‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord”’(Psalm 122:2). Why do we go to the House of the Lord? We go ‘to give thanks to the Name of the Lord’(Psalm 122:4). We seek His mercy for our past sins: ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!’(Psalm 123:3). We seek His help for our future temptations: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord…’(Psalm 124:8). As we receive mercy and help from the Lord, we worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord’(Psalm 124:6). In our worship, we ‘look to the Lord our God’, drawing encouragement from His Word: ‘The Lord is on our side’- In Him we have the victory (Psalm 123:2; Psalm 124:1-5). Rejoicing in God’s blessing, we pray for others: ‘May they prosper who love You’(Psalm 122:6).
Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
God Has Heard And Answered Our Prayer For Salvation. Let Us Pray For Others ... That They Will Receive His Salvation.
We have come to God as sinners. He has heard and answered our prayer for salvation. Let us pray for others that they will bring their sin to the Saviour and will receive His salvation. When we pray for others, let us be bold in our prayers. The Good News of grace reaches beyond those whom the world may describe as ” a righteous man” “a good man” (Romans 5:7). We look at the Cross of Christ, and we remember this: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6) – This is the Gospel of our salvation. As we rejoice in God’s salvation, let us make this our earnest prayer: “O that the world might taste and see the riches of His grace! The arms of love that compass me would all mankind embrace.” Having received God’s salvation, let us commit ourselves to sharing the Good News of His love: “’tis all my business here below to cry: ‘Behold the Lamb.’”
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The Good News of salvation (Psalm 6)
The Story Of God's Love - The Story Of God's Perfect Son
* Jesus told a story of God's love - "the story of the prodigal son" (Luke 15:11-32).
* Jesus is the Story of God's love - His Story is the Story of God's perfect Son.
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In Luke 15:13, we read of the prodigal son going into the "far country". In Luke 15:20-22, we read of the joy of his homecoming -"20So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet."
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In Philippians 2:8, we read of Jesus going into "the far country" (Luke 15:13) - "He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" - so that we might have an even greatest Homecoming of all - Christ has been "exalted ... to the highest place." He has been given "the Name that is above every name." What a day it will be when "at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).
* Jesus is the Story of God's love - His Story is the Story of God's perfect Son.
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In Luke 15:13, we read of the prodigal son going into the "far country". In Luke 15:20-22, we read of the joy of his homecoming -"20So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet."
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In Philippians 2:8, we read of Jesus going into "the far country" (Luke 15:13) - "He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" - so that we might have an even greatest Homecoming of all - Christ has been "exalted ... to the highest place." He has been given "the Name that is above every name." What a day it will be when "at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).
"Great Is Your Faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22).
Day by day, we learn more about our own human failure. Day by day, we learn also of God's divine faithfulness.
"We are faithless. He remains faithful" (2 Timothy 2:13).
Day by day, let's praise God for His wonderful love, His amazing grace and His superabundant marvellous mercy.
"The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant ... Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ... I obtained mercy ... Now to the King eternal ... be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:14-17).
"We are faithless. He remains faithful" (2 Timothy 2:13).
Day by day, let's praise God for His wonderful love, His amazing grace and His superabundant marvellous mercy.
"The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant ... Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ... I obtained mercy ... Now to the King eternal ... be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:14-17).
"Trust And Obey ... Be Happy In Jesus ... "
‘He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord’ (2 Chronicles 12:14). Read these words, and pray - ‘Lord, may these words never be true of me’. These words are a warning to us. Things will only go from bad to worse if we turn back from following the Lord. ‘As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him’ (2 Chronicles 13:10). Read these words, and pray - ‘Lord, may these words always be true of me’. This is the better way - God’s way: ‘God is with us; He is our Leader’ (2 Chronicles 13:12). We read about unbelief and disobedience. We read about faith and obedience. “Do not fight against the Lord... you will not succeed’ (2 Chronicles 13:12) . ‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.’
Jesus’ Whole Life Is Life In The Spirit.
God's Presence And God's Power
Luke 11:14-32
Here, we see the Lord's demonstration of power. Where did His power come from? Jesus makes it perfectly clear that His power comes from God. This is the power of God at work. When we understand who Jesus is, we will understand that the power we see in Jesus is the power of God. Jesus is "Emmanuel." He is "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Recognizing who Jesus is - God with us, we see the power of God at the ministry of Jesus. It is by the finger of God that Jesus drives out demons (Luke 11:20). In Jesus, we see the Kingdom of God. In Him, the Kingdom of God has come to us (Luke 11:20). Jesus is God with us. He is with us in mighty power. This is the power which overcomes evil. This is the power which brings the Kingdom of God into our lives. As we see the presence of God in Jesus and the power of God in the ministry of Jesus, we may ask, "How can the presence of God and the power of God become a living reality of blessing in us?" God's blessing - the blessing of His presence and His power - comes to us through the Spirit, the Scriptures and the Saviour. (1) God gives the Holy Spirit to ask Him (Luke 11:13). (2) God's blessing comes to those who hear and obey the Word of God (Luke 11:28). It is through the Holy Scriptures that God leads us in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. It is through the Holy Scriptures that He leads us in the pathway of blessing.(3) The Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures point us to the Holy Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is greater than Solomon and Jonah (Luke 11:31-32). In Him, there is fullness of blessing (John 1:16).
Here, we see the Lord's demonstration of power. Where did His power come from? Jesus makes it perfectly clear that His power comes from God. This is the power of God at work. When we understand who Jesus is, we will understand that the power we see in Jesus is the power of God. Jesus is "Emmanuel." He is "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Recognizing who Jesus is - God with us, we see the power of God at the ministry of Jesus. It is by the finger of God that Jesus drives out demons (Luke 11:20). In Jesus, we see the Kingdom of God. In Him, the Kingdom of God has come to us (Luke 11:20). Jesus is God with us. He is with us in mighty power. This is the power which overcomes evil. This is the power which brings the Kingdom of God into our lives. As we see the presence of God in Jesus and the power of God in the ministry of Jesus, we may ask, "How can the presence of God and the power of God become a living reality of blessing in us?" God's blessing - the blessing of His presence and His power - comes to us through the Spirit, the Scriptures and the Saviour. (1) God gives the Holy Spirit to ask Him (Luke 11:13). (2) God's blessing comes to those who hear and obey the Word of God (Luke 11:28). It is through the Holy Scriptures that God leads us in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. It is through the Holy Scriptures that He leads us in the pathway of blessing.(3) The Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures point us to the Holy Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is greater than Solomon and Jonah (Luke 11:31-32). In Him, there is fullness of blessing (John 1:16).
What Is The Lord Saying To Us From The Call Of His First Disciples?
Jesus says, "Follow Me." These were the words spoken by Jesus to His first disciples. They are still the words He speaks to us. Christ calls us to follow Him. He invites us to be changed by Him. He calls us to move forward with Him. Moving forward with Christ and being changed by Him will involve listening to Him. Listening to Him - This is the point which is emphasized by the prophet Isaiah - "The Sovereign Lord wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears" (Isaiah 50:4-5). As we read the Story of Jesus Christ, we are to listen to His voice. What are we to do when we hear the voice of Christ speaking to us through God's written Word? The prophet Isaiah speaks to us about listening to the voice of the Lord - "The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back" (Isaiah 50:5). We are to listen and learn. We are to let Jesus change our life.
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Here's a link to the rest of this sermon: Sermons on Luke's Gospel - Luke 6:12-16
Remembering Jesus Christ, Crucified For Us And Risen For Us
Matthew 15:21-16:4
Above all Jesus’ miracles, we celebrate His mighty resurrection from the dead (28:5-7). This miracle is referred to in 16:4 - ‘the sign of Jonah’: Jonah was raised from ‘the belly of a huge fish’, Jesus has been raised from ‘the heart of the earth’ (12:40). We are to ‘remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead’ (2 Timothy 2:8). In the girl’s healing (21-28), we see the risen Lord’s great triumph over evil - evil men tried to put Him down, but He did not stay down (Acts 2: 23-24). In the feeding of the crowd (36-37), we see the risen Lord’s ongoing ministry of feeding His people. Here, we compare verses 36-37 with the Lord's Supper: (a) He took bread; (b) He gave thanks; (c) He broke it; (d) He gave it to the disciples; (e) The bread is shared with the people; (f) All are satisfied. All glory to the risen Lord !
"My House Will Be Called A House Of Prayer ... "
‘Because you have defiled My sanctuary... I Myself will withdraw My favour’ (Ezekiel 5:11). To those who despise His Word and treat the place of prayer with contempt, Jesus still speaks His Word of judgment: ‘My House will be called a House of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves’ (Matthew 21:13). God is warning us: ‘You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Return to Me and change the way you think and act. If you don’t change, I will come to you and remove your lamp from its place’ (Revelation 2:4-5). When God removes His blessing, there is nothing left but ‘a desolate waste’ (Ezekiel 6:14). Make sure you don’t become like Samson - ‘“I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free”. He did not know that the Lord had left him’ (Judges 16:20).
"What Does It Mean To Find Jesus? ... "
What does it mean to find Jesus? - It means that He has found us.
"Sometimes, I'm Not His Friend ... "
Sometimes, I'm not His friend, but He is always mine. Let Jesus be your best Friend!
"In His Heavenly Glory ... "
In His heavenly glory, Christ is our Lord. In His saving grace, He is our Saviour.
"We Look Forward To Christ's Return ... "
We look forward to Christ's return: the completion of the triumph achieved in His death and resurrection.
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This thought is taken from
Isaiah 25:1-26:9
'O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name...You have done marvellous things' (25:1). We remember what God has done for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who died for us. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who rose again for us. We look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We look forward to the Day when 'He will swallow up death for ever'. On that Day, 'the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces'. On that Day, we will look back and say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us'. On that Day, we will 'rejoice and be glad in His salvation' (25:8-9). Here and now, let us learn to 'trust in the Lord'. We can trust in Him 'for ever'. He is 'the everlasting Rock' - 'the Rock of our salvation' (4; Psalm 95:1).
Living The New Life
The old life is left in the past. We press on, living the new life. This is the Gospel's description of the Christian: "If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away ... the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Begin the new life. Come to Christ and receive from Him a life which is eternal, life with a glorious, heavenly destination.
Jesus Is Taken Up Into Heaven. Let Us Preach Him To All Nations.
‘In all the Scriptures’, Jesus teaches ‘the things concerning Himself’ (Luke 24:27). Do ‘our hearts burn within us… while He opens to us the Scriptures?’ (Luke 24:32). He calls us to be His ‘witnesses’, to preach His message of salvation ‘to all nations’ (Luke 24:47-48). Before we can preach, we must listen to Him. Before we can proclaim His resurrection, we must consider His suffering for us: ‘See my hands and my feet’ (Luke 24:39) - even after His resurrection, they still bear ‘the mark of the nails’ (John 20:25). Listen to Christ. Consider His suffering for you. Be ‘clothed with power from on high. Let the Lord ‘bless’ you, strengthening your worship and filling you ‘with great joy’. With all this going on in your lives, we will consider it not only our responsibility but our joyful privilege to be His ‘witnesses’ (Luke 24:48-53)!
Jesus is taken up into heaven. Saved by Him, let us live for Him.
Raised from the dead, Jesus Christ now sits at God’s right in the heavenly places. He is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named (Ephesians 1:20:21). His Name is the Name of our salvation. Through Him, we rejoice in God’s wonderful grace: ‘By grace you have been saved through faith… for good works’ (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Saved by the Lord, we are to live for Him. God calls us to live a ‘holy’ life. We cannot make ourselves holy. We are spiritually ‘dead’. We need to be ‘made alive’- by God. Holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord. Long before we ever thought of loving Him - He loved us. Our love for Him is so changeable. His love for us is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. It is eternal. He loved us ‘before the foundation of the world’. He will love us ‘in the world to come’. This is the love of God, the love which inspires us and enables us to live a ‘holy’ life (Ephesians 2:1; 1:4; 2:7). When we realize the truth concerning ourselves - ‘nothing good dwells within me’ (Romans 7:18 - and God - He is ‘rich in mercy’ (Ephesians 2:4) - , we will ‘praise His glorious grace’ (Ephesians 1:6).
Jesus Is Taken Up Into Heaven. In Him, We Will Dwell In God’s House For Ever.
For God’s people, there is a glorious eternal destiny: ‘I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever’ (Psalm 23:6). We ‘receive this blessing from the Lord, …the God of our salvation’ (Psalm 24:5). There is only one answer to the question, ‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?’: Jesus Christ ‘shall stand in His holy place’. No one else has ‘clean hands and a pure heart’ - no one else but Jesus. He is the One who receives ‘blessing’ from the Lord - and He gives it to us (Psalm 24:3-5)! How do we receive His blessing? - We must open our hearts ‘that the King of glory may come in’ (Psalm 24:7, 9). How can ‘the Lord, strong and mighty’ live in me? How can I receive His resurrection power? Jesus says, ‘I stand at the door and knock, if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in’ (Psalm 24:8; Ephesians 1:19-20; Revelation 3:20).
Jesus Is Taken Up Into Heaven. He Will Come Again With Power And Great Glory.
‘There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven… His Kingdom is one that will never be destroyed’ (Daniel 7:13-14). These words point us to Christ’s description of His Second Coming, the Coming of His Kingdom: ‘They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory’ (Matthew 24:30). In Revelation 1:7, we have another echo of Daniel’s ‘vision’: ‘Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him’. ‘Lo! He comes, with clouds descending… Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee, high on Thine eternal throne; Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the Kingdom for Thine own. O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly! Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!’(Church Hymnary, 316).
Jesus Is Taken Up Into Heaven. May His Name Be Exalted In All The Earth.
‘Be still, and know that I am God … Shout to God with loud songs of joy’ (Psalms 46:10; 47:2). In our worship, there is to be both quiet trust and loud praise. We read the great words: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1). God’s Word brings peace - ‘in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength’. We must not keep God’s blessing to ourselves. We must share it with joy - ‘Sing to the Lord…let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands’ (Isaiah 30:15; 42:10-12). The Lord is to be ‘exalted among the nations’. He is not only ‘our King’. He is ‘the King of all the earth’ (Psalms 46:10; 47:6-7). ‘Father (Jesus/Spirit), we love You. We worship and adore You. Glorify Your Name in all the earth’ (Mission Praise, 142). ‘You, O Lord, are exalted for ever… The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty…’ (Psalms 92:8; 93:1-2). The Lord is ‘exalted’. We are to exalt Him in our worship. He is not exalted because we exalt Him. We exalt Him because He is exalted. He is ‘exalted far above all gods’. That is why we sing, ‘I exalt Thee, O Lord’. ‘He is exalted, the King is exalted on high’ - This is the truth concerning the Lord. ‘I will praise Him’- This is our response to His truth. We sing, ‘Jesus, we enthrone You, we proclaim You our King’. This is our response to the eternal truth concerning our Saviour: ‘The Lord is enthroned as King for ever’. ‘From all eternity’, the Lord is ‘robed in majesty’. Let us respond to His majesty. Let us ‘magnify’ the Lord - ‘O Lord our God, how majestic is Thy Name’ (Psalms 97:9; 29:10; Mission Praise, 158, 217, 388, 507).
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