Righteousness

Right here waiting for Papa

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Matthew 6:25-34 (New King James Version)
²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

• The emphasis made by Jesus is NOT food and clothing.
• It is NOT about Food and Clothing being not important.
• Rather the emphasis made by Jesus is about LIFE! The importance of the QUALITY OF LIFE!

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

• Jesus is a good and caring Saviour.
• Jesus values our lives both spiritually and naturally and He deliberately use the term, “O you of little faith”
  • He was NOT belittling the disciples’ faith BUT to remind the power of “Little faith” or “mustard-size” faith that is able to move mountains!
  • He was AFFIRMING their Faith!
• He is a good Jesus.

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

• Jesus cares so deeply for the disciples that THREE times He told them not to worry.
• When we read verse 32, we tend to read the following in our hearts, “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you (DO NOT) need all these things.”

• We add the “DO NOT” in our minds unknowingly while reading and think that all God cares about is only the kingdom of God!

• Jesus with great care and love says that The Father KNOWS that you need these things! It is not just that God knows BUT the FATHER knows!

• A good and caring and devout Father knows!

How to receive your provision?

Because the Father knows, Jesus gave us the solution …

1. Seek FIRST the KINGDOM of GOD!

• What is the Kingdom of God?
  • To the disciples, the kingdom of God was the Sermon of the Mount.
  • Paul summarized the kingdom of God that it is RIGHTEOUS, PEACE and JOY in the HOLY SPIRIT!
  • It is having the Kingdom of God in our soul!
  • 3 John 1:2 (New King James Version)

² Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

• Our prosperity in LIFE comes as our SOUL PROSPERS!
• Jesus values our LIFE and the Father knows that we have needs!

2. Seek His RIGHTEOUSNESS!

• Righteousness (Strongs G1343): Dikaiosynē (dē-kī-o-sü’-nā)
• Definition: righteousness, condition acceptable to God, integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting – Amplified Bible calls it “Right standing before God.”

Be Righteous or His Righteousness?

· Matthew 5:17-20 (New King James Version)

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

• Jesus says that Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
• Righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees – they prided themselves in obeying the law strictly.
• In order for us to have greater righteousness, does it mean that we have to be stricter in keeping the laws than the Pharisees?
• Jesus Christ has FULFILLED the Laws! He is the ONLY One who kept the Law fully and strictly.
• Jesus lives in our hearts and God has written His laws in our hearts.
• Righteousness is when you keep Jesus in your heart and follow Him, AND not taking pride in keeping the laws and rules!

The Bible called Lot a righteous man

2 Peter 2:6-8 (New King James Version)

⁶ and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)

• Lot was so righteous that he could even stay in a sinful city and keep his righteousness BUT he could not keep up with the rules and regulations and he eventually had incest with his daughters.
• Even though it wasn’t his fault, he had to live the rest of his life knowing that he could not keep the law fully anymore nor stand right before God.

However for Abram

Genesis 15:1-6 (New King James Version)

¹ After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
² But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
⁴ And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” ⁵ Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
⁶ And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

• Jehovah God accounted it to him for RIGHTEOUSNESS WHEN Abram BELIEVED in the LORD!

MAIN TEXT

Genesis 14:14-17 (New King James Version)

¹⁴ Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ¹⁶ So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
¹⁷ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

• In chapter 14, after Abram rescued Lot, Bera the King of Sodom met Abram in the valley of Shaveh.
• Bera means “Son of Evil”, Sodom means “Burning” – a burning of a wrong passion!

Genesis 14:18-24 (New King James Version)

¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. ¹⁹ And he blessed him and said:

“ Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;

²⁰ And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

And he gave him a tithe of all.
²¹ Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— ²⁴ except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

• Before the “Son of Evil” was able to engage Abram, Melchizedek King of Salem met Abram!
• Hebrews 7:1-2 (New King James Version)

¹ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,”

• Abram encountered The King of RIGHTEOUSNESS and the King of PEACE!
• Abram had a deep understanding of tithing.
  • He tithed to Melchizedek NOT because of wanting an open heaven! Tithing does keep the heavens opened BUT Abram has a greater revelation!
  • He tithed because he had a revelation that God is the POSSESOR of HEAVEN and EARTH!
  • Interesting, Abram gave the other 90% to the “Son of Evil”! Abram gave Melchizedek 10% and the Son of Evil 90%! – What is going on?
  • Abram understood the difference between righteous and unrighteous mammon!
  • Luke 16:11 (New King James Version)

¹¹ Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

• Abram preferred the righteous mammon from God, the possessor of Heaven and Earth!
  • He refused to obtain wealth through unrighteous means!

What is God’s righteousness?

Romans 4:2-4 (New King James Version)

² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say?“ Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁴ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

Galatians 3:5-7 (New King James Version)

⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

• It was when Abraham BELIEVED in the Lord, God ACCOUNTED to him for RIGTHEOUSNESS!

• Righteousness – right standing before God!

• Abraham was able to stand before God BECAUSE he BELIEVED!

• Abraham believed in Jehovah!

• He met the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace. Abraham believed in Jesus!

• It was not his works or lack of it BUT his BELIEF in God that puts him in right standing before God!

James 2:22-24 (Amplified Bible)

²²You see that [his] faith was cooperating with his works, and [his] faith was completed and reached its supreme expression [when he implemented it] by [good] works.

²³And [so] the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) God, and this was accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God’s will in thought and deed), and he was called God’s friend.

²⁴You see that a man is justified (pronounced righteous before God) through what he does and not alone through faith [through works of obedience as well as by what he believes].

• The Pharisees prided themselves in their ABILITY to obey the law!

• Abraham prided himself in his BELIEF in Jesus!

• The Pharisees keeps the law and perform works in order to be righteous!

• Abraham keeps his belief in Jesus and that belief produces works!

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUS

Jeremiah 23:4-6 (New King James Version)

⁴ I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD.
⁵ “ Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,

“ That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

⁶ In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

• It is not just seeking the Kingdom!
• It is seeking the Kingdom AND The KING (The Lord our RIGHTEOUSNESS)!

Jeremiah 23:7-8 (New King James Version)

⁷ “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.”

• When you seek the kingdom and the KING,
  • It is no longer just about declaring that God has delivered us from sin!
  • It will be declaring that God has delivered us from sin AND brought us INTO His BLESSINGS!

May we always remember that we are able to ALWAYS come boldly before the throne of Grace and Mercy in times of need BECAUSE of what Jesus has done on the cross AND not what we have or have not done.

We BELIEVED therefore we STAND before Him.

Shalom

Sleeping in Shalom

 

Before Jesus ascended into the heavens, He left us something in His will.

 

John 14:26-27 (New King James Version)

²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:26-27 (Amplified Bible)

²⁶But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.

²⁷Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

• The amplified bible expanded the word “give” in the NKJV to “give and BEQUEATH”
• BEQUEATH means to leave or give lawfully through a will.
• Jesus left us a will.
• Jesus EXPLICITLY willed HIS PEACE to us legally and lawfully.
• As the disciples were all Jews, in order words, Jesus was using the Hebrew language when He was speaking to them. He was actually saying “SHALOM I leave with you; My (own) SHALOM I now give and bequeath to you.”
• It wasn’t any ordinary shalom.
• It wasn’t just a shalom of peace of mind, stillness, quietness, environment
• It was JESUS’ OWN and PERSONAL SHALOM!
• Strong’s Concordance 7965 - Hebrew Shalom says: “Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.”
• In order words, Jesus gave us Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.
• He gave us His SHALOM!

Mark 5:22-32 (Amplified Bible)

²²Then one of the rulers of the synagogue came up, Jairus by name; and seeing Him, he prostrated himself at His feet

²³And begged Him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, so that she may be healed and live.

²⁴And Jesus went with him; and a great crowd kept following Him and pressed Him from all sides [so as almost to suffocate Him].

²⁵And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,

²⁶And who had endured much ^[suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.

²⁷She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,

²⁸For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.

²⁹And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.

³⁰And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?

³¹And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?

³²Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.

• Even though Jesus was on the way to attend to a crisis, He still stop and make time for to meet the needs of an individual.
• The Jesus that we believe has time for everyone.
• His SHALOM allows Him to STOP even in the rush of a crisis.
• With Jesus’ SHALOM in our lives, we would also be able to have the peace and calmness to attend to our family even in the face of demands and intensity.

Mark 5:33-34 (Amplified Bible)

³³But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

³⁴And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

• Jesus called her daughter. He was assuring her that she was not stealing the healing but rather healing belonged to her. By calling her daughter, Jesus was affirming her that she was a child of God and healing is for the Jews first.
• The woman was already made well the moment she touched Jesus’ garment BUT Jesus said that she needed to go INTO PEACE and when she GOES INTO PEACE, she will CONTINUE TO STAY IN HEALTH.
• The world that we live in is getting more stressful and medically there is a very close correlation between stress and health.
• Four types of Stress:
  1. Eustress, a type of stress that is fun and exciting, and keeps us vital (e.g. skiing down a slope or racing to meet a deadline.)
  2. Acute Stress, a very short-term type of stress that can either be positive (eustress) or more distressing (what we normally think of when we think of ‘stress’) ; this is the type of stress we most often encounter in day-to-day life (e.g. skiing down said slope or dealing with road rage)
  3. Episodic Acute Stress, where acute stress seems to run rampant and be a way of life, creating a life of relative chaos (e.g. the type of stress that coined the terms ‘drama queen’ and ‘absent-minded professor’)
  4. Chronic Stress, the type of stress that seems never-ending and inescapable, like the stress of a bad marriage or an extremely taxing job (this type of stress can lead to burnout).
  • • This is the worst type of stress!
    • They causes depression, diabetes, hair loss, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, obesity, obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder, sexual dysfunction, tooth and gum disease, ulcers and possibly cancer.
• It has been estimated that 90% of doctor’s visit is due to symptoms that are at least partially stress-related.
• Jesus gave us His SHALOM because He knew the detrimental effect of stress on our body and health.
• Jesus said to the woman that when she goes INTO SHALOM, she will keep your health!

John 14:27 (Amplified Bible)

²⁷Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

• If Jesus has already given us His shalom, then WHY are we not able to experience it?
• Jesus says that there is a need of us co-operating with Him. There is something that we need to do. We are to …
  • Let not your heart be trouble or afraid
  • Let not your heart be fearful and intimidated!
• I CANNOT let not for you. You got to let not for yourself.
• If you are facing a crisis or a challenge or worries, all sorts of agitation, troubles, fear, worries will enter into your heart, you have to learnt to let not it trouble you..
• BUT go INTO PEACE and then the peace of God which surpasses understanding will fill your heart and mind…
• We can go INTO JESUS’ SHALOM by praying in the tongues, meditating and confessing the word of God.

2 Peter 1:2 (Amplified Bible)

²May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

• Apostle Peter says that Peace can be MULTIPLIED into our lives.
• It multiplies when there is an increase in knowledge of Jesus.
• It is not head knowledge BUT the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
• The measure of Jesus’ Shalom in our hearts is the measure of the quality of health in our body.

May we allow the Prince of Shalom to triumph over the stress, troubles, agitations and fears that we face daily and let Him reign in our hearts and minds.

May we continue to walk in Jesus’ Shalom and be in health to live out our very best of our lives for Him and our love ones. The best gift we can give to our love ones is a healthy us to love and serve them for the longest time.

Moriah

A father and his son

The most agonizing experience happened on Mount Moriah.

The sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham was often shared and preached as an offering message to encourage us that when we sacrifice to God, He will provide and meet our needs. And God is indeed our Jehovah Jireh, our provider.

However, this account is more than just a story about sacrifice, giving and provision. This account was carefully passed down from generations to generations orally through out centuries because this account is not about us giving to God and receiving from him, it is about SOMETHING MORE and GREATER and POWERFUL and INTENSE …

Genesis 22:1 (Amplified Bible)

¹AFTER THESE events, God tested and proved Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am.

• God tested Abraham
• “Elohim” tested “Father of the multitude”
• It is a test for a Father.
• It is a test for a Father who loves the multitudes.

Genesis 22:2 (Amplified Bible)

²[God] said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you.

• Moriah means “Chosen by Jehovah”
• This test is to “Take the Only Son whom You love to Moriah and sacrifice as a burnt offering.”
  • John 3:16 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁶For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

Genesis 22:3 (Amplified Bible)

³So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and then began the trip to the place of which God had told him.

• The Father prepared a donkey and the company of 2 servants.
  • Matthew 21:1-2 (Amplified Bible)

^“1AND WHEN they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead,

²Saying to them, Go into the village that is opposite you, and at once you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie [them] and bring [them] to Me.”

• The Father split the wood in preparation.

Genesis 22:4 (Amplified Bible)

⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

⁵And Abraham said to his servants, Settle down and stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and come again to you.

⁶Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on [the shoulders of ] Isaac his son, and he took the fire (the firepot) in his own hand, and a knife; and the two of them went on together.

• The Father took the wood and put it on the shoulders of his son.
  • John 19:17 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁷And they took Jesus and led [Him] away; so He went out, bearing His own cross, to the spot called The Place of the Skull–in Hebrew it is called Golgotha.

• The Father took along the fire
  • The first time fire was mentioned in the bible, it has to do with God’s judgment.
  • Genesis 19:24 (Amplified Bible)

²⁴Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens.

• The Father took along a knife.
  • John 19:34 (Amplified Bible)

³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came (flowed) out.

• The servants did not come along. Only the Father went up the mountain with Him. The Son was not alone.
  • Matthew 26:56 (Amplified Bible)

⁵⁶But all this has taken place in order that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples deserted Him and, fleeing, escaped.

Genesis 22:7-8 (Amplified Bible)

⁷And Isaac said to Abraham, My father! And he said, Here I am, my son. [Isaac] said, See, here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt sacrifice?

⁸Abraham said, My son, God Himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering. So the two went on together.

• Josephus the Jewish historian placed Isaac as a 25 years old man.
• The first words spoken by the Son, “My Father”
• The only question asked by the Son, “Where is the lamb?”
• There was silence between the Son and the Father after the Father answered God will provide.
• The Silence of the Son says, “My Father, I will be that lamb.”
• The Father and the Son continued on together.

Genesis 22:9 (Amplified Bible)

⁹When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there; then he laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on the wood.

• The Father and the Son reached the place.
• The first thing that the Father did was that He built an altar.
• The Father knew that it is not just a sacrifice but an offering made to God.

Genesis 22:10 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took hold of the knife to slay his son.

• Here records the most agonizing experience of the Father.
• Intense feelings of love and grief, faith and fear, obedience and heartache collided within the Father.
• Intense feelings of love and grief, faith and fear, obedience and heartache collided within the Son.

Genesis 22:11-12 (Amplified Bible)

¹¹But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! He answered, Here I am.

¹²And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear and revere God, since you have not held back from Me or begrudged giving Me your son, your only son.

• Abraham passed the test.
• The Father passed the test. The Father had not held back in giving of the Son for the multitude.
• Isaac passed the test.
• The Son passed the test. The Son had not held back in giving of Himself for the multitude.

Genesis 22:13-14 (Amplified Bible)

¹³Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering and an ascending sacrifice instead of his son!

¹⁴So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. And it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it will be provided.

• Mount Moriah is Jehovah Jireh.
• On the Mount, the Chosen One will be provided by Jehovah as an Offering.

The account of Mount Moriah is really an account of God sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. Great was the faith of Abraham but it was not really about him but this account is really about God’s love, Jesus’ love for us. They journeyed to the cross for us to redeem us from the penalty of sin by dying on the cross.

It is not about us sacrificing and in return for provision.

Paul says  in Roman 8:32 (Amplified Bible), “He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?”

It is about God’s sacrifice and His provision because of His great love.

May we understand the depth, height, width and length of God’s love for us in Jesus and be constantly reminded his provision in our lives is due to his sacrifice and willingness.

May we always have assurance that God surely provides because He has already provided His Son.

Lost and Found

Yippee! I FOUND my 2 LOST cars!

LOST

The Lost Younger Son

Luke 15:11-12 (Amplified Bible)

¹¹And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons;

¹²And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided the estate between them.

• It was the younger son who INITIATED the separation and independence from the father.
• Why would he do that?
  • Was the father a bad father?
  • Was the father being controlling?
  • Was the father abusive?
• The younger son must have believed something negative about the father or the father must have done something extremely hurtful that he decided to leave his home.
• RIGHT BELIEVING LEADS TO RIGHT LIVING! Or wrong believing leads to wrong living! A few days later his belief about the father MANIFESTED into the action of leaving the father.
• He probably believed that the father was a HINDRANCE in his life to gain pleasure or happiness or CAUSE of his unhappiness
• Fact: Every DECISION that we make is either
  • To GAIN PLEASURE or AVOID PAIN
  • To GAIN HAPPINESS or AVOID SUFFERING
  • E.g. If we believe that a product will make our lives better, we would convince ourselves to buy it.
  • E.g. if we believe that certain decisions brings pain, we tend to delay making those decisions.
  • It is a natural instinct of every human being.
• BUT because we have been saved by Jesus, we have the HOLY SPIRIT within us to empower us to make wiser decisions not just based on natural instincts but based on the PEACE of God!

Luke 15:13-14 (Amplified Bible)

¹³And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living.

¹⁴And when he had spent all he had, a mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.

• The younger son did not suffer immediately but rather he had a great time of living the high life of partying with friends and great enjoyment.
• He was probably doing pretty well in business or some form of investment or shady money generating operations but because of an unforeseen economic crisis (famine), he lost all his money (began to fall back!

Luke 15:15-16 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁵So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.

¹⁶And he would gladly have fed on and ^[filled his belly with the carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better].

• He went into survival mode. He not only lost his fortune, he also lost his dignity and self-esteem when he had to force himself to work in a pig farm. To the Jews, the pig is considered as an unclean animal.
• Note the frequency of the word “Father” mentioned from verse 11 to 16, the word “Father” was mentioned TWICE ONLY and yet it has to do with the father GIVING to the younger son.
• Note the HIGH frequency of the word “he” (with reference to the younger son), it eventually led to him losing even the temporal happiness and everything.
• In the search for independence and a wrong belief that his father is a hindrance, instead of HAPPINESS, the younger son ended up SUFFERING.
• The younger son was LOST IN THE WORLD and he SUFFERED when he STRAYED AWAY from the father.

The Lost Elder Son

Luke 15:25-29 (Amplified Bible)

²⁵But his older son was in the field; and as he returned and came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶And having called one of the servant [boys] to him, he began to ask what this meant.

²⁷And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed that [wheat-]fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and well.

²⁸But [the elder brother] was angry [with deep-seated wrath] and resolved not to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him,

²⁹But he answered his father, Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me [so much as] a [little] kid, that I might revel and feast and be happy and make merry with my friends;

• The elder son believes that his happiness is continuing working laboriously for the father to get his INHERITANCE while the younger son DEMANDED his inheritance.
• He probably believed that the father was a HINDRANCE or BARRIER in his life to gain pleasure or happiness.
• As such the elder son was either trying to prove his worth in the field so that he can be deserving of the father OR he had a belief that the father is a result-oriented father and by produce results he will get what he due to him.
• A Christian could serve in the FIELD (Ministry) but yet have deep-seated wrath which grew over time.
• When the younger son came back without any results and was in totally UNDESERVING and YET the father gave the younger son what the elder son has been working for, the elder son’s belief about the father MANIFESTED into a deep bitterness towards the father!

Luke 15:30 (Amplified Bible)

³⁰But when this son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you have killed for him ^[that [wheat-] fattened calf!

• The elder son says “This son of yours!”
• The father says “This brother of yours”
• The father was reminding the elder son that the younger son was also his brother.
• We need to remember RELATIONSHIP is what matters the most.
• What is the point of winning a fight at the expense of losing a friend?
• What is the point of winning the whole world but at the expense of losing your own soul (or soul-mate)?

Luke 15:31 – 32 (Amplified Bible)

³¹And the father said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

³²But it was fitting to make merry, to revel and feast and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!

• The elder son had the INHERITANCE all along because the father is a GOOD FATHER.
• The elder son was LOST IN THE FIELD (ministry) and he SUFFERED FOR THE FATHER thinking that it was what the Father wanted.

The Lost Younger Son Vs The Lost Elder Son

• Both sons were lost. One was lost in the world and the other was lost in the field.
• Which was the greater evil?
• Food for thought: Where was the FIRST MURDER committed? Gen 4:8 says that it Cain murdered Abel in the FIELD!
• Does it mean that it is better to be lost in the world (backslide) than in the field (serve God)?
• It is NEITHER because BOTH ENDED UP IN SUFFERING!
• Do not seek to be LOST but seek to be FOUND!

FOUND

Luke 15:17-19 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁷Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food, and [even food] to spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!

¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] make me like one of your hired servants.

• The turning point or the trigger point: HE CAME TO HIMSELF.
• Nobody can COME TO YOURSELF for YOU! You need to come to yourself for yourself.
• Right believing leads to right living. The younger son say that “I will GO TO MY FATHER!”
• He was able to COME TO HIMSELF because he said in verse 16: “And he would gladly have fed on and ^[filled his belly with the carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better].”
• Of all the peace, security, happiness, prosperity that we can find in our world, ONLY God’s peace, security, happiness, prosperity TRULY SATISFY us and our soul!
• HIS is BETTER than OURS!

Luke 15:20-24 (Amplified Bible)

²⁰So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [^[fervently].

²¹And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]!

²²But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly the best robe (the festive robe of honor) and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet.

²³And bring out that [wheat-]fattened calf and kill it; and let us ^[revel and feast and be happy and make merry,

²⁴Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to revel and feast and make merry.

• Note the HIGH frequency of the word “Father” and it has to do with the father GIVING to the son.
• When the younger son came back to the father, it is the father who INITIATED all the celebration, the blessings, the feasting and the restoration.
• The one who was FOUND was the one who GO TO THE FATHER was the one who became TRULY HAPPY and BLESSED by the FATHER!

The only CONSISTENT person in the parable is the Father. Thought both sons behaved badly and misunderstood the Father, He continues in his unchanging posture as a GOOD FATHER.

We loved HIM because He FIRST love us.

May we not be LOST in the WORLD and SUFFER AWAY from Father God.

May we not be LOST in the FIELD (ministry) and SUFFER FOR Father God.

May we always SEEK to be FOUND in Father God as we serve Him and shine for Him in this world. It is in the presence of Father God where there is always fullness of joy and peace and blessings.

Happy

A cup of ice Milo is enough to make me happy

Do you deserve to be happy?

Who determines your happiness?

Mark 10:17-20 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁷And as He was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, Teacher, [You are essentially and perfectly morally] good, what must I do to inherit eternal life [that is, to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah's kingdom]?

¹⁸And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [essentially and perfectly morally] good? There is no one [essentially and perfectly morally] good–except God alone.

¹⁹You know the commandments: Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.

²⁰And he replied to Him, Teacher, I have carefully guarded and observed all these and taken care not to violate them from my boyhood.

• The rich young man was able to confidently declare that Jesus was perfectly moral because Jesus was indeed perfectly moral.
• However the young man probably asked with a motive of expecting Jesus to commend back on him too.
• But Jesus replied in a way that re-direct all honour to God,  even though Jesus is without sin, Jesus chose to humble Himself that declares that only God is perfectly moral.
• Even though this young man was with great riches and have obeyed the laws since his youth, he  somehow felt that he did not qualify for the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and JOY in the Spirit.
• Essentially, the young man felt that he does not deserved to be happy.
• Why? This man has setup TOO many unrealistic CRITERIA in his life in order to allow himself to be happy.
• Sometimes, we set too many rules and expectations and criteria for ourselves before we released ourselves to be happy.
• We allowed ourselves to be happy IF…
  • We have lots of money
  • We find our perfect spouse, car, house, job, boss
  • When there is world peace
  • When we retire
  • When the children are obedient
  • When people are nice to me
  • When there is no more stress or pressure
  • When I can buy whatever I want
  • When I am famous or when I am respected
  • When everyone listens to me… etc
• All these may make you happy BUT what happens if you don’t achieve them or if they are totally beyond your control. Then do you still deserved to be happy or have the JOY or GLADNESS OF GOD?
• CRITERIA are not wrong BUT they have to be there to help to be HAPPIER but not made ESSENTIAL for your happiness.

Mark 10:21-27 (Amplified Bible)

²¹And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and He said to him, You lack one thing; go and sell all you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come [and] accompany Me [walking the same road that I walk].

²²At that saying the man’s countenance fell and was gloomy, and he went away grieved and sorrowing, for he was holding great possessions.

²³And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, With what difficulty will those who possess wealth and keep on holding it enter the kingdom of God!

²⁴And the disciples were amazed and bewildered and perplexed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, Children, how hard it is for those who trust (place their confidence, their sense of safety) in riches to enter the kingdom of God!

²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

²⁶And they were shocked and exceedingly astonished, and said to Him and to one another, Then who can be saved?

²⁷Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.

• Interestingly, Jesus ask him to sell ALL that he has AND GIVE to the POOR in order to enter into the kingdom and to follow Jesus.
• In order to follow Jesus, do we need to SELL ALL and GIVE ALL? Let’s read other records…

Matthew 19:21 (Amplified Bible)

²¹Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me].

Mark 10:21 (Amplified Bible)

²¹And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and He said to him, You lack one thing; go and sell all you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come [and] accompany Me [walking the same road that I walk

Luke 18:22 (Amplified Bible)

²²And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell everything that you have and divide [the money] among the poor, and you will have [rich] treasure in heaven; and come back [and] follow Me [become My disciple, join My party, and accompany Me].

• This is the ONLY person recorded whom Jesus asked to sell ALLand give the money away.
• We must remember that Jesus LOVED him and Jesus was provoking the young man to thought:

1. Jesus’ deliberately set a HIGHER CRITERIA for the young man to stimulate thought that the way of happiness is in having NOT more CRITIERA! There is no end and not realistic!
2. Jesus was stating that PROSPERITY does not equate PROSPERITY of the SOUL! But PROSPERITY of the SOUL will lead you to PROSPERITY of life!
3. Jesus is asking him to FOLLOW HIM in discovering HIS JOY in life.

• Jesus ask him to sell away all the things that had a HOLD on his soul and learn to give to the poor. Jesus did not ask to give ALL to the poor but to give within his control and desires!
• Paul says we give first out of a willing heart! Acts 5: 1 -4 says that Giving is within our control.

3 John 1:2 (Amplified Bible)

²Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.

How did Jesus determine his happiness?

Matthew 3:16-17 (New King James Version)

¹⁶ When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and Hesaw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. ¹⁷ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

• God the Father commended on Jesus before Jesus performed any miracles or did any thing for God.
• Jesus’ criterion of happiness– He knows that God loves Him for who He is and not what He has done.

Do you deserve to be happy?

You decide.

Who determines your happiness?

You determine.

May we always be able to differentiate joy in the soul and the sense of joy in accomplishment and that we can always be happy at whatever conditions both favourable and unfavourable.

May we always be able to experience joy with our love ones and enjoy each moment stage of life whilst in the pursuit of prosperity.

May our love ones and friends find happiness and joy easily when they are with us.

May we prospers in soul, knowing that we walked not alone but under the loving eye and care of a wonderful saviour, and that we will prosper in all things and be in health just as our soul prospers.

Detours

Even Barney will ride with us when we make detours

Is God alright when we take detours in our lives?

Let’s look at the account of Jesus walking on water from 3 different records of the Gospel writers of the same account.

The writers wrote and recorded details in the way which impressed or impacted them the most. Three records with different emphasis on details but ONE COHERENT account.

Matt 14: 22 – 33 (Amplified Bible)

Matthew record that

• It was Jesus who directed them to go to the other side.
• It was Jesus who sent the crowd away.
• The account of Peter walking on water.
• Those in the boat knelt and worshipped Jesus
• The wind ceased when Jesus stepped into their boat.

Mark 6: 45 – 52 (Amplified Bible)

Mark recorded that

• It was Jesus who send them to go to the other side to Bethsaida.
• It was Jesus who send the crowd away.
• Jesus saw that they were struggling and pretended to have passed them by.
• The disciples were greatly amazed and fail to understand because their hearts were hardened.
• The wind ceased when Jesus stepped into the boat.

John 6: 15 – 21 (Amplified Bible)

• Matthew recorded that Jesus sent them to the other side. Mark recorded Jesus send them to Bethsaida. John recorded they were heading to Capernaum!
• Why Capernaum? Why a detour? Historically and culturally, there was nothing outstanding about Capernaum except that it is a regular fishing village.
• A possible explanation is that while on the way to Bethsaida, Peter convinced everyone to head towards Capernaum first because it was the hometown of Simon Peter (Matt 8:5,14)! Peter greatly missed his wife and family and wanted to see them badly.

Was Jesus alright with the Disciple’s detour?

• In John 6:24-25, the crowd found Jesus in Capernaum, on the other side of the lake.
• It was Jesus who sent them out on an assignment and they met a storm or challenge along the way.
• You may also put it in a way that it was Jesus who sent them into the storm!
• Mark recorded that Jesus saw that the disciples were tormented and troubled in their rowing through the storm.
• He was so concerned about them that …
  • He left a prayer meeting,
  • walked on water supernaturally to reach out to the disciples!
• See the extend that Jesus goes to reach out to his people!
• Mark recorded that Jesus acted to pass them by and that means that He never intended to pass them by to teach them a lesson about faith.
• When they GLADLY invited Jesus into the boat, The boat went at once to shore AT WHERE THEY WERE GOING (John 6:21)!
• Jesus went to detour to CAPERNAUM together with the disciples before heading to Bethsaida!

Is Jesus alright with the detours that we sometimes make in life?

• The Jesus that we believed and loved is One who puts Relationship before Work!
• Jesus is able to comprehend our feelings and heart and He is alright when we take detours in our lives.
• De-tours could happen because of many reasons both good, bad and neutral.
• De- tours are not “THE END” as many people inclined to think.
• One thing for sure even when we detour, He never leaves us but stay close to us and guide us to fulfilling our call of God in our lives!
• Jesus is the faithful friend who never leave us nor forsake us.

May we not be paralyzed by the detours in life but always be assured and reminded that in all our detours, even if it is a labyrinth, Jesus will lead us out and up and to our very best in lives for ourselves and our love ones.

eleutheroō

Freedom to soar

We often hear that Jesus has come to save us from sin and we need to know that the way He saves us is by setting us free.

Eleutheroō in Greek means to make free and to set at liberty.

John 8:36 (Amplified Bible)

“So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free (eleutheroō).”

John 8:32 (Amplified Bible)

“And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”

It is not universal truth or general truth that will give us true freedom. Truth is not an inanimate higher form knowledge and it is definitely not impersonal.

But rather Truth is personal and intimate. It is a Person and that Person deliberately came from heaven with the primary goal to save us by setting us free.

It is to be free from the dominion of sin, free from unrealistic expectation, free to make choices, free to love, free to express, free to reach for the sky, free to make mistakes, free to fail, free to succeed…

It is for our freedom that He came…

Partial freedom is liken to caging an eagle in an aviary which allows it to see the sky but will never ever reach it.

True freedom involves certain measure of risk and full measure of the heart.

True freedom involves in having faith in the person (or self) whom you “eleutheroo”.

An eagle upon being set free does not chart the course of its maiden flight towards destruction but to test its majestic wings against the adverse wind and learn ride on it to soar into greater heights.

It is usually an overly controlled and restraint person or appetite that leads to a frenzy downward spiral upon tasting a bit of freedom. Thus it is good to allow freedom to grow constantly and consistently in both our lives and our love ones.

True freedom is not about doing whatever you want or not at the expense of others. That would be selfishness and pride.

True freedom begins in the spirit and felt immediately  in the soul. It was what we felt upon receiving the saving grace of Jesus that assures us of that salvation.

True freedom means that you are true to God, to yourself and to others.

If our greatest need is knowledge, Jesus would have come primarily as a teacher…

If our greatest need is healing, Jesus would have come primarily as a healer…

If our greatest need is emotional support, Jesus would have come primarily as a counsellor…

Our greatest need is to be set free from the dominion of sin and fear, Jesus came to be our saviour and overcame the sting of death and fear.

Jesus has very high views of people, of you and me and us.

He believes that we will not abuse the freedom that He gave.

He believes that even if we fail, we would come forth stronger and wiser.

He believes in us…

So much so that He is willing to pay the ultimate price of the cross for our freedom.

May we stay free and enjoy the liberty that Jesus has made possible by His blood.