(Message by Bro. Joel on December 27, 2009, at NLF, Vashi. Developed from the short notes and what I recall on Monday. Here’s hoping I haven’t missed much. Happy reading!)
This is the season of Christmas! Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. When you repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your heart, He enters in, yes; He is ‘born’ in you! And that’s Christmas for you! And then, there is a reason for our living and a reason for our joy as we celebrate the presence of the Lord, everyday of our life!
Everybody loves the Christmas story (Isn’t it true?). We see children enacting the events that happened during the birth of Jesus Christ. So I thought it wise to pick up Matthew 2 for our meditation today. It’s the story of the wise men! Let’s start from verse 1.
V1, 2: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
Even before Jesus was born into this world, His birth was foretold by prophets. The time was uncertain, but the place was certainly Bethlehem of Judea. For it is written in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting”. But the wise men, through their wisdom, understood somehow, the movement of stars, the appearance of a particular star and knew that this prophecy in Micah is fulfilled. It means they knew the prophecy; they knew the place and finally they understood the time too!
Nothing much is recorded about these wise men; some say they were astrologers because they studied stars, others say, they were magicians, because they were also named ‘Magi’ in Greek. It is not known how many wise men were there (although, we see in many skits, three men being depicted, maybe because of the mentioned number of gifts). It is not known from which place or country they started their journey. It is only mentioned that they came from the East. But we can certainly derive significance, by what is written in God’s word about these wise men. For, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable…” (2 Tim. 3:16). Every word imparts something to us; we can’t even ignore a full-stop or comma in God’s word.
1. Wise men seek Jesus
They understood the times: These wise men understood the times by the movement of stars. It means that God communicates with us in a language that WE understand. Whatever be the language! Throughout these chapters we see God also spoke to people in dreams. The wise men were instructed to go another way back in a dream. Joseph was instructed to flee to Egypt in a dream. We need to be wise to only KNOW He speaks!
They traveled miles and miles: It is clear that these wise men came from a distant place. They came from the East. Probably, they were not even Jews. It is often pictured that these men rode on camels. But the essence is they were wise and willing to sacrifice their comfort, undertake an arduous journey to somehow SEE Jesus.
They knew about who Jesus was: Picture this! Wise men standing before the reigning king of Judah! They then pose a question, “Where is He who is BORN KING of the Jews?”. You see, there is nobody who is a ‘born’ king. Even sons, born to kings, are only called ‘princes’. They have to grow up and become king someday. But the wise men knew that this ‘baby’ Jesus was different. Here was a ‘born’ King!
They were extremely joyful: Look at v10. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy”. The wise men were filled with joy. Just the expectation of seeing the ‘born King’ Jesus filled them with ‘exceedingly great joy’.
If you understand these times now, and are looking for Jesus, you too will be filled with ‘great joy’ in your life. You will certainly meet with the ‘born King’. Jesus says in John 16:24, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” And you are WISE if you do all these!
Now look at the contrast. There was the king Herod, the chief priests and scribes in the city of Jerusalem. Did they have the prophecy? Yes. But they were awakened to the words in Micah only after the arrival of wise men. Were they filled with joy and expectation? NO. Verse 3 says, “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him”. How far was Bethlehem from Jerusalem? Just about 10 km (-about the distance from Vashi to BARC). Were they willing to go and SEEK Jesus? No. Herod was filled with jealousy and insecurity. He became deceitful in dealing with the wise men. V8 says, And he (Herod) sent them (the wise men) to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
Let us return to the wise men. We still have something more to learn from them.
2. Wise men worship Jesus
They did not come empty-handed but brought gifts: Not only did the wise men travel many miles to seek Jesus, they had the assurance that they will find Him and they were prepared to give Him their gifts.
Here were the wise men being guided by the star. The star stood over where the young Child was. And they were filled with exceedingly great joy! (We are not sure how old was Jesus when the wise men arrived; but He was definitely less than two years old. For later, Herod would kill all infants below two years.)
They bowed down and worshipped Infant Jesus: On seeing Jesus, the wise men knew that He is the ‘born King’! And they fell down before ‘Baby’ Jesus and worshipped Him (v11). For the wise men knew, from Micah’s prophecy, that His ‘goings forth are from of old, from everlasting’! They understood that Jesus is God Himself and not merely an Infant in the flesh.
They did not bring ordinary gifts, but brought treasures: V11 says, “…And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
Now consider the gifts that the wise men brought Jesus. Gold, probably the only metal that does not lose its property when heated, represents Jesus’ Kingship, His Royalty, Purity and Divinity. The wise men knew Jesus as their King. When you come to meet Jesus, bring your treasures before Him. Come to Him with sacrificial giving. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. As you come to meet Jesus, offer to Him the fruit of your lips; that is thanksgiving out of a pure heart.
Frankincense, according to Exodus 30:34-37, is God’s own choice of fragrant incense, specially prepared according to specifications received by Moses, and prepared only for God Himself and no other. This, the High priest would offer at the altar once a year, before God. Jesus, as God Himself, was habituated to such fragrant incense. It means that the wise men knew what would please Jesus. When you come to meet Jesus, know the offering that will please God. Rev. 5:8 and Rev. 8:4 talk of the golden bowls of incense, which are the ‘prayers of the saints’. Rev. 8: 3, 4 talks about the angel offering incense at the golden altar before God. The smoke of the incense contains the prayers of the saints and it ascends to God Himself. As you come to meet Jesus, offer to God your worship and prayers.
The third gift that the wise men gave was Myrrh. A bitter-tasting medicine used to embalm dead bodies. It means that the wise men knew Jesus as their Healer. Jesus drank that bitter ‘cup’ of our sufferings that we may partake of His ‘cup of blessing’. As you come before Jesus, know Him as your Healer. Know that Jesus died our death, that we may live His life. He rose again from the dead to give us ‘eternal’ hope.
We see the life of Jesus, here on earth, portrayed in the gifts that the wise men gave. Are you willing to seek Jesus and worship Him with your ‘treasures’ and ‘gifts’? Be WISE. You are wise, if you seek Him and search for Him with all your heart; you will find Him. Come before God with a joyful heart and give to God what pleases Him. Worship Him with your thanksgiving and prayers. Know that Jesus drank the bitter cup of suffering for our sins, dying our death on the cross, that we may drink the cup of blessing and have hope of eternal life. Amen.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Reason for the Season
(Developed from notes and what I remember of the Message by Pastor Philip Joseph - December 20, 2009 at NLF,Vashi. Here’s hoping I haven't missed much. Happy reading!)
Turn with me to 1 Timothy 1:15 ; it says “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…”
We will reflect on this verse in a few moments.
This is the season of Christmas. Many people think about Jesus during this time; even the unbelievers. For political leaders in our country too, it’s a time for thinking about Christians and Jesus. The PM and his cabinet ministers are all eager to know something about who Jesus is. And this time is appropriate for these political leaders to call for Christian leaders and have interactions with them. And for us it is an opportunity to share Jesus with them.
In the world, we see the commerce of Christmas; for many people it is just holidays and shopping. And the malls are willing to shell out a few bucks, create a Santa Claus and attract people by offering discounts and gifts. And the malls do end up making a fast-buck profit.
But today, I would like to share about why Jesus came into this world. Jesus always existed-even before the world began. Jesus was, and is and is to come. From eternity past to all of eternity, He exists. But at some point in history, He stepped into this world. Why did He do that? Paul offers this reason in 1 Tim. 1:15;
- He came to save sinners
This is a trustworthy saying; it is truth. Worthy of ALL acceptance…you see, today we find so many denominations among Christians; differences in ideas and theories, differences in form of worship…but here is something that every Christian will accept; and that is ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’.
He came to save sinners! Jesus said that He came to ‘seek and save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10). “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Even today, it is the heart cry of Jesus Christ…to save sinners! No matter who you are, and no matter what sin you've committed, Jesus Christ's offer still stands…He alone can save you from your sins.
God's mercy extends even to the worst of sinners. Do you remember Paul confessing, that he was not worthy to be called an apostle, because he persecuted the church of God
If you are saved from sins, now where does that get you? Simple, it gets you LIFE. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life”. You see, we were not in eternity past…our origin is here on earth at some point of time…But what Jesus offers is a share in the eternity future. Jesus calls you and me to be a part of eternal life. A LIFE as it was meant to be. We, the body of Christ, have this proclamation in us that in Jesus, a sinner is turned into a Saint.
- He came to bring division
Turn with me to Luke 12:51. Jesus says, “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division”
Jesus came to set apart the True from the False. There is going to be a division; and there's going to be opposition when you decide to take hold of Jesus' LIFE offer. The following verse (v52) says, that ‘from now on five in one house will be divided; three against two and two against three’.
Even in our fellowship, we have members who are alienated from their family members because they chose the offer of Jesus. For them, at times it may be painful and difficult to tear away. Some even tend to fall away due to pressures within the family. For them, I would like to read from Psalm 45: 10, 11. It says “Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your father's house; So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him.”
Jesus says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37).
- Jesus came to give light
Yes, once you make a choice, there is bound to be division. A division - between truth and deceit; between light and darkness; between life and death. In John 1:9 we see John the Baptist, bearing witness of this Light; the true Light which gives light to every man coming into this world. And Jesus declares in John 8:12, ‘I am the Light of the world’. All who came before Him were thieves and robbers!
In His light, we see and in His light we walk! And by His light we are enlightened even today. Paul prays for the Ephesians; ‘the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling’.
This is a privilege for us here to know Jesus not only as our Savior, but also a Guide-One who shows us the Way. The psalmist prays “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” Even today, God continues His revelation through His Word. We can know Jesus as more than just a Savior! As we walk in His light, we can increasingly know Him and see the riches of His treasure stored up for each one of us.
- He came to do the Father's will
In John 6:38, we see Jesus saying, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Jesus knew exactly what to do! He came for a purpose; and He fulfilled it. Through Jesus, we too can know the Father's will for our own lives; whether things those are pleasant, or those unpleasant – Jesus fulfilled every written word about Him. In Hebrews 10:7, it is written about Jesus, “Then I said, Behold, I have come- in the volume of the book it is written of Me- To do Your will, O God.”
- He came to fulfill the law and not abolish it
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill”
Quite a few believers have this idea, that we are no longer under the law and therefore need not follow it. But quite the contrary is true! Jesus did not abolish the law, but He came to fulfill it. Placed right after the Sermon on the Mount, these verses offer an insight of what we are called to do as believers. It's no longer outward deeds, but matters concerning the heart. Jesus, instead of abolishing the Law, has raised the bar to a higher level. And those who are in Jesus Christ are going to fulfill it too.
In v20 we read Jesus saying, “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”. There you are – as neat as can be said. Read through the following verses – In the old law, it was Do not murder; in the new Do not be angry: In the old law, it was Do not commit adultery; in the new, it is Do not lust. In the old, it was Do not swear false oaths to God; in the new ‘Do not swear at all; Let your Yes be Yes and your No No. That's an entirely new level of thinking! Jesus dealt with the root of the problem and not the manifestation of the problem. And in so doing Jesus fulfilled the entire law.
- He came to serve
In Matthew 20:28, Jesus says, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve…”
Jesus came to serve; an awesome wonder! The Servant King! And we follow in His footsteps to serve others. Yes, God will lead you to minister and to serve others in need, wherever you may be. Maybe it is serving God's people, too. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”.
- He came to give abundant life
Jesus says in John 10:10, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Ah, this is a familiar verse for most of us. The abundant life!
But this does not mean abundance of things in life; or abundance of wealth in life – but just abundant LIFE. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…” In the original Greek, the word give really means bequeath – a term used for transfer of wealth by means of a will after the owner's death. In a similar manner, this peace, is a great treasure left to us-God's own children, by Jesus Himself.
In John 15:11 Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full”
What a treasure again! His joy bequeathed to us! No true Christian can complain he lacks the treasures of peace and joy – whatever else he may feel he lacks.
I have talked to wealthy businessmen and so-called successful entrepreneurs. But you know what I find? I have something they don't have; they can't comprehend – the joy and peace from Jesus. The kingdom of God
In the history of this world, many kingdoms rose and fell – some 100 years before, the British kingdom was a force to reckon with- and they occupied many countries of the world. Now the British kingdom is restricted to a particular place-UK
Jesus came to set up a kingdom – a kingdom that will never end. A kingdom - that can only increase; a kingdom - of everlasting peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end (Isaiah 9:7). And we are part of His kingdom; and kingdom life starts here-on earth. Yes, a foretaste of life eternal. (Is this not success? To have this blessed assurance of eternal life).
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Yes, even our Lord Jesus Christ! He came to save sinners, no matter how bad; He came to divide the light from the darkness, to shine on us and enable us to walk as children of light. He came to do the Father's will. He came to fulfill the Law and not abolish it and raised the bar for us to walk in holiness. He came to serve and asked us to follow His example. And He came to give the abundant life of righteousness, peace and joy. Have you taken His offer-seriously?
Shall we pray?
Thank You, O Lord, for opening our eyes of understanding, and drawing us closer to you, day-by-day. Thank You for all that You have done for us. We pray that we may have this ‘good news’ – the gospel, of why you came here, in our hearts and in our mouths this season. Make us a blessing. In Your holy name, we pray, Amen.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Completing our God given assignment
(Message by Philip Joseph on 13th December, 2009.)
Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 “Lord teach us to value our life, so that we may live wisely”. As we come close to yet another year, we need to pause & reflect. Time passes so quickly & we find that months & even years just go by so fast. All of us value money. We are careful in spending, since we know that we have limited money. Similarly we need to value our life & time. Money lost can be regained, but time lost is gone forever. We can’t do anything for the time/years spent, but we need to value our remaining lifetime, so that we can spend it wisely.
David said in Psalm 139:16, “In your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, even before I was born”. God has a specific assignment for each of us. He has planned our life even before we were born. The Lord says that “I know the plans that I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11). We may not fully know His plan, but He certainly does have a plan for each of us. His ways & His thoughts are not as our ways & thoughts. In fact the gap can be as huge as heaven from earth! (Isaiah 55:8,9). God wants us to cooperate with Him & choose His ways,plans & thoughts for our life. Just as He gave Adam a choice, even so He gives each of us a choice to go our own way or His way.
Today I would like to share with you the following 5 principles of how we can fulfill our God given assignment :
1. Have a desire/passion like DAVID
The Lord said about David that he was a “man after my own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22). David was an ordinary shepherd boy. He was the youngest of Jesse’s sons & seemed insignificant. When the prophet Samuel invited Jesse & his sons for the sacrifice (I Samuel 16:11), Jesse did not even call David. David felt rejection & loneliness. We find this echoed in some of his psalms. For his company he had only sheep for most of the time! But even in this situation, he drew close to God & found God to be his companion. David knew God had an assignment for him & he was passionate in drawing close to God & fulfill God’s purposes. The Lord says that “If you seek Me, you will find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart”. (Jeremiah 29:13). If we earnestly seek Him, we shall certainly discover God’s assignment & plan for our lives.
2. Keep an eye on & be focused like Archippus was instructed
Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Colosse, has a specific instruction for Archippus.
He was told to “keep an eye on the ministry that you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.“ (Colossians 4:17). Paul recognized the potential & calling that Archippus had & hence instructed him to be focused. We should also learn to be focused. Life goes by so quickly & unless we stay focused it is easy to drift off. We’ll find years of life gone by! It’s easy to be distracted & be involved in dozens of activities & miss out on our primary assignment. God has given each of us a unique ministry, which we should focus on. As we stay focused we will be able to complete our assignment.
3. Concentrate on our own assignment like John the Baptist
The Bible says in Acts 13:25, that while “john was completing his course … he kept saying I am not the Messiah”. An angel had told John’s father Zachariah that he would get a son, who will be a forerunner before the Messiah. As John grew up, he was told of his assignment. We find that John was so focused & obsessed about his ministry. The Jews had seen a true prophet after 400 years. The nation of Israel was stirred up as John began to minister. Some even asked John if he was the Messiah. John flatly rejected it by saying that he was not even worthy to untie the Messiah’s sandals! John fully concentrated on his own assignment & didn’t imitate anyone. As human beings, we have a tendency to be a busybody in other peoples affairs, instead of concentrating on our own calling. When our Lord was telling Peter about his future, he was interested in John’s future. But Jesus rebuked him & told him to mind his own business! (John 21:21,22).
4. Surrender our will to God’s will like Jesus
While Jesus was on earth, he had his own will. He said that He “has come from heaven not to do his own will, but God’s will”(John 6:38). Jesus surrendered his own will, so that God’s will would be done. As long as our will matches God’s will, it’s easy to do it. But in situations in our life when we want to do something else & we find that God’s will is different, we must learn to say like Jesus “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This was a time in Jesus’ life in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is not only in crisis situations, but also in daily life, that we are to pray “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10). Since Jesus fully & always surrendered his will to God, at the end of his life he said “Father, I have accomplished the work that You gave me to do” (John 17:4). He then went up on the cross & before dying said “It is finished” (John 19:30). It’s not how long we live on earth that matters, but whether we complete our God given assignment.
5. Pay any price like Paul
Paul said in Acts 20:23,24 that he “does not consider his life of any account as dear to himself, so that he may finish his course”. Paul was determined to pay any price to complete his God given assignment. At one point in his life, he was on his way to Jerusalem & knew that prison & sufferings await him. But he was determined to go! En route he stopped at Caesarea & met the prophet Agabus who told him that he would be bound in Jerusalem & handed over to the Romans. On hearing this prophecy, Paul’s companions tried to persuade him from not moving on. (Acts 21:12). But Paul insisted on proceeding, since he knew it was God’s will for him (Acts 21:14). He was arrested in Jerusalem & was in prison in Caesarea & under house-arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30). During this time too, God used Paul to minister to people & write some of the New Testament letters! Before Paul died, he could say “I have finished my course” (2 Timothy 4:7)
We too can complete our God given course & assignment as we put these principles to practice in our own lives. God the Father is actively working in all our external circumstances, so that we can fulfill His purpose for us (Romans 8:28). God the Son intercedes for us so that we can do His will. (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). God the Holy Spirit works within us to make us willing & able to do His will. (Philippians 2:13). Hence let us cooperate with God, so that we may complete our earthly assignment & have no regrets in eternity.
Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 “Lord teach us to value our life, so that we may live wisely”. As we come close to yet another year, we need to pause & reflect. Time passes so quickly & we find that months & even years just go by so fast. All of us value money. We are careful in spending, since we know that we have limited money. Similarly we need to value our life & time. Money lost can be regained, but time lost is gone forever. We can’t do anything for the time/years spent, but we need to value our remaining lifetime, so that we can spend it wisely.
David said in Psalm 139:16, “In your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, even before I was born”. God has a specific assignment for each of us. He has planned our life even before we were born. The Lord says that “I know the plans that I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11). We may not fully know His plan, but He certainly does have a plan for each of us. His ways & His thoughts are not as our ways & thoughts. In fact the gap can be as huge as heaven from earth! (Isaiah 55:8,9). God wants us to cooperate with Him & choose His ways,plans & thoughts for our life. Just as He gave Adam a choice, even so He gives each of us a choice to go our own way or His way.
Today I would like to share with you the following 5 principles of how we can fulfill our God given assignment :
1. Have a desire/passion like DAVID
The Lord said about David that he was a “man after my own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22). David was an ordinary shepherd boy. He was the youngest of Jesse’s sons & seemed insignificant. When the prophet Samuel invited Jesse & his sons for the sacrifice (I Samuel 16:11), Jesse did not even call David. David felt rejection & loneliness. We find this echoed in some of his psalms. For his company he had only sheep for most of the time! But even in this situation, he drew close to God & found God to be his companion. David knew God had an assignment for him & he was passionate in drawing close to God & fulfill God’s purposes. The Lord says that “If you seek Me, you will find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart”. (Jeremiah 29:13). If we earnestly seek Him, we shall certainly discover God’s assignment & plan for our lives.
2. Keep an eye on & be focused like Archippus was instructed
Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Colosse, has a specific instruction for Archippus.
He was told to “keep an eye on the ministry that you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.“ (Colossians 4:17). Paul recognized the potential & calling that Archippus had & hence instructed him to be focused. We should also learn to be focused. Life goes by so quickly & unless we stay focused it is easy to drift off. We’ll find years of life gone by! It’s easy to be distracted & be involved in dozens of activities & miss out on our primary assignment. God has given each of us a unique ministry, which we should focus on. As we stay focused we will be able to complete our assignment.
3. Concentrate on our own assignment like John the Baptist
The Bible says in Acts 13:25, that while “john was completing his course … he kept saying I am not the Messiah”. An angel had told John’s father Zachariah that he would get a son, who will be a forerunner before the Messiah. As John grew up, he was told of his assignment. We find that John was so focused & obsessed about his ministry. The Jews had seen a true prophet after 400 years. The nation of Israel was stirred up as John began to minister. Some even asked John if he was the Messiah. John flatly rejected it by saying that he was not even worthy to untie the Messiah’s sandals! John fully concentrated on his own assignment & didn’t imitate anyone. As human beings, we have a tendency to be a busybody in other peoples affairs, instead of concentrating on our own calling. When our Lord was telling Peter about his future, he was interested in John’s future. But Jesus rebuked him & told him to mind his own business! (John 21:21,22).
4. Surrender our will to God’s will like Jesus
While Jesus was on earth, he had his own will. He said that He “has come from heaven not to do his own will, but God’s will”(John 6:38). Jesus surrendered his own will, so that God’s will would be done. As long as our will matches God’s will, it’s easy to do it. But in situations in our life when we want to do something else & we find that God’s will is different, we must learn to say like Jesus “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This was a time in Jesus’ life in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is not only in crisis situations, but also in daily life, that we are to pray “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10). Since Jesus fully & always surrendered his will to God, at the end of his life he said “Father, I have accomplished the work that You gave me to do” (John 17:4). He then went up on the cross & before dying said “It is finished” (John 19:30). It’s not how long we live on earth that matters, but whether we complete our God given assignment.
5. Pay any price like Paul
Paul said in Acts 20:23,24 that he “does not consider his life of any account as dear to himself, so that he may finish his course”. Paul was determined to pay any price to complete his God given assignment. At one point in his life, he was on his way to Jerusalem & knew that prison & sufferings await him. But he was determined to go! En route he stopped at Caesarea & met the prophet Agabus who told him that he would be bound in Jerusalem & handed over to the Romans. On hearing this prophecy, Paul’s companions tried to persuade him from not moving on. (Acts 21:12). But Paul insisted on proceeding, since he knew it was God’s will for him (Acts 21:14). He was arrested in Jerusalem & was in prison in Caesarea & under house-arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30). During this time too, God used Paul to minister to people & write some of the New Testament letters! Before Paul died, he could say “I have finished my course” (2 Timothy 4:7)
We too can complete our God given course & assignment as we put these principles to practice in our own lives. God the Father is actively working in all our external circumstances, so that we can fulfill His purpose for us (Romans 8:28). God the Son intercedes for us so that we can do His will. (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). God the Holy Spirit works within us to make us willing & able to do His will. (Philippians 2:13). Hence let us cooperate with God, so that we may complete our earthly assignment & have no regrets in eternity.
Life After Death
(Message by Philip Joseph on 6th December, 2009.)
God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that we who believe on Him may not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16). We come to Christ with the assurance of the life to come. This is one of the foundational teachings which includes the resurrection of the dead & eternal judgement. (Hebrews 6:2)
A. Contrast between the present life & the life to come
The Bible says that there is a present life & a life to come. (I Timothy 4:8). This present life passes away, but the life to come endures forever. (1 John 2:17). This present life is temporary whereas the life to come is eternal. This present life is visible whereas the life to come is at present invisible (2 Corinthians 4:18).
B. The certainty of the life to come
Jesus said that everyone who believes in Him will live even if he dies (John 11:25,26). In Jesus’ days too, some sects like the Sadducees did not believe in the life to come. To counter them, Jesus said that God is the God of Abraham,Issac & Jacob…The God not of the dead but of the living. (Matthew 22:32). We find in the incident of the rich man & Lazarus, the rich man was seeing & talking to Abraham after both of them died. (Luke 16:25ff). God has given as a taste of the life to come. (Hebrews 6:5). Just like someone cooking food has a taste of it much before the meal, so also we the believers have a taste of eternal life even before we get there!
C. Sequence of the events after we die
As soon as we die, we are carried by the angels to Paradise. (Luke 16:22; 23:43). Here we meet the Lord Jesus. (Phillipians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8).
At Christ’s second coming, there is a resurrection of the body. (1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
This is followed by the judgement of believers at the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), where we will be rewarded for what we have done on earth. (Revelation 11:18) (1 Corinthians 3:14).
From then on we will experience eternal bliss (Revelation 22:3).
D. Our response
We should do our best to maintain a blameless conscience. (Acts 24:15,16) , lead holy lives (I Peter 1:17) & have a godly conduct (2 Peter 3:11).
We should work for things that will last for eternity & not merely for the temporal (John 6:27; 1 Corinthians 15:58).
We must endure in every trial like Jesus did, in view of the eternal joy & bliss (Hebrews 12:2) awaiting us. Like Moses we must endure as seeing Him who is unseen! (Hebrews 11:26,27)
We must not have even the slightest fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). No one can take our life, since the keys of death are in the hands of Jesus! (Revelation 1:18)
God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that we who believe on Him may not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16). We come to Christ with the assurance of the life to come. This is one of the foundational teachings which includes the resurrection of the dead & eternal judgement. (Hebrews 6:2)
A. Contrast between the present life & the life to come
The Bible says that there is a present life & a life to come. (I Timothy 4:8). This present life passes away, but the life to come endures forever. (1 John 2:17). This present life is temporary whereas the life to come is eternal. This present life is visible whereas the life to come is at present invisible (2 Corinthians 4:18).
B. The certainty of the life to come
Jesus said that everyone who believes in Him will live even if he dies (John 11:25,26). In Jesus’ days too, some sects like the Sadducees did not believe in the life to come. To counter them, Jesus said that God is the God of Abraham,Issac & Jacob…The God not of the dead but of the living. (Matthew 22:32). We find in the incident of the rich man & Lazarus, the rich man was seeing & talking to Abraham after both of them died. (Luke 16:25ff). God has given as a taste of the life to come. (Hebrews 6:5). Just like someone cooking food has a taste of it much before the meal, so also we the believers have a taste of eternal life even before we get there!
C. Sequence of the events after we die
As soon as we die, we are carried by the angels to Paradise. (Luke 16:22; 23:43). Here we meet the Lord Jesus. (Phillipians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8).
At Christ’s second coming, there is a resurrection of the body. (1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
This is followed by the judgement of believers at the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), where we will be rewarded for what we have done on earth. (Revelation 11:18) (1 Corinthians 3:14).
From then on we will experience eternal bliss (Revelation 22:3).
D. Our response
We should do our best to maintain a blameless conscience. (Acts 24:15,16) , lead holy lives (I Peter 1:17) & have a godly conduct (2 Peter 3:11).
We should work for things that will last for eternity & not merely for the temporal (John 6:27; 1 Corinthians 15:58).
We must endure in every trial like Jesus did, in view of the eternal joy & bliss (Hebrews 12:2) awaiting us. Like Moses we must endure as seeing Him who is unseen! (Hebrews 11:26,27)
We must not have even the slightest fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). No one can take our life, since the keys of death are in the hands of Jesus! (Revelation 1:18)
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