Sunday 31 July 2011
Saturday 30 July 2011
Monday 25 July 2011
Sunday 24 July 2011
Saturday 16 July 2011
WHAT GREAT MEN SAID
" If I were put in prison and would be allowed to take along with but one book, I would choose the Bible." -Goethe
" The Bible is not antique, nor modern, it is eternal." - Luther
" The Bible is a book which answers the questions of a child and mocks at the wisdom of the wise." -Prof. Bettex
Walter Scott, a famous British writer, author of quite a number of world-renowned books. On his deathbed, he said to his eldest son: " Give me the book!" The son asked what book the father meant. Scott answered: " There is but one book which could be called 'The Book': the Bible!"
A VERSE BROKEN IN TWO
GOD'S SIDE---------------------------YOUR SIDE
'For God so LOVED the ---------------------" That whosover BELIEVETH
World, that he GAVE His ------------------ --on HIm should not perish,
only begotten Son." ------------------------- but HAVE everlasting life".
( John 3:16)
Man's Questions ?? !! God's Answers
AM I ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD?
"Every one of us shall give account of himself to God. "( Romans 14:12)
HAS GOD SEEN ALL MY WAYS?
"All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. "( Heb. 4:13)
DOES HE CHARGE ME WITH SIN?
" The Scipture hath concluded all ubder sin."( Gal.3:22)
" All have sineed." ( Rom.3:23)
WILL HE PUNISH SIN?
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." ( Ezek. 18:4)
"For the wages of sin is death."(Rom. 6:23)
MUST I PERISH?
" The Lord is ... not willing that any should perish, but that all shoul come to repentance." ( 2 Peter 3:9)
HOW CAN I ESCAPE?
" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou dhalt be saved."( Acts 16:31)
CAN I BE SAVED NOW?
" Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor.6:2)
AS I AM?
" Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise casr out."( John 6:37)
Thursday 7 July 2011
DIRECT TAXES AND THE HOLY BIBLE
DIRECT TAXES AND THE HOLY BIBLE
According to the Holy Bible Government is truly an institution of God and the Holy Bible incorporated the concept of taxation as early as the book of Genesis (composed between 4000 B.C and 1804 B.C)
Two taxation systems are found in the Holy Bible.
1. Taxation in the land of Egypt
2. Taxation in the land of Israel
Joseph's Taxation System.
The biblical teaching on taxation begins in the book of Genesis chapter 41 verse 34 where we read the recommendation of Joseph (1897 B.C to 1804 B.C.) to pharaoh with regard to Appointment of income tax authorities and charge of income tax,
“let pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt “
It was the task of the overseers or officers to collect 20 percent of all that was produced each year in order to support the nature of Egypt
In Genesis 47:24 we read Joseph reiterating the portion of the produce chargeable to income tax
“At the harvest you shall give a fifth to pharaoh and four –fifth shall be your own for need of the field and for your food and for those of your household and as food for your little ones”.
That was the required giving. Everyone had to participate in it to support the national government.
In Genesis 47:26 we read about the special provisions relating to income of priests,
“Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.”
The religious officials were set aside from taxation but everyone else paid tax of 20% of their income per annum.
The above portions of the Holy Bible are one of the first recorded versions of national income tax in the world. An income tax introduced to support the nation of Egypt
Mosaic Taxation System
The Mosaic taxation system had six parts
1) Levite Tithe: Levites the priests, led the theocratic government of Israel Israel
“All the tithe (a tenth) of the land, whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree is the LORD’S. It is holy to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one fifth to it.”
Further from the book of Numbers chapter 18 verses 21 to 24, we know
that this tax was to be given to the Levite tribe.
In other words the Israelites gave a tithe every year to support those
who ran their government. The tithe was mandatory and the one tenth
of the peoples produce and animal.
The book of Malachi chapter 3 verse 8 states that if they didn’t give this
tithe, they were robbing God because it belonged to Him.
2) Festival Tithe : The book of Deuteronomy chapter 12 verse 10,11 and verse 17,18 refers to a second annual tithe the people of Israel has to pay i.e. 10% tax on grain, wine, oil, firstlings of the herd or flock and anything that fell under its scope.
The intention was to support national religious festivals, worship,
promote national unity and cultivate the social and cultural life of the
Jewish nation.
3) A Poor (Welfare) Tithe: This tithe was known as welfare tithe or poor tithe and was used to help the strangers, the fatherless, and the widowed.
The book of Deuteronomy chapter 14 verses 28, 29 refers to this tithe
“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town…. And the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.”
This tithe averages out to an additional three and one third percent per
annum of required giving.
The above three tithes were the mandatory taxation which were used to
Fund Israel
4) Profit sharing tax: In addition to the above three mandatory tithes, the people of Israel had also to pay a profit sharing tax which is spelled out in the book of Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 9,10 which says that when the people harvested their crops, they were not to gather right up to the corners of the fields and they were not to retrieve the fruit that fell while they were picking grapes. That was so that the poor could go through the fields and vineyards and share in the harvest bounty.
Such requirement in effect constituted a profit sharing plan to meet
some of the needs of the poor.
5) Sabbath Rest: In addition to the profit sharing tax, the book of Exodus
Chapter 23 verse 10,11 mentions that every seventh year the people
had to forfeit an entire year’s normal earnings so that the soil could
rejuvenate itself. This requirement was called Sabbath rest of the
farmland every seventh year.
6) Temple Tax
13, every Israelite had to contribute the annual third of a shekel as
temple tax. It was used to furnish and maintain the temple.
In short, according to the Mosaic taxation system, every
Israelite was required to provide a Levite’s tithe, a festival tithe, a
Poor (welfare) tithe, a profit sharing tax , the every seventh year land
Sabbath and the temple tax. All of this calculates out to be more than
25% of annual income to be paid as tax to the theocratic government of
Lord Jesus’ basic teaching of taxes:
Many of the elements of the theocracy were still operative during Lord Jesus’ time. The Levites, Pharisees and Sadducees possessed all the real political power and ran the government under the direction of the occupying Romans.
The wall of the temple courtyard had trumpet shaped receptacles into which the people dropped their tax money.
In addition to the above the Gospels in the New Testament of the Holy Bible refer to the exorbitant tax burden the Romans through Jewish collectors (Publicans) imposed on the people (c.f. Matthew 5: 46-47, Mark 2: 14-16, Luke 5: 29-30; 19:2,8)
In spite of that extra taxation, which was generally unfair and universally hated by the Jews then, Lord Jesus never commented on the equity of it.
Instead, He upheld the Old Testament principle of the Holy Bible and taught that people should pay their taxes.
The Gospel of Matthew chapter 17 verses 24 to 27 records Lord Jesus’ basic teaching on taxes this way,
“ When they came to Capernaum
Lord Jesus told Peter to pay the temple tax. In effect Lord Jesus was saying ‘Pay your taxes to the Government and give your worship to God’. His words are good reminder that everyone should pay their taxes because God is behind all human government and He ordained whatever tax system we’re under. (Romans 13 : 1-7: 1Peter 2:13 , c.f. Matthew 22: 15 -22)
Conclusion: The principle affirmed throughout the Holy Bible is that Government is instituted by God for protection and preservation of life and property Therefore the Holy Bible says in the epistle to Romans Chapter 13 verse 6,7,
“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him. IF YOU OWE TAXES, PAY TAXES, if revenue then revenue, if respect; if honour, then honour.”
Wednesday 6 July 2011
HANDLING OUR ANGER by Samuel Kondeti
We live in a world which believes “if it feels good, do it.” And in the world we see anger is rampant. Today we exposed to more anger than ever. Domestic violence, spousal abuse, gang wars, road rage and personal assault are growing to disturbing levels.
Anger in itself is not sin. We must remember that Anger is one of the attributes of God. In the Old Testament, there are over 600 verses that state that God is angry. But God’s wrath in never misguided .His anger is always a just reaction to evil.
In Romans 1:18 we read, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;.” and
Romans 2: 5-9 “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;” Such good or righteous anger is very rare among us fallen people. Our anger is often misguided and misdirected.
Christ when personally abused, He said nothing (1Peter 2: 21-23). But when it was against God, He displayed righteous anger (as in the temple). But we most of times remain silent when sin is exalted and God is dishonored, then get angry when someone offends us personally.
In 2Peter 1:3 we read “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”. Therefore it is important for us to learn His principles on the subject of Anger.
For our brief meditation please turn to Matthew 5:21-26 “ .”, Before we dwell on this passage let us briefly see the setting the prompted Lord Jesus to teach on the subject of anger.
Matthew 5:20 “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Imagine for a moment how disturbing this statement must have been for the people of that day. Pharisees and the teachers were the most spiritually minded people of their day. Everyone looked up to them for guidance in the laws of God. However Lord Jesus said to the People, “that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. The people who heard Lord Jesus must have been wondering, “How can we possibly become more righteous than the scribes and the Pharisees?”.
Lord Jesus answers that question in Matthew 5:21 to 5:48. Six times Lord Jesus says, “You have heard it said…but I say to you”. With these words Lord Jesus shows the true intent of God’s Law. The Scribes and Pharisees obeyed the laws outwardly however Lord Jesus wants his disciples to obey them inwardly as well.
God demands that we bring into captivity every thought to the obedience to Christ. (2Cor.10:5). Not only does God measure our activities by His word but also our attitudes. Therefore if we want our righteousness to surpass that of the Scribes and Pharisees, and if we want to enter into the kingdom of heaven, then we must learn to handle our anger.
We will look at two points, (1). As believers, we must be aware of the seriousness of unrighteous anger. (2) We must learn how to handle anger constructively.
1) Seriousness of unrighteous anger
In Matt.5:21 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:”. Lord Jesus quoted Exodus
20:13 “Thou shalt not kill.” to show us that murder is a serious offence. It is ungodly act of
violence that is to totally against the will of God. But Lord Jesus did not stop there he
went on to suggest in v.22, that being angry with your brother is just as serious as murder.
Killing is a terrible sin, but unrighteous or unjustified anger is a great sin as well because it also violates God’s command to love.
Before we move on we must understand that righteous or justified anger is not forbidden in the Bible.
- Lord Jesus in John Chapter 2 became angry with the dishonest merchants who were polluting God’s temple. However in His anger, He did not sin.
- When Moses came down from Mount Sinai and saw the people worshipping a golden calf, he had every right to be angry.
- When Jonathan became angry with his father Saul for treating David shamefully (1Sam.20:34) he had every right to be angry.
But anger that is unjustified is wrong,
In Eph.4:26, we read ” In your anger do not sin…”
-When Abel offered a better sacrifice to God, his brother Cain became angry; His anger was prompted by his jealousy. That is unjustifiable anger.
Further Lord Jesus in Matt 5:22 warns us of the awesomely destructive potential of words.
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says . ‘You fool’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matt. 5:22)
When we are angry and say hurtful things to others, we are sinning. We need to be very careful with the words we offer to others. We need to remind ourselves daily that angry outburst is not the fruit of spirit but is a work of flesh (Gal 5:20).
Illustration
“There was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all, he told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy finally was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one (You can put a knife in a man and draw it out). It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there”. A verbal wound is a bad as a physical one.”
One great enemy of a godly man and godly woman is anger. It is not evil to be angry. It is evil to allow your anger to control your motivations, decisions and actions.
We need to take advice of James, “if anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless”(James 1:26)
Anger that is not resolved and still lingers in our Heart is wrong and sinful.
In Mark 11:25. Lord Jesus teaches about not holding anything against anyone.
In Ephesians 4:26-27 we read “Be angry and do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Nor give place to the devil”.
Here Paul is telling us that if anger comes to the heart, 1) It must be controlled and 2) It must be dispelled before nightfall, i.e If we have anger even though it is justified anger lingering in our lives then we have sin reigning in our hearts. As believers we cannot hoard anger in our hearts because,
First - it grieves the Holy Spirit Eph.4:30-32,
Second- spiritual oppression As Christians we know that we cannot be demon possessed. Demons cannot come in and take our over our body as we have the Holy Spirit in us. But we can be demon oppressed. Ephesians 4:26,27 says that if we hoard anger we give the devil an opportunity to enter, to hold and create havoc in our lives.
2) As believers we must learn how to handle anger constructively.
As believers, transformation in our life is only possible by renewing our mind. Paul writes in Rom.12: 1-2 ‘I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God’.
For this renewing first we need to ask God to reveal the angers you and me been harboring in our spirit.
David asked God in Psalm 139: 23-24. “Search me O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties. And see if there is any wicked way in me. And lead me in the way everlasting.”
Second – As God reveals us, let us deal with them one by one by resolving them in the biblical pattern.
Matthew 5: 23 “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;”,
Lord Jesus is telling us if we actually want to work out our anger then we must go to the person we are having trouble with first and get it all worked out, and then come to God.
Mark 11:25 “And when you stand praying if you hold anything against anyone forgive him, so that your father in heaven may forgive your sins”.
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins your Father will not forgive your sins”, i.e. we have to forgive or finish the matter. It is a command not an option.
With a mind being renewed in this way it will become possible for us to,
First – Put off things like anger, wrath (Col 3:8-11),
Second – To put on things like kindness, love, the peace of God. (Col 3:12-15)
As believers if we do not present ourselves daily to God, renewing our mind, we will react according to the works of the flesh. (With anger and wrath) Gal 5: 19-21. But the more we allow ourselves to be transformed in the image of Christ, the more will we react according to the fruit of the Spirit. (Kindness, Gentleness, Self Control) Gal 5:22-23.
Conclusion
Following the example of Christ, there may be a place for anger, but only in things pertaining to the honour and will of God, in all other things, we do well to remember.
1) The example of Lord Jesus, 1 Peter 2:23 “who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return: when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.
2) The Words of David Psalm 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: Do not fret – it only causes harm.
Let us Cease from anger, and forsake wrath by presenting ourselves to God, allowing our minds to be renewed as we behold His glory revealed in the Bible.
2 Cor 5:17,”Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”
Published in Harvest Times For Our Family/GLS/April2010 Issue/Mumbai
How long would it take to read your Bible through?
It takes just 70 hours and 40 minutes or maximum 77 hours and 22 minutes to read the Bible being read out loud
We can read the Old Testament in only52 hours and 20 minutes , and the New Testament in just 18 hours and 20 minutes .
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS!
1) The Total number of words in the Bible is about 807, 361.Old Testament-622,771 , and New Testament-184,590 ,
1) The Holy Bible CAN BE READ through in a year by reading less than 12 minutes a day!
2) The gospel of Luke can be read in merely 2 hours and 43 minutes .
3) The Book of Psalms can be read completely in just 4 hours and 30 minutes
4) One can read the Bible comfortably four times a year,by just 48 minutes a day!
DISCIPLES OF LORD JESUS CHRIST WHO PREACHED IN INDIA
Many people are misinformed that Christianity in India is a European contribution. However, in fact, Christianity in India is as old as Christianity itself, and it was brought to India by two of the very own disciples of Christ himself:-
1.Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus (meaning "Twin") was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for disbelieving Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in John 20:28. He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel. He is also believed to have crossed the largest area, which includes the Parthian Empire and India.
Hippolytus records that Thomas was an active missionary, and that he met his fate in India, Thomas preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Margians, and was thrust through in the four members of his body with a pine spear at , Mylapore, the city of India, and was buried there.
2.Bartholomew the Apostle
Bartholomew the Apostle:Two ancient testimonies exist about the mission of Saint Bartholomew in India. These are of Eusebius of Caesarea (early 4th century) and of Saint Jerome (late 4th century). Both these refer to this tradition while speaking of the reported visit of Pantaenus to India in the 2nd century.
The studies of Perumalil and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient town Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew's missionary activities.
- According to Hippolytus, Bartholomew preached in India:
- Bartholomew, again, preached to the Indians, to whom he also gave the Gospel according to Matthew, and was crucified with his head downward, and was buried in Allanum, a town of the great Armenia [modern day southern Georgia].
- Eusebius, in his Church History, confirms the ministry of Bartholomew in India, and adds an eye witness account:
- About that time, Pantaenus, a man highly distinguished for his learning, had charge of the school of the faithful in Alexandria... Pantaenus...is said to have gone to India. It is reported that among persons there who knew of Christ, he found the Gospel according to Matthew, which had anticipated his own arrival. For Bartholomew, one of the apostles, had preached to them, and left with them the writing of Matthew in the Hebrew language, which they had preserved till that time. ---- (Book 5, Chapter 10)
Why did Jesus disciples died cruel deaths for preaching the gospel
- People do not die for a lie - these disciples must have seen something that made them choose their cruel death over denouncing their faith.
- Remember that these disciples are Jews - and the ultimate promise of God to the Jews was the coming of a Messiah....
- Maybe, just maybe, they were convinced of having seen and touched the Messiah ? The ressurection of the death may have given them the necessary push that made them overcome their doubt ?
- Human nature is such that no sane man would give up his own life to a belief that he knows is untrue.
- If anyone knew for sure whether Jesus did or did not resurrect from His death, it would be His disciples.
- They willingly went out to tell about Jesus' resurrection while putting their life on the line.
- The historical FACT that many of these disciples decided to give up their own life to tell the world about that "Jesus has resurrected" is a very STRONG evidence that what they died for is the truth !
- The reason that many of these disciples were executed is this:
- They refused to renounce their Lord Jesus, the Christ... That is the truth they were willing to die for...
Monday 4 July 2011
Our Refining through Fire: Malachi 3:3
*****
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord”
Romans
Malachi 3:3 "And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness".
****
From years the people of Israel
THEN a King – the Messiah, would sit on the throne of David,
There would be endless prosperity,
The wicked heathen would be punished,
The Temple
The Lame would walk-the blind see-the deaf hear & mute sing for joy,
All kings from all nations would be attracted to Jerusalem Israel Israel
BUT the people of the Malachi’s day were tired of waiting for the Messiah, they thought that God had forgotten them, they had reasons to do so:-
-They had been suffering under foreign domination,
-They were living under abject poverty, whereas the neighboring heathen, were prosperous and free
-Yes, the Temple
Under such desperate circumstances they began to question
-God’s Providence
-doubt His promises,
-suspect His justice, and
They even wondered if the Messiah would ever come.
Malachi as a mouthpiece of the Lord tells the people that God has not forgotten them, for the Day of Lord and the Messiah are about to come,
Lord God Himself answers to the His people, Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me...
“I am coming says the Lord”, BUT, first you must be ready.
It was a custom of the then Near Eastern kings to send messengers before them to remove obstacles to their visit. Preparing the way for the King was a hard work, and it is still today.
As we are eagerly waiting for the coming of Our Lord again, Prophet Malachi calls us to a deeper kind of preparation – a serious spiritual preparation.
1John 3:3 “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
This morning I want to share a little bit about the refiner’s fire, Purity comes from the refiners fire, Preparing for the Lord’s coming is a matter of purification.
I read recently about a sister, who was attending a Bible Study on Malachi Chapter 3, this verse "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) puzzled the sister and she wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
That week this sister called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The sister thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.
She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The sister was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that’s easy--when I see my image in it."
Therefore the passion for purity and holiness is not to be considered as a plaything, it is a process of refinement which goes through the furnace of affliction.
We all are going through this process-or we soon will,
We can divide the process in two parts,
1ST GOD’S PART and
2ND OUR PART
First: GOD’s Part in our refinement
God wants us to become like Lord Jesus Christ, we read in
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord”
Romans 8:29 " For whom he did foreknew, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren"
Ephesians 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”
It is important for us to realize FIRST OF ALL, that God wants us to become like His Son Our Lord Jesus Christ, BUT it involves going through the fire to become pure. Though it may be painful and unpleasant we have this promise
Romans8:18 , “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
Romans
The purifying process will result in glory and praise for us. It is not worthy to be compared with the glory He will give us later. Therefore first we have to understand that it is God’s purpose to refine/purify us.
He chastens those whom He loves, and prunes the branches that are already bearing fruit.
What a comfort it is to see that He surrenders this work to no one, He may give charge to His angels concerning us when we are in danger BUT when it comes to our refinement He Himself does it.
God’s part was our Lord Jesus Christ “…now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in hi sight” (Col 1:21, 22) and again in we read in Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself f0r us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.”
From the above verses we understand that Lord Jesus not only died to save us but also died to purify us. God HAS DONE His part through the Cross (Hebrews 10:10 ; Titus 2:14 ) and IS DOING His part through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9, 26) and His Word (2Timothy 3:15 -16) in purifying us and making us Christ like.
Second: OUR PART in the refinement process,
It is Lord’s will that we become pure BUT it will never happen unless and until we also do our part,
We read in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”
And in 2 Corinthians 7:1, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
We crave to be forgiven by Our Lord for our faults and our falls; so we confess that we might be forgiven and that He might cleanse us from all unrighteousness (cf:1 John 1:9)
We like to be forgiven but we don’t like to be cleansed- to go through the fire,
We hop out of the fire,
We refuse to melt,
We refuse to melt,
We refuse to be purified,
We try to resist the refiner’s fire because we feel something strange is happening to us, we are confused and cannot believe God can do such a thing to us,
The Prophet Isaiah said," When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned"(Isaiah 43:2); he didn't say if. And apostle Peter said 1 Peter 4:12-13 we read “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trail which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
The Prophet Isaiah said," When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned"(Isaiah 43:2); he didn't say if. And apostle Peter said 1 Peter 4:12-13 we read “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trail which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
None of us know when we'll be called to walk through the fire or how hot the furnace will be.But we do know this: God's purpose for the flames, is to purify us refine us, and not to destroy us.
As we wait for the coming of our Lord let us do OUR PART,
1John 3:2-3, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
1Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Let’s once again read Malachi 3:3 along with Proverbs 25:4
Proverbs 25:4 “Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.”
MARK the great and glorious end of this fiery process - a righteous offering to the Lord, and a vessel formed, prepared, and beautiful for the refiner, a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. WHAT A BLESSED RESULT!
Let us pray that our eyes are opened to our faults and our failings and our sins. When the Holy spirit reveals them to us – let us confess them and allow the cleansing process in our lives. Let us pray that God gives us the eyes to see His hand in every affliction and Let our testimony be like the testimony of the Psalmist, “ Before... [It is] good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.... I know, O LORD, that thy judgments [are] right, and [that] thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”(Psalm 119:67, 71, 75).
Sermon Delivered on 03/07/2011 at Karve Road Pune , India by Samuel Kondeti
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