OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDES FOR OUR RIGHTS BUT GIVES US THE OPTION TO VOLUNTARILY FORFEIGHT THEM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HIS KINGDOM

1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 11 says this;

If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 

This verse speaks of the work that Paul and his co-minister, Barnabus did among the Corinthinans.

They sowed spiritual seeds of preaching, teaching and being examples of godliness among the Corinthians and yet they encountered criticism because their conduct was not like the conduct of the other apostles.

Using scriptural references from the law of Moses, Paul pressed on the Coronthians that he and Barnabas did in fact have the right to make a living from their spiritual work like the other apostles did but he and Barnabas had voluntarily forfeited that right in order to avoid being incumberances on the people they served so that the gospel of Christ could be propagated unhindered.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 17, Paul explains the rationale for their methods;

If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

Amen.

5

 

OUR FATHER WHO MADE US AND TO WHOM WE BELONG

The 100th Psalm, verse 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 exorts us to know that the Lord is God and to know that it is He who made us and as such, we are His people. 

The verse likens us to sheep in the Lord's pasture which is alluded to in the book of John chapter 10 verse 27 - 28 where the Lord Jesus says;

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The Lord made us and we are His and we hear His voice and He knows us and we follow Him.

And to those who follow Him, He gives eternal life and He sustains and holds them forever.

Amen.

8

OUR FATHER WHO IS PLEASED BY OUR FAITH

The book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 9, speaking of the patriarch Abraham leaving his home to settle in a foreign land,  says this;

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 

Faith was what Abraham was exercising when he left the security of his homeland to dwell in a distant land as a stranger.

On the strength of the promise of God, he sojourned sight-unseen to a land he was promised and lived in tents as did his descendants Isaac and Jacob who were in line for the same promise.

By holding steadfast to the promise, they overlooked the fact that they lived in tents and instead focused on the greater eternal promise that the Lord had given them a glimpse of and it was faith that they leaned on to trust the hope even when they did not plainly see the final result.

The life of faith is one where the life in tents (or, as it were, the temporal life in the body), may hold no semblance to the eternal promise but we believe and look forward to the day when the incorruptible is revealed.

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO PREPARED OUR LORD AS A SACRIFICE FOR US

The book of Hebrews chapter 10 verses 2 - 3, speaking of the limitations of the yearly sacrifices of the old covenant, says this;

Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.

The writer asks that if the temple sacrifices were sufficient for the cleansing of sins and alleviating the peoples' guilt, wouldn't a one-time offering of those sacrifices have been enough? Instead, those sacrifices, repeated yearly, served only as reminders of sin rather than the removal of guilt.

Hebrews chapter 10 verses 5 - 7, quoting Psalm 40 verses 6 - 8,  relegates the temple sacrifices to the status of shadows and then points to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who was written about in the scroll and who willingly gave His life as a once-and-for-all sacrifice for many.

 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.

Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”

The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was perfect and of eternal worth and able to cleanse from sins and forever remove guilt.

Amen

9

OUR FATHER WHO INTERVENED TO STOP THOSE WHO EXALTED THEMSELVES ABOVE ALL

Isaiah chapter 18 verse 4 verse 44 says this;

This is what the Lord says to me:  “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah records the Lord speaking to him and telling him that at the time when tall and smooth-skinned people who send their envoys in papyrus boats are under threat and when a banner is raised for everyone to see and a trumpet is blown for everyone to hear, He, the Lord, will watch the events from the place where He dwells.

The Lord describes Himself as being like the shimmering of heat in the sunshine or like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. He will hover over the harvest fields. 

Then, just prior to the harvest, as Isaiah chapter 18 verse 5 says;

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

Here, we read of the Lord being in quiet repose observing the activities on earth and then suddenly, He moves to prune the growing global entity before its fruit is fully mature and even its branches that are spread over the earth will be cut away and disposed of.

Those who exalted themselves above all others as they plotted to take over the affairs of men are destroyed and left to the vultures and carrion-eating animals.

In gratitude for the Lord's intervention to save them from those who had planned to annihilate them, the tall and smooth-skinned people will bring gifts to Zion in honor of the Lord as captured in Isaiah chapter 18 verse 7;

 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers—the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO MADE A BETTER COVENANT FOR HIS PEOPLE

The book of Hebrews chapter 8 verse 12 quotes from the book of Jeremiah chapter 31 verses 31 -  34 ending in this verse;

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

The prophecy by the prophet Jeremiah foretells of a new covenant that would make the old covenant obsolete and the passage lists the defining characteristics of the new covenant between God and His people.

This list looks at the characteristics of the old covenant and compares them with those of the new covenant listed by Jeremiah;

• Recording media 
• The old covenant was written on stone
• The new covenant would be written in their minds and hearts

• Entry into the Covenant
• In the old covenant, the Lord chose His people by their descendancy from Abraham 
• The new covenant would be with people who chose the Lord to be their God through faith

• Access to God
• In the old covenant, Moses and the leaders knew God and taught the people
• In the new covenant, from least to greatest, all people would know God directly and would be taught by Him

• State of Pardon
• In the old covenant, the sins of the people were removed from them and cast as far as east is from west
• In the new covenant, the Lord would forgive the peoples' wickedness and erase their sin from His mind

This comparison shows how the new covenant has better promises and thus it rendered the old covenant obsolete as Hebrews chapter 8 verse 13 says;

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

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO PRE-FIGURED THE LORD JESUS AS MELCHIZEDEK THE KING AND PRIEST

The book of Hebrews chapter 7 verses 4 - 6, referring to the mysterious figure named  Melchizedek the King of Salem to whom Abraham gave a tenth of the spoil of war, says this;

Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!  

Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.  

This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 

The name Melchizedek means King of Righteousness and His title,  King of Salem, means King of Peace.

In the scripture, He appears without any mention of His lineage or His origins or His end.

He is an eternal priestly figure to whom even the patriarch Abraham, who had the promises, paid tithes and who had the authority and stature to bless the patriarch.

Furthermore, He is a priest who was installed as an eternal priest by an oath of God as Hebrews chapter 7 verse 21 says.

“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”

Thus it is said to the Lord Jesus in Psalm 110 verse 4;

 “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

This means that the Lord Jesus, serves as a priest but He, not being from the tribe of Levi, serves as an eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek, in the priestly office created for an eternal being.

Melchizedek was a pre-figuration of the Lord Jesus to whom Abraham paid tithes along with all those who paid tithes to the Levitical priests.

This is because they were, in a manner of speaking, in the body of Abraham at the time he met Melchizedek and thus the tithe payments made to them as Levitical priests were streamed to the Lord Jesus as Melchizedek, through the hand of Abraham when he encountered the Lord.

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHO GIVES HIS SERVANTS GREAT GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

The book of Daniel chapter 4 verses 9 - 10 says this;

 I said, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Here is my dream; interpret it for me. 

These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 

This passage is an excerpt from the testimonial letter that Nebuchadnezzar,  King of Babylon, wrote of his encounter with the Most High God.

Nebuchadnezzar wrote that he had a dream that concerned him and no wise men of his court could interprete it for him until Daniel the prophet, whom the king had named Belteshazzar, arrived.

The king wrote that he had great confidence in Daniel because the spirit of the holy gods was in him and that no mystery was beyond his ability.

The gifts of the Spirit in which Daniel was operating had commended Daniel to the high courts of the land and thus he had been appointed chief magician.

Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel to interprete the dream for him and proceeded to tell of the visions he saw of a great tree standing in the middle of the land.

As he looked, a loud voice spoke directing that  the great and lofty tree be cut down and the stump be bound up in iron and bronze and remain in the ground among the grass.

The voice commanded that he be covered in dew and that his mind leave him and be replaced with the mind of an animal. 

The spiritual gift in Daniel responded to the dream and he was terrified by the thoughts that entered his mind.  

Nebuchadnezzar wrote that he told Daniel not to let the dream or its meaning alarm him. Daniel then told him that the dream was not about his enemies but about him and that it foretold that he, though great and mighty, would fall from power and be like an animal in the field covered in dew and eating grass.

Daniel also indicated that the king would remain in that state for seven years but would be restored to his rightful mind and have the splendor of his kingdom restored to him.

The king then wrote in his testimony that the things that Daniel has said of the dream came to pass precisely and that He, Nebuchadnezzar, was  now testifying of the greatness of God.

Daniel chapter 4 verse 37 concludes  Nebuchadnezzar's testimony this way;

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO DESIGNATED A HIGH PRIEST FOR US WHO ARE BEING SAVED

The book of Hebrews chapter 5 verses 8 - 9, speaking of Jesus' appointment to the office of high priest and His intercession for us all in cries and tears, says this;

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

This verse speaks of the perfection attained by Jesus when He obeyed God the Father even in the face of suffering. By maintaining absolute obedience of God even to the point of death, He publicly demonstrated His perfection and through this, became the salvation of any in the whole world who obeyed Him.

And for those who are saved, the Lord Jesus was designated by the Father to be a priest of the highest order.  As Hebrews chapter 5 verse 10 says;

and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Amen.

3

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDED A HIGH PRIEST FOR US TO MEDIATE BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 says this;

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

This verse considers the implications of having a high priestly mediator between God and mankind who Himself lived the life of a man and was tempted like we are and yet did not sin.

By having lived in the same mode we are currently in, the Lord Jesus, our high priest, is able to empathize with our weaknesses and thus we can approach the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and grace in our time of need.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO IS GREATLY EXALTED

From Psalm 47 feat. verse 9

Clap your hands, all you nations

Shout to God with cries of joy

For the Lord Most High is awesome in power

He is great Yes He is great over all the earth

God is seated on His  Holy throne

Over the nations, our God reigns

He is the King of all the earth

 Sing to him, Yes sing to Him a psalm of praise

The princes of the nations assemble for Him

 As do the people of the God of Abraham

 For the shields of the earth belong to God

 He is great Yes He is greatly exalted.

2

OUR FATHER WHO REWARDS THE DILIGENT

1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 14 says this;

If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth, exorted them to build on the foundation which is Jesus Christ.

The work that they did to build on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, would be revealed by fire and that fire would test the quality of each person's work. 

The quality of work would then be the basis of each individual's reward.

If the work was of poor quality and thus flammable, it would burn up and the doer of those works would have no reward even though they themselves would be saved.

If the workmanship was of high quality and thus survived the test of fire, the workman would receive his commensurate reward.

May our work in the kingdom of God be directed by the Lord and be work of eternal quality.

Amen.

14

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDED A NEW COVENANT

Hebrews chapter 8 verse 4 says this;

If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.

This verse is the book of Hebrews speaks to the question of the role of the Lord of Jesus Christ as a priest in heaven.

The role of a priest on earth  already fulfils the functions prescribed by the law and so the new priest (who is the Lord Jesus) serves as a priest in the heavenly tabernacle which is what the earthly tabernacle was modeled after.

Whereas the earthly priests offer sacrifices in the man-made tabernacle, the ministry of the  heavenly priest, in the heavenly tabernacle set up by the Lord Himself, offers a superior ministry because it is based on better promises.

Thus the new priest serves a new covenant making the old covenant become obsolete.

Amen

54

OUR FATHER WHO ELEVATES THE HUMBLE

Continuing with Luke chapter 14 verse 9, we press in to search for a deeper meaning in the text;

If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 

The authority strata of the Kingdom of God exists in an inverted hierarchy that is the opposite of the hierarchical  structures of the kingdoms of men.

The kingdoms of men are organized around the elite lording it over their subjects as the Lord Jesus said in Mathew chapter 20 verse 25;

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

The Kingdom of God is structured such that the most humble servants are at the highest positions of authority while the greatest among men are least in the kingdom of heaven. Mathew chapter 20 verses 26 - 28 says it like this;

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

At the marriage supper of the Lamb, when the saints enter, they will have to be aware of this stratification because it is understanding this inversion that will guide them to the right placement.

Those who regard themselves as least and live as servants of all people will be inclined to move to the humble placements while those who perceive themselves as great will tend to assign to themselves honored places to sit.

This will result is a massive shift of seating when the host, who invited them all, asks the great to move to the least positions while the lowly  servants are elevated to the honored positions.

Lord please help us to understand this and live as humble servants of all.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER COUNSELS HUMILITY

Luke chapter 14 verse 9 says this;

If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 

This verse tells of the humiliation that a person would feel if they assigned themselves to a prominent place at a social gathering and a more distinguished guest arrived. The person would have to asked by the host to move out of the seat they had chosen to make room for the more distinguished person.

At the marriage supper of the Lamb, as the Lord's people arrive, we are counselled to assign ourselves to humble seating places at the tables to avoid the humiliation of over-estimated our placement at the Lord's table and having to be directed to lower stations.

This event in heaven will cause the saints to be self-aware and cogniscent of their standing and stature before the Lord

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER WHO SAVED US AND ASSIGNED HIS SERVANTS TO SPREAD THE NEWS OF IT

1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 4 - 5 says this;

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 

This passage, written by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, takes issue with the practice of the Corithians of having jealousies and rivalries over which apostle they were associated with.

They had elevated the ones who taught the gospel to them and did not understand that these were only servants who pointed them to the Lord and not people to whom they should have given their allegiances to.

Paul pointedly asked them if they were not mere human beings when they engaged in this practice. 

Had they transcended mere humanity, they would have had their allegiances to Christ alone without fragmenting into contentious groupings based on which apostle had shared the gospel with them and baptized them.

Paul pointed out that it was the Lord who had assigned each apostle to his task and those who were saved were saved by Christ alone.

Amen.

5

 OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE HIDDEN THINGS

Daniel chapter 2 verse 4 says this;

Then the astrologers answered the king,“May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

This verse captures the response that the astrologers in King Nebuchadnezzar's court gave when he asked them to interprete a dream that had troubled him.

Nebuchadnezzar told the astrologers to interprete his dream and they naturally asked him to first tell them the dream and then they would give him its interpretation..

But the king was not satisfied with their request  because he had correctly surmised that if someone claimed to have access to the meaning of dreams, they should also have access to the dreams themselves.

If someone presented an answer sheet to an upcoming test, it would be reasonable to presume that the person claiming to have the answer sheet would also have access to the test itself.

The astrologers could not meet the king's demands and he was so angry that he pronounced a death sentence over them.

 The prophet Daniel, upon learning what the king was asking, undertook to save the lives of the astrologers as well as  his own. He and three companions prayed to the Lord in the night and the king's dream and its meaning was given to Daniel in a vision.

Daniel praised the Lord with these words.

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

Amen.

14

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGED HIS OWN HOUSE

The book of Ezekiel chapter 12 verse 9 says this;

 “The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. 

The prophet Ezekiel was directed  by the Lord to enact the exile of the people of Israel from the land.

He was given a specific enactment where he to was to pack some of his things and go to the city wall, dig a hole through the wall with his hands and then leave the city at dusk carrying his pack on his shoulder while covering his face so he couldn't see the land.

The Lord told Ezekiel that if the people watching him do the enactment asked him what he was doing, he was to tell them that he was a sign to them. 

He was to prophecy to them that even the prince among them would pack his things on his shoulder and depart the city as the evening light faded.

He would have a hole through the wall dug for him and he would leave through it with his face covered so that he could not see the land and so that he would not be recognized as he tried to escape.

Ultimately, the Lord would not let him  elude capture and he would be taken into Babylonian exile  from where he would never return.

Such was the judgment upon the rebellion of t

55phe people as Ezekiel prophecied to them.

7

OUR FATHER IS SOVEREIGN

The book of Ezekiel chapter 11 verse 13 captures these words of the prophet Ezekiel;

Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?”

This verse captures a shocking moment in Israel's history when Pelatiah son of Benaiah, a leader in Israel who had carried out atrocities on the people, suddenly died while the prophet Ezekiel was prophesying. 

This event prompted Ezekiel to fall to the ground on his face and loudly ask the Lord if He was going to erase the entire nation of Israel.

Ezekiel wisely fell down humbly before the Lord and prefaced His lament to the Lord with "Sovereign Lord" to assert that the Lord had the authority and the absolute prerogative to do what He chose.

Great is the Lord.

Amen.

10

OUR FATHER WHO FREELY GIVES WISDOM TO THOSE WHO ASK AND THEN FOLLOW HIS WISDOM

The book of James chapter 1 verse 7 says this;

That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

This verse reveals the result of not believing the wisdom provided by the Lord when we ask Him to give us wisdom and we fall into doubt and do not act in accordance with the wisdom given.

As we go through life, we often need to ask the Lord to give us wisdom to deal with specific circumstances such as obstacles, hardships or danger.  James chapter 1 verse 5 tells us;

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 

When we request wisdom from the Lord, we can rely on Him to readily give it to us with no questions asked but as verse 6 says;

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 

The Apostle James, by the Holy Spirit, councils us that when the wisdom of God is given, we must firmly believe in the guidance the wisdom provides and walk according to it.

If we doubt and vassilate when carrying out the steps provided by wisdom, we become analogous to a wave of the sea being blown and tossed about by the wind.

The path of wisdom provided by the Lord is always rock solid but when we doubt it, we become unstable and easily bowled over. 

When the Apostle Peter was invited by the Lord to step out of the boat while they were sailing on the Sea of Galilee, the wisdom of the Lord was that it was safe to step out of the boat and onto the water.

The Apostle Peter, once outside the boat, saw the waves and doubt that contradicted the wisdom of the Lord entered his mind and he began to sink.

The doubt that engulfed him dissolved the power that the wisdom had supplied and he started to sink.

In the same way, the enemy whispers in our ear that the wisdom of God is  unsafe or unreliable in the face of danger and if we start to doubt the received wisdom and start stumbling away from the sure path given by wisdom, we become unreliable recipients of the Lord's wisdom and thus James cautions us that we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Amen.

8

OUR FATHER WHOSE GLORY DEPARTED THE TEMPLE AS WITNESSED BY THE PROPHET EZEKIEL

The book of Ezekiel chapter 10 verses 9 - 10 says this;

And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to have the color of a beryl stone.  As for their appearance, all four looked alike—as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 

This passage describes a craft that the prophet Ezekiel saw in a vision.

It had four identicle complex wheels  and they were glowing with the color of beryl stones which are sparkling crystals that are often blue in color. This glow was like the phenomenon of the glow of radioactivity in water called Cherenkov radiation.

At each of these glowing wheels, there was a winged cherub that had managerial functions over each wheel and over the craft. Even though the cherubim had wings, the craft generated lift that carried the cherubim with it but the cherubim were the initiators of the velocity and direction that the wheels travelled as verse 15 - 16 says;

And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar. When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them. 

At the point that Ezekiel was seeing this vision, the glory of the God of Israel was leaving the inner court of the temple and the craft then moved with the glory of God out to the outer court of the temple before departing.

7

OUR FATHER WHOM WE MUST FOLLOW AND HIM ALONE

Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 14 says this;

Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.”

This verse is the explanation of why the people of Irael were facing catastrophic events that resulted in the wholesale death of their people.

Grave judgements were being unleashed upon them and the reason that the Lord gave for the calamities that were sweeping through their land was that they had followed their stubborn hearts and chased after the false gods as their ancestors had taught them.

Their idol worship had invited death to have its  way their in their midst and they were left devastated.

The people of Israel and all the surrounding nations had practiced the same practices of deception and duplicity and judgement came.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER IS THE POTTER AND WE ARE THE CLAY

Isaiah chapter 64 verse 8 says this;

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Through the prophet Isaiah,  the people asked the Lord to relent from His anger towards them and not to remember their sins forever.

In Isaiah chapter 64 verse 5, they recounted their own treachery towards the righteous ones of God andrex they asked, 'How then can we be saved.'

After confessing their sins and acknowledging that all their righteous acts were like filthy rags before the Lord, the people beseeched Him to remember that He was their Father and that in His hands, they were as clay in the hands of the potter and thus were the work of His hands.

In all the calamities they are facing where the sacred cities had become desolate and the holy and glorious temple had been burned down, they asked the Lord to look upon them and remember that they were His people.

Amen.

5

OUR LORD WHO INHERITS THE TRIBES

Isaiah chapter 63 verse 17 says this;

Why, Lord, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?

Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance.

The prophet implores the Lord to look down over His people from His throne in heaven and then asks the Lord  why He has withheld his tenderness and compassion from them.

The prophet reminds the Lord that He is the Father of His people even though Abraham does not know them nor does Israel acknowledge them.

He asks the Lord in verse 17 why He makes His people wander from His ways and hardens their hearts so that they do not revere Him.

The prophet cries out to the Lord to call Him to return for the sake of those who have served God because of the tribes of God's inheritance.

Amen.

2

OUR LORD WHO REJOICES OVER HIS BRIDE

Isaiah chapter 62 verses 5 - 7 says this;

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

This passage reveals a glimpse into the relationship that the Lord has with His bride. 

She is compared to a young woman being married by a young man. In this case, the Lord Himself builds Jerusalem and then marries the city as His bride and He rejoices over His bride even as a young man rejoices over his bride.

The Lord reveals that He has posted watchmen on her walls to diligently watch over her day and night.

The Lord charges the people who are His to be unrelenting in their pressing of the Lord to establish Jerusalem until she is the praise of the earth.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO HOLDS HIS PEOPLE SO THAT THEY SHOULD NOT FEAR

Isaiah chapter 41 verse 13 says this;

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

The Lord, speaking to the children of Israel, comforts them by reassuring them that even though they are a small people called from a distant land at the ends of the earth, He will hold them by the right hand and tell them not to fear because He will be with them to help them.

Even though their enemies rage against them and wage war against them, they will be as nothing and perish.

The Lord tells His people that they have nothing to fear and that he will help them.

Amen

12

OUR FATHER WHO WELCOMES THOSE WHO SEEK HIM

Luke chapter 11 verse 9 - 11 says this;

But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

As the apostles went from town to town proclaiming the kingdom as they had been instructed by the Lord, word about all this activity got back to king Herod.

He was perplexed because some people were saying that these were the miraculous  works of John the Baptist who had come back to life.

Herod knew that he had beheaded John and so he wanted to see Jesus so that he could verify His identity and try to understand what was going on.

At the end of their mission, the apostles returned to Jesus and reported to Him the things they had done. Jesus took them and withdrew to the town of  Bethsaida on the north side of the Sea of Galilee to try cool down the political tension that was being generated by their work among the towns.

However, even as they tried to lower their profiles, the whereabouts of Jesus and His disciples was leaked and the people followed them there. Jesus welcomed them and taught them things about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing.

The Lord, unfailingly generous to those who were hungry for the words He spoke, yielded time to teach them and to heal them.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER IS THE LIGHT OF HIS PEOPLE

Isaiah chapter 60 verses 3 - 4 says this;

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 

“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.

This passage speaks of the effect of the Lord's exaltation on His people.

When the Glory of the Lord rises upon the bride of Christ and when His  glory appears over her, the magnificence of her light will draw the nations to herself and the kings of the earth will come to the brightness of Her dawn which marks the beginning of her the manifestation.

The Lord's bride is humble and her eyes are lowered and so the Lord says to His bride, "Lift up your eyes and look about you." 

The Lord tells her that everyone has assembled for her and that all who are hers have come from far away.

The Lord then says to His bride in Isaiah chapter 60 verse 5;

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.

The bride of Christ, the glorious new Jerusalem, will no more be lit by the sun but by the everlasting light of God.

The people of this city are the work of the Lord's  hands as displays of His splendor.

As Isaiah chapter 60 verse 22 says;

The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Amen

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OUR FATHER REQUIRES A HIGHER LEVEL OF FASTING

Isaiah chapter 58 verses 5 - 6 says this;

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords Qaeda ee ease eee the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

This passage captures the Lord challenging believers to aspire to a higher level of fasting than what they perceived fasting to be.

The standard view was that fasting was a day of being humble, a day for head bowing and for lying in sackcloth and ashes.

The Lord rhetorically asked the people if such a fast would be acceptable to Him. 

With the Lord disapproving the standard fasting model, He then outlines the nature of an acceptable fast. People on such a fast would act to undo injustice, they would work to set the oppressed free and they would strike yokes of bondage and control over people in order to release them from captivity.

The higher level of fasting is one that operates in the spirit where its aim is to raise those who are fasting to a higher plateau where they can do battle against injustice, spiritual oppression and bondage.

This elevated function of fasting is what the Lord Jesus was referencing when the disciples, after going into the mission field to proclaim the kingdom, returned to him and asked Him why they were unable to cast out a particular demon that was tormenting a young man.  

The Lord pointed out to them that they lacked the prerequisite faith but, in Mathew chapter 17 verse 21, He added this;

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

First, it is revealed that there are gradations of demons and the particular kind in question required a greater authority in the spirit to dislodge. 

Second, the practice of prayer and fasting can escalate one's authority in the spirit so that even entrenched demons can be rebuked and expelled.

It is thus part and parcel of the lifestyle of fasting to ascend to the spiritual stance of restoring  justice, ending oppression and breaking yokes.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SHOWS MERCY AND FREELY PARDONS

Isaiah chapter 55 verse 7 says this;

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

This verse sets the templates by which people can obtain mercy from the Lord and be freely pardoned by God.

First, the wicked need to abandon their ways, behaviours and actions.

The unrighteous need to abandon their thoughts which are the expressions of the flesh in the mind.

Having done this,  we can turn towards the Lord and He will respond in mercy and grace towards those who repent from sin and humble themselves before him.

Amen.

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