Let’s look at presents at Christmas, in Matthew chapter two:
Matt 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Matt 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
These three are described as ‘wise men’ in the King James Version, and as ‘magi’ elsewhere. The Greek word is ‘magos’. A ‘magos’ is an eastern sage. The Greek gives us our word ‘magician’, but an eastern ‘magos’ is no stage-performing illusionist. Oh, no. A ‘magos’ of those times has interest in science and medicine and has read and travelled widely.
Both secular and spiritual
There is no distinction drawn between the secular and the spiritual in his life or in the court libraries or in politics. A magos would have ability in astrology and probably in occult magic arts thrown in as well.
He would understand the significance of signs in the heavens, such as the star Matthew is referring to. In addition, a pagan sage in those days would offer advice to a ruler based on his wisdom and study. He is respected and protected. A magos will not travel alone but with an entourage of servants and what we could describe as ‘minders’.
We remember Herod took the magi seriously. He was troubled and sent them on their way with a plea to return when they had found the child. Paranoid Herod saw whoever it was as a threat. And he was right. King Jesus is still a threat to ungodly, unrighteous, unjust despots. We join the magi as the star stops in Bethlehem in verse eleven:
Matt 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Always take a gift
You need to understand that all over the Middle East and Africa even today you just do not go to see a new baby without a gift, however humble.
This principle is so strictly observed you cannot even take into your arms a new-born you have unexpectedly come across in church without pressing a note into the hands of the child’s parents.
So the magi would not go empty-handed. But what of the gifts themselves? They brought gold, frankinsense and myrrh. What’s the meaning?
The meaning of the gifts
Here Matthew leaves us guessing. It’s up to the carol ‘We three Kings of Orient are’ to explain.
The gold signifies Christ’s kingship as ‘King forever, ceasing never, Over us all to reign’.
Frankinsense speaks of his divinity: ‘Incense owns a Deity nigh’. Incense is something a priest would offer, so Christ’s ability to offer himself as a sacrifice is also indicated. Many ancient kings were priests as well, wielding absolute totalitarian power. Only in Israel did God separate the offices of priest and king. But the magi’s presents show that in Christ priest and king come back together in power.
Thirdly, Myrrh with ‘its bitter perfume’ is an embalming spice which has healing properties as well. Myrrh foretells the cross and its salvation and healing.
Prophecy fulfilled
Finally, did you know the magi were fulfilling a prophecy? Speaking of the Lord arising with bright light in Isaiah chapter sixty, we read in verse six of presents proclaiming kingship and divinity coming from three separate places in the Middle East and Africa:
Isa 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.
Christmas may not be Jesus’s actual birthday, but perhaps, when we give presents at Christmas to whoever we honour, we are also honouring Christ himself. If you truly give him your life you will also know his salvation and his peace. So whenever you are watching this, Merry Christmas to you.
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Welcome to this Nanosermon on babies, sorry, foetuses, in the womb. While you’re finding the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke in your Bible, I’ll tell you the story so far.
Six months ago, Elisabeth, the wife of a Jewish priest named Zachariah, became pregnant, with his child, I hasten to add. That child would become known as John the Baptist. And just last week, her young cousin Mary, or Miryam, to give her Hebrew name, became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit with the Son of God, the Lord Jesus.
Babe leapt in Elizabeth’s womb
So we can now turn to Luke chapter one, and verse thirty-nine: Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; 40 And entered into the house of Zachariah, and saluted Elisabeth.
Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Luke 1:43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
Luke 1:45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. (KJV)
Now this is astonishing. Not only Elisabeth, but first of all her baby, sorry, foetus, recognised a one-week-old embryonic Lord Jesus in Mary’s womb. Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. What spirit do we think John the Baptist was filled with? The same Holy Spirit, in the womb.
Abortionists play with language
Now, I’ve been messing around with language because you’ll know that when a woman goes for an abortion in today’s dysfunctional society, those selling her the abortion – you didn’t think the staff at Marie Stopes or British Pregnancy Advisory or Planned Parenthood are anything other than sales people, did you? – they’re in business to provide abortions. These empires might have charitable status but the bosses and staff don’t work for free.
Where was I? Oh, yes, they will tell her she has ‘products of conception’ or ‘a pregnancy’ or a ‘foetus’ in her uterus. Never a baby and never a womb. But if she attends the ante-natal clinic at the local hospital she’ll be told to stop smoking and cut down on alcohol ‘for baby’, not ’for foetus’.
Let’s do language. Foetus is a Latin word. It means ‘offspring’ or ‘young’, usually in the womb, but occasionally neo-natal. So it’s a poncy foreign word for baby and it’s used by those who want to obscure exactly what kind of being is growing deep inside the mother’s body. It’s a foetus, not a baby, you’ll be reassured to know.
John Baptist recognised embryonic Jesus
Suppose you referred to the contents of a box of matches by a Latin word like ‘igniens’, which means ‘fire lighter’ by the way. It’s an igniens in the box and it only becomes a match when you take it out? Sorry, guys, it’s the same inside as outside.
Doctor Luke in his chapter one uses the Greek word ‘brephos’ which means ‘infant’, either unborn or, once again, neo-natal, a young child. But a human being, that’s for sure. In the context of a human mother, it’s an unborn, or newly-born, human infant. So the King James translators rendered it correctly as ‘babe’, not ‘foetus’.
And you know, not one modern translation puts anything other than ‘baby’.
Take this away from this nanosermon. John the Baptist, as an unborn baby of twenty-six weeks’ gestation in Elisabeth’s womb recognised a one-week-old embryonic baby, the Lord Jesus, in the womb of Mary. I love that.
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You may have heard the expression ‘Render unto Caesar’ and wondered what exactly it means. When the Lord Jesus said it, he meant ‘pay appropriate taxes to the Roman authorities’. And then he said ‘Render unto God the things that are God’s’. We have things of Caesar and things of God.
So you might think ‘Render unto Caesar’ means the church should have nothing to say to government, or even that the realm of the ‘secular’ Caesar is entirely separate from the realm of God. The realm of God. That’ll be the church and spiritual stuff.
That’s the position of secularists. They say God had just better ‘butt out’ of anything to do with actual ruling. And of course when they say the civil government is ‘secular’ they claim it for themselves and try to shut God and his people out.
But is that really what our Lord intended? What led to this ‘Render unto Caesar’ expression from the Lord Jesus? Turn, please, to the Gospel of Matthew chapter twenty-two. Let’s read from verse fifteen:
Matt 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
What’s really going on here?
They are provoking Jesus to say something fearless and get himself into trouble.
Verse seventeen: Matt 22:17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
This was actually a big issue at the time. Most of the Pharisees were opposed to giving Caesar any money at all. But you couldn’t say that in public, or you would be in a Roman jail for sedition. And no Pharisee would even touch the money.
You’ll see Jesus in a moment saying ‘shew me’ one of the coins. Not ‘give me’. The Rabbi from Galilee won’t touch it either.
Matt 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
’the things that are God’s’
Matt 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
Hmm. Give Caesar what is Caesar’s and give God what is God’s. How many things are Caesar’s, the realm of civil government. Well, the responsibility to maintain law and order, which the Apostle Paul in Romans 13 says is what the money is given for:
Rom 13:6 For this cause (maintaining law and order) pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
How many things are God’s?
Now then. How many things are God’s? Well, Psalm twenty-four verse one says:
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
I think the Psalmist has just told us everything is God’s. Everything and everyone in the world. Civil rulers are responsible to God, just as much as Pastors and Bishops. Paul says in Romans chapter thirteen that every civil ruler is ‘the minister of God’, whether he admits it or not.
Christ puts Caesar in his place, under God
You see, that’s because all authority comes from God. As the Psalmist puts it, with no compromise at all:
Psalm 47:2 For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over ALL the earth.
So this discourse in the Gospels does not tell God to keep out of Caesar’s realm at all. It does not limit God, it limits the state. It puts ‘Caesar’ in his place, under God. He has a God-given duty to maintain law and order.
It’s not the church, or its prophets, who have to butt out of government. We have a duty to call the government to account and tell rulers to rule in righteousness. No, it is the state that has to keep its nose out of the church.
If you know someone in the realm of Caesar, some king, or president, or member of parliament, or congressman, you can tell him all that. He might not thank you for it. But he needs to know.
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I don’t know if you find it difficult to pray, or tough to find things or people to pray for? Or maybe you are always praying for friends, family and situations. Anyway, whether prayer is a challenge to you or whether it comes easy, the Apostle Paul gives us encouragement and direction in the first letter he wrote to Timothy. It’s in chapter two:
1Tim 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (KJV)
In the nanosermon ‘Ministers of God’ I show from Romans chapter 13 and verses 3 AND 4 that it’s not just pastors and bishops who are ministers of God. I explain how every earthly ruler is responsible to Almighty God to uphold those who do what is righteous and punish those who do evil in the eyes of God.
Why pray for rulers specifically?
And now the Apostle tells us to pray for them. He speaks of supplications, which are requests, prayers, which involve humility and worship, intercessions, where we ask something for someone else, and giving of thanks for requests granted and for all God’s blessings. And though he says do this ‘for all men’ he singles out ‘kings’, and ‘all that are in authority’.
So why should we pray for rulers specifically? So ‘that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty’. You may have a romantic notion of the church thriving when it is persecuted, but God’s heart is not for his people to be hacked to pieces or imprisoned. It is for us to enjoy peace and quietness and for godliness and honesty to abound both in us and in a realm. It grieves the heart of God that in some places in the world, Communist or Islamic law makes it an offence to have a Bible, to meet together or to evangelise.
And even though we are not routinely in peril of our lives, even in the West Christians are now under pressure from so-called ‘equality laws’. But the Apostle was writing at a time when Christians were being locked up for their faith and the great persecution under Nero had either started or was imminent. If Paul could write as he did then, we have no excuse not to pray as he says today, wherever we are.
Our ‘law’ should follow God’s law
The Apostle says it is ‘good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour’ when his people have peace, and righteousness goes forth. Then he gives a further reason for us to pray for our leaders. He says God: ‘will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth’. He is saying it is easier to convict men of sin when the law of the land is in line with the laws of God.
Today, our rulers in the Western world have for a generation passed laws in direct opposition to the laws of God.
Abortion, no-fault divorce on demand, pornography, gay-marriage are all legal in Britain. And those are just a few of the obvious ones. How are people meant to know right from wrong in such an atmosphere of rebellion against God? How are they to turn to the ‘one God, and the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ if they don’t know they have done anything wrong? Yes, they have a conscience, but the Bible is showing us how much better it is to have that confirmed by righteous laws.
Pray with precision
So keep praying, expecting God to answer and work miracles, and keep asking him in your prayers for something you can do to further his purpose.
It is good for prayers for our rulers to be specific, so organisations like Christian Voice here in the UK provide prayer and action targets so you can pray with precision. When you see an answer to prayer, give God the glory. Thank God for letting you be part of his victory. And it’s no sin to say to yourself: ‘Hey, I had a part in that!’
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Turn with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter thirty and verse five. We read: Prov 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
But I said ‘turn with me to the book of Proverbs’ and you may not even know where that is. If every word of God is pure, you need to know where to find each one.
In church, you don’t want to be floundering as the preacher jumps from John to Deuteronomy, through Psalms and Daniel to Revelation, so again, you need to know where things are.
Not a random collection
And if you rely on your phone to find a text, well, just where is ‘Ezra’ in the Bible? Who was he? An apostle? A Gospel writer? A prophet? An historian? You need to know. So here’s a quick overview.
Firstly, the Bible is not some random collection. Nor is it ‘a book’ except in the physical sense. It’s a collection of some sixty-six separate books written by around forty human authors over fifteen centuries under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
It is God-breathed, effectively written by God. It has a logical order and it’s ‘intellectually coherent’. The whole Bible agrees with itself from beginning to end and contains thousands of cross references.
The History books
The Bible begins with the Old Testament which we can divide into History, Wisdom and Prophets. The first five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, were written down by Moses. They contain early human history and the laws of God. They are important. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any other Old Testament book.
The book of Joshua, Moses successor, comes next, followed by Judges, recalling events before Israel had a king. The book of Ruth is a short love-story with a big impact on events. Samuel wrote most of first and second Samuel, and his books are followed by first and second Kings, which are history books of Israel’s kings, from a theological perspective.
Even more theological are the two books of Chronicles, which focus more on the southern kingdom of Judah after the Northern kingdom of Israel broke away. Chronicles interweave with Samuel and Kings. So you may read the same thing twice or see the same events covered from a different slant.
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah recount the return of Judah from captivity in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem. The final history book is Esther, a dramatic account of the Jews in Persia.
The Wisdom books and Prophets
Then begin the Wisdom books, starting with Job, a story Moses probably collected.
The Psalms come next and are found in the middle of most Bibles. Don’t refer to ‘Psalms twenty’, though. Each of the psalms is a psalm. These are songs of praise, encouragement, wisdom and prophecy.
Next comes the book of Proverbs, which does what it says on the tin, and two beautiful wisdom books written by Solomon, Ecclesiastes and the Song of songs.
The Prophets start with Isaiah. They call the people to repentance and prophecy the future, refering to events in the history books. If you hear them separated into ‘major’ and ‘minor’ prophets, ‘minor’ just means he wrote a shorter book.
The New Testament
Then comes a silent gap of four hundred years before the New Testament begins with the four Gospels. ‘Gospel’ means ‘good news’ and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are eye-witness accounts of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. John was written later, so we see more theological development in his Gospel over the other three.
Doctor Luke was also a historian and went on to write an account of the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth New Testament book.
Then come the letters the Apostles Paul, James, Peter, John and Jude wrote to the early churches. The Bible ends with the Revelation given to the Apostle John with its numerous references to the Old Testament. And don’t ever call it ‘Revelations’.
So now start navigating the Bible on your own. Get into it with knowledge of how it’s put together, because every word of God is pure.
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You know, I am so thankful that Jesus paid the price for my sin. If you too know his forgiveness then you will be thanking him as well. But, and there was always going to be a ‘but’, we can take the adoration too far.
Look, suppose you were an earthly king, and one of your subjects was always at the foot of your throne thanking you for your kindness, in the end, wouldn’t you get a tiny bit fed up with all the fawning?
Wouldn’t you be inclined to say: ‘Can’t you do anything? Write a letter, or tend my garden, or wash the dishes, or something?
Accursed thing in the camp
Under Joshua, the Israelites took Jericho in the power of the Lord. It was a victory like no other. It resounded around the country. Flushed with success, and without consulting the Lord, Joshua sent a regiment, about two or three thousand men, to capture the neighbouring town of Ai. It was supposed to be an easy victory, but the Israelites were routed.
They were defeated because the Lord was not with them. One of their number had earlier looted what the Bible calls an ‘accursed thing’, a garment from Babylon and some silver and gold with idolatrous connections, from Jericho.
There was an accursed thing in the camp. There is such a thing as corporate responsibility. It can affect a family, a church, or even a nation. One man’s sin weakens the whole body, until it is dealt with. So what next?
‘Rest in my presence’?
We read, in Joshua chapter seven and verse six: Joshua 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
He had a moan to the Lord: Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
He says they will all hear about it, and surround them, and kill them, and what will that say about God’s great name?
You see, Joshua didn’t know about the presence of the accursed thing in the camp. He was unaware of that sin. So there he was, on his face before the Lord. What did the Lord say to him? ‘Joshua, rest in my presence’ perhaps?
Let’s go to verse 10 and see: Joshua 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
God said, ‘you have to get up and deal with the sin’.
Stuck at the foot of the cross
You see, we can get stuck at the foot of the cross. Yes, we are grateful to the Lord Jesus for forgiving us, but you can stay in ‘Thank you Lord’ or even ‘Thank you for the Cross’ mode too long. If you still have sin in your heart, deal with it. And if you haven’t, what are you doing there?
Either way, God is saying to you: ‘Why are you lying there? Get up and get on with it.’ Show the Lord how grateful you are for his sacrifice by studying his word, seeking his face, striving to be holy as he is holy and seeing what he wants you to do with the rest of your life.
He has a great plan for you, I’m sure of that.
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Lamplight Bible Reading Plan, oneof our first publications
ORDER ‘LAMPLIGHT’ HERE. This is for everyone for whom the world and its religions is not enough and who longs for the spiritual depth of the word of God himself. To read through the Bible is to see into the mind of God and to be empowered to pray in the name of Jesus, God the son.
To read through the Bible for the first time is an experience you will never forget. But even when you are reading for the fifth or fifteenth time, when you read a familiar Bible passage, something new always leaps out at you (as seasoned readers will know!).
Every year we promote our Lamplight Bible Reading Plan and there is always a good take up from those looking for a small Christmas gift or who want to invest just 20 minutes a day themselves reading the Bible through in a year, beginning on 1st January. ORDER ‘LAMPLIGHT’ HERE.
We also make Lamplight available in bulk to churches and ministries, which works like this: Lamplight retails at £2.50 but bulk orders for churches (eight or more) are discounted. You order 8, you receive 12. For every two ordered over eight, you’ll receive three more. So order 10, receive 15, order 12, receive 18, etc. Sell at £2.50, make a profit!
Bulk orders mean:
1 Many new Bible readers will benefit from learning the mind of God,
2 Every church selling Lamplight will benefit both financially and from a better-read congregation,
3 Christian Voice will benefit from exposure and from sales.
4 The Kingdom of God will be advanced.
Those following the Lamplight Plan read two chapters of the Old Testament each day, a passage of Wisdom literature (Job-Song) and a section from the New Testament. Nothing is repeated (except John 1:1-18, which just has to go in additionally on day one alongside Genesis 1&2 and Psalm 19). The Old Testament is arranged chronologically and the New Testament theologically.
What do I mean about the New Testament being ordered ‘theologically’? The Holy Spirit was drawing the Apostles into new understandings of the person of our Lord during the days of the early church. We begin in Luke with Jesus as a baby in a manger. By the time we are in the Gospel of John we see, as they did, our Lord as the King of creation.
The order of the books will illustrate: Luke, Acts, Galatians, 1Thess, 1Cor, 2Thess, 2Cor, Mark, Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 2Timothy, Matthew, Hebrews, James, 1Peter, 2Peter, John, 1John, 2John, 3John, Jude, Revelation.
Try it: you’ll love it and it will deepen and enrich your faith. We’ll look forward to hearing from you. ORDER ‘LAMPLIGHT’ HERE.
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Do you want the blessing of God in everything you do? I know I do. Well, the Bible shows us how it’s done. Let’s read the first three verses of the very first Psalm.
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (KJV)
Do you want to be blessed? Then don’t listen to those who don’t know the Lord. Don’t be with those who break his commandments. And don’t chat with those who sneer at his righteous law.
Delight in the law of the Lord
Instead of that, delight in the law of the Lord. The Hebrew word for ‘law’ is’’Torah’ which means the ‘instruction’ of Yehovah. (There’s no hard ‘J’ in Hebrew!) Meditate in it, that’s study it, think about it, pray over it, all the time. You see, the law of God expresses the character of God.
You might say, ‘I have the grace of God, what more do I need?’ Firstly, you need the blessing of God and secondly, to be praying with the mind of God.
Begin by reading and studying God’s moral and civil laws which govern the human world and hold human society together. You’ll find them all through the Bible. Delight in them, because they were given for our good.
Next, look at the sacrificial laws. They were fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ. But still delight in them, because they show that God loves you and me so much he always planned for us to be reconciled to him through the precious blood of Jesus.
Laws of nature
Then appreciate the laws of nature which God put in place to govern the physical world and hold the universe together. Scientists from Newton to Boyle, from Archimedes to Einstein have discovered God’s laws, and they are still hard at it. God’s laws are all around you, giving life to everything that lives. Delight in them all.
If you do this, you will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. You’ll be drawing refreshment from the very fountain of life. You’ll bring forth fruit in its season. What you do will rebound to the glory of God. You’ll advance his kingdom.
You will remain strong. Your leaf will not wither, so you’ll keep going when others drop. You’ll shine while they fade. You’ll have a testimony of hope and encouragement.
Delight in and meditate in his law, and whatever you turn your hand to will succeed. Now look, you may have to be patient. You’ll have to be diligent. It won’t come easy. There may be set-backs. There’ll certainly be attacks.
God’s promise
But God’s promise is that if you do what this Psalm so clearly tells you to do, you will experience his blessing in every area of your life, spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially, in work, in family, in preaching the Gospel, and in building the kingdom of God here on earth.
Whatsoever you do will prosper. No ifs, no buts. That is the promise of God Almighty. It’s there for you when you delight and meditate in his law.
So what are you waiting for? I want you to know the fulness of the Lord’s blessing. This is your time. Seize it. Do it!
SCRIPT ENDS
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I’m Stephen Green and in this Christian Voice Nanosermon we’re going to be blessed by a verse from the longest psalm in the Bible. It’s Psalm one hundred and nineteen and verse eighteen:
Psa 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Every single verse of this great psalm praises the law of God, saying something good about his commandments, his statutes, his precepts, his Torah, his instruction for mankind.
And here the psalmist prays for vision to see the depth and the wonder of God’s law.
How many separate laws?
There will be a surprise at the end of this nanosermon, but let’s start with the obvious, and ask how many separate laws of God do we find in the Torah?
The correct answer is not ten, it’s six hundred and thirteen. The Rabbis separate the six hundred and thirteen mitzvot, or laws, into four categories:
The two biggest categories, surprisingly, are the sacrificial laws to do with the ancient temple, and the ceremonial laws, devoted to ritual cleanliness.
Next are the moral laws, to do with personal behaviour, and the civil laws, which govern how society is to work.
Sacrificial & Ceremonial Laws
Each of those categories contains wondrous things.
The sacrificial laws prophesy the sacrifice of Jesus and our redemption. That’s a wonder, how God set in place a plan for our reconciliation to himself. And remember, the psalmist never even saw their fulfilment in Jesus, Yeshua, the Messiah.
The ceremonial laws show how Israel was to be different from the nations, separated for service. Jews follow most of those today and many Christians see the dietary laws as a way to eat more healthily.
Moral & Civil Laws
The moral laws provide a pattern for godly living, and they are intertwined with the civil laws, showing how we are to interact with each other.
If God is our creator, he had both the right and the duty to spell these laws out, so human society would function in peace with a degree of order and thereby hold together.
That there could be a Creator with such a loving intention is wondrous in itself. And if we approach God’s laws with our eyes open and in humility, not sitting in judgment on them, but learning and studying them instead, then we shall see wondrous things.
As you read your Bible, you will realise there is so much wonder you had not yet seen.
The laws of nature
Now then. There is yet another category of God’s law showing us wondrous things. And that is the laws of nature.
To consider, as the writer of Ecclesiastes puts it, how we grow in the womb, from the miracle of conception to the miracle of birth, is to behold wondrous things.
In Psalm eight, the psalmist is in wonder when he considers the heavens.
Proverbs chapter eight teaches us that God’s laws, all the laws of nature, personified there as his ‘wisdom’, was put in place, as it had to be, before anything was brought forth. To study nature, as Christians have done down the ages, without forcing it into an evolutionary grid, is to behold wondrous things.
’See what God has already given’
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said of this verse: ‘We do not so much need God to give us more benefits, as we need the ability to see what He has already given.’
Psa 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
SCRIPT ENDS
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The twenty-third psalm is the best-loved passage in the whole Bible. We keep sheep on our farm, and I’ll show you how psalm twenty-three moves from a shepherd’s care for his sheep seamlessly to the Lord’s provision for his people.
It’s not a prayer, this, it’s a declaration!
It begins by saying The LORD, or Yehovah, is my shepherd and if that is so, I am not going to be in want or in need. Take that word into your heart.
Moving on to verse two, the shepherd finds, literally, in the Hebrew text, ‘pastures of tender grass’ in which, after they have eaten, the sheep can lie down and chew the cud.
Sheep need water just like us, and they like their water to be not stagnant, not a torrent, just flowing gently, ‘waters of quietness’ in the Hebrew.
He restoreth my soul
Sheep are notorious for only showing they are sick when they’re at death’s door. But if you’re watchful enough you can catch them early, and help the one who is sick to recover.
When David says: ‘He restoreth my soul’ in verse three he means being brought back to full physical health. Your ‘soul’ in the Bible is the Hebrew word ‘nephesh’. Animals have ‘nephesh’. ‘Nephesh’ is your living, breathing consciousness.
A shepherd in those days, and today in the developing world, with non-enclosed fields, will lead their sheep along a safe path out to pasture. Even Judy and I lead our sheep with a bucket of feed.
Moving away from sheep
But David says the Lord leads him ‘in the paths of RIGHTEOUSNESS for his name’s sake’. We’re now moving away from sheep. Sheep can’t do good or evil. But people can. If you are following the Lord, honour his name by walking along his right path. He’ll lead you through his word, but you must follow.
And then, with the Lord as your shepherd, even in the darkest time, you won’t be afraid, because he is with you. Jesus has a rod to fight your enemies, and a staff to support you.
The Lord even prepares a table, laden with food and drink, in full view of your enemies so they can only stand astonished at how well he provides for you. The cup running over says you will have enough to spare and to share. Even today we use an oil-based preparation to treat ailments of our sheep, and to keep ticks and flies off them. For you, anointing with oil is a picture both of healing and of being filled with the Holy Spirit. When you let Jesus be your shepherd, goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.
Dwell in the house of the LORD
Never forget to thank him, and remain always in his presence. That very last clause of the psalm, to remain always in his house, is a promise to God that only you can make, and only you can carry out. Let’s put it all together. Read it with me:
Psalm 23:1 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. (KJV)
Do leave a comment below, and if this NanoSermon blessed and encouraged you, leave your details below or on the pop-up.
SCRIPT ENDS
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There’s a big push on at the moment to have more women in leadership. Politicians and the chattering classes seem totally convinced that 50% of all political jobs, directorships and managerial positions should be held by women.
What does the Bible say about it? Well, firstly, women and men are equal before the Lord in terms of sin and our common need for salvation. We can equally be children of the most high.
God’s Default Position
But it seems just as clear from scripture that God’s default position is that men lead. The Lord said to the woman in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis chapter three:
Gen 3:16b … thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
The Apostle Paul, in chapter two of his first letter to Timothy, reminded him that male leadership is a creation ordinance:
1Tim 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
Given all that, there is one great Biblical example of a woman in leadership. Deborah, a prophetess, became a judge in Israel when Jabin king of Canaan was oppressing the Israelites.
Deborah’s Complaint
But before you wheel Deborah out as some sort of proto- feminist, hold on a minute.
Firstly, look closely at Deborah’s complaint in her song in Judges chapter five. She says:
Judges 5:6b … the highways were unoccupied and the travellers walked through byways. Judges 5:7 The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
I think she is objecting to the fact that she had to do it, that a woman, a mother, had to stand up and lead Israel at such a challenging time apparently because no man would.
Deborah’s Command
Secondly, if you object to that anaylsis, look at this in Judges chapter four and verse six:
Judges 4:6 And she (that’s Deborah) sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? 7 And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. 8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
Deborah’s Judgment
Here’s what Deborah replied:
Judges 4:9 … I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
This is the clincher. Because Barak, despite being a hero of the faith in the book of Hebrews (Heb 11:32), wouldn’t embrace his God-appointed position as a man, Deborah cursed him.
Taking the spoils in battle and the life of your enemy was a very big deal in those days. And he lost all that. Barak had the edge in the battle, Sisera fled on foot, and turned up at the tent of Jael. She was the wife of a local chieftain called Heber.
Deborah’s Curse Comes True
Let’s pick up the story in verse eighteen.
Judges 4:18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.
Jael even gave him something to drink, and agreed to act as his lookout. She waited quietly for Sisera to fall asleep.
Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
Deborah’s Example
It turned out just as Deborah said. Barak lost the honour of killing Sisera to a woman because he would not lead his men into battle without Deborah holding his hand. I find the Lord saying that if men will not or cannot take charge, that a Godly woman may step up to the mark.
But our best example of a Godly woman doing just that confirms God’s default position that men lead, provide, fight where necessary, and take the responsibility of leadership upon them.
SCRIPT ENDS – POSTSCRIPT:
Today, in much of the West, including in the United Kingdom, the elites simply assume the unbliblical ideology of feminism, forcing girls into ‘STEM’ subjects, and trying to impose 50% women quotas onto parliaments in the developing world. This is a spiritual conflict zone.
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Now, you might think the Lord God, being Almighty, doesn’t need your help.
He might need your prayer. John Wesley famously said God does nothing except in answer to prayer. He was saying that prayer is how we partner with the Lord in what he is doing.
But you might think that’s it. You don’t need to help God by actually doing anything. Let God do it all.
Well, in the book of judges, in chapter four and verse two, we read how the people of Israel were being oppressed by Jabin, a Canaanite king, and his army chief Sisera. We even read why. It was because:
Judges 4:1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD …
Lord raised up Deborah
The oppression went on for twenty years until the Lord raised up the prophetess Deborah. Now Deborah lived in the centre of ancient Israel, between Ramah and Bethel in the tribal settlement of Benjamin.
The oppression was occurring more to the north. We are told Sisera was based at Harosheth, which I think was near present-day Haifa, close to Mount Carmel and the Kishon river.
This is on the borders of the allotments of Western Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Issachar. The trouble was possibly also affecting Naphtali, further north.
Barak recruits an army
So Deborah called for Barak, from Naphtali, and sent him up to Mount Tabor, just south-west of Lake Galillee, east of Nazareth, to recruit an army.
He found support from the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, Issachar and Naphtali. The Lord blessed the Israelite army.
They defeated Sisera and he came to a sticky end. The song of Deborah and Barak in chapter five of judges tells the tale.
They single out two of the tribes for praise: Jdg 5:18 Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.
They complain that Dan and Asher carried on with their seafaring rather than join. While Reuben dithered: Jdg 5:15b & 16b For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
One city is singled out for divine condemnation. It was Meroz, in the conflict zone, whose people declined to join the fight. We read in verse twenty-three:
Jdg 5:23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
So when bad stuff is going on, the Lord expects you not to ignore it, or to dither, let alone refuse the call, but to get up and help him against the mighty, the elites, the oppressors.
It’s more than prayer, or if it’s prayer, it’s prayer for what you can do.
Today, the enemies of the Lord are in power in many nations, including in the United Kingdom, doing evil in the sight of the Lord. You are in a spiritual conflict zone.
The Lord is calling you to pray for them, to witness to them, speak Bible truth to them, even come out and stand against them and their wickedness.
We’ll give you the tools to do that.
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If you are anything like me you really want your prayers answered. Now there are a lot of things which need to come together in our prayer life such as faith, obedience, confidence, right thinking, determination. I’ll cover those, God willing, in the days and weeks ahead.
Right now I’m going to focus on just three simple things. So come with me to second chronicles chapter twenty. This is no less than your foundational chapter on prayer. Here’s the background: Judah and Jerusalem were being attacked by three armies at once. So what did righteous King Jehoshaphat do? Let’s look at verse three:
2Chr 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. (KJV)
Number 1: Fasting
You might think it’s not a good start to be afraid, but the man is only human. Don’t get hung up on that, it’s his reaction to that which is important.
Our three key things are all in this verse and each one shows God your prayer is serious and fervent. Put them all together and just see what happens.
Number one is fasting. The Lord Jesus did not say ‘If you fast’ in Matthew chapter six and verse sixteen, he said ‘when you fast.’ With fasting you humble yourself before the Lord. You show God your prayer is serious.
Number 2: Unity
Number two is unity. It’s stressed right through this chapter King Jehoshaphat brought the people together in unity. He proclaimed a fast throughout ALL Judah, and out of ALL the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
Don’t think the Jewish people of that day didn’t have differences and squabbles. Of course they did. But they set their disagreements on one side to come together in unity.
We know from Psalm one hundred and thirty three that unity commands a blessing. So pray in unity with your church or your house group or even with your family.
You know, just a husband and wife praying together releases spiritual power you can only imagine.
Number 3: Something to do
Number three is that Jehoshaphat sought the Lord for something to do. The Lord receives so many prayers which are ‘Lord, do this’, or ‘Lord do that’. Rarely does he hear someone pray ‘Lord, what can I do?’
And when that prayer arrives at the Throne of Grace, he will send the answer, in a dream, or a vision, or at the mouth of two or three people as points of witness coming to you with the same idea.
Here, Jehoshaphat laid out the problem and reminded the Lord of his promises in a prayer recorded in verses eight to eleven. Then in verse twelve he prayed:
2Chr 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
The action plan arrives!
He prayed for something to do. Immediately, the prophet Jahaziel gave him an action plan:
2Chr 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
If you’re tempted to stop there, and leave it all to God, seeing it’s his battle, the next verse says:
2Chr 20:16 Tomorrow go ye down against them:
Jahaziel said they would not need to fight in the battle, but they needed to do something: Go out fully armed, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. They praised God after merely receiving the answer.
Do the little things and watch God do the miraculous
When they went out the next day, praising the Lord, he set confusion amongst their enemies – that’s always a good thing to pray for in itself – and their enemies all killed each other.
Read the chapter and see how long it took for the people of Judah to gather the spoil. There you are, fasting, unity, and some action.
Do those little things that only you can do, and watch God do the miraculous as he answers your prayer.
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A couple of years ago I saw something in Romans chapter thirteen which I never saw before. And it had an impact on me. I don’t know if that’s ever happened to you. Maybe you’ve read a certain scripture over and over again and then suddenly some words leap out at you? Let’s read these verses, in the King James Version:
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (KJV)
So far so good, for the rulers at least. We just have to do what they say. It sounds all ‘divine right of kings’, doesn’t it? But Paul goes on in verse three to set a standard for them:
Romans 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Did you notice what I noticed that time? ‘He is the minister of God’. You see, I thought only pastors and bishops – you know, churchmen – were ministers of God. But the Bible says so-called ‘secular’ leaders are as well.
Now, let’s be absolutely clear what this means. It means every earthly ruler, that’s every king, every president, every prime minster, every minister of state, every judge and every magistrate is responsible to Almighty God to do good as God sees it. And he is to uphold those who do what is righteous and punish those who do evil, in the eyes of God.
Accountable to God
Whether these rulers know they are accountable to God or not makes no difference. In the Day of Judgment they will give an account to the Almighty before his Throne of Grace, as to how closely they followed the laws he has laid down in Holy Scripture. Now then, did the Holy Spirit reveal this to the Apostle Paul out of the blue?
Not quite, because the psalmist says, in psalm twenty-two and verse twenty-eight: Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
And if you turn back to second chronicles chapter twenty and verse six, you’ll see righteous king Jehoshaphat said: 2Chron 20:6a … O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?
Every earthly ruler ‘is the minister of God’ because God is the fount of all earthly authority. They are ordained by God to rule as his delegates. Now be in no doubt, when Paul wrote those words to the church in Rome they were fighting talk. The ruling Caesar of the Roman Empire acknowledged no power higher than himself.
There is one higher than they
Can you bring to mind a ruler like that today? I can think of a few. Paul will also have remembered that Solomon wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter five and verse eight:
Eccl 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
Be they as high as they will, there is one higher than they. So what does this mean for you? Well, the question about whether we should observe unjust laws will have to wait for another day.
In the meantime, God is saying you have a duty not just to pray for your member of parliament, or congressman, or representative, but to witness to him if he is going the wrong way, and always to remind him he is the minister of God.
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If you are new to faith in Jesus, and you have read some of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians, you might be thinking that as you are a child of Abraham and an heir to the promise and covenant which God made with Abraham, that you don’t have to observe God’s laws. We’ll see if that is true, because we don’t want you missing out on Abraham’s blessing.
So let’s get started in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, chapter three and verse seven: Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which be of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
So that’s good. If you have faith in Jesus, you are a child of Abraham. Paul means that all of the Godly inheritance of Abraham is now yours. You don’t inherit the land of Canaan, but you do enter into fellowship with the Almighty.
Now let’s go to verse seventeen. Paul writes this: Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
But which law was given four hundred and thirty years after the covenant? Was it the moral law, ‘thou shalt not steal’, ‘thou shalt not commit adultery’ and so on? Let’s see.
God made his covenant with Abraham in Genesis chapters fifteen and seventeen. Abraham’s grandson Jacob, renamed Israel, took his sons and their families into Egypt in Genesis chapter forty-six. They grew there into a nation. In the Exodus, Moses led them out of Egypt. On Mount Sina-i (NB: it’s not pronounced ‘Sine-ee-aye’) God revealed to Moses sacrifices, rites and ceremonies.
Between the Covenant with Abraham and Mount Sinai four hundred and thirty years had elapsed. But the moral and civil law was already in place at the time of Abraham. You can read in Genesis and in the book of Job, who lived around the time of Abraham, that they understood God’s laws against adultery, idolatry, theft, murder, sodomy, false witness, breaking a promise, keeping back a man’s wages, robbery, violence and covetousness perfectly well.
Both in the book of Job and in Genesis we read about respect for elders and fathers, of care for the poor, about weights and measures, of not favouring persons in judgment, of inheritance and more. God’s moral and civil law was already in place at the time of the Covenant. The moral and civil statutes Moses received on Mount Sinai were merely restatements of what was already well-known to them.
Eliphaz, one of Job’s comforters, even said to Job: Job 22:22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from His mouth.
That makes no sense unless the moral law of God was already known. So the ‘law’ Paul is referring to is the sacrificial law. It is that law that was ‘added because of transgressions’, to atone for sin until Abraham’s seed, that’s Jesus, would come and by his sacrifice show us a better way.
What does this mean for you? Well, your faith in Jesus Christ has justified you and washed you clean before the Father. It has made you an heir and a child of Abraham. But it has not abolished God’s moral law or your responsibility to keep it.
God’s word says, in Genesis chapter eighteen: Gen 18:19 For I know him (that’s Abraham), that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
So you see that by studying and keeping God’s law and walking in his way, acting with justice and judgment, you become a true child of Abraham and make sure of the blessing which God bestowed upon him.
Hey, now you have forgiveness of sins, the new life of Christ, the Covenant, the promise, and the blessing of Abraham. Have a great day. And if this Nanosermon blessed you, please share it. 3:20
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How do we please the Lord? Can anything we do please the Lord? Is it necessary to try to please the Lord? And if it is, what things please the Lord?
Now you might think, hang on, I’m a Christian, I trust in Jesus as my Saviour, so God just IS pleased with me. His grace means I don’t actually need to do things to please him.
Hmmm. The expression ‘please the Lord’ occurs just twice in the King James Version. Here’s one occurrence, in the book of Proverbs, chapter sixteen and verse seven:
Prov 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
It’s possible to please the Lord
OK, so, firstly, it must be possible to please the Lord, because scripture shows us a specific benefit from doing just that.
Now having faith pleases the Lord for sure, because we read of Abraham in Genesis chapter fifteen and verse six: Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
In the book of Hebrews, chapter eleven and verse six, the Bible says: Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
So we are going to take that as a given. Faith pleases the Lord. But secondly, did you notice the word in Proverbs said, ‘When a man’s WAYS please the Lord?’ Not just when a man pleases the Lord because of his faith, but when your WAYS please him. That’s things you do.
It’s not religious works
Now I want to be clear, because you could take this completely the wrong way. You could think, if I spend a bit more time in prayer, or if I read my Bible more, that will please the Lord. Let me tell you, nowhere in Scripture can I see such religious works on their own pleasing the Lord.
Spending more time in prayer doesn’t necessarily please the Lord. Of course you should speak to the Lord in prayer, but it’s your conduct during the rest of your day which determines whether the Lord hears you.
Reading your Bible more doesn’t necessarily please the Lord. Of course you should read it, but if you don’t put it into practice, you are wasting your time.
That word from Hebrews said you must believe that God rewards those who DILIGENTLY seek him, and the reason for seeking the Lord in his word is to discover his ways, know his mind, find what pleases him in your day to day living and then to do it.
Doers of the word
Here’s the Apostle James, chapter one and verse twenty-two: James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
In other words, don’t fool yourself into thinking that just reading God’s word a bit more or spending extra time in prayer will please him. You have to turn faith into action.
Not even church-going or youth ministry or being in the choir will please the Lord when your day-to-day walk is wrong.
It’s quite simple. It’s your obedience to his moral law which will please the Lord. You’ll find God’s law all through your Bible reading. Ask him in prayer to reveal it and to help you keep it.
And then, well, it’s just possible you have a colleague at work who hates you, or some family member who fell out with you. We’ll call them your ‘enemies’, for want of a better term.
So the scripture says that when your ways please the Lord, he will make those enemies be at peace with you. That is a great benefit. I’ve had that experience and I want you to have it too.
Be obedient, not religous
God will turn their hearts to you if your ways please him. But don’t be religious, be obedient. And be joyful about it. Because here is the other occurrence of the expression ‘please the Lord’, in Psalm sixty-nine and verse thirty:
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
So you see that it’s not religious works, but a humble heart full of praise doing works of righteousness which pleases the Lord and brings peace into your life.
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Let’s read from First Samuel, chapter thirty, as David and his men return to their base at Ziklag from the land of the Philistines.
And it’s not good.
1Sam 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
What has the enemy taken?
I don’t know what the enemy has taken from you. I don’t know if it is children, or a home. or money, or relationships, or love, or even faith. But whatever it is, here’s a lesson from scripture.
Point 1: It’s OK to weep, to be in anguish. They ‘lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep’. Let’s go on, in verse six:
1Sam 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
Point 2: Don’t stay in that place. Don’t lose heart. Take it to the Lord. Read an encouraging word in the Psalms. ‘David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.’ So can you. Verse seven:
1Sam 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
Seek the Lord for what to do
Point 3: Don’t blast off on your own, but equally, don’t sit around. Seek the Lord for something to do. We don’t have an ephod today, but we do have other believers. Pray with them, fast with them, see what they say; see if anyone has legal knowledge, strategic knowledge, or if two or three will have the same idea.
So David now has his plan. Then he had a stroke of, we won’t say ‘luck’, we’ll say the grace of God. He came upon an Egyptian boy who was ready to inform on the Amalekites. You see, when you do some simple stuff, you can rely on the Lord to do something left-field, something surprising, something miraculous, a game-changer. The boy led David to the enemy. Here’s verse sixteen.
1Sam 30:16 And (the Amalekites) were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: … 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away:
Take action
Point 4: Take action. Earlier in David’s career, he said the battle was the Lord’s, but he still had to sling a stone at Goliath. Verse nineteen:
1Sam 30:19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
Point 5: The enemy has no business taking stuff from you. He’s feasting and dancing, laughing at you, but you are coming up on him. It may not be over in a couple of days. You may have to fight for months, even years. But the word of the Lord is this: ‘David recovered all.’
Points to take away
So what have we learned?
Encourage yourself in the Lord.
Seek the Lord for something to do.
Cover it in prayer.
Seek the help of your prayer partners.
Make your plan and carry it out.
Look out for the Lord’s divine intervention.
Expect a miracle.
Don’t ever give up.
Don’t ever say it can’t be done.
You can do what they did.
You can have the last laugh.
Like David, you can recover all.
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There is a verse in one of the Apostle Paul’s letters which has been taken to mean that Christians should do no training, or sports, or exercise. I think we’ve misunderstood it, and just perhaps, the King James translation, which I use and respect, hasn’t helped. The verse is in Paul’s first letter to Timothy, chapter four and verse eight:
1Tim 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
Now look, the Apostle Paul knew all about the Greek Games events which persisted into the Roman era. He constantly uses training metaphors and talks about bringing his body into subjection. Remember, this is a man who will comfortably walk from Jerusalem to Damascus, a journey of 140 miles, probably accomplished over 5 days at 28 miles a day.
It’s all about priorities
This man is super-fit. So can he actually be telling Timothy not to be in good physical shape?
No, it’s all about priorities. We talk about godliness and the blessings it brings all the time here on the NanoSermon channel. Your relationship with God is of eternal significance. In this life it governs everything you do and everything you are. It holds the promise, says Paul, of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. It is much more important than your relationship with your personal trainer.
But equally, we do have time here on earth. The Greek word ‘oligos’, translated here as ‘little’, means ‘small’ or ‘puny’. It gives us the word ‘oligarchy’, meaning ‘rule by a tiny number’. So it means for a little while, and of little importance compared to the things of God. But it does not mean ‘not at all’. If it did, you could not only sit around, but you could smoke or do drugs and generally abuse your body. I don’t know any Christian teacher advocating that approach.
Rather we are urged in Isaiah chapter forty:
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint
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I think walking and not being faint, running and not being weary are set up here as good things, don’t you agree?
Doing the Lord’s work
In the second book of Samuel chapter twenty-two (it’s also in Psalm eighteen) David says:
2Sam 22:30 (Psalm 18:20) For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
He can’t do that, even by his God, if he is not in good physical shape. Remember Paul challenging the Corinthians:
1Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
If that is so, and if you have a mission and a purpose from God, which you do, you need to look after your body. That involves watching what you are eating and taking exercise.
Watching what we eat
Proof of the author taking part in ParkRun!
As for what you eat, it’s both quantity and quality. Firstly, we are all genetically different, so get to know your own limits. Bring your body into subjection, don’t eat more calories than you can burn up in a day. Secondly, there is healthy eating advice all over the place. Stuff about 5-a-day, superfoods, brown rice not white, avoiding sweeteners and colourants, eating natural not processed products. Look it up.
For exercise, you can go to the gym or just buy a pair of trainers and hit the streets. Me, I do both. I’m also a regular at the local Park Run and I try to run in total around twenty miles a week. I know when I do, I feel more alert and I don’t get sick. I’m better able to do God’s work.
And that’s what it’s all about. So get out there, get fit, start looking after yourself. Bodily exercise has an important place, for the little time we have.
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I was in a prayer meeting in the Houses of Parliament a good while ago. Half the people were praying for one thing and half would pray for an opposing thing, until one dear brother admitted he couldn’t actually say ‘Amen’ to the prayers of some of the others.
What does the Bible say about that? Look at Psalm one hundred and thirty-three:
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Unity commands a blessing. And we missed it that day. But you know, in daily life, I think scripture is setting out a spiritual principle here, one which is applicable whether the brethren in question are believers or not. If they are Christians, they have the spiritual power of the blood of Christ and his resuurection to draw on, and the Almighty can and will spring surprises on their enemies.
Do you remember the night the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill was debated in the House of Commons after so many Christians had prayed in unity right outside the Houses of Parliament? The Labour Chief Whip told Tony Blair he could go home to Downing Street. Off he went. His Government then lost the crucial vote by one. That’s heaven-sent confusion. I was like, ‘How do you do that, Lord?’
But then, we read in second chronicles chapter twenty how the Lord did something similar, as a result of his people praying in unity with fasting and seeking him for something to do. Check out my NanoSermon: ‘The Secret to Answered Prayer’
But mention of politics emphasises the truth of the scripture. How often do you see political parties airing their dirty linen in public, MPs criticisng their colleagues on TV and on the internet? All the time. The curse of disunity attaches itself to them in the public mind. It is very difficult to shake off. I have known all parties fall into the trap, especially when things are not going so well for them. Why can they not sort out things in private? They might not express the spiritual principle in these many words, but they must know that visible unity commands a blessing in the public mind. It is irritating to see such spiritual stupidity.
The best prayer group I was ever in was with parents who met to pray for their children’s school. There were Anglicans, there were Baptists, Pentecostals and Brethren. But we all came together in unity to pray for the school. We would pray for something only to find out the next day it had already happened. That’s when you know you’re really praying with the mind of God.
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul wote:
1Cor 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
What a blessing it would be if atheists and those of other faiths could see Christians united in love for the Lord and each other in all our public discourse. The Lord Jesus said:
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
I’ve been in many Parliamentary prayer meetings since that time all those years ago when we have prayed in unity and seen positive results. But I often think, if families, churches, or prayer groups, let alone the church as a whole, would realise the power that comes from unity, heavenly doors would unlock and such a blessing would pour out.
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