THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Mat.28:1-11; 1Cor.15:1-20, 29-32

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is pillar upon which Christianity stands. Without the resurrection Christianity will fall. Jesus rose from the dead bodily after three days in the grave. His resurrection proves His deity. The book of Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles and letters of the New Testament will be lying fabrications without the resurrection. But Christ rose from the dead and by that perfected the salvation of multitudes. There are many sceptics today who doubt the resurrection. All they need to do is to study the New Testament account and many extra-biblical historical accounts. Such people should also consider the phenomenal growth of the Church, and the change of the lives of many from unexpected quarters. Our own conversions also testify to the truth of the resurrection.

CHRIST’S PREDICTION OF HIS OWN RESURRECTION

Mat.12:38-40; 16:21; 17:9, 22-23; 20:18-19; 26:32; Luke 9:22-27

During His earthly ministry, Jesus always spoke about His coming date and resurrection.

The Sign of Jonah (Mat.12:38-40)

Jesus Rebukes Peter (Mat.16:21-23)

The Post-Transfiguration Speech (Mat.17:9-12, 22-23)

When commissioning the Twelve (Luke 9:22-27)

The Passover Night (Mat.26:31-32)

THE FACTS ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Mat.27:27-37; 57-66

(1)Jesus Died By Crucifixion (Josephus, Tacitus, Lucian, Mara Bar-Serapion, Talmud)

(2)He was Buried (Mat.27:57-61)

(3)His Death Caused Despair in His Followership. Peter denied Him. The rest were scattered, afraid and in despair (Luke 24:13-32).

(4)Christ’s Followers Believed that He rose from the dead – Paul the apostle claimed it. Oral traditions of the Church declared it (1Cor.15:3-7); Apostolic sermons in Acts 2 declared it. All four Gospels (Mathew Mark Luke and John) recorded it.

(5)Christ’s disciples had real life encounters with their risen Lord (Luke 24:13-32; John 21:1-7,14; 1Cor.15:5-8)

(6)Disciples Transformed from Fearful People to Bold proclaimers who were ready to die for their testimony of the resurrection. All the apostles except John, and many other disciples died proclaiming that Jesus rose from the dead

(7)The Stunning Conversion of Saul of Tarsus from the Church’s persecutor, to the most ardent follower and defender of the faith (Acts 9:1-6; Gal.1:18-24). The conversion of Saul is well documented in the Acts of the Apostles. Paul always told the story of his own conversion (Acts 22:1-21); in Acts 26:1-28)

(1) The Conversion of James the just, the brother of Jesus. During Christ’s ministry, His earthly brothers did not follow Him (Mark 6:3-4; John 7:5). The appearance of Jesus to James His brother after the resurrection became part of the Church tradition (1Cor.15:7). James became a leader of the Church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:12-21). He eventually also became a martyr defending the resurrection of Jesus.

(2) The Tomb of Jesus was found to be empty (Luke 24:1-12). 75% of critical scholars accept the empty tomb as a historical fact. If the body of Jesus had still been in the tomb, it would have been very improbable for the Jerusalem Church to start just 50 days after Christ’s crucifixion. By accusing the disciples of Jesus of stealing the body, they were attesting to the fact of the empty tomb (Mat.28:12-13).

The objections of many critics against the resurrection is not the subject of message today. Objections like, (1) the story is full of contradictions, (2) miracles are not possible, (3) the body was stolen, (4) Jesus only fainted, but later recovered from his wounds, (5) Jesus was substituted by someone else (Muslims), and many others, will be presented by our speakers for the apologetic conference on July 11

THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH

Acts 2:1-4, 14-36, 37-47

COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 2:1-4).

(Acts 2:1-4): This marked the beginning of the Church. The few disciples that still remained faithful had hurdled themselves in an upper room in Jerusalem as the Lord had commanded them, apparently waiting to see what was going to happen next. Then all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit came upon them with a baptism of fire. All fear was gone. They received a new ability to speak many languages not previously learned

PETER’S SERMON (Acts 2:14-36)

(Acts 2:14-36): Peter preached a powerful sermon with his new found ability. Through the scriptures he proved that Jesus whom Jews crucified was indeed the Messiah. His sermon was so powerful that 3000 people were converted.

POWERFUL CONVERSIONS and CHURCH GROWTH (Acts 2:37-47)

(Acts 2:37-47): Three thousand people joined the Church in one day. May it so one day with this our Church! Peters Sermon was empowered by the Holy Spirit. The new members were so enthusiastic about their new fellowship they came together daily to worship and praise God. Signs and wonders that were seen in Christ’s ministry began to manifest in the ministry of the apostles. At a point it was now the shadow of Peter that God was using to heal people (Acts 5:14-16). From this time on the Church continued the phenomenal growth.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT THE RESURRECTION?

1Cor.15:1-20, 29-32

The Necessary Foundation of the Christian Faith (1Cor.15:1-11)

Without the Resurrection

(1)  All preaching is vain

(2)  Our faith is vain

(3)  The apostles were false witnesses

(4)  Your sins are not forgiven

(5)  All the martyrs of the Church have died in vain

(6)  It was senseless for the apostle to endanger themselves preaching

(7)  It was pointless Paul fighting with beasts in Ephesus defending the faith.

Without the resurrection all New Testament writings have no basis. But through Christ’s resurrection we have obtained pardon.

You must believe the message of salvation (1Cor.15:1-3).

Confess it with your mouth (Rom.10:8-9)

Believe it in your heart (Rom.10:9-10).

Jesus summed it up as it was recorded at the end of Marks Gospel, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Do you believe the gospel? Do you believe that Jesus Died on the Cross? That He was buried? That He rose again on the third day? Have you got this knowledge in your heart? Are you confessing the Jesus Christ is Lord?

IN CHRIST ALONE OUR HOPE IS FOUND!

DEEP CALLETH TO DEEP

Deep Calleth Unto Deep

Psalm 42:1-43:5

In the Wilderness, Moses faced rebellion from a section of the congregation of the Children of Israel under the leadership of Korah Dathan and Abiram (Num.16:1-12, 28-35). Korah and all those leaders died but their sons did not because God does not punish children for the sin of their fathers (Ezekiel 18:1-4; Jer.31:29-30). The children of Korah continued in their Levitical service to God. They were Psalmists and worship leaders. These two Psalms were written by them.
A GREAT HUNGER TO RETURN TO GOD

Psalm 42:1-4; Exod.33:11-23; Psalm 63:1-8

“As the deer pants for the water brooks”; “O God you are my God”; “Show me your glory”! These are expressions of the yearnings of the heart to experience God. Though God is a Spirit, yet we can experience Him. We can feel His presence. When you are born again you experience the joy of knowing God. Have you experienced that joy since you believed? The writer of the psalm is expressing a deep hunger to get back to fellowship with God. He was not able to get to the Temple to worship God in the great congregation. His soul was famishing. He cried out to God for help to come back and worship him again.

Have you lost some of the beautiful experiences that you had when you first believed? Have you allowed sin to creep in and rob you of the Father’s fellowship? Then do like the prodigal son. Arise and come back to the Father (Luke 15:18-24). You may not have backslidden but you may have allowed the problems of this life to rob you of fellowship in the Congregation. We only see you once in a while because you have become too busy; and now there appears to be something missing in your fellowship with God. Arise and go back to the Father God.

 A GREAT CRY FOR DELIVERANCE

Psalm 42:5-7; 43:1-4

The psalmist is here pouring out his heart and how he feels to God. That is real prayer. When in need, get on your knees and pour out your heart to God. If sin has marred your fellowship tell Him, hiding nothing (Psalm 53:1-12). God is ready to restore if we are ready to repent. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “Go home and sin no more” (John 8:11). And when He saves us He wants us to remain saved – sin no more! As you agonize in prayer, or even wrestle like Jacob till day break (Gen.32:26), then the joy of the Lord will return (Psalm 42:7-8). You will come into the house of God, into the Church with joy and gladness. You will worship Him without fetters!

A GREAT HOPE FOR FUTURE FELLOWSHIP

Psalm 42:8-11; 43:5

Did you know that God sends songs in the night to believers? Not every day but He does. It can be a sign of restored fellowship with God. With your fellowship to God blossoming, your yearning for God will increase. You will experience what is known as the joy of God’s salvation. You will praise God in your heart always. Whenever they say come to the house of God you will come with joy. Rain or snow or sun will not stop you from being in the presence of God. You will yearn for God more and more (Exodus 33:12-22; 34:5-8).

OUR FOUR-FOLD IDENTITY WITH CHRIST

OUR FOUR-FOLD IDENTITY WITH CHRIST

Philippians 3:1-16.

The Philippian Church was the first Church in present-day Europe established by Paul the apostle during his second missionary journey. Paul and his companions travelled to Macedonia by revelation from the Holy Spirit. We can trace the powerful incidents leading to its formation. First there was the dramatic vision (Acts 16:9-10), then Lydia the purple goods seller got saved and hosted Paul and his comeepanions (Acts 16:14-15), then the young woman with familiar spirits was delivered (Acts 16:16-18). Paul and Silas were jailed as a result, but were quickly delivered from prison by a mighty earthquake, leading to the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his family (Acts 16:25-31).

With this encounter with the power of God and the fact that there was no synagogue in Philippi, there is little wonder that the Church had very few of the kinds of problems that Corinthian and Galatian Churches had.

In the absence of problems, at about 62 AD, before he was martyred Paul wrote the epistle to the Philippians,  exhorting this Church to continue in their service to God.

I believe this exhortation is necessary for Deeper Life Bible Church Dundee. Though you are not many, yet you are continuing to hold the forth in this city. We pray for you every day at the headquarters in Glasgow that you will grow in stature, in your identity and service to Christ, so as to make a big impact in the city of Dundee.

1.    PRESSING ON TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (Phil.3:4-10; 2Tim.2:1-6)

Anything we wish to do for Christ or with Christ or through Christ must begin with the knowledge of Him. And the knowledge of Jesus Christ leads to salvation and eternal life (John 17:3). It is shocking how many people claim that Jesus Christ was not a man of history; who think that the stories about Him were legendary. But the great majority of people believe both from scripture and from history that He was born in Bethlehem; that He was crucified, died and was buried; that He rose from the dead on the third day (1Cor.15:1-3). Oh it also even more shocking that many people especially those who go to Church, who believe in these facts are actually not saved! Why? Historical and factual knowledge alone will not result in salvation. You need to have the factual knowledge but then you need to identify personally with Christ and His work to be saved (Rom.10:6-13). In Rom.1:16, he said he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. In Gal.6:14, he was proud to boast only in the cross of Jesus Christ (Gal.6:14). Jesus referred to (Num.21:4-9) to explain the importance of the Cross to Nicodemus (John 3:14-16). After you have known the historical facts, press on to know Him as Lord and Saviour. There must be a heart experience if Christ.

2.    PRESSING ON TO IDENTIFY WITH CHRIST (Phil.3:7-11; Rom.6:3-6)

Paul the apostle gave up everything that was of value to him in order to identify fully with Christ. He now saw all the things which he had spent his life attaining (including becoming a rabbi, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee), he saw them as liability, something that stands in the way of knowing Christ. He wants us to know that all human achievements are like dung (human waste, excrement!) when compared with the beauty, the excellence, the freedom, the joy and the benefits, of knowing Christ.  And we are called upon to identify with Christ in a similar way. The name Christian is made up of nine letters, six of which make up the name Christ. The remaining three letters “ian” are nothing but descriptive letters. So without identifying with Christ, our Christian life will be non-descriptive, it will be meaningless and miserable (1Cor.15:19; Rev.3:17). The apostle told us in (Rom.6:3-6) that our baptism was a sign of identifying with Christ in His death and burial and His resurrection. He tells us that having now identified with Christ, joined with Christ, we should live in newness of life. He died to destroy the works of the devil (1John 3:7-9) and we need to work with Him as He continues to do that work.

3.    PRESSING ON TO ATTAIN TO THE HIGH CALLING OF CHRIST (Phil.3:12-16)

Our calling in Jesus Christ is a high calling, but the road is rough and long, and the time is uncertain. There are always imminent dangers along the way. Though we are saved, we cannot rest on our oars.

In Phil.3:10 Paul listed four things that he pursued throughout his life:

(1)           To Know Jesus Christ

(2)           To Experience His Resurrection Power

(3)           To Participate in His Suffering

(4)           To Be like Jesus Christ In His Death

On his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, He was arrested by the Lord (Acts 9:3-6). That was the beginning of his quest to know the Lord more and more. It was the same with Moses. After his first encounter with God, Moses became thirstier to know God (Exod.33:11-23). As children of God today, we need to press on to know the Lord more and more (Psalm 42:1-11). That well of living water must begin from today to spring into eternal life on our hearts

Yes we have experienced His salvation. Put that in the bag and press on to know Him more. You may have experienced his intervention in the past, seen His hand at work in your life. Put that in the bag and press on to know Him more. Have you experienced His sanctifying power, and baptism with the Holy Spirit? Put that in the bag, for there is more of God than that.
Like the apostle Paul, let us press on to know Him more and more, to experience His resurrection power, to participate in His suffering and death so that we may share with Him by and by in His glory.

BALANCING MARIAGE RELATIONSHIPS AND MINISTRY

BALANCING FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND MINISTRY

1 Corinthians 7:25-40

The Church in Corinth may be compared to the Churches of Christ today. It struggled with many problems foisted on it by the society in which it was operating. Members of the Church struggled with contemporary issues and were caught in them many times.

There are hints in the epistle that sexual looseness or promiscuity was a culturally accepted practice in sections of the Corinthian society, and many in the Church actually thought that sexual freedom was fine. They even seemed to have arguments to support what they were doing (1Cor.6:12-13).

We can see something similar in today’s society, which calls evil good and good evil, approving things the Bible disapproves (Amos 2:7), taking the place of God. Biblical marriage is no longer seen as a necessity. Divorce enjoys almost universal approval. Marriage itself has been redefined to include same sex. Sexual freedom is constantly shoved into our faces everyday by the media, not sparing our children. What are we to do in all these things as Christians? We must stand and vigorously defend the principles of the Gospel of Christ.

In our text today, the apostle is dealing with the issues of celibacy, marriage, divorce and remarriage, and service to the Lord, all of which can affect the physical and spiritual well-being of the believer. As Christians we maintain the standard of the Word of God concerning these social issues.

1.  THE PLACE OF MARRIAGE IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER (1Cor.7:25-34)

MARRIAGE

This is a binding institution put in place by the Almighty God from the beginning. The Bible declares and we affirm that God made us male and female and decreed that a man (by implication, a woman also) should leave father and mother and be joined to his wife (or her husband) (Gen.2:24; Mat.19:4-9). Marriage is a contract between a man and a woman. They leave their families and go and establish a new nuclear family. God’s will is that the man and woman who are now husband and wife will stay together till death part them. They are not to separate. I will talk about this later.

CELIBACY

In telling people to remain unmarried here, the apostle was not suggesting that it was wrong to get married, otherwise his position would be in conflict with the Biblical injunction about marriage (Gen.2:18-25).

In saying that singleness was good for the believer (Paul himself and Barnabas, were not married, see (1Cor.7:7-8; 9:5)), he was in line with the statement of our Lord Jesus Christ concerning celibacy (Mat.19:10-12). Jesus mentioned three types of celibate people whom He called eunuchs.

EUNUCHS

(i)                       Those who were born so

(ii)                      Those who were made so

(iii)                    Those who made themselves so for the kingdom of God.

Of the first two, one was made so by disfigurement by man, and the other was caused by birth defect. The last set made themselves so for the sake of the Kingdom of God, and Paul the apostle falls into this category. In their case the word eunuch is most probably figurative (1Cor.9:5), whereas the second case clearly entails castration.

The apostle was in agreement with Jesus here concerning marriage. Marriage is an institution made for the benefit of man. If you decide not to marry, you have not sinned. If you marry you have not sinned, but you must remain married. He was urging people to remain as they were for the following reasons:

(1)           Because of an impending danger (oppressive, physical, economic or mental danger) for the Corinthian Christians at the time (1Cor.7:26-28)

(2)           Because of the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Believers in New Testament times lived with the imminent return of Jesus always in view (1Cor.7:29-31; 1Thes.4:16-18; 1Cor.15:51-52). How so different everything is now!

(3)           Because of the opportunity for undistracted service to the Lord (1Cor.7:32-35)

Whether married or not every Christian has a standing calling – to go and preach the gospel and serve the Lord in His Church without distraction.

MARITAL OBLIGATIONS

If you are married you must fullfill your marital obligations to your spouse. This will protect both of you from temptation. You do not have rights over your own body. When you said, “I do”, you handed the rights to your body to your spouse. You must fullfill the obligation of the sexual needs of your spouse. Do not use your body to bargain or to settle a score as some people may do because it is unscriptural to do so. The word to burn (1Cor.7:9) is a figure of speech referring to unfulfilled sexual desires that can lead to temptations.

In any case marriage is not to be placed above the preaching of the Gospel. Paul decided to remain single in other to devote himself wholly to the Gospel. He was urging those who were not married to remain single like him in order to give full attention to the service of the Lord. He urged those who were married not to allow marriage and family to distract them from serving the Lord.

 

Remember that Jesus does not accept divided loyalty (Luke 9:57-62). In Israel at the time of Christ, there was a practice called “Re-interment”. A year after a man dies his sons will collect his bones and put them in an ossuary (Gen.50:25). This may be the case of this man in Luke 9:57. Lord I will preach the Gospel, but please let me work and make some money…! Lord I will follow you but please let me finish my education. Lord please delay your coming, I want to get married and have some children!

Children of God, let us obey the Master now. Now is the time, not when you are satisfied with life! Tomorrow may be too la

2.  THE IMPLICATIONS OF DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE (Deut.24:1-4; 1Cor.7:10-12; Mark 10:5-12; Mat.19:1-9)

DIVORCE

Paul upholds the command of the Lord that a husband or a wife should not divorce their spouse.

There were two major rabbinic schools in Israel at the time of Jesus – the School of Shamai and the School of Hillel. The school of Shamai said a man may not divorce his wife unless he found unchastity in her. The school of Hillel said he may divorce her even if for spoiling a dish for him. Rabbi Akiba said he may divorce her even if he finds someone fairer than her! This debate was brought to Jesus in order to trap him (Mat.19:1-3; Deut.24:1-4). But the Lord showed them that He was greater than Abraham, Moses or Solomon. He took them back to the beginning (Gen.2:18-25).

ONE FLESH

God made us male and female and commanded a man to leave his father and mother and cleave to his “WIFE” and they “TWO” shall be one flesh. Jesus reminds people that it was God who joined the man and the woman and no one but God can separate them. 

Moses permitted divorce because of the hardness of men’s heart. So wherever there is divorce, there is hardness of heart.

If both husband and wife are truly born again, their hearts truly changed with the love of God shed abroad in their hearts, they would not divorce.

But we know there are very difficult, event dangerous and life-threatening cases. In such cases if divorce occurs, Scripture requires that the believer remain celibate. Divorce is not a nice thing. It affects everyone in that family circle both psychologically and socially. Children are especially affected.

The will of God is that two people who truly love each other with the love of Christ, not the superficial and selfish love of this present age, should get married.

So those of you who are not married and who are praying to get married, you will need to talk to the pastor if you feel that God has shown you who to marry. The purpose of that is to help you along the way and ensure that you do not fall into the hands of predators. The pastor will ensure that the process is facilitated and made easy for you. Once God has led you no one will hinder that process.

CALL FOR “SINGLENESS” (1Cor.7:25-38)

The apostle was calling for restraint and caution because of some impending danger for Christians in Corinth at that time. He did not say what is was (did not have to say because the Corinthians knew). But we know that during the time of this writing, the Church was undergoing persecution.

Again he wasn’t giving them a commandment from the Lord. He was speaking to them as one with the Spirit of God. He urged them to focus on serving the Lord.

This is also a timely message for us as a Church. We are prone to inverting our scale of preference; we are prone to fixing our priorities on personal issues. The apostle is urging us to reverse that, set our priorities to the service of the Lord. The Lord is coming soon.

In our own Church here what we see is that is occupying most of us now is work and education. Brethren given the fact that Jesus is coming very soon, the trumpet shall soon sound, should education and work be our main priority? The answer is no! Is it right to give God the leftover of our resources? The leftover of your time? The leftover of your money? The leftover of your strength? You know the answer to these things. We will need to turn things around today and begin to put God first in everything. We need singleness of purpose. Put God's Church first. Put evangelism first. Put ministry first. That is what our Lord wants from us. That is the only place our true blessing will come from the Lord.

On the day of separation you need to put yourself in the position to hear the Lord tell you, “Well done thou good and faithful servant. You were faithful in that which was little. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”!

DEAD TO SIN BUT ALIVE TO GOD

DEAD TO SIN BUT ALIVE TO GOD

Romans 5:6-11; 6:1-23

The Church in Rome was thriving before Paul the apostle got to Rome. Some people say that it was Peter who established the Church in Rome but there is no historical evidence to support this. Many of the pilgrims who went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost would have returned as Christians (3000 were converted on that last day). The pronouncement of Christ in (John 7:37-39) was fulfilled. He brought the Water of Salvation to a thirsty world. His death on the Cross and His resurrection would bring reconciliation with God. Many gentile believers were part of the Church in Rome.  Paul’s message of the grace of God was very powerful. Some began to act like the grace of God permits them to continue to sin. The Holy Spirit through Paul corrected that notion. Grace does not licence us to continue in our sins. Believers in Christ are dead to sin and alive to God in righteousness.

1. GOD’S LOVE JUSTIFIED US WHILE STILL SINNERS (Rom.5:6-11)

The message of the grace of God is very liberating. It is meant to be. Our redemption was accomplished while we were yet sinners (Rom.5:8; Eph.1:3-7; 2:1-7). We are freed from condemnation. We are justified freely through the death and resurrection of Christ. All our past sins have been wiped off the record (Rom.4:7-8; Psalm 32:1-3). No wonder the book of life is just one book (Rev.20:11-15). We have peace with God (Rom.5:1). God no longer counts us as enemies. The wrath of God is not upon us anymore. All this is done for us by grace through faith. Where sin abounded before, the grace of God did much more abound (Rom.5:20; 8:33-39).When we become reconciled with God, no one can bring any charge against us before God! Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are no longer under the curse of the Law (Ga.3:13). We are justified or made right by faith in Christ Jesus (Acts 13:39; 1Cor.6:11). Remember there is no other way of being justified except through faith in Christ (Jer.2:22).

2. GOD’S GRACE GIVES NO LICENCE TO SIN (Rom.6:1-10; 8:29)

The apostle was dealing with Christians who at that time saw the grace of God as something that freed them from being accountable for their sins. God’s grace does not encourage us to sin. The debate that has divided evangelical Christians is whether a saved Christian can be lost again. Many evangelical teachers say that a truly saved Christian cannot be lost. When you confront them with Mat.7:21-23), they say that those people were never saved in the first place. Many wonderful scriptures are sited (John 10:27-29). But what does the apostle Peter say (2Pet.2:19-22)? In (Ezekiel 18:24) we read God's mind. One point is clear, sin can never enter heaven (Rev.21:27). The believer is metaphorically called the Temple of God (1Cor.3:16-17). We are thus commanded to keep the Temple of God holy. The warning of the Holy Spirit in (Eph.5:1-7) cannot be ignored. Neither can the one in (1John 3:6-10).

3. UNION WITH CHRIST MAKES US DEAD TO SIN AN ALIVE TO GOD (Rom.6:11-23)

Christ is sinless. Christ in us is our hope of glory. When we are united with Christ we are dead to sin and alive unto godliness. When we are united with Christ, we are no longer under the dominion of sin. Old things have passed away. We are metaphorically crucified with Christ yet alive (Gal.2:20; 5:24). Let us follow the instruction of the Holy Spirit:

(i)                       Recon yourself to be dead to sin but alive to God

(ii)                      Do not let sin reign your mortal body

(iii)                    Do not yield your members as instruments of sin – those instruments belong to Christ now

(iv)                   Yield yourself to God and your members as instruments of righteousness

It is very important to note that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore sin will not have dominion over us. Enjoy your freedom in Christ. Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. But DO NOT turn the grace of God to licence to sin. Instead reckon yourself to be dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ

WHEN THOU PRAYEST

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

Matthew 6:1-18

1.    GIVING ALMS (Mat.6:1-4)

Alms giving is translated as acts of righteousness fulfilling certain religious obligations. It involves giving to the needy as an act of mercy. Not to be done in public – meaning not to be done to receive the praise of men. That public show of piety was sharply rebuked by Jesus when He was dealing with the Pharisees (Mat.23:1-8).

1.1      The Pharisees wore WIDE phylacteries (tefilin) – boxes containing four scripture passages (Exod.13:1-10; 13:11-16; Deut.6:4-9; 11:13-21). It is tied to the forehead with a black leather strip. It is also tied on the arm, reminding them of God’s deliverance from Egypt.

1.2      They Made LONG Tassels (Tzitzit) – fringes tied at the four corners of the garment. It was a reminder to the observant Jew to keep the commandments of the Lord. But the made it long and elaborate for public show of piety. Jesus rebuked that.

 

He tells us that all our acts of righteousness, if they are to be acceptable, should be done without ostentation, without making a show of them.

The other extreme is when you know that there is some act of righteousness to perform and you avoid it. There are people in the Church or outside it who your resources could help but you avoid it. There are responsibilities in the Church, like evangelism, prayer meeting, Bible study, to attend but you do not care about it. You know you have to give your tithe to the Church but you are not doing it consistently.

2        PRAYING (Mat.6:5-15)

When you pray… Jesus expects us to pray. Prayer is communication between us and God. If we are not praying we are not communicating with God. Praying is the only way God’s people communicated to Him. Saints of God of all ages prayed – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Noah, Daniel, Jonah, Hannah all prayed (Dan.6:10).

Jesus prayed regularly (Mark 1:35; Luke 22:32; Mat.26:39) – when he began His ministry, during His ministry, when He performed miracles, during the time of His agony and on the Cross, Jesus prayed.

The disciples of the Lord prayed. They saw Him pray and desired to be taught how to pray (Luke 11:1). He taught them what we know as the Lord’s Prayer and gave that wonderful parable about persistence in prayer (Luke 11:2-13).

Why do we need to pray every day? Because we live in a fallen world! The effect of our fallen condition is everywhere – sin, sickness, crime of every kind, disappointment, hopelessness, selfishness, love of pleasure more that God, rape, murder. Have you observed how killing others is fast becoming fashionable for certain people?

Knowing that we will live in a fallen word the Lord gave us the gift of prayer. Jesus prayed to the Father for us. Hear what He said (John 17:15-17).

Prayer is given to us to protect us from the evil of the world. Through prayer, God can reverse the effect of sin in our lives. He can prevent calamities from befalling us. He can divert away from us the evil originating from the fallen nature in other people. If Jesus was here today He would accuse us of prayerlessness! But it should not be so.

3        FASTING (Mat.6:16-18)

When ye fast… Again here Jesus is saying that we have to fast. However we must not make a public show of it. The Jews of old when they fasted, would tear their clothes, put on sack cloth and throw ashes over their heads as a sign of mourning and repentance (1Kings 21:47; 1Chron.21:16). It would appear that the Pharisees made an open show of this so as to be seen of men.

But fasting is a way of humbling ourselves before God, possibly one way of bringing the body under subjection (Psalm 35:13). Fasting will intensify our prayer. Intensified prayer is real prayer, it is prayer that will receive answer. Therefore if fasting intensifies prayer, it means that fasting is necessary for some prayers to be answered.

Again fasting is not meant for public show. It is not public show when we gather like this to pray and fast as a church. It is not public show if your wife/husband knows that you are fasting. When we fast as prescribed by the Lord, there is reward from the Father.

It is not public show, it is not sounding the trumpet when there is a need in the Church and the pastor asks you to help with that need and you comply.

It is not public show for you to pray out loud when we gather together in Church. When you pray out loud you are being scriptural, not unscriptural (Psalm 55:16-17; 3:4; 5:1-3).

The Lord wants to answer our prayers. He wants to free us and protect us from the effect of the fallen nature. He wants to increase His Church through our prayer. He wants to bless us abundantly through prayer. Let us then come boldly to the throne of Grace to pray. He will hear our voice.

THE DEMANDS OF DISCIPLESHIP

THE DEMANDS OF DISCIPLESHIP

Luke 9:1-9, 22-27; 57-66

1.    COMMISSIONING OF THE TWELVE (Luke 9:1-6)

This chapter is packed with emotionally charged events both for Jesus and all His disciples. In another place it is written that Jesus prayed all night before choosing the twelve (Luke 6:12-16). Here is chapter 9 we see Him commissioning them to go and preach, conferring on them power and authority. Here is their remit:

(i)                       Power over all demons

(ii)                      Power over all diseases

(iii)                    Power to proclaim the Gospel

(iv)                   Power to heal the sick

And here are things they were to avoid:

(i)                       Take nothing for the journey

(ii)                      No staff, no bags, no food, no money

(iii)                    No change of clothes

They were to depend on the goodwill of the people they meet. How is this possible? They people the minister to will surely take care of their needs with excitement. Some suggested that it was because of the brevity of their ministry. I rather believe that Jesus meant it to be the norm since theirs was a power ministry (Acts 16:12-15).

This power is lacking in the Church today. While it is true that not everyone will believe the Gospel, this kind of authoritative ministry will definitely attract a lot of attention and draw many to the Church.

2.    CUTTING OFF OF JOHN’S MINISTRY (Luke 9:7-9)

At this time John’s ministry was coming to an end, not necessarily because of the Herodian persecution and imprisonment, but because he was simply the forerunner of Christ (Isa.40:3; Mal.3:1; Mat.3:3). Jesus ministry had taken off in earnest with the commissioning of the disciples.  Some of the disciples of John even complained to him that Jesus was now making more disciples than him (John 3:26-30). Even John knew that his ministry was at an end. But his beheading by Herod was a traumatic time for our Lord (Mat.1:1-14), and was sequel to warning he issued to all those who would follow Him. He had to let them know the kind of persecution which would beset them. Power will follow them, but power and authority would not prevent persecution, even execution.

3.    CROSS-BEARING FOR ALL DISCIPLES Luke 9:22-27)

Jesus knew the kind of death that faced Him. He knew from that start of His ministry that He faced death by hanging on the cross. He also knew ahead of time what type of life faced all His disciples, especially the apostles.

He warned His disciple that He was going to suffer crucifixion, and that they would face similar situations leading to similar consequences in their lives. To be His disciples, men must:

(i)                       Take up their Cross and Follow Him (Mark 10:38; Luke 14:17)

(ii)                      Prepare to Lose Their Lives for His Sake

(iii)                    Beware of Being Ashamed of Him and His Words

According John Wesley, a disciple must be willing to quit that which was dear to them and they must come to Jesus thoroughly weaned from all their creature-comforts. They must be willing and cheerful to part with all those things rather that quit their interest in Christ. Every good man loves his relatives, but if he is a disciple of Christ, he must comparatively hate them. This means he must love them less than he loves Christ.

Every man loves his own life. No man ever hates his life. But if we become Christ’s disciple, we must love Him more than our own lives. So were the martyrs. They loved not their lives unto death (Rev.12:11). It is better for our lives to be embittered by cruel bondage or even ended by cruel death than to dishonor Christ. This is a hard saying, but the pleasures of the spiritual life and the believing hopes and prospects of eternal life make the saying easier.

Disciple must be ready to bear very heavy burdens. The early apostles experienced this literally.

4.    COUNTING THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS (Luke 9:57-62)

Three different people wanted to follow Jesus and be his disciple in this section. All three were presented with the stark consequences of being Christ’s disciples.

(1)           THE FIRST MAN: Foxes have holes (Luke 9:57-58) – Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world. He has no palace, not home. There is no evidence that He went back to Nazareth after staring His public ministry. He had no break in His ministry. He must pursue it till the end. Anyone who wishes to be His disciple must follow in His footsteps. He must be here to build great mansions or great business empires. His primary assignment must be the recovery of men.

(2)           THE SECOND MAN: Let the dead bury their dead (Luke 9:59-60) – These warnings were not meant to discourage people but to encourage true disciples. Cultural necessities must be subservient to our service to Christ. The preaching of the Gospel must have precedence over everything else that surround our lives as disciples. When the Gospel call comes, every other thing must be suspended! Family matters cannot override the demands of the gospel. Remember, “he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy to be my disciple”, He said.

(3)           THE THIRD MAN: Cannot look back once you have become a disciple (Luke 9:61-62) – No turning back once you have been accepted to be a disciple of Jesus.

It is shame and dishonor to Christ if after we start following Him, we then turn back along the way. His soul has no pleasure in such people.

We need to power with which the early apostles were commissioned to preach. We want to cast out devils, heal the sick while declaring the Gospel of the Kingdom. Then we will have the good will of those who are believing I Jesus, who are being healed, being delivered and being saved.

To have the power of Christ to preach, we must be willing to fulfil all the conditions of true discipleship.