OUR FATHER WHO REIGNS IN ZION

Luke chapter 9 verse 5 says this;

If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

Leading up this verse, the Lord Jesus had given the disciples power and authority to drive out demons and heal diseases and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God.

The Lord gave them instructions to follow in case either of two scenarios occured;

If they were welcomed by a town, they were to reside at the first house that offered hospitality for the duration of their stay there and they were not to move from house to house.

The reason for this was that if they stayed overnight a one person's house and then during the day, cast out demons and healed the sick, a hospitality war would erupt as people vied to get the disciples to stay at their houses the following nights to gain proximity to the miraculous power.

Jesus' instruction ensured that the first people who showed hospitality to the disciples prior to miracles manifesting in the town would have the honor of hosting them for their whole stay and the town would avoid the upheaval and hurt feelings that would occur if the disciples moved from home to home when competing offers for lodging were made.

On the other hand, if a town did not welcome them, the Lord instructed the disciples to leave the town and as they left, they were to shake the dust off their feet.

Had the town welcomed them, they would have washed the dust off their feet as Jesus had done for His disciples at the last supper. In the case of the towns that rejected the message of the kingdom of God, the disciples shook the dust of the town from their feet as a way to say that they would  have no part of them in the same way that Jesus said to Peter that he could have no part of Him if he did not let Jesus wash his feet.

The willful rejection of the messengers of God such that they had to shake the dust off their own feet would be used by the prosecutor in the court of judgment against the people of that town because they would have altogether missed the words of the prophet in Isaiah chapter 52 verse 7;

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Amen.

25

OUR FATHER WHO OVERRUNS THE ENEMY

The psalmist starts the 9th psalm with grateful praise unto the Lord and then records this verse as the first item that he offers as to why he is giving thanks;

My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you -  ( Psalm 9 verse 3 )

Those who have arrayed themselves to attack the people of God to destroy them are forced to turn back by the power of the Lord.

Their carefully laid plans to conquer God's people fail and as they retreat before the presence of God, they fall into chaos as they stumble and perish before the Lord.

This the great blessing of being under  the Lord's covering and protection is that even with great odds against us, the Lord will defeat any enemy.

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHOSE FAVOR RESTS ON US

From Psalm 90

A thousand years in Your sight

 Are like a passing  day

For us, our best years quickly fade

 They end  we fly away

Teach us to number our days,

 That we may gain wisdom in our hearts

From everlasting you are our God.

May Your favor rest on us

YOU ARE MY ONLY LIGHT

In the darkness I was lost You were my only light

You are the only one who speaks the words of life

Jesus Jesus there is none like you

You are the faithful one

Whose steadfast love is true

OUR FATHER WHO SET APART THOSE WHO SERVE IN HIS TABERNACLE

Numbers chapter 3 verses 11 - 12 says this;

The Lord also said to Moses,  “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, 

This passage describes a role substitution that was instructed by the Lord. Verse 13 continues like this;

for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”

In this passage, the Lord reminds us of how He struck down the firstborn sons of  Egypt and when He did so, He also claimed for Himself every firstborn son among the Israelites.

The Lord, when He set apart a people to serve as a priestly tribe for the service of the tabernacle,  substituted the firstborn sons of the whole of the nation of Israel with all the sons of the tribe of Levi.

All the firstborn sons of  Isreal at that time added up to 22,273. All the sons of Levi added up to 22,000.

To make up for the difference of 273, Israel had to collect 5 santuary shekels to give to the house of Aaron to redeem each additional son according to the word of the Lord to Moses for the additional service that the Levites would have to perform while shorthanded.

The Lord had designated the firstborn sons of all Israel as His own but substituted them with all the sons of the tribe of Levi so that a specific tribe could have its role tailored for priesthood and for which they all could be raised from childhood to specialize in. 

This would be more streamlined than having firstborn sons from each tribe leaving their families to serve in the tabernacle and being surrounded by the people in their own families who were not dedicated to the tabernacle and its care.

Furthermore, the tribe of Levi were assigned to live in the areas directly adjacent to the tabernacle and so the whole tribe, involved in the work of the tabernacle, could be close to it and be able to regulate the space surrounding it.

This reflects the priesthood under the new covenant which is a people called apart from the rest of the people as described by the apostle Peter in his first epistle chapter 2 verse 9;

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Amen.

30

OUR FATHER WHO IS OUR FORTRESS

Leviticus chapter 11 verse 5 says this;

The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.

In prescribing allowable land animals usable for food, chapter 11 of Leviticus gives a general rule that segments the clean animals as the ones that ruminate ( or  chew the cud ) and that also have hooves split in two.

If these traits are not both present in an animal such as the animals that chew the cud but do not have split hooves, they are defined as being unclean and not suitable to be eaten.

Leviticus chapter 11 verse 5 ( and Deutronomy chapter 14 verse 7 ) specifies the hyrax as an animal that chews the cud but does not have split hooves and therefore not suitable for human food.

The hyrax, is disqualified from human consumption under the law of Moses because even though it appears to chew the cud (though it doesn't actually ruminate), it does not have divided hooves and is therefore unclean.

In Proverbs chapter 30 verse 26, the hyrax is in included on a list of four animals are classified as small yet extremely wise.

hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;

The hyrax is also mentioned in Psalm 104 where the mountain crags are a refuge for them.

The wisdom of hyraxes is that they instinctively dwells among the mountain crags that are a refuge from predators.

They serve as a lesson for believers in Christ who, though they may be weak in the face of enemies, should wisely dwell in the cleft of the Rock who is their refuge and their fortress.

Amen.

30

OUR FATHER WHO ADVISES US TO LAY UP OUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN

Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verses 7 - 8 says this;

There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. 

Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?”

This too is vanity and it is a grievous task.

The author, in this passage, looked at a particularly aggriegeous example of  meaninglessness in how some people live their lives.

A man, having  accumulated wealth, continued to work even when he didn't need to because he was not able to feel contentment.

This man, ceaselessly toiling, never took the time away from work to ask himself whom he was doing it for and why he had swamped himself with labours instead of enjoying other experiences in life.

The author concluded that unending labour and accumulating wealth when there was no heir added up to a pointless  and miserable existence.

In Mathew chapter 6 verses 19 - 21, the Lord Jesus gave counsel on these circumstances where He advised those inclined to accumulate wealth to do so in heaven rather than on earth where it would just rust away, be devoured by vermin or fall into the hands of other people;

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

How does one accumulate wealth in heaven rather than on earth?

Firstly,  secretly give to the needy.

Mathew chapter 6 verses 3 -4 ; But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Proverbs chapter 19 verse 17;  Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.

Secondly,  join the work  of the Kingdom of God

Mathew chapter 5 verses 11 - 12; “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Amen

17

OUR FATHER WHO MEASURED A STRIP OF TIME OUT OF ETERNITY WITHIN WHICH THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERTHING

The book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 begins with the axiom that reads this way;

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

Out of the fabric of eternity, God measured out a length of time and programmed this timeline to run under the heavens which is our world of three dimensional space and time. 

All the events that would constitute the times of mankind would occur sequentially along this timeline and the writer, in Ecclesiates chapter 3 verse 7, specifies some examples of activities that occur in their own time;

...a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

Along the timeline alloted to mankind, there is a time to tear and a time to mend.

One day, the Lord Jesus was teaching the people while aboard a boat on Lake Genasseret. When He was done, He asked His disciples to drop their nets in deeper water. Even though they had tried many times before and caught nothing, they tried again when asked by Jesus and  immediately, their nets were so full of fish that the nets tore.

Luke chapter 5 verse 6 says it this way in the NASB version;

 And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; 

Here, in a time of harvest by miraculous intervention, overstretching and straining to the point of breaking was the order of the day and thus is an appointed time to tear.

At other times, we find the disciples mending nets when things are quiet and there is a time for repairs and reconstruction to prepare for future seasons of harvests as Zebedee and his sons, James and John were doing as described in Mathew chapter 4 verse 21;

And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

Along the timeline of human activities, there is also a time to be silent and a time to speak.

There are times that require that we judge when words should be reserved and when words should be spoken.

When the Lord Jesus was brought before king Herod and questioned, Jesus remained completely silent.

Luke chapter 23 verse 9 says it this way;

So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer.

Here, Jesus, in His silence, was fulfilling the prophecy found in Isaiah chapter 53 verse 7;

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

At other times, like when there are great dispensational changes and confusion abounds, words need to be spoken and such a time was when  the astonishing events of pentecost had occured and believers were speaking all manner of languages and the people who witnessed what was going on were perplexed as Acts chapter 2 verse 12 says;

 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

The apostle Peter arose and spoke the words that elucidated the times;

 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

Peter went on to explain the events that were unfolding before their eyes and showed the observers how these things fit into the prophetic timeline that was written of by the prophets.

As we see from examples across the scriptures, there is a time for tearing and for mending and a time to be silent and a time to speak. 

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

Amen

7

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES WISDOM TO THOSE WHO ASK

Solomon, the king of Israel, having inherited the throne of his father David as a young man, asked God for wisdom to help him govern the kingdom and he was granted a great endowment of wisdom by the Lord.  

With this wisdom, King Solomon undertook to find the meaning of life and he endeavored to see if any good could be found in pleasure but he was disappointed because he found that all pleasures were meaningless.

Starting with comedy, he concluded that laughter was madness  and when he tried drinking wine and pursuing folly, he did not find happiness.

He searched for pleasure by engaging in huge projects: He built houses, great gardens and water reservoirs. 

He acquired many slaves and owned huge flocks of cattle as he sought pleasure and meaning in material accumulation. 

He then put together a band of musical entertainers as well as a harem of women to seek pleasure in the things that delight men.

Ecclesiates chapter 2 verses 9 - 10 gives a progress update of his pursuit of pleasure;

I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;  I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.

This passage describes the limitless search that Solomon, as the king of Israel, conducted in his pursuit of meaning.

While still seeing things from a vantage point of wisdom, he attained social, political and economic supremacy in Jerusalem. Finding no meaning in status, he plunged himself into the desires of the flesh denying himself nothing that his eyes or his heart fancied.

He then searched for pleasure in his own toil to see if he could produce work that would reward him with satisfaction but when he stopped to assess if there was anything of value that had come from his pursuits, he concluded that  everything was vaporous and pointless. Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verse 11 says it this way;

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;  nothing was gained under the sun.

13

OUR FATHER WHOSE MYSTERIES ARE MADE KNOWN TO US BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD

1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 10 says this;

 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 

Paul the apostle, writing to the Corinthians, tells them that the  Spirit of God had revealed to them the great mysteries written of in Isaiah chapter 64 verse 4 saying;

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him

These mysteries were hidden so effectively that the rulers of this world did not comprehend what was underway and they put Jesus to death. If they had been able to decipher the encrypted plan of salvation, they would not have crucified the king of glory.

However, the Spirit of God was able to reveal these deep mysteries to believers because the Spirit searches the deep things of God and just as the spirit of a man is the one who knows the mind of the man, the Spirit of God knows the thoughts of God.

The great mysteries of God are revealed through the Spirit of God to us who believe and we are able to comprehend these mysteries by the Spirit even though they are but foolishness to those without the Spirit.

Amen.

31

OUR FATHER WHO RESPONDS STRONGLY TO FAITH

A centurion, an officer in the Roman army who would have commanded about a hundred men, had a servant whom he valued highly who got deathly sick.

The centurion had heard about Jesus and so he urgently sent his Jewish contacts to give a message to Jesus to come and heal his servant.

The Jewish envoys reached Jesus and implored Him to help the centurion's servant because the centurion was a strong supporter of Israel and had built the local synagogue.

Jesus went with them and they were about to get to the house when the centurion sent another message via his friends as captured in Luke chapter 7 verses 6 - 8;

 “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Luke chapter 7 verses 9 - 10 records Jesus' response to the centurion's word's;

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

The Lord Jesus was deeply moved upon hearing the centurion's discourse on the nature of authority and his deduction that Jesus' miraculous power worked on the same principle.

Jesus, speaking to the crowd, said that even in Israel, He had not encountered the level of faith demonstrated by the centurion.

The centurion understood that supernatural power, being a function of spiritual authority, did not need the physical presence of Jesus to be carried out.

His message to the Lord was,  "say the word, and my servant will be healed." He was humble before the Lord but he also knew that the issuance of the word by a person under authority and carrying authority was enough for the word to be obeyed in the spirit so that the healing miracle was carried out.

The centurion's servant was healed by the great faith of the centurion without Jesus being present.

Amen.

36

OUR FATHER ESTABLISHED A NEW COVENANT

Hebrews chapter 8 verse 13 says this;

By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

The writer of the book of Hebrews discusses the ministry of the high priests who made various offerings to God and  compares their ministry  with the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first covenant which was served by the priests making offerings in an earthly tabernacle was going to replaced by  a new covenant because God found fault with the people who lived under the first covenant.

As Hebrews chapter 8 verses 7 - 8 says ( quoting the book of Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 31) ;

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.

Here, the Lord announced the imminence of a new covenant with His people.

The new covenant is mediated by the Lord Jesus Christ as the High Priest who offers a superior sacrifice in heaven and it is a superior covenant because it is established on better promises.

In Hebrews chapter 8 verses 10 - 12, the new covenant, joined into by faith in the Lord Jesus as saviour, has these features that makes it better and that made the old one obsolete;

• God put His laws in our minds 
• God wrote His Laws on our hearts
• God adopted us as His people
• God's people will know Him directly
• God will be known by the greatest to the least
• God will forgive our wickedness
• God will remember our sins no more

Amen.

46

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES IDOLATRY

Jeremiah chapter 19 verse 41 14 says this;

Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people,

The  prophet Jeremiah returned to Jereusalem from Topheth where he had been sent by the Lord. 

Topheth, located just south of Jerusalem,  was a type or shadow of hell where dead bodies were disposed of and burned and the place represented defilement by idolatry and death.

The cities of Judah including Jerusalem had become like Topheth because they worshipped Baal and sacrificed their children in fire.

Because of this and because they would not heed the words of the Lord, Jeremiah spoke the prophecy of judgment and destruction over the cities.

Amen.

15

OUR FATHER WHO CONQUERS THEN SAVES THE EGYPTIANS 

Isaiah chapter 19 verse 17 says this;

And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them.

This verse reveals a reversal of fortune that the Lord orchestrates.

Egypt, with her systems of worldly governance and her idols are enemies of the people of Judah who are God's people.

God's people will gain preeminence over those who threaten them because of the Lord Almighty. The land of Egypt will greatly fear Him because they will be aware of the judgment that is aimed at them.

Under the authority of the Lord, Egypt will capitulate and they will accept the governance of the Lord. The Egyptians will be saved from their oppressors and they will be healed by the Lord.

The manifold wisdom and kindness of the Lord is demonstrated towards all people .

Amen.

11

OUR FATHER WHOM JESUS CALLED WHEN IN DISTRESS

Psalm 17 verses 1 - 5 says this;

Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips.

Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.

Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed.

Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded.

My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.

This passage captures the prayers of Jesus as He went through the ordeal of being arrested, being put on trial for His life and being crucified.

Jesus speaks to His Father to ask Him to hear His plea for vindication. He asserts that His lips are not deceitful even as He asks God to examine Him and test Him. Jesus tells His Father that even under scrutiny, no evil plan or verbal transgression would be discovered.

The Lord Jesus, under pressure, had people trying to bribe Him into deviating from what His Father had commanded but Jesus was steadfast and His steps stayed on the path set for Him and did not stumble even once.

In verses 11 - 12, Jesus prayed to God as His enemies searched for Him even to the garden of Gethsemane and they surrounded Him like ferocious animals.

They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

They are like a lion hungry for prey,  like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

Facing imminent death, Jesus stayed steadfast and declared that even though He would go through the trials and the sentence of death, He would be vindicated and when He awoke He would see His Father's face.  Verse 15 says it this way;

As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Bless the Lord who loved us so much that He, even though perfectly sinless, endured the bitterness of the cross to save us.

Amen.

20

OUR FATHER WHO LOVES JUSTICE

Psalm 11 reads this way;

In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.

For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.

The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.

On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.

This Psalm speaks of a time of complete societal breakdown.

During such times, the psalmist declares that the Lord is His refuge and therefore he spurns the advise he is given to flee to the mountains.  But as he looks around, he sees that  the righteous are hunted and persecuted by the wicked. The foundations of human life itself are being destroyed and he is at a loss of what to do.

Gaining perspective, he remembers that the Lord is in His holy temple.

From His throne, the Lord sees and studies everyone. He examines the righteous but the wicked who love violence, He hates passionately.

The Lord visits a fiery retribution on those who carry out violent wickedness on people..

The Lord is righteous and loves justice.

The upright will see His face.

24

OUR FATHER WHO IS MIGHTY, FAITHFUL AND JUST

Psalm 89 verses  1 - 10 reads this way;

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,

‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.

You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

You rule over the surging sea

You command the waves

Among those who in heaven be

You are the One who saves

I will sing of the Lord's love forever

And make Your faithfulness known

Lord, the heavens praise your wonders

Righteous and just is Your  throne

Amen.

12

Song only

OUR FATHER WELCOMES HIS SON'S BRIDE

From Psalm 45

Your throne, O God, will last for ever

Your kingdom in glory where justice is Your  scepter 

And at your right hand is the royal bride

All glorious is the princess bride 

Her  gown interwoven with gold

Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;

Honor Him, for He is your lord.

Enter with joy  Enter with gladness

Enter the palace of the King

In the land Your sons will be princes 

Therefore the nations will ever sing 

10

OUR FATHER WHO IS MINDFUL OF MAN

In the book of Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 - 5, the author, speaking of the fact that the messages brought by angels were binding on those who heard them, asks the question that if a message of salvation was brought by the Lord Himself;

...how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? 

The writer continues;

This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,  a son of man that you care for him?

This passage exposits the extreme gravity of the project undertaken by God to redeem mankind.

The message was delivered by the Lord Himself to the human race and confirmed by those who heard Him and this message was attested to by the working of signs, wonders and miracles as well as by the spiritual gifts that  the Holy Spirit distributed among those He chose to continue attesting to the message as it was broadcast to all the nations.

The writer makes it clear that the whole enterprise of salvation was carefully executed to redeem mankind and it will be under them that the world to come will be subject.

Quoting Psalm 8 verse 4, the great mystery of the age is asked;

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,  a son of man that you care for him?

Man, made in the image of God, holds the attention of God who had a destiny for them and this moved Him to mercy and to action to save them whom He fashioned after Himself and are His children.

Amen.

43

OUR FATHER WHOSE HEAVENLY WISDOM GUIDES US TO HUMILITY AND SELFLESSNESS

James chapter 3 verse 13 says this;

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

This verse marks those who are wise and understanding as being the ones who are able to demonstrate a good life by humbly doing things as taught by the wisdom that comes from heaven.

The apostle James contrasts such a life with one that is driven by an earthly, unspirtual or demonic wisdom and filled with bitter envy and selfish ambition. 

James describes a community rife with envy and selfish ambition as being disorderly and riddled with every evil practice.

On the other hand, as verse 17 says, when heavenly wisdom is applied, our lives become first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Amen.

15

OUR FATHER WHO MADE PROVISION TO CLEANSE OUR CONSCIENCES THROUGH CHRIST 

Hebrews chapter 9 verses 13 - 14 says this;

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

In this passage, the writer of the book of Hebrews contrasts the power of the blood of goats ano m.

d bulls to cleanse those who were ceremonially unclean with the power of the blood of Christ to 11q our consciences.

Whereas the ceremonies in the man-made tabernacle were representatives or shadows of the spiritual tabernacle in heaven and were enacted to ceremonially cleanse those who were externally unclean, when Christ offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, our internal consciences are cleansed when presented to God so that we can serve Him.

Also, whereas the priests had to conduct the ceremonial external cleansing by the blood of goats and bulls every year,  the blood of Christ was shed once and for all and for all time has the power to do the deep work of cleansing our consciences.

It is on the basis of the power of the blood of Christ that we can find forgiveness for as it says in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22;

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The blood, having been shed to pay the penalty for sin, we, by believing in Christ's power to save us, find that His blood has covered our sin and we are acquitted in the courts of judgement. When we look at the court documents, we find that the Lord Jesus is the one paid the penalty and so when we go to inquire of our benefactor what we owe Him for paying the penalty of our sin, He tells us that we owe Him nothing.

So the Lord shed His own blood to pay our penalty of death and gain our complete exoneration in court and then does not hold us to repayment but rather writes off the debt we owe Him.

This is what forgiveness is. 

When this is clear to us, are we not moved to offer our lives to Him in love and gratitude for the immeasurable price He paid to save us and yet demanded nothing in return? And moreover, with our consciences cleaned, are we not fully able to serve the living God freely and joyfully?

Amen.

30

OUR FATHER WHO RESISTS THE PROUD

Jeremiah chapter 13 verse 19 says this;

The cities in the Negev will be shut up, and there will be no one to open them.

All Judah will be carried into exile, carried completely away.

This verse speaks of the judgement that was to fall upon Judah because of their pride and sins. 

The southern towns would be boarded up and abandoned and the people of the kingdom of Judah would be carried away into captivity as verse 17 says;

If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be taken captive.

Jeremiah had been instructed by the Lord to buy a new belt. After he bought it, the Lord instructed him to take the belt to Perath and bury it in the crevices in the rock.

After some time had passed, the Lord directed Jeremiah to return to Perath to retrieve the belt and when Jeremiah dug up the belt, he found that it was ruined and useless.

The Lord told Jeremiah  that the people of Judah were the same as the belt that was dug up because they were filled with pride and stubborness and they followed other gods to worship them.

The judgment upon them was for their pride that made them think that they could proceed without their God. They set up alliances to defend themselves but their allies ended up being set over them.

The Lord's people fell into pride and sin and the judgement of shame and exile was visited upon them.

20

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES THE CROWN OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO PERSERVERE

James chapter 1 verse 11 says this;

For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

In this verse, the apostle James, writing to advise believers who were in humble circumstances and believers who were in priviledged circumstances, tells them that those who were rich would fade away even while they continued conducting everyday business.

He tells the poor believers that they should take pride in their high position but he tells the rich that they should take pride in their humiliation because they will pass away like wild flowers.

James tells rich believers that their riches make  them vulnerable in the same way that wild flowers are vulnerable to the sun's heat. 

While the sun causes the plants' blossoms to fall and their distinctive beauty to be destroyed, riches cause people's unique beauty to be destroyed and they fade away.

Having riches can often help people by-pass regular trials in life and  bypassing day-to-day trials causes people to miss the blessedness that comes from perservering through the tests as it says in James chapter 1 verse 12;

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

It is for this reason that James says, in James chapter 1 verses 2 - 4;

 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

Amen.

42

OUR FATHER WHO WILL ESTABLISH THE BRIDE OF CHRIST IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

Isaiah 54 verses 13 - 14 says this;

All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.

In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear.

Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.

This passage captures five of the promises that the Lord makes to His bride in chapter 54.

The ones in this passage list as follows;

• He Himself will teach all her children
• He will give all her children great peace
• He will establish her in righteousness
• He remove tyranny from her
• He will remove fear and terror from her

The Lord is referencing a time when the bride is being encouraged to expand her capacity to shelter a lot more people as it says in verse 2;

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

All these people who will be pouring into the church are the bride's children who will be returning enmasse into her folds.

It is these returning people whom the Lord will teach directly and give great peace to.

As for the bride herself, righteousness will become her foundation.

The forces of darkness that had been tyrannical towards the bride and caused her to dwell in fear will be displaced and evicted from her domain. 

The Lord will imbue her with power such that those who attack her will capitulate to her as verse 15 says ;

If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;  whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

Amen.

14

OUR FATHER WHO IS OUR REFUGE

From Psalm 7

I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High

I take refuge in You my God who knows my heart and mind

Save and deliver me oh God my Shield from all those pursuing me

I will give thanks to You Lord for all things You do for me

Amen.

OUR FATHER WILL NOT GIVE HIS GLORY TO ANOTHER

Isaiah chapter 42 verse 8 says this;

“I am the Lord; that is my name!  I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.

The Lord our God is categorical in this verse. 

He declares His identity by saying that His name  is YHWH which, in this form, is a transliteration of the Tetragrammaton  ( יְהֹוָ֖ה ).

He then says that He will not yield or give His glory to any other being and that He will not share His praise with carved idols.

He, the great I AM, the one who made all beings and things, all glory and honor and praise are His and He will let none other usurp His place at the pinnacle of all existence.

Amen.

33

OUR FATHER WHOSE SPLENDOR IS DISPLAYED IN ZION

Isaiah chapter 60 verses 4 - 6 says this;

“Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. 

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

In this passage, Zion, the people of God, are told to lift their eyes and see that the whole world has turned towards them and seeking to gain their favour by bringing gifts to them. 

Zion will go from being an outcast in the world to being the center of the world's attention as wealth from the sea, riches from the nations, camels from Midian  and from Sheba, gold and incense are brought before Her

The Lord planted a shoot that blossomed to display the Lord's splendor when each citizen of Zion is given great authority as Isaiah chapter 60 verse 22 says;

The least of you will become a thousand the smallest a mighty nation.

Amen.

32

OUR FATHER WHO FORGIVES THE REPENTANT

Isaiah chapter 59 verses 12 - 13 says this;

For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us.

Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord,  turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.

This passage represents a sincere confession of wrong-doing by God's people.

They tell the Lord of their many sins and how they rebelled against Him and stirred others to revolt against Him as well as how they traded in deception.

They reveal that the consequences of their deeds have caught up with them and now righteousness and justice cannot be found in their midst. There is no stable platform for truth among them and honesty cannot exist.

In their society, any attempt to avoid evil is punished as verse 15 says;

 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The conditions in this degraded culture have deteriorated so far that the judgement of the Lord lines up against the people.

However, the people who repent are spared by the arrival of the redeemer as verse 20 says;

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.

Those who humbly acknowledge their iniquities are given an eternal covenant with the Lord. Verse 21 says it this way;

 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—fromq as this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Amen

18

OUR FATHER WHO PROTECTS HIS PEOPLE 

Isaiah 47 verses 3 - 4, speaking of the Babylonian kingdom,  says this;

Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered.

I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”

Our Redeemer—the Lord Almighty is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.

This passage reveals the fierce anger the Lord had against Babylon because of their arrogant harshness they metted out to the Lord's people.

The Lord had been angry with his children and handed them over to the Babylonians for judgment but the Babylonians went too far and acted cruelly towards God's people.

Isaiah chapter 47 verses 6 - 7 records it this way;

I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance;

I gave them into your hand,  and you showed them no mercy.

Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke.

You said, ‘I am forever—the eternal queen!’ But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen.

This passage reveals that even those tasked by the Lord to bring judgment on His people must use caution and due care so that they do not function without mercy and without restraint towards those over whom they have been given  power.

This overreach on the part of the Babylonians would  bring down such judgment upon them that even their sorcerers, astrologers and star gazers would not be able to ward off the calamities and catastrophes that would visit them.

The Lord judges those who act unjustly and cruelly towards others while pridefully believing that their exalted stations and security are eternal.

Amen.

28

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES GIFTS TO MEN

I Corinthians chapter 14 verses 1 - 2 says this;

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 

In this passage, the Apostle Paul encourages believers to follow the way of love which is the way of;

•  Patience
•  Kindness 
•  Absence of envy
•  Meekness
•  Humility
•  Honor
•  Selflessness
•  Longsuffering
•  Forgivness
•  Goodness
•  Truthfulness
•  Protectiveness
•  Trust
•  Hopefulness
•  Perserverence.

While cultivating these attitudes of love, Paul tells us to eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit. We have and should exercise the gift of tongues but this gift is mainly for communication between us and God and is not decipherable to others because things that are deliberately kept as mysteries are transmitted  through these languages.

However, the other gifts of the Spirit, when used with love, are gifts that can bring tremendous edification to the body of Christ and to individuals.

These gifts of the Spirit that Paul calls us to eagerly desire are;

• The word of wisdom
• The word of knowledge
• Faith
• Healing
• Miraculous powers
• Prophecy
• The Distinguishing or discerning of spirits
• The Interpretation of tongues

The manifestation of these gifts among congregations stir up reverence and gratitude towards the Lord. In the case of the gift of the interpretation of tongues, the listeners may be blessed by having the mysteries of things uttered in tongues being made plain to understand.

Let us actively desire and seek these gifts from the Lord so that we may bring honor to Him through their power.

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHO IS WORTHY OF HONOR

From Psalm 50

And from Zion Perfect in beauty

A consuming fire burns before

He is our God worthy of honor

All around Him tempests roar

He will gather to Himself a consecrated people,

A people gained for Him by His own  sacrifice

So let us offer to the Lord songs of thanksgiving

And in the day of trouble He'll deliver us

From the rising of the sun to where it sets again

The Lord summons that which is his

The heavens proclaim His righteousness

For he is a God of justice