OUR FATHER WHO WILL HUMBLE THE ARROGANT
The book of Isaiah chapter 2 verses 11 - 13 says this;
The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan,
This passage, speaking of the day of the Lord when the Lord establishes His kingdom on earth, tells of how, in the face of the authority of the Lord, the arrogance of men will be brought down.
In every enterprise of mankind from the kingdoms and nations to global corporations where pride has lifted its head among men, they will be dashed and humbled as men go into hiding in caves and holes to escape the presence and splendor of God.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES FALSE PROPHETS
The book of Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 11 says this;
therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth.
This verse is a word of warning to the false prophets of Israel who were falsely declaring that there was to be peace when there was no peace.
These prophets were like those who covered up their flimsy construction projects with whitewash so that it would appear that that there was substance to their foundations while they were, in reality, just a fascade.
The judgement of the Lord would come in torrents of rain, hail stones and violent winds to bring the whole false premise down.
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OUR FATHER WHO VISITS HIS PEOPLE
The book of Leviticus chapter 9 verse 13 says this;
Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering,
This verse records two instructions that Moses commanded Aaron the priest to convey.to the the Israelite.
The first was to take a male goat for a sin offering and the second was to take a calf and a lamb, both one year old and without defect for a burnt offering.
Continuing with verse 4, they were also to take two additional animals for a fellowship sacrifice along with a grain offering mixed with olive oil.
and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil.
Thus they had five animals and a grain offering to prepare in order to be ready for the appearance of the Lord.
When the sacrifices were meticulously prepared and placed on the altar before the Lord, the glory of the Lord appeared before all the people and they shouted with joy and fell to the ground.
This pattern is a model for preparation that a believer can follow to make way for an encounter with the Lord.
We must attend to the atonement and cleansing of sin through the appropriation by faith of the blood shed by the Lord Jesus.
Then we must press further towards the purging of the influence of the flesh from our lives by giving no quarter to the flesh and burning away any parts of our lives that are being dictated by the flesh.
Then, in all sincerity and earnest, we must set aside a fellowship offering comprised of the resources of time, worship, obedience and reverence needed to appropriately welcome the Lord as Abram, our progenitor in faith, did when the Lord visited him at the oaks of Mamre.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHOSE FIERCE JUDGEMENT MARKS THE END OF THE AGE
The book of Ezekiel chapter 7 verse 9 says this;
I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you.
“‘Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.
This fearsome prophecy recorded by the prophet Ezekiel, speaks of the end of the age when judgement would be brought down upon the people for their evil conduct.
They had occupied their time accumulating gold and silver for themselves and used it to make jewelry of vanity and images for idolatry.
For these detestable practices, the fierce judgement of God struck the people and no pity was shown and there was no uncertainty that the calamities that repeatedly struck them were from the Lord.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO WILL PRESERVE THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM
The book of Isaiah chapter 57 verse 7 - 9 says this;
You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill; there you went up to offer your sacrifices.
Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, you climbed into it and opened it wide; you made a pact with those whose beds you love, and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.
You went to Molek with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors far away; you descended to the very realm of the dead!
The prophet Isaiah, in this passage, catalogues the activities of darkness that the people were participating in rather than remaining true to their own God.
They set up altars on high places to engage with spirits from the realm if darkness with sacrifices.
In their homes, they put symbols of their pagan practices in discreet places.
They abandoned their intimacy with God and pursued intimacy with evil spirits.
They presented olive oil and perfumes at the altar of Molek to gain passage into the underworld in order to traverse the realm of the dead.
They fled from the light of God to plumb the depths of darkness.
The Lord, through His prophet, warned the people that these idols they had followed could not save them from destruction.
Only those who seek refuge in the Lord will be saved.
As Isaiah chapter 57 verse 13 from the Amplified version says;
“When you cry out [for help], let your [ridiculous] collection of idols save you. But the wind will carry them all away, A [mere] breath will take them. But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land [Judea] And will inherit My holy mountain.”
Amen
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OUR FATHER WHOSE WORDS OF WARNING ARE SERIOUS
The book of Ezekiel chapter 6 verse 10 says this;
And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them.
God's people, having engaged in idolatrous practices like maintaining false altars and burning incense to idols, are warned in a prophecy recorded by the prophet Ezekiel, of a coming judgement that would destroy the idols they had fashioned for themselves.
The judgement would also be a fatal calamity to the people leaving only a remnant of the people alive.
This surviving remnant, having escaped the disaster that had struck them, would then remember the Lord and they would understand how grievous their detestable actions had been towards their God.
This realization would show the remnant that their God was the only true and living God and that His warnings to them were not empty threats.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO WILL GATHER HIS OWN PEOPLE
Isaiah 27 verse 13 says this;
And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
The prophet Isaiah, speaking of the day of redemption of Israel, describes a great trumpet sounding.
This event is also captured by the Apostle Paul in the book of 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verses 51 - 53;
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
The day will come when all those of Israel and those grafted into Israel will be brought out of the world ( represented by Assyria and Egypt ) and they will worship the Lord in the eternal realm.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDED SALVATION FOR THE WHOLE WORLD
The book of Isaiah chapter 55 verse 4 in the Amplified Version says this;
“Listen carefully, I have appointed [b]him [David, representing the Messiah] to be a witness to the nations [regarding salvation],
A leader and commander to the peoples.
The whole of Chapter 55 is a record of the words of the Lord God exhorting Israel (and ultimately the human race) to accept the great salvation that He was going to provide for them.
This specific verse captures the Lord informing Israel that the coming Messiah was going to be in the line of David as a leader and commander of the people and that He was going to hold an office that was global in scope.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO GREATLY LOVES US
Psalm 117 says this;
Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord.
This passage, which is the entirety of Psalm 117, calls on all people and all nations to praise the Lord and speak of His goodness and greatness.
There are two reasons given why we should all praise the Lord.
The first is that He loves us greatly and the second is that His faithfulness towards us is evelasting.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO IS HOLY
Psalm 99 verse 3 says this;
Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy.
Predicating this verse is a declaration that the Lord Jesus has arisen to absolute rulership over every nation on earth.
So great is His power that all the nations tremble before Him and the whole earth shakes as He sits enthroned in authority.
It is in this context that the verse exhorts the nations to praise the great and awesome name of the Lord for He is Holy.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER TO WHOM WE PRAY
The book of Isaiah chapter 64 verse 9 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.
This verse speaks of God's people coming to the realization that even though they had seen the unmatched power of their God, they had drifted away from Him and sinned against His ways.
They were steeped in uncleaness and they no longer searched for their God.
In this state, surrounded by the devastation of their nation, they pleaded with God to relent from His anger and to forget their sins.
They pray to remind God that they are His people and as such, they have no other way to be saved.
As Isaiah verse 5 says;
You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO RESTORES HIS PEOPLE
From Psalm 53;
God looked down from heaven on all mankind
To see if there were any, any who understood
Everyone had turned to go their own way
There were none of us who did good
Oh, that redemption for Israel
Would come out of Zion! Out of Zion!
When God restores His people
Let Israel be glad in our salvation
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OUR FATHER WHO ESTABLISHES EQUITY
Psalm 99 verse 4 says this;
The King is mighty, he loves justice—you haed ca lotve established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.
This verse establishes the main attributes of God that make the nations quake before Him and make Him worthy of honor and praise.
He is firstly a sovereign King who is exceedingly strong in power.
He also loves justice and undergirds equity by always doing what is just and right.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO VINDICATES HIS PEOPLE
Psalm 9 verse 4 says this;
For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
This verse, the words of the Lord's servant, gives the reason why he sings praises to the Most High God.
The servant was under attack from his enemies and stood accused in the courtroom of judgement.
In this court, the Lord who is a righteous Judge, ruled in favor of His servant and protected his right and his cause.
Those who had brought the accusations against the servant were beset with destruction and ruin.
This prophecy in Psalm 9 speaks of the Lord Jesus facing trial in the spirit when He descended into hell but was vindicated by God the Father and the spirit kingdoms that had falsely persecuted Him were uprooted and blotted out as Psalm 9 verse 6 says;
Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.
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OUR FATHER WHO BLESSES THE FAITHFUL
The book of Isaiah chapter 65 verse 3;
a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;
This verse speaks of the people of God who offered sacrifices in gardens and burned incense on altars to false gods thus angering the Lord.
These rituals were part of the evil practices that the people were getting involved in which also included necromancy and occultic vigils.
It is these practices that alienated the people from their God and brought down judgement on themselves and caused their destinies to be truncated.
Conversely, those who remained faithfull had their lives blessed by the Lord and their futures secured by Him.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO REVEALS THE SON TO US
The book of Mark chapter 3 verse 12 says this;
But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
This verse records the Lord instructing demonic spirits not to tell others about Him.
Hearing about the miracles of healing that Jesus was doing, people came from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.
As people crowded around Jesus to get healed by Him, the impure spirits that saw him, fell down and cried out, "You are the Son of God".
These spirits, when they came within sight of Jesus, were able to recognize His great power and authority and they shouted out warnings to others and to be disruptive to His ministry.
But Jesus, commanded them to be silent about Him because the knowledge of Jesus' identity was to be revealed to men by God the Father and not proclaimed by impure spirits.
As Mathew chapter 16 verses 16 - 17 says;
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
Amen
(Ceremony with a crown and collar)
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OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THOSE WHO REJECT HIS OFFER OF SALVATION
The book of Isaiah chapter 66 verse 4 says this;
They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”
This verse speaks of the harsh judgment that will befall those who have resolved to go their own way and participate in evil activities.
The Lord called them and they did not answer Him. He spoke to them and they declined to listen.
At every turn, they chose their own counsel and pressed on in their evil ways and antagonized God.
In the end, the things they dreaded will be brought against them for they chose death instead of life.
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OUR FATHER INDICTS FALSE PROPHETS
The book of Ezeliel chapter 13 verse 10 says this;
“‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,
This verse, referencing the false prophets who falsely prophecied to the people of Jerusalem that they would have peace because they would be spared judgement, misguided the people and lead them astray.
When weak walls were built as defences, these false prophets whitewashed the walls to give the illusion that they are effective defences against enemy intrusion.
Such is the effect of false prophecies. The people are mislead into believing they are safe when the judgement they are under approaches and their defences are weak.
Have mercy Lord.
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OUR FATHER WHO FREES US FROM OPPRESSION
The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 14 says this,
The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.
This verse speaks of the regimes that oppressed God's people being rendered inoperative by a spirit of dizziness.
In a stupor, the machinery of oppression set up to suppress the Lord's people can only lurch around in confusion.
This intervention by the Lord saves His people and gives them an opportunity to be free as their enemies lose their ability to think and organize themselves.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHOSE LIGHT SHINES ON THE RIGHTEOUS
Psalm 97 verse 11 says this;
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
The book of Mathew chapter 5 verse 6 says this;
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
This beatitude, spoken by the Lord Jesus as part of the sermon on the mount, speaks of sinners who even in their state, yearn desperately to be righteous and this principle declared by the Lord assures those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they are not doing so in vain but rather that they will be filled with righteousness.
Psalm 97 then reveals what happens to those who are filled with this righteousness that they have yearned for;
The light and joy of the Lord shines on them.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER BLESSES THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.
Psalm 1 verse 1 says this;
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinnersà take or sit in the company of mockers,
Those who reverence the Lord and stay away from those who mock Him and those who avoid associating with the wicked or defend the actions of those who do wrong.will be blessed.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO IS SPIRIT
The book of Ezekiel chapter 11 verse 5 says this;
Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.
This verse records the words from the Lord that the prophet Ezekiel was given by the Holy Spirit to the leaders of Israel.
The personhood of the Holy Spirit is clearly delineated in this old testament verse where He descends on Ezekiel and instructs him to say some specific words. By this, the Spirit of God is characterized as a person.
Further to that, the Spirit of God refers to Himself as Lord when He tells Ezekiel to say; "This is what the Lord says".
The Lord is telling the leaders of Israel that even though they are saying certain things, nevertheless the Lord knows what is going through their minds.
This ability to know the veiled thoughts in the minds of men is a definitive marker of God.
This verse makes clear that the Holy Spirit is a person and that His identity is that of the Lord and that He has the capability of knowing the minds of men which is only in the purview of God.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO SENT A REDEEMER FOR THOSE WHO CONFESS THEIR SINS BEFORE HIM
The book of Isaiah chapter 59 verse 13 says this;
rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
In this verse, we see the people of God acknowledging tbeir sins before the Lord.
They confess their rebellion and treachery against God in which they turned their backs against their own God and then encouraged others to join in the revolt against Him using deceptive narratives that they had made up against the Lord.
This confession of their sins secures the promise of God that the Redeemer would come to Zion as it says in Isaiah chapter 59 verses 20 - 21;
“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.
“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—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO CHARGES US TO KEEP WATCH AND PRAY
The book of Isaiah chapter 56 verse 10 says this;
Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.
This verse describes those who are charged to be watchmen over Zion.
Instead of keeping vigilant guard over the people of God, they are do not scan the borders, they do not strategize and use knowledge to help their positions. They are silent when they should be giving warning to others of impending attacks.
Instead, they lounge around, sleeping and dreaming.
To be good watchmen, while on our shifts;
We must always be tuned into the spirit and staying awake in order to keep ahead of what is happening in that realm.
We must not be distracted by things of the flesh and its appetites or drift off to sleep.
We must not divert our attention towards the pursuit of our own gain.
We must not get caught up in social diversions because we believe that because things were uneventful yesterday, things will be uneventful today.
We must remain alert and nimble in prayer.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO IS WORTHY OF HONOR AND PRAISE
Psalm chapter 99 100 verse 12 3 says this;
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
This verse, as part of exhorting the people of God to joyously worship our God, reminds us who the Lord is. He is truly God and is the one who made us and we are voluntarily in His custody. We belong to Him and we are a flock of sheep under His care.
He is worthy of our worship because, as verse 5 says;
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US FREEDOM (2)
Continuing with Genesis chapter 2 verse 9, let us summarize that there were many trees in the garden that were suitable for the man whom God had formed and then there were two trees singled out from the rest that were in the centre of the garden.
It is important to consider that trees are often used in scriptures as metaphors for modes of civilization.
Ezekiel chapter 31 most clearly illustrates this but in other examples as well.
Ezekiel chapter 31 verses 3 - 4 says this;
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;
Ezekiel chapter 31 verse 18 says this;
“‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.
“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
This verse explicitly mentions the trees of Eden in comparing the civilization of the various kingdoms and empires on earth.
In Mathew chapter 13 verse 13 - 32, the Lord Jesus described the civilization of the kingdom of God as a mustard seed that grew in the garden and became a great tree. The verse reads this way;
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.”
With this pattern in mind, we can look at the trees in the garden of Eden as representing the modes of civilization that were available to the human race at the onset of our endeavor that were good options for the continuance for our race but at the center of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which brought complexity to the array of choices we had.
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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US FREEDOM (1)
The book of Genesis chapter 2 verse 9 says this;
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This verse, speaking of the garden of Eden in which the Lord God had placed man upon creating him, describes a large variety of trees that grew out of the ground. These trees were beautiful and had excellent fruit to eat.
In the center of the garden were two trees that were named the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Amen.
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