OUR LORD WHO GUIDES US TO RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAMES SAKE

Psalm 19 verse 13 says this;

Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

Here, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and save him from committing willful sins so that they would not dominate him. If he is kept from willful sins, he reasons, he would avoid committing great transgressions.

Verse 13 asks for help to avoid external sins but the next verse speaks of that which is cultivated in the psalmist's mind. Psalm 19 verse 14 says this;

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

What is in our private words and even in our secret thoughts are always before the Lord and the prayer here is that the God who knows all things would be pleased by the thoughts of our minds and the words of our mouths.

May our outward conduct and our inner lives be pleasing to the Lord our God.

Amen.

THE HEAVENS DECLARE  (Psalm 19)

THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF THE LORD

THE SKIES PROCLAIM THE WORK OF HIS HANDS

DAY AFTER DAY WORDS POUR FORTH QUIETLY

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT  KNOWLEDGE SHOWN SILENTLY

THE STARS THROUGHOUT THE EARTH THEY SPEAK

THEIR WORDS THE ENDS OF THE WORLD TO REACH

OUR FATHER WHO RESTORES US FOR HIS PURPOSES

Jeremiah chapter 15 verses 10 - 12 says this;

Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!

I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.

The Lord said, “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress.

“Can a man break iron—iron from the north—or bronze?

This passage captures a conversation between Jeremiah the prophet and the Lord.

Jeremiah tells the Lord that he regretted being born because the whole land was against him and even though he was not financially entangled with anyone, he was cursed by everyone.

The lord responds to Jeremiah by saying that he would deliver him from his enemies for a good purpose; a time of disaster and distress would come and his enemies would be forced to plead with him.

The Lord asks Jeremiah, can a man break iron from the north? Or Bronze? The question is asking whether men can successfully contend with a person who is protected and  fortified by God.

Even though Jeremiah was among people who sinned, the word of the Lord came to him in Jeremiah chapter 15 verse 19;

Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you  that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.

Bless the Lord who restores us when we repent of our sins so that he can use us for his purposes. We must reflect the Lord and not the people to whom he has sent us.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO RESTRAINS HIS ANGER FOR THE SAKE OF HIS PEOPLE

Isaiah chapter 64 verse 9 (19 X)  says this;

Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever.

Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.

The prophet Isaiah writes chapter 64 as a representative of God's people asking the Lord for mercy and consideration.

Isaiah, on behalf of God's people, confessed to the wrongdoing they had  participated in.

They had sinned against God and prolonged their sinful activities. They were ceremonially unclean and they got carried away in their wrongdoing and sin and did not restrain themselves.

They did not call upon the Lord nor did they stir in the night to seek fellowship with Him.

As a result, God widthdrew from them and hid His face from them and turned them over to the destructive power of their sin which caused them to wither and decay like a leaf.

After being in this miserable state for a protracted period of time, the people turned to God and ask Him not to be angry without limit and to remember that they were His people.

As they looked at the smouldering ruins of their kingom, they realised that they had neglected the One for whom all the splendor of their kingdom had been built to honor. 

Now, having squandered their favored position with the Almighty, they asked the Lord if He would be able to keep Himself from helping them and if  He would remain silent forever and continue humiliating and oppressing them.

The Lord is great and full of mercy and does not ruin all His people but He does make a distinction between those who serve Him and those who rebel against Him.

As Isaiah chapter 65 verse 14 says;

“Indeed, My servants will shout for joy from a happy heart,But you cry out with a heavy heart, And you shall wail and howl from a broken spirit.

Let us humble ourselves and pray.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES WARNING OF THINGS TO COME THROUGH HIS PROPHETS

Joel chapter 1 verse 9 says this;

Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord.

The grain offerings and drink offerings are no longer coming into the temple because the economy of the nation has fallen under severe judgement and every resource has been devoured and exhausted.

Joel chapter 1 verse 4 puts it this way;

What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; 

what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten;

what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.

The ministers of God lose all the offerings that came into the house of God and they are in mourning.

The land is ravaged by an invader who strips bark off trees with teeth like a lion. All the grain and vines are destroyed along with all the fruit trees. Joel chapter 1 verse 6 says it this way;

A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness.

In response to this, the Lord instructs His people to gather in solemn assemblies, to fast, to pray and to cry out to the Lord.

This invader sounds like the invaders from the bottomless pit in Revelation chapter 9 verse 7 - 8 which says;

The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.

The invasion described in Joel chapter 1 is parallel to the woe of the bottomless pit with both having locusts with lion fangs bringing destruction.

In Joel, the locusts focus on destroying the agricultural output of the nation.

In revelation, the locusts are focused on bringing direct harm to the human race by stinging them and making them languish between life and death for 5 months.

Bless the Lord who provides a way of salvation.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO WAS TEMPTED YET REMAINED PERFECT

Mathew chapter 4 verse 9 says this;

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

This verse records the words of Satan trying to temp Jesus into doing what was wrong.

Satan had taken Jesus to a very high place and had shown Him all the kingdoms of the world.

Satan then made an offer to Jesus saying that all the kingdoms of the world were his to give to whomever he wanted and he would turn them all over to Jesus and all Jesus would have to do to get the title deed to the earth, would be to bow and worship Satan.

This option presented an easier way for Jesus to gain the kingdoms of the world without dying on a cross for them but this would be a sin against God and if Jesus had yielded to the temptation, it would have made Him a subject of sin rather than master over it and so Satan would have been the ultimate ruler over Jesus and over the whole world.

Jesus, responding to this temptation, quoted scripture in Mathew chapter 4 verse 10, saying;

“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Thus the Lord Jesus rebuffed the tempter with scriptural rebuttals to the logic of sin as He did with all the other temptations brought to Him. 

When the time of testing came, Satan searched and found nothing in Jesus as it says in John chapter 13 verse 30;

I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,

Bless the Lord Jesus who remained spotless and perfect as the Lamb of God who would lay down His life for our sins.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM WILL THRIVE

Ezekiel chapter 17 verse 3 says this;

Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, 

Verse 4 continues with these words;

 he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted ij.it in a city of traders.

Verse 7 introduces a second eagle this way;

 “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.

The prophet Ezekiel was given this parable to give to the people of Israel.

First, there was a great eagle who came to Lebanon and plucked the topmost branch of a cedar tree. He took the sprig and planted it in a land of merchants and traders.

Then there was another great eagle to whom the planted seedling grew toward and it stretched out to him so that it would find water and grow and produce fruit.

The Lord then asked these questions in verse 9, "Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers?"

The Lord explained the parable when no one was able to  understand it.

The first eagle represented the king of Babylon who invaded Israel and took away the nobles of the land back to Babylon. This group of people is  the topmost branch that the eagle plucked and took back to his kingdom where  they were planted to bolster the industry and  commerce of Babylon.

The king of Babylon then took one of the nobles and after signing a treaty, installed him as king of Israel to rule over those who remained there. This noble was the second great eagle who was left to rule over Israel to make it a profitable client kingdom for Babylon.

The second eagle rebelled against the king of Babylon with whom he had a treaty and who had put him on the throne.  He tried to make a treaty with Egypt to get horses and an army to fight off the king of Babylon and declare independence.

The Lord's question in verse 9 was in response to this state of affairs. Would such a rebellious act thrive?

The answer, given by the Lord, was an emphatic, "no". Ezekiel chapter 17 verse 18 says this;

He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.

This declaration by the Lord pointed out that the noble of Israel, who was installed as the King of Israel, had signed a formal treaty between himself and the King of Babylon.

For breaking the treaty, the Lord judged the noble and he was taken to Babylon where he was killed.

This uprooting of the rebellious tree in Israel  is contrasted at the end of chapter 17 in verses 22 - 23 with the tree that the Lord Himself planted.

The Lord said that He would pluck the topmost sprig of a cedar and plant it  on a lofty mountain of Israel and it would grow and thrive and bear fruit. 

This tree that the Lord Himself plants will become a splendid cedar  and birds of every kind will find shelter and nest in its branches. Verse 23 says it this way;

On the mountain heights, of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.

This final tree planted by the Lord sounds like the one likened to the kingdom of heaven by the Lord Jesus as described in Mathew chapter 13 verse 31. With Jesus as the subject, the verse says this;

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Amen.

 OUR FATHER WHO MADE A WAY FOR US TO HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE IF WE TURN TO HIM

John chapter 3 verse 14 says this;

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

The Lord Jesus, speaking to a teacher of Israel named Nicodemus, told him that the event of Moses lifting up the snake in the wilderness was a prefiguration of the Son of Man being lifted up in the same way.

The recounting of the earlier event described the children of Israel sinning while in the wilderness and they were judged and snakes entered their camp and bit people and made them sick. 

The Lord instructed Moses to make a bronze snake and place it on a pole and then stand the pole up so that people in the camp could see it. Anyone who looked to the snake was healed of the snake bites and lived.

As the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, just as Moses lifted up the bronze snake and people who looked to the snake would be healed and not die, the Son of Man, who is described in Daniel chapter 10 verse 6 as having arms and legs like burnished bronze, would be lifted up on a cross and take on the sins of the world and anyone who looked to Him and believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.

Bless the Lord who underwent death on a cross to save us and give us eternal life.

Amen. 

Reference resource: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com

OUR FATHER WHO HOLDS ONLY THE GUILTY TO ACCOUNT FOR THEIR SINS

Ezekiel chapter 18 verse 14 says this;

“But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

This verse is a bridge between the descriptions of two people: A father and a son. 

The father sinned in aggriegeous ways while his son, having seen the evil things that the father was doing, nevertheless did not do such things.

Should the son suffer judgement for the sins of the father?

In this chapter, the Lord counters the cultural belief at the time that said; "The parents eat sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge". The meaning of this proverb was that the judgements for the unrighteousness of parents were visited on their children.

The Lord, in no uncertain terms, asserts in this chapter that the sins of each person are strictly upon their own head. Righteous fathers do not confer their righteousness on their unrighteous sons and unrighteous fathers do not confer their unrighteousness on their righteous sons.

This clear statement of principle set a  precedent for justice systems up to modern times not to hold family members of a criminal  responsible for infractions committed by that person.

Bless the Lord who wisdom brings justice and fairness.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH

Ezekiel chapter 19 verse 4 says this;

The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit, They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

The princes of Israel, equated with lionesses in this chapter,  are the spiritual powers and rulers who govern the spiritual Israel and exert influence over the earthly Israel.

These rulers of Israel raised up the nation of Israel to be a powerful and assertive lion but the nations trapped him and led him with hooks into bondage in Egypt.

Seeing their plans wrecked by the enslavement of the one they hoped in, they raised another lion who was powerful and strong and who tore down strongholds  and devastated towns.

The nations also rose up against this lion and trapped Him in nets and this time, held him in bondage in Babylon where he could no longer be heard in the highlands of Israel.

The princes of Israel could not raise a lion to be an overwhelming power and when they tried, they lost their hope to the surrounding nations.

However, the Lion of the tribe of Judah arose by the power of God and conquered sin and death and brought the name of the God of Israel to the whole world.

He ascended into heaven and was given a throne above all thrones and made King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Lord Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is the true hope of the world.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO WILL BRING THE ULTIMATE VICTORY

Isaiah chapter 7 verse 50 says this;

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

In this passage, the Prophet Isaiah wrote of the judgement that came against the enemies of the people of God.

Those waking in the gloom of darkness saw a great light.

In bringing His people's oppression to an end, their nation enlarged  and their joy increased. They celebrated like those bringing in the harvest and like conquering warriors dividing the plunder.

After the Lord's victory, the government will be on His shoulders and  as it says in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 7;

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. 

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO BRINGS JUDGEMENT BUT SPARES HIS CHILDREN WHO SERVE HIM

Ezekiel chapter 9 verse 11 says this;

Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

Now the man in linen had been summoned into the spirit along with six other men where they were instructed to carry out tasks by the Lord.

The man in linen was instructed to place a mark on the forehead of all those in the Jerusalem who objected to the detestable things that were being done in the city.

The other men had deadly impliments which they were to use to kill those who conducted  detestable practices in Jerusalem.

The people of Jerusalem had done evil things and denied justice to the afflicted and this prompted heaven to bring  heavy judgement upon them.

Even though Ezekiel fell to ground and interceded for the people of Jerusalem, the judgement was still slated to be carried out.

The man in linen who had the writing kit at his side, returned and said that he had completed the task of marking those who would be spared the judgement of the Lord.

Thus the judgement of God continued on the city and it was at that time that the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and moved to the edge of the city where it stopped at the east gate of Jerusalem.

So evil were the deeds of the people of Jerusalem that a pitiless and deadly judgement was brought upon them and caused the glory of the Lord, which had been above the cherubim in the temple of the Lord, to depart.

A day of dread and grief and mourning.

Amen.

 OUR FATHER WHO FREES HIS PEOPLE FROM THE OPPRESSOR

Isaiah chapter 14 verses 3 - 5 says this;

On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

This passage prophesies the reaction that the descendants of Jacob will have when the Lord destroys the power of their harsh oppressors.

They will marvel at how the king of Babylon, who was the author of their suffering and turmoil, was brought to an end and how the rod and scepter of the wicked, that delivered ceaseless blows on them, was broken.

The Lord had compassion on Jacob's descendants and chose them again  and He delivered them out of the hands of those who tormented them and sought to ruin them with relentless aggression.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE GLORY LEFT THE TEMPLE WHEN THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL PURSUED IDOLS

Ezekiel chapter 9 verse 3 says this;

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side

This passage is a somber recounting of what was happening in Israel that caused a great judgement to come to Jerusalem and the glory of God to leave the temple.

In a vision, Ezekiel the prophet was shown the things that were being done in secret that provoked the judgement upon the city and the Lord's departure.

These are the things that the leaders of Jerusalem did: They erected idols to provoke God to jealousy. The seventy elders of Israel offered incense to idols and images of idols in the courts of the temple. The elders also had their personal idols that they worshipped.

The women of Jerusalem were mourning the idol of Tammuz at the north gate of the temple. 

As well, men in the inner courts had their backs towards the temple as they bowed towards the rising sun.

And further to all that, they filled the land with violence and wantonly killed people and filled the streets with blood.

The glory of the Lord rose away from the above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple.

This is the edge of the temple space where the next step is to exit the temple. The Lord, having seen all the things that elders of Israel were doing in secret, began a protocol of the departure of the glory of God from above the ark of the covenant in the most holy place in the temple.

The Lord then called to the man who had a writing implement at his side. The Lord instructed him to mark those in the city who recoiled at the detestable things being done in the city.

As judgement was prepared for the city, the man in linen went and marked each person who would be spared the destruction that the agents of judgement were going to bring to Jerusalem.

The glory of God moved away from the threshold of the temple and stopped at the east gate on the way out of Jerusalem.

The glory of God then went out of the city and stopped above the mountain  east of the city of Jerusalem.

This was how a devastating season of judgement came to Jerusalem and the glory of God left the temple in Jerusalem and finally left the city altogether.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO IS MIGHTY IN POWER

Isaiah chapter 15 verses 3 - 4 says this;

In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.

Deshonis and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint.

This passage describes the reactions of people when a mighty army overwhelms them and descends on them to destroy them. The outcry is so loud it can be heard from one city to the other and it causes their military to cry out and their hearts to faint.

Isaiah chapter 13 verses 3 - 4  says this;

I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—those who rejoice in my triumph.

Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together!

The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.

This passage describes what is happening on the other side of the conflagration. In this case, a mighty army of people who rejoice in the Lord's triumph is being mustered. They gather in fearsome formations and a sound of a great multitude rises.

So on one side, a great and fearless army of those who are follow the Lord arises and  on the other, the forces aligned with darkness tremble in fear as the trained and disciplined army descends on them.

Bless the Lord who is mighty in power.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES US ENCOURAGING  MENTORS  

1 Timothy chapter 1 verses 1 - 2 says this;

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 

To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

This introduction by the Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy, is a tender greeting of a teacher to his beloved student.

Paul first asserted his own calling and validated it as one both given as a command by God and by Christ Jesus.

He then went on to describe his relationship with Timothy as a father/son bond in the faith. He had seen Timothy converted into the kingdom of God and  Paul had mentored him in the things of the Spirit.

Paul then blessed Timothy by asking for grace, mercy and peace on Timothy from God the Father and from Christ Jesus.

The letter itself continued on with grave issues of doctrine and Christian conduct but its beginning warmly greeted the young man who was being given heavy responsibilities in the body of Christ in keeping with his own calling in Christ Jesus.

For  what Timothy faced in dealing with the issues in the local churches, he needed  mercy, grace and peace from the Lord and his teacher's  blessing and encouragment would also help him to stand firm.

 Amen.

OUR FATHER WANTS US TO HAVE LOVE FOR OTHER PEOPLE AS HE DOES FOR US

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, having already exposited the nature and function of the inestimable gifts of the Spirit, said this in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 13;

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

Paul went on to say this in chapter 13 verse 1;

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

This 'most excellent way' that Paul wrote about to the  Corinthians was the way of love.

In fact, Paul expressly said that whatever great spiritual gifts a person was able to manifest such as speaking in the tongues of men or angels, without love, all those spiritual endeavors were worth nothing.

Paul compared the supernatural speaking in the languages of men and angels with the annoying clanging of gongs and cymbals if it was practiced with no love for other people. 

In the subsequent verses, the Apostle Paul said that great knowledge and understanding, without love, reduced a person to nothing and those who sacrificed themselves but had no love, gained nothing for their efforts.

Walking in the Spirit, to be of value, must be accompanied by the cultivation of the love of other people even as Jesus set the example for us so that, as it says 1 John chapter 4 verse 19,  we love because he first loved us. 

Faith is what initiates spiritual actions; hope is what sustains spiritual endurance; but seeing how love is what gives meaning and value to any spiritual practice, Paul's conclusion in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 13 is instructive;

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Amen.

OUR FATHER GIVES US THE POWER TO OVERCOME SIN

1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 2 says this;

And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 

The man to whom the Apostle Paul was referring, was one who was claiming to be a believer while at the same time, conducting an affair with his own father's wife.

The people in the church of Corinth had been tolerant of the man  but Paul was aghast and he excoriated the Corinthians for being proud of their tolerance towards the man's behaviour  while they should have gone into a state of mourning and cut ties with him instead.

Paul took pains to note that there was nothing wrong with believers associating with non-believers who sinned because otherwise, they would have to leave the world to avoid such contact but Paul pressed that believers should not associate with believers who brazenly and unrepentantly  commited egregious sins.

Bless our Lord who gives us the power to overcome sin for He Himself overcame the world

By Jesus' death and ressurection, we can, by faith, die in the flesh with Him and then rise with Him in the newness of life.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES GREAT MIRACLES 

John chapter 9 verses 13 -14, speaking of a miracle that Jesus performed to heal a man who was  born blind, says this;

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.

This passage captures the moment when the astonishing miracle of a man born blind being able to see came into contact with the religious establishment of the time.

When people who knew the man saw him able to see, they were stunned. They took him to the religious authorities to try make sense of what had happened. 

The religious leaders were split in their understanding of what the miracle meant  as described in John chapter 9 verse 16;

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

This conundrum of who Jesus was vexed the religious leaders because they did not believe in Him but at the same time, there was no easy explanation for the miracles and so some of the religious leaders were more cautious about criticizing Jesus because they did not want to be in direct conflict with God if Jesus was indeed sent by God.

An example of this is when a religious teacher named Nicodemus came to visit Jesus as recorded in John chapter 3 verse 2;

He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Again, the rationale being  brought up is that the miracles being witnessed are so astounding that they can only be accomplished by divine power  and thus any person who is able to perform such miracles must be doing so with the approval of God.

The obverse rationale however, was also brought against Jesus by the religious leaders where the fact that the miracles were done on a Sabbath day when no work of any kind could legally be done. They used this logic to try and besmirch Jesus but earlier in the chapter in verse 4, Jesus hauntingly said;

As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work

The Sabbath law strictly forbids anyone from doing work on that day but certain exceptions were made to account for urgent situations.

Prior to the confrontation with the religious leaders, Jesus had declared the urgency of the situation by saying that the window of opportunity to do God's work in the day was still open thus everything that could be done had to be done urgently because night was coming when no one could work. 

Thus the miracle was legally performed and the accusations against Jesus were baseless.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO HAS OVERCOME THE DRAGON

Revelation chapter 13 verses 1 - 3 says this;

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. 

The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.

The vision that the Apostle John recorded in this passage is one of the most startling descriptions in the bible.

First, John describes a dragon standing by the sea then he evoques an image of Satan calling forth a beast out of the water.

The beast had ten horns with each horn having a crown.

Horns are generally taken to be symbols of strength or competence and so the beast had ten of these centers of power or special competence. Each horn had a crown which indicates that the strength of each horn was imbued with authority to function unfettered in the realm the beast was given to rule.

The beast is also described as having seven heads which can be understood to be seven beings who run the operations of the beast as a council. Each one of these beings had a name that was blasphemous against God and the whole structure of the beast was designed to be a challenge and an insult to God.

Satan then imbued this administrational entity with power, political rulership over the earth and great authority. This was the same authority he had promised to give Jesus in Luke chapter 4 verses 6 - 7 if Jesus had bowed and worshipped him. As a reminder, the passage reads this way;

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”

As the passage continues, one of the members of the council of seven seemed to have the scarring of a fatal wound but somehow had miraculously survived as the wound was seen to be healed. 

The whole world was awestruck by the recovery of the beast and they turned to follow him and people become enamoured by the beast and readily accept his authority over them.

Bless the Lord who has overcome the dragon by the blood of the Lamb.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO LIGHTS THE WHOLE WORLD

Genesis chapter 1 verse 3 says this;

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Preceding this statement by God is the prologue of Genesis chapter 1 verses 1 - 2 that says; 

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 

On the first day of creation, against this backdrop of a roiling, pitch-black, water world, God said, "Let there be light."

And there was light.

The dark and foreboding realm of earth suddenly became a bright blue planet bathed in the light that gleamed off the roaring waves that stirred the global ocean.

This first light that poured onto the primordial earth was not from the sun nor from any celestial body but was the light that came from Jesus who is the light of the world.

As John chapter 8 verse 12  says; 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Lord Jesus is the one of whom Isaiah, in chapter 6 verse 3 wrote;

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The light of the refulgent glory of the Lord Jesus that filled the whole earth in the beginning of the world will once again light up the earth as it says in the book of Ezekiel chapter 43 verse 2 ;

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.

Bless the Lord whose glory lights up the whole world.

Amen.

OUR FATHER  WHOSE REST WE ENTER BY BELIEVING

Hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 - 11 says this;

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

When God finished making the heavens and the earth in six days, He rested on the seventh day from His labours.

When God called the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt and into the rest of the promised land, they fell into disobedience and unbelief and it was then that the Lord swore regarding the children of Israel in Psalms 95 verse 11;

So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’

Thus the rest that the children of Israel were being offered but were unable to receive because of unbelief, is still available for God's people  if we sustain a believing heart.

If today we enter God's rest by believing and obeying, we rest from our labour even as God rested from His. We are therefore in a state where we no longer labour but rather we rest from those efforts for our salvation is freely given to us by believing in Jesus Christ.

As the writer of the book of Hebrews says, "Let us make every effort to enter that rest so that we do not perish by following the example of the children of  Israel in the wilderness of  disobedience and unbelief."

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES HIS PEOPLE RELIEF FROM THEIR SUFFERING

Isaiah chapter 4 verse 11 ( X ) says this;

Isaiah chapter 14 verses 11 -12 says this;

 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!

God's people will be under the oppression of Spiritual Babylon.

The Lord will come our rescue and on that day, God's people will take up a taunt  as it says in verse 4.

The king of Babylon will be crushed for his unrelenting harshness and repeated blows against God's people.

The Lord's people will rejoice at the suddenness and totality of the removal of Babylon and will take up a taunt against Him.

Bless the Lord who rescues us.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO REWARDS THOSE WHO EARNESTLY SEEK HIM

1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 15 says this;

If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, told them that the work that they do for the kingdom of God must be built on the true and sure foundation of Jesus Christ.

What is built on this foundation is then measured for quality. Whether the work one does is of gold, silver, gems, wood, hay or straw, these works will be tested by fire and the works that survive the test will be the basis for rewards. 

The works that are destroyed will be to the loss of the ones who did them though they themselves will be saved but only very narrowly.

In Mathew chapter 7 verses 22 - 23, Jesus Himself said that there will be many people who will come to Him on the day of the Lord expecting that the works they did in His name would be the basis for their reward but instead, the Lord will reject  them because He never knew them and because they practiced lawlessness. 

This seems to refer to the fact that the works that were done by them were burned up in the test of fire leaving them with no basis for entering the Lord's reward. The passage reads this way;

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

People will be shocked when they realise that the things they had done in the name of the Lord were considered by Jesus to be acts of lawlessness because they were unauthorized by God and as such, there was no reward. Even though they were saved, they were made to depart from Jesus and they would stay separate from Jesus in eternity. 

This sobering point leads one to ask the question: How can a sincere believer do the work of the kingdom in such a way that it does not burn up in the test?

At least part of the answer to this question must be  in what is said in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 that reads this way;

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

The unequivocal statement, 'without faith, it is impossible to please God', hints that the people whose works were burned up were those who did not have faith because  they did not approach God to seek Him because they did not really believe that He existed nor did they believe that He was a rewarder of those who earnestly sought Him.

They went through the motions of doing things using the authority in Jesus' name to prophesy, cast out demons and do miracles which likely gained them attention and fame but they did so without earnestly seeking the Lord personally and thus they did not know the Lord nor did He know them.

We should seek the Lord earnestly and believe stridently in Him and do the things that He asks us to do believing that He is a rewarder of those who trust in Him and obey Him.

Our works that are done in faith at the Lord's  direction will endure the test of fire for they are initiated and sustained by Him.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO SCATTERS OUR OPPRESSORS

Isaiah chapter 51 verses 13  - 14 says this;

Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction?

For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.

In this passage, the Lord asks us why we live in constant terror of mere human beings who are but grass and yet we forget that our Almighty God is the one who spread out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth.

Do we not realise that our God's zeal and power supersede the feeble strength of those who seek to oppress us and even to destroy us?

The Lord asks us where the wrath of our enemy is because the Lord will surely undo the  efforts of the oppressor and those of us who have been imprisoned will be set free.  We will be sustained so that we do not die in the place of captivity nor will we lack food.

Bless the Lord who will scatter our oppressors.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOM WE MUST NOT PUT TO THE TEST

John chapter 7 verse 3 - 5 says this;

Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do.

No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

These verses record the words that Jesus' brothers spoke to Him when it was time to go to Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles.

They knew that He was performing amazing signs and wonders and they felt that He was wasting His time in Galilee and that He should take His abilities to the bigger audience of Judea. 

Their opinion was that if Jesus went to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles and unveiled His powers there, He would gain instant celebrity around the country and quickly become a prominent public figure.

This suggestion by Jesus' brothers sounds almost exactly like when Jesus was taken by Satan to a pinnacle of the temple and tempted to throw Himself down so that the angels who had been given charge over Him would have to hold Him up to stop him from striking a stone as recorded in Mathew chapter 4 verse 5 - 6.

This action, if done at the temple in broad daylight, would have been an astonishing miracle to witness and this would have captured the attention of the whole city and Jesus would have gained fame and acclaim in a very short time.

In both cases, using signs and wonders to get public attention without the authorization of the Father would have been a serious contravention of the Law because it would have put God the Father to the test.

In both cases, Jesus declined to heed the advice and only performed miracles when led by the Father to do so.

Bless the Lord whose perfect conduct qualified Him to die for the whole world and to save us from our sins.

Amen. 

 OUR FATHER WHO DEFENDS HIS PEOPLE

Obadiah chapter 1 verse 13 says this;

You should not march through the gates of my people  in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster.

This passage is an excerpt from a vision that the Lord gave prophet Obadiah concerning the judgement of the kingdom of Edom because of its violence against the people of God.

Edom was the kingdom that came from Jacob's twin brother, Esau and Edom had acted violently towards Israel and was being judged unto destruction. However, the prophecy invites us look beyond the earthly versions of these two kingdoms.

For example, verse 4 (speaking of Edom) says this;

Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

When Edom is described as soaring like an eagle and making a nest among the stars, we can see that the reference is to an Edom that is spiritual in nature. 

This spiritual Edom orchestrated violence  upon the kingdom of Israel which is itself a reference to the spiritual kingdom of Zion found in verse 17;

But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance.

The prideful violence of Edom against his brother Jacob is visited on his own head and Edom is ripped apart and destroyed forever.

The passage in verse 13 is an indictment against Edom for gloating over the destruction of Israel when things were going badly for her.

The Lord cautions Edom not to rejoice on the day of Judah's calamity and not to loot her treasure while she is struggling.

In this prophecy, even as Edom will act poorly towards Israel, calamities will be visited upon Edom and Edom will burn and be utterly destroyed.

Thus will Edom be judged for his cruelty upon his brother Israel.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO BRINGS DOWN THE GREAT KINGDOMS THAT PRIDEFULLY RISE ABOVE ALL OTHER KINGDOMS

The book of Ezekiel chapter 31 verses 3 - 9, records the words that the Lord told Ezekiel the prophet to say to Pharaoh (who stands-in for the spiritual king over the spiritual kingdom of Egypt that now undertakes to rule the earth and oppress God's people). The passage reads this way;

“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?

Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage.

The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall; their streams flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field.

So it towered higher than all the trees of the field; its boughs increased and its branches grew long, spreading because of abundant waters.

All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs, all the animals of the wild gave birth under its branches; all the great nations lived in its shade.

It was majestic in beauty, with its spreading boughs, for its roots went down to abundant waters.

The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor could the junipers equal its boughs, nor could the plane trees compare with its branches—no tree in the garden of God could match its beauty.

I made it beautiful with abundant branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden in the garden of God.

Ezekiel the prophet was instructed by God to speak to the kings over spiritual Egypt that is to rise up and is now risen as a global power and oppressor of the people of God.

He was to speak to the kings of Egypt and tell them to consider the kingdom of Assyria which was once a great and beautiful tree that was more splendid than any other tree in the garden of  God. 

Yet, as this tree of the kingdom of Assyria rose higher than any other tree in the garden and was filled with pride because of its height,  the Lord rejected it and it was thus torn down by a ruthless foreign nation. It was brought low into the realm of the dead.

The word of the Lord in the prophecy then turned to Pharaoh, the ruler of the spiritual kingdom of Egypt that is  now ascending.

Even as the oppressive kingdom of Egypt has arisen in height and splendor over all the other trees in the garden of God, it too will be brought down and it will lie dead among the slain.

The Lord is mighty in power and will destroy the tree of the garden of God that presumes to rise higher than any other tree and glory proudly in its own height.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO LIBERATES HIS PEOPLE FROM THE OPPRESSOR.

Isaiah chapter 19 verses 3 - 4 says this;

The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.

I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The Egyptians in this passage are stand-ins for a global oppressor of God's people. Having undertaken to gain total control over the affairs of all men, the Egyptians meet blistering opposition from the Lord as He rises to defend His people.

As the text reveals, the oppressors, shocked that their plans are disrupted and reversed, become disheartened.

They try to come to grips with the overwhelming supernatural conter-actions to their activities and  they resort to consulting idols and spirits of the dead using mediums and spiritists so as to receive insight into how to regain the upper hand in achieving their ambitions.

All the while, the organization  of darkness will descend into an internecine civil war and their resources will dry up leaving them scrambling to hold the operation together.

As their resolve falters, their organization will be given into the hands of a fierce and cruel  master who will assert control over their ranks using brutal retribution and intimidation tactics.  The oppressive power of Egypt will itself be placed under extreme oppression by its leaders and it will disintegrate under the pressure.

Bless our Lord who delivers us and counteracts those who try to crush us.

Amen.

FOREVER THE SAME

I ADORE YOU LORD

YOU ARE BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN

I ADORE YOU LORD

GOD ALMIGHTY HOLY ONE

I ADORE YOU LORD

EVERLASTING GREAT I AM (X 2)

YOU COMMAND THE THUNDER

YOU COMMAND THE RAIN

YOU COMMAND THE STORMS AND MAKE THEM STILL AGAIN

FOR YOUR'S IS THE GLORY

BRILLIANT AS A FLAME

YOUR'S IS THE POWER

THE POWER OF YOUR NAME