mark records nothing of Jesus’ birth or childhood, but in his Gospel Jesus’ first words are an announcement that in Him the kingdom of God has come near to people like us (Mark 1:15), and in one of His first miracles Jesus assures a paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (2:5).
If we say that God has shown His love for us in the incarnation of His only Son, that is accurate but that explanation is also quite incomplete and insufficient.
God demonstrated His love for us not simply by sending Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem; rather, His own word tells us “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, emphasis added).
Of course, if we understand that Christ came to take away our sins, then it’s only logical to conclude that we have sins which need to be taken away.
Rare is the man or woman who would say that he or she has never done wrong!
1 John 1:8-10 The Message
8-10 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
WITHOUT EXCEPTION:
We all have impure thoughts.
We all speak bitter words.
We all have impure actions.
We all know what it is to live an unholy life.
But the Word of God comes to us and is among us and declares unto each of us, “Here is the good news: Christ appeared in this world to take away your sins.”
Today, this Advent, lay hold of this message with a renewed joy and gratitude.
Let these eight words be the most precious part of your Christmas season:
“He appeared in order to take away sins.”
Your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors and everyone of those complete strangers in all the stores you will surely be shopping in, may become .00001% more open to the gospel message during the holiday season; make it your aim, then, not to further the sadly misguided worldly perception that Christmas is nothing more than a sentimental emblem of God’s love, as though His Son lay cold, hungry, and gurgling in the manger but never hung in agony on the cross.
His love can only be fully explained in the ultimate purpose of Christ’s coming:
to take away my sins.
to take away your sins.
to take away the sins of the world.
This, and this above all, is what gives our hearts bountiful cause for celebration!
Thanks be to God for this wonderful Gift!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 24 The Message
24 1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders.
3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce.
5-6 God is at their side; with God’s help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
8 Who is this King-Glory? God, armed and battle-ready.
9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
10 Who is this King-Glory? God-of-the-Angel-Armies: he is King-Glory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
6 1-10 Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,
I heard your call in the nick of time; The day you needed me, I was there to help.
Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Nothing confronts us with our creatureliness quite like the watch that we wear on our wrist, the pocket watch in our vests or the clock that ticks on our wall.
Try and think about no time.
It’s virtually impossible for us to do. God, who is outside of time, created time so that we might each live each moment that He has given to us for His glory.
We don’t like to face it, but Scripture frequently calls us to face life’s brevity.
It tells us that our life is “vanity, a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:13-15 The Message).
Nothing but a Wisp of Fog
13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going off to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”
The Bible confronts us with transience in this way not to manipulate us or crush us but in order that we maybe more amendable, favorable and sensible to God.
We all need to be reminded of how quickly time passes, especially when we are all “young,” because we tend to think that we have more time than we really do.
Throughout the Bible, Scripture almost always addresses us in the now: “Now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Now, in other words, is the time to be reconciled to God.
Now is the time to take heed of our salvation—not someday over the horizon.
Now is the time to hold out the gospel message to those around you.
You and I are not to live dominated by the regrets of yesterday or the anxieties of tomorrow.
You and I are not to live as though you and I will always have a tomorrow in which to do what you and I should absolutely be doing today.
You and I are to face the fact squarely, head on, that the future comes in at the constant and continuous rate of exactly 60 seconds a minute.
“See! I AM Making All Things New …”
Revelation 21:3-5 The Message
3-5 I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”
Some imagery that appears in the beginning of the Bible is contrasted or expanded upon in the final chapters of God’s grand story of salvation.
The unformed abyss in Genesis 1, for example, is contrasted with the stunning architecture of the heavenly city in Revelation 21.
The tree of life in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9; 3:22-24) is multiplied in Revelation 22 and described as constantly bearing fruit and providing healing for the nations.
And the image of the Spirit hovering and brooding over the waters is contrasted with the One who is now seated on the throne.
The promise of Creation will be complete, fully formed and mature, and we will each enjoy glorious, delightful friendship with our loving Creator, who at a time which is favorable to Him, invites us to live with Him in the perfect unity of love that has always characterized God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The awe-inspiring creation that we live in today will be the foundation for the new creation, and on the days of the Lord’s favor we can each look forward to rejoicing along with birds and all other creatures in the new heaven and earth.
Not only is Christ seated in the heavenly realms, but we who love and trust him are also raised up with Christ and are seated with him even now (Ephesians 2:6).
He Tore Down the Wall
2 1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
This means our lives are firmly grounded and maturing in Christ as we enjoy the favor of God, the intimacy of living in communion with God each day while we are each waiting and watching, eagerly expecting His coming Advent again.
The time which God has allotted you and me is always quickly passing us by.
If you and I are not even minimally careful, it will be gone before we realize it.
In Psalm 90, the psalmist prays, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
Psalm 90:12-17 The Message
12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?— and treat your servants with kindness for a change. Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we’ll skip and dance all the day long. Make up for the bad times with some good times; we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime. Let your servants see what you’re best at— the ways you rule and bless your children. And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!
May this urgent and most timely prayer become our own, and may the favor of Almighty God enable us to be a good steward of the time He has given unto us!
Today is a great day remember the favor of the Lord, to enjoy our salvation and to always seek out and find the favorable moment to speak ever so highly of it.
Now is the most favorable time – Let us each be sure to most favorably use it.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 The Message
16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you. I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around— what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god. Gods are not for sale. I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
16 May the Master of Peace himself give you the gift of getting along with each other at all times, in all ways. May the Master be truly among you!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
From the dawn of mankind, there is probably nothing more sought after in this world perpetually at war with something and or someone, than genuine peace.
Throughout history, too many nations have fought bitter wars for the sake of peace and too many innocent lives have been lost in a vain pursuit after peace.
But the peace that is offered by this world’s system, is a false, fragile, imperfect, pseudo-peace, leaves in its wake a hungry heart, a wounded disappointed soul.
We look at the pages of God’s Scriptures – the God of Peace started to unveil Himself as, “The Lord our Peace”, to the frightened Gideon, and He expanded man’s understanding of peace to David the shepherd-king, who discovered Him to be the One Who gently leads us to meadows beside still and peaceful waters.
And God’s much loved, often preached, Messianic promise of “a coming child” through Isaiah that encourages the hearts, minds, souls of countless believers.
Isaiah 9:6 King James Version
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:7 King James Version
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
It is the zeal of the Lord of Hosts performing this miraculous moment of Peace.
And God’s promise through Isaiah of the coming of an endless peace through that child has truly encouraged the hearts of countless generations of believers.
Isaiah 26:3 King James Version
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
By the indescribable zeal of God, it was to be the shed blood of His Son, Jesus the holy Lamb of God, that great Shepherd of the sheep, Who was sent into the world by the Father, so that ultimately, fallen man could have peace with God.
God purposed that through the intervention of the Son, all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, and so He sent the life blood of Jesus to bring about final peace with men, who were dead in their trespasses and sins.
It was Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, Who knocked down the middle wall of partition between God and man.
He tore the curtain of separation from top to bottom, so that we, who believe on Him, may be comforted by our great God of peace.
He inaugurated for us a new and living way through the veil of His physical body, when He died on the cross and rose again, the third day.
It was the heavenly Man, Who equipped us in every good thing to do His will.
And in the fullness of time, God sent the Prince of Peace to be born of a virgin in the little town of Bethlehem, as the sacrifice for the sin of mankind.
He came in dishonor and shame, so that at the appointed time He would be the One whose name would be highly exalted above all others as the Lord of Peace, crowned the King of Peace, for He is the God of peace, the wellspring of peace.
The Experience of His Peace
2 Thessalonians 3:16 Easy-to-Read Version
Final Words
16 We pray that the Lord of peace will give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.
One of the most heavenly aspects of experiencing God is his abounding peace.
Abounding Peace is not ever going to be something this world can offer us.
This world is run on chaos, division, political correctness, racial, gender stress, ideological confusions, strivings, and frivolous pursuits with no satisfaction.
Even in this life, the zeal of God offers us the peace of heaven, the peace that comes from having our hearts wrapped up in One true relationship with him.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
God zealously exchanges our thoroughly confused earthly cares and stresses for the ultimate revelation of His – Alpha to Omega – heavenly, sustaining peace.
By His zealous compassion for His Children, He is such a good Father to us that He takes all that which troubles our hearts, promises to take care of us down to the smallest burden, and offers us His incomprehensible peace from his Spirit.
Jesus says in John 16:33,
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
When we seek relationship with Jesus we are seeking relationship with the One who conquered death, destroyed any and every scheme of the enemy against us.
To know Him as zealously as He knows every single one of us, is to know a true Conqueror -and in zealously knowing Him our lives become wrapped up in His.
Our worried and fearful hearts instead become wrapped up in his heart of peace.
Again, Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
God longs for us to so encounter his trustworthiness that our lives are marked by his peace – He longs for us to so trust him that this world cannot rob us of the peace that comes from knowing our God will always prove himself faithful.
All God has promised to do he will do.
All God has said of Himself He truly is.
Peace comes from our zealously keeping our entire mind stayed on the perfect character of our heavenly Father and zealously letting only who He is be at the exact center, Him who is the genuine foundation of all we do, think, and feel.
Psalm 104:1-9 Easy-to-Read Version
104 My soul, praise the Lord! Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with glory and honor. 2 You wear light like a robe. You spread out the skies like a curtain. 3 You built your home above them.[a] You use the thick clouds like a chariot and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind. 4 You make the winds your messengers and flames of fire your servants.[b] 5 You built the earth on its foundations, so it can never be moved. 6 You covered it with water like a blanket. The water covered even the mountains.
7 But you gave the command, and the water turned back. You shouted at the water, and it rushed away. 8 The water flowed down from the mountains into the valleys, to the places you made for it. 9 You set the limits for the seas, and the water will never again rise to cover the earth.
God has heavenly peace in store for you today.
The peace which God offers you and me is not ever going to be the “peace” of this world which will never assure us or sustain us through any of its troubles.
It is always and forever going to be the greatest possible expression of peace, the peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which sustains us (John 14:27).
John 14:25-27 The Message
25-27 “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
Ergo, Come before your loving heavenly Father and cast your cares upon Him.
Let your requests be made known to Him.
Place your trust in His trustworthiness.
And receive the perfect, sustaining peace of your loving Father.
2 Thessalonians 3:16Amplified Bible
16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life’s circumstances]. The Lord be with you all.
“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance,” was Paul’s prayer and blessing for the Thessalonian believers, as he prepared to draw his letter to a close, “May the Lord be with you all!”
Like Christians today, the believers at Thessalonica were living in tough, and turbulent times, and the apostle that the church needed the Author of peace to guide His people, sustain their spirits, and grant His perfect peace from above.
It was the Prince of Peace Himself that promised to leave His own perfect peace with His confused disciples.
“Peace I leave with you”, were the reassuring words He spoke to them, as the shadow of the cross loomed closer.
“My peace I give to you. Not the peace the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
And this same assurance is given to all God’s children who are seeking to serve the Lord of Peace, as we live inside a world at war and a world without hope.
In His final days, Christ gave His disciples His own precious promise of peace.
But His peace is not the war-torn peace of this world, but inner peace, a perfect peace – a peace that is vastly uncountable echelons beyond our understanding.
Jesus promised to give us the peace of God to guard our hearts – a peace that brings comfort and rest, refreshment, and hope – a perfect inner peace that transcends humanity’s comprehension – both now and literally forevermore.
Now, may the Lord of peace Himself give YOU peace at all times, and in all ways.
May the peace of the Lord be with us all, now and forever, and may the perfect peace of God zealously rule in our hearts, in the perfect unity of the Holy Spirit.
In this coming season of Advent, when we eagerly anticipate His coming, may life be marked by the fruit of wholehearted relationship with the God of peace.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on the peace available to you in relationship with God.
Allow Scripture to help you not settle for stress, burdens, and cares that aren’t your portion in Jesus.
Isaiah 9:6-7 English Standard Version
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon[a] his shoulder, and his name shall be called[b] Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33
2. What has been causing you stress?
What’s been stealing your peace? What thoughts, people, situations, fears, or spiritual attacks do you need to bring before your loving heavenly Father?
3. “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”(1 Peter 5:6-7).
Take time to bring before God all that’s bothering you.
Lay all your anxieties at His feet, choose to trust He will take care of them and help you through them, and receive His peace that surpasses all understanding.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
Romans 8:6 says, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
We have the choice moment by moment to set our minds on the things of this world or on the things of God.
When we choose to set our minds on the Spirit, we are positioning ourselves to be people marked by the fruit of his presence in our lives.
When we choose the world we are only setting ourselves up for failure, anxiety, and trouble.
Choose today to set your mind on the Lord in every situation.
The things of this world are fleeting, but our God spans throughout the farthest reaches of eternity.
May His power, His zealousness, faithfulness, nearness, bring you peace today!
Heavenly Father, I praise You with all my heart, for Your indwelling Spirit of Peace. This hurting world has lost its way in its vain pursuit of a pseudo-peace, that can never satisfy. O how I long for the world to realize, it is only Your perfect peace that can satisfy. May I shed Your peace in my life, to all I come into contact with. May the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, guard and govern our hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus our Lord and for His greater glory. AMEN! AMEN!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
42-47 “If God were your father,” said Jesus, “you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn’t come on my own. He sent me. Why can’t you understand one word I say? Here’s why: You can’t handle it. You’re from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn’t stand the truth because there wasn’t a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone on God’s side listens to God’s words. This is why you’re not listening—because you’re not on God’s side.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
In my experience, God doesn’t speak verbally, aloud.
Perhaps He did in those ancient Old Testament days; we know that people did indeed hear His actual, physical voice at times, but it just sounded like thunder except to the one to whom He was speaking.
God certainly can speak to us that way if He wished, but in these contemporary days of the indwelling Spirit, He speaks to our hearts as we read His Word and spend time in prayer with Him – He also speaks through the church and into the circumstances of our lives, but we must be paying attention to hear Him at all.
Here is a troubling verse (one we should all cause to become memorized):
He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. (John 8:47)
Do you hear the words of God?
Do I hear the words of God?
Has God ever spoken to you?
Has God ever spoken to me?
Has God ever spoken to anyone we know?
Does this verse – John 8:47 – affirm or confirm or assure that any of us belong to God in these days, or cause any of us to stop and consider if we truly are “of God,” i.e., have we been born again, and do we belong to the family of God?
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. … Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, “You must be born again.” (John 3:3,5-7)
What does it mean to hear from God?
Jesus does not leave us wondering whether we have heard Him speak.
In the context of much of John 8, I would suggest that here are at least nine ways we can know that we are “of God,” or conversely, we should all (gasp) discover we have indeed failed to hear Him speak and do not know Him at all.
We continue in God’s word, where we find truth that makes us free(8:31-32). We believe that God’s word is the final authority on all things and is the only reliable source of truth in a world that lies to us every single day.
We recognize that sin enslaves us; we realize the hold it can have on our hearts and minds(8:34). We believe that God has the right and authority to define what is and isn’t sin, despite what culture tells us. We know that to allow, tolerate, condone, or practice the things that God’s word defines as “sin” is to be enslaved, both to our flesh, and to God’s enemy, Satan.
We have been freed from sin; we are able to say “no” to temptation by the power of God’s Spirit who lives in us(8:36). We are not perfect in practice, but we continually pursue holiness that pleases God in our thoughts, words, and actions.
We do not want to “get rid” of Jesus, but long for more intimacy(8:37-41). We are seeking to elevate Him in our hearts and in the world, not push Him away or deny Him His rightful place.
We love Jesus, and acknowledge that He is the Son of God, sent into the world by His Father(8:42). No other gods will do. No other religion will suffice.
We understand spiritual truths, something which a lost person cannot do(8:43,47). While we will continue to seek to know and understand the truths of scripture for the rest of our lives, even now, it makes sense to us. We can read God’s word and our minds are enlightened to understand it.
We love and protect life and despise murder(8:44). We understand that God is the giver of life and that He hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). We know that Jesus was right when He equated anger to murder (Matthew 5:21-22) because to despise and hate another person is just as wrong in God’s eyes as it would be to actually kill them.
We speak the truth and avoid lies (8:44). We are convicted by God’s Holy Spirit to be people of honor and integrity, to keep our word, and to avoid all pretense and cunning deception.
We set the world aside, believe what Jesus says, and accept it as truth(8:46).
Perhaps that last one is the most important one.
Those who hear from God must acknowledge that Jesus’ words are true.
There is no way around it.
If we reject Jesus, if we reject His words, we are not “of God” and we will not see the kingdom of heaven and we can say conclusively, have not heard God speak.
John 8:47 is a very sobering verse – it should cause us to stop and examine our lives and ask ourselves, “Has God spoken to me?” “Is God speaking to me now?”
God tells us His Spirit will not always strive with men.
If we continue to stop up our ears and harden our hearts, He will stop speaking and let us go on our own way down the path to destruction.
Do not take it for granted when you sense the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit.
Stop and listen carefully.
The all-powerful, sovereign God who created you is speaking!
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:25-30)
The Miraculous Experience of Our Hearing His Voice
To seek the fullness of relationship with God is to hear his voice.
“Whoever is of God hears the words of God” (John 8:47).
Just like when I seek true relationship with a person, or a child a conversation must happen; when we seek to truly know God, He talks with us – He is not a God who is ever silent but a God who speaks to us in any and every way He can.
All throughout the New Testament, there is both teaching on hearing the voice of God and instances where the people of God had conversation with Him.
John 14:16-17 Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
And later in John 16:13 Jesus says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
God himself dwells within us and longs to speak to every place in our hearts.
He longs for us to know the will of our heavenly Father the way Jesus did.
Longs for us to follow His leading moment by moment the way the apostles did.
And He longs for us to engage in fellowship, conversation with Him, as all those who are in true fellowship, in true relationship with one another do.
The immutable Biblical Truth is exactly this: God is constantly speaking to us.
The problem is that we do not know how to listen.
The problem is that we will flat out refuse to listen – or its selective listening – when we do not like what is being communicated and refuse to hear the words.
Scripture tells us that He is declaring the invisible attributes of his nature through creation (Psalm 19)
Psalm 19 The Message
19 1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening.
3-4 Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
4-5 God makes a huge dome for the sun—a superdome! The morning sun’s a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, The daybreaking sun an athlete racing to the tape.
6 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith.
7-9 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree.
10 God’s Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries.
11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool? Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.
And then there are these more sobering words of the Apostle Paul to ponder;
Romans 1:18-23 The Message
Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral
18-23 But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
When I finally decide to actually take time to experience firsthand the things God has made, God has spoken into existence – I finally feel His full presence.
There is a reason it’s peaceful to be in creation.
There is a reason it’s restful to be back to nature, in the mountains, lay on a beach, rowing a boat, fishing in a lake or a pond or or swimming in the sea.
All of creation is declaring the glory of God, declaring the wonderful character of our loving God, the miraculous, the wonderful words of life that He offers.
We just need to learn how and when to listen.
God speaks to us through his revealed word.
The inspirer of Scripture dwells within us and longs to use the Bible as a wonderful avenue to encountering its Author.
The Bible is not a biography written after someone has died.
Rather, it is the living, active words of a living, active God who longs for the very deepest most intimately possible relationship with us (Hebrews 4:12).
God speaks to us through one another.
All of us as believers have been given the same Spirit who has called us to a lifestyle of encouraging one another.
We are called to be a critical part of the process of discovering God’s heart and will in each other’s lives.
If we will make time to learn how God speaks to us for others, we will discover the very words of God given by grace to the lips of man.
And God speaks to us directly from his Spirit to our spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a vocal God.
He longs for us to know his thoughts.
He longs to direct us whether it be through words, a sense, a desire, through an uneasiness, or a tap on the shoulder, elbow in the ribcage type of prompting.
He is always speaking to us.
In order to learn to hear his voice moment by moment, whether we are inside solitude or in chaos, we must make time in the secret place to seek the fullness of relationship with him.
It’s in our intentionally seeking relationship with God that we become familiar with his voice and are able to closer follow him as a sheep with their Shepherd.
Take time in guided prayer to seek the face of your heavenly Father and hear his voice however he is choosing to speak.
In these days ahead, do not limit yourself to hearing him in only one way.
The path to the fullness of relationship with him is marked by his voice in each of these ways and more.
Open your heart and your soul to hearing Him through any and every way He is speaking that you might grow in your relationship with a good and loving God.
In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on Scripture that declares God to be a vocal God.
Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to hear God in every way He speaks.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
“Whoever is of God hears the words of God.” John 8:47
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20
2. In what ways are you comfortable hearing God?
What ways might be new to you? Know that there is grace to grow in every facet of your relationship with him. Don’t limit yourself to only what you’ve known or experienced up to this point. Rather, seek the truth of God’s word by his Spirit and discover a wealth of relationship you might not have yet experienced.
3. Choose one of the ways God speaks that’s new to you and ask him to help you have conversation with him through that avenue.
Again, hearing His voice through all of these avenues is meant to be the byproduct of simply seeking relationship with Him. Just as we do not seek to hear the voice of another person but seek relationship with them and get a conversation as a result, simply seek to know God and talk with Him.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3
“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”John 16:13
To have conversation with God might sound strange for some, but that does not mean it does not happen.
Rather, to have conversation with God available to us and to not take advantage of it is strange.
God longs to speak to you.
The Creator of all longs to have dialogue with you.
The King of kings and Lord of lords is inviting you to meet with him that you might have true relationship.
Seek God with all your heart.
Look to Scripture and the lives of biblical believers as your source of truth and normalcy.
Because of God’s heart to miraculously speak to you, you can live your life in constant conversation with a God who is both near to you and who loves you.
O Lord, your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path.Give us grace to receive your truth in faith and love, to receive your wisdom with an open heart and grant strength to follow on the path you set before us; through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 