In John 8, Jesus is teaching at the temple when the Pharisees enter the scene with a woman they caught having an affair. “‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’” (John 8:4-5). The Pharisees were filled with self-righteousness and felt threatened by Jesus. They were not looking for advice on how to lovingly correct this woman. Instead, they were hoping to bait Jesus into saying something incriminating so they could arrest Him. But Jesus, with one statement, shifts the perspective from 4th the woman’s sin to the Pharisees’ sin. “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (John 8:6). It is all too natural for us to compare ourselves to others in an effort to feel superior. How many times have we looked at someone and thought, “I can’t believe she did that!” or “He should be ashamed of himself!” The Pharisees were famous for this. But the Bible says no one is righteous. Not me, not you (Romans 3:10). So the next time these thoughts pop into your head, ask God to shift your thinking to the perspective of Jesus and let us extend the grace and mercy He gave us so freely.
In John 6, Jesus performs the only miracle, apart from the resurrection, that is repeated in all four gospels. Feeding 5,000 men with only five loaves of bread and two fish reminds us that God can provide for our every need. No matter how great our problems seem or how hopeless our situations appear, God will provide. That promise should give us peace.
The disciples had doubts. Philip said eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread to give every person even one bite. Andrew
found a small boy willing to share his food, but questioned the worth of the mega meal with so many mouths to feed comprar viagra generico. Despite their
doubts, Jesus supplied the crowd with more than enough food, showing He is a generous provider. He doesn’t just want us to have enough to get by; He wants to bless us beyond what we can imagine. Jesus’s disciples focused on the severity of the problem rather than the sovereignty of God, seemingly forgetting all the miracles Jesus had performed already. Let’s not repeat the same mistake. When life confronts us with tough situations, remember God’s provision in the past and trust in His future faithfulness.
Praying is communicating with God. Through prayer we come to know the all-powerful and loving God, and who He is; through prayer we allow God to direct our lives. Prayer shapes our lives. The need to pray seems to be built into the heart of all human beings. So it was natural for Jesus’ followers to ask Him to teach them to pray. He answered them by giving the prayer that the church has, for centuries, called the Lord’s Prayer.
Why pray? After all, someone might say, ‘God knows all our needs, why should we waste time troubling him? Can prayer make any difference? Does God really hear me?’
Why should we pray:
1. Prayer, especially praise in prayer, glorifies God. God deserves praise. Praising God puts the world into true perspective.
2. Prayer allows us to be involved in God’s actions in the world. God doesn’t need our prayers; He is perfectly capable of acting on His own initiative. But for some reason he likes and chooses to involve us.
3. Prayer allows us to enjoy fellowship with God by communicating with him. Christianity is ultimately about the relationship between God and us, and in order for a relationship to form and to be maintained there has to be communication.
4. Prayer allows us to receive God’s priorities for our lives.
5. Prayer allows us to set our lives to God’s exact and perfect way of living.
Praying the Lord’s Prayer is one thing – living it is something else. Join us over the next seven weeks as we explore the Lord’s Prayer.
Last Sunday I preached from 2 Kings 19:14-19 Hezekiah’s prayer. During my sermon I wanted to present a prayer structure that has helped me in prayer. Unfortunately time did not allow – so here it is! Prayer structure using the acronym “ACTS”, when you pray start with:
Adoration – take a moment adore God, to worship him and to fulfil the commandment to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul. Spend time in adoration,praise God for who He is – our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer, our Friend.
Confession – This allows us to clear away the things in the relationship between you and God which are displeasing to Him.All of us have sinned. 1 John 1:8-9 says “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Thanksgiving – Each moment God is blessing us, every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given. And so,we need to be constantly thanking God for his blessings. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Supplication – Finally we come to ask God for our needs and the needs of others. There are many demands on our prayer time – many topics and issues that we could pray for, so we need to choose, and to be specific.
Too often, Christians believe everything should be easier because we are God’s people. But if you’ve followed Jesus for any length of time, you know that’s not always the case. Sometimes, things don’t go our way. And while it’s easy to turn our backs on God when life gets chaotic, Habakkuk 3:1-19 shows us there is another way. Habakkuk saw God unleash His wrath on the world. Confused and upset, he asked God the question we all want to ask: “Why?” Like Habakkuk, one of the best things we can do with our doubt is to present our questions to God and spend time with Him in prayer. In Habakkuk 3, the prophet is finishing a long conversation with God. He reflects on who God is, thanks God for His faithfulness and acknowledges that he can find joy in God’s presence, despite any tough circumstances.
Habakkuk’s response to his doubt gives us an example of how we can deal with doubt. First, recognize when we’re feeling doubt and understand why. Second, react by bringing our questions to God and praising Him in prayer. Third, remember how faithful God has been in our lives and the promises He’s made. Finally, choose to rejoice in the Lord and be joyful in Jesus our Saviour! Remembering who God is, His faithfulness in the past, and His promises for the future gives us the confidence to trust God with what’s happening right now. We are still human. We still live in a sin-filled world filled with loss, hardships, doubt, stress, and fear. The difference when we face each day with Jesus is that we have the ability to experience joy, peace, love, and security even in hard times.
We’ve all been given a gift, it might be athletic, academic or a creative talent. Just because we have talent doesn’t mean we are going to be great at something right away. Lee Halfpenny couldn’t kick a rugby ball great distances the first time he picked up the ball se puede comprar viagra sin receta medica. Billy Graham’s first sermon probably wasn’t spectacular. In both cases these men practiced a lot and their persistence paid off.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. In the book of Joshua the Israelites were cultivating a gift – the towns allotted to them after reaching the ‘Promised Land’. The nation of Israel was a ragtag group of nomads that didn’t yet have a place to call home. Joshua dictated what part of the ‘Promised Land’ each tribe would get, but there was a catch, the Israelites had to conquer the territories in their possession. It would take years of persistence and they still wouldn’t drive out all of the people living there but eventually they became a great and powerful nation.
In Luke 18:1-8 – Jesus reminds us of another type of persistence – Prayer. Jesus admonishes us to keep praying, even if it seems like God isn’t listening. In both stories the Bible reminds us that God rewards persistence. Is there something God’s called you to that you’re ready to give up on? A prayer that seems to far fetched to continue praying? Don’t quit! ‘For in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.’ Galations 6:9.
What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?
Maybe a beautiful sunset with red and orange colours.
Maybe you’ve seen dolphins jumping in the sea.
Maybe the simple beauty of a cluster of grapes hanging from the vine has struck you with awe.
Creation is full of magnificent, breath-taking scenes, yet none of these is made in the image of God. But you are!
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).
In all of creation, nothing is more beautiful or valuable than you. We can know we are special because God made us in His image.
Not only are we created in the image of God, but Jesus gave His life for us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God didn’t create us and leave us alone. He offers us forgiveness and life.
If you ever doubt your value, feel worthless or feel you’ve fallen short, remember two things:
1: You are made in the image of God, 2: He loves you so much He took the punishment for your sins through His death.
Next Sunday we move to the Halliwell Theatre for a new chapter in the life Bethel church. Using Joshua as an example as we go…
Remember God is faithful.
Joshua was able to maintain his focus on God because he REMEMBERED that God is faithful. In Joshua chapter 4, Joshua asked the people he was leading to remember God’s faithfulness by building a memorial where God had made a way for them to cross the Jordan river.
We must remember that God is always faithful and He is always faithful to His children. Forty years seems like forever but neither Moses nor Joshua lost sight of who God is. God’s character does not change, whatever our circumstances. Do not lose sight of who God is because He is faithful.
Remember God’s promises.
Joshua remembered God’s promise to him:
“Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. ” (Joshua 3:7).
If God could free a nation of people, Joshua believed that God could also be faithful in making him a leader. It wasn’t easy to lead a nation through the wilderness to the Promised Land, but Joshua was faithful because he remembered God’s faithfulness in past promises. that he was with him. Remember that God promises to always be with us, no matter where we go.
Remember God is good.
God intends everything to be for our good (Romans 8:28)!
God never said that life would be easy but we need to remember that He is faithful, He is good, and He keeps His promises:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow – faithful.
I received this story via email recently:
“Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it. One of the horses is blind. His owner chose not to have him put down but instead made him a safe and comfortable barn to live in. This alone is pretty amazing.
But if you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. It is coming from a smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse’s halter is a small, copper-coloured bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends you’ll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting he will not be led astray viagra precios.”
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse, being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. At other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.
