189. “What Sort Of People Should We Elect To Government?” (Adapted from a sermon preached on Sunday 26th June 2016

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

Advice is often given on how to vote.  It ranges from the simple “Vote sensibly and once” to very lengthy explanations on how to preference parties and individual candidates so that the party or person you want to see elected has more chance of being elected. However not all of us have the advanced mathematical training to be able to work out all the permutations and combinations behind the different ways of allocating preferences.

For Christian believers we might say that we need to vote in such a way that God is glorified through our voting and that maximum benefit is obtained for the people of God throughout the world. But how can that happen? The following are some of the hints we obtain as we look at God’s revelation of His will to us in His word, the Bible.

 I).   GOD IS INTERESTED IN PEOPLE AND IN THEIR BEST WELFARE 

God knows what is best for His people. He knows that is in their best interests to come to know him to love Him and to obey Him. We see that expressed in Paul’s letter to the Romans. In the opening chapter we have these words,  “Jesus was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, (5)  through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.”  Rom 1:4-5.

We also see that expressed in the last chapter of Romans,   “(God’s mystery) …  has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith.”  Rom 16:25-26.

 It means that God wants every nation and every individual within every nation to come to trust and obey Him for their own benefit. God has a plan and purpose for nations and for individuals in the nations of the world. He promises blessings to the nations that take Him seriously. (Otherwise they miss out on His blessings.)

That is how He has acted in history especially in relation to the nation of Israel. He once faced His people with a choice. He had taken them out of bondage in Egypt and was about to bring them into the Promised Land.  The choice was to live in God’s way or not to live in God’s way.  God was honest with them and set out the consequences for each choice.  “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:  27  the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, 28  and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.” Deut 11:26-28. If they lived His way they would experience His blessing and His protection.

He later repeated the necessity for them to make the right choice in Deut 30:19-20.  “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20  loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” We have choices as individuals and as nations to walk in God’s way which brings His blessings of life and good, or to reject Him and lose His protection and blessing.

We could ask ourselves these questions,

  • “Which parties or individuals would be antagonistic to what God wanted to do in and through our nation?” For example those who wanted to restrict religious freedom and freedom of speech.
  • “Which parties or individuals will promote those values that God sees as important and which will bring His blessing on our nation?”

We look then to see who are the people who are blessed by God and can bring blessing to others for whom they have responsibility. .

II).   WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WHOM GOD BLESSES? Jesus Describes Them In The Beatitudes In Matthew 5.  Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, speaks of the “Beatitudes”, or as some people have called them, the “Beautiful Attitudes” that should characterise all peoples especially the people of God.

A).       CHARACTERISTICS COMING FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. Mat 5:1-2, “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. (2) And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the …. “

1).   “POOR” IN SPIRIT. Verse 3.  “Blessed Are The Poor In spirit, For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven.  God has a special concern for the poor (especially for those who are the victims of injustice.) That’s not the meaning here. “Poor in spirit” means that they are not full of themselves. They have room for God in their lives. It’s so easy to become arrogant and proud, to have a proud spirit.  Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:5,6, “Clothe yourselves all of you with humility towards one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.”

The candidates for whom we would wish to vote would be people who are characterised as being “poor in spirit” not being full of themselves nor relying on human wisdom. Rather they would be those who are open to God and to His wisdom and guidance.

 2).  THOSE WHO MOURN. Having A Sensitive Heart. Verse 4.  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  We could take this as meaning to be able to mourn with others in their sadnesses. Paul expresses that in Rom 12:15  “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” That’s what Jesus did in His ministry on earth as He brought comfort to the sorrowing.  We must too.

But it’s much more than that. It means, “Blessed are those who are sensitive towards God, and who mourn for their sins, and for the sins of others. Blessed are those who are grieved when people ignore God, and don’t love or obey Him.”

This was the sort of mourning we saw in Jesus as He came to Jerusalem, and looked upon the city that had hardened its heart against Him and against God’s purposes. As He looked upon the city He mourned over it and wept. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who were sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you would not! Behold your house is forsaken.”   (That is, “Your sin has brought this upon you. You didn’t mourn because of your sins.  You didn’t turn to Me for the help I could have given. You have forfeited My protection and My blessing!”)

Mourning for our sins and for the sins of others allows God to intervene in our lives to bring His healing and blessing. Mourning for the sin of the nation may be a vital step in bringing healing to the nation. Again we would wish to vote for candidates who feel about the world as the Lord feels about it, seeing it in all its need and wanting to see the beneficial changes that only He can bring. And hopefully allowing themselves to be used by Him as humble agents of those changes.

3).  BLESSED ARE THE MEEK. Meekness. Verse 5.  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”   Meekness is not weakness.  Jesus said of Himself in Mat 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle (meek) and  humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Soon after this same “meek” Jesus drove money changers out of the temple. Meekness is power under control. The word for “meek” is (praǘs) which was used for the breaking-in of a wild horse. It loses none of its strength. Rather its strength is now harnessed and controllable for good purposes. Meekness means looking to God for wisdom. True wisdom is to be found in Him and in Him alone.

Meekness means honouring Christ in our own hearts and being willing to humbly share Him with others, 1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”.

Which candidates conform most closely to this quality of meekness? Would they be willing to humble themselves to ask God for His wisdom and guidance? Or would they ignore God and even mock Him and those who seek to obey Him?

4). THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. V6.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”. 

There are many ways of describing the word “righteousness” but a very simple one is this, “What God wants”. (A modern version of this verse puts it, “God blesses those who want to obey Him, more than to eat or drink.”) The writer of Proverbs 14:3 wrote these words, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” When people do what God wants, the nation is blessed. By Him. When they ignore Him they suffer the loss of what might have been theirs.

Righteousness includes the sort of personal lives we should live, as well as the qualities needed in the corporate life of a nation. It is the passionate desire to see God’s will done in every life and in every situation.

Which candidate has that hunger and thirst for righteousness for themselves? For God to bring His blessing on their own nation?

We look at the other four Beatitudes which direct us to the sorts of attitudes we should have to our fellow humans. They represent not only Christian values but also the characteristics and values which the God of this universe desires of all His creatures. They are found in Matthew 5:7-12

B).  OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR FELLOW HUMANS

1).    “BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL. Verse 7. “Blessed are the  merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”   Mercy can be described as being the concerned, kind attitude adopted to those in need. Jesus showed it when He offered Himself to die on the cross for our sins.  Mercy is the inevitable expression of a heart that is in a close relationship to God.  As Romans 12 puts it, “I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice to God which is your spiritual worship.”  It’s from that experience of God’s grace and mercy that Paul can say a few verses later, “He who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”  As we receive the mercy of God, we are motivated and empowered to show mercy to others.

The candidates for whom we vote in the coming elections should be characterised by genuine mercy and not by dangerous unrealistic unthinking so-called “sympathy” which ignores the dangers..

2).  PURITY. Verse 8. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”  (“Pure” is from katharós which has many shades of meaning. It can mean being clean and undefiled. It can mean utter sincerity so that one is inwardly what one is outwardly. In modern day computer terms believers should be WYSIWYG people where the letters in the acrostic stand for “What You See Is What You Get.” What you see on the screen should be the same as what you typed on the keyboard. We need to vote for someone who is genuine, the real article, a real WYSIWYG type of person.

MARRIAGE. In these days there is another major area where purity is needed. It is purity in marriage. Not only would we want our candidates not to be guilty of adultery, but we would also want them to be not guilty of adulterating the concept of marriage itself. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews gave a stark warning in Hebrews 13:4, “Let marriage be held in honour among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” We need to realise afresh that this is God’s world and that marriage between a man and a woman has always been His idea.

We would want our candidates for election to take a stand on marriage as being between a man and a woman and not see God’s concept of marriage be adulterated in any other way.

 3). PEACE-MAKERS. Verse 9. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”   We need to note in these violent days that Jesus is not saying, “Blessed are the pacifists!” No, it is the “peace-makers” who are blessed. They are to actively seek to establish and maintain peace.

We need to vote for candidates who hate war but who recognise that sometimes it may be necessary to use force where innocent people are being threatened with violence and death.

They should be motivated to seek for ways of making peace for individuals and for peoples in our and other nations.

“Outsiders” coming to our nation. On a very practical note about our desire for peace. It seems to me that the majority of people in countries like Australian have a wonderful sense of fair-play and that they would welcome genuine refugees from any part of the world. However to seek to bring into our country those who have already stated before they arrive that they hate us, they hate our culture and they hate our God revealed in Jesus Christ, would be a dangerous thing to do.

What is needed in our candidates and in our elected members to government is Sensitivity to the needs of people AND Sensibility in choosing whom we welcome into our country.

4).    “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED.’ v. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”    Jesus taught that it is par for the course as a Christian to be mocked and persecuted. As He went on to say in verse {11} “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

If we want to live a life pleasing to God we will be persecuted. He might be pleased with our desire and efforts to serve Him but some of our fellow humans may not be so pleased with our devotion to Him.

Which candidate would be willing to be persecuted for honouring God and for seeking to maintain the Judeo-Christian ethos of our nation?

SUMMING UP

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a country where all the people were characterised by the qualities expressed in the Beatitudes?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all our leaders who governed our nation had those qualities? We could safely elect such people to Parliament because they would be open to God’s wisdom as to how best govern our nation. They would have our best interests at heart. Blessings would flow if they remained faithful to the Lord.

But what happens when hardly any of those standing for election seem to have those qualities?

We need to preference the candidates who seem to want to live by God’s Kingdom principles personally and who want to see them observed by the nation.  We give a lesser place to those who appear to be antagonistic to God and to God’s people and who ridicule Him or His word or His disciples.

We need to pray before the election and after the election, “Lord, May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Mat 6:10.  Then we are praying that God would work in Kingdom power in over-ruling the election results, knowing that He will honour those who honour Him. And after the election we need to continue praying so that He over-rules any Parliamentary decisions that don’t honour Him or that are against the best interests of the people.

Most importantly we need to pray for those elected  and for ourselves, “Lord, may Your kingdom come in all of us and may Your will be done in and through all of us to Your glory and to the benefit of Your people throughout the world.”

Blog No.189. Jim Holbeck. Posted Monday 27th June 2016. 

 

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188. HEALING MINISTRY. CORE TEACHING. STAGE 1 TOPIC 1. (“Becoming The People God Wants Us To Be.”)

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

TOPIC 1. “Becoming The People God Wants Us To Be.” 

Most people when they hear the word “healing” immediately think of physical healing. However physical healing is just one part of the healing that God wants to bring to His people. God’s salvation in Christ has provision for wholeness in every dimension of life. Salvation (soteria in the Greek) has the sense of wholeness. Wholeness in body, mind and spirit. The verb deriving from soteria (salvation) is sozo and is translated as “save” or “heal”. God wants everyone to come to know Him and to experience His healing power and love. He wants them to be in the centre of His will for them as His saved people.

The people of God as God’s saved people are to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ their King. It means submitting to Him now as King and becoming His “holy” or “set apart” people.

How do believers prepare for His Coming? Peter asked, 2 Pet 3:11-14. “What people ought you to be… ? ” The answer is by becoming the people God wants us to be. It appears from 3:12 that when we live as we should we can “hasten” the coming of that day. 2Pet 3:11-12, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12) waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” Of course God knows when that final day will be. It won’t catch Him unawares! But He encourages us by telling us that we can make a difference in the world as we live for Him.

We need to look at three concepts in connection with this.
1). The first is the concept of the Kingdom of God and what it means to live under God’s rule.
2). The second is how Jesus lived and ministered on earth as perfect man in submission to God.
3). The third is how we are to follow that pattern as we live for God today.

1). THE CONCEPT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

i). Everyone is meant to live according to Kingdom principles
The kingdom of God means God’s rule over His people. They are meant to live in willing submission to Him. Humans today can have an inner motivation and power to live as they should. God promised a New Covenant in which He would work in the lives of His people to motivate them and empower them to do His will. Such promises were seen in the following verses. Jer 31:33, I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts…. Ezek 11:19-20, And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. Ezek 36:26-27 is similar but adds, 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Those promises were fulfilled in what Jesus did in His death and resurrection and in the gift of the Holy Spirit He poured out on the church. God’s resources have been made available to believers by the gift of His Spirit to them. Paul wrote in Rom 7:6 that believers now “serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.”  In Eph 1:13 he wrote of the inheritance believers have in Christ. “In him you also… were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The Holy Spirit brings life and imparts kingdom resources to God’s people.

ii). Living contrary to kingdom principles causes damage
a). The danger of effect of hate, resentment and unforgiveness.
God has commanded people to love one another. If however they refuse to do so and continue to live with wrong negative emotions such as hate and resentment and refuse to forgive others, this can cause physical and emotional stress which can lead to illness.

b). Psychosomatic illnesses. Many health professionals see a link between unhealthy thinking and physical illness. They say that unhealthy thinking in the mind (psyche) can affect the body (soma) adversely.

Believers, as those indwelt by the Holy Spirit, can have victory over damaging negative emotions through renewed minds.

iii). If we lived according to those kingdom principles, we would be more likely to maintain health.
Healing is accelerated as negative factors are dealt with. For example, seeking to obey what God has commanded, such as loving one another and forgiving those who hurt us, opens us up to His healing power.

The prayer Jesus taught His followers , “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” should include, “Begin in ME!” Jesus commanded us to pray for His kingdom to come but it is necessary to pray that God work in us as well as in other people. That is, we need to allow Christ as the King to establish His kingdom in our lives. This should be seen in terms of Christian living (kingdom righteousness, kingdom love, kingdom wisdom and kingdom power) by the kingdom resources He places within us by the gift of His Holy Spirit.

2). JESUS AS THE PERFECT HUMAN LIVING UNDER THE RULE OF GOD

What does Phil 2:5-7 really mean? Jesus “emptied Himself?” Paul never suggests that Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity. He never ceased to be the Son of God or ceased to be divine. Rather He “emptied Himself” of many of His privileges that were His as the eternal Son of God.

  • Even though He was the Creator He limited Himself to a human body. He became tired, hungry and thirsty like other humans and he expressed Himself through human emotions.
    • He didn’t continue to “grasp” or hang on to the privileges of being omnipotent (He said He could only do what He saw the Father doing. He said that of Himself He could do nothing.)
    • He didn’t hang on to the privilege of being omnipresent because on earth He could only be in one place at one time.
    • He didn’t hang on to the privilege of being omniscient in terms of knowing all things. As a human he asked questions to obtain answers. He grew in wisdom.

Jesus’ perfect life and perfect death as the “TRUE” human.
In His perfect life He fulfilled all the requirement of the law of God for humans. A human had lived as God intended humans to live. A human had fulfilled the obligations of the law. In His perfect death as a human He bore the punishment for breaking of the law by the entire human race. He was and is the ONLY TRUE human who lived as God intended humans to live

Jesus’ Healings and Miracles.  Are they a proof of His divinity or His perfect humanity? Jn 20:30-31. Note the order of the words. Messiah! Son of God! Whilst we rightly appeal to Jn 20:30-31 as a proof text for Jesus’ divinity we need to look more closely at what John is saying. Jn 20:30 “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

John here described Jesus as the Son of God. But he puts “Messiah” first. Is John meaning that the signs Jesus performed are a proof of His divinity or is he saying that the signs prove that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one (and of course the eternal Son of God as well)?

The latter meaning would fit in with the prophecy in Is 61:1, 2 about the coming Messiah and Jesus’ use of that passage to describe His own ministry in Luk 4:18-21, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. … (21) And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus’ perfect availability, perfect faith, perfect obedience, as the true human.
If John meant that Jesus’ ministry was performed as the true human operating under the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God then the following would be true.
• He ministered in total reliance upon His Heavenly Father. Thus He was perfectly available for the Father to give Him the words to say and for the Father to work His signs and miracles through Him at any time.
• It would mean that Jesus was operating always in perfect faith in His Father, and lived a life of perfect obedience to Him.
• It would mean that there existed between the Father and Jesus a perfect intimacy so that He could see what the Father was doing in every situation.

Peter’s explanation of Jesus’ ministry. Peter wrote of Jesus’ ministry in Acts 10:38, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Jesus as the eternal Son of God and Creator would not have needed God to anoint Him with power unless He limited Himself to minister as a human in reliance on God. Then He would need God’s empowering by His Spirit. The additional phrase “for God was with Him” seems to be Peter’s way of explaining the source of Jesus’ power in ministry. Jesus was God’s instrument in healing people. This verse fits in with so much of the New Testament teaching that Jesus was the instrument God used but the source or origin of His ministry was in God Himself as He ministered on earth.

Jesus’ explanation of His ministry. It came from the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus returned from the temptations in the wilderness He began His ministry with an announcement in the synagogue in Nazareth. Luke records that Jesus read from the scroll from Is 61:1-2. He then announced Lk 4:20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” It was a claim that He was the Messiah. It was also a declaration that His ministry would come from an anointing with the Holy Spirit.

An encouragement for believers.
We need to recognise that the Holy Spirit who anointed Jesus for His ministry is the SAME Holy Spirit who has anointed us. The verb “chrio” (anoint) is used of Jesus being anointed by the Holy Spirit in Lk 4:18; by God in Acts 4:27; and with the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:38. It is also used of Jesus being anointed with the oil of gladness in Heb 1:9. It is used of believers in 2 Cor 1:21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 2Co 1:22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee..

The noun “chrisma” (anointing) is used of believers in 1 Jn 2:20, But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge and in 1 Jn 2:27, But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything–and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you–abide in him.

These are the only references for these Greek words for “anoint” or “anointing” in the New Testament. They are significant. It shows us that every believer has been anointed by the Holy Spirit, and that there are no comparisons in the use of these words in the New Testament.

Often in today’s church we hear the phrase being used that one Christian was “more anointed” than another believer. However such an expression has no biblical basis at all and its use has led to pride and arrogance on the part of some people and caused hurt to others. All believers were anointed by the Holy Spirit when they were established in Christ 2 Cor 1:21. Perhaps we could say in biblical terms that one can’t become “more anointed.” However one could become more available to God by abiding more closely to Him so that the anointing we have received from God can more readily flow through us. The emphasis then is not on seeking “more anointing” but on humbly playing our part in seeking to abide more closely with Him.

Jesus’ explanation of His ministry of Words and Works.

The Words Jesus spoke. He said of His teaching in Jn.7:16,“My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”  He meant that the origin of the teaching was not Himself but the Father. He was the instrument through whom the words of the Father came but they did not originate in Him.

He said a similar thing in Jn 17:7-8 of the teaching coming from the Father. Jn 17:7 “Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ” Again the Father was the source of Jesus’ words, and Jesus was the instrument through whom the teaching came.

The Works He performed. (Again we see the same concept. The works originated with the Father and Jesus was the instrument through whom He worked. Jn 5:19, So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise?  Because of the intimacy between Jesus and His heavenly Father, Jesus could “see” what the Father was doing in every situation and was available to be used by Him to accomplish His work.

In just one verse in Jn 14:10 Jesus summarised His ministry of words and works. Jn 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

Jesus continued the same pattern in His explanation of His ministry. His words came from His Father with His authority. The works Jesus did were in fact the works of the Father working through Him. No wonder Jesus said that to reject His teaching was to reject the Father who had sent Him. Jn 12:49 “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment–what to say and what to speak.”

Jesus, The Pattern of Perfect Humanity.

Jesus showed us how humans should live. We see Him as being perfectly submitted to God and to God’s will for Him for every moment of His life. We see His perfect availability to His heavenly Father as the true human.

We need to take seriously what Jesus and others said about His ministry. We often assume that Jesus exercised His ministry as the Son of God and that’s why He could do signs and wonders and miracles with His divine power. But that would mean that Jesus was not living as a true human if He had resources open to Him that were not open to other humans. He had to live as a human and minister as a human that He might be able to die as a human for humans.

Jesus as man overcame temptation by relying on and acting on the word of God. Mat 4:4,7,10.
Jesus as man overcame the powers of darkness and triumphed over them in the cross. Col 2:15.
Jesus as man fulfilled the law of God by His perfect obedience as man.
Jesus as man died on the cross to bear the sins of the human race.

What was His secret? It was His intimate relationship with His Father for every moment of His life.

Abiding in the Father.
Jn 14:6-11. In the passage from Jn 14:6-11 we read of this intimacy of relationship. Jn 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works
• When people saw Jesus they saw the Father.
• When people heard Jesus speak they heard the Father’s words.
• When people saw Jesus minister they saw the Father at work through Him.

Jesus explained that intimacy in Jn 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If they found that degree of intimacy difficult to grasp then they could look at Jesus’ works which were a manifestation of the Father at work through Him. or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Jn 17:21. Jesus spoke of this intimacy between His Father and Himself as being one with the Father and as being “in” each other. He wanted His followers to have that same oneness that He and the Father enjoyed. When they showed forth that oneness then the world could believe that God sent Jesus. Jn 17:21 “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  Jn 17:22 “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one”  Jn 17:23  “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Jesus seemed to be inferring that when believers did not share that intimacy with Himself or with God, or that oneness with each other, the world would find it difficult to believe that God had sent Him.

What need there is for believers to recognise, act on and enjoy their oneness in Christ. Not only will they be blessed but the Lord Jesus will be recognised in them and exalted as the One sent from God with His authority.

3). OUR OWN CHRISTIAN PERSONHOOD AS WE LIVE FOR GOD

Does it all depend on our “ability” or our “avail-ability?” What is our responsibility? My little summary is this. “Our responsibility is to be available to His ability in and through us.” When we rely on our own ability we close ourselves to God’s ability to work through us. If Jesus could do nothing of Himself and told His followers that they could do nothing apart from Him we need to take Him seriously indeed.

Christian living is not just our trying to do the best we can in a difficult world. It is really letting God work within us so that motivated and empowered by Him we are able to work out in our everyday living and ministry what He is working in us. Phil 2:12-13.

The need to abide in Him. John 15:5 Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing”. (As we will see later in Core Teaching we can do lots of things as Christians but nothing of eternal value unless it originates in Him.) However as we learn to abide in Christ in a deepening personal and intimate relationship things can begin to happen in and through our lives. Jesus said in following verses, Jn 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

When believers learn to abide in Christ and to absorb and live by His word, their prayers will be answered. Why? Because through abiding in Christ and living in the word of God we can come to know God’s will more clearly and our prayers will be more in accord with the will of God. Such prayers receive answers.

The example of Paul. Gal.2:8. Paul understood the concept that Jesus taught. The source of all true ministry was God Himself. But He could use human instruments. He had used Jesus as a human. He had used Peter and Paul. Paul described his ministry and the ministry of Peter, as God working through them. Gal 2:8 (“for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles”). Peter and Paul exercised their ministries but in reality it was God at work through their availability to Him.

God’s grace is sufficient. 2 Cor 12:9-10. Paul here elucidates an important principle. From his own experience he had learnt that in time of difficulty, the grace of God was more than sufficient to enable one to cope. God had encouraged him with the words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” From that point Paul saw the value of weakness because it opened one up to the power of God.  He continued, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The strong person in God is the one who recognises his or her weaknesses and relies on God for His strength. The believer who relies on his or her own wisdom and strength is heading for a real fall. As Paul wrote in 1 Co 10:12 “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Paul’s motive in life. To know God in a deeper way. Phil 3:10 “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
Christianity is all about commitment and love. That’s what the 2 Great Commandments of Jesus are all about. Mk 12:30 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mk 12:31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

As believers we have come to “know” the Lord through our personal commitment to Him. But our understanding and experience of Him is meant to deepen. In coming to know Him more deeply we are coming to recognise and understand just who He is as the eternal Son of God, as the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. Yet He wants us to see ourselves as His friends, (Jn 15:14) “You are my friends if you do what I command you”. AND (Jn 15:15) “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

We also come to “know” Him more deeply as we learn to recognise and appreciate more deeply what He has done for us as our Saviour from sin as the Messiah, and as we respond to His rule over us as our Lord.

In knowing Jesus we come to know the Father as well as Jesus said in Jn 14:7 “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Jn 14:8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jn 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father….”

Paul at prayer for his friends. He prayed that they might know God more deeply. Eph 1:17 (NIV) “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” The deeper knowledge of God that Paul wants for himself, he wants for his friends as well. He prays for them that God by His Spirit might bring that revelation of God to them.

Our goal in life must be a deeper relationship with Jesus. For that we need to have the right focus in life.
Our focus must not be on the gifts God gives to us but more on the Giver of the gifts, God himself.
Our focus must not be on healing as an end in itself but on God as the One who heals in His love and power.

To enable us to get our focus right in life we need an openness to God so that He can do in and through us what He longs to do. In a later topic,  we look at how we can become more open to God especially as we pray the prayer of openness to God found in Psalm 139, verses 23, 24.

SUMMING UP
Section 1. The good news is that everyone can become more whole. Our conversion experience is but the beginning of the work God wants to do in our lives. I was once asked to describe the Healing Ministry in just one sentence. I found myself saying and I still hold to what I said on that occasion, “The Healing Ministry is about getting people into the kingdom and getting the kingdom into the people.”

In other words people need to come into the kingdom of God through putting their faith in Jesus Christ. That is absolutely vital. Wee could say, What does it profit a person to gain all the healing in the world if they then lose their soul. Until they are born again they haven’t begun to live! Any healing ministry must be evangelistic if we are going to “love” the people who come to us for help. To love them is to seek their best interests and their best interests are met when we introduce them to Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

Then the Healing Ministry is about “getting the kingdom into the people”. By that I mean encouraging people through the word of God to become open to kingdom living as willing subjects of the King. That should work itself out in kingdom righteousness as we live by the principles of the kingdom in loving, forgiving etc.
It should mean seeking kingdom wisdom so that we are making the right decisions in life and not operating according to worldly wisdom which gets very poor press in James 3.
It should mean loving others with kingdom love in the way Paul expresses it in Rom 5:5, “for the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is God’s gift to us.”
It should mean kingdom power as we rely on God Himself to manifest His love and power in transforming the lives of those to whom we minister and for whom we pray. (Including ourselves). But more of that in future topics.

Section 2. The truths here can be life-changing. It shows us how Jesus lived and ministered as a human on earth. It shows Him as a human living under the rule of God’s kingdom for every moment of His life. Instead of having a picture in our minds that Jesus was different from us as a human we see He was the REAL THING, the ONE TRUE HUMAN.

It helps us to appreciate what He did in humbling Himself to become a human and in relying on His Heavenly Father for every moment of his life. It helps us understand how humans should behave as we read of His perfect obedience to God. It helps us recognise what God can do in human lives which are fully open to Him. Jesus sets the pattern for every human to follow.

Section 3. How we can follow that perfect pattern of Jesus as we live for Him in today’s world. What indeed might God do in and through our lives if we sought to follow Jesus’ pattern of perfect submission and perfect availability to God.

In the Notes we read that the important thing to keep in mind as we live for the Lord and seek to serve Him, is that it doesn’t depend on our abilities but on His ability in and through us. (But more of that in future topics as well.)

Suffice it to say that God wants us to become the people He wants us to be. He can heal us and change us by His work within us so that we can work out even more in our everyday living what He is working is us. Phil 2:12-13.

Blog No.188. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Thursday 2nd June 2016

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Forgiveness, HEALING MINISTRY Core Teaching, Prayer, TOPICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

187. CORE TEACHING OF THE HEALING MINISTRY. An Introduction

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

BACKGROUND TO THE CORE TEACHING NOTES

 In all my teaching I have had this as my goal, 2 Tim 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”  It is a great joy and blessing to be able to delve into the word of God and to see what He says about the realities of life. A joy to find out why people are as they are and how they may be changed by the grace of God. Then the privilege of being able to share those life and health changing truths with others.

Decades ago I wrote that I was on a learning curve about healing. (See here) I am still on that learning curve! But these Core Teachings contain many of the things I have learned on the way. Each topic represents about an hour’s teaching. So be prepared! But first about about the background in which these teachings developed.
Brisbane Diocese. During my first 10 years in the ordained ministry there had been little opportunity to develop any specific Biblical teaching programs. I had done some teaching in parish and Church Missionary Society youth groups as a layman and later as a Priest had taught New Testament for a year for the Australian College of Theology Th A course at St Francis Theological College in Brisbane. However parish duties and Scripture teaching in several primary and secondary schools took up all my time.

Armidale Diocese. When I became the Dean of St Peter’s Cathedral in Armidale diocese my ministry was focussed on the preaching and administrative program for the 2 main town churches and the 5 country centres in the parish. One special joy was the teaching involved in introducing the “Know Your Bible” course each semester for a large group of women from many denominations.

Sydney Diocese. When I succeeded Canon Jim Glennon as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney my main teaching was at the Postal Congregation Seminars held a couple of times each year at Marsfield. Otherwise normal Cathedral duties, preaching at the Healing services in the Cathedral and counselling occupied my time.

One woman to whom I ministered said that she found the biblical base to the ministry so helpful she wanted more. She asked whether I would be willing to do some teaching if she could invite some of her friends along to hear as well. In fact she managed to encourage a whole group of friends to come every Monday morning for 2 hours of praise and teaching. I taught through some books of the Bible and also tackled some biblical topics as well.

What I discovered was important. In one on one ministry I could only minister to one person at a time. However in teaching 20 or more folk on those mornings, we ministered to one another as we shared insights into God’s word and prayed with and for each other. It gave me a chance to really delve into God’s word every Sunday night to have an hour’s talk ready for the morning. I found it immensely satisfying and fulfilling. Those who came, kindly said they found it helpful as well.

I later combined some of the subjects together to form the seminars for the Inner Healing and Wholeness Weekends. We also began to arrange seminars for the Core Teaching programs which were held at our Healing Ministry Centre at Newtown Sydney from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon. (There are now 5 Stages of the Core Teaching with 4 to 6 subjects in each stage.)

Those who have been exposed to the teaching over the years would number in the thousands rather than the hundreds. There have been opportunities to teach some of the topics in many country areas in Australia and for a month in New Zealand in 1993 for the Order of St Luke. An invitation to minister in Florida USA led to our teaching the Core Teaching Seminars at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Winter Park near Orlando in Central Florida. They in turn have taught Core Teaching modules to dozens of folk from many denominations.
What is the teaching about? I have always felt that God’s word has the answers to our human situations and that as people turn to His word and act on it, they can be changed to become the people of God He wants them to be. He loves us enough to want to communicate with us. He has communicated with us through His written word (the Bible) and through His living Word (the Lord Jesus). But to know accurately about Jesus we need to turn to the written word as our source. These teaching topics are all based on the word of God and I only refer to other sources when I feel it might be helpful to do so.

My great desire is that anyone in the world who has access to a Bible might be helped through reading this Core teaching material. It is simple and hopefully easily understood. An even greater desire is that those who are helped might be willing and motivated to share (and hopefully teach) this Biblical teaching with others to the glory of God and for the benefit of His people.

Blog No.187. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Thursday 2nd June 2016

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Healing, HEALING MINISTRY Core Teaching, Prayer, TOPICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

186. SOME NEWS re Holbeck blogs

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

I am hoping to do a number of things on my blog in coming months. When one is nearing 81 one discovers that time is limited in which to make contributions to life. So I propose to do the following. God willing!

1).        “Group Discussion Material.”  I hope to turn many of my previous articles into material that can be used for Group Discussion Study material or by individuals for private study. They will contain information on the topic and also questions for discussion in groups or for individuals.

They will have the category name “Group Discussion Material” in the Category section on the right hand side of the blog.

For example there are two in progress at the moment, material on my early blogs on “Forgiveness” beginning with Blog No.001. (GROUP DISCUSSION MATERIAL on “Forgiveness”) see below.

The other is material on the “Lord’s Prayer” beginning at Blog No. 173.   (Group Discussion Material on “The Lord’s Prayer.”) see below.

(They have begun but are a work in progress at the moment.)

This is what the categories look like at present on the blogsite.

Categories. (Note too that the SEARCH facility on the right hand side of the blogs just above the category section is great for finding verses, names and topics in all the blogs.)

2).        Healing Ministry. Core Teaching. I propose to put on the blog many of the topics which I have taught at various Healing Seminars over many years in Australia, New Zealand and in the USA. In particular I am hoping to download all my teaching at the Core Teaching seminars I have conducted.

  • These are in Stages such as Core Teaching Stage 1 and this will be followed later by Core Teaching Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5. They have between 4 to 6 topics in each stage. Together they consider many of the foundational truths which can help people begin and successfully maintain a Healing Ministry. Or they can help individuals understand the basis of praying for those in need.
  • Thousands of folk over the years have attended these seminars and have testified that they have been a blessing to them. It is my hope that I can share with interested people what has been a blessing to me as I prepared and delivered them.
  • These will be in the Category section on the right hand side under the category “Healing Ministry. Core Teaching Stage 1” etc.
  • They will be able to be downloaded anywhere in the world for free and could be printed out from the website and used in Bible Studies, Seminars, as well as for individual study etc.
  • Attention could be drawn to the studies by Group Leaders to enable their group members to print out the blogs including questions for themselves. (A great time-saver for all concerned!).

3).        Sermons. Topics. From time to time I will try to add some sermons I have preached over the years and share some sermon outlines. I hope to add other topics I have taught, if time permits.

4).        Blogsite. At present my blog site is www.holbeck.wordpress.com but this may change in coming months. However typing (jimholbeck blog) into search engines should find them in the future.

A reminder

  1. My blogs can be found by typing (jimholbeck blog) into any major search engine.
  2. My 2 Amazon Kindle books can be found by typing (Amazon Kindle Jim Holbeck) into the search engines.
  3. My material on You Tube can be found by typing (You Tube Jim Holbeck) into the search engines.

Motivation

I am trying in all this to focus on the Lord who has done great things for me and for my family. My desire is to see the Lord exalted as people peruse the materials and find Him revealed in them. Instead of putting them in books etc for which payment is necessary, I am trying to make the material available freely throughout the world. In biblical terms, “Freely I have received. Freely I give.”  I trust you will do the same with the material you use.

Blessings in His marvellous name!

Jim Holbeck

Blog No.186. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Wednesday 1st June 2016

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Forgiveness, Healing, HEALING MINISTRY Core Teaching, NOTICES, Prayer, TOPICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

185. For What Sort Of People Ought We To Vote? The Characteristics Seen In The Beatitudes In Matthew 5. (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

In the previous article we looked at the first four of the Beatitudes especially as they related to one’s relationship to God. Now in this article we look at the other four Beatitudes which direct us to the sorts of attitudes we should have to our fellow humans. They represent not only Christian values but also the characteristics and values which the God of this universe desires of all His creatures. They are found in Matthew 5:7-12. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.(8) “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (9)  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (10)  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11)  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. (12) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR FELLOW HUMANS

1).    Merciful. Verse 7. “Blessed are the  merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” The word “merciful” is used only twice, once here of believers and the other of Jesus in Hebrews 2:17 where He is described as being “a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Mercy can be described as being the concerned, kind attitude adopted to those in need. Jesus showed it when He offered Himself to die on the cross for our sins. When we have experienced the mercy and love of God towards us in Christ, our hearts will be moved to be merciful and loving towards others.

We are not to see mercy as an almost impossible goal to aim at. Rather it is the inevitable expression of a heart that is in a close relationship to God.  As Romans 12 puts it, “I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice to God which is your spiritual worship.”  It’s from that experience of God’s grace and mercy that Paul can say a few verses later, “He who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”  As we receive the mercy of God, we are motivated and empowered to show it to others. The more we express it to others in forgiveness, love and concern, the more we are likely reap it back.

God will always be merciful to those who have called on His name and who have received His Son. But as we have seen in today’s world they may not always receive mercy from those around them. Consider the slaughter of Christians throughout the world, especially in parts of Africa and the Middle East. It is a great reminder to us that only those touched by the grace of God and have become recipients of God’s mercy, are really capable of extending mercy to others.

The candidates for whom we vote in the coming elections should be characterised by genuine mercy and not by dangerous unrealistic “sympathy”.

2).  Purity. Verse 8. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (“Pure” is from katharós which has many shades of meaning. It can mean being clean and undefiled by separation from evil. It can mean utter sincerity so that one is inwardly what one is outwardly. In modern day computer terms believers should be WYSIWYG people where the letters in the acrostic stand for “What You See Is What You Get.” What you see on the screen should be the same as what you typed on the keyboard. It is the “real thing!” One of the woes pronounced by Jesus was on those who were not what they appeared to be outwardly, Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Again purity in heart is not some impossible ideal. It is the result of abiding in Christ. Christ expresses His own life through us as we abide in Him.  We come to see (spiritually) what God is like as we abide in Jesus, and we can be transformed more and more into His likeness through faith in Him (2 Corinthians 3:18.)  We need to vote for someone who is genuine, the real article, a real WYSIWYG type of person.

In these days there is another major area where purity is needed. It is purity in marriage. Not only would we want our candidates to be not guilty of adultery, but we would also want them to be not guilty of adulterating the concept of marriage itself. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews gave a stark warning in Hebrews 13:4, “Let marriage be held in honour among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” We need to realise afresh that this is God’s world and that marriage between a man and a woman has always been His idea. To suggest that those in same-sex relationships should be recognised as “married” does not honour the concept of marriage, nor does it honour God Himself who has clearly shown that same-sex relationships are taboo in His sight.

Many are saying that we should allow for same-sex couples to be married as a matter of equality. But it is not a matter of equality we need to focus on. Rather it is a matter of truth and reality as God sees it. It is a matter of honouring the Creator who has told what He thinks of marriage and has given laws to be obeyed for the benefit of humankind.

We would want our candidates for election to take a stand on marriage as being between a man and a woman. We would not want them to be influenced by so-called “progressive” ideas based on atheistic Marxist philosophies that are increasingly placing less and less importance on marriage and family. A vote for same-sex marriage would be an act of defiance against God’s declared will concerning marriage relationships. Conformity to the will of God brings blessing upon a nation. Conformity to some of the world’s values and ways of behaviour closes the door to His blessings and protection. So our candidate would need to be soft-hearted towards all people, concerned to love them with God’s agape love, seeking their best interests. However at the same time they would need to be tough-skinned when being unfairly accused of bigotry etc when they side with God against atheistic influences.

 3).   Peace-Makers. Verse 9. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”   We noticed in the last article that this word “peace-makers” (eirēnopoios) is found only here in the New Testament. There is a similar expression in James 3:18, “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” ( make = poiéō and peace = eirēnē).

Are you a peacemaker? I’m not asking whether you have a deep peace. The virtue is not so much in knowing peace oneself, though that is a blessing from God. The blessing is in being able to help establish peace between others. And one can do it because one has learned to experience peace within oneself. [I once counselled a woman who was trying to be reconciled to her husband. However she was greatly distressed when someone she went to for help, poured out her own hatred of men. She certainly did not encourage the woman to seek for reconciliation.] You can’t dispense what you don’t have!  It’s as we come to experience the peace of God in our own hearts and minds, that we can help others in their search for peace. The privilege of being children of God is that we can experience the peace of God which is beyond all understanding, and can share it with others.

We need to note in these violent days that Jesus is not saying, “Blessed are the pacifists!” Nor is He saying, “Blessed are the peace-keepers.” No, it is the “peace-makers” who are blessed. They are to actively seek to establish and maintain peace.

On a personal note. My father together with thousands of other young Australians went to war for King and country to fight in the trenches in France in World War 1. They didn’t go because they were violent men. Nor did they go because they wanted to have an overseas adventure. No, they believed their wider families in Britain and Europe needed protection against an aggressive advancing nation and they went to “make peace” not through reasoning it out with the enemy (for that was too late) but by trying to halt the advancing armies who were intent on murder and destruction.

Not many like to think of a peace-maker as having to defend innocent people against an aggressor but unfortunately it is sometimes necessary. We in Australia should be eternally grateful to all those young people who came to help defend us against a Japanese invasion during World War 2. So many families in the USA lost beloved children who came to help us in Australia as “peace-makers” when no other way of making peace was possible. Peace was “made” but at such a great cost! No one loves war, but sometimes those who are able to do so may need to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

We need to vote for candidates who hate war but who recognise that sometimes it may be necessary to respond appropriately in conflict situations where innocent people are being threatened with violence and death. They should be motivated to seek for ways of making peace for individuals and for peoples in other nations.

Australia and “outsiders” coming to our nation

On a very practical note about our desire for peace. It is important that we and our leaders recognise what those who have come out of Islam have warned us. That is that Islam means “submission” and not “peace”. It looks to establish Islamic law in every place and bring everyone under submission to Islam. We would err if we ignored those warnings and elected in our nations those who naively thought that it was a religion of peace. We would not want our elected representatives in Parliament to welcome into our country those who want to destroy us because they hold an extreme ideology.  Far too many world leaders have kept on saying that Islam is a religion of peace and that terrorism is not true Islam. However many present day Islamic leaders and those Islamic scholars who have left Islam publicly disagree with them and insist that terrorist acts and jihads are indeed true Islam. One would think that the Islamic leaders past and present might know a bit more about Islam than our western leaders.

It seems to me that Australians have a wonderful sense of fair-play and that they would welcome genuine refugees from any part of the world even if they came with absolutely nothing to offer in skills or possessions. Provided that they were willing to fit in with our culture and live by our values! I’m sure that many folk would only be too willing to help such people acquire skills and to eventually find employment. That certainly happened after the Second World War as thousands of migrants (DP’s I think we called them, Displaced persons) were warmly accepted into Australia. It has to be admitted that many of them had some exposure to Judeo-Christian values before they came. They valued the opportunity to live a new life in a new country with values similar to those countries from which they had come.  Assimilation and integration was their deep desire and so assimilation became a reality and not an impossible ideal.

What Australians are concerned about is not what people bring in their hands (they can come empty-handed). Rather they are concerned about what people bring in their heads as they come to our land. If they come to our lands having been brain-washed since birth to believe that all but themselves are dirty infidels worthy of nothing but death then that is a problem to be faced honestly and not ignored as part of a misplaced “tolerance” or so-called “compassion”.

How one discerns the thoughts and motivations of people is difficult indeed but our candidates for election would need to be those who were willing to face such problems and to seek the answers. Hopefully our candidates would not selfishly want to be seen by the community, or even by other nations, as “compassionate” caring people. It would be so easy for such people to seek to portray themselves as loving, tolerant, broad-minded and open hearted heroes (Nobel prize for peace contenders?) by opening wide the doors to our nation. However their unquestioning openness might in fact have exposed their fellow Australians to present and ever increasing danger through their naivety in allowing into our country those who would seek to harm us. For example Angela Merkel in Germany may have been recently seen as a hero for tolerance, mercy and generosity as she opened her country to a multitude of “unprocessed” refugees. (Time magazine “Person of the Year 2015” no less!) This was in spite of serious warnings that had been issued about jihadists who would enter Europe among genuine refugees. In spite too of the boasting of some Islamic leaders that this would be another form of jihad through migration. Not everyone in Europe would agree with what she has done. Nor would they necessarily see her as a hero. Tolerance in all its forms has to be tempered with reality not naivety.

Those whom we elect to parliament will have a very difficult task trying to work out how we may best help people in need without being naïve about the dangers. It is a task they must take extremely seriously and soon.

4).    Persecuted. Verse 10. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  In these days of increasing “victim mentality” it has to be said that Jesus is speaking about the persecution of those who want to live for Him, by His values, and who are willing to take a stand for Him. He is not talking about the suffering we bring upon ourselves through inappropriate behaviour or speech. People may feel that they are victims when they lay themselves open to abuse and to criticism by their insensitivity in unnecessarily upsetting others. For example none of us wants to be shown up by those who have had more success in some areas, or who are coping better than we are. An easy way to cope with our own failures is to discredit those who are making a better job of it than we are.  In that way we try to divert the gaze of people from our shortcomings, to get them to look at the failures of others. But it is a principle of life, we reap what we sow! Sow criticism and you will reap criticism. Sow negativity and you will reap negativity. Sow hatred and you will reap hatred. Sow indifference and you will reap indifference.  So love and you will reap love (but not necessarily from those whom you set out to love.)

Jesus taught that it is par for the course as a Christian to be mocked and persecuted. As He went on to say in verse {11} “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Persecution is not something we seek in order to get blessing. Rather it is the inevitable outcome of trying to lead a life pleasing to God. He might be pleased with our desire and efforts to serve Him but some of our fellow humans may not be so pleased with our devotion to Him.

Why do people persecute God’s people? Because they don’t really know Him or His laws, Psalm 119:150 “They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law.” Saul of Tarsus thought he was persecuting Jesus’ followers. However he discovered in that encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus that it was actually Jesus whom he was persecuting, Acts 9:5.  He discovered that Jesus was alive and his life was changed by the grace of God. As he wrote of himself, 1Timothy 1:13  “though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.” His unbelief had blinded him to reality. His encounter with the Risen Jesus, with reality,  transformed him so that he became an agent of mercy rather than the murderous person he had become before.He had become a “new creature” as he described such a change in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 

 How should those who are being persecuted respond to their persecutors? Jesus taught his followers, Mat 5:44 “ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” St Paul also gave instructions, Rom 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” AND 1Cor 4:12  “and we labour, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure.” No doubt many of the early Christians were praying for Saul of Tarsus the Persecutor perhaps not knowing that eventually their prayers would be answered and Saul the Persecutor would become Paul the Preacher! It is no use when we are being persecuted to see ourselves as the victims of ongoing inevitable onslaughts. We have the weapon of prayer that enables us to have victory in spite of persecution and our prayers may be used by God to change the hearts of our persecutors, as Paul’s heart was changed.

Suffering persecution is inevitable for believers but it may be a sign to people that we belong to Jesus. It’s worth it to suffer in this way for His name, because the end result is our ongoing acceptance with God, and an entrance into all the kingdom riches God has for us in Christ.

Which candidate would be willing to be persecuted for honouring God and for seeking to maintain the Judeo-Christian ethos of our nation? Even if it brought scorn from other members of parliament and from some members of the general public?

Summing Up

If our life is right with God, we will be empowered to live as we should live in our relationships with our fellow humans. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live with the “Beautiful Attitudes” of the people of God? How might we pray to be people who live like that? Perhaps a simple prayer is that we might pray to be filled with the Spirit of God.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18, “(keep on being) be filled with the Spirit.”  He also wrote in Galatians 5:16, that if we live by the dictates of the Spirit, we will “not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”   (He spells out in Galatians 5:19-21, all the rotten characteristics of human nature apart from God, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (That’s the world without God!)

But then Paul goes on to contrast that, with the beautiful fruit of the Spirit, the inevitable outcome of the life of Christ within us, if we allow the Spirit to fill us with Himself.)  So here are the qualities and characteristics of those whom we would want to elect to Parliament, Gal 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,  kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self- control.” As you compare this list of characteristics with the list of Beatitudes you can see a strong resemblance. Both lists depend on the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to motivate and empower people to live and act in these ways.

God’s people enlightened and empowered by His Spirit to show forth those magnificent qualities. God’s people guided by His word and His Holy Spirit to make the decisions that will be beneficial for their own nation and for the other nations of the world. Indeed, modern day versions of William Wilberforce who helped change a world and free people from the evils of slavery.

Perhaps if we prayed as I suggested in a former article No.183 “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10, we might have more insight on the particular person we should elect to parliament. Not only that but as we keep praying that His kingdom may come and His will be done in that individual (and in the lives of all to be elected) then we might see changes for good in our nation that we might not have seen otherwise.

Blog No.185.   Jim Holbeck. Posted on Saturday 21st May 2016

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184. The Coming Elections in 2016. For What Sort Of People Ought We To Vote? The Characteristics Seen In The Beatitudes In Matthew 5. (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

We could ask ourselves the question, “Who best represents the values (character and behaviour) that are important for our nations in these coming elections in Australia on 2nd  July and in the USA in November?” Depending on our backgrounds, we might come up with different answers. Many people would see some guidance in the teaching by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, speaks of the “Beatitudes”, (from a Latin word meaning “blessed” or “happy”.) Or as someone has said, the Beatitudes are the “Beautiful Attitudes” that should characterise all peoples especially the people belonging to God. They show us what humans should be like in their relationship to Him and to one another.

2 points to note.

  1. These qualities are meant to be the characteristics of all peoples. They express both our responsibility to live in a certain way, and our privileges and blessings as we do so as God’s creatures.
  2. They are relevant for all our relationships, our vertical relationship with God, and our horizontal relationships with our fellow humans. We could say that the first 4 refer to our relationship with God, and the second four, to our relationships with our fellow humans. (We focus in this article on the first four characteristics.)

CHARACTERISTICS COMING FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Mat 5:1-2, “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. (2) And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the …. “

 1).   “Poor” in spirit. Verse 3.  “Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit, For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven. ”   It isn’t saying that it is blessed to be poor. It may be true that God has a special concern for the poor  (for those who are the victims of the injustice from other people). It may be that many people in their poverty have cried out to God for His help and provision and been wonderfully blessed by Him. (Their poverty was the background in which they discovered the amazing grace of God to them). But that is not the main thrust of this passage. The real blessedness of this passage has to do with those who are poor in spirit.  Not just “poor”, but “poor in spirit.”

What does that mean? It means that they are not full of themselves, and that they have room for God in their lives. It’s so easy to become arrogant and proud, to have a proud spirit.  Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:5,6,  “Clothe yourselves all of you with humility towards one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.”  Someone having a proud spirit may want to live independently of God’s grace wisdom and strength. However God pours out His grace, His mercy and His blessings on those who humble themselves before Him and are open to receive His wisdom.

When David sinned against God in his adultery with Bathsheba, he eventually repented and in humility cried out to God, “Create in me a pure heart  O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”  He realised that his heart was not pure for he had been involved in deliberate sin and deceit, even planned murder. Neither was his heart steadfast for he had been a faithful servant of God but had later yielded to temptation and had brought disrepute on himself and the nation. He could later write from his own experience, Ps 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart O God, You will not despise.” God did restore him and used him in His purposes but it took David to acknowledge his sin and to cry out to God for help  for that change to come in David.  As it says in Proverbs 29:23, “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honour.”

Those people who are full of themselves, arrogant and full of pride, feel they have no need for God. Unfortunately while they remain with that strong arrogant independent spirit God cannot use them. Why? Because they place themselves beyond His help and forfeit the wisdom He could have given them to live lives of purpose for themselves and for the benefit of the people they represent.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The resources of the kingdom, the gifts of God’s grace, are open to those who are open and humble enough to receive them. (James reminds us that sometimes we don’t get answers to our prayers because we ask from selfish motives. Selfishness is the opposite of kingdom living in which we focus on the needs of others, not our own. )

The candidates for whom we would wish to vote would be people who are characterised as being “poor in spirit” in the terms we have described above.

 2).  A Sensitive heart. Verse 4.  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. We could take this as meaning to be able to mourn with others in their sadnesses.  Paul expresses that in Rom 12:15  “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” That’s what Jesus did in His ministry on earth. He mourned with the woman whose only son was being carried out for burial, and then brought him back to life. He mourned with Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died, and He wept.

But it’s much, much more than that. This is another stage in spiritual maturity and wholeness.  Blessed are those who are sensitive towards God, and who mourn for their sins, and the sins of others. Blessed are those who are grieved when people ignore God, and don’t obey Him.

This was the sort of mourning we see in Jesus as He came to Jerusalem, and looked upon the city that had hardened its heart against Him and against God’s purposes. As He looked upon the city He mourned over it and wept. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who were sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you would not! Behold your house is forsaken.”  (That is, “Your sin has brought this upon you. You didn’t mourn because of your sins.  You didn’t turn to Me for the help I could have given.”)

It’s sad that we often try to excuse the sins of some people thinking we should be tolerant. Jesus however grieves about the damage their continuing sin is bringing on them and on others. Mourning for our sins and for the sins of others allows God to intervene in our lives to bring His healing and blessing. Mourning for the sin of the nation may be a vital step in bringing healing to the nation.

Again we would wish to vote for candidates who were not only sympathetic towards fellow humans but who also were realistic. We would want them to see things not only from a human point of view but from God’s declared perspectives given to us in His eternal word.  They need to feel about the world as He feels about it, wanting to be agents of the changes that only He can bring.

3).  Meekness. Verse 5.  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”  Meekness is not weakness.  Jesus said of Himself in Mat 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle (meek) and  humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  And in Mat 21:5   “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'”   It wasn’t very much later that this “meek” Jesus drove money changers out of the temple. If we want to be meek, we must become like Jesus. Meekness is power under control, like the breaking-in of a wild horse. It has lost none of its strength. Rather its strength is now harnessed and controllable for good purposes.

Meekness means being open to God to be taught by Him how to live as we should. The noun of this word is found in James 1:21, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” The truly meek person, the truly humble person is willing to be changed by the power of God through obedience to His word.

Meekness means looking to God for wisdom. True wisdom is to be found in Him and in Him alone. So-called human “wisdom” lacks perspective for it is missing the deepest dimension of truth and reality, a God-consciousness. James writes about the paucity of human wisdom apart from God in James 3:13-18, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

One does not have to look far to see examples of such wisdom in the nations of the world.  It is “earthly” [epigeios = of the earth which is (gē)] in the sense it is limited in its understanding for it ignores the spiritual dimension of life. It is “unspiritual” [ psuchikos = from (psuchḗ = soul)] indicating that it is “soulish” wisdom or wisdom also lacking any spiritual dimension. But the final word is alarming. It is “demonic” [from (daimoniōdēs) meaning “demon-like”.] Though this word occurs only here in the New Testament, there is a similar expression in 1Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” One of the signs of the end times will be the proliferation of false teachings which owe their origin not to God but to deceiving spirits. Deception is widespread in our world, not only in individuals but also very obviously in the leaders of nations who are making decisions which are not conducive for the welfare of those nations..

By contrast, true wisdom, the wisdom of God, has wonderful qualities. If such wisdom were sought, discovered and applied by the leaders of the nations of the world, the world would have much more peace and stability. The qualities are described in James 3:17, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace”.

It is quite amazing how just that one verse fits in with Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes with the mentions of peace, gentleness, mercy and righteousness.  That is even further emphasised when one sees that mention is made in this verse in James of those who “make peace” (in the Greek original poieō = make and eirēnē = peace)  while Jesus mentioned “peace-makers” in Mat 5:9  where the word is (eirēnopoios) which combines those 2 words. The words, “making peace” occur also in Ephesians 2:15 “by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace”  and in Colossians 1:20 “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Meekness means honouring Christ in our own hearts and being willing to humbly share Him with others, 1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”.

Which candidates most closely conform to this quality of meekness? Could they, with God’s help? Would they be willing to ask Him for such help?

4). Hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Verse 6.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”. The noun “righteousness” and the adjective “righteous” each occur over 90 times in the New Testament. There are many ways of describing the word “righteousness” but a very simple one is this, “What God wants”. (A modern version of this verse puts it, “God blesses those who want to obey Him, more than to eat or drink.”)

We can understand what righteousness means because God has shown us in His word in the gospel. Romans 1:17 “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” What God wants is for people to come to Him by faith in the gospel message about Him and then to live out the implications of that faith as they live (by faith) for Him. In theological terms they will have an “imputed righteousness” meaning that they are made right with God through faith in Jesus and His righteousness is imputed to them. But they also have an “imparted righteousness” imparted to them by the Holy Spirit to live holy lives according to the will of God. As Paul put it in Romans 8:4, Christ came and fulfilled the law “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.” It is the Spirit of God who enables us to do the will of God (what God wants), for only He can motivate and empower us to do so.  But it needs our total commitment to Him to be enabled to so.

Righteousness includes the sort of personal lives we should live, as well as the qualities needed in the corporate life of a nation. It includes justice but is more than justice. It is the passionate desire to see God’s will done in every life and in every situation.

We need to “keep on” with that hunger and thirst for what God wants in our lives and in the lives of others. As we become what God wants us to be, and to do what He wants us to do, we are inwardly satisfied and fulfilled in a way that nothing else satisfies. However it becomes addictive. We want more and more to obey Him, and more of His grace to be poured out on our lives.

Which candidate has that hunger and thirst for righteousness for themselves?  For their own nations?

A Quick Summary Regarding The Sort Of People We Should Be Voting For

They need to be “poor in spirit”. Not full of themselves but open to God’s influence in their lives and in their deliberations on what is needed for their nations.

They need to be “those who mourn.” Having God’s attitude to a sinful world and wanting to do something to bring about change for the good of the people with His help. .

They need to be “meek” (understood correctly). Humble before God but strong in seeking His best for their people.

They need to be those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” They need to be in a good relationship with God or be willing to enter into a close relationship with Him. They then need to live out the implications of that relationship as they  look to Him to give them the wisdom they need, to act for the welfare of the people they represent.

Feeling a little despondent as you look at such a list? Can’t think of many candidates who have all or even some of these qualities? Perhaps we may a bit more encouraged as we look at Part 2 on the remainder of the Beatitudes. Or ……?

We need to pray that God’s Kingdom may come and that His will might be done in and through and following the elections! And especially influencing us as we make our decisions regarding for whom to vote!

Blog No.184. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Tuesday 17th May 2016

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183. How To Pray When You Don’t Know How To Pray. The 2016 USA and Australian Elections

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

The contenders have taken their places. It seems to be a contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on one side of the Pacific and between Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten on the other side. Not everyone is content with the choices on either continent. It seems that people are even willing to not vote, or to vote informal or even to vote for the other party out of spite because they don’t like their own particular party leader.

I wish I knew the answer. But I did have some thoughts. God has sometimes used the most unlikely people to accomplish His purposes on earth. He is interested. He is more interested than we are. He can do more about the situation than we can. It’s worth getting onside with Him to see how we can make a difference.

 Cyrus and the Jews

There was a time when the Israelites languished in exile in Babylon far away from their home in Jerusalem and Judah. It seemed they would never return to their homeland. But God had a purpose to bring them home. It involved a man who was the most unlikely to be used to achieve such a purpose. It was Cyrus the king of Persia. Isaiah predicted what would happen through this servant of Yahweh. Isaiah records that Yahweh called Cyrus “my shepherd” and that he would make possible the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple, “He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfil all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.'”  Isa 44:28.

Yahweh also called Cyrus, His anointed.  In the Brenton translation of the Greek Septuagint, Isa 45:1 “Thus saith the Lord God to my anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might be obedient before him; and I will break through the strength of kings; I will open doors before him, and cities shall not be closed. 2 I will go before thee, and will level mountains: I will break to pieces brazen doors, and burst iron bars.” Here the words for “my anointed” are (χριστῷ μου or Christo mou) the same word used for Christ as the anointed one. God had “anointed” Cyrus for a special task in bringing His people back to their land. That is further indicated in verse 13 where Yahweh says, Isa 45:13 “I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,” says the LORD of hosts.” In other words He would work in Cyrus to motivate him to work for the good of His people.

Saul of Tarsus the Persecutor became Paul the Preacher

When we are first introduced to Saul of Tarsus we find a nasty piece of work indeed. He is seen as “holding the coats” of those who stoned the saintly Stephen to death. Then the chilling words in Acts 8:1 “And Saul approved of his execution. “ The church was scattered but Paul did not give up. More chilling words in Acts 8:3  “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

Would time lessen his anger against the believers? Apparently not! We come to chapter 9 and Luke records of Saul, “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Not a very likely candidate to be a servant of the Lord.

But God has His purposes and sometimes He achieves them, as we have said above, through the most unlikely people. We read what happened as he travelled on the road to Damascus to arrest believers. Act 9:3 “Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

He knew then that Jesus was alive and that He was what He had claimed to be. He realised he had been blind spiritually but now had been blinded physically. He was brought into Damascus “where for three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank.” 9:9. He may have wondered what would happen to him having persecuted the church of God. But God had a purpose for Saul. He used a disciple named Ananias to go to Saul and lay his hands upon him so that he might regain his sight. Ananias could not believe that he was to do that for the persecutor Saul.  But he did so when the Lord assured him that He had a purpose for Saul,  Act 9:15 “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Saul was healed and within a few days was proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues and proclaiming that He was the Son of God. By the grace of God the great persecutor of the church was to become the great preacher of the church. God knows what He is doing as He accomplishes His purposes.

God can make a difference!

How then can we pray so that He can make a difference in the elections in the USA and in Australia. Some people think the candidates on present indications could never be used by God if they were elected. However as we have seen above, God sees things differently to us. His vision is much broader and deeper. He knows what He wants to accomplish in the mightily blessed land of America. He knows what He wants to do in Australia the “Great Southland of the Holy Spirit.” We don’t know whether He wants to bless us abundantly so that we return to Him in adoration in praise and with grateful hearts. On the other hand we don’t know whether He is fed up with our sins and will use the elections to chastise us. Only He knows.

We may have in our minds what we would like Him to do. For most of us, we would  like to have elected the people who love Him and who are open to be led by His Spirit to bring God’s blessings to our nations. That may not seem possible at the moment. However in the recent series I did on the Lord’s Prayer we saw it as a prayer that can change the world. It seems to me that we need to take that prayer seriously particularly in praying the section, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is asking Him to establish His kingdom on earth so that His will may be done on this earth.

Be part of God’s solution, not part of the problem

In praying this prayer we are submitting ourselves to be involved in His kingdom purposes. As we continue to pray the prayer it may be that God will show us what things we can do to make a difference in our local situations. We need to be led and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to be the people of God He wants us to be and to do the things He wants us to do. In the words of Philippians 2 we are to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” 2:13-14. He gives us the willingness and the ability to do things that please Him. For example I believe that God is prompting me to write this article so that at least one other person in the USA or Australia who reads this may want to become part of God’s solution and not remain part of the problem through “opting out”.

We also need to pray for the candidates. We need to pray that God’s kingdom will come and that His will be done in their lives knowing that He did amazing things through Cyrus the Persian King and through Saul the persecutor. Or He may do it through changing the circumstances which are under His control. He may do it through other most unlikely people who are not even on the horizon as yet. He knows what He wants to do and through whom. Our praying this part of the Lord’s Prayer is our invitation to Him to do what He wants to do in our own hearts,  in our cities, in our own nations as well as in the wider world.

We can make a difference as we pray regularly, “Lord may Your kingdom come and Your will be done in my life and in the lives of all these people whom I now bring before you.”  (But don’t add, “Though I can’t see how You could ever possibly use Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton or Malcolm Turnbull or Bill Shorten.” )

Blog No.183. Jim Holbeck. Posted Monday 9th May 2016

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182. The Prayer That Can Change The World. The Lord’s Prayer. “Yours Is The Kingdom And The Power And The Glory, Forever And Ever. AMEN” Matthew 6:13. (Study 9 of 9)

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

(NOTE:- This article may be downloaded in PDF format for individual or group study by clicking here. Study 9 of 9 on Lords Prayer

These are powerful words addressed to a powerful God. Though these words are not found in many of the earliest manuscripts they do fit in with the theme of the other words in the Lord’s Prayer. They are like a doxology focused on God expressing the fact that He is King of the universe, that He is the source of all dynamic power and that all glory resides in Him. We look at each phrase in this doxology.

1).        “YOURS IS THE KINGDOM”

In an earlier article (number 175) we looked at many of the things involved in the word “kingdom.” We saw that it means “God’s rule over people. It means submitting to Him. Letting Him dictate how we should live personally, in family life and as a society. It means, by His grace, living by His laws, obeying the two great commands to love God with all we are and to love one another as ourselves.”  So the words at the end of the Lord’s Prayer are a reminder to us that not only is He “King” but He must be acknowledged and worshipped as such. Praying “Yours is the kingdom” is a decision to place oneself under His kingly rule.

2).        “YOURS IS … THE POWER”  (Mat 6:13 in some versions)

Here the word for “power” is (dunamis) from which we get our English word “dynamite.” The word occurs more than 120 times in the New Testament. It is used generally in the New Testament in terms of strength and ability in addition to being used to describe the power of God. However it must be remembered that in the New Testament, God is seen as the Supreme One who controls all power whether it be according to His direct purposes or according to His permissive will.

Paul declared the same thing of the risen and exalted Jesus. He expressed it in Ephesians 1:19-22. However before we look into that you may need to have a bit of a break. Why? Because the next few sentences are so filled with power words that you will be exhausted by the time we finish looking at just these four verses! Chapters could be written on each one of the words.  (Just in case you feel squeamish at the thought of numerous power encounters with numerous power words in the next paragraph, I will give you a quick summary. “God Is The One And Only Boss Of Everything And Everyone, For Ever!)

Power words in Ephesians 1:19-22. (For those who desire the power of God in their lives!) Now for the foolhardy, sorry I meant Bravehearts! Here the power words are shown with the transliterated Greek words following in the brackets. (And where applicable some English derivatives are shown as well.)

In Eph 1:19-22 Paul wrote that he prayed that his readers might know

“what is the immeasurable (Gk = huperballo) [English, think of hyperbole.]

greatness (Gk = megathos) [English think of megathon]

of his power (Gk – dunamis) toward us who believe, according to [English, think of dynamite]

the working (Gk =energia) of his great might (Note: It really is might Gk =kratos) of his strength (Gk = ischus)  [English, think energy for “energia” and for “kratos” think of the “cracy” in theo-cracy and demo-cracy.

20 that he worked (Gk = energeo) in Christ

when he raised (Gk = egeiro) him from the dead

and seated (Gk = kathizo) him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [English, think of Cathedral where the bishop is seated with authority!]

21 far above all rule (Gk = arche) [English, think “monarchy” the rule of one person or “oligarchy” the rule of a few. Or the opposite which is “an-archy” meaning no rule]

and authority (Gk = exousia)

and power (Gk = dunamis)

and dominion (Gk = kuriotestos)

and above [Gk huperano = above in rank or power. Also in Eph 4:10, “He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.”]

every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

22 And he put (Gk = hupotasso= subjected) all things under his feet

and gave him as head (Gk = kephale) over all things to the church.” [English, think of “encephalitis”, from (en) “in” and (kephale) meaning “head.” He is the Lord, boss, master, ruler of the church.]

In Other Words, God Is The Only Supreme Ruler For Ever. He Has The Power To Do As He Wills.

 3).        “YOURS IS …..   THE GLORY”

The glory belongs to Him! But what is glory? It is the Greek word “doxa”. Seeing there are 274 occurrences of the word in the Greek LXX Septuagint version of the Old Testament and 168 occurrences in the Greek New Testament, we find many varieties in the meaning.

It helps us to understand that the root of the word is the verb (dokeo) meaning to think, consider, view, appear. The word (doxa) “glory” then can refer to opinions and to praise and honour. It can also refer to light and perfection. A contrast is made between the imperfections of the glory of man and the perfections of the glory of God. For example in John 5:44, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” Praise from fellow humans is not the same as praise from God. That is seen in John 12:42 “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

 Jesus came from glory with His Father and would be returning to glory with Him. He prayed to His Heavenly Father, Joh 17:4 “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” He wanted His disciples to be with Him in glory, John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

 Believers can be transformed by the Spirit in this life as they focus on the Lord in praise and adoration, 2 Cor 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” They may suffer in life because of their commitment to Christ but God is pleased to work within them to prepare them in this life for glory, 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

 The sense of appearance is seen in the glory to be associated with the second coming of Jesus. He is to appear in glory, Mat 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne (literally “on a throne of His glory”). He takes His people to be with Him in glory, 1Peter 5:4, “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” AND Col 3:4, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

 Believers are being glorified in this life and will be glorified further when Jesus comes. At His first coming He came to die for sinners. At His second coming He will bring them with Him into glory, Heb 2:10 “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” They will abide with Him in glory.

 The Lord’s Prayer. A Summary

When you put together all the different phrases in the Lord’s Prayer you can see why Jesus taught it to His disciples so that they might know how to pray. It forms a wonderful pattern for prayer.

It begins with a positive confident approach to a loving Heavenly Father.  “Our Father in heaven”

It seeks to give God His rightful place in our lives. “Hallowed be Your name.”

It desires that God establish His rule in the hearts of everyone. “Your kingdom come.”

It expresses submission to do the will of God. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It humbly asks for provisions from the One who has promised to provide. “Give us today our daily bread.”

It acknowledges that we can only come to God because of His saving grace. “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”

It expresses a realisation that there are temptations galore around us and so we ask God to lead us so that we do not enter into situations He knows would be beyond our maturity to deal with. “Lead us not into temptation.”

It asks the Lord to deliver us from any hold that evil or the evil one might have over us. “Deliver us from evil.”

It concludes with praise to God for His love, mercy, glory and grace as we express our adoration and praise to God our Heavenly Father as we affirm, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory. For ever and ever.  AMEN”

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER by individuals and groups. (Added on Sun 3rd July 2016)

Question 1. What does it mean that God is king?How does that fact manifest in today’s world?

Question 2.   In section 2 there are many descriptions of God’s power.Which descriptions mean more to you than the others?

Question 3.   In 2 Cor 3:18 we read that we “… are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” What do you think is our part in the transformation process?

Question 4. How could you describe “glory” in just one sentence?When Jesus returns what sort of glory you think that we will see at that time?

Blog No. 182. Jim Holbeck. Posted Monday 02 May 2016. (Revisited Sun 3rd  July 2016). 

 

 

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181. The Prayer That Can Change The World. The Lord’s Prayer. “Deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:13. (Study 8 of 9)

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

(Note:-If you wish to download this article in PDF format, click here Study 8 of 9 on the Lords Prayer Based on Blog 181)

There are many believers throughout the world who believe we are seeing an unprecedented level of evil in our world today. It is obviously manifest in the rise of Islamic terrorism which many believe is demonically inspired. But there is also a diminishing level of respect for those who deserve respect. Because of the expanding and readily available forms of media there is a greater exposure to evil than ever before. Temptations in many forms are rife in our communities. Praying the Lord’s Prayer and especially this phrase “deliver us from evil” can be of supreme importance in trying to live a godly life in an ungodly world.

 What does it mean to “deliver us from evil?” The word for “deliver” is from the Greek word “rhuomai”. We see it used in this verse in the Lord’s Prayer in Mat 6:13 ( αλλα = but, ρυσαι = deliver, ημας = us,  απο = from, του =the, πονηρου= evil). The phrase is a prayer asking God to deliver us from evil. However the phrase has the definite article “the” before the word “evil”. It can mean that we are asking God to deliver us from evil in general and specifically to deliver us from the temptations of the evil one, meaning Satan or the Devil.

A).   The first phrase. “DELIVER US …”

We see the use of “rescue” or “deliver” in the following ways in the New Testament.

  • To rescue the righteous and the godly from temptation and evil. Seen in the Lord’s Prayer in Mat 6.13 and in 2 Peter 2:7-9 “and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”
  • It can mean to deliver or rescue people from those who would do them harm. For example:-
  • Rescue from enemies.  eg., in the prophecy of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, Luke 1:74 “that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear.”  Rescue from evil men. Paul wrote in 2 Thess 3:2 “that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.”
  • Rescue from unbelievers. Rom 15:31, “that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea.”
  • Rescue from persecution. 2 Timothy 3:10  “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11  my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”
  • Rescue from the threat of death. 2 Timothy 4:17-18, “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.” 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen”
  • “Rescue” is used mockingly of Jesus on the cross. Mat_27:43 “He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”
  • Rescue from a personal enemy. From the body of death. Rom 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
  • Jesus was called “the Deliverer.” Rom 11:26  “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
  • Rescue from difficult situations. 2 Cor 1:10, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”
  • Rescue from the domain of darkness. Col 1:13 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
  • Rescue from the wrath to come at the Second Coming of Jesus. 1Thess 1:10 “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

B).   The second phrase “FROM EVIL”. As we noted above, “evil” is from the Greek word “πονηρός” [ponērós]. The expression [ton ponāron = “the evil” or “the evil one”] is used in the New Testament as follows.

  1. Of Satan as the evil one [ton ponāron].
  • The evil one may tempt people to add to the truth so that it becomes a lie. Eg., in Matthew 5:37 “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything  beyond this comes from the evil one.”
  • Possibly Mat 6:13 “deliver us from the evil one” though it may also refer to evil in general. .
  • The evil one attempts to stop the word of God from taking root in human hearts. Mat 13:19, “the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart”.
  • Those belonging to the evil one may be found among the righteous. Mat 13:38, “the weeds are the sons of the evil one.”
  • Jesus prayed to His Father to protect His followers from the evil one. John 17:15, “that you should protect them from the evil one”.
  • The evil one as “diabolos” (the accuser) launches missiles of accusation against God’s people. Eph 6:16 “the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
  • St Paul affirmed that God will strengthen believers and guard them from evil. 2 Thess 3:3 “the Lord will protect you from the evil one.”
  • St John affirmed that the young men had learned to overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:13, 2:14 “you have overcome the evil one.”
  • St John recognised that Cain, who murdered his brother Abel, belonged to the evil one. 1 Jn 3:12 “Cain who belonged to the evil one.”
  • St John wrote that the evil one does not touch those who are born of God. 1 Jn 5:18, “He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him”.
  • St John recognised that the whole unbelieving world lay in the power of the evil one. 1 Jn 5:19 “the whole world is in the power of the evil one.”

2.  Human beings were described by Jesus as being “evil” in the sense they have a human nature which has a bias towards evil.

  • God’s provision is poured out on the righteous (the good) and the unrighteous (the evil) in His sight. Mat 5:45, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good.”
  • Humans with a bias towards evil can do things that appear to be good. Mat 7:11, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children”. But how much greater is the provision of the good Heavenly Father, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
  • Evil outward expressions come from evil within humans. Mat 12:34-35. “How can you speak good when you are evil for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 the good man out of his good treasure brings forth good and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” AND Luke 6:45, the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil”.
  • Outward sins derive from a sin nature within. Mat 15:19-20, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person….”

3.  Evil (in thought , word or deed)

  • Jesus knew when people had evil thoughts. Mat 9:4 “Jesus knowing their thoughts said ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts’?”
  • John the Baptist reproved Herod for committing evil. Luke 3:19, “for all the evil things Herod had done.”
  • St John described in Jn 3:19-20 how men loved darkness because of the evil in their lives, “men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
  • Jesus taught what would happen to evil people at the resurrection, John 5:29, “those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgement.”
  • Jesus taught that the world hated Him because he testified of it that “its works are evil.” Jn 7:7

4. Evil spirits

Jesus gave His disciples authority over evil spirits. Eph 6:12  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Thus they would be enabled to have victory in the evil day, “Therefore take up the whole armour of God,  that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Eph 6:13.

Summing up we can say this. To pray “deliver us from the evil one” is good preventative medicine because it invites God’s protection over us as the only One Who can enable us to recognise and overcome temptation in all its forms. As we pray the prayer we can become more aware of the evil around us and more sensitive to the Holy Spirit who allows us to discern what is evil in our situations.

Likewise it is good curative medicine to pray the prayer to God over ourselves and our loved ones so that they and we might indeed be set free from any evil influences to which we may have succumbed. God knows what those influences are.  He also knows how to set people free from evil in all its forms.

Few people have any great understanding as to the horrific nature of evil and how repugnant it is in the sight of God. If they did they would be much more inclined to cry out to God for deliverance from evil.  One person who did come to recognise the awfulness of sin was Leon Jaworski, the Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremburg Nazi War Crimes Trials.  He commented “As we cannot envision the heights we can reach by placing ourselves in the hands of God, neither can we imagine the depths to which we can sink without Him.” The evidence before him demanded such a description of the evil that humans do to each other when they do not depend on God. (Quoted by John White in ” Changing on the Inside” page 61).

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER by individuals or groups. (Added Sat 2nd July 2016)

Question 1.  When we pray “deliver us from evil” we are admitting that evil does exist. What forms of evil do you think we can see in the world today?

Question 2.  In Section A we see the words “deliver” or “rescue” used with regard to a whole range of personal human situations. Can you relate to some of them in your own personal walk in life? Would you be willing to share which ones they might be?

Question 3.  Jesus obviously believed in the existence of the Devil or Satan. Why do you think some people today find it difficult to believe there is a Devil? How would you try to convince them otherwise?

Question 4.  Some people rebel at the thought of being labelled as “sinners” when they see themselves as “nice people” who “try not to hurt others” If you were asked to do so, how would you try to explain to them how the words in Section B might apply to them?

Question 5.  Do you think that  Leon Jaworski, the Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremburg Nazi War Crimes Trials (who is quoted at the end of the article above) went too far in describing  the evil (as he saw it) in human hearts?  Why or why not do you think so?

Blog No.181.  Jim Holbeck. Posted on Monday 25th April 2016 (Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand, a day when we remember especially those who laid down their lives in seeking to protect innocent people from the evils done (and attempting to be done) by war mongering individuals and nations). Revisited on Sat 2nd July 2016

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180. The Prayer That Can Change The World. The Lord’s Prayer. “Lead Us Not Into Temptation.” Matthew 6:13. (Study 7 of 9)

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Jim Holbeck

(NOTE: A PDF file of this blog can be downloaded by clicking here. 180. The Prayer That Can Change The World. The Lord’s Prayer. “Lead Us Not Into Temptation.” Matthew 6_13

“Lead us not into temptation.” The wording is the same in the original Greek New Testament versions of both Matthew’s (6:13) and Luke’s (Lk 11:4) gospels, namely “not” (μη),  “lead” (εισενεγκης),  “us” ( ημας),  “into” (εις),  “temptation” (πειρασμον).

.However a recent translation such as the New Revised Standard Version has these words, “And do not bring us to the time of trial”. Other translations have “save us from the time of trial.” Though the words may differ the concept is very much the same in each translation.  “Bring us not to” may mean the same as “save us from”. What then are we actually praying when we pray this part of the Lord’s Prayer?

“Lead”. It may help us to look a little more closely at the actual words. “Lead” is from a Greek word (eisphero) which means to bring, bear or carry. (We get some idea of this in the name Christopher where it means “bearer of Christ.”) But there is no concept of God deliberately leading His people into temptation. Rather the prayer is a request to God that He work in such a way that His people do not walk into situations which He knows would be too tempting for them to deal with successfully.

“Temptation”. The other word in this short phrase is “temptation”. It can also be translated as “trials”. It is the Greek word (peirasmos) meaning both “trials” and “temptations” while the verb is translated as “tempt” or “test”.  The different meaning depends on the origin of the trial or temptation. Simply put, Satan or the Devil or the Tempter is the one who tempts. God is the One who tests. We will see how this works out in the New Testament.

IT IS THE DEVIL WHO TEMPTS HUMANS

The devil tempted Jesus as a human. The temptation narrative is first described in a general sense. Mat 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (peirazō = to tempt) by the devil. It is interesting to note that the “led” (anagō) is a different word to that in the Lord’s Prayer. It means literally “to lead up.” The Spirit led or guided Him into the wilderness. In Mark’s account it is a much stronger word for the Spirit’s work. It is (ekballo) meaning to “throw” or “cast forth”.  Mar 1:12 “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” Jesus was full  of the Spirit as He began His ministry and the temptations were a God-permitted opportunity for Him to register His defeat over Satan’s temptations at the very beginning of that ministry. The Spirit motivated and empowered Jesus to defeat Satan on his own “home-turf” as it were.

After that general introduction to the temptations they now are described specifically.

1). The first temptation to Jesus was to satisfy a legitimate need (human hunger) in an illegitimate manner.  Mat 4:2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter (Here it is the verb peirazō= the one tempting) came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” There was nothing wrong with Jesus satisfying His hunger by eating food. But the devil was tempting Jesus to use His power in an inappropriate way (to do a miracle at the behest of the Devil, and not acting according to the will of His Heavenly Father.)

Jesus’ answer showed that He recognised that the temptation was a temptation to act independently of God. He committed Himself to live by the revealed will of God in His word, Mat 4:4 ‘But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

 The Devil acts on the same principle in tempting humans today. Every human has legitimate needs. Sometimes the needs are crying out to be met. However the needs must be met in legitimate ways, in God’s ways. We read that Jesus didn’t put Himself into a compromising situation. He was responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He relied on the Holy Spirit to enable him to recognise the source of temptation and the means by which He was to overcome it. Humans, where they find themselves in tempting situations, must ask themselves whether the Lord has led them into that situation or whether they have compromised their faith in some way or other. They have to be honest in recognising that sometimes they are the ones who have placed themselves in difficult circumstances. When the devil tempts, his ultimate aim is to destroy the person. When God allows trials, his ultimate aim is to strengthen the person.

 2). The second temptation for Jesus was to test the faithfulness of God in caring for Him. If Jesus was going to live by the authority of the Word of God then the Devil would deceitfully quote that authority as part of his temptation. Mat 4:5 “Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'”

Jesus recognised the strategy of the Devil in quoting scripture to Him.  He saw it as a temptation to put God to the test. It was to force God’s hand. Jesus would not do that as He replied, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 4:7.

 If Jesus had thrown himself down from the pinnacle it would have been an act of presumption on His part. God’s care is always there for those who are walking according to His way and in His will. The devil tempts humans today to act independently of God sometimes as a means of trying to force God’s hand. Sometimes the dividing line between assurance and arrogance is difficult to see. Arrogance leads us to attempt to do what we want to do rather than the will of God. Assurance means that we are looking to the Lord for His guidance, overruling and protection as we seek to obey His well and not our own.

3).  The third temptation was to obtain power by submitting to the Devil and receiving power through him, Mat 4:8  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  For Jesus to have done that would have been an act of idolatry. He indicated that in His reply, Mat 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'” For Jesus commitment to God and to the will of God was central to His life.

 Jesus had won the victory over Satan by living according to the will of God revealed in His word. The devil had met his match. Mat 4:11  “Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

 There are many people in our world who feel powerless or at least lacking in power to change their circumstances. Sometimes they seek power in attempting to have secret knowledge. They may seek this knowledge through delving into eastern religions or by dabbling in the occult. In these ways they may be led into deception. Others seek power through intimidation, harassment and bullying. It is a means of trying to build oneself up by knocking down or destroying other people. As such it is not of God.

There is a place for humans to seek for power. However it should be in submitting to God in every way so that He can empower them to be the people of God He wants to be and do the things He wants them to do. The powerful person then is the person who humbles himself or herself before the mighty hand of God. Only then can He exalt them to fulfil His purposes. As Peter wrote,  1Peter 5:5  “…  Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”

The common factor in Jesus’ victory over these temptations was His dependence upon the word of God in Scripture. That is where the victory is to be found for every human in every generation, 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

QUESTIONS for consideration by individuals or groups. (Added Sat 2nd July 2016)

Question 1. Do you think it is a sign of a luke-warm faith on their part when people feel strong temptations? Why or why not?

Question 2. As you look at the account of the first temptation, can you see any way in which humans today are tempted in similar ways? What are some of the ways in which people are tempted in today’s world?

Question 3. In the second temptation Satan tried to tempt Jesus by misquoting the Scriptures by which He was living and obeying. Have you ever had any experiences in which the Devil or a fellow human tried to deceive you by misquoting some part of the Bible? How did you recognise it as deceit and how did you overcome it?

Question 4.  We are often tempted to compromise ourselves or our ideals. In what ways do those various temptations to compromise come? How can we overcome the temptation to compromise?

Question 5. In what ways would you seek to help someone who felt helpless or powerless in their situation in life? What dangers would you need to avoid in doing so?

Blog No. 180. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Sunday, 17 April 2016. (Revisited Sat 2nd July 2016)

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