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Bible Study Matthew

Matthew: God Directing Paths

God keeps His promises. God made a way to protect Jesus for the task he had laid before him.

Matthew 2:13–23

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

There is not much information about Jesus’ early life. Matthew soon completed his account. He did this in three short paragraphs. These are in verses 13–15, 16–18 and 19–23.

Herod realized that the wise men were not coming back. He acted immediately. Herod wanted to be sure that nobody else could be king. So, he killed all the children who were younger than 2 years of age. Nothing not Satan, men or women cannot stop God’s plans. Satan had been trying to stop the curse way back in Genesis, all those centuries, but could not do it. Genesis 3: 14-15

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

Satan was using Herod as his hands to find the Messiah and kill him. Herod himself would die soon. Jesus escaped his evil plan. God told Joseph about the danger before it happened. So, he could take the child and Mary to Egypt. This was the nearest safe place.

When Herod died, Joseph could return with his family. He did not want to go back to Bethlehem. This does not surprise us. The new ruler was Archelaus. He was as bad as his father, Herod. He had already killed 3000 people. So, Joseph was anxious. But God understood this. He told him to return to his former home. This was in Nazareth. God was protecting and caring for Joseph, Mary and the baby. He can do the same for us too.

All of God’s prophecies in the Old Testament come true in Jesus. Each of the three short paragraphs ended by repeating words from the Old Testament. Matthew tells us that they came true in Jesus.

There is one more thing to notice here. Joseph obeyed God. But this was not always easy. First, there was the fact that Mary was having a baby. Then there was the birth of Jesus. These events completely changed his life. Sometimes, he was confused and anxious. He did not know what to do. He only knew that God had helped him before.

At other times, he knew part of God’s plan. But he did not know all of it. (Compare verses 20 and 22.) It was hard for him to marry Mary. She was having a baby. People did not understand. They spoke against him. But, Joseph still learned something important. It was this. To obey God was the best way. God protected him, even in times of great danger.

How Matthew used the Old Testament

Matthew says that these Old Testament passages refer to Jesus. But at first, they do not seem to have anything to do with him!

Verse 15 repeats Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” There, the prophet showed how God saved Israel’s people. They were in Egypt. He brought them back to their own land. This had happened many hundreds of years before. So, some people cannot understand how the passage could refer to Jesus.

But the writers of the New Testament used the Old Testament, they saw similar things that tied the Scripture to Jesus’ life and work. Careful study will show this. They knew Jesus matched with the whole history of the Israel. He even lived it all again.

God brought the Jews out of Egypt. He wanted them to bring God’s salvation to the world. They failed to do this. But Jesus would succeed. So, He too went to Egypt and returned from there. This was to show that he had come to save the world. He had come to bring the knowledge of God to all people.

Read verse 18. He repeated Jeremiah 31:15

15 This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

It told about a sad time in Bethlehem. The young people of the village would go away into exile. So, the words could not be about Herod’s murder of the babies. But Jeremiah’s words were a message of hope. The enemy would destroy the land. But there was still hope. God would save his people. He had not forgotten His people. He would not remove His promises from them.

Again, Matthew saw that those days and his own days were similar. Once, God had brought hope to a sad people. He saved them. Now, in Jesus, God had done it again. Jesus still brings hope to desperate people. He saves them from the results and the power of their sin. This was the hope for which the world was looking.

Matthew repeated some words of the prophets. So, he was probably thinking about several passages. In fact, Nazareth was a very small village. People ‘despised’ it. This means that it was very unimportant to them. People thought that it had nothing of value. (Read John 1:45–46.) Many times, the Old Testament said that people would ‘despise’ the *Messiah (Christ). (Read Psalm 22:6–8, 13; 69:8, 20–21; Isaiah 49:7; 53:2–3, 8; and Daniel 9:26.) These verses describe good people. They also describe the Messiah. People ‘despise’ them both.

Matthew realized something. It was about the language of these verses. They referred especially to Jesus. (Compare Matthew 12:24; 27:21–23, 63; Luke 23:11; John 1:11; 5:18; 6:66; 9:22, 34.)

Questions

1. Think about Joseph’s experience. Use the lessons of his life in your own situation.

2. How does this passage encourage your church group? How does God guide a group of Christians (believers)?

3. Think about the cruel murders in 2:16. There is so much suffering in the world. Is there something that you could do? How could you show that the Christian message has an answer?

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Bible Study Matthew

Matthew: King, Priest and Sacrifice

The wise men (‘Magi’) visited Jesus. This visit showed three things about Jesus. He is a king. He is a priest. He is God himself. It suggested something else too. He would suffer greatly because he always obeyed God.

Matthew 2:1–12

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, 2 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.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them 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.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Matthew did not tell us about Jesus’ birth. He had a main interest. He wanted to explain why it was important. He did this by describing some strange events. They happened after Jesus’ birth.

Jesus’ birth was exactly as the Old Testament had said that it would be. The prophet Micah lived more than 800 years before Jesus. Micah had promised that a great ruler would come. His birth would be in Lesser Bethlehem. This was the place where David was born. Micah 5:2 says,

“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.”

The people knew that it would be after the time of the exile. But, nobody had come. So, the people were still waiting. But this small village was exactly where Jesus was born!

Matthew recorded the gifts that the Magi (wise men) brought. So, he must have thought that the gifts were important. He believed that each one shows us something special.   

Gold shows us about royal things. This is true even today. Gold for a King.

Frankincense is a perfume. Jewish priests used it in the Temple. It was one of their duties. Frankincense for a Priest.

Myrrh was another perfume, but one used for preparing the bodies of the dead. It helped to make the funeral less awful. Myrrh was also a sign that people were loyal to God. Myrrh for a Sacrifice.

Matthew believed that these gifts were signs. They showed the fact that Jesus was a holy king. He obeyed God. Because he served God, he would suffer and die. Matthew might have wanted us to think about something else too. People had different reactions to the news about Jesus’ birth. King Herod knew and believed God’s word. Herod had no doubts that the Magi would find the Christ in Bethlehem. He said, ‘When you find him’ (verse 8). But Herod was more interested in himself. He had his own ambitions. So, he tried to defeat God!

Also, there were the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They had a different problem. They were professional Bible experts. But they failed to use the Old Testament in their own lives. They showed little interest in the Magi’s news. All of the Old Testament points to Jesus. But these men still had no interest in him.

The wise Men had little knowledge about Jesus. But they traveled great distances. They dealt with many difficulties. They really wanted to find him. When they first saw him, they gave him honor. Yet, he was only a child. These men ‘worshiped’ Jesus. Worship is for God only. Matthew tells us that this child was God himself. In some way, even the Magi knew this!

Herod

The Bible mentions several people who were called Herod. Herod the Great ruled Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth. Herod the Great was born in 73 BC. (Note: BC means Before Christ. Christ means Messiah.) Herod killed many people. So, he was always afraid that someone would kill him. At the time of his death, he had evil plans. He was planning to kill more than 3000 people. He had already killed his wife and his sister’s husband. He even killed his mother and some of his sons. This was because he was afraid of them.

All this explained Herod’s reaction to the report of the wise men. It helps us to know why the news affected ‘all the people in Jerusalem’ too. When Herod worried, other people usually suffered! Soon, the mothers of Bethlehem would know this. They would suffer from the cruelty of the king.

Maybe Herod was worried most about something that the Magi said. They spoke about someone who was ‘born as the king of the Jews’. Herod knew that he was not the proper king. He became king by using evil methods.

The Wise Men and the star

Magi or wise men were not religious leaders. They were the wise men in Persia and Media. This is now Iran and other countries near there. They were astronomers and studied the skies. We do not know how they knew about Jesus, maybe they had studied the prophecies or maybe it was a shared in a dream.

The chief priests and the teachers of the Law

These men were religious and political leaders. They ruled in ancient Judea. Judea was a part of Israel. They met together in a group. The name of this group was the Sanhedrin.

The chief priests included the present and previous High Priests. They also included priests from whom they would choose the new High Priest. They were all members of another group. The name of this group was the Sadducees.

Also, there were the teachers of the Law. ‘Scribes’ is another name for them. (Some English translations of the Bible use this name.) They must make sure that people obeyed the laws. They must also teach God’s words. They were the experts in Jewish religion. They were usually Pharisees.

Questions

1. People in this passage had different reactions to Jesus. What lessons can we learn from them?

2. Jesus came into this world for a purpose. He came to obey his Father. He came to serve us. He also died for us. What does this mean for the life of your church?

3. We must tell the Good News (gospel) to other people. What does this passage tell us about the gospel’s contents?

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Bible Study Matthew

Matthew: God Became Flesh

God became human for us. Jesus was God. He was also completely human. The story of his birth showed how this could be true. God promised to send the Messiah. Jesus is the Christ. Matthew has told us this. He has shown us that Jesus had the right family. He was the son of Abraham. He was the son of David too. Now we want the story to begin!

Matthew 1:18-25

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew tells us two great facts about Jesus’ birth here. First, a virgin gave birth to Jesus. Second, Jesus’ strange birth was special. It had special meaning.

Joseph and Mary had agreed to marry. This agreement would be for a year. Then there would be the marriage. It was during this year that Joseph found out about something. Mary was going to have a baby. Of course, he thought that she must have had sex with another man.

God’s law demanded action. Joseph wanted to give honor to God in his life. But, he did not act before he had thought about it. Then, he had a very clear dream. He knew that it was from God. An angel brought a message to Joseph. It was hard to believe it. Mary was going to have a child. But she had not had sex with another man. She was still a virgin! Her child belonged to God in a special way. He was from the Holy Spirit. This was exactly what God had said would happen. The angel reminded Joseph about this. He would have known the words from Isaiah 7:14.

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel

Joseph acted very bravely. He obeyed God’s message. He married Mary. Probably, some people laughed at him. They would think that there had been sex before marriage. They might think that he was not obeying God’s laws. Other people might accuse Mary. They might say that she was a wicked woman. It is not always easy to obey God!

Matthew explained why this strange event happened. God became a man. He did this to ‘save his people from their sins’ (verse 21). Men and women can do many good things. But all people have sinned. Men and women are unable to help themselves. People need someone who will rescue them.

Customs of Jewish marriage

There were three periods to a Jewish marriage. First, there was the ‘engagement’. This was often while the couple were still children. The parents would use someone else to arrange it. The couple might not even see each other. Marriage was a serious matter. You could not trust the emotions of young people.

The second period was the ‘betrothal’. This was an official agreement. It was between the two young people. It meant that the engagement should continue. Up to this time, it could end. After the betrothal, they could not end the agreement. It lasted one year. During this time, people spoke to them as if they were man and wife. But they did not live together. Divorce was the only way to end it. Joseph and Mary were in this period when we first hear about them. The marriage was at the end of the year of betrothal.

Joseph was a good man. This meant that he obeyed God’s law. Some laws spoke about women who had sex with many men. There should be a public meeting about the matter. Then there should be a divorce. (Deuteronomy 22:23–29.) By the time of Joseph and Mary, the Jews did not kill people for this sin. But, there was another way to deal with it. The law seemed to allow a ‘secret’ divorce. (Deuteronomy 24:1–2.) Joseph was a kind man. So, he decided to have this kind of divorce. That would mean that Mary’s shame would not be so bad.

Birth by a virgin

Matthew told how a virgin gave birth. In verse 23, Matthew repeated Isaiah 7:14. He used the word ‘virgin’. We know that the Bible is true and these two writings generations apart refer to Jesus

Think about it

God called Joseph to do a very brave thing. Is there any part of your life where you are like Joseph? What could you learn from this passage to encourage you?

Christians believe that Mary was a virgin. (She had not had sex with any man.) They teach that it is true. Why do you think that this is important?

We live in a world where people often suffer. What message does this passage give you? What does it suggest that your church could do about it?

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Bible Study Matthew

Matthew: God’s Plan in Action

If you read the Bible study on Ruth, you know I had to memorize this section of scripture as a teen. Genealogies can be tedious and hard to read. However, I challenge you while reading this to look for people you know. Link their stories in your mind to Jesus’ birth.

Matthew 1:1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

4 Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

6 and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

14 Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

The stories about Jesus in the Gospels are true. They really happened. They tell us how God completed his plan. His plan was to save men and women. He wanted to save them from the power and the results of their sin.

Before Matthew wrote the first book of the New Testament, he was a disciple of Christ. Before that his job was to collect taxes. He became one of Jesus’ best friends. (Read Matthew 9:9–13. Then read Mark 2:13–17 and Luke 5:27–32.)

Matthew was writing down what actually happened. He wanted his readers to understand this. Look at the first words of his book. They seem to just tell Jesus’ family history. But it is probably more than this. Matthew was introducing the whole book. He was saying, ‘This book gives the history of Jesus Christ.’

Many of us know the word, Messiah. It is a common term for Christians today. However, the Jews of this time had been waiting for the Messiah for generations and generations. To a Jew, this meant the one who would save them.

The Old Testament is full of promises and prophecies about the Messiah who would come. Jews in Matthew’s time knew about the Messiah. The Romans had been their rulers for many years. Jews hoped that the ‘Christ’ would save them from the power of the Romans.

The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘he will certainly save’. Matthew 1:21 says, ” She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins . Jews expected the Christ to have the name of Jesus. So, many mothers gave this name to their sons. They hoped that their child would be the Messiah. This Jesus was the son of Mary.

But, Jesus came to save the Jews from much more than the Romans. He came to save them from the results and power of their sin. He came to establish a kingdom. His kingdom would be much greater than any other one.

Genesis 22:18

18 and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b] because you have obeyed me.”

2 Samuel 7:16

16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[a]; your throne will be established forever.’”

The Jews knew these passages. They are about the Messiah who would come. He would save them. The Jews would know him when he came. They were sure about this. Christ would come from the families of both Abraham and David. Matthew tells us that this was true about Jesus. He was ‘the son of David’. He was ‘the son of Abraham’.

The beginnings of families

People want to discover who their past family members were. The word for them is ‘ancestors’. Today, there are huge businesses created to help you connect with your ancestors. In many parts of the world, it has always been vital. The Jews kept careful records. Either the oldest members of the family would remember, or, they would write down the names. Matthew was writing especially to Jews. So, it was important to give proof. He must show that his claims about Jesus were true.

Matthew began his book with a list of names. He divided it into three sections. Each section has 14 names.

The first section begins with Abraham. He was the first man to have a promise like this from God. The promise was that God would send someone special. This person would be from Abraham’s family. He would come to save people. Genesis 12:1–3

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”[b]

The first section ends with David. He was the Jews’ greatest king (1:2–6a). So, Matthew showed the human part of God’s promise. David was the greatest member of Abraham’s family. This was true until the time when Matthew lived. But, after David had died, his kingdom divided. It became two separate parts. Then, it stopped being a great kingdom. But God gave greater promises to David in 2 Samuel 7. The person who would save them would be greater than David.

The second section continues with David’s family. It ends at the time of the exile.

Then there is the third section. This deals with the years from the exile to the birth of Jesus Christ. (This is in 1:12–17.) Some people claimed to be the Messiah. This happened even before the time of Matthew. But there was nobody who could convince the people. Then, Jesus came. Matthew shows that Jesus is the Messiah. All of God’s promises in the Old Testament come true in him.

Think about it.

Some people say that the stories about Jesus just contain truth. This religious truth is what matters. It is not important whether they actually happened. What would you say to these people?

What is the most important thing to tell non-Christians? What does your church group think? Matthew emphasised that ‘God saves’. Do you agree with him?

Jesus will establish a kingdom one day. Do you concentrate on this fact? Or, do you care more about what you can get from him now?

Can you see God’s plan running through history? Can you see how he laid it out from the beginning?

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Bible Study Matthew

Matthew: Introduction

Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity. Without His life, death and resurrection, where would we be? Exactly, doomed to a life and eternity separated from God. So God has led me to a Bible study through the Gospel of Matthew to allow you and I to learn to be more like Jesus.

The writer of the book of Matthew

A disciple of Jesus, Matthew(Levi) wrote this Gospel. The words of the Gospel seem to agree with this. It is what we would expect a Jew to write. Matthew (Levi) respected authority. He was sure that Jesus Christ was King. So, the tradition is probably right.

The reason that the author wrote the Gospel

He probably wrote the book to Jews. He wanted to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. A careful study of the Gospel will show this. Some of these facts are:

   He shows the family of Jesus. It was the same as the family of the Jews.

He claims that the Old Testament gave facts about Jesus’ birth. They were facts about the Messiah.

He has an interest in the Law.

  He tells about other Jewish customs. (One example is in Matthew 15:1–9.)

All of this tells us that the Gospel was written to witness to the Jews. So is it important to the gentiles(non-Jews)? Yes! He insisted that it was for all nations too. (28:16–20.)

I believe that Matthew wrote to Jews, because he wanted them to know that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus would save them from the results of their sins. He would rescue them from the power of that sin in their lives.

What we can expect to learn from the Gospel of Matthew:

The Old Testament tells us about many hopes. It describes many things that people could expect. And Jesus is the answer to them all.

Jesus is the Messiah. He is God who became man. He shows this by the authority of His teaching. He shows it by the nature of His miracles, His love, His death and resurrection.

The stories about Jesus are facts of history. Matthew was recording the truth.

Jesus teaches about various subjects. There is the Kingdom of God. He tells what Christians should be like too. Also, there are specific matters. There is the matter of divorce. There is the subject of remarriage too.

  Jesus is the hope of the world. Matthew shows how the Good News is for everyone.

Start praying today that God would speak to you during this study through the book of Matthew.

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Bible Study Freedom Joy Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit

In today’s world of social media and selfies, our lives have become more and more about me. How can this benefit me? What do I get out of this? It’s not my problem. Raising a teenager and working with youth, I hear these quite frequently. To live in the spirit you have to realize it is not your life. It is God’s story told through your life. Luke 9:23 says, “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Jesus said put yourself to the side and pick up your cross daily. He didn’t say on Sundays and Wednesday night. He said “DAILY” If you want to live in the spirit, this is the first step.

Ephesians 5:18-33

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Verse 19 says ” speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” I love this! My son is always getting on to me because I will randomly burst into song at any given moment. I tell him, “How sad it must be not to live in a musical.”

When everything is right in the life of a Christian, the Spirit of God gives love, joy, and peace which in turn give a song in the heart. The Christian is supposed to be one with a singing heart. Have you met a new Christian and seen the joy of the Lord on his face? Freedom from sin, a sense of God’s presence and a bright future ahead are all to be a part of the life of the Christian.

Today there are many who are suggesting all sorts of things as signs of being filled with the Spirit, but here in Ephesians 5 we have one of the three major signs declared to be evidences.

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

In verse 20 we have the second evidence of a Spirit-filled Christian and that is ” always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.” When Jesus is Lord we can expect God’s blessing and know that Romans 8:28 comes true:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

It doesn’t mean that everything will be easy, but the Christian doesn’t look at the present but at the end result.

The story of Paul and Silas in prison is a good illustration of this, as is also the story of Joseph.

Verse 21 gives us the third evidence of one who is Spirit filled. It says, ”
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ .” When we are self-centered instead of Christ-centered, we won’t want to be submitting ourselves to God or to anyone else. This verse says “in the fear of God.” We want to live in the right relationship to God so that we can expect His blessing on our lives. We put others first instead of ourselves. This is why it is a joy to be with truly Spirit-filled Christians, because they are “others-first” minded.

Show me someone with a melody in the heart, giving thanks for all things and submitting one toward another, and I’ll show you a Spirit-filled Christian. If we are not experiencing this, we need to go back and examine our hearts; are they filled with a lack of joy, unthankfulness or lack of submission? God brings His blessings, not so much because of what we know, but rather what we do with what we know.

In Ephesians 5:22 it says,” Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” In Ephesians 5:25 it says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Today we have many broken homes and divorces. Many reasons are given, but without exception you will find husbands have not done what Ephesians 5:25 says, or wives have not done what Ephesians 5:22 says. If husbands would love as they should, wives would submit as they should, there could be a beautiful relationship instead of the other kind.

Many times husbands will say, “If my wife were more submissive I would be more loving,” and wives will say, “If my husband were more loving I would be more submissive.” Maybe we need to mind our own business. Do what we should do and let the Spirit of God show the other what they should do. What a beautiful thing it is to see a loving husband and a submissive wife.

God can do it if we put our self off the throne and let Jesus Christ have His rightful place.

Next we see another area that will be much better if Jesus Christ is Lord. It is the child-parent relationship. In Ephesians 6:1 it says, “Children obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.” In verse 4 it says, “And you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.”

It seems that apart from the Lordship of Christ and the Spirit-filled life, there is a natural tendency for children to be disobedient to their parents. And parents, through their self-will, provoke children to wrath. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if the relationship between parents and children were consistently pleasant? It can be if we consistently practice the Spirit-filled life.

Again, if we are children we should concentrate on being obedient; and if we are parents, we should concentrate on not provoking, but bringing “them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (vs. 4)

One other area of improved relationships when we are Spirit filled is that of the employer/ employee. In Ephesians 6:5 we read, “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters…” And in verses 7-9 it suggests that masters should do good things for the servants.

Without Christ it is everyone for himself. Thus, in this world we have a great deal of employer/employee unrest. The servant would like to get as much pay for as little work as possible, and the master would like to get as much work for as little pay as possible.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. The first three things are what God gives the saved. We concentrate on outer love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self- control, but the Spirit of God wants to give us a well of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. In other words it is inside, and what you see on the outside is just the overflow.

The world says, “Put on a happy face.” The Spirit-filled Christian will have a happy heart.

Look at the fruit of the Spirit. This has to do with our conduct towards others. It isn’t any wonder that all Christians seem to wish they had the fruit of the Spirit, because they are wonderful things. If we are filled with the Spirit, we will not only have a beautiful spirit within but will also be showing the fruit to others around us.

The fruits of the Spirit also have to do with character. A Spirit-filled Christian will be seen as a person of faith. Others looking at him will put this down as a character description. He is a person of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. .

We all would like to change our world, but are we willing to take the steps necessary in order to accomplish this. God gave you the fruit of the Spirit. All you have to do is use it and grow it.

Have you ever been in a true revival? I had often heard of revival being like a forest fire (burning at will, where the wind drove it.) Some years ago in revival I’ve seen the Holy Spirit moving like a forest fire from Christian to Christian convicting of sin. People repented of sin and their self-will, then the Spirit of God filled them. No one could tell where He was going to work next. In fact He often worked in several Christians at the same time. The Holy Spirit was at work and His power and working were awesome.

During that time there was tremendous honesty and tremendous love. So often we have little honesty and little love. All true Christians say that this is their part of their doctrine, but in everyday situations there often is very little evidence.

Do you see these in yourself; stubbornness, rebellion, arguing, etc.? When we repent of these things and learn to rest in the Lord, the exciting thing is that He forgives and begins a change in you.

Categories
Bible Study Joy

Experiencing Joy

Worldly Happiness is not Joy!

The world offers happiness that is a pale imitation of the true joy; that only God can give us. The happiness that unsaved people experience is temporary and comes and goes depending on the situation at the time. If things are going good, they are happy.  When things are hard, there is no happiness to be found.  In the book of Job, one of Job’s friends utters some insightful words:  “You know that the joy of the wicked does not last long. That has been true a long time, ever since Adam was put on earth. Those who don’t know God are happy for only a short time.”  (Job 20:5 ERV ).  There can be no true joy apart from God.

Wherever people know, love, and worship God, His love instills a joy, that only He can give, into the hearts of His worshipers

In The Old Testament, Joy Was Associated With The True Worship Of God

Joy is a prominent feature of the true worship of God in the Old Testament.  Wherever people know, love, and worship God, His love instills a joy, that only He can give, into the hearts of His worshipers (I Chronicles 15:16; Ezra 3:12, 6:16; Psalm 16:11, 32:11, 51:12 and many more).

In the times of King Hezekiah, the Israelites rededicated themselves to God and we read, “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem” (II Chronicles 30:26 ESV).  The people’s renewed commitment to God reignited the joy in their hearts that only He can produce. Believers today can experience this same joy when he or she is dedicated to Jesus.

Joy Is A Gift From God

Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, who resides in the heart of the believer, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”  (Galatians 5:22 ESV).  God is the author of all these good things. When someone becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit gives these qualities to the believer.  Joy is also an integral part of the Kingdom of God and will exist wherever believers are present, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17 ESV).

Doing God’s Will Increases Our Joy

As many Christians can tell you being involved in the spread of the Gospel brings joy to their heart.  Personally, when I see someone get saved or I know that someone has been encourage in their walk of faith, I cannot help but feel a sense of joy. Paul also experienced this often in his ministry (II Corinthians 1:24, 2:3; Philippians 1:4, 2:2; I Thessalonians 2:19, 20, 3:9; II Timothy 1:4; Philemon 1:7; and many other passages).  John experienced the joy of ministry, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4 ESV).

Circumstances Cannot Take Away Our Joy

In Second Corinthians 6:10, Paul says that Christians can even be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing”.  This means that even when we are in the midst of a situation that legitimately brings us sorrow, our inner joy is never taken away.  The very core of our being can still rejoice in the fact that we are forgiven children of God who enjoy an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe. Our joy is strengthened when we remember that, no matter what the circumstances, God is with us and He is above all.

We see this in the writings of several New Testament authors:

James says that we should, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” James 1:2-3.

Paul when he faced incredible hardships, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.  Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me” Philippians 2:17-18 .

Peter encourages us with, “…rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” 1 Peter 4: 13.

The Only Thing That Can Steal Our Joy Is Sin

Godly joy is a wonderful thing; it is a gift from God to every believer.  However, Sin can steal our joy.  It is difficult to experience the joy of our relationship with God when we have done something that damages that relationship.  Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit; when we grieve the Holy Spirit by our sin, we interfere with the flow of joy from God.  If we find that we are experiencing joy less and less, we may need to reevaluate our relationship with Jesus Christ to make sure we are living as we should.

Christians Should ‘Rejoice Always’

Rejoice means to feel joy or great delight. Paul writes 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”.  This joy, prayer, and thanksgiving should characterize the life of the Christian.  It is God’s will for the believer; this is how God wants us to live.  “Rejoicing always” does not mean that we are to paste a fake smile on our faces no matter what is going on in our lives or the lives of those we love.  It means hat we are to remain steadfast in our knowledge that God is our strength and comfort, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves. If our relationship with Jesus is right, and we confess and repent of any sin, we will experience joy at all times…whether those times be good or bad.

Categories
Bible Study Knowing God

The Difference Between Facts, Feelings and Faith

Have you ever wondered why your faith seems to be strong at times and at other times it seems to be weak? Have you wondered how you could increase your faith? Have you ever wondered why your feelings are so changeable? Have you wondered what you could do about your feelings?

These are questions that we all have at one time or another. One of the most important lessons I learned as a Christian was the difference between Facts, Faith, and Feelings and how they can work together.

Facts! Faith! Feelings!

These words stand for three aspects of the Christian life that are vital to us. It is important to understand them. It is even more important that we get them in the right order and keep them there.

God’s order is:

Facts,

Faith, and

Feelings.

Facts form the foundation; faith rests on facts; and feelings come last.

For most people, feelings are the guiding factor in life. If they feel something, they think it is real. If they do not feel anything, they think it is not real. But this is not according to God’s order.

Others try to put faith first. They think that if they have enough “faith,” they can make anything come true. But this is not God’s way either. God wants us to have faith, but our faith must rest on His Word; otherwise it is of no value.

God’s order is always the same: (1) Facts, (2) Faith, and (3) Feelings. We are going to look at each of these three aspects of our lives so we can better understand how they affect our lives.

What is a Fact?

A fact is something that is true. For example, the sky is blue. This is a fact. It has always been true. It will always be true. It is true in this country, and it is true anywhere in the world. Your believing it does not make it true. It is true even if no one in the world believes it.

We need to get this firmly fixed in our minds—facts are always true. You may not believe a fact, but it is still true. You may not feel that a fact is true, but it is still true. For example, we know that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. We know this is true because God’s Word says so. A person may or may not believe this, but it is still true. God’s facts are always true.

What is Faith?

The word “faith” is used in the Bible 239 times! This shows us the importance God places on faith. What is faith? Faith is taking God at His word and acting on it. God said it! I believe it! That settles it!

The Bible makes it clear that all the blessings of God come to us by faith. Without faith we cannot please God. The Bible says,

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

As important as faith is, it cannot stand alone. It must rest on something, and that “something” must be true. This is why our faith must always rest on God’s Word. Jesus said, “Your word is truth.”

Now let us look into God’s Word and learn more about faith.

*Faith deals with the unseen world

Faith deals with things that are real but unseen. We cannot see God, but by faith we know that God is real. We cannot see Heaven, but by faith we know that there is a real place called Heaven. The Bible says,

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

This means that faith is the way we “prove” the reality of things not seen. We cannot see the things of the spiritual world, but we know that they are real by faith in God’s Word.

*Faith makes spiritual truths real in our experience

We must understand this: Our faith does not make God’s facts true. They are true whether we believe them or not.

Then what does our faith do? Our faith in God’s facts makes them real in our experience. The Bible contains many wonderful promises of God. But they do not become ours until we claim them and make them ours by believing God’s Word. As we said before, it is a great fact that Jesus Christ died for our sins. God promises eternal life to all who believe on Him. But Christ does not become your Savior until you exercise faith in Him.

When you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and you take Him as your Savior, you experience salvation. Faith in Christ makes God’s salvation real in your experience. You can then say, “I am saved!”

*Faith believes God’s Word

Faith believes God in spite of unfavorable circumstances. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is Abraham. When Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were quite old, God promised them that they would have a son, and Abraham believed God. Fifteen years passed, and God’s promise had not been fulfilled.

Humanly speaking, it was impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a son. Yet Abraham continued to believe God. In due time God gave Abraham the son He had promised to him. The Bible says of Abraham, “He staggered not at the promise of God through nonbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:20-21)

*Faith obeys God

Faith and obedience go together. True faith always results in obedience. Believers are obeyers! The Bible says,

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, OBEYED; and he went out.” (Hebrews 11:8)

To say that you believe something and yet not act on it is not faith. True faith believes God and it obeys God. Faith that does not obey God is not living faith. The Bible says,

“…faith without works is dead.” (James 2:20)

*How to Increase your Faith

You may say, “I would like to have more faith. What can I do to increase my faith?”

Faith grows by constant, careful attention to God’s exact statements of fact in His Word.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Faith comes from the Word of God. Study God’s Word. Study it carefully each day to see exactly what God was saying in His Word. Believe it and apply it in your life. The result was that your faith will grow and grow.

What are Feelings?

Feelings are emotions such as joy, sorrow, happiness, and sadness. We should understand that feelings are quite different from facts in that facts never change, while our feelings are almost always changing. The state of our health affects our feelings. Our relationships with other people affect our feelings. Even a change in the weather can affect our feelings.

There is a saying, “You don’t know how the ball will bounce.” That’s the way your feelings are. You don’t know how your feelings will “bounce.”

One day you may be full of joy. The next day, for no apparent reasons, you may be sad and depressed. The important thing to remember about feelings is this: Feelings are very changeable. For this reason we should never try to rest our faith on our feelings.

A Christian lady was using the Bible to explain the way of salvation to a young girl. The girl was confused. She said, “I believe in the Lord Jesus, but I thought I had to wait for a certain kind of feeling or some burst of light or something.”

The lady pointed to some verses in God’s Word and said, “Here’s all the light you need.” The girl put her faith in God’s Word and found the peace and joy she had been seeking.

No matter how much our feelings may change, they do not affect facts. Facts are always true, and they are true regardless of our feelings.

Many sincere people seek for salvation but they do not find it because they are looking for some kind of feeling. Feelings do have a place in the Christian life, but they do not come first. Instead, they follow facts and faith. The Bible says, “He who believes on the Son has the witness in himself.” Note the order: First, we believe; and then we have the witness of the Spirit in our heart.

How to Handle your Feelings

There are times in the life of every Christian when he feels discouraged and depressed. Even the great Apostle Paul went through times like this. In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul wrote,

“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.”

What should you do when you become discouraged? The thing to do is to turn your attention to God’s Word. Read and meditate on it. As you give careful attention to what God says in His Word, you will find new faith and courage springing up in your heart. The Bible says,

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13)

In living the Christian life, we are not to be overly concerned with our feelings. We are not saved by our feelings and we do not live the Christian life by our feelings. We live it by faith in God’s Word. If we have enjoyable feelings, we thank God; if not, we go right on believing and obeying God. Faith in God’s facts is the way to a happy and blessed life.

Facts, Faith, Feelings

We have discovered one of the great lessons of the Christian life; facts, faith feelings. Always put your faith in God’s facts and let your feelings come along as they will.

God’s promise: This is my fact.

I believe it: This is my faith.

God fulfills it and I enjoy it: This is my feeling.

God’s order is always: (1) Facts, (2) Faith, and (3) Feelings. Facts form the foundation; faith rests on facts; feelings come last.

Categories
Bible Study

When God Feels Far Away

When the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He walked and talked with His disciples. How they enjoyed His presence! But one day He told them that He would soon be leaving them. The disciples were saddened at the thought that the Lord Jesus was going to leave them. Jesus said,

“Because I have said these things unto you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient (better) for you that I go away…” (John 16:6-7)

The disciples could not understand how it could possibly be better for them if Jesus went away. But Jesus explained to them that He would send them the Holy Spirit. He said, ” But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) He would come, not just to be with them, but to live in them. Jesus said,

“At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” John 14:20

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to live in His disciples. They were filled with joy! They went everywhere telling the wonderful news that Jesus Christ was alive and that He was Lord of all.

Best of all, they knew Christ was living in them and they enjoyed living in God’s presence. The Holy Spirit made Christ as real to them as He had been when He was with them in His bodily presence.

Christ Dwells in Every Believer

Just as the Lord Jesus lived in the hearts of those first disciples, so He lives in the hearts of His believers today. Christ lives in us by the Holy Spirit.

What does the Holy Spirit do for us? He makes Christ real to us. He causes us to feel convicted or bad when we sin. He enables us to enjoy a life in His presence. He takes the things of Christ and reveals them to us. The Lord Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit:

“He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take from what is Mine and make it known to you.” John 16:14-15

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to make Christ as real to us as He was to His first disciples. Many Christians feel that God and Jesus are far away. They say, “I believe the Bible, I pray, I go to church, but I don’t feel close to God. Why is this?”

First, we need to point out that there are some people that think they are Christians, but they have never been truly born again. Christ is not real to them because they do not belong to Him, and the Holy Spirit does not live in them. The Bible says,

“If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Romans 8:9)

As for those who are truly born again, the reason God feels so distant to them is that they are grieving the Holy Spirit or they have not invested in their relationship with God.

The Holy Spirit is a being. He thinks, wills, enjoys, loves, desires, and suffers as any other beings would. He can be grieved. When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we create spiritual walls between God and ourselves. He can no longer show you Christ(because the wall is blocking it), and we lose our sense of the Lord’s presence. Christ never leaves us, but He does seem closer to us at times? Think about the times you felt close to God. What was happening. Chances are you were striving hard to live the best christian life. And when he felt far away, did were you living for God or yourself?

Many Christians do not know that they are grieving the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need to understand what grieves Him and how to avoid it.

What Grieves the Holy Spirit?

There are a number of things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Let us consider some of them.

Unconfessed sin.

The Bible says that if we confess our sins and turn from them, God will forgive us. But, if we do not confess our sins and give them up, these sins come between us and God, and the Holy Spirit is grieved. The Bible says,

“If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18

We may have offended someone but we refuse to apologize and make things right with that person. Or someone may have offended us, but we refuse to forgive him. We hold resentment against him. We are disobeying the Lord in some matter. There may be attitude sins such as pride, selfishness, or a rebellious spirit. Whatever sin it may be, if we hold on to it, we are grieving the Holy Spirit, and we cannot sense and enjoy the Lord’s presence.

Being taken up with the cares of this world.

The Holy Spirit wants to take the things of Christ and reveal them to us. We learn about the things of Christ in God’s Word. Therefore, we must spend time in prayer and the study of God’s Word so that the Holy Spirit can teach us the things of Christ. This is also the building blocks of a good relationship with God. The more we talk and listen the stronger the relationship becomes.

It is very easy to become so involved with the problems and cares of this life that we do not take time for the things of God. Jesus said,

“but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ” Mark 4:19

The Holy Spirit is grieved when we allow things to “choke” the Word of God. We can determine the level of our spiritual experience by asking ourselves, “How much do I love God’s Word? How much time do I spend with the Lord each day?”

Worldliness.

Satan uses the world with all of its glitter to draw Christians away from God.

Someone has given this definition of worldliness: Anything that keeps me from enjoying God’s love and wanting to do God’s will.

Each day the Holy Spirit longs to open God’s Word to us, to reveal to us the riches of Christ, and to show us all that we have in Him. But many of God’s children do not take time for Him. Instead they spend hours and hours each week watching television, reading worldly literature, going to wrong places, and doing wrong things. They love the things of the world and devote their time to them. They constantly associate with people who do not know God or care about Him, or with Christians who are disobedient and have no desire to grow spiritually. It is no wonder that God is not real to them. The Bible says,

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4

To enjoy the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, we must stop doing those things that grieve the Holy Spirit. And we must start doing those things that please Him. The Bible says,

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

Getting Right with God

God is holy and He cannot have fellowship with us when we have unconfessed sin in our life. Sin separates us from God. The Bible says,

“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2

We receive eternal forgiveness when we are saved. When Jesus died on the cross, He bore all our sins—past, present and future. By His death on the cross, He paid for every sin we could possibly commit during our whole lifetime. When we are born again, we become God’s child forever.

But once we come into God’s family, there is the matter of our fellowship with our heavenly Father. Sin breaks our fellowship with Him. If a child of God should sin and continue in that sin without confessing it to God, he still remains God’s child, but his sins have broken his fellowship with the Father. He needs forgiveness to restore fellowship. We must deal with those sins which have come between us and our Father.

We cannot deal with our sins collectively by praying, “Lord, please forgive me of all my sins.” Our sins were committed one by one, and we must deal with them one by one.

Right now, get a sheet of paper. Start listing every sin in your life that you can think of, numbering them as you write them down. Be honest with God. The Bible says,

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8, 10

Do not take this lightly. You are doing business with God. Think over your life carefully and write down every sin you can think of. Be honest with yourself. No one need see this list but you and God. You may need to work on this list over a period of time.

When you have written down all the sins you can think of, ask God to show you the sins in your life that you have not thought of. This is what the psalmist was doing when he prayed,

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

If you are sincere in this prayer, God will show you additional sins in your life. Add these to your list of sins. Give God time to go over your life and bring sins to your mind

After you have spent time on this first list, start a second list. On this list, write down the things you are doing that do not bring joy to God’s heart. There may be a number of things in your life that you do not regard as sins; yet you know that they are not pleasing to God. As God’s children, we have a responsibility to bring joy to His heart.

What to do about your Sins

When you have spent time on the list of your sins and the list of the things that do not bring joy to God, you are ready to ask God to forgive you of all these sins. The Bible says,

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

The only way to get right with God is to come to Him and humbly confess our sins. What does it mean “to confess our sins”? The word “confess” means to “say the same thing.” To confess our sins to God means that we are saying the same thing about them that God says about them. If we lied, we need to say that we lied. If we stole, we need to say that we stole. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sins that we confess as sins, but it does not cleanse us from sins for which we make excuses.

What does it mean when it says that God is “faithful” to forgive our sins? It means that He keeps His Word. God has said that He will forgive us, and He always keeps His word.

What does it mean when it says that God is “just” in forgiving us our sins? It means that He is righteous in forgiving us because Christ has paid the penalty of our sins. God sees those sins as being placed on Christ on the cross. Because Christ died for our sins, God can righteously forgive us.

Now that we understand this, we are ready to confess our sins to God, one by one. Take the first sin on your list and say,

“Father, I have sinned against You by (name the sin). Right now I am confessing this sin to You and asking You to forgive me. I thank You that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood for this sin.”

It may help you to think of placing that sin on Christ on the cross. That sin has now been transferred from you to Christ. It has been paid for by His death, and it is no longer on you.

Do the same thing with each sin on your list. Go down the entire list, one by one, confessing each sin to God and asking His forgiveness. Then go to the list of things that are not pleasing to God. One by one, confess these to God. When you have completed this, ask, “Lord, is there anything else in my life that needs to be confessed and forsaken?”

We want our hearts cleansed from all sin and all defilement of sin. Therefore, it is good to ask the Lord to cleanse us with the precious blood of Christ from anything that would hinder our fellowship with Him.

Every sin that you have confessed to God is now forgiven. When we confess our sins, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God not only forgives us, but He also forgets these sins. He says,

“Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your Heart

If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit is in your heart. He has been there since the moment you were born again. But if you have had sin in your life, then He has been unable to fill your life. Instead He has been grieved. Start making changes today.

True Repentance means a Change in your Life

When God’s children have been grieving the Holy Spirit, God calls on them to repent. God says,

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19

To repent of your sins means that you are sorry enough for them that you want to stop doing them.

David said, “I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies.” (Psalm 119:59) David realized that his ways were wrong and that he was hurting God’s heart. He turned from his wrong ways to God’s ways. That was true repentance.

Many times we pray and tell God that we are sorry for our sins and that we truly want to please Him, but the question is: Do we really mean what we say? God is not impressed with pious words and lovely prayers. He looks to see if there is a change in our actions. The Bible says,

“Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth. For the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” 1 Samuel 2:3

If you have truly repented and you truly want Christ to be real in your life, here are some things you will do:

You will put God first in your life.

It is one thing to say that you are putting God first in your life; it is another thing to live it out. But God will not accept any place other than first place. He purchased us with His own blood and we belong to Him. If God is truly first in our life, we will not let business, pleasure, work, or anything else be our main interest. If we put God first, He will take care of our needs. Jesus said,

“Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

You will love the Lord.

Trying to serve the Lord without loving Him is like being married to someone you don’t love. The heart of the relationship is missing.

The Lord Jesus loves us with all His heart, and He wants us to love Him with all our heart. Jesus said that the first and great commandment is this:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

You will turn from worldliness.

The Lord Jesus loved you enough to die for you, and He hates anything that would steal your heart from Him.

You will spend time with God.

A Christian who is so busy that he doesn’t have time to spend with God is fooling himself. He is like a man on a long car trip and says he is in such a hurry that he doesn’t have time to stop for gas.

Whatever cares and responsibilities we may have, we cannot let them crowd God out of our life. We must spend time with God in prayer and the study of His Word each day. We cannot overemphasize the importance of this. The Bible says of the Lord Jesus,

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35

If the Son of God Himself found it necessary to spend time with His heavenly Father, how much more should we! I feel it is far better to begin with the day with God this is my most important Job.

If we love the Lord, obey His commandments, and spend time with Him, He will be real to us. The Lord Jesus said,

“He who has My commandments, and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and MANIFEST MYSELF TO HIM.” John 14:21

Categories
Bible Study Self esteem Uncategorized

You Are Good Enough!

Table.

I grew up with an amazing older sister, Tonya, who is great at everything she does. She is talented, smart, beautiful and outgoing. Growing up and being “grown” with her I have always striven to be as good as her. Spoiler Alert! I never was. The only thing I seemed to be a little bit better than her in was memorizing Bible scripture. Living in the shadow of someone truly talented can make you feel inferior and unworthy. It’s not Tonya’s fault. I Love her to death and would fight to the end with her. Satan knew that this was a weakness of mine and played on that to keep my mind off the truth. God made us different for different purposes. We are not competitors, we are teammates playing different positions.

The feeling that you are not as good as other people is awful feeling. Felling like that you are ugly and unattractive and that nobody likes you only keeps you from being you. That is Satan pushing that feeling that you are dumb and that other people are smarter than you. Satan is telling you that you are a failure and a loser.

Why do we feel like we are not good enough?

These thoughts come from accepting the Satan influenced values of the world. Satan knows that wrong thinking leads to wrong actions and wrong feelings. In this case, the wrong feelings are feelings of inferiority.

What does the world value most? The world puts its highest value on three things:

(1) Physical attractiveness,

(2) Intelligence, and

(3) Money.

Most people think that they must have these things in order to feel good about themselves.

Physical attractiveness

So far as the world is concerned, a person’s looks is one of the most important things about him or her. The world says, “If you are a ‘beautiful person,’ you are worth a lot; if you are not beautiful, you are not worth much and you probably won’t be happy in life.”

This is one of Satan’s lies. Even though it is not true, many people believe it and it has a profound effect upon them. Some people dislike themselves and some even hate themselves because they are so dissatisfied with the way they look.

1 Samuel 16:7

“God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”

They think, “If only I could look like so-and-so, I’d be happy.”

The fact is that physical attractiveness does not make a person happy. God wants us to see that our worth as a person does not depend on our outward appearance.

Intelligence

The world says, “If you are smart, you are worthwhile; if you are not, then you are not worth much.”

This is another of Satan’s lies. Your value is not determined by how smart you are. I had a hard time in school. I do not learn as easily as others. When I would give a wrong answer in class, everyone laughed. That made me feel dumb and worthless.

The more a person fails at something, the more discouraged he gets. Gradually he comes to think that he is a complete failure. He may decide that he can’t do anything right and quit trying. This brings on more failure and fear of trying anything new.

God never values a person by his intelligence. When the Lord Jesus chose His disciples, He did not choose the smartest, most intelligent people of His day. He chose plain, ordinary people. The Bible says,

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 New International Version (NIV)

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Money

A third way that the world values a person is by his wealth. The world says, “If you want to be important and you want to be happy, you must have money.”

This too is one of Satan’s lies. Money does not make a person happy, nor does it determine his value. The Lord Jesus said,

“A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses.” Luke 12:15

Those who make wealth their goal in life fall into many sins. The Bible says,

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” 1 Timothy 6:9

God wants us to see that we do not need money to be happy. The Bible says,

“Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing let us with these be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Change Your Thinking!

Wisdom is seeing things as God sees them. God never values a person by his outward appearance, or by his intelligence, or by his wealth or social position. God deals with rich people exactly the same way he deals with poor people. The Bible says,

“For there is no respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:11

Physical attractiveness, intelligence and money are not evil in themselves. It is the wrong value that the world places on these things that is wrong. If we accept the wrong beliefs and values of the world, it will lead to feelings of inferiority.

To change the way we feel about ourselves, we must change our thinking. We must see that our worth as a person does not depend on our outward appearance, our intelligence, our wealth or our social position.

We must see ourselves as God sees us. What are we worth in God’s sight? We are worth what He paid for us. He gave His Son to redeem us. That’s how much we are worth in His sight.

We must see too that God loves us and accepts us as we are. His love does not depend on what we are or what we have or what we do. God says, “Regardless of whether you are a success or failure, regardless of what you may think about yourself, regardless of what other people may think about you, I LOVE YOU!”

Recognize that you are not alone

You are not alone in your feelings. As you go about school or work, you come in contact with many other people—some smiling, talking, and laughing. You might think that they do not have a care in the world. But underneath it all, you will probably find that they, too, have deep self – doubt and fear. Almost all people have these feelings.

When you realize that other people have the same problem that you have, it helps you to understand them.

Make genuine friends

You don’t have to be beautiful or highly intelligent or have a lot of money to make friends. The best way to have a good friend is to be a good friend. One of the best places to find good friends is in a local church. Never make fun of another person. Respect others and accept them as they are. Let them know that they are important to you. Be especially considerate of those who have difficulty making friends. They will love and appreciate you for this. Nothing helps your self confidence more than having genuine friends. When you realize that other people like and appreciate you, it is easier to accept yourself.

Learn to do something well

Everyone needs to have proper self-esteem. One way to build proper self-esteem is to learn to do something well. Everyone has at least on thing that they are really good at.

Find something that you like to do and then work at it! Say to yourself, “I’ll learn as much about the Bible a possible,” or “I’ll succeed in my part-time job,” or “I’ll learn how to play basketball as well as possible,” or “I’ll see how many friends I can make,” or “I’ll learn to be a good tennis player,” or “I’ll learn to be a good cook.”

Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Make the most out of what you have. Develop a skill that will make you feel good about yourself. One of the best ways to develop a skill is to use it for God. Cook for people, play basketball with younger kids that need friends, or be that joyful, positive christian at work. Do the best you can in that particular thing. As you do, you will begin to like yourself more.

Face your problems honestly

Get alone where you can be quiet and think. Then make a list of all the things which you most dislike about yourself. Be honest. No one need see this except you and God. Pray about these things.

Do people get the wrong impression of you from the way you dress? You can correct this and you should. Are you lazy and careless about your work? Do something about it! We should do all things to the glory of God. Careless, haphazard work does not bring glory to God.

Whatever your problems are, write them down so you can face them honestly. Check the ones that you can do something about. Perhaps you know an older person—someone you can trust—who could help you.

“Unsolvable Problems”

What about the problems you have left on your list—those “unsolvable problems”? Everyone has one or more of these.

The best thing to do with your “unsolvable problems” is to give them to the Lord Jesus. Tell the Lord that you cannot handle these problems and that you are giving them to Him. Your prayer should contain these thoughts, stated in your own words:

When you have prayed destroy your paper as a symbol that you have turned these problems over to the Lord forever. Whenever you start to fret about these problems again, remind yourself of your decision. Tell the Lord that you have turned these problems over to Him and that you are trusting Him to handle them.