Have you been waiting patiently on the Lord? If you say yes, then let me ask this: have you done so without muttering and showing discontent? It is one thing to wait patiently and in great expectation on God, but it is quite a different thing to wait because that is your only recourse... and you do so with discontent, or complaints on your lips. Scripture tells us that waiting brings honor to the Father, and a new song to us.
The act of Jesus healing and casting out demons is scripturally a rather mysterious process for us, but there are clues put forth in Matthew and Isaiah that give us some insight into it. It is not mysterious as to whether it actually occurred or not, but rather, in how it was accomplished. When we have a child that is ill we often pray that if it were possible that God would allow us to become sick in place of our ailing child. Did you know that in praying this way you are praying with scriptural backing... that you are asking (perhaps unknowingly) to be granted the power to heal as Jesus did?
We consider ourselves Christian when we accept the fact that Jesus, who was born of the Virgin Mary and is the Son of God, lived, suffered, was crucified, died, was buried, descended into hell, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. These are the tenets of the Apostles Creed, and define the basics of what we believe, but are only the beginning of a very robust faith. The goal of our faith is to teach us to love as God and Jesus do. So, I ask today... do we love Jesus as much as He loves us? Have we given our life lovingly just as He gave His?
One of the great benefits of church is being together before God with those who seek salvation just as we do, but another powerful attribute is the strength that comes from joint prayer. I am not talking about the recitation of a common prayer, although that is powerful as well, but I am speaking of two or more believers praying in their own thoughts and words for the same thing. If you have ever recited the Lord’s Prayer then you have participated in common prayer, but what about joint prayer with another believer? Have you ever prayed separately, together, for the same cause?
Have you been prepared to become a son or daughter of God? By that I mean, has God brought you to the place where you can see that the world (although filled with great beauty) doesn’t hold a candle to what awaits you with Him in Heaven? Are you ready to become His child? God gave Israel into the hands of Egypt for 430 years so that they might become receptive to Him. Then following His rescue, He led them for another 40 years through the desert before they were truly prepared and redeemed. Have you been redeemed? Are you ready to come out of the wilderness you find yourself in?
How is your memory these days; specifically, how is your memory regarding Jesus Christ? Do you need to be reminded to think of Him as you go about your day, or is He at the forefront of your thoughts always? Well, before you answer my question think long and hard. Our memories may not totally fail us, but there are so many times when they momentarily lapse, or perhaps we put things out of our minds… even God, Jesus, and our faith.
Do you pray in secret? If you do pray secretly, and God answers your prayer, do you still keep it a secret? This is an especially hard thing to do for a couple of reasons; first you want to tell the world what God has done, but secondly, and rather destructively, you want the world to know that God has heard, and answered, YOU!
You believe in God the Father, and have accepted His Son Jesus Christ as your Redeemer, and Savior, but have you come to the realization that there is another who now dwells within you? Deep inside, you have become the abode of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you haven’t acknowledged His presence... but He is there and even though He often helps you secretly, He wants to know you in an amazing way.
When we look around the world today we see such an overwhelming mess; killing, hatred, carnal sins of every description... the list seems to have no end, and its depth bottomless. Becoming overwhelmed by Satan’s handiwork is easy, and letting it make us despondent or allowing ourselves to be caught up in it can be equally easy. Is this world’s fallen state too big for God’s love and forgiveness? Is what we see too much for Jesus to carry within Him to the cross? Let’s delve into this today.
Are you a loner regarding your faith? Do you feel like you can take the Bible and journey to a mountaintop on your own without consideration for the Church or the body of Christendom? Do you look at bible characters such as Elijah the prophet who was sent to the mountain to wait in a cave for the Lord God to appear, and say to yourself, “This is me! I am meant to be alone!” Do you think that is what Jesus did? Well, if so, you had better rethink your position of faith, and your approach to religion. We are all meant to be one, just as God calls us to believe as one, He then joins us to the body of faith to become one with it... we are meant to be one Church.
As Christians we talk readily about our bodies being a living temple, and we quote certain scripture to make that point, but if our body is our temple then where is our altar, and what is our sacrifice? The temple is where we meet God, the altar is what makes our sacrifice Holy, and the sacrifice itself must be pleasing and received by God. Are you a temple? Do you contain an altar, and what is your sacrifice?
Are we strong enough to adhere to God’s commandments? Do we have sufficient strength to rise above the world and achieve holiness and great righteousness? Well, we might be strong in comparison to other men, but in God’s eyes we are most certainly weaklings, and in truth, we need the strength of Jesus in order to perfect ourselves, but even then we might find that we are a challenge for Him.
How is it that we can ever presume to know the mind of God? We think that by reading God’s Holy Word a single time that we understand Him, and yet each time we revisit scripture something new is revealed to us. It is amazing how scripture that we have read many times over will become new to us if we will only keep our hearts and minds open to His voice. So, let’s ask ourselves this simple question regarding our understanding of God… “how presumptuous am I?”
Have you ever experienced total rest in your life? I am not talking about a good night’s sleep, but an escape from all that troubles you, and the total recuperation of mental, and bodily strength... coupled with a complete refreshment of your Spirit and soul? Well, if you have then you know what our opening verse this morning is talking about, but if not, then it is time to listen to Jesus and come to Him.
We often pray for forgiveness, and in one such prayer we should ask God to forgive us for those things we have left undone. Have you ever prayed this way and wondered what those undone things and sins might be? Well, the most powerful example of these is not witnessing in word or deed to a sinner, either unsaved, or who has wandered away from their faith. Not witnessing when we are able places the blood of that soul upon us, but by obedience we save our own souls.