403. Christian Love In Action. [Galatians 6:1-10. Epistle Reading For 03 July 2022]

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

When we become Christians, we become part of the worldwide body of believers in Jesus. Each believer is personally related to Jesus but is also related to every other believer in Him. It means we have the privilege and responsibility of sharing Christ’s love with all people and particularly with others in the Christian faith. That is how Paul begins chapter 6 of Galatians. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression [Note1], you who are spiritual [Note 2] should restore [NOTE 3] him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Galatians 6:1. This involves watching out for the needs of others while at the same time keeping a watch on ourselves. The awareness of sin in another person can cause us to dwell too long on their sin and its attractiveness can tempt us towards the same kind of behaviour. 

Christian love means caring for the needs of others. 6:1,2

This is so especially if they are having difficulties in their lives. As Paul wrote in the next verse, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.“ Gal 6:2. Every individual has burdens to carry in life, many of which are imposed on them by others. Christian love demands that we try to help others by seeking to bear some of the load for them. This burden-bearing may take various forms but it should always be as though Christ Himself were helping them through us.

Christian love means operating from the right motivation. 6:3,4.

Part of keeping watch on ourselves involves looking at our own motivation in trying to help people. “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” 6:3. One danger is in thinking that we are special [something] and above others so that we see no need to humble ourselves to help them. But the reality is that we are nothing of ourselves and our value comes from who we are in Christ, by the grace of God. 

Another danger is in thinking that we are morally or spiritually superior to others and our reaching out to help them shows that superiority. Paul issued a caution, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbour.“ 6:4. Paul uses a word here which means to test thoroughly and then to approve after testing. [NOTE 4.] If the motivation is Christian love humbly working to help another person then all is well, but if the motivation is to draw favourable attention to oneself by helping another person, then that is an impure motive. Glory is to be given to God alone, not to ourselves.

Christian love means not unnecessarily dumping our concerns onto others. 6:5.

“For each will have to bear his own load.“ 6:5. These words may seem out of place coming as they do after verse 2. There the command was to “Bear one another’s burdens.” Yet here the command seems to indicate the opposite. An answer may be found in the two different words used for “burdens” in verses 2 and 5.

In 6:2, the word for “burdens” is baros; βάρος meaning a weight, heaviness or trouble. However in 6:5 it is phortion; φορτίον meaning a task or an obligation.  

It is the word used in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” In becoming one with Jesus and walking yoked in fellowship with Him, there is a burden we must carry. It is the obligation of Christian obedience and walking in love. Jesus tells us that it is a light burden. We are to seek His wisdom and guidance before we begin offloading our problems onto other people.

Christian love means doing good in the lives of others. 6:6-10.

Sharing the word of God with others. 6:6.

Gal 6:6 “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.“  It is a great privilege for us to be taught the word by others. They help us mature in Christ as we are exposed to the truths of God’s word. But there is an obligation on our part to contribute towards their needs in any way we can. 

Sowing into the lives of others.6:7,8.

Gal 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

We have a choice as believers to live as we want to live. But our choice should be based on our commitment to Jesus. He has given us His Spirit to indwell us and we are meant to be guided and led by His Spirit in every moment of our lives.  As we seek to live, guided by His Spirit we will make the right choices in life. If we just follow the dictates of our old nature [the flesh] and ignore the dictates of the Spirit, we will produce what Paul calls “the works of the flesh. ” They are ”corrupt” and are not pleasing to God. However, as we yield our lives to the Spirit and follow His promptings, then we will be able to exhibit in practice, the eternal life which we possess in Christ.

Taking advantage of every opportunity to help others. 6:9, 10.

Gal 6:9,10. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” 10  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Paul encourages his readers to maintain an attitude of doing good and not to grow weary and give up. To “grow weary “[ekkakeō; ἐκκακέω] means to be bad or weak or exhausted.  Why not grow weary? Because the fruit of their labours would eventually come. To “give up” translates the word [eklyō; ἐκλύω] meaning to faint or relax, become exhausted. It is a word used of the 4000 who came to Jesus whom He commanded His disciples to feed lest they “faint” on the way home. 

The right time to do good is “as we have opportunity.” It is to do good to everyone. But especially is it for those who are fellow believers or “of the household of faith.”

This whole passage is about Christian love in action and Paul sees the necessity of such love being poured out in the world of his day. 

Our modern world of today requires the same outpouring of Christian love and this passage encourages us not to grow weary in sharing God’s love throughout the whole world.

———————————————————————————————————–

NOTE 1. “Transgression.” paraptōma; παράπτωμα means a fall to the side or a deviation from truth and uprightness.

NOTE 2. “Spiritual” is pneumatikos; πνευματικός. This can mean someone who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God.

NOTE 3. “Restore.” katartizō; καταρτίζω means to repair, to complete, to mend.  We can see that the motivation behind the command is Christian love, that is, seeking the best interests of the person concerned. It is not judging from afar but rather becoming involved with the person in seeking to help them. 

NOTE 4. “Test” is dokimazō; δοκιμάζω meaning to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve. 

Blog No.403 posted on Saturday 25th June 2022.

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Healing, Holy Spirit, Lectionary Readings Year C [All years], Mental Health, OUTLINE OF GALATIANS, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

402. A Sermon on Luke18:31-43. JESUS’ POWER TO SAVE AND TO HEAL

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

[This is a copy of a sermon I preached in a large Melbourne church in 2010. I found an audio version of it on this link if you would care to listen to it, https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20210805173855/https://www.stalfreds.org/sermons/power-to-save-and-to-heal/

This is a great story of a blind man being healed by Jesus! But what is its relevance to you and me today? There are a number of lessons we can learn from the faith of the blind man. 

We see here 4 things we need to do to receive God’s healing or blessing. 

1).        WE NEED TO RECOGNISE JESUS’ PRESENCE IN OUR TIME OF NEED

Lk 18:35  As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 

The blind man couldn’t understand what was happening in the world around him. 

HE could only beg and ask questions. Lk 18:37  They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 

He was in the presence of Jesus the Healer. 

This same Jesus is present with us today in this service whether we realise this or not.

·       He promised in Mat 18:19-20, to be with His people as they meet together.  Mat 18:19  “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Present with just 2 or 3 gathered. Not just with 200 or 2000. 

·      Not just when the praise and worship get to a certain volume. 

·       Not just when people start saying to one another, “I feel the presence of the Lord here tonight.” 

·       It doesn’t matter whether one feels His presence or not. 

·       We believe what He says in spite of what we feel. 

The Christian faith is all about faith, not about feelings.

·       If we feel His presence, that’s a bonus, but we don’t have to feel His presence for Him to be amongst us.  

·       (One night our younger son David, a preschooler, was present with his mother in an evening service in the Armidale Cathedral. In a time of silence during the service, he yelled out excitedly “There’s God!” I looked up to see many present looking around the Cathedral. Then their faces turned sheepish because they knew that God is invisible. What had happened was that my wife Carole was showing David words in the Prayer Book to help in his recognition of words. Suddenly he saw God [not in person, but the letters GOD in print and made his discovery loudly known! But God was indeed present in the service but unseen.

2).  WE NEED TO ASK FOR JESUS’ HELP IN OUR TIME OF NEED. Luke 18:38  And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

What the blind man was told. “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 

What the blind man yelled out.  “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” 

·Here was a quantum leap, to go from Jesus of Nazareth, to Jesus Son of David.  

·       “Son of David” –was a title for the coming Messiah. 

It was what the blind man believed.  He recognised that Jesus was the Son Of David, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the One who had come to save and to heal the people of God. 

·      IN the presence of Jesus the Messiah, he could only cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

·      He humbly asked Jesus to have mercy on him and heal him. 

·      What would Jesus say to his request?

3).    WE NEED TO HANG IN WHEN WE FACE DISCOURAGEMENT

Before Jesus could reply, the crowd in front of the blind man told him to shut up, to be silent.  Lk 18:39  And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 

·       A blind man is always at the mercy of the crowd around him. He had a choice. “Do I just shut up and perhaps miss out on Jesus hearing me and healing me? Or do I make sure Jesus hears me as I scream out to him?”

·       He made his decision. Forget the crowd and focus on Jesus.  “… he cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

Luke described his yelling out by using a different word. In verse 38 the word is from nβοάω boaō; which means to cry out or to shout. 

·       However in Verse 39 it is from κράζω krazō meaning to scream out, or to shriek. Compare Mat 15:23; Mar 5:5; Acts 19:28-34.

·      He was fair dinkum in seeking healing and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought as he screamed out to Jesus for help. 

What we saw in The Healing Service in Sydney when I was in charge from 1988 to 2006

Many people came to the service in spite of all the discouragement that had been thrown at them.

·      Often it was from their Spouse or family. 

·      Some came in spite of being discouraged by their local ministers who didn’t believe that Jesus heals today. 

·      Wives suffering from cancer came alone to our Cancer weekends when their husbands refused to come to support them.

·      When you’re desperate enough nothing will put you off getting the help you need (unless you really are in a dangerous or difficult situation).  

·      How desperate are you to know God’s touch on your life? 

·      What do want Him to do for you? That’s the 4th essential we look at.  

4).        WE NEED TO BE HONEST TO GOD ABOUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED

Jesus heard the man’s screams. Lk 18:40  And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, Lk 18:41  “What do you want me to do for you?”    

·      A silly question by Jesus? Wasn’t it obvious!  He needed to see again. 

·      But he needed to tell Jesus what he wanted. 

Jesus and our freewill. 

·      God never imposes anything on us against our will. 

·      We need to ask for His help. 

·       He invites us to tell Him what we need. Mat 7:7-8  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.“

·       It’s the same picture we see in Rev 3:20.  He invites us to open the door to Him to let Him into our hearts and lives. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

·      Here it is 41  “What do you want me to do for you?”   

He Made a Choice. He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 

·       He knew his greatest need. 

  • Not financial security.
  • Not more recognition by society. 
  • He told it as it was, let me recover my sight. 

His priorities were right. His greatest need was to be able to see. That would open up so much more for him in life. 

Our choice? We can ask for help or we can choose not to. 

On my first night as Leader of the Healing Ministry in StAndrew’s Cathedra Cathedral.  I went to a woman who had raised her hand to indicate she wanted prayer.  I asked her “Would you like me to pray for you?” 

·      She replied “No but my friend here needs some prayer”.  So I said to her friend,  “Would you like me to pray for you?” Her answer rather rocked me. “No Thank you.” 

·      I thought to myself,  “My first invitation to pray for someone as the brand new Leader and I get knocked back. It can only get better from here on.”  That was the only knock-back I got in 18 years as Leader.

How would you respond to the question Jesus asked?  “What do you want me to do for you?”   

·      You could ask for many things. 

·      Some of them would be good for you. 

·      Others may be good but not what God wants for you.  

You can be self-focussed in your prayer.  “Lord heal me so that the pain goes, the mobility comes back and I can play a better game of golf”. That kind of prayer is often answered.

OR 

You can learn to ask for help in an unselfish way.  You can ask God to bless you with what you need in order that you might be able to accomplish His will for you. 

·       My suggestion to a  prayer warrior in America who had become weak and frail. Pray “Lord heal me for Your sake so that I might do Your will to Your glory for the rest of my life.” 

·      She began to pray that way every day, and there was a remarkable change in her. She became once again for many years, the vibrant faithful prayer warrior she once was. 

You and I can pray in that unselfish way for whatever needs we might have. 

  • “Lord bless me with the material things I need to be able to accomplish Your will for me for the rest of my life.”
  • “Lord bless me with the wisdom, skill, health (or whatever it is) I need to be able to do Your will to Your glory for the rest of my life.” 
  • God loves to bring the healing or blessing we need,  to enable us to walk in the centre of His will for us. 

THE REWARD FOR PERSERVERING FAITH

Sometimes we have to hang in trusting for what we need, in spite of all the discouragement and lack of support from those around us. That was so for this blind man. Lk 18:42   Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”  43  And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.“

·      His faith had been rewarded. The answer had come. He could see. 

·      His faith had opened to door to healing by Jesus. 

·      From that time on he was a follower of Jesus. 

The Jesus who is present with us in this service may be saying to many of us, “What do you want me to do for you?” 

Tell Him in an unselfish way, “Lord heal me, bless me for Your sake with what I need, so that I can do Your  will to Your glory for the rest of my life.” 

Blog No.402 posted on Thursday 16 June 2022

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401. Galatians 5:1, 13-25 The New Testament Reading for Sunday 26 June 2022. Christian Freedom!

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

These words which open chapter 5 of Galatians remind us of the freedom that Christ brings in the lives of those who are committed to Him. But we might well ask, to what freedom is St Paul referring us? There are a number of freedoms we can enjoy as we see in this passage of Galatians chapter 5.

Freedom from the obligation of obeying the law to get right with God

The major freedom seems to be freedom from the obligation to obey the law as a means of getting right with God. No human could ever obey the law of God perfectly, as Paul wrote in Romans 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” In other words, our right standing with God comes as we trust in Christ for salvation. When we do so, God declares us as righteous and acceptable to Him in His sight. 

Freedom to live as we should

However there is another freedom that is particularly pleasing to believers. It is the freedom to become what we want to be, by the grace of mercy of God. We want to be obedient to God as His children, seeking to please Him in all we say and do. What we could not do in the power of our old nature, the flesh, we are able to do, as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are empowered by Him to live as we should. Paul explained it like this, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3,4. It is only possible for us to obey the law as we keep on walking by the Spirit. That means that our lives must be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit at all times. 

Freedom from the dictates and power of our old nature, the flesh

Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16 -18, “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.” While we are being led and empowered by the Holy Spirit we no longer have to give in to our old nature’s demands on us.

What are the flesh’s demands on us? 5:19-21.

If we have not given our lives to God to enable Him to transform us by the power of the Holy Spirit then we are still under the control of our old nature, the flesh. It works itself out in practice. That’s why Paul described it as “the works of the flesh.” Later in chapter 5 he goes on to describe the characteristics of the flesh in verses 19 to 21. “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” As John Stott has written, these “seem to belong to at least four realms—sex, religion, society and drink.” [NOTE 1]

By contrast, the Spirit produces His fruit [God’s character] in our lives. 5:22-23

We note here the difference between what the flesh “works“ out in our lives in practice, and the inevitable fruit that is produced in and through us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.“ 5:22-23. As John Stott wrote about the fruit of the Spirit, “So we may say that the primary direction of ‘love, joy, peace’ is Godward, of ‘patience, kindness, goodness’ manward, and of ‘faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ selfward. And all these are ‘the fruit of the Spirit’, the natural produce that appears in the lives of Spirit-led Christians. No wonder Paul adds again: against such there is no law (verse 23). For the function of law is to curb, to restrain, to deter, and no deterrent is needed here.” [NOTE 2]

The secret to successful Christian living

Paul adds in 5:24 “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” This is similar to what he said of his own life earlier in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20.

We see here the secret to successful Christian living. It is to recognise that when we became believers and received the Holy Spirit, it was as though we had been crucified with Christ so that the old nature we were born with had lost its power over us. It means that if we continued to live perfectly by faith in Jesus and no longer submitted to the power of our old nature, it would be as though the old nature had come to an end in Jesus’ [and ours with Him] crucifixion. It would be as Paul expressed in Galatians 2:20 that Christ was now living His life in and through our totally committed lives as we continually died to ourselves.

Another secret to successful Christian living. 5:25.

It is easy for believers to be deceived and led astray from a total commitment to Jesus. So Paul advises us to maintain our victory in Christ by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in our everyday lives. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25.

It is true that the Holy Spirit has given us [eternal] life but we still have a life to live on earth. We need all the guidance we can obtain to make the right decisions in a complex world. 

Jesus, before His death, had promised His followers that the coming Holy Spirit would be able to guide them into all the truth “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John16:13. Paul reminds his readers that the Holy Spirit will be able to guide them. He wrote in Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” That is, it is a characteristic of the children of God that they are guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is interesting that the word Paul uses here in 5:25 for “being led” is  [stoicheō, στοιχέω] meaning to walk in military rank (or to keep in step). We need to keep in step with the Holy Spirit as He leads us in God’s way.  

Praise God for the victories He has given us in our Christian lives. It goes to show thar His grace and mercy remain on us throughout our lives. Praise God that we can walk in the freedom He imparts to us by His indwelling Holy Spirit. Praise God that we are enabled to keep in step with His Holy Spirit as we continue our Christian pilgrimage! Praise God!

NOTE 1. John Stott in the “Bible Speaks Today New Testament Series” on Galatians.

NOTE 2. John Stott. Ibidem.

Blog No.401. Posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on Monday 13 June 2022. 

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400 SOME THOUGHTS ON THE MEANING OF EASTER

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

It has been difficult to write articles lately so I thought I would bring up some of the articles I have written over the years on the meaning of Easter.
You can click on the links below or you can type any of these numbers into the Search box at the top of the right-hand column to bring up that particular article. I trust you find this helpful.

No 350. Because Jesus Rose, Our Hopes Can Rise As Well. Easter Day And Its Rich Meaning For Those Who Grieve Loved Ones. [John 13:1-6 And Other Verses on Jesus’ Resurrection and Second Coming.]

No 276.“FROM GLORY. THROUGH GORY. TO GLORY!” The Easter story in 6 words. (Expanded version!) Part 2 of 2.

No 275.“FROM GLORY. THROUGH GORY. TO GLORY!” The Easter story in 6 words. (Micro version!) Part 1 of 2.

No 207. A Sermon Outline For Easter. Luke 24:13-35. “THE JESUS WHO BRINGS HOPE.” What Easter means.


No 160. Easter! We Are Risen! We Are Risen Indeed! Ephesians chapters 1 and 2

No 069. Easter Day. “The Resurrection of Jesus. A New Life With New Possibilities”. Acts 10:34-48

No 021. Easter Day. “Christ Is Risen!”

Blog No.400. Posted on http://www.jimholbeck.blog on Saturday 16 April 2022

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399. A Loving Warning and a Gracious Invitation

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

Luke 13:1-9. The Gospel Reading for Sunday 20 March 2022

[This blog has been audio recorded as a podcast on the free platform Spotify and can be found there under “holbeck” No.399]

Throughout history humans have been curious creatures. They longed to know what lay over the next hill or broad river. In Australia this curiosity led many to become explorers setting out to discover more of the country in which they had begun to live. Many made wonderful discoveries of wonderful lands that were later able to be used for grazing animals or for agriculture. For a few, it led to premature death as some of the land was inhospitable or dangerous. 

In Jesus’ day, there were also curious people. In this gospel passage we read of some who asked Jesus about two recent incidents and perhaps wanting His thoughts on the meaning behind them. The first dealt with the violent deaths that Pilate had inflicted on some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem. It was a deliberate act of murder of those who at the time were seeking to worship God. It was both cruel and unnecessary! The second incident concerned what seemed to be an accidental death of eighteen people who were killed when a tower fell on them. In both cases, the people involved had done nothing to deserve the deaths they suffered. Jesus’ questioners may have been raising the question, “Did they suffer because they were more guilty than others?” 

Jesus’ answer was both a loving warning and a gracious invitation. “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

All of a sudden, their questions about the guilt of people “out there” who had suffered, had been turned into a personal challenge to them. Twice Jesus told them, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” They must have been amazed that Jesus saw them as “perishing.” That was the warning they heard from His lips. But at the same time He issued them a gracious invitation, namely that if they repented, they would not perish. 

It may have been that they had previously heard that word “repent” from the lips of John the Baptist as he began his ministry “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2, and also from the lips of Jesus Himself at the beginning of His own ministry, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17.

What did it mean to “repent?” It is seen as one of the essential truths in the presentation of the gospel. That was seen in the very first sermon on the day of Pentecost at the beginning of the Christian church as Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. … And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’” Acts 2:38, 40. Repentance was needed for salvation to occur, for everyone. 

To “repent” is the Greek word [metanoeō; μετανοέω]. It is made up of 2 words [meta] meaning “after” and [noeō; νοέω] meaning to “think.” The idea is that having said or done something we have an “after-thought” about it which changes our minds as to its value. So repentance involves a change of mind accompanied by a change in behaviour. In Christian terms, it means changing our minds about our previous words and deeds and seeing them as God sees them, as being imperfect in His eyes. We also change our attitude towards God and instead of seeing Him as outside or on the periphery of our lives, we change our minds about His claim on our lives and enthrone Him as the Lord and Master of every aspect of our lives. So not only is it a radical change in our thinking but it is also a radical change in our behaviour and way of life. 

“Perish” is a strong word. There was an urgency in Jesus’ message to His enquirers. Unless they repented they would perish. The apostle John brought out that truth in John 3:16 where he wrote, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The choice was between perishing or having eternal life. How did one gain eternal life and miss out on perishing? By both repenting of sin and believing in Jesus. That’s exactly what Jesus had preached earlier, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15. The gospel is the good news about Jesus, about Who He is, and about what He has done for a sinful humanity. However, there were many who had rejected Jesus and the salvation He had come to bring as the Christ. Jesus went on to share a parable with His listeners. But it is a story where we are left hanging for an answer to the problem it posed.

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

“And [Jesus] told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9.

The fig tree was often used as a symbol for Israel. There had been little response to Jesus among the Jewish people to this point. Jesus used the parable to show the urgency for His people to repent and believe in Him. God expected fruit from His people but if they failed to produce it, then destruction must follow. We would have loved for Jesus to provide a “nice” finish to the parable where the fig tree did indeed blossom in the fourth season and was saved. But the fate of the fig tree is left “hanging” in the parable. The hearers had to provide their own ending to the story. Salvation or destruction? 

We too have to provide the ending to the story of our own lives. Are we headed for salvation or destruction? The answer lies in our hands by the grace and mercy of God! Repenting of our sin and trusting in Jesus means we are saved. Failing to respond to the gospel message, indeed to the Person of Jesus, means we forfeit what Christ offers us in Himself, namely forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life.  The parable shows us the loving patience of our God in wooing us to respond to Him but it also shows the urgency of the need to decide to “repent and believe.” As Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Every individual ever born needs to repent and believe.

This passage of scripture in Luke 13 leads us to the decision we must make about Jesus, whether to accept Him as Saviour and Lord or to continue to reject him. But let us not presume on God’s kindness, patience and love, as Paul challenged his readers, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4. Has His kindness had that effect on you?

Blog 399 posted on Wednesday 16 March 2022.

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Creation, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Glorification, Healing, Holy Spirit, Judgement, Justification, Lectionary Readings Year C [All years], Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification, TOPICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

398. BE ANXIOUS! FOR NOTHING! GOD SAYS! Philippians 4:6-7

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

“Be anxious for nothing,” is the translation in the King James Version of the Bible of Philippians 4:6. KJV. At first sight that might mean for some people that we should be anxious. But the verse goes on to say, “Be anxious for nothing.” A more modern translation is easier to follow, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “ [English Standard Version.]

In other words, anxiety should never become a part of the Christian’s concerns in life. God is able to do something about the things that could cause anxiety in our lives. 

What is anxiety? The word for “to be anxious” in the original Greek version of the Bible is [merimnaō;μεριμνάω].  The word can mean “care” and the noun merimna is translated as such in the KJV. However when one is troubled by the care one has for someone or something, it can cause anxiety levels to rise in that person, and that is what anxiety is all about. 

What is God’s answer to the rise of anxiety in people? This is what Philippians 4:6 indicates.

1]. ANXIETY IS UNNECESSARY.  

“Do not be anxious about anything “ is God’s command through St Paul. The positive attitude of caring must not be changed into an anxious state of mind. “Anything” means what it says, “all things.” There can be no situation nor circumstance in which it is not possible for God to deal with the concerns or cares we have. So anxiety is unnecessary for the believer! God is willing and able to make a difference as we pray!

2]. ANXIETY CAN BE OVERCOME. The steps to follow. 

Philippians 4:6 continues, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

a]. We need to share our concerns with God.  “but in everything … let your requests be made known to God.”

Paul commands that our concerns should lead to requests to God for His help. “Requests” are  [aitemata αἰτήματα]. Requests are expressions indicating that we need assistance in some way. So in letting our requests be known to God we are acquainting Him with the concerns we have with the view to receiving His help. In a very real sense it is the same as we saw in our previous article No.397 where Peter writes, “Cast all your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you.” We are to make our requests known to God [Philippians 4:6], so that He may take the burdens from us. 

b}. We share our concerns in 3 ways.

“but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.”

“Prayer” [proseuchē; προσευχή] is used 35 times in the ESV version of the New Testament and is the usual word for prayer directed to God. 

“Supplication” [deēsis; δέησις]. This is the request for particular benefits from God for oneself or for others. It is for specific help for expressed needs asking God to supply our need.

“With Thanksgiving” [eucharistia; εὐχαριστία]. This is the word used to describe the Lord’s Supper as the “Eucharist” as it is a Thanksgiving service remembering all that Christ has done for us in His death, resurrection, ascension and His sending of the Holy Spirit upon all believers. There is certainly a great place for giving thanks to God for answered prayer. All answers to prayer stem from the grace and love of God in caring for His followers, and His desire to meet their needs.   

However there may be a deeper meaning here as well. We are giving thanks to God for the fact that God is willing to hear our prayers. But we are also thanking Him for the answers we will eventually receive from Him. Matthew records Jesus as saying, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” This puts the receiving of answers as being assured, but coming in the future.Matthew 21:22. {Matthew uses the same words as Paul in Philippians 4:6, namely, [aiteo] for ask or request and [proseuchē] for prayer.}

 However Mark has slightly different wording, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24. What that seems to indicate is that believing prayer brings immediate answers to prayer. But the actual reception of those answers will be in the future, literally ”it will be to you.”

What a relief it is to know that believing prayer according to the will of God brings immediate answers to prayer. But the timing of the reception of those answers will be in the future. Sometimes those answers are immediate, surprising us with their speed and completeness. At other times we see a gradual releasing of those answers as the situation gradually improves or the health of the sick person for whom we have prayed, gradually improves. At other times the improvement comes in significant stages after we have prayed. They are all answers to prayer by the grace and mercy of God who heals in His way, in His time and through whom He wishes. 

3]. GOD’S PEACE CAN BE EXPERIENCED IN HUMAN HEARTS. Philippians 4:7.

“… And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.“

“Peace” is a wonderful feeling to experience. But especially is the “peace of God” a wonderful gift to receive. It is part of the nine-fold gifts of the Spirit [Galatians 5:22] but can be experienced at any time in the believer’s life.  As we have just seen, it can come as we make our requests to God in prayer and learn to trust Him for the answers to come in His way and in His time.

We notice here 2 things about the peace of God.

a]. God’s peace is beyond human understanding. 

It has to be experienced to be believed. God’s peace is much more than the absence of strife. It is the sure and serene hope we have when we hand our situations over to God in believing prayer. Outwardly there may not appear to be any change in the situation we brought to God in prayer, but we can experience a deep sense of internal peace knowing God is on our case and will bring an answer beyond the limits of our rational thinking.

b]. God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The word “guard” had a special significance for the people in Philippi. It is the Greek word [phroureō; φρουρέω]. It could be used to describe the protection the inhabitants of Philippi enjoyed knowing that Philippi was a Roman garrison city. The city was always protected by the soldiers of the Roman empire.  The inhabitants could rest secure in the knowledge they were protected day and night and could never be surprised by sudden attacks upon them by foreign forces. 

That is the significance of the word for “guard” here. As the citizens knew peace because of the protecting Roman garrison, so believers could know peace by the peace of God they could experience inwardly as they handed their concerns over to God in prayer. 

SUMMING UP

One of the earliest terms I heard as a new Christian was this one, “When in a fix, Philippians 4:6.” I soon learned to understand the meaning behind the term as I found myself in difficult situations over the years. That led me to studying the promises of God in answer to prayer and experiencing a real sense of the peace of God as I made known my requests to Him and cast my burdens upon Him. The truths of Philippians 4:6 as I have applied them, have certainly made anxiety disappear.

Blog No.398. posted on Monday 07 March 2022

Posted in Bible verses. Comments, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Healing, Holy Spirit, Mental Health, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification, STUDIES IN PHILIPPIANS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

397. Living Without Anxiety. God’s Answer! 1 Peter 5:6-7.

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

1 Peter 5:6-7. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Since Covid 19 hit our shores there has been a massive increase in anxiety levels in many younger and older people, according to health professionals. That is perfectly understandable as it is a new disease with no known previous treatments and it has been highly contagious. 

However there are lots of other reasons why anxiety is on the rise because of the changing political situations throughout the world. There is the threat of more personal restrictions and the financial implications that flow on from that. So if anxiety has become the result of the impact of Covid 19 and other factors throughout the world, what can we do to lessen it? 

It seems that there are two things that are necessary to get rid of anxiety. 

Firstly, we are to humble ourselves before God so that we are recognising our dependence on Him for everything in our lives. We enthrone God to be the Lord and Master of our every aspect of our lives. Both James and Peter indicate that such humbling brings the promise of being exalted by God for those who do so. [NOTE 1]

What does it mean to humble oneself? It can mean to have a modest opinion of oneself; to behave in an unassuming manner; to lose any sense of arrogance and haughtiness. It is something we need to do, as it does not come naturally to the human race. We are to humble ourselves, not just leave it to God to do so! It is much less painful when we do the humbling of ourselves than when God is forced to humble us, for our own sakes. As Jesus said, Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12.

It can mean not having a high opinion of ourselves. This was seen in my previous article No 396 where I wrote about Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” It means seeing ourselves in all our weaknesses and strengths as God Himself sees us.  God dislikes pride and arrogance as Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:5 where he wrote, ‘Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”’ It is the humble who receive His grace and help to live in a way pleasing to Him.

Secondly, we need to actively and deliberately pass the burdens we are carrying onto God. The word for “cast” involves deliberate effort as seen in its use in the Septuagint [LXX] the Greek Old Testament. For example it is used in Joshua 10:11 where it is said that the Lord Himself Lord cast down large hailstones upon the enemies of His people. Or it is used to describe casting a garment over the slain Amasa or of Elijah casting a cloak over his successor, Elisha. It is used in Job 27 of God acting powerfully against the unrighteous person, hurling the east wind in punishment on him, Job 27:21 The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place. 22 it hurls at him without pity; he flees from its power in headlong flight. 

In the New Testament it is used in Luke 19:35 where Luke describes Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem seated on a donkey and the response of the people to His entry, And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

It is the deliberate and determined casting of the object with the intention of not taking it back upon oneself. When we cast our burdens on the Lord we leave them with Him to sort out and we don’t try to wrest them back from Him to work out solutions in our own wisdom and strength. [NOTE 2].

So the words of 1 Peter 5 verse 6 are not only a command but they also have a promise based on the character of God. His character is that He cares for us. We cast our burdens or anxieties on God because He commands us to, and we have the assurance that He will remove those burdens from us in His loving care for us. As we do so, we take the pressure off ourselves and we allow Him to work on those burdens we have in our lives. Thus, we can know His peace [which is beyond human understanding Philippians 4:7] and receive answers to our prayers. [NOTE 3].

Summing up then, we note that our verses in 1 Peter 5:6-7 are a command from God through St Peter to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. There is the accompanying promise that as we do so, He will lift us up. There is also the invitation from God to deliberately cast our burdens or anxieties on Him for Him to deal with instead of us. The reason for doing so is also given, “because He cares for you.” He will not ignore our needs or concerns. HE will deal with them!

What an invitation! What a promise! What a loving Heavenly Father we have, Who cares for us so deeply!

NOTES:

{NOTE 1}. “Humble” is from [tapeinoō; ταπεινόω].  It can mean to gratefully take a lower position offered to us when we might have expected more. Or it can mean seeking to be a servant to all people and not just to our superiors. It can involve the changing of our mindsets so that we see everyone as being of equal value in the sight of God and none of them as being of less value than ourselves. We should really see ourselves as their servants treating them as Christ Himself would.

[NOTE 2]. “Cast” is from [epirríptō, ἐπιρρίπτω] from epí, upon, and rhíptō, to cast. It involves real effort to get rid of a burden.

There is a similar word in the Old Testament which is translated “commit.” It is from the Hebrew word used in Prov 16:3. Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established, and in Psalm 37:5  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

It is the word gālal, a verb meaning to roll, to remove, to commit, to trust. The root idea of the word is to roll. There is a burden in life in trying to do the right thing with all the complexities of making the right decision. The idea behind this expression is that we roll off the burden from our back and lay it at the Lord’s feet for Him to guide the decisions we make with His help. As Derek Prince once wrote, “Roll that responsibility off your back. Dump it at the Lord’s feet and ask Him to take charge of it. …You don’t need to be wondering and pondering all the time if things are going to work out. Just commit your works to the Lord. “

As we commit ourselves to love and serve God in this life, we have the privilege of being able to cast all our burdens on Him, knowing that He cares for us. 

]NOTE 3]. “anxieties” or burdens is from [merimna; μέριμνα].

The word can have a positive meaning of care and concern as we see in three verses in the New Testament. For example, in 1Corinthians 12:25 where Paul says that every member of the church should have the same care for one another. Again in 2 Cor. 11:28 Paul describes the daily pressure on him in caring for all the churches. Also in 1 Corinthians 7 Paul told the Philippians that he was sending Timothy to them because “… I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” These all express the idea of genuine care for people.

However most of the references are in the negative. Jesus taught that believers should not be anxious about the material things of life, in verses such as in Matthew 13:22, As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. See also Mark 4:19 and Luke 8:14. He also taught them to be ready for the end times, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. Luke 21:34.

According to Jesus anxiety was needless for the believer. If He cared for creation would He not care even more for His own people, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Matthew 6:25 and 6:28, 6:31, 6:34. 

Perhaps the most well-known verse is that written by St Paul in Philippians 4:6 where Paul wrote, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” It involves the deliberate decision to rid ourselves of anxiety by making our concerns known to God in prayer and with thanksgiving to Him for His willingness to hear and respond to our expressed needs. 

Blog No.397 posted on Tuesday 22 February 2022

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396. Thinking As We Should About Ourselves. Romans 12:3-4

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

We all have different ways of regarding ourselves. We dislike those who seem to act as superior to others and make us feel like second class citizens. It is true that so many people are focussed on themselves and their own interests and pay scant attention to the interests of others. It is one of the marks of pride which Jesus said was one of the things that come out from a person to defile them. Mark 7:22.

There are many warnings in the Bible that tell us about the dangers of pride in humans, for example Proverbs16:18, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. AND Proverbs 29:23, One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honour. Obviously God does not like pride in His creatures and warns them not to be proud.

What God has done through the writings of St Paul is to show us how we are able to have the right opinion of ourselves. We see that in Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”We see here these truths,

1]. We are not to have too high an opinion of ourselves. 

“not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” The word for “to think of himself more highly’ is from [hyperphrone, ὑπερφρονεῖν] which means to esteem oneself overmuch, that is to be proud, vain or arrogant. It means ignoring God and His demands on His creatures and choosing to do one’s own will. It means setting ourselves up as the lord and master of our lives and forgetting that we are creatures who are meant to be always dependent on our Creator God. 

2].We are to think with sober judgment about ourselves. 

“but to think with sober judgment” [from sōphroneō; σωφρονέω]. This word comes from sōzō; σώζω meaning to save or heal and from phroneō; φρονέω meaning to think or to exercise the mind. Combined it means to think soberly or healthily.

In other words to think godly thoughts which reflect the nature of God and are not severely limited by human powers of reasoning.

That means in practice that I am not to consider myself above what God has made me to be nor by how He has renewed me by His Spirit. Rather I am to remember that my entire existence is a given by God in His grace and mercy and that it is by His grace alone that I can make the right judgments about myself and about others as a new creation in Him. 

On the other hand it reminds me that I should not consider myself of no worth or of little value in the kingdom of God. God has called me to belong to His body the church [the ecclesia], the ones whom God has “called out” from the world to belong to Him to fulfil His purpose. I am to recognise that that God has a purpose and plan to fulfil in and through me. That is how St Paul saw his life before God in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” We are who we are by the grace of God and it requires that we remain in close fellowship with Him so that His grace can accomplish what He wants to do in and through our lives. 

3]. We are to think “according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

St Paul began this section by writing “For by the grace given to me.” He wasn’t relying on his own human wisdom gathered over the years. Rather he was describing what God in His grace and wisdom had given him to share with the believers in Rome. 

Now he demands that his readers use their minds according to the faith that God had gifted them in His grace and mercy, to be able to think correctly. That faith had equipped them to be able to see things as God sees them, to access His wisdom as His Spirit enlightened them and to see themselves and others in a new light. 

That is borne out in what Paul continued to write in this passage. His readers were to see themselves humbly as individual members of one body, 

4]. We are humbly to play our part with others in the body of Christ, the church.

St Paul wanted his readers to understand that as believers they were dependent on others in the body of Christ. They were individuals but individually members of one another. Different members had different functions, having different gifts. Romans 12:4. “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5. so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them….. .”

What St Paul is reminding us here is that God in His grace has gifted individuals with different gifts to be used for His purposes. It means that none of us has all the gifts and so we need to be dependent on others in the church for God to do what He wants through the church. It is all due to the grace of God at work through His people whom He has called in His grace and mercy to live and work for Him. They may have different gifts but they are all to use what gift they have, according to the grace given to them.

Where then is there any place for pride or arrogance in any believer? There is none! It is God who has called them to belong to Him. It is God who has equipped them by His grace with the gifts they need to do the work He has for them to do.

Perhaps our humble prayer should be, in the words of the hymn

“All to Jesus I surrender

All to Thee I freely give

I will ever love and trust you

in your presence daily live.”

BlogNo.396. Posted on Saturday 26 January 2022. [Australia Day].

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395. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE HEALING

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

[A Sermon on Mark 0129 I preached in the Healing Service at St Andrew’s Cathedral in February1990.]

James wrote, “You have not because you ask not.”

A hymn has these words. “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

We need to act on the opportunities we have to receive the grace of God or we may miss out!

In this passage are 2 accounts of opportunities taken to receive healing from Jesus.

  1. Peter’s Mother in law

Jesus returned from the synagogue in Capernaum to Peter’s house where they found Peter’s mother in law ill with a fever.  She was probably in no fit condition to reach out to Jesus for healing.  However Peter and the others brought her need to Jesus, something she was not well enough to do for herself. We read how Jesus took her by the hand and restored her to greater health so that she was able to get up immediately and make them a nice hot cuppa.

It may be tonight that you’re here to receive prayer for someone who is unable to be present either because of distance, or through illness. It’s our privilege to pray with you for God’s blessing on that other person, and we hear every week of wonderful answers to prayer in this way.

Like the people in Peter’s home, we simply join together to tell Jesus about the one who is sick, and leave it to Him to reach out to them in His love, and in His way and in His time.

2. The Sick of Capernaum

Good news can sometimes travel as fast as gossip. Within hours of the man being delivered, and of Peter’s mother in law being healed, people came to the home where Jesus was, bringing all their sick and those with evil spirits. In fact the whole town was outside to see what was going to happen.  They witnessed many being healed and delivered of evil spirits.

We’re not told whether it was the people who brought the sick, who had faith, or whether it was the sick folk themselves. It would appear that those who were sick and were able to make it on their own, got there, whilst those who weren’t well enough to make it, were brought by others.  What is true, is that all the people took the opportunity that was provided, and wonderful healing took place.

Many of us who have been involved in the Healing ministry have seen both of these things happen. There have been occasions when someone has come and asked for prayer for another person who was too ill to be present.  Hands were laid on the person who brought the request, and prayer offered for the other person, and later news is brought of that other person’s wonderful healing.

Or on other occasions, the sick person manages to come for prayer, and prayer and the laying on of hands is ministered, and the person receives a healing.  Whichever way it happens, it is still the same God who has brought the healing. The risen Christ is the Healer, and He can heal the person who is present, or the person who is geographically distant.  The reason is, that though you and I can only ever be in one place at one time, Christ isn’t limited like we are.

Let’s notice what happened just a few hours after Jesus ministered in Capernaum. Mark says that He drew aside to pray in the early hours of the morning.  But His quiet time was disturbed by His disciples who followed Him. They told Him that everyone was looking for Him.

His response may seem surprising. Instead of returning to Capernaum and continuing His teaching and healing ministry, He told His disciples that it was now time for Him to leave to go to minister in other towns.  And He did, going throughout all Galilee preaching and casting out demons.

The opportunity to receive the Lord’s healing had only been offered for a short time in Capernaum, and then it was withdrawn for some time.  But praise God, many took advantage of it and knew the Lord’s touch on their lives.

What if, what if there had been some in Capernaum who heard that Jesus had the power to heal but didn’t act upon it. Some could have said the same sort of things that people say today and fail to come to Him for healing. 

Some could have said, “I’m always suspicious about healing ministries. There are some funny people involved in healing ministries so I’ve heard. I don’t want to get involved with some weirdos. I’ll just hang back a bit and wait to see if the people who receive prayer actually live through it.”

Or others could have said, “I’m still working out my theology of healing, to see whether the scriptures actually indicate that healing might be a possibility in today’s world. “That’s not a bad attitude in some ways, for we need to search the scriptures to see whether these things are so. But when are we going to be convinced? The religious leaders and scholars of Jesus’ day saw firsthand His healings. They were confronted with Lazarus, a man whom Jesus had raised from the dead, yet they still wouldn’t believe.

In fact their unwillingness to believe in Jesus’ healing power made them look away from the proof before their eyes, and made them try to wipe out both Jesus and Lazarus.  Such is the strength of religious prejudice.  It refuses to be convinced and tries to destroy the evidence. It often tries to do so through character assassination.

{ ILLUSTRATION. The founder of this Healing Ministry Canon Jim Glennon  had a funny eye and a different sort of walk. Many scoffed at him and at his apparent physical difficulties. But God chose him to raise up this ministry to His glory and blessed it over all these years. It’s as though God said, “I’ll exalt him internationally, through a wonderful healing he’ll perform, knowing I can trust him to exalt Me.” He did perform a marvellous healing recently overseas which made national papers.  How wonderful that even the paper recorded his words, “Sometimes there are remarkable results. At other times there are not. We just have to leave it to God. “

What are the factors that would inhibit anyone from receiving prayer for healing?

Hopefully, not unbelief or religious prejudice. But there could be other factors. 

Fear of what people might think is one factor.  What would my friends in my church say?

Or pride. “I don’t need other people to pray for me. I’m a mature Christian! ” You may also need to be a humble one, letting God minister through other people to you.

Or it could be that you would feel a hypocrite for asking for help from God, when you’ve not really had much time for Him up to the present. It’s true that God wants to be the Lord of your life, but it’s possible to give your life to Him and ask for help at the same time.

The opportunity to ask Jesus into your life, to be your Saviour and Lord, or to receive prayer for healing and blessing, is here now.  

But I don’t know, and you don’t know, how many other opportunities you will have.  Certainly in Jesus’ day, there were many who missed out on His blessing.

Don’t be among those who in Feb 1990 had the opportunity but missed out. Be encouraged as you reach out to the Lord for your healing, by this fact, that God loves you and wants to bring you blessing, more than you want to receive it.

Blog No.395 posted on Monday 24 January 2022.

Posted in Bible verses. Comments, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Healing, Prayer, Salvation, Sermons and articles on the Gospel of Mark | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

394. In all things God works for the good of those who love Him. Romans 8:28.

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Jim Holbeck

These words from Romans 8:28 have meant a great deal to believers of all ages throughout history. Many have seen His hand at work in their very difficult situations as they faced inevitable danger. They cried out to Him and He worked in their situations to release them from those dangers. Others faced life threatening illnesses and their cries for help were marvellously answered as they were healed.

However God works for the good of His children as they ask Him for guidance for their lives. especially is this so as they mature and begin to think about their lives in serving the Lord in living for Him for the rest of their lives. We see that in this verse and in the verses surrounding the truth this one. Rom 8:28 describes those who love God as “those who are called according to His purpose.” In other words God has a plan and purpose in life for those who come to love Him and it is a joy and delight for those people to discover what that plan and purpose in life entails for them personally.

Personal truth

That became very personal for me in 1964 when I returned to QLD from Melbourne [over 1600 Km apart] during university holidays in August. In that time I had caught up with my dear friend Carole whom I had been courting before I left in January to attend college in Melbourne. We were returning from a long trip to visit my sister’s family in Central Qld when we pulled up outside a small country town for a brief rest before we completed the journey home. Knowing I was shortly to return to Melbourne and that we would not be together again for several months we began to discuss our future. What seemed to be certain for both of us was that we believed that God in His goodness had brought us together in the same parish and had seemed to have smiled on our relationship. We both felt that we would be serving the Lord together in Christian ministry in the days ahead. What was uncertain was where and when!

In spite of knowing that we could not get married for at least 18 months and that we would only have a very limited time together before then, it seemed right for me to ask Carole to marry me if she believed it was the right thing to do before the Lord. Imagine my delight when she replied, “Yes, of course!” At that moment our futures were set. We would continue what we were doing as the Lord had guided us already so that Carole would fulfil her obligation to the Education Department and we could be married at the end of January some 18 months in the future. Our parents were delighted with the news of our engagement and so were all our friends. It just seemed to be so right before the Lord! I was glad later that we had become engaged on that day because only a few days later my father became ill, was admitted to hospital and died of a brain tumour shortly after.

In the goodness of God I was able to take my mother with me back to Melbourne where she stayed with my sister and her new husband for the rest of the year. When we returned to QLD it was sad to see how upset my mother was as we approached our home. But in the weeks ahead and with the support of Carole and her mother, she began to be comforted and strengthened to begin a new life as a widow.

In other articles I have expressed my gratitude to the Lord for how He used Carole in so many ways in her work and ministry as a PhysEd teacher and youth group leader whilst supporting my mother. His love flowed through her in every relationship she had and many were blessed by her love and concern for them.

Just 56 years ago on 22nd January 1966 Carole and I were married in our hometown and within a few days Carole and I drove to Melbourne to begin our married life. In the goodness of God Carole gained immediate employment in a new High School as a Phys Ed teacher and formed warm friendships with both staff and students. I continued in my studies. At the end of 1968 we returned to QLD where I was ordained for ministry in Coorparoo parish.

Again in the goodness of God we were able to form rich friendships with many who are still friends today. Later we moved to Mt Gravatt parish where we saw the Lord move in power in bringing many into His kingdom through our ministry and a new church and Rectory were built. It was a wrench to us when we felt led to accept an invitation to become the Dean of the Cathedral in Armidale in northern NSW. Again the Lord was faithful and worked for the good of His people in bringing His blessings to so many.

It was a surprise to be invited to take over the leadership of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney where Canon Jim Glennon had become a world leader in the Healing Ministry of the church. But again the Lord gave us the assurance that we should accept the invitation and we experienced His blessing during the 18 years we ministered in Sydney. It was His ministry after all and He used many people in that ministry to impart His blessings and healings.

In the providence of God He allowed Carole to work in Sydney and she knew His guidance and blessing in building up the most successful department of its kind in the nation. She received many awards during her time as a Senior Head Teacher in TAFE but she saw all this as the Lord’s blessing on her ministry in this area.

In 2006 Carole felt it was time for her to retire and I made the same decision after leading the Healing Ministry for 18 years. We had prayed about where to retire and it seemed right for us to move to Port Macquarie in NSW where we found many wonderful believers in our church. Again God had worked all things together for good even for our retirement.

During our time in Sydney God had worked all things together for good to meet up with folk who had come from Florida and Alabama to learn more about the Healing Ministry. That had in turn led to Carole and I being invited to minister in the USA for a month at a time over a period of 13 years and we saw the Lord’s hand at work in blessing those times for the benefit of those who invited us and to our own eternal benefit as well. This was the Lord’s doing and it was marvellous in our sight.

The Lord overcame many difficulties in allowing us to be blessed with His gift of our three children and now we have 4 grandchildren and 3 step grandchildren. What a blessing from the Lord! Carole as an only child had really appreciated our growing family.

As our friends in Florida often said”God is good, all the time!” That was so even when Carole’s health began to deteriorate in recent years. In His goodness she was able to receive the best of attention at our local hospital and she knew His healing as she went through operations, radiation and chemotherapy over several years. When chemo no longer worked and the cancer advanced through her body I saw how the Lord strengthened Carole in her final days as she continued reading out aloud passages of the Bible as she maintained her close relationship with Him. Never did she ever doubt His love for her and her final days were full of peace for her. It made it so much easier for us when He took her home to Himself in October 2019.

So throughout the 58 years since Carole said “Yes, of course!” to my marriage proposal we have experienced this truth in Romans 8:28 that God works all things together for good for those who love Him! What a privilege it has been to marry my very best friend ever and to share in ministry together for all those years to so many people. What a privilege if has been to share together in bringing 3 wonderful children into the world and through them to share the joy of being grandparents. What a privilege it has been for Carole and me to be used as part of the good things He was working in the lives of so many people.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! For He is the God who does work all things together for good for those who love Him! Eternally grateful!!!

Blog No. 394 posted on Friday 21st January 2022. (Just one day before Carole and I would have celebrated 56 years of a blessed marriage!)

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