Christ the Firstborn from the Dead

 “But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV

Just then Paul realized that part of the council were Sadducees, who deny the resurrection of the dead, and others were of the separated ones. So he shouted, “My fellow Jews, I am a separated one, and the son of a separated one. That’s why I’m on trial here. It’s because of the hope I have that the dead will rise to live again.”  The Pharisees and Sadducees were major Jewish sects in Jesus’s time.  The Sadducees, though a small group, were influential and denied  the supernatural, including the resurrection of the dead or angels and spirits; but they believed in the political control of the people.  The Pharisees were the separated ones who strictly kept the law and believed in angels and the hope of the resurrection from the dead.  Such was Paul’s desire for the Gospel to reach the Pharisees and Sadducees that he identified with the resurrection of the dead.  Jesus Christ is our Living Hope and He is the Head of the Body, the Church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.  Through Christ alone we have the hope of being resurrected from the dead.  Amen!

Christ’s Friendship

 “To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; But he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, And as the stream of brooks they pass away;”

‭‭Job‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Job replied to his friend Eliphaz, “When desperate people give up on God Almighty, their friends, at least, should stick with them. But my brothers are fickle as a gulch in the desert—”.   This was how Job responded to his friend.  Love overlooks the mistakes of others, but dwelling on the failures of others devastates friendships. Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s Presence. Jesus told us, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  Look at how much encouragement we’ve found in our relationship with the Anointed One! We are filled to overflowing with His comforting love. We have experienced a deepening friendship with the Holy Spirit and have felt His tender affection and mercy.  Let’s receive Christ’s Friendship. Amen!

Gospel is For All and To All

 “And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭22‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Then Paul returned to Jerusalem, and while he was  praying in the temple, he entered another realm and saw the Lord Jesus Who said to Paul, ‘Hurry and depart from Jerusalem quickly, for the people here will not receive the truths you share about Me.’  Paul was in a trance and in Greek trance is ekstasis from which we get ecstasy which means taken to another state or realm.  He was actually taken to another realm as a trance came over him.  The more revelation Paul received, the more humble he became - let it be for us too!  Jesus tells us all to follow Him and make disciples.  When we obey Him, we will find that we are sharing the Gospel with those who don’t believe what we’re telling them.  Jesus gave the good news and even though many believed yet many turned away from Him.  The same happened to Paul and we may be sure it happens to us as well.  People’s responses should not stop us from giving the good news to all!  That’s our purpose on planet earth, to give the Gospel to all.  Amen!

God’s Goodness is Forever

 “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: He woundeth, and his hands make whole.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Eliphaz, Job’s friend continues to comfort Job, “So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you! Mind you, don’t despise the discipline of Almighty God! True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound; the same hand that hurts you, heals you”..  This lie is the misunderstanding that many in the world have about God, that God teaches us lessons by piling disasters on to mankind.  Neither Job nor his friends knew that satan took permission from God to bring calamity to Job, because God said that Job will not turn against God inspite of the disasters.  So the devil attacks mankind so they would never believe the goodness of God.  God’s love, mercy and His goodness are the same yesterday, today and forever.  That’s God’s character, but satan wants everyone to believe otherwise.  Of course God, our Father, corrects us  as any loving Father does for His children. Even Jesus, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered, so that all mankind would become righteous before God through faith in Christ.  Let’s always believe in God’s goodness and not in satan’s lies.  Amen!

Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

 “And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭21‬:‭40‬ ‭KJV‬‬

When the commander gave his permission, Paul stood on the steps and gestured with his hands for the people to listen. When the crowd quieted down, Paul addressed them in Aramaic.  Just a while back Paul spoke in Greek to the Roman commander, but now he addressed the Jews in Hebrew or Aramaic which had replaced Hebrew during the Babylonian captivity.  He did not address the Jews in Greek!  Paul knew how to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles.  His love for his fellow Jews to receive Jesus as their Messiah was so intense that he said, “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh”.  Because of Jesus, Paul had such an intense desire for the Jews to accept Christ.  Jesus prophesied to the Jews, “Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!'"  Our prayer is for Israel today to believe and confess this.  Amen!

The Only Comforter Who Helps Us

 “Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair of my flesh stood up: It stood still, But I could not discern the form thereof: An image was before mine eyes, There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker?”

‭‭Job‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Eliphaz, Job’s friend, had come with two others to comfort Job. He tells of his vision or a dream, “A spirit glided right in front of me— the hair on my head stood on end. I couldn’t tell what it was that appeared there— a blur. . . and then I heard a muffled voice: “‘How can mere mortals be more righteous than God? How can humans be purer than their Creator?”..  It seemed a scary vision or dream and it indicated that Eliphaz did not have the kind of relationship with God as Job had.  Yet Eliphaz wanted to comfort Job.  Many times as friends we want to comfort our friends in a well meaning way but we can’t empathise with what they’re going through and we aren’t able to get through to them.  Through Jesus coming as the Son of Man, and being our great High Priest, He understands humanity, for as a Man, our magnificent King-Priest was tempted in every way just as we are, and conquered sin.  Now He has given us the Holy Spirit, our Comforter to comfort us just in the way we need it.  Let’s believe and receive.  Amen!

All of Christ, Nothing Of Myself

 “save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Paul said, “Yet I know that the Holy Spirit warns me in town after town, saying, ‘Chains and afflictions are prepared for you.’ “But whether I live or die is not important, for I don’t esteem my life as indispensable. It’s more important for me to fulfill my destiny and to finish the ministry my Lord Jesus has assigned to me, which is to faithfully preach the wonderful news of God’s grace”.  This warning may have come to Paul through prophecies, dreams, visions or the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking within him.  Paul did not consider his life at all but viewed it as not worth mentioning.  We don’t need to see our lives as precious in our own eyes, for they are precious in the eyes of our Lord Jesus, and that must be enough.  That is true sonship as we’re led by the Holy Spirit.  Amen!

Christ’s Righteousness Nullifies Self-Righteousness

 “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, And that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; Yet trouble came.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭3‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Job cried, “The worst of my fears has come true, what I’ve dreaded most has happened. My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed. No rest for me, ever—death has invaded life.”  God had Himself pointed out to satan of the uprightness of Job.  Job had lived in the fear of God and done everything to maintain his righteousness before God.  Ultimately what Job feared came upon him.  None of his righteousness helped him as he faced the onslaught of all that satan brought upon him.  Though he cried, maintaining his righteousness before God, yet he questioned God in the midst of his grief and suffering.   

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. In the new covenant, it is through the gift of righteousness that we receive through faith, what Jesus did on the Cross and we get God’s deliverance and protection, not by our own righteousness.  For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ.  Let’s believe and receive Christ’s gift of righteousness.  Amen!

Authority that Comes with Intimacy with God

 “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭KJV‬

One day, when they said those words, the demon in the man replied, “I know about Jesus, and I recognize Paul, but who do you think you are?” Then the demonized man jumped on them and threw them to the ground, beating them mercilessly. He overpowered the seven exorcists until they all ran out of the house naked and badly bruised.  True authority comes from relationship with Jesus Christ, not just using formulas and techniques.  Evil spirits know about the depth of our relationship with God.  The reason Jesus saved us is so now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.  The spirit realm sees how we relate to God and based on that they respond to us.  Hypocrisy gives demons power over us but intimacy with God and our confident identity in Christ gives us the authority we need to contend with darkness.  May we enjoy intimacy with our God.  Amen!

Jesus Restores All Things

 “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Job’s wife said, “Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!”  Here was Job smitten with boils from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head, soon after the death of all his children and destruction and loss of all his wealth.  His wife, unable to take all the sorrow wanted Job to die cursing God, but Job did not listen to her.  Yet Job didn’t curse God and later said, “God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with Him”, which he did because there was no Mediator at that time.  We know that it was satan who brought all the calamity and sorrow albeit he took permission from God.  Instead God restored to Job twice as much as he had before and children from the same wife who told Job to curse God and die.  God sent His Son to be our Mediator and to restore all things to fulfilment.  Scripture says that Jesus descended and He also is the One Who  ascended above the heights of heaven, in order to begin the restoration and fulfillment of all things.  Thank You Jesus, You restore all things.  Let’s believe it.  Amen!