Epaggelia

In one sense, God is the Father of every human being, Hebrews 12:9, see where He is titled, “Father of spirits”. From the very beginning when He made Adam, He considered Himself a Father, see Luke 1:38.  God wanted Moses to know of His fatherhood over Israel as His firstborn son, Exodus 4:22. He also told King David that his son Solomon would know God as a Father, 2nd Samuel 7:14. David went on to write Psalm 103:13-14, describing God’s compassion as like a Father that understands the weaknesses of his children, and that all who do fear Him should know Him as a Father.  So we know God’s intention in creating humanity is that we will recognize His place as our Father in our life and enjoy His family-life. Most people in the world are ignorant of this fact, some people try to explore it, and even fewer investigate enough to experience it. God is the eternal and righteous ‘family-man’, and we can see it in Jesus who was prophesied to be called “Eternal father, Isaiah 9:6.  Why do some children grow detached and separated from their Dads and yet other siblings in the same family grow to love them dearer with each passing year? Every parent that ever had a large family, has recognized the reality of each child being unique and different, yet coming from the same parents.  Regardless of personal differences between our opinion of our earthly Dad, we all have the same Heavenly Father and we all grow closer to, or farther from, our eternal and perfect Father. Why? Jesus is the answer. The way we view Jesus does indeed affect our view of God as a Father. He told Philip, “He who has seen me has seen the Father, how can you say, show us the Father?” John 14:9.  Jesus was presenting Philip with a paradox. Since Jesus is God in the flesh, he in one sense is a father-figure for us as Isaiah prophesied, but he is also truly a bigger, older brother to every devoted disciple that ever followed him, read Hebrews 2:11-12. Jesus wants us to understand the difference between being a ‘church-family’ and ‘God’s family’, Eph. 3:14-15.         

Jesus calls people who want to follow him to trust him with their own family, and warns them that our physical families can change for the worse or better, depending on how they view Him, read Mt. 10:34‑39. Being worthy of Jesus is a task that affects our  physical family.  We must put Jesus before our family as more important because He will make our family strong to do what is right. Truly loving each other, is in fact loving God, Mt 25:34‑40.  How do we love our family?  The way we want to love them or the way God wants us to love them? How did Adam love his family? He didn’t love his wife very much when the serpent was talking to her, Gen. 3:6. He was ‘with her’, but yet he didn’t encourage her in what God wanted. Instead Adam sat silent and let Eve be duped, he failed his responsibility in pointing her to the truth. He may not have been able to force her to listen to the truth, but indeed he could have at least distracted her from the lie she was listening to. Why didn’t Adam remind Eve of the truth? How can husbands today do a better job than Adam? Jesus is the answer. Couples grow strong to do what is right and families grow tighter to enjoy unity when husbands and fathers learn the joy of sacrifice in serving their wives and children. Husbands can serve their wives by being a spiritual leader in their relationship and take the initiative in the ‘washing of water with the word’, Eph. 5:25-28. Jesus used the word of God to cleanse his disciples, John 15:1-4. Husbands and Fathers can help the Lord keep their wives and children clean by encouraging an appetite for the truth in the family. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled”, Mat. 5:6.  Does your family really want to do what is right? If not, then try to lead by example. Grow in wisdom and share with those you love most, the benefits of doing what is right. What are they? The difference between being in God’s family in Adam like the rest of the world, and being in God’s family in Christ like the church, is exactly this: The ability to do what is right. “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven”, Matthew 5:20. Where can we get that kind of righteousness? Only in Christ! Do not ignore God’s way of entering Christ and staying to grow in Him.. 

Key Text: Proverbs 8:15-16 & Romans 13:1-5.

If you read philosophical and historical literature of our day, you will realize that people who work from the most prestigious seats of academia, write that our society has abandoned rational or objective thought and is rapidly affirming personal opinion and relativism as the superior guide for life and setting  standards for a better future. Philosophers term this way of thinking as “postmodernism”, historians are calling it ‘revisionism’. It involves ignoring the reality of life and accepting only whatever we ‘believe’ are the facts. This new mindset abandons anything absolute and exalts what is relative. If we assume that everyone is supposedly right in their own experience then apparently no one is really wrong! Sin is paraded around as nothing more than sickness, drug consumption is spoken of as a recreation, the traditional family is considered an endangered species, immorality is heralded as sexual freedom, pornography is projected as freedom of speech, homosexuality is defined as an alternative lifestyle and abortion is sugar-coated by calling it ‘post-conception birth control’. The Christian can pray about it and preach against it, but our efforts are not efficient and as effective as we could be, if we do not influence our Government, WISELY and PRAYERFULLY. When Christianity first came into our world, it AFFECTED and CHANGED rulers in the highest places. Why? Because of Christians putting into practice the command of 1^st Timothy 2:1-2. They did not just say a prayer for blessings on their government, they cried out fervently and prayed prayers for rulers to lead in forming and enforcing laws which help us live in a society that promotes…

PEACE          eeremon kai heesuchion

This is the opposite of arrogant belligerence, it requires society to pursue friendship and to make allies in balanced cooperation and negotiating compromise. A goal many Jewish leaders were not interested in, from the context of re-establishing the Kingdom of God (Israel) from David’s throne outward and into the world.

GODLINESS  eusebeia

Any attempt that is made by humanity to mimic Christ or be like Jesus. In what ways can a society exemplify Jesus? Whenever our society recognizes God in an honourable way, that is the godliness we must pray and work together to attain and maintain publicly. This entails the engagement of God & Government, not Church & State.

PROPER RESPECT     semnoteeti

This is a lifestyle that treats everyone with a degree of dignity. Actions that reflect the honest truth of being equal in God’s eyes, recognizing and being able to act upon the truth, that Jesus died for you, me, the President and the mentally ill homeless person. Does our society truly offer an equal footing for every citizen to live in dignity? We can learn a real truth about our Government by the way our leaders treat three areas of society…, The Mentally Ill,  The Homeless &  The Alien.  How does our understanding of Christianity affect the dignity of these people in our society?

God has used rulers in the world of all kinds to accomplish His will historically and He is using them now. King Ahasuerus & Mordecai (Esther 1-10), King Cyrus (Dan. 10:1 & Ezra 1:1-2) & King Agrippa (Acts 26) are good examples. In complete disregard for a political person’s party ethics, faith, ethnicity or personal behavior, God gave each of them some of His wisdom. Can we pray fervently that God gives each politician in this world, some of His wisdom? If Christians can do the work of God with only the faith of a mustard seed, how much of God’s work can a politician do with a fraction of God’s wisdom? Luke 17:6.  It is our godly duty to pray and work to influence them.

Key Text: Psalm 51 

When we were children, we learnt how to say sorry to our friends and parents. We were quick to accept their forgiveness and immediately acted like nothing ever happened. All was forgiven and seldom did we see any consequence for our bad offensive behavior. Did we adopt this way of saying sorry when we learnt that our behavior was offensive to God? Can we possibly turn to The Omnipotent Creator of the Universe and simply say ‘sorry’ without any repercussions? If we ever heard our earthly parents shout, “who do you think you are?”, what would God’s reaction be? God The Father is far superior in patience and mercy than our earthly parents, but is His sense of justice duller than our parents? Psalm 51 is a great example of how to say sorry to God. The reason it is such a good example is because of two truths in David’s life. Firstly, he knew his origin and how the sin of Judah & Tamar held consequences on his heritage (comp. Gen. 38:12-19 & Dt. 23:2), his family roots were not forgotten, v5. David is the tenth generation from the illegitimate Perez, Mt. 1:3-7. Secondly, he was personally involved in accepting his own individual responsibility for his sin and the many consequences his offences would bring, 2Chron. 22:8. In this sense, David’s family knew that his mother was ceremonially unclean according to the law, Dt. 23:2, in his generation from conception, and that he was born with the anointed purpose of ruling as a ‘bloody’ king, 1Kings 5:3, Psa. 51:14. 

This brings us to look at our own heritage and standing with God. We must all firstly remember that without Jesus, our past heritage is alien and hateful towards God, whether or not we have been raised in a Christian family, we have all been guilty of falling in love with the world, it’s lusts and deceptions. God knows what background and heritage we are born into, and what we are going to CHOOSE to do with the life He has given us. Ephesians 2:11-14.  We have all been infected by sin’s disease of spiritual idolatry, deliberately choosing to worship ourselves instead of The Creator. Secondly we must accept that our sinful behavior is certainly due to our own personal choices, and not solely affected by our nature or how we were nurtured. Yes, our nature and the way we were nurtured does indeed affect they way we make choices, but regardless of all of these factors, it is only me that makes my chnoice to do right or wrong, Psalm 51:2-3. When our heart possesses  humility in accepting these truths, then  and only then are we able to approach God and say sorry, Psa. 51:10-12, Mt. 5:3-4 & James 4:6-10. We should pray that God will grant repentance, 2Tim. 2:25.Young David had a heart that searched for God, 1Sam. 13:14, but his heart often strayed and was fed with lusts and pride. Thankfully, David had the kind of erring heart that was able to trust in a God that was merciful and he believed would cut away the evil within his heart to heal it, Dt. 10:16, 30:6,  Jer. 4:4.  Although David paid dearly for his sins, his forgiveness was expressed in his lifestyle and psalms, to be publicized and praised for generations, Acts 13:22. May the Lord raise up many Nathans” (2Sam. 12:7) in our own personal life to point out what exactly we are fooling ourselves about, in order to wake us up to our own delusions and help us admit our need for God’s gracious gift of repentance.

Key Text: Proverbs 5:1-18, & 1^st Cor. 6:9-20.

Honey turning to Wormwood? v1-4. The bitter oil of the wormwood plant is toxic and can kill, so Solomon uses it to describe the after-effect of sweet temptations from women. When a man’s curiosity is blended with time to contemplate his sexual desire, this sweetness can immediately be tasted & enjoyed, but it is always ultimately disastrous. Adultery can kill, v5. The law of Moses sentenced adulterers to death, Lev. 20:10. Today, the price of adultery is paid in many costly ways, if not sooner, than later, and no one can afford it, Prv. 6:29. Foolish but beautiful women know this allurement, and every Christian man must be equally aware of what they are really doing. This can preserve your purity. Purity grows in value if we… 

Maintain discretion, v2. If women do not try to dress and act discreetly, then men will find it difficult to maintain discretion. So don’t go ‘near her door’. Be aware of the opposite gender’s natural inclination to be pleasing and behave accordingly! 1Cor. 7:33-34.

Safeguard knowledge, v2. If we are talking about the truth, and keep focused on the facts, then the deceptions of the opposite sex will be exposed for what they truly are. Malachi 2:6-7

Keep Vitality, v9. The honourable beauty of a virgin (male & female) is to be persevered and counted precious. This lends towards longevity of life. Romans 1:24-27. 

Regret vs. Forgiveness. King David experienced paying the price for adultery, and yet lived to enjoy forgiveness. However, regret was a very real and lingering effect he took to the grave, Read 1Kings 2, and understand the enduring struggle between Solomon & Adonijah which disturbed David to his death. David’s adultery had consequences which forgiveness from God did not erase. Remember Galatians 6:7-8. God can forgive us and totally forget our sins for eternity. But the consequences can linger for a few generations to come. Compare Psalm 103:10-12 & Exodus 34:6-9.

Pleasure in Your Own Spouse, v18. God instituted monogamous marriage (Gen. 2:24 & Mt. 19:6-12) for several reasons, one of which is safe & enjoyable sex. Erotic love within marriage is the only place you can find sex which is truly safe and simultaneously pleasurably fulfilling. If we express eros outside marriage we become lost in our own stupidity, v23. The very nature of erotic love is too intimate for sharing with more than one.  This should be obvious, but these verses warn us all, because our own desires and temptations from outside are strong and plenty. Even ignorant atheists know that sex is potentially very dangerous, but who knows where safe sex can be found?

Key Text: Proverbs 4:1-19 & 24:12 

Solomon is telling all his sons, what their grandfather first told him. This reminds us that God uses parents to instill wisdom by example in our hearts as a child. Listening seems to be a lost art today, in years past before television, we listened to stories and the radio, but today we are more visual in our learning than audible. This fact makes your living visual example more important in the eyes of your children and lost neighbors, friends and family.  We may learn a valuable lesson from the Proverbs, if we take the time to write down our own experiences and life-lessons for our children to read, instead of just relying on them listening to us. As important as hobbies, vacations, household chores and family leisure might be, there is nothing as important as parental advice and the sharing of experience with God’s wisdom. Instead of telling our children they MUST get a good college education, or they MUST keep trying to get a better job, or they MUST a good retirement account or investment, we SHOULD be telling them to GET WISDOM! There is no greater joy than to see your children walk in truth, 3^rd John v4.  This is more than making sure your children get to Bible class on Sunday! The commandment with promise from Ephesians 6:2, is reiterated here in Proverbs 4:10. It is a true generalization that if we live our life practicing God’s wisdom, we will extend our days to accomplish more for God’s glory on earth, than if we live according to the world’s ‘wisdom’, see Luke 16:15.There are more rewards too! Loving and embracing wisdom is promised to bring us Protection (v6), Exaltation & Honor (v8), and Grace & Beauty (v9). Jesus taught that we will be rewarded for our deeds for eternity, Mt. 16:26-27. We often get confused about rewards and salvation. Our rewards are blessings here on earth and within heaven, but our salvation is based on God’s grace accepting our soul’s faith, not our works and a wise lifestyle in our body. Do not confuse the two. God’s acceptance of us is based on our genuine faith in His son’s blood, which leads to Him securing our salvation, then afterwards, there are even more rewards in heaven than what we have experienced on earth. He will repay each of us according to our works, Romans 2:6, 2^nd Tim. 4:14-16, 1^st Peter 1:17, Rev. 2:23, 20:12-13, 22:12. In all of these very critical passages warning those who have lived foolishly and hindered their brothers & sisters in Christ, it is ominous that their salvation is not spoken of, but yet their rewards seem to be obliterated and they rest under God’s chastisement with their salvation at risk, not necessarily revoked. See 1^st Cor. 3:12-15, to help keep your view of salvation and rewards distinctly different.  Proverbs 24:12.

The Straight Paths, mentioned in verse 11 are exactly what Jesus was teaching on in Matthew 7:14, in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Mt. 7:21-23, therefore your salvation ultimately depend on whether or not you accept the right WAY or path. Jesus said He was the Way, John 14:6. Zacharias saw this prophetically when John the immersionist was an infant, Luke 1:78. Do you help people see the pathway to peace? They need your help, Prv. 4:18-19.

The Path of the Wicked, seen in verse 14, is the way which seems right to humanity in the world, Proverbs 16:25, it leads to our own destruction. That way is broad, wide and easy to walk, the people who desire it may say Jesus is Lord, but they do not live like Jesus is Lord, Mt. 7:21. The Lordship of Jesus in our life will characterize us with humility, repentance, wisdom and self-sacrificial love, Luke 9:23.

Which Path will you choose? We choose one everyday, whether we realize it or not, make yourself aware of which Path you really desire and walk upon.

Key Text: Psalm 40:1-16
Why Praise God? The Hebrew word for “Jew” (Est. 2:5), is a derivative of “OWDEH”, meaning to praise. Gen. 29:35.

1. Because no other creature but humans can sing as an expression of love & thankfulness.

2. Because when we patiently cry, He hears & answers! Psalm 40:1

3. Because God not only answers, but He delivers us from trouble on earth, delivering salvation in heaven! Psalm 40:2-3.

4. Because He put a new song in our heart and has given us a new name. Psalm 40:3, Isa. 62:2 & Acts 11:26, 26:28, 1st Peter 4:6

5. Because God not only delivers salvation, but He also blesses us in countless ways here and now! Psalm 40:5-10, 16, James 5:13

6. Because God views our praise as a fulfilment of prophecy in the body of Christ, Heb. 2:9-13, Psa. 22:22.

7. Because God views our praise as a sacrifice! Hebrews 13:15

8. Because God can teach us when we sing, Colossians 3:16.

9. Because God uses our praise to strengthen our resolve & help continue growing in His Spirit, and win over sin! Mat. 26:30, Mk.14:26, Acts 16:25, 2nd Chron. 20:17-22, Ephesians 5:18-20.

For all the reasons above and probably more that I will learn of in the future, I will forever fix my will daily, to praise Him. When evil days come that I feel even God is against me and I want to give up. I will try to plead my concerns to Christ my intercessor. Why? So that I might build up in my heart a new desire to praise Him. Remember Job 13:15.

Key Text: Matthew 6:5-15 

We all need to be decisively determined to pray with confidence. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time, Hebrews 4:16. If we lack confidence to pray, it is probably because of a lack of discipleship to the prayers of Jesus. Matthew 6:5-15, is one of the best passages to start working on to develop our lifestyle of prayer.  After all, if we feel spiritually powerless, it may likely be that we are faithless in our prayer, or absent of prayer altogether. One of the greatest needs of Christians is to be devoted to prayer, Colossians 4:2. We indeed may be ignorant about what answer to expect and what exactly to ask for, but we should not be ignorant about the need and act of prayer itself, Romans 8:26. We should be determined to ask, as the disciples asked, “Lord teach us to pray”, Luke 11:1. The person who does not pray, is really no better off than Christians who do not know how to pray. Having some kind of method or discipline of prayer, is better than having none!

Jesus gave us a starting place in Matthew 6:5-15. Notice the brevity of this prayer, Matthew’s account gives 64 words, and Luke’s account gives us 37 words. Firstly we learn that whatever method of prayer we use, it should be straight to the point and understood. If we don’t really know why we are saying what we are saying, we will either quit, or keep going aimlessly. The religiously pious people Jesus saw and derided, were on street corners getting rewarded for their prayers from men, Mt. 6:5, so obviously our method of prayer should not reflect an outward appearance, but rather we should be praying in such a way, that reflects an inward humility and sincerity. Do we search in our prayers, to be rewarded by God, and not men? Hebrews 11:6. This an obvious goal in prayer. Mt. 6:9 is filled with reverence because of the holiness of God the Father, which Jesus wanted to impress upon his disciples, Lev. 19:2 & Isa. 6:3. His name represents His power, and without God’s strength, we are helpless to live holy lives. This address in verse 9, is a type of praise, and helps us keep our hearts open for his strength.

 Jesus prayed publicly, and also taught his disciples to pray privately. The place of prayer isn’t real important to God, it’s the attitude that counts. Jesus prayed at his baptism, (Lk. 3:21), before crowds (Lk. 9:16) and on the cross (Lk. 23:34), but also privately on the mount being transfigured, (Lk. 9:28) and in the garden of Gethsemane (Mt. 26:39-44), and all night before selecting his twelve apostles (Lk. 6:12). Therefore he didn’t condemn praying for a long time, what he condemned was the meaningless repetition. If we follow His example, our private prayers should be longer, and our public prayers should be short. But the effect will be lasting on and on…