Paul had a clarity of purpose that shaped his life. For him life was a race with a single goal, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus was his destination and he never wavered from that. Such focus affects how we view the world around us, suddenly everything that the world values becomes ‘rubbish’ in comparison with the pursuit of Jesus. Paul was like those identified in Hebrew 11:13-16, he confessed that he was a stranger on earth. His citizenship was in heaven, he was on a pilgrimage to Jesus. Psalm 85:5-7
This is how we should view life. Life is not about the journey it is about the destination. If our eyes are on the journey we get caught up in the value systems of this world. Let’s recognise that we are citizens of another kingdom and our destination is King Jesus.
Solomon received wisdom from God but we see from Ecclesiastes that his wisdom does not rise above the earth. Everything he speaks about occurs ‘under the sun’.
Ecclesiastes 2:17 Solomon begins to hate life. Eventually his foreign wives lead him into worship of other gods.
It is possible to be the son of a devoted believer but still fall It is possible to have great wisdom, but still fall It is possible to have great reputation, but still fall
Have you ever considered how you will be received when you arrive in heaven. Can you imagine being escorted into the presence of Jesus by angels. You see Him there and you are absolutely stunned by the power and majesty of the King. Then, He looks up from something that has His attention and sees you and says, “Hi glad you’re here. Be with you in a minute. Take a seat over there somewhere.” And then He turns and gives His attention to what He was doing and you get escorted off somewhere by the angels.
Anybody here pictured that kind of reception??
That which you treasure most reveals the devotion of your heart.
Do we expect the Lord to receive us with a greater passion than which we receive Him. Let’s stoke the fires of our hearts towards the Lord. He is our great reward.
God is Truth; His Word is Truth; His Spirit Leads Us Into Truth
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
There is a popular view today that truth is relative. Christianity, on the other hand, is built on the premise that truth is absolute because Jesus is Truth and that the teachings of the Bible are universal.
Postmodern views state that
Truth is not discovered, it is created
There is no universal truth
Truth changes according to a person’s viewpoint
There is no such thing as absolute truth
God tells us different. In Romans He says this:-
Romans 1:18-22 [18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, [19] because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. [20] For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, [21] because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [22] Professing to be wise, they became fools.
The ultimate philosopher on life is God. He effectively declares I am the Truth and there is no other. Truth IS NOT Relative. Truth IS Absolute because He is and there is no other.
Jesus and His Word are so synonymous that Jesus is the Word of God. John 1:1-5
Notice the scripture doesn’t say that Jesus is called the Word of God. He is the Word of God.
Truth isn’t analytically received! We can’t break down a statement of Truth and assess whether it is Truth. It isn’t mentally assimilated. Jesus asked Peter, Who do you say I am. When Peter identified Jesus as the Christ, Jesus said to Him that flesh and blood hadn’t revealed it to him. The Father had revealed it to him.
Truth is revealed to our spirit not to our minds. Truth comes from the Father and is given by the Holy Spirit Universities cannot reveal Truth to us we need the Holy Spirit for that
Into what does the Holy Spirit guide us?? John 16:5-13 ALL TRUTH Paul told the Corinthians he did not come to them with wisdom but with Holy Spirit power
1Co 2:1-5 [1] And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. [2] For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. [3] I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [5] that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The ‘blessing’ instituted by the Lord, is a way we can sow light, health, deliverance, prosperity and success into the lives of our families. It was viewed with great significance in the Old Testament but we have little regard for it in our current culture. That needs to change.
Jesus spoke in parables (Mt 13:34-35) 34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. 35This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”
Parable of Seed & Sower Matthew 13:1-23
We see in this parable one of the fundamental truths of the kingdom. God’s word is a seed; Our hearts are the soil into which that seed is sown.
Our hearts are ground for seed. There is great competition for the soil of our hearts and many seeds that get planted there. Many not from God!!
What grows there determines our future. What grows there determines the harvest you will reap in your life. What grows there determines what you will achieve on this earth. What grows there will determine our reward in heaven. One thing to notice. The seed is the same; the soil is the difference! The soil is our responsibility. God continually pour forth His word onto the earth (Isaiah 55) and into our hearts. Not just a word for salvation but for other kingdom truths as well.
We cannot afford to become a religious organisation attempting to function by a list of moral standards, or only by a set of principles. We cannot reduce the gospel to something we can control. All that we have to offer to the world around us comes from our connection with God. If that connection is not functioning we can only offer our own strengths and capabilities. They are a poor substitute for Jesus. Through our connection with God comes rivers of living water and life will flow to the world around us if we stay connected to Jesus.
Where did the church global lose the book of acts cutting edge?? After about 5th century AD church was where!
The disciples ask about the parable and Jesus says. (Mark 4:13) Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The parable of the sower reveals some interesting things 1. The seed is carried in words 2. The soil is our hearts 3. The seed can be taken away without being planted 4. The seed can be received ‘lightly’ with ‘shallow’ effect 5. The seed can be received but so can other seeds and they compete 6. The seed grows over time and produces a harvest of …. 7. the same seed
When we hear words they are seeds that enter our hearts.
Hearts are fertile ground for seed
Jesus said be careful how you hear.
We can acknowledge truth but there are ‘systems’, ‘beliefs’ in our lives that don’t allow the truth we hear to change us totally. These ‘rocks’ or strongholds are resistant to the seed.
The heart is a fertile ground where all kinds of things will grow. Seeds that God doesn’t plant can grow there.
The seed becomes a fruit bearing plant. (Mark4:30-32) We need to keep the seed covered and watered.
We are to produce fruit of the same kind as the seed. An apple seed produces apple trees. Words produce within us; they shape the way we perceive life, ourselves, God.
How important are the words of a parent, a grandparent, a friend. Children are very open to receive. They are the ultimate fertile ground. (Prov22:6) “Train a child in the way they should go, and when they are older they will not depart from it”. The best time for someone to learn a new language is when they are young, about 4-9 yrs old. We can become resistant to truth because our ground is full of plants that have grown from other seed. Jesus said (Mt18:2-4) in order to enter the kingdom of heaven we had to become as a little child. He meant that we need to be receptive and open to the truth He brings in the words He speaks.
I heard something on the TV that captured my attention. A pregnant woman had been told by a doctor that the child she was carrying had Edwards syndrome, a very rare illness. He recommended that she should have the child killed because it would have no quality of life. She chose to keep the child and when it was born the child was healthy but she struggled to believe it. In an interview after the event she said, quote, “The doctor put a seed in my mind that the child would have Edwards syndrome” and she struggled to accept the fact that it was healthy. The truth in her words rang out.
How else does it affect us Mark 9:14-29 Boy with demon If you can – must be the smallest level of faith “help my unbelief” is a cry only spoken by a person who already has belief.
Faith Comes Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word (Rhema) of Christ Not saying Faith comes by the Word of God. There is a two stage process. Hearing comes from leaning in to the Lord to hear his voice illuminate the word.
Faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain. It doesn’t take much faith to do miracles but it does take a clear field without competing seeds.
Seed in Good Ground Harvest 100 Seed in Good Ground Harvest 60 Seed in Good Ground Harvest 30 Seed in Weedy Ground Seed in Rocky Ground Seed Rejected
(Pr 2:1-6) 1My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
(Pr 4:20-23) 20My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. 22For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. 23Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
The Holy Spirit speaking through Paul quotes Isaiah 52:11 to help make the point that Christians are called out of the world and are to be separate—sanctified—set apart. We must live in the world, but we are not to be of the world
Simeon Stylite
In the 4th century a famous monk named Simeon Stylite, climbed a 60 foot column and spent the rest of his life up there. Simeon lived the last 37 years of his life, having food and drink and other necessities hoisted up to him in a basket. From the safe distance of 60 feet, he could preach to crowds without ever having to get near anyone. He was trying to practice 2Corinthians 6 but got it very wrong
Not of this world Jesus prayed to the Father for His followers. “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. … “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:9, 15-18). Christ’s prayer was not just for those of that day, but for all who would read and accept their teaching from that time forward. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word” (verse 20). The apostle John wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
The name Pharisees literally means “the Separated Ones”. They spent their whole lives making rules to keep themselves from contamination. They built rules and regulations and clarifications around God’s word to keep them from accidentally disobeying God’s word. God’s word said not to work on the Sabbath, so the Separated Ones wrote 50 volumes of rules and regulations mapping out how many paces a man was allowed to walk on the Sabbath, how heavy a burden he might carry, what he could or couldn’t do.
Jesus, on the other hand healed people on the Sabbath! On one Sabbath his disciples got hungry as they walked through the grain fields and began picking heads of grain to eat. Working on the Sabbath! Jesus not only healed people of leprosy on the Sabbath, he did it by touching them. He touched unclean lepers, which according to the law made him unclean. Jesus didn’t ceremoniously wash his hands before eating. Worst of all, Jesus associated with sinners, hanging out with them, having dinner with them in their homes. The Separate Ones mocked Jesus by calling him the “friend of sinners”.
Jesus called the Pharisees white-washed tombs – clean on the outside, filled with rotting, defiling dead bones on the inside. It is possible to have veneer of holiness yet to be completely unclean on the inside.
Matthew 15:10-20 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” Then the disciples *came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”