Who is Israel?-6

We will continue our study of who is Israel. Last week we had family from out of town suddenly come here for the weekend and lost time.

The sons of Israel are clearly identified throughout the Old Testament.

Exodus 39:1  Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 39:2  He made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. 39:3  Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman. 39:4  They made attaching shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends. 39:5  The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 

Aaron’s robes were both beautiful but magnificent. God gave Moses His exacting requirements. They even had to hammer out gold to make golded thread.

Exo 39:6  They made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. 

39:7  And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 39:8  He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful workman, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. 

39:9  It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double. 

39:10  And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; 39:11  and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond;  39:12  and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 39:13  and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were mounted. 

These precious stones must have been dazzling in the daylight when Aaron wore them.

39:14  The stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes. 

We know their names from an earlier accounting. Clearly, there is indeed a family named Israel that grew into the nation of Israel while in Egypt.

Genesis 35:22  It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now there were twelve sons of Jacob— 35:23  the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun; 35:24  the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; 35:25  and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan and Naphtali; 35:26  and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. 

With this beginning, how could there be any confusion about who is the Israel of the Bible. That is unless we have failed to take into consideration that God values, insists, and commands obedience to be included in His family.

More next Saturday.

Who is Israel?-5

Sorry for last week, as something came up that took my time up entirely. As we continue to look into God’s Word to help us understand who indeed is Israel, we find there are at least two groups that need to be considered. Israel as a nation seems to have been destroyed during the Assyrian captivity. Unfortunately, this seems to have been started by Solomon.

1 Kings 11:1  Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 

1:2  from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love. 11:3  He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 

God prohibited the ‘Israelites’ from marrying outside of the nation/tribe. This included all the kings. The leaders disobeyed to the people did the same.

11:4  For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 11:5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 

The Bible constantly warns men about the seductive enticements of women toward them. Yet, Solomon disregarded God’s warnings and commands. These many foreign wives who brought their idolatrous worship and child sacrifices with them, led Solomon down the road to depravity, evil, abominable and detestable sins/practices.

Remember, God spoke to him twice.

11:6  Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. 11:7  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 11:8  Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 

The odds were stacked against Solomon, as all his wives were seductress idolators. This couldn’t be a more demonstrative example of being unequaled yoked.

2 Corinthians 6:14  Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 

6:15  Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 6:16  Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 6:17  "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 

This couldn’t be more clear. What is there to be in common with in this passage? It is the example to two extremes. There is no ‘common’ ground, none! Yet, I know two families that have their ‘christian’ daughters currently dating boys/men who are not ‘christian’! Once feelings get aroused, doctrine falls away.

1Ki 11:9  Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 

11:10  and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 11:11  So the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 

This is the beginning of the end of ‘Israel’ as a nation of 12 tribes.

1Ki 11:12  "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 

11:13  "However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen." 

11:14  Then the LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom. 

The LORD raised up an Edomite, as descendant of Esau. He became an adversary to Solomon who had enjoyed peace throughout his reign up to now.

11:28  Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 11:29  It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 

11:30  Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 11:31  He said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 11:32  (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 

Here we read the sad story of the separation of the nation into two nations. The northern 10 tribes would become known as ‘Israel’ and the remaining two in the south would be known as ‘Judah’.

1Ki 11:33  because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 

God’s promises and blessings are all conditional on obedience. God demands it and deserves it. Solomon did evil in the sight of God and therefore, He took 10 tribes away from his son and every son thereafter. In fact, they often became enemies to each other. This may sound like your family.

11:34  'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; 11:35  but I will take the kingdom from his son's hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. 11:36  'But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 

The one unconditional promise from God is that His Son will come through the line of David and reign on the throne of David. Sadly, Jeroboam also did evil in God’s sight. Eventually ‘Israel’ was soon to just become Samaria.

11:37  'I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 11:38  'Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 11:39  'Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.'" 

He also did not listen. Are you listening?

11:42  Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 11:43  And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place. 

More next Saturday.

Who is Israel?-4

To whom much is given, much is expected and commanded. This includes fruit, rewards, talents, and all future promises. As mentioned before, God’s promises and covenants contain responsibility to us to obey them in order to be blessed by them. Too often obedience is forgotten or just blatantly ignored. This was and continues today to be the problem with the ‘nation’ of Israel, but also includes the ‘church’.

Romans 9:1  I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 9:2  that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 9:3  For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 

Saul, now Paul, has great sorrow for his physical kinsmen. He personally knows the deceit that has enslaved them to the teachings of men and doctrines of demons. He was a man driven to go anywhere to stop people from worshiping Jesus Christ. Now he is a servant of Christ. It took him to be stopped by Christ on his mission to arrest believers in Damascus, which is in Syria not Israel.

9:4  who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 9:5  whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

The physical family of connected people known as Israel were given all they needed and more. But, what they did not forget they just ignored and disobeyed.

9:6  But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 9:7  nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED." 

God is not our problem nor was He their excuse for their sin. Abraham as the father of many nations, was not uniquely devoted to just Israel/Jacob. God’s plan for Israel the nation was for them to be a light unto the nations.

9:8  That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 

As we have read before, God doesn’t rely only on family lineage to present His message or to receive His blessings. If you truly belong to God, you are a child of the promise. Too many ignore this very clear, basic truth. Thus they continue today to think of the physical Israel of today as God’s only chosen people.

More next Saturday.

Who is Israel?-3

Israel/Jacob are chosen people by God. This is true and is confirmed in Deuteronomy 7.

Deuteronomy 7:1  "When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, 7:2  and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. 

The promise from God contains some requirements. This nation that will leave Egypt must defeat and destroy all these pagan nations that are already in the land that God has promised to them. Utterly destroy sounds to barbarous to our ears, but God must know that they are too far into this horrible idolatry to be saved. Not that God is limited, but His offer is being withdrawn from them.

7:3  "Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 7:4  "For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. 

This is an oft repeated warning/commandment from God that can be found throughout the Old Testament. We have already studied just how many men have fallen from God’s rest by the allures of foreign/idolatrous women.

7:5  "But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. 

They are not only to not marry, but to utterly destroy these nations. Then they have to destroy all idolatrous elements of their evil worship of foreign gods and demons. All elements that could be used or have been used must be destroyed completely.

7:6  "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 

Here we arrive at the verses any Bible student can recite. Israel/Judah is God’s chosen people. As such, God expects and deserves total obedience to remain as His chosen people. Unfortunately, partial obedience is actually disobedience. They never removed all these groups or destroyed all these monuments to evil. So they remained a temptation and stumbling block up to the time of their captivity and even beyond.

So clearly, Israel as a nation/family/clan are God’s only chosen people or are they? Disobedience results in blessing being removed/forfeited and curses being given instead.

Even when David was King, his own sons rebelled against him in their attempts to take his throne. Truly only a small godly remnant existed throughout all of Israel/Jacob’s history.

So how can all Israel be saved?

Romans 11:25  For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 11:26  and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."11:27  "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS." 

11:28  From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 11:29  for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

More next Saturday.

Who is Israel?-2

It would be helpful in our study to once again look at who is Israel and who is definitely not Israel. We must go back to the Old Testament and the Flood to find the beginning of this deceit.

Genesis 9:18  Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. 9:19  These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. 

So while Adam was indeed the first man created. Indirectly thru Noah he still is the earthly father of us all. Here we read that from Noah’s three sons, the whole world would once again become populated. But, where does the Land and nation of Israel find its beginning?

1 Chronicles 1:24  Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, 1:25  Eber, Peleg, Reu, 1:26  Serug, Nahor, Terah, 1:27  Abram, that is Abraham. 

As studied earlier, Abraham and thus Isaac and Jacob came from Shem. So Israel/Jacob descended from Shem and only this family can even claim to be Israel.

But, we have this troublesome verse in Revelation to study.

Revelation 3:9  'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 

Who claims that they are Jews but are not? Again we have seen this before but we now again have to put it into this study.

Genesis 10:3  The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah.

A whole family or clan are from Ashkenaz from which comes the people group who self-identify as Ashkenazi Jews. They are made up of a group from Russian and northern Europe. They adopted Judaism as a means to control this vast and fast growing horde. Religion is often used to insert control over a given population. The Catholic Church is a prime example of this.

So now we currently have in ‘Israel’ two competing groups of Jews, but only one who can truly claim lineage to Shem.

Our view of Jews is often created by this confusion. It could very well be that most of the rulers of Israel today are in truth Ashkenazi Jews. They are not truly religious, but neither are most of the Shem Jews today either. So we struggle to understand all the evil in Israel today, but most of it goes back to this division. This only adds to the confusion.

More next Saturday.

Who is Israel?-1

There are few topics in the Bible that has caused more confusion than who is the true Israel! The problem may be caused by the immense number of verses on Israel and the lack of true contextural understanding of how they all work together. Most often, people take the easy way or simple way to understanding rather than commit themselves to a long and in-depth search for truth. I am not saying I know more or have studied more but it has been a long, rewarding study that I am now going to be sharing with you over the next few months.

First, let us just look at Israel, the nation, today.

It encompasses just 9700 square miles with a current population of about 9,900,000 people. This is about the size of New Jersey in land area. There are 7 US states that have populations this size or larger. California, Florida, Texas, and New York all have vastly larger populations.

The majority of the people, 73% are Jews, 18% are Muslim, and the rest are spread out over a range of beliefs. Just 1.9 % consider themselves Christian.

Second, the land now known as Israel was legally established by the Balfour Document of 1917. This basically gave the current land inhabited and ‘owned’ by Palestinians to a Jewish nation still to be gathered there from around the world.

Third, much like at the time of Jesus, the Jewish people remain estranged from God. This current population is not the covenant regathering of the lost of Israel, but an evil, demonic controlled people who deny Jesus as their Messiah. Why do I say demonic? We have read these verses before and are still true today.

John 8:41  "You are doing the deeds of your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God." 

8:42  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 

8:43  "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 

8:44  "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 

There have been over 180,000 Palestinian men, women, and children killed by the ADF since October. The ICJ has condemned Israel for genocide, but to no avail. If you read the current news from Israel, not to be found on the ‘mainline’ media, you will be horrified to discover that soldiers are legally allowed to rape Palestinian women held in Israeli prisons. Almost half of the citizens are in agreement with this, as they consider them to be not truly human.

Fourth, there are hundreds of verses in the Bible that seem to contradict each other, which only adds to the confusion and problem.

Jacob is the father of the 12 tribes of ‘Israel’. God changed his name from Jacob to Israel.

Genesis 32:27  So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 32:28  He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." 

Genesis 35:9  Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 35:10  God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name." Thus He called him Israel. 35:11  God also said to him, "I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. 

The confusion begins here. There are 81 verses in the Bible that include both names interchangeably. The last verse is in Romans.

Romans 11:25  For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 11:26  and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." 

We will attempt to resolve these issues and bring clarity to them as God is not a God of confusion.

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-22

I believe that this will be the last study on prayer. While we could continue for another two months, I think we should go on to another topic of importance. I will be working on it during this week. We will look at some of God’s warnings about prayer.

Acts 5:1  But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 5:2  and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 

What was Ananias trying to do? Why was he doing this?

Acts 4:32  And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 4:33  And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 

4:34  For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 4:35  and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. 

True believers were giving all to help all. Once it became known that you had left the Temple to follow Jesus, families, friends, and even jobs were gone. This created an imbalance within the congregation in regards to even having enough to eat. So they sold property, laid the entire proceeds at the apostles’ feet, and let them distribute it according to need, not according to wants.

Ananias wanted to have this benevolent recognition without bearing all the cost.

5:3  But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 5:4  "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 

As we studied earlier, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we need help with our prayers. In this case, they lied to the Holy Spirit, which means they also lied to God. Peter reminded him that there was no expectation for anyone to to sell their land and give everything to the apostles.

5:5  And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 5:6  The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. 

God dealt with this sin immediately. But, He doesn’t always deal so visibly, quickly, or dramatically to our sin? Why now?

5:7  Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 5:8  And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price." 

It is apparent, that she knows nothing of what happened to her husband just 3 hours earlier. Peter gave her the opportunity to tell the truth, but she lied instead.

5:9  Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well." 5:10  And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 

Same lie, same results. Two deaths in broad daylight within 3 hours. All because they lied to Peter and to God.

5:11  And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things. 

What can we learn?

First, our plans should never get ahead to our prayers. If they would have come together to pray about selling their land, this may have been avoided.

Second, this wasn’t about money. This wasn’t about giving.It was about looking good to others, but at what cost?

Third, as the Church in Jerusalem was in its infancy, God did not want or tolerate blatant sin being ignored. God’s view of sin was put on display for all to see. That is indeed a rare occurrence. What would His Church look like today if this was practiced?

Finally, as mentioned before, we need clean hearts, hearts of confession and repentance, and a humble spirit to come before God in prayer. We need wisdom, conviction, and direction from God to live a life of honoring God.

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-21

We are coming to the end or our study on prayers. More could be said and studied, but there are other important elements of our faith and beliefs which also need to be addressed. There are hundreds of verses on prayers that you could study on your own. But, before that let us look into Paul’s letter to the Romans. You may wonder how this passage gives us greater insight on our prayer life, but our prayer life should change our daily life. If we cannot live like this, we need to change something in our lives.

Romans 12:9  Let love be without hypocrisy.

• Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 

• 12:10  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 

• 12:11  not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 1

• 2:12  rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 

• 12:13  contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 

• 12:14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 

• 12:15  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 

• 12:16  Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 

• 12:17  Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 

• 12:18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 

• 12:19  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. 

• 12:20  "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD." 

• 12:21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

First, if we are not devoted to prayer, we cannot live this kind of life that is pleasing to God.

Second, we should be demonstrating all of these important character traits.

Third, we cannot do this on our own and cannot sustain such lofty traits by a shallow prayer life.

Fourth, again the Bible has a lot to say about how we should live. The question remains, how often do we actually contemplate how we live?

Fifth, most of this passage makes reference to ongoing or continuing evidence of this kind of life which takes perseverance.

Sixth, many of you may have a ‘training or exercise’ schedule or routine. If you just stop for a short time, a week or two, you quickly realize that you lost progress and may even have fallen back. This is call atrophy. Physical atrophy can be sensed by many, but how many of us even recognize spiritual atrophy?

Seventh, while the Holy Spirit is ready to help us, He will not do all the work on His own. This is a ‘partnership’ not a genie to do as we command.

John 14:15  "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 

14:16  "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 14:17  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 

14:18  "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Finally, the Holy Spirit is our helper. He helps us as we strive to be obedient to our King’s commandments. He is inside us and we can hinder His help by being disobedient, not diligent, not fully committed (at least not as much as needed), and conditional or selective. Let none of this be true of us.

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-20

While there are many verses in the Bible on prayer, we also need to pay close attention on warnings about prayer. Often these passages reference the Holy Spirit. Let us now study what God has warned us about prayers and how the Holy Spirit is involved in these warnings.

Ephesians 4:29  Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 

4:30  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

4:31  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 

4:32  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. 

This one passage gives us a warning we should all take seriously. Since we are warned about grieving the Holy Spirit it clearly means that it is possible for this to be true of believers. This list should be put away, which implies not practiced any longer. If we don’t what can happen?

1 Peter 3:7  You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 

If we don’t love our wives as Christ loves the ‘church’, we can hinder the effectiveness of our prayers. This is a serious problem for all Christian men to ponder. Our we living each day in this understanding way? Why is divorce so prevalent in the ‘church’ today? It could be that they are not true ‘Christian’! It could also mean that they don’t truly believe or understand their roles as husband and wife! It could also be true that they aren’t biblical and lack the knowledge of biblical marriage.

Matthew 19:3  Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" 

19:4  And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 19:5  and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'? 9:6  "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." 

19:7  They *said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?" 

19:8  He *said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 19:9  "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." 

19:10  The disciples *said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry." 

19:11  But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 

So why study these verses when our focus is on prayer? Because too many of the prayers of the ‘church’ are ineffectual due to sexual sin and divorce. Jesus warned the Pharisees about this even though they, of all people, should know it and live accordingly. But, because they teach the ‘laws’ as interpreted by themselves as truth, they encourage rather than discourage divorce. The disciples didn’t understand this and came to the wrong conclusion, just don’t ever get married!

Acts 7:51  "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 

Stephan accused the teachers of the Law as being against the very Law they pretended to defend. How did they respond to his godly accusations? They stoned him!

Acts 5:1  But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 5:2  and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 

5:3  But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 5:4  "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 

5:5  And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 

We can grieve the Holy Spirit, lie to the Holy Spirit, hinder our prayers, and even believe the teachings of men who overturn the words of God.

Romans 8:26  In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 8:27  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 

8:28  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

If we struggle with our prayer life, we have the Holy Spirit to help us and even to intercede for us. For this to happen we need to be aware of anything we may be thinking or doing that would cause us to grieve the Holy Spirit. This has to be an ongoing, consistent, daily, godly pursuit.

What must you put aside, give up, leave behind and/or turn from in order to truly seek the Lord in prayer?

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-19

Since prayer is so important to Jesus and to our Heavenly Father, why are so many confused as how to pray and what to pray? Also, what should we not pray for and who should we not pray for are important questions to answer. Our only answers are to be found in the Bible. The disciples had the same questions.

Luke 11:1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."

Jesus personally chose these 12 men, yet even with all the Sabbaths in the Temple or in a Synagogue, they had not been taught how to pray! I believe that is the same in most of the ‘churches’ today! As mentioned earlier, most even the majority of the ‘prayer requests’ in the church are for healing. Yet, very few of the prayers in the Bible are for healing.

We have studied the ‘Disciples’ prayer, most often misnamed as the ‘Lord’s’ prayer. But, there are many more informative verses to come to a more complete understanding on how to pray.

Ephesians 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 

6:11  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 6:12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

This passage in Paul’s letter gives us some important insight into our problem and the trails we face. We need prayer to contend with the forces of evil.

6:13  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 

6:14  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 6:15  and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 6:16  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

We need to consider the very real spiritual reality of the battle we are in every day. Paul has already mention the ‘evil one’ twice. There is a very real war going on and we need all the protection God will provide us.

6:17  And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 6:18  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 6:19  and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,  6:20  for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Here is Paul’s summary of what he it asking for and praying for.

1. Pray at all times and all the time

2. Pray with the help of the Holy Spirit

3. Pray the body of Christ would persevere

4. Pray for Paul to have boldness to declare the gospel

5. Pray for Paul to have the right words at the right time.

Paul is in prison, but he does not ask for his release, his escape, or his health. All of these should or could be requested, but aren’t as important to him as boldly declaring the gospel. He also asked for prayers for the ‘saints’ before asking for prayers for himself.

Who do you pray for in addition to asking for prayers for yourself?

What are the things you should be praying for every day?

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-18

Sorry to be late, but we had a houseful of grandchildren and couldn’t find any quiet time to work on this week’s study. Much like my time problem this week, we all need help finding the time, the words, and the solitude we need to pray to our Heavenly Father. Where would our help come from?

Romans 8:26  In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 

This is one of our problems in our prayer life. Most of us, most of the time we struggle in knowing how and what to pray. There are other times we just can’t even think of what to pray when we are faced with the trials and temptations of life. Sorrow, suffering, loss of loved ones, hardships, etc. all put us on our knees but don’t by themselves give us the words or right attitude for prayer.

8:27  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 

This is a great comfort to all of us. The Holy Spirit is our helper and His role is to intercede for us before the very throne of God and always according to the divine will of God.

John 14:16  "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 14:17  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 

But, how do we access this great blessing? We need to humbly ask our Lord and Savior to help us and guide us, even as He comforts us.

1 Corinthians 2:10  For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 2:11  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 

Amazing but true! This truth needs to be written on our hearts and minds. This is the Holy Spirit that indwells all who are true believers in Jesus Christ.

2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 2:13  which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 

Only those of us who know and can understand these spiritual truths. They are freely given to us and always, unless we have dampened the Holy Spirit, available to us.

2:14  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 2:15  But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 2:16  For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. 

The mind of Christ is written for us in our Bibles. This isn’t new revelations just for us, but revealed truth available to us. We can now fully understand these truths as we have access to the Spirit of Truth that will make is clear or clearer to us. But, we have our part to play in this great gift.

We need to seek it, believe it, and obey the truth available to us. This is freely given to us within the Bible we hold in our hands. The real question remains, are we seeking the truth that is only within these sacred pages? Are you daily reading and studying God’s Word?

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-17

Prayer is far more important to God than to most of us. Why? Why do most men reveal that prayer is the weakest element of their faith? Shouldn’t the fact that Jesus taught us how to pray, gave His own examples of praying, and also gave us numerous examples of others praying.

Paul provides us with much instruction and examples.

Ephesians 6:18  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 

Here Paul is instructing us to pray at all times. To be persistent in our prayers and to pray for other of the saints i.e. fellow believers.

6:19  and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 

Here we find Paul asking others to pray for him. He wants the words, the opportunity, and the boldness to share the gospel wherever he goes. Paul never seemed to lack boldness but here we find him needing boldness. The world is against us and certainly was against him. Even Paul can tire and feel exhausted. Yes, even he could use some prayerful encouragement.

6:20  for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 

Here is some insight to his need for boldness. He is in a Roman jail cell and in chains! We have a very hard time realizing what this cell and chains were really like. No bathrooms, no running water, sometimes even no real light or window. Certainly no parole officer or attorney trying to get him released until his actual trial. This could be years of imprisonment before he would stand before Caesar.

Do your prayers sound like this? Do you pray often throughout the day? Do you have a quiet, somewhat private place within which to pray? Do you lack boldness? Do you lack perseverance? Are you persistent?

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-16

Prayers to God need to be reverent, sincere, and humble. But, they also must be persistent. You mean praying once on an issue, desire, or problem isn’t enough to get God to respond favorably?

Luke 18:1  Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 18:2  saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 

Why would Jesus use this man as His example on how we should pray?

18:3  "There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 18:4  "For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 8:5  yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" 

Why did this man finally give this widow justice? Why did Jesus use a widow in His example? Widows were often perceived as defenseless and ripe for deception and targets for thieves. The Pharisees were guilty of this.

Mark 12:38  In His teaching He was saying: "Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, 2:39  and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets,  12:40  who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation." 

Instead of defending, protecting, and helping widows who were not able to work for pay themselves, they defrauded them and slowly impoverished them through fees and judgments. Jesus used widows to provide His example for someone who needed to be defended and was fully dependent on others, in this case, Him.

18:6  And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8:8  "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" 

This is the question we all must address at some time! Will God not bring justice for one of His adopted children? But, why the delay? Why doesn’t God immediately hear and respond to our cry?

A few reasons come to mind.

1. Our timing is not God’s timing.

2. Is this really as important to God as it is to us?

3. It can make us reconsider why we are praying in this manner.

4. It should challenge our motives.

5. Does this need for persistence make us reconsider our requests in any manner?

6. Is our heart right before Him.

7. Are we asking with humbleness and honesty?

8. Patience and persistence can build character and bring us closer to His will and farther from our own will.

9. Are we sure that God has not already answered this in some other manner?

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-15

Sorry for the lateness as we just got back home from a family event out of state.

We already have covered a lot of what the Bible has recorded on prayer, but haven’t studied all that we have been given. There is one evil king, Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a king that tried to obey God, but his son did not. He was evil, did evil, and led Judah to do evil. Was there any hope for Manasseh to return to the God of his father?

2 Chronicles 33:1  Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 

33:2  He did evil in the sight of the LORD according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 33:3  For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 33:4  He built altars in the house of the LORD of which the LORD had said, "My name shall be in Jerusalem forever." 33:5  For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 33:6  He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. 

You can’t do more evil than this! He built altars to idols, worshiped Baal, offered his sons as offerings, practiced sorcery and called on mediums and spiritists. He did much evil and provoked God to anger. How could he be a true son of Hezekiah?

33:7  Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 33:8  and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses." 

God demands and deserves obedience. He has given us all of his Law, commandments, and statutes. We have no excuse and neither did Manasseh.

33:9  Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel. 33:10  The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 

God again sent prophets, but he did not listen to them. Just like with Jeremiah and Ezekiel speaking to people who did not listen.

33:11  Therefore the LORD brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon. 

Assyria took him captive in chains. He was captured with hooks, like an animal. He could not escape them or God.

2Ch 33:12  When he was in distress, he entreated the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 

33:13  When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God. 

God doesn’t listen to the prayers of the unrighteous. But, it would appear he repented and acknowledged God as the only true and living God. God not only forgave him but restored him. Since God has given us this example of restoring a very evil king, He can restore anyone else that repents.

33:14  Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. 33:15  He also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 

The first step in your sanctification is getting rid of the things of sin and temptation. We should remove ourselves from the sinful practices of this world.

33:16  He set up the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 33:17  Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places, although only to the LORD their God. 

While Manasseh finally did what was right, the consequences were not all removed. The people still followed Baal and other idols.

33:18  Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh even his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of Israel. 33:19  His prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the Hozai. 33:20  So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place. 

We all need to remember that our sin does and will affect others. We can lead others to sin as we sin.

No one is so evil that God will not forgive them when they repent. It must be sincere, it must be humble, and it must be followed by obedience.

This all began with Manasseh reaching bottom in an Assyrian cell. He cried out to God and was heard. Who needs to know this in your circle of friends, business associates, family members, and acquaintances?

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-14

When and where do we pray? Is place important? Is time important? Let us see when and where Jesus prayed,

Matthew 14:22  Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 

As with last week’s study, prayer is an unique time between you and God. Jesus needed solitude and so do we. Too many times we pray literally on the run or when we are driving. You can’t block everything out if you try to pray and do anything else. Jesus could be the only one who could to this, but instead He found a place of solace and silence.

Mark 11:23  "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 11:24  "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 

God can do anything, we cannot. We need to pray for the things most important to Him. His glory, His will, His plan for us, etc. If we can do this, we should pray without doubting. We can’t be full of fear or that we don’t deserve His grace upon our lives of service. We also cannot dictate when something will happen. God is in charge of the times of blessing. We need to also wait on His answer.

Mark 14:32  They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, "Sit here until I have prayed." 14:33  And He *took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 

14:34  And He *said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." 14:35  And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 14:36  And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will."

The trials and challenges of life and our faith are not to be ignored. Trusting in God is not always easy, especially when we face persecution, physical harm, danger, or circumstances beyond our control. Yet, that is when God can provide comfort and strength to persevere. We will face trials. We will face persecution.

Jon 17:12  "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 17:13  "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 17:14  "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17:15  "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 17:16  "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17:17  "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 

In Jesus’ high, priestly prayer, He prayed for His disciples. He gave them the truth and asked the Father to keep them from Satan even as they must stay in the world, which is Satan’s kingdom. Jesus guarded them while He was with them and now must leave them, but not alone.

John 14:15  "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 14:16  "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 

14:17  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 

14:18  "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

Jesus will not leave us as orphans either. He sends the Spirit of Truth to all true believers. We don’t have God in front of us, we have God within us. We should thank God every day for this marvelous gift.

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-13

There are over 200 verses in the Bible referring to praying or prayer. A subject of such importance to all of us, needs to be addressed in detail. The apostles knew that they needed to know how to pray, which would suggest that they did not really know how to pray. Jesus gave them the ‘apostles prayer’. This is not about Jesus praying to His Father, but a sample of what prayer for us to our heavenly Father might or should include.

Matthew 6:5  "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 

6:6  "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 

These first three verses tell us a lot.

First, there were many incorrect examples of how not to pray that apparently were public. These prayers were meant to look good before the public, who were constantly reminded to look up to their spiritual leaders.

Second, prayer should be considered as a sacred and personal time between you and your heavenly Father. A private space keeps the world from distracting us, family from interrupting us, and keeps our minds from wondering.

6:7  "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 

Vain and repetitious prayers are meaningless to God and an affront to God. The Rosary is such a prayer, as phrases keep on being repeated. All of this is a programmed prayer that is anything but personal. Repeatedly praying the Apostle’s prayer is no better.

6:9  "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 

6:11  'Give us this day our daily bread. 6:12  'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 6:13  'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]' 

This provides us with a general guideline as to what we should include in our prayers. First, praise the Father, thank the Father, and pray according to the will of the Father.

Second, ask the Father for daily provisions, His power to help us forgive others, and protection from evil and the evil one.

6:14  "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15  "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. 

Forgiveness is the major theme or reason for Jesus coming as the perfect Lamb of God. We should forgive as He forgives us. As we are to strive to emulate Jesus in our own lives, then we need to forgive. Forgiveness will be addressed in greater detail in our next study.

More next Saturday

Teach us to pray-12

God has provide numerous examples of prayers, requirements for prayers, and warnings of prayers. He also consistently reminded us that He doesn’t listen to the prayers of the unrighteous, ungodly. In Jeremiah, God was warning the people of Judah of His pouring out His wrath on them for the disobedience and idolatry. He warned Jeremiah not to pray for them.

Jeremiah 7:16  "As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you. 

He told Jeremiah He would not hear his intercession for them as well. God repeatedly had to tell Jeremiah not to intercede in prayer.

Jeremiah 11:11  Therefore thus says the LORD, "Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. 

Jeremiah 11:12  "Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster. 11:13  "For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. 11:14  "Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster. 

Jeremiah 14:11  So the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 14:12  "When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence." 

Ungodly, unrighteous, disobedient people will not be heard by God even as they cry out to God. God will not be mocked by sinners crying out to Him as He pours out His wrath upon them. They aren’t repenting, they only want His wrath to stop. This is a warning for all of us as well.

So does this mean we are not to pray for the unsaved sinners in our lives? No, but there comes a time when God’s judgment will be executed on the sinners who will not repent. The people of Judah constantly asked Jeremiah to ask them what God required of them and constantly disregarded his warnings. When we don’t like what God is telling us how we should live, we are acting just like these people who wanted to escape the ‘wrath’ of Nebuchadnezzar, who God calls His servant.

Jeremiah 42:1  Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached 42:2  and said to Jeremiah the prophet, "Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us, 42:3  that the LORD your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do." 

Once again they asked Jeremiah to pray for them. Why didn’t they pray for themselves? Clearly, they didn’t know God as they were idolators. They only would obey God if they gave them the answer they wanted.

Jeremiah 42:4  Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the LORD your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the LORD will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you." 42:5  Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us. 42:6  "Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God." 

They will listen and obey but only if it fits their evil plans. This is often how people pray today. They want God to accommodate them but don’t want to obey God. We know what God has commanded us to do in His Word. Yet, people don’t want to obey, they just want God’s blessings.

Jeremiah 42:8  Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great, 42:9  and said to them, "Thus says the LORD the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 

42:10  'If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. 

42:11  'Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,' declares the LORD, 'for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand. 42:12  'I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil. 

42:13  'But if you are going to say, "We will not stay in this land," so as not to listen to the voice of the LORD your God, 42:14  saying, "No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there"; 42:15  then in that case listen to the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there, 42:16  then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. 42:17  "So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them."'" 

God was very clear as He set before them the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. He has provided us today with the same choices. How did they respond to God’s response to the prayer of Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 43:1  But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God—that is, all these words— 

43:2  Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You are not to enter Egypt to reside there'; 43:3  but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon." 

43:4  So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. 

It seems impossible to believe in their disobedience. How could they ask Jeremiah for God’s words to them and then clearly disobey them? Jeremiah’s prayers for them will not save them. No one’s prayers for you will save you either if you continue in disobedience. Prayers don’t erase sin. Repentance and obedience are always required to please God and enter into a relationship with God.

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray-11

We learned an important truth in last week’s lesson. We don’t always receive the results we pray for even though we may think we should. Jesus is often quoted in this manner.

John 14:14  "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. 

But clearly David did not receive what he was asking God to do for him. Why did God not give him this request? That is a very difficult question to answer, but let us review the circumstances. David did evil in the sight of the LORD by being an adulterer with Bathsheba and then having Uriah killed to hide ‘his’ sin.

2 Samuel 11:27  When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD. 

So what is God trying to tell us? Can we sin and ask God to remove both the sin and the consequences? Yes, of course we can, but will God ‘listen’ to both requests? Clearly, our prayers will not always erase our sinful consequences, David’s son died even though David prayed earnestly. Jesus said ask anything, did that literally mean anything or everything? Or does it come with some contextual requirements on us?

God cannot let sin go unpunished, even the sin of believers. We cannot go on sinning without any regard for God’s righteous requirements. Clearly, God should have killed David for his sins carried the ‘death’ penalty, but He didn’t Yet, He told David that his sins would ‘follow’ him for the rest of his life. He would have sons rebel against him, seek his death, try to capture his kingdom, and flaunt themselves at his expense. Here is the list again to review.

2 Samuel 12:9  'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 

12:10  'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 

12:11  "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 

David did evil in the eyes of God.

David’s actions were seen as despising God’s Word. Remember, David consistently wrote of his love for God’s Word.

David was an adulterer, a murderer, a poor father, and a hypocrite. All of this but God still considered him a ‘Man after My own heart.”

What have we learned?

We must pray that we always do the will of God versus our will.

We must pray with a good, clean heart.

We must repent humbly, but not expect to have no consequences for our sins.

We must ask that whatever we do, say, or think brings glory to God.

More next Saturday.

Teach us to Pray-10

We were called away for a family funeral in Chicago and just got back home. So this is a late addition for our study.

2 Samuel 12:7  Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 12:8  'I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 

David’s response is common to many. We can see the sin in someone else, but often totally ignore our own sin. Sometimes it takes someone else to help us to see our own hypocrisy. All sin is foremost against God.

12:9  'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 

12:10  'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 

Adultery and murder are both sins that require the death penalty. David is guilty of both.

12:11  "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12:12  'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" 

Later in our study, we will see this carried out. David is being punished in a number of ways. Not all associated with his sin with Bathsheba but they all related to sons of different wives.

12:13  Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 12:14  "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." 

Sin that is confessed will be forgiven but the circumstances from our sin may not be changed. We will have to live with them for the rest of our lives.

12:15  So Nathan went to his house. Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. 12:16  David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 12:17  The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 

David’s repentance and calling out to the LORD did not alter God’s decision in regards to this small boy who was sinless.

2Sa 12:18  Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!" 

12:19  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." 12:20  So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. 

2Sa 12:21  Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 12:22  He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' 12:23  "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." 

Some important truths! First, we do not know what the LORD will do when we humbly repent. Secondly, once we know, we must go on living and serving HIM. Third, David knew of Heaven and our soon coming eternal lives. He will go to him but this baby will not return to him.

Eternal life in Heaven is a gift from God. Eternal life in Hell is punishment from God.

More next Saturday.

Teach us to pray=9

We left off last week with Joab confirming to David that Uriah had died in battle. David then married Bathsheba and she bore him a son. But, God was not pleased.

2 Samuel 12:1  Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 12:2  "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 12:3  "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him. 

The Lord sent Nathan with a message for David. David had a very profound sense of right and wrong, as well as fairness. What was the real message?

12:4  "Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 

Rich men, no matter how rich, often don’t want to part with their riches even as they work to gain more. They become blinded to their own desires. But, they still can see the splinter in the eyes of others.

12:5  Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 12:6  "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion." 

A man deserves to die for a lamb? This is similar to David’s anger toward Nabal for refusing to share food with him. Death to all who violate David’s sense of justice! However, this was not the real story that Nathan had to deliver.

More next Saturday.