Trust Him! Praise Him!

(Message by Pastor Philip Joseph on 30.08.2009 in New Life Fellowship, Vashi. Developed from what I remember on Monday & Tuesday: May not match by words but must convey the spirit of the message. Happy reading!)

Today, let me share with you from the book of Psalms. Psalms is a compilation of 150 - songs and poems; by different authors, at different times. Some of them were written as an expression of joyful thanksgiving for God's goodness; some written under 'present' danger while seeking God's protection, and others written as fervent prayer requests. Out of these psalms, I've chosen Psalm 115 and Psalm 135 for today's meditation.

There was a time when the people turned away from seeking God to worshipping idols. They wanted to imitate the Gentiles in making artifacts of silver and gold and presenting them as gods! The psalmist writes this psalm 115 against this backdrop of rampant idolatry; he reminds God’s people about the futility of idols and the trustworthiness of God.

As we look around us, in Mumbai today, we can sense the indignation of this writer! People around us make their gods, carry them, worship them, dump them and wait for another year! Their gods are idols - nothing but work of men’s hands; with mouth, ears, eyes and noses – but really mute, deaf, blind and dead (Ps. 115: 4-6). Why would anyone trust them? The psalmist declares ‘those who make them are like them; so is everyone who puts their trust in them’ (v8). But as children of God, we do not make our gods, but know 'God is our maker'! We do not carry Him – He carries us! Our God is in the heavens (v3) and can’t be confined in an artifact. He is our ‘ever present help’!

TRUST HIM

The author of the psalm 115 exhorts his people – ‘O Israel…’, ‘O Aaron…’, and ‘You who fear Him…’: ‘TRUST in the LORD’. He goes on to explain WHY they must TRUST Him. They must TRUST in the LORD, because…

1. ‘He is their HELP and their SHIELD’ (v9, 10, 11)

a) The idols can’t help us! But we have a God who can help us… who is ABLE to help us! Sometimes in our lives, there are situations where no relative, brother or sister can really help us. But He is the help of the helpless! Look at Is. 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you: Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will HELP you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”. And in v13 “For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, Fear not, I will HELP you”. If you are feeling small, insignificant and worthless as a worm, still God promises in v14 ‘“Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel'. God has promised us His HELP … and we can TRUST Him!

b) God is our shield – our protection! In Gen. 15:1, God, in a vision, says to Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceeding great reward”. If you’ve imagined Abram as only a pious man of faith, here’s the news - Abram was a warrior too! In the previous chapter, we read about how Abram, with his choice men, went to war against kings, to recover the goods and persons captured from Sodom, including his own nephew - Lot. When he came back after defeating the kings, God reminds Abram of His protection. When we think of our children's protection, many times we as parents are helpless! But we can know that God is a shield to them too and will protect them.

2. ‘The LORD has been mindful of us’ (v12)

The Lord remembers us! He thinks about us! If we turn to Jeremiah 29:11, it reads, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. Not those thoughts that are random and hurried! But with a definite plan and purpose for our lives – of peace, future and hope! We may not know God’s thoughts; we may wonder why we are in such a situation. But we can certainly know, God thinks about us! And we can TRUST Him! And God’s thoughts are not just one or two thoughts for each one of us – but many; more than the sand in the seashore! See the psalmist declaring in Ps. 139:17, 18 “How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;” When we put our trust in Him, knowing that He thinks about us, the adverse circumstances around will take a lesser meaning. We can ‘know, that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose’ (Rom. 8:28)

3. ‘He will bless us’; ‘He will bless those who fear the LORD, both small and great’ (v13)

The LORD will bless us! He is the Lord who blesses His children. When we see the lives of great men, we remember how the Lord has blessed them. But, the Lord will bless those who fear Him, both small and great (Ps.115:13). There is no partiality – He will bless everyone who fears Him. In the history of King David, while He was bringing the Ark of the Covenant (Presence of God) into Zion, because of a certain incident, he keeps the Ark in the house of Obed-Edom – a simple and an insignificant person. But, because of the Ark, God blessed Obed-Edom, so much so, that it reached the ears of King David. So after 3 months, he made arrangements to bring the Ark from the house of Obed-Edom and into Zion. The point is, it does not matter, whether it is the king or whether an ordinary man like Obed-Edom, God will bless us.

PRAISE HIM

Now let us turn to Psalm 135. If we read this Psalm from v15 onwards, we find a striking similarity to the words in Psalm 115. When we come to verse of Psalm 135: 19, we see the psalmist exhorting the people to ‘BLESS’ (or ‘PRAISE’) the Lord (Remember, the psalmist exhorting to TRUST in the LORD in Psalm 115). If we read from Psalm 135:19, 20, it goes as “BLESS the LORD, O house of Israel; Bless the LORD, O house of Aaron; Bless the LORD, O house of Levi. You, who fear the LORD, bless the Lord”. When we compare the worthless idols and the trust-worthiness of God, praise is a natural response. Our heart bursts forth in singing praises to our God. We can PRAISE the Lord, for…

1. ‘…the LORD is good’ (v3)

One quality that we must always associate with God, along with Holiness, mercy, etc.,  is ‘goodness’. We must understand that the Lord is extremely good. Incomparable to any human-being – any human goodness, if at all there is such a thing! Remember, the young man coming to Jesus (Luke 18:18), not knowing Jesus is God, calling Him “Good Teacher”. Jesus replied saying ‘No one is good, but One, that is God’. Our God is good and He gives good gifts to His children. We can count on God’s goodness and PRAISE Him! James 1:17 tells us that, ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, in whom there is no variation or shadow of turning’. You know, it is not like the sun, high at the noon-time and light waning in the evening. Some do imagine, God being good with His gifts sometime in life, and then the ‘Not-so-good’ phase and then again ‘Good’ phase! But NO! The Bible teaches us, that there is no variation in His goodness or in His giving good gifts. Therefore ‘sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant’ (v3)

2. ‘…the LORD has chosen…’ (v4)

We did not choose God, but He chose us! Many are called, but few are chosen! Out of the millions of people around us, God showed His mercy toward us, and chose us. Jesus told His disciples, ‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you…’ (John 15:16). Peter writes that ‘we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood’ (1 Peter 2:9). We can PRAISE God, that we are His chosen people!

3. ‘…the LORD is great … and above all gods’ (v5)

How great is our Lord! Look around and see – the greatness of God! In His creation, from sun and stars, clouds and sky, mountains and rivers, trees and fields to birds and songs! All declare the greatness of our God. In fact, this whole psalm is PRAISE to God in Creation and Redemption. In Isaiah 40:26, it is recorded that God calls the hosts of the heavens – the stars, by name, and not one is missing. Nothing is hidden from His sight. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him"! (2 Ch. 16:9)

4. ‘…the Lord is compassionate’ (v14)

Our God is full of compassion - the One who understands OUR feelings, OUR pain. Every sorrow is known to Him, every tear accounted. In Psalm 103, it says that ‘As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him’ (v13). Our God’s compassion – pity towards us is like a father’s compassion towards his children. Recently, my son left one of his exercise note-books in an auto-rickshaw; he was all worried. I went down with him trying to search as many autos, nearby, as possible. The exercise book means nothing to me – but my son felt it was important. The point is God’s compassion towards us is like this; understanding things from OUR perspective – though it may be limited.

Finally, let me take you to the verses in Psalm 106:12 “Then they believed His words; they sang His praise”. Our belief and trust in God and His word, brings out this response: praising Him with songs from our heart. Trust Him! Praise Him! ‘Therefore by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name’ (Heb. 13:15). Amen.

It's Time to Forsake Foolishness!

(Message by Pastor Philip Joseph on 23 August 2009, at New Life Fellowship, Vashi. Developed from what I recall on Monday & Tuesday. May not match exactly word to word - but must convey the spirit of the message. Happy Reading!)

Is it possible for a born-again believer to be foolish? The answer is YES! Apostle Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, "Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" - Eph. 5:17. Let me share with you today, of seven areas in our spiritual walk where we guard ourselves from being foolish. As I share with you the Word of God, you may mark those areas in your own life where you have not been foolish - I say six out of seven is not good enough! I wish for us all to be perfected in our walk in ALL these seven areas.

1. Gal. 3:1-3 "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"
Portrayed here is the state of the church in Galatia, when Paul writes to them. They had started off well; by faith received the Spirit. Now they imposed upon themselves to follow the law of Moses! They sought to find justification before God by their works! The truth is, Salvation is a free gift of God; there's NO person on earth who can EARN it. Look at Eph. 2: 8,9 - "For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God". In a country like ours - India, you find the difficulty in sharing this simple truth; for the majority of people here are only willing to earn their salvation by 'good' works. So, we find people going on a pilgrimage, holding a fast, giving alms, doing social service - that by any means they may obtain salvation! But, as believers, "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). Therefore I say this, that we obtain salvation NOT BY good works, but FOR good works. 'If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation' (2 Cor. 5: 17).

2. James 2:20 "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"
Look at this foolishness. Faith without works! But may we continue from where we left... As we are called FOR good works, it is foolish to think that faith alone is sufficient. Because faith simply does not stand alone... it works in obedience. Our faith is 'alive' by the works we do! We can be like that wise 'builder' who built his house upon the rock. Jesus while talking of this parable, distinguishes between 'wise' and the 'foolish' man by this - their works. Both hear the words of Jesus. "But everyone who hears these saying of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand;" (Matt. 7:26). Therefore I say this, that let us not be hearers of the Word only, deceiving ourselves, but also doers!

3. Luke 24:25 "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!"
Unbelief is foolishness! Here Jesus meets his own disciples and chided them. For they were slow of heart to believe what the prophets had foretold! How often we find ourselves in this situation - we have God's promises; His Word. Yet, we find it hard to believe it for the present circumstances. I'm not asking you to close your eyes to the situation around you - nor to forget your circumstances. Faith is not walking with eyes closed; for we see Abraham, 'who, contrary to hope, in hope believed' (Rom. 4:17). Abraham knew of his own body, 'already dead' and the 'deadness of Sarah's womb' (Rom. 4:19) - but yet chose to put his faith in Him who promised. Even in our prayers, we can add faith, and say, 'Though I may not see nor understand all, but Lord, You will make a way'. We can claim of God's wonderful promises and not be slow to believe all that He has spoken.

4. Luke 11:40 “Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”
This is the foolishness of the Pharisees! They were the leaders of the church at that time. And they just had to be prim and proper on the outside! They wear the right clothes, carry themselves with the right posture - right expression and even make the right noises. And it’s all there for OTHERS to see! And that is it… for OTHERS to SEE! Perfection personified on the outside (I Pet. 3: 3, 4)! But, inside – it’s another story! The Pharisees had this lack that they did not care about their inner beauty. Peter encourages the believer to be concerned about their inner beauty. Paul urges that we be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2), thereby proving what the will of the Lord is! Therefore I say this, consider your inner man – inner person (Eph. 4: 22 – 24). And look for the inner beauty in others, especially in marriage, when you are looking for a spouse!

5. Matt. 25: 1 - 13 (The Foolish virgins): Jesus taught us this parable of ten virgins – meaning pure and chaste before God. But five of them were foolish – while the other five were wise. Yes, all ten were virgins, all were called for the wedding; all of them were waiting for the bridegroom and all their lamps were burning. But, only five of them took ‘oil in their vessels with their lamps’ (Matt 25: 4). And when the bridegroom came, these were the ones who went in with him to the wedding (verse 10) while the five ‘foolish’ virgins were left out. Jesus declared “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (verse 13). No one knows the day or the hour when Jesus would return – it is for us to always be ready, being wise, redeeming the time. Therefore I say this, if you harbor an unforgiving spirit against someone, or if you have vengeance in your heart, there is no better time than NOW to repent. The Word of God exhorts us, “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph. 4:27); but ‘to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless’ (II Pet 3:14). For we read in the Bible, that two of them will be in the field, or in one bed – and ONE will be TAKEN and the OTHER LEFT out!

6. II Cor. 15:36 “Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies”.
This chapter talks about the resurrection of the dead. If you read verses 35 through 38, Paul talks of arguments and contentions within the church on matters beyond understanding of the human mind. There is a natural body, in which we spend our time on earth – and a glorified body, when the believer’s rise from the dead! We may not be fully comprehend or fathom what the glorified body will look like! The Bible encourages us ‘not to lean on our own understanding’. In our walk of faith, we may never FULLY understand ALL of God’s ways – God never intended us to! We are limited by our human mind. Look at 1 John 3:2. It says “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”. Therefore I say this, that in all our getting wisdom and understanding, we may become fools in this matter; if we fail to know that God’s word takes precedence over our own understanding. We can FULLY trust God's word.

7. Luke 12:20 “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”
This is another parable of Jesus, where He tells us of a rich man – whose crop yielded plentifully. So he decided that he would build bigger barns, store them and take a well-earned rest! This man sure had a long-term perspective. He must have worked pretty hard and now is all ready for the plentiful harvest. If I tell the world about this man, the world will reply, ‘He sure is a very wise man’. But you know what - God called him a 'fool'. This man didn’t care for his own soul. All he wanted was to 'eat, drink and be merry'. He did not have an eternal perspective. With God, it is neither short-term, nor long-term perspective, but an ETERNAL perspective. When we see from God’s perspective, everything begins to look so very different. Imagine gold being sold here - in grams; because it is a costly precious metal. Now imagine streets of gold where we’re gonna walk! Ah! Things look different!!
Jesus went on to say that we must be 'rich toward God'. Not to store treasures here on earth, but to have treasures in heaven. For where our treasure is, there our heart will be also!

We can check ourselves on these seven areas of foolishness. Remember Eph. 5:17. Let us not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Amen.

Responsibility of God's people - to PRAY!

(Message on 16 Aug 2009 by Pastor Philip Joseph at NLF, Vashi. Developed from what I recall on Monday... may not match word to word, but must convey the spirit of the message. Happy reading!)

Yesterday, August 15 was the Independence day. I was praying for our nation and for God's word... and God impressed upon my heart this verse. Let us turn to the familiar verse in II Chronicles 7:13,14 "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

We have a special privilege as God's people; a thing that others can't do; a value-addition - an unique gifting that ONLY WE, can accomplish in our country, India - TO PRAY and SEEK GOD'S FACE on behalf of our nation. "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain..." - Look around at the situation in Maharashtra and other states that are expecting monsoon... The government is on the verge of declaring this year as a drought year! There is insufficient rain... Farmers have sown their seeds; they wait for the rain - for a crop and harvest! When rain fails, their hearts sink, their hopes fade and some farmers even go to the extent of taking their own lives! We can hear about these things, see them on news channels and yet be indifferent to their plight! We can just talk to God of - Me, myself and my family - Bless, bless and bless! Let the government do whatever it can to alleviate the pain of farmers! Let the scientists do whatever they can for cloud-seeding and artificial rain! But, WE can stand up as God's chosen people, take responsibility and claim God's promise according to this verse and PRAY for the rains! Yes, it's a land filled with idols and worthy of God's judgement - but we - who are called by His name, are here, and we entreat our God to have mercy, to forgive our sin and to heal the land! Jesus said "...(God) sends the rain on the just and the unjust" (Mat. 5:45). Still, about a month is left before the monsoon season ends! God, who is in heaven, (if only we would PRAY) will hear our prayers!

The verse 13 also talks of 'pestilence' - meaning an epidemic disease; now in Mumbai and elsewhere in India, there is a lot of attention to 'swine flu'; a sort of plague, that kills. You can see many moving around in fear - wearing a mask. But WE are called to exercise FAITH! God has promised in Exodus 15:26 "...I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you" (Jehovah Rophe). That He will make a difference between God's people - called by His name, and others. (Ex. 11). I'm not saying 'Don't wear a mask!' - well, if the Government says so and if the doctors advise it, go ahead... but what I'm saying is that we have a protection that is better than all masks! In Psalm 91, we read "No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling" (Ps. 91: 10) and "For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways" (v11). The Lord who heals - that who He is! 'If there is a pestilence in the land, and if my people - who are called by My name... pray and seek My face... I will heal the land' - That's God's promise. We know how He turned away the plague of the Egyptians overnight... The same God will hear us too!

Turn with me to Jer. 29:7. "And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace". Here Jeremiah the prophet writes to the people of Israel who are in a foreign land - Babylon, where they are held captive. Yet, he instructs God's people to '...pray to the Lord' for the city and 'seek the peace of the city'. We too can think of praying to God for peace in this city - Mumbai; for communal harmony, for inter-state harmony. We thank God for India - one of the developing countries not facing recession; while quite a few developed nations face it! We can seek the welfare of those around us and pray for them - seek the welfare of our country and pray for it!

In I Timothy 2:1,2, Paul exhorts a young Timothy, "first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." In the earlier chapter (ch. 1), Paul talks of how Timothy's conduct should be and how he conducts himself! But in starting ch. 2, Paul clearly instructs that "...first of all...supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made...for all men... and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life..." We thank God for freedom to proclaim the good news (giving of thanks)! We have the state elections coming up soon! We can get involved and PRAY to God for the election results before it happens!! That God would reinstate a secular government (intercession)! Else, we would be a mere 'spectator' once the results are out. God is not looking for 'spectators', but for 'participators' - people who get involved by praying for those in authority; praying for all men and leaders! We can pray that God would endow our leaders with wisdom and vision! (supplication).

In 3 John 1:2, apostle John says "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, just as your soul prospers". It is God's desire that WE prosper in all things and be in good health. Not just spiritually, but also in material things... just as our soul prospers! Here John is writing (to Gaius)... that he is praying for Gaius to prosper... We too can learn to pray for the prosperity of God's people; pray for the prosperity of the nation. For in the progress and prosperity of the nation, we too will have prosperity. We can pray to God for people who have lost their jobs - that God will provide them jobs and meet all their needs; that God's people called by His name, will prosper in all things and be in good health...

Finally, WE can pray for revival. Throughout history we see that every revival is preceded by prayer of God's people. In Matt 9:37-38, Jesus said "...The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest". We are called to be concerned and prayerful regarding revival... How about Vashi or Navi Mumbai? If we want to see the harvest, we can start praying for this place. When we see our neighbours and colleagues, we can be concerned of them too... apart from exchanging simple pleasantries. We can pray that God use us at every oppurtunity to be his laborer. God is looking for laborers, saying "Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?" Like Isaiah, we say, "Here I am Lord, Send me". The responsibility of sharing the gospel is given to Us - human beings; and not to any angels. Even a just man like Cornelius, an angel appeared and only instructed that he call for Peter, who in turn shared the Gospel to Cornelius.

Even in a city like Mumbai, in one part of the city, we see people coming to the Lord daily in dozens (in the western suburbs); a new house group being formed every day. Young people taking up the responsibility of leading the house-group. How can it NOT happen here? If we do not stand up and be counted, what is the use of many people coming into God's fold here? Who will lead and guide them? He's the same God, answering the prayers of his people... If we pray, we can see a revival here!

Finally, let me sum up -
WE can pray for the rains and God will give the rains and the harvest;
WE can pray for the pestilence and God will heal the land;
WE can pray for the peace of the city
WE can pray for leaders and those who are in authority
WE can pray for prosperity and good health
WE can pray for revival in this nation.
God bless you.

Winners all...right? NO!

(Message by Pastor Philip Joseph on Sunday 9th Aug 2009 at NLF, Vashi - developed from what I recall on Monday and Tuesday - may not match word to word - but must convey the spirit of the message! Happy reading!)

NO. Not ALL were winners! There were losers too...One thing we can be sure of in the Bible (when we read the stories of God's chosen men and women) is, it gives a fair and truthful account of their lives - including failure stories; so we see some people here who made a mess of their lives.

Over the past few weeks, I've been sharing with you the successful men in the bible, who accomplished the purposes of God in their lives...Noah, Moses, David, Joseph, Jacob, Joshua...but, today let me share with you some men who missed the mark...who were found wanting in some aspect of their lives...who failed.

As we speak about these people, we have a choice...either to do the same mistakes and have a bitter learning...or to avoid those mistakes and reap the consequences; for 'whatever a man sows, that he will also reap' (Gal.5:7).

Let me start with the first human sin...being deceived. Paul warns the Corinthian church in 2 Cor. 12:3 "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ". Here we see that Eve was deceived...'. When the serpent came and put a question 'Did God...' to Eve, and carried on with his deception, "You will surely not die!", then sin entered this world. We have to guard ourselves from being deceived by what we see and hear. How can one remain unaffected by bad company? Or be unaffected by what we choose to hear... Even today, the evil one carries on with the same deception...we see young people - vulnerable minds, being swayed by the deception in the media - that they are free to do anything they want...that they can live however they desire and 'enjoy' life to the full - by giving in to their imaginations! The bible warns us "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked...for whatever a man sows, the same he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7). Do not let Satan's deception 'blind' you into falling away from God's will.

The first man Adam's sin was disobedience...In Romans 5:19 we read "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." This was Adam's sin, He was not deceived like Eve was! He knew the commandment of God about the fruit; he knew exactly what he was getting into when he held the fruit to his mouth...but he wilfully disobeyed the commandment of God...Then came the rift between God and man! It says in the bible that through disobedience of one man came death to all men... Even today, men and women wilfully disobey God's word; being fully aware of the warnings yet choosing to disobey and thereby reaping the consequences!

Let me go on to their next generation...Cain and Abel - two brothers! It is written about Cain  (1 John 3:12) that '... his ways were evil and his brother's (way) righteous'... Both came with an offering to God. God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's...and Cain became jealous of his own brother. We see this even in today's world... brothers fighting over inheritance, property, wealth and being jealous of one another...siblings taking each other to the court for justice... and it didn't end there for Cain; he would raise his hand to murder his own brother in cold blood! Jealousy is a poison that would destroy people's lives...and peace. I've seen it in the corporate world - I've seen it in the kingdom of God too! But, in 1 Cor. 13 we read about love...that 'Love does not envy'. Love is the remedy for jealousy. In love, we are glad in the other's well-being... yes, when others are blessed within the family, within the church - we rejoice with them.

In Heb. 12:16 we find another man rejected by God...Esau. It says here ...'a profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright'. Remember, Esau was the firstborn; the birthright belonged to him. If he'd made a good choice, it would probably have gone down in history as 'Abraham, Isaac and Esau' - and not 'Abraham, Isaac and Jacob' as it is now. But when Esau was hungry for food, he found his birthright worthless ... and exchanged it for a single meal! He missed God's will and messed up his own life. This is the Godless Esau.

Let us turn to Jude 1:11 "Woe to them! for they have gone in the way of Cain,..." It is a whole way of life that Cain choose. Jealousy, strife and finally murder! "...have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah." Here we find two other people.

Balaam was a prophet of God...God spoke to this man. Can you imagine - a prophet of God, failing! But yes, the bible clearly tells us that his heart was not right with God... he had a greedy heart for money...he would run after profit. The bible warns us that '...the love of money is the root of all evil'.

And then Jude 1:11 talks of Korah's rebellion; We read about him in Numbers 16; He was of the house of Levi - one of the God-ordained priests. He did enjoy special privileges regarding sacrifices and offering...but, he wanted more... even the priesthood and position of Aaron! Therefore, he formed a company of men and rebelled against Moses and Aaron. You see, the first sin in the universe is rebellion... when Lucifer - one of the angels, formed a group and eyed the power and position of God, he was cast down from heaven to become Satan, the evil one. We know the story of what happened to Korah after that... he was swallowed up into the pit when the ground under him gave way... he and all his men and belongings. The anti-dote to rebellion is submission! Even children sometimes find it difficult to submit to authority - their parents! The bible exhorts us to submit ourselves to God - to humble ourselves under his mighty hand...

Let me now talk of Saul - a man chosen by God, anointed by Samuel the prophet! In fact, he started off so well in favour with the prophet; he made it a law that no one should practice witchcraft but for every matter consult the Levite priest...Yet, in his latter days, he consulted a witch and dabbled in the occult...Saul's sin was trespassing. God has kept a boundary for us to function... and God expects us to stay within those boundaries. Saul was a king... but he trespassed and performed the functions of a priest. In 1 Samuel 13 we read about how Saul and his army were up against the Philistines. They were to perform sacrifices and offering to God. He waited for seven days, according to the time set by Samuel the prophet... But when Samuel delayed in coming, Saul went ahead and performed the offering. And he was rejected.

Solomon - Now God loved Solomon (2 Sam 12:24); he too started off so well - in a vision made a good choice of asking for wisdom, and received the gift of wisdom and understanding that nobody ever had before... Solomon wrote and compiled the best sayings of wisdom which we use even today; 'he set right many proverbs' (1 Kings 4:32)...But, later in his life he turned away from the Lord (1 Kings 11); because he relied on his wisdom and made the wrong choices for his own life...and married foreign women... unbelievers.. who turned his heart away from God. If you ask me, I consider Solomon such a foolish man when it came to matters regarding marriage. He could not bring himself to obey a simple commandment of God - not to intermarry. Even today people come and ask me, 'I've seen such and such person, who are nice and good-looking, of respectable status, but is not a believer. Can we proceed?'. Then I've to use all my biblical resources to convince them otherwise, because I see their heart in inclined towards it and 'Love' as they say 'is blind'. Let's not to be foolish to disobey a simple commandment.