Why did God put his words in a Book?

The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight to life.

Psalm 19.8

 

Suppose you carried a million pounds far into a forest and hid it deep in a cave. If you wanted to be sure that you could find your cash years later, you wouldn’t whisper directions to your dog. You wouldn’t trust them to your memory. You would write them down and make a map.

God wanted to share with us some very important directions, directions that are even more valuable than a treasure map for digging up a pile of money. God wanted us to be completely clear on how we can be his friend and obey him. So he wrote his instructions in a book to keep them safe. By putting into the Bible everything people need to know, God made sure we couldn’t forget or mess up the message. 

 

Think of your favourite place to eat or have fun, or a friend’s or relative’s place, and try to draw a map of how you would get there. Then look at an actual map which has it on there. How easily would someone who didn’t know the place get there using your map compared with the actual map.

We can read, (even my words), what others have to say about finding God. But God gave us the best directions in the Bible. He wanted us to have clear directions on how to find him and learn about him

 

You can also read, Proverbs 30.5, John 17.7

The best sermon ever day 4

 In Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount (often called the Sermon on the Plain), Jesus says:

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognised by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, or grapes from briers. Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in their heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:43-45).

People have strange ways of reading the Bible sometimes, looking for either a command to obey, an example to follow or what is often called a “necessary inference.” When the Bible doesn’t give an explicit instruction, we make necessary inferences by using logic and inductive reasoning to determine what we are supposed to do. This method of Bible reading, which focuses solely on what we should do in response to the Scriptures, brings up all kinds of issues. First, it doesn’t help us understand what the text means, it’s only a method of applying the text to our lives. Second, one person’s “necessary inference” is hardly universal.

There are other problems with this form of Bible study, but the most important issue of all is that this method of reading the Bible is ungodly. I mean that last word in a precise way, approaching Scripture in this manner is ungodly in that it’s completely unconcerned with God. It’s what could be called an “anthropocentric” (man-centred) way to read the Bible, because it is completely concerned with humans and what we should do. Or (even worse) it’s concerned with others and what you think they should do. God is hardly even a factor.

A theocentric (God-centred) approach first asks what a particular text reveals about the character and nature of God. Then it asks how we might apply this text to our lives in such a way that we become more like Him.

Of course, reading the Bible that way takes a lot more work, and that’s probably why some people prefer the other approach. But those folks often have a really hard time trying to figure out what in the world Jesus wants them to do. Take the above paragraph from Luke, for instance. There’s no command. There’s not even an example. And the whole necessary inference thing is confusing for most people anyway.

So what does Jesus want us to do?

To ratchet up the tension even further, He adds: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Because You haven’t told us what to do, Jesus!

This gets to one of the most frustrating things about Jesus’ teaching, He rarely gives an outright command. And sometimes when He does, it’s outrageous. Does Jesus really want you to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand?

How do you obey Jesus when He won’t give you a decent command?

While we’re here, let us ask this. Have you ever heard someone say that before you can follow Jesus you have to “obey the gospel”? Well, if the gospel is the Good News that Jesus came and lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death and rose victorious over the grave to secure your pardon from sin and purchase for you a new life characterised not by fear and shame but by hope and peace and joy — if the gospel is the availability of life in God’s kingdom — if it is an historical event, well, how do you “obey” an historical event?

The answer to both questions above is the same: You live as if it were true.

How would we live if we believed Jesus’ words in Luke 6 to be an accurate depiction of reality? How would we live if we believed the Good News were really true?

Maybe that’s what Jesus was getting at in His teaching ministry — not some tutorial offering new and improved rules for living, but a better picture of reality, sharing with us what life would be like in this Kingdom He was bringing. And maybe what He desires of us most is that we begin to live as if it were true.

 

Prayer 

 

Holy Father, Your Word is truth. It brings life, hope, purpose, fulfilment and power to all who submit to its authority and put it into practice. I want to receive it, reflect on it, internalise it and apply it. Your Word gives me the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, and it teaches, corrects, reproves and trains me in righteousness. Your magnificent promises are sure. Your perfect character is unchanging. Your loyal love is unwavering and Your boundless grace is constant. I can lean with full confidence on Your promises and precepts, because they are the anchor for my hope and the foundation for my wellbeing. Teach me the way in which You want me to order my steps so that I will fulfil Your benevolent desires for my life. By Your grace may I follow You, trust in You, hope in You and please You.

 In Jesus’s name, Amen 

Why do some Christians not act like Christians?

Be sure that you live in a way that brings honour to the Good News of Christ

Philippians 1.27

 

There’s a big word in the Bible for a person who says he is a Christian but doesn’t act like one, hypocrite.  It comes from the name for ancient Greek actors, who were famous for the masks they hid behind. It’s what Jesus called the religious people who acted good on the outside but were full of sin on the inside.(Mat 23.25-27) He got very angry with them, not for sinning once, twice or even many times but for pretending to be good when they weren’t. Hypocrites act the way they do because they aren’t close friends with God. 

Sometimes hypocrites say they are Christians but do unkind things to other people. When non-Christians see that, they think all Christians are fakes. Being a hypocrite is the exact opposite of what Jesus wants us to be. So don’t ever be a pretender. Be a believer who loves Jesus through and through, and show it by the way you act!

 

Name some actions that would be hypocritical for a Christian and wouldn’t honour Jesus Christ. Then pray starting with yourself, your family, your pastor and other Christian leaders, and your church, that all believers would stay away from hypocritical actions and “live in a way that brings honour to the Good News of Christ.”(Phil. 1.27)

 

Why does God say the punishment for sin is death?

When people sin, they earn what sin pays-death. But God gives us a free gift-life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6.23

 

When our bodies quit working, we die. That’s physical death. But there’s another kind of death that is even worse. ‘Spiritual death' is when people are far from God forever and ever. It’s the punishment people receive for their sins if they refuse to believe in Jesus.

That sounds bad, and it is. When God says that sin leads to death, it shows us that sin is truly awful. It also shows us that God free gift of forgiveness is truly awesome. Jesus died to take our punishment for sin. All we have to do is believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that he died for our sins. Then, instead of spiritual death, we get God’s forgiveness and eternal life with him. 

 

As you next walk through a big shopping complex, look at the flat-screen TVs, the items of jewellery placed in cases, or in a car dealership at the latest models of cars. They are really expensive items and cost a huge amount of money. But Jesus paid an even bigger price to save us from being punished for our sin, he paid for our sin with his own life!

The best sermon ever day3

 At the turn of the twentieth century, a debate that had been brewing in academic circles spilled out into the mainstream. The debate was about Jesus, and it has shaped much of theology for more than 100 years now.

One side of the debate said that the Jesus of history was simply a good, wise and moral teacher. He was a very important teacher — possibly one of the greatest teachers ever. But that was all. He was not the Son of God. He did not really do miracles. Virgin birth? Please. Nope, Jesus was just a fantastic teacher, and we could all learn from His teaching. That’s as far as it goes.

The other side of the debate said, “No! Jesus is the Son of the living God, eternally pre-existent member of the Trinity, spotless Lamb of God sent to offer His life as a ransom for many. He was born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit. He lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death and was vindicated by God the Father through His bodily resurrection. He ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf.”

A bad thing happened as a result of this brouhaha. People who believe in the deity of Jesus began to de-emphasise the role of His teaching. In fact, there came to be a kind of suspicion among some of them, when folks started talking about Jesus’ teaching. These suspicious types automatically assumed they were on the other side of the debate. Some sects of Christianity went so far as to suggest that large portions of His teaching — such as the Sermon on the Mount — don’t apply to us anymore. The importance of Jesus’ teaching was gradually pushed aside to make room for Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross.

To be clear here, I contend that the Jesus of the New Testament was both fully human and fully divine and is today living and vitally involved in human affairs. I affirm the historical creeds of orthodox Christianity when it comes to the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Yet I also firmly believe that teaching isn’t something Jesus did to pass the time until it was time for Him to die. Jesus’ teaching isn’t an optional, dispensable part of His ministry. His teaching was an integral part of His ministry. He didn’t just come to die for us (though He did do that, and I’m eternally grateful for it), He also came to teach us about life in God’s kingdom. He was the wisdom-bringer, the one who showed us what God is really like, what people are really like, the way the world really operates and how to live as citizens of the Kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ earliest followers were drawn to Him initially because of His teaching. He was, among other things, the smartest man they had ever known. His instruction made so much sense, it had that ring of truth that you don’t get from human wisdom. Crowds flocked to Him, amazed at His teaching. They watched Him live out His message with integrity, and they were astonished. They’d never seen anyone live like Him — they had no idea such a life was even possible.

And then He told them an unbelievable thing. If you will trust Me and do what I tell you to do, one day you will live like Me.

This part is really, really important. Because they felt that they could trust Him as their teacher during His life, they learned to trust Him as their Saviour after His death and resurrection.

So, if you want to fully experience the love of Christ, you must come to value one of the most important gifts He offers, His teaching. You must trust that He is right about absolutely everything. This means that when you disagree with Him (and it will probably happen every once in a while), you’re either wrong or you don’t fully understand what He was saying.

To really follow Jesus, you must allow Him to teach you how to live. He was, after all, the greatest Teacher of all time.

 

Jesus, may I learn to take Your yoke upon me, to follow You wherever you lead me to learn from You. Although You have said many things that I do not fully grasp, I wish to submit to the authority of Your teachings and learn to trust You when I do not understand. Your words bring life—Your message is unique and authoritative, and Your wisdom surpasses anything the world has ever heard. I acknowledge that without the new birth in which I was regenerated by the Holy Spirit, it would be impossible for me to live as You ask me to live. But You have not only revealed the way to go; You have provided me with the resources that will empower me to travel along that way. I give thanks for the power of Your indwelling Spirit, for your life-giving teaching, and for the new quality of life to which You have called me.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Why doesn’t God just forget our sins?

God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.

Romans 3.25

 

God would never lie. So he would never pretend that we’re doing what’s right when we’re really doing something wrong. He wouldn’t be unfair. So he wouldn’t act as if our sins aren’t a problem. He would never say, “Oh, that’s okay. It doesn’t really matter. Let’s just forget it.”

Actually, there’s something even better than God forgetting our sins. It’s God forgiving our sins! He wants to forgive us, to set us free from the punishment we deserve and to fix our broken friendship with him. The bad news is that God says there must be a huge payment for sin, death. The good news is that God sent his Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins. Jesus died for us and came back to life so that God could forgive us.

 

How would you feel if a classmate always pulled your hair and pushed you down but was never punished? Do you think the wrong things that you do should be punished? How does it feel that Jesus took the punishment for your sin so that you could be forgiven? Why is forgiving even better than forgetting? That our sin is gone, not just forgotten?  

Why is it sometimes easier to do things that are wrong than to do what’s right?

I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 

Galatians 5.16

 

Sit on a chair and try a simple experiment, slide your bottom off the seat of the chair. What happens? You always fall on the floor. Why? Because you can’t undo the power of gravity, the force that pulls you down. 

It’s the same way when it comes to trying in your own strength to overcome the pull of sin. Inside you and every other human being there is a power at work, your sinful nature, that makes it far easier for you to do wrong than right.(Gal 5.17) Yet as a Christian there’s an even bigger force at work in you to help you do right, the Holy Spirit. It’s the job of the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s commands and obey them. With the Spirit’s help, you don’t have to do things that are wrong. You can choose to do right!  

 

 

With a friend or family member, find a big rope or an old oversized beach towel and go outside for a game of tug-of-war. Then talk about these questions, ”how does it feel when there’s a battle between good and evil going on in us? How do we let the Holy Spirit win the tug of war?