As for me, against all odds, I found that place at Jesus’ feet… my heart could not rest from seeking until I found that blessed spot… men have pushed me aside and prayed against my passion… men laughed at my longing and pointed other things for me to do… but the Lord of my sister Mary has become my Lord also. He called me heavenwards and revealed the space prepared and preserved for me alone. Throughout my journey, He encouraged, defended, and covered me. I have never seen a Man like Jesus… He speaks mysteries and my heart melts at the sound of His voice… He who holds the stars in His hand, holds my breath and my soul forever… The Lord is my Shepherd, what can man do to me? Nothing… for I fear no one except to grieve Him by my doubts, restlessness, and foolishness…In Him I have found peace and joy… this is my treasure… this is my testimony… My spot at His feet is secure forever… His seal is there… my name is stamped on that holy ground, and none can erase it… From the words of His mouth, I share with you all…like food on the table, in the presence of my enemies, He calls me to His personal banqueting table… I seat with Him on His throne… men’s eyes stare at something close to the ceiling… surprised, I turn, to look above and see: His banner over me reads:
OUR GREAT SALVATION (7)/ THE DOCTRINE OF REPENTANCE TO LIFE
Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The Doctrine of Repentance’. Her main text was taken from the book of Luke. “Jesus said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Lk 5:31-32). “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk 15:10).
WHAT IS REPENTANCE?
*Repentance is heartfelt sorrow for sin, turning away from sin, towards God, to follow Christ! It produces ‘fruits’. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor 7:10)
*Repentance is necessary to salvation! “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14, 15)
*Repentance is a gift of God! A gift from King Grace! “Him (Christ) God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Ac 5:31). “When they heard these things, they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” (Ac 11:18).
Question: What is repentance unto life? Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience (Westminster Shorter Catechism)
Let me use and example… A woman thinks that she is ugly. She desires to do plastic surgery on her face. She has paid the doctor. She has left the house to go to the hospital. Going into the theater, when she sees the surgical equipment, the doctors and the nurses all dressed in white, ready for the surgery, she suddenly changes her mind. She said she does not want to do the surgery anymore. She turns back and goes home. From this time on, she stops thinking that she is ugly. She believes that she is beautiful. This is a picture of repentance.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Is 55:6, 7). You need to seek God, call upon Him thru prayer, return to God, and forsake sin. The word ‘repentance’ is not used here but this scripture describes it perfectly.
Repentance is a change, a radical change. Because we hate changes, we resist and hate repentance. Repentance is crisis moment, destiny changing season in a sinner’s life. It is a radical turning away from sin towards God, from darkness to light, from disobedience to obedience. It is a conversion. It includes a commitment to follow Jesus Christ as a disciple. Repentance is the work of King Grace. It is the first work that the Holy Spirit does in the sinner, during the process of salvation. Without repentance there is no salvation. Repentance manifests as godly sorrow for sin. It is a terrible painful feeling of regret, of pain, that you have offended God. It manifests as anxiety, restlessness, emotional upset, or depression. At that time, nothing helps. The repentant sinner feels like dying. Repentance is a spiritual act, internal and invisible. But it produces visible ‘fruits of repentance’ (Luke 3:8) which are a new godly character and a changed behavior. Without these fruits, the repentance is not genuine.
Repentance has two components: God convicts, and man turns! God convicts of sin and the sinner must turn away from sin and turn towards God. The command to repent applies to all people. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Ac 17:30). All unbelievers must repent, turn to God, and surrender their lives to Christ. Only the elect repent. This is the major primary repentance. After that, they need to remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit. In case you grieve the Holy Spirit, stop all you are doing, turn around and repent! Obey God’s Word. Like the prodigal son, the backsliding believers also need to repent, come back to God, and be refilled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, repentance is a foundation and a lifestyle. It relates to both conversion and to sanctification.
Many do attack and hate the doctrine of repentance. They preach salvation without repentance. They tell sinners to ‘give their lives to Christ’ without telling them to repent of their sins. That is a false doctrine. They do not know the power and the tragedy of sin. They do not know the price the Son of God has paid to reconcile us to God. The same people who hate the doctrine of sin also hate the doctrine of repentance.
Repentance is a great Biblical word. Both in the Old and the New Testaments ‘repentance’ means a radical change of mind. The word ‘repent’ is also translated as ‘turn’ or ‘return’. For example: “you turn away from sin (from evil, from the world) and turn towards God’. This is the way the prophets were challenging the people to repent. The word appears more than 1000 times in the Bible. In Greek, the word repentance is ‘metanoia’. It means to think again, to think differently, to reconsider your thoughts, to think with a fresh mind. As a sinner, you were walking without thinking, without understanding. Suddenly you realize that this is the road of death. You stop! You then turn 180 degrees and change direction. You turn towards God, on the road of life eternal. You now walk with a fresh mind, a new thinking, and a new understanding. By faith in Jesus Christ, you stop thinking your old thoughts, you totally change your mind, your direction and purpose in life. To seal this act of repentance, God promised remission (forgiveness) of sin. The Holy Spirit comes to baptize the repentant soul. You are now born-again!
STEPS OF REPENTANCE
Repentance is a deep work done in the sinner’s heart, by the power of the Holy Spirit. These are the steps of repentance leading to salvation:
*The sinner sees his sin! For the first time in his life, he ‘sees’ his sin, that he has trespassed the law of God. Guilty before God, he now knows that he deserves to die and to go to hell.
*He sees that he is totally helpless to save himself. He now needs he needs a Helper, that he needs a Savior!
*He desires to be forgiven and to make peace with God.
*The sinner sees Christ on the Cross, who died for him. By shedding His Blood, Christ offers mercy, forgiveness, and grace to him.
*By the help of the Holy Spirit, he starts to trust Jesus. The faith is small like a mustard seed, but he believes that Jesus died as his Substitute!
*The Holy Spirit seals his genuine faith and gives him peace with God! The sinner now knows that God has justified Him and forgiven his sins!
Primarily, repentance relates to God who hates sin. As the sinner repents, he now hates sin with the same passion that he exercised in the past when he loved his sin. Repentance happens at the Cross. When you see that Christ died for your sins, a godly sorrow happens that leads you to repentance. You see that you are helpless to change yourself. You see the mercy of God available at the Cross. In the New Testament repentance and faith are spiritual ‘twins’. As the sinner repents, he now has faith in Christ, as His Savior. The Holy Spirit leads this holy work which ends in salvation and gives peace into the soul. True repentance always includes godly sorrow for sin and ends in peace and joy!
REPENTANCE AND FAITH
Apostle Paul was “testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ac 20:21).
Tests of true repentance: was it sincere? Does it last? Is your character changed?
You say: “I am not sure if my repentance is genuine” Then go to the Cross and gaze at Christ Crucified for you! The Vision of Him who died for you will ignite the fire of true repentance unto life, and you shall be saved!
REPENTANCE AFFECTS THE WHOLE SOUL
Genuine repentance affects the whole soul (the mind, the emotions, and the will). Basically, it has three parts:
*Confession! To repent you need to confess your sins. This is the work of repentance in your mind, in your thoughts.
*Contrition! This affects your emotions. You feel sorry for your sin, not just because you were caught, but because you broke God’s heart.
*Change! To repent you need to change your lifestyle, your speech, your behavior. This affects your will.
Repentance changes the whole life. It is a radical change. There is no going back. The repentant soul can only go forward. Therefore, repentance is making true progress in life. It affects the heart, the center once affected by sin. Once the heart is changed, the whole man changes. It is a total surrender to Jesus. It is a total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ! The believer enters a new life of joyful obedience to the Word of God. The process of sanctification is a form of repentance that leads to spiritual maturity.
REPENTANCE LEADS TO RECONCILIATION
True repentance is not only asking God for forgiveness, but it’s also asking forgiveness from those that we’ve hurt. Real repentance leads to reconciliation, and to true peace with those that we’ve hurt. A true child of God who has repented will never return to practice sin as it was in the past. He may fall into sin and backslide for a time, but he will never return to dwell in sin as it was before. If a man who said he has repented but he goes back to sin exactly as it was in the past, that man has not repented properly. Any form of repentance that does not manifest as deep pain because he has offended God, is a false repentance. God will not forgive that sinner and will give him no peace until He sees a true desire that he wants to change. Repentance means that you hate sin with a passion. Sin becomes like bitter poison to you. You do not love it anymore. You expose it, and you forsake it. Progress, spiritual and physical, follows. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (PV 28:13). True repentance is always progress. It is complete. You forsake all sins! 100%! It is all or none that God demands! If you do not hate and forsake all sins, from their roots, heaven is still not your home!
THE HISTORY OF REPENTANCE
Before the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church had a system by which they believed that sinners can be saved from sin and death thru the church. This was a system of works. There was no grace or faith in it. These are wrong doctrines. They believed that salvation starts at the point of water baptism, when all sins (inherited from Adam and committed up to that moment) are washed away. Because of this false doctrine, most people postponed their water baptism until they are old, sick, or ready to die. After the water baptism, according to the Catholic church, repentance became more difficult. To maintain salvation, the Christian must keep his church membership. If he commits any sin, he must feel sorry for his sins, and he must confess them to the priest, who will recommend acts of penance. They did not translate the word repentance as ‘changing your mind’. They translated it as ‘doing acts of penance’. Penance is defined as voluntary acts of self-punishment ordered by the church authority with the hope that the sin will be forgiven by God. Acts of penance are fasting, prayers, and doing charity works. The season of Lent, 40 days long, is traditionally a time for doing penance. This doctrine of Penance is an error. Repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit.
During the Reformation, the true doctrine of sin and repentance was thought. The Reformers said a man is saved from the law of sin and death at the point of justification. The sinner is saved by grace and by faith in Christ crucified. That is how a sinner becomes a born-again child of God. No act of penance can atone for his sins. The water baptism does not save a sinner. The Catholic priest cannot replace personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A backslider comes back to God in true repentance. His life will prove the fruits of repentance. The Word of God is clear: man is born a sinner. From that sin nature, sins will manifest. We all need a savior. There is only one mediator between God and man and that is the man Christ Jesus (2Tim 2:5). “Confess the sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed” (Jam 5:16). Pastors are called by God to equip the saints for the work of ministry. They have a role to play in supporting the peace and purity of the Church. However, the minister’s authority is only in the Word of God. They guide the saints spiritually, challenging them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ, thru the process of sanctification, and never thru punishment.
REPENTANCE AND FAITH ARE GOD’S COMMANDS!
Our Lord started His public ministry by preaching repentance and faith (Mk 1:14, 15). After the resurrection, Christ said to the disciples: “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk 24:46, 47). We are to preach repentance and remission of sins to all people! Repentance was included in their preaching of the apostles. “So, they went out and preached that people should repent” (Mk 6:12).
FALSE REPENTANCE
There are two types of ‘repentance’ or sorrow for sin. Apostle Paul says that godly sorrow for sin is a proof of genuine repentance. He also says that ‘sorrow or the world’ is a fake repentance, must be repented of, and it leads to death. “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor 7:9, 10). False repentance is a regret, a remorse for sin, expressed thru painful emotions, but the heart does not change. God does not accept this false repentance. There are no visible fruits of a new behavior and no peace in the heart. Here are some people who experienced a false repentance:
*Esau – “lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears” (Heb 12:16, 17). *Pharoah – “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” So, he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go” (Ex 10:16-20). *King Saul – “Then Saul said: “I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed, I have played the fool and erred exceedingly” (1 Sam 26:21). *King Ahab – So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning” (1 Kings 21-27).
*Judas Iscariot – “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hanged himself” (Matt 27:3-5).
GOD’S GOODNESS LEADS TO REPENTANCE, TO SALVATION
“You are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:1-4)
The Jews thought that because God has given them the Word, they are better than the Gentiles, that God is pleased with them. They talk about the goodness of God, but they do not repent of sin. Even Christians commit the same sin. They take the goodness of God for granted. They despise it. They wrongly interpret God’s goodness as an excuse to continue in sin. They see God as ‘an old weak nice grandfather’ who is good to them and who cannot punish wrong. They waste the riches of His goodness towards them. In Greek, the word ‘despise’ means to think against God’s goodness, to actively insult it in your mind, to see it as useless. By despising God’s goodness, grace and patience towards him, the sinner says that God approves of his sin. He refuses to repent of sin. This proud stubbornness is a sin in itself! To see God’s goodness as His weakness is to despise the Holy God! In other words, they ‘use’ God for their selfish desires. They hate God!
That is the tragedy of preaching wrong doctrines! These people come to church, say that God is good to them, but they do not know the plan and the purpose of God. They are willfully ignorant of God! ‘They do not know that the goodness of God leads to repentance’. This does not mean that these people are ignorant of the fact that God is good. They accept that truth in general. But they choose to forget the purpose of God’s goodness. They assume that God is good to them because they merit that goodness, that God rewards them because they are good themselves. They receive God’s goodness as an end of itself. They are not seeing it as a signpost leading them towards the Cross, where Christ died for their sins. They want the blessing of God’s goodness and at the same time, to continue in their sins. This is the attitude of religious scoffers. “Knowing that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget…” (2Peter 3:3-5). A scoffer is someone who laughs at the things of God, mocking and showing great disrespect to God. These people ‘willfully forget’ God, His acts and the purpose of His goodness and grace. These are religious unbelievers who despise God’s goodness and power.
What is the purpose of God’s goodness and grace to man? The goodness of God ‘leads’ you to repentance. The word ‘lead’ is the same as in in this verse: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom 8:14). This is a spiritual law: God leads His children by the Holy Spirit, thru His goodness and grace. To lead is an active word. It reveals motion. It describes cooperation between the leader and the follower. To lead it does not mean dragging you by force like a slave against your will. Leading is the constraining force of a holy influence. To lead it means to guide the way by holding your hand. It is the way you lead your dog by the leash. The dog knows that you are his master, and it follows you. The purpose of God’s goodness is to act as ‘a holy leash’ round your neck, to bring you to the Cross, to see why Christ died for your sins, and to repent. If you refuse to see God’s purpose for His goodness towards you, it means that you despise the purpose of God’s goodness. You insult God! A similar statement is this: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The unbelievers see God’s goodness as ‘slackness’, weakness, or laziness. Because God is patient waiting for them to repent, they interpret God’s patience as ‘slackness’. They willingly forget that God has the power to destroy all His creation. God does not delay His judgment because He is slack, but because He loves the sinners, and He is longsuffering. He wants them to take advantage of the extra time of goodness and that they should repent.
GOD WISHES ALL TO BE SAVED BUT HE WILLS ONLY THE ELECT
This is a difficult doctrine. We see that men’s reaction to the Goodness of God differ. Some refuse to be led by it towards repentance and salvation. These are the unbelievers. The believers appreciate the goodness of God and are led by it towards the Cross, where they repent. What makes this difference? Why does God not force all people to repent, so to be saved? This is a great mystery!
God told the Prophet Ezekiel: “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11). ‘To turn’ it means to repent! Apostle Peter uses the same word in His sermon on the Day of Pentecost: “Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away” (Ac 3:19). As you cans see, these are general calls to all men! God appeals to all men to repent!
God’s goodness is designed to bring all men to repentance and salvation. God is good in an active way even to the unbelievers. “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mt 5:45). Goodness is a manifestation of God’s grace to all men, believers, and unbelievers. God does not want anyone to perish but to come to repentance and receive eternal life. This goodness to the unbelievers is not part of the effectual call of the irresistible grace of God. It is a general grace that manifests as goodness to all His creation, but it does not change the hearts of men.
There is a great difference between what God desires (He wishes) and what God wills (He performs). God wishes that all should repent but He does not bring all to repentance by His irresistible Grace. This is a mystery. Some men are brought to repentance and others are not. Repentance is the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit. No man can repent except God brings him to repentance. God manifests His love, goodness, and patience to all, but some men despise it, misuses it and willingly ignore it. Child of God, if God does not bring you to repentance by an act of His sovereign will and irresistible Grace, you would not repent of your sins! Glory to God!
REPENT AND RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles” (Ac 2:36-43)
This is part of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Peter preached the Gospel, Christ crucified and resurrected. The Word produced a strong reaction in the people. They were ‘cut to the heart’. This describes an instant godly sorrow and conviction of sins. It is the work of the Holy Spirit using the preaching of God’s Word. Peter told them what to do: Repent and be baptized in water. The effect of this true repentance is that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. False repentance may be a very painful emotion of regret, expressed with weeping and tears. But the Holy Spirit is not ‘moved’ to come and fill that ‘vessel’. True repentance is like Elijah’s altar. The fire of God fell on it. False repentance is like the altar of Baal. There are many prayers and tears, but the heavens do not open over it. The fire will not come. This seal of the Holy Spirit upon the true repentant soul is eternal. It is for all generations to the end of time!
The definition of a Christian is this: A man (or woman) who has repented from the love of the world. He is now saved from this ‘perverse generation’. The world’ is a system, a spiritual realm under the dominion of the devil, also called ‘the god of this world’ (2 Cor 4:4). We are all born sinners. We are born with a worldly mindset that hates God. Often, this mindset manifests during the teenage years. The young man (or woman) does not want to go to church anymore. He thinks that religion is foolish, and it is made for ‘old people’. He tries to become ‘independent’ (better said rebellious). This attitude manifests itself as disobedience to parents, love of money, desire for fame. He thinks he does not need God to live well. Going to church means nothing to him. We all inherit this type of mindset.
Many years can pass by. Then one day, this man hears the preaching of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit reveals his sin to him, how he transgressed God’s Law, how he hates God. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin. Godly sorrow for sin follows. He now repents of sin. He has faith in Jesus, the Savior. He is baptized with water as a public testimony that he is now a believer. Then he joins a living church. He loves to go to church, to listen to the Word of God, to pray, to work for God, and to have fellowship with the brethren. These are fruits of genuine repentance unto salvation. During revival the separation between the world and the Church becomes clearer. No more shadows of compromise! The Gospel is a message that comes with a sword. It separates people. In the same family, you see that brothers and sisters separate spiritually. Once the Word of God penetrates the hearts of men, it changes them radically. They become saved. The Word of God produces leaders, heroes, martyrs. God’s Word comes loaded with the greatest power in the universe! This is a great mystery! Halleluiah!
JOB REPENTS
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5, 6)
Job was a righteous man. During his trials, he insisted that he is righteous. At last, God brings him face to face with His sovereignty and majesty. He then repents of his superficial understanding of God’s Word and ways.
THE PRODIGAL SON REPENTS AND COMES HOME (Luke 15:11-24)
The younger son asked his father for his share of inheritance. He took all he got and went to ‘a far country’. He spent everything in wasteful living. He became in need. At his lowest point ‘he came to himself’. These words mean repentance. He came back home. The father welcomed him with love saying: “this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!”. Our Lord said that true repentance leading to salvation is heavenly joy. We too should rejoice! “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk 15:10).
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Do not make it easy for a sinner arrested by the power of the Holy Spirit. Leave him in the hands of God! Let him cry and let him plead for mercy. It may take hours or days… But the moment will come when the peace of God shall descend and cleanse, heal and save his soul… I have witnessed this miracle of life with many… ‘What can wash my sins away? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus!’ Do you rejoice as you read these words? Can you say ‘Amen’? Do you identify with them? Do you have a burden to pray that souls be saved? Do you hate sin? Are you dead to sin? Do you love righteousness and holiness? Do you pay the price to be like Jesus? Then blessed are you, for you are free! Give God all the glory! In Jesus’ name, amen! Worship the Lord!
Pray “for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19,20)
When the anointing of the Holy Spirit comes down, suddenly it is so easy to minister… the memory is active and at peace… the words become oily in the mouth of the preacher. The atmosphere is filled with the intoxicating presence of King Grace Himself… none can remain the same… you learn more in a minute under the anointing, than a year of studying the Bible on your own… I love the Holy Spirit! Glory to God!
“For His anger is only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5)
I received a letter from a woman who is broken hearted. Her loving daughter suddenly became rebellious and left the house because of a man she says she loves. Both mother and daughter are born again Christians. The man is not. The daughter is an adult and she has the right to do what she wants to do. But the pain of rejection and betrayal is tearing the mother’s heart. ‘I have cried all my tears… I have no one left…’ – she told me… Please pray for her that she will become better and not bitter; that God will glorify Himself in her life; that God will strengthen her to serve Him more! In Jesus name, amen! Thank you for your prayers!
This was my answer to her…
In all things and all situations we are commanded to thank God! It can always be worse…trust God even now… Continue to pray… You have not seen the end of the story… If you have cried all your tears then you are in a transition season… Things will change… They can never be the same again… Accept the change… Do not compare the present with the past… It is not better or worse, just different… Enter into this new season of your life with a grateful heart… You could have died in the past from sickness or accident… but you are still alive, to feel both sadness and success… Thank God for that! People and things come and go but God is always the same…keep your eyes on Jesus then you shall receive strength, peace, wisdom and joy… God kept you alive to do His work on earth… Something good is coming out of this pain…You shall be able to minister to women, mothers, wives more than ever before… You shall do it with a greater compassion because you have experienced both pain in the night and joy in the morning… Your ‘pain tears’ have been exhausted but your tears of joy can never end! In Jesus name, amen!
OUR GREAT SALVATION (6)/ THE DOCTRINE OF SIN/ DEAD IN ADAM, ALIVE IN CHRIST
Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The doctrine of sin’. Her text was taken from the Book of Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Sam 17.
WHAT IS SIN?
Sin is not a popular topic these days. Many pastors avoid preaching about sin because they feel it is a ‘negative subject’. But the Bible talks much about sin. We need to know what sin is so that we can repent and understand salvation. If you are ignorant of sin, you will never understand God’s holiness, His Love, His mercy, and His grace. Sin is defined as intentional transgression of the God’s Law or rebellion against God. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 Jn 3:4). In the Bible, the word ‘sin’ appears more than 400 times. The Bible considers sin a very serious problem. Many different types of sin are mentioned, so the total count would be even higher. These are some other words relating to sin: iniquity, condemnation, guilt, crime, unrighteousness, error, evil, wickedness, and disobedience. The Bible states that everyone has sinned (Rom 3:23), that the punishment for sin is death (Ezekiel 18:20; Rom 6:23) and that all sin can be forgiven only by faith in Christ crucified and resurrected. Sin is also defined as ‘missing the mark and coming short of the Glory of God’. Sin separates man from God. God is holy and He hates sin. Because God is a Person, sin is personal. Sin is not just like breaking the speed limit and receiving a ticket from the police. Sin is betrayal of love, breaking God’s heart. Doctrine is important because it influences behavior. Truth is always visible in deeds. The doctrine of sin says that man broke God’s law. Sin is the evil in man. It manifests in evil deeds, but sin is the root of many sins. ‘I am not a sinner because I commit sins. I commit sins because I am a sinner’
THE ORIGINAL SIN AND THE FALL OF MAN
Over the centuries, many wise men and philosophers have tried to explain why man is the way he is, evil, selfish, and wicked. Also, they tried to know why all men die. To them, this is a mystery. It is only the Bible that reveals the truth about it. The story of the creation and the fall of man is found in the first three chapters of the Book of Genesis. Therefore, these chapters are extremely important in understanding how the first man called Adam fell into sin and how his fall affected all humanity. The people who believe in the evolution theory, do not believe that Adam was only one man. They believe that many monkeys became many men. Therefore, they reject the doctrine of original sin and fall of man. The racists also reject this doctrine because they do not believe that we all, black and white, came from only one man.
To understand the original sin read the Book of Genesis, chapters 2 and 3. God created Adam and Eve. They were innocent and perfect. They had an intimate relationship with God. They were happy. God placed them in the Garden of Eden. They were there to take care of the Garden and to work in it. Work was a pleasure. There was no sickness, no old age, and no death. God told them that they can eat from every tree in the Garden, including the tree of life. He commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This prohibition was because God wanted man to continue to depend on Him for knowledge of life as they continue their fellowship. The second reason was because man needs to remember that God created him, and he must humbly submit to God in all things. At the time God created man, the devil was already a sinful being. He was thrown down from heaven, together with some of the angels who rebelled. The devil, using a snake, tempted Eve to break God’s law. The reason why he initially tempted Eve and not Adam it is because she seems to be an easier victim. She was not the one who received God’s Law directly. She depended on Adam to explain to her what God has said. Also, she was not the head of the family. Therefore, she had a lesser sense of responsibility for her actions. The devil hoped that Adam, because of his love for his wife, will share in her sin. He succeeded. The devil deceived Eve by giving her false hopes. He told her that by breaking God’s law she will not die, as God said it. Eve was tempted by pride and doubt. She became ungrateful to God for His provision for them. She wanted more… She wanted to become ‘like God’, giving commands and not submitting to any other being. She chose to eat the forbidden fruit. She gave some to Adam who ate it too. That moment in time, by breaking God’s Law, sin entered Adam. Death entered with sin. It affected him and all his descendants, including us. This is God’s Word: “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20).
What are the consequences of the original sin? Man was created in the image of God, holy, righteous, wise, and loving. Thru sin, man lost these wonderful qualities. The image was destroyed. He became totally wicked, evil, completely incapable to know God or do any good spiritual thing. He became spiritually blind, spiritually dead. This total depravity of sin manifested as shame, running from God, and a guilty conscience.
Adam and Eve lost their place in the Garden, and the opportunity to eat from the tree of life. Spiritually, Adam died the day he sinned. Physically, he died 930 years later (Genesis 5:5). God’s Word was fulfilled! Death proved the devil to be a liar and God’s Word to be true!
These are some scriptures revealing the pride and sin of Lucifer in heaven: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit” (Is 14:12-15). “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; Therefore, I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones” (Ezekiel 28:15, 16). “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8)
THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
Jesus said: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matt 12:31, 32). The unpardonable sin is a sin committed by a religious unbeliever. This is a sin that cannot be forgiven by God. God does not grant repentance to the sinner. It is a sin or a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The sinner consciously and willfully rejects and slanders the Holy Spirit. He knows the truth about God’s Word. He is not ignorant about the work of the Holy Spirit. He knows the truth about the Grace of our Lord Jesus. His conscience convicts him of sin. Despite all these, he attributes the work of God to the devil. The sin becomes unpardonable, not because the Blood of Jesus is not strong enough to atone for it, but the sinner cuts himself off from any possibility of repentance and faith to salvation. It leads to total hardness of heart. It is a personal choice to go to hell. It is a form of spiritual suicidal stubbornness. This is a warning: don’t take God’s name in vain! Don’t grieve or quench the Holy Spirit! Be quick to repent!
SIN UNTO DEATH
Sin unto death is committed by a backsliding child of God who becomes rebellious against God’s Word. The Holy Spirit warns him to stop sinning. If he refuses, God may take His child home to heaven thru untimely death. Prayer and intercession for such a one may not work. “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16, 17). Taking the Holy Communion in an unworthy manner may lead to weakness, sickness, or untimely death too (1 Cor 11:27-32).
ATTRIBUTES OF SIN
*Sin is a specific type of moral evil for which man is held directly responsible. Sin includes guilt and moral pollution. Every man is born with a guilty conscience and with a corrupt nature. Because God hates and condemns sin, man deserves to die and go to hell.
*Sin is absolute. There is no neutral ground between evil and righteousness. Man is either justified or he is condemned by God. For example, Jesus says that there are only two options: you either confess Him or you deny Him before men. “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt 10:32, 33). He also says: “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters” (Luke 11:23).
James says that obedience to the Law of God must be total. There is no mercy for partial obedience. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). This is a point of practical application: Dear child of God, do not marry, do not become intimate friends with people who are not born again. They may be from the same family or tribe with you, they may work in the same office, they may attend the same church. But there is no connection between you and them, between light and darkness. For example, an unequally yoked marriage will always be troubled because of complete spiritual misunderstanding (2 Cor 6:14-16).
*Sin is always an offense against God and His Law (written in the Bible or on men’s consciences). “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel” (Rom 2:12-16). A man may steal from his neighbor or may commit adultery with another man’s wife. These are sins against other men. But sin as a principle is always in the singular: ‘sin’ and not ‘sins’ Sins are products of sin. Sin breaks God’s Law and His heart.
*Sin dwells in ‘the heart’, which is the central organ of the soul. From the heart, sin affects and corrupts all the other organs: the mind, the will, the whole body. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer 17:9, 10). “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (PV 4:23). The ‘issues of life’ means the very source of life, of your thinking. Jesus said: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Mt 15:19, 20).
DEATH IN ADAM AND LIFE IN CHRIST
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.). Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 5:12-21)
Let us study this important scripture: Two times we read the words ‘death reigned’ (verses 14 and 17). In verse 12 we read ‘death spread to all men’. The word ‘spread’ means to pass thru, to pierce thru like an arrow. Death is the poisoned thread that passes thru all men’s hearts and unites them in sin. In verse 21 we read ‘sin reigned in death’. These are terrible words. What do we see? Because of sin death is now king over all men. Sin is universal. Death is universal. Rich and poor, young, or old, all must die. About 60 million people die every year; two die ever second. The main two causes of death are these: ischemic heart disease (‘heart attack’) and Stroke. The heart and the brain are the two main organs that first succumb to death. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb 9:27). The word ‘appointment’ means something that is stored and kept waiting for men in the future. Death is an appointment with God. The primary principle in this scripture is that one man’s deed affects many. For better or for worst, deeds have consequences. No man lives or dies alone. Adam’s sin brought death to many. Christ’s obedience made many righteous. How can this be? Christ is compared with Adam. Sin entered humanity thru one man, Adam. In the same way, righteousness entered humanity thru one man, Christ. The word ‘one’ appears 11 times in this passage. The word ‘reigned’ is used 5 times: Death reigned, death reigned, reign in life, sin reigned in death, grace might reign. Adam had a kingdom where sin and death reigned. Christ has a Kingdom where eternal Life and Grace reign. The phrase ‘much more’ is used 3 times. The words ‘free gifts’ appear 3 times. Salvation is by Grace alone, in Christ alone. It is a ‘free gift’ because Christ paid it all! What man lost in Adam, is gained in Christ, and so ‘much more’. Adam never had the righteousness of Christ. He had his own righteousness. When he sinned, he lost his own robe of righteousness. In Christ, we receive the righteousness of Christ that is much more than Adam ever had. This gift is by grace and can never be lost! Glory!
THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ADAM AND CHRIST
Adam is ‘a type of Him (Christ) who was to come’ (Romans 5:14).
1-Each one, Adam and Christ, was appointed by God to be the head, and the representative of his people. They did not appoint themselves. God did! Adam was not only the natural ‘father’ of all people, but God appointed him as the ‘federal head’ or representative of all people. Both Adam and Christ were ‘ambassadors’ for their people. In His work with men, God always deals with their representatives.
2-Each one is the head of a covenant made with God. God made a covenant with Adam. It was a covenant of ‘works’. Adam could work and enjoy life in the Garden. But this happiness was conditional. Adam could eat from every tree except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If Adam breaks this law, he will die, himself and his descendants. Obedience to God’s Law was the condition for life and happiness.
God made a similar covenant with His Son. God the Father told God the Son that if He is obedient as a Man to His Law to the end of His life on earth, if He takes the sins of His people on Himself and dies for them, then the men shall be set free and declared just in God’s sight. They shall become His people and He shall be their God.
3-Each one, Adam and Christ, pass the result of their life’s work on their descendants. Whatever they do, their descendants will share in it!
PRINCIPLES OF ONE MAN’S DEEDS AFFECTING HIS DESCENDANTS
1-SIN ENTERED THE WORLD THROUGH ONE MAN
The name Adam means ‘mankind’. When Adam sinned, ‘mankind’ sinned. “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor 15:21, 22). In Adam, because of sin, ‘all die’. Adam is not the generator of sin. The devil is the originator. Adam learned how to sin from the devil. Because the devil hated God, he attacked Adam who was God’s best creation on earth. The devil ‘advertised’ sin and foolishly, Adam ‘bought’ it. In any other way, Adam was ‘like God’, reigning on the earth. But Adam was not satisfied. He disobeyed God. Like a virus, when Adam sinned, ‘sin entered the world’. Immediately the sin damaged man. It affected his body, soul, and spirit. All Adam’s descendants were in his loins, and they became affected by the same sin.
THE SIN OF ACHAN
God sees all humanity as a unit, and not just as many isolated people. One man’s sin affects many. For example, in Joshua 7 you see the sad story of Achan. When Achan sinned, God commanded the Israelites to stone Achan and his family to death. You see that one man’s sin affected his whole family and even the whole nation. The children of Israel attacked Ai. God did not protect them. They lost the battle. God considers Achan’s sin not as a personal sin, but as the nation’s sin. Thirty-six men who were not involved in Achan’s sin died because of Achan. God told Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you” (Josh 7:10-12). Achan stole God’s property! The gold was to be kept for God in the treasury. God did not blame only Achan, but the whole nation of Israel. “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house” (PV 15:27). God tells Joshua to stop crying and praying. He should find the sinner and kill him the next day. Achan had the whole night to repent of his sin, but he refused. The next day he was discovered. He confessed his sin, but it was too late. The sentence of death came upon Achan and all his children and his property. Many are horrified at this. Why did they kill his children too? It is possible that they were accomplices to their father. You can see that sin spreads from one man to many others. But one thing is sure, God is merciful, but we should never take His mercy for granted. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).
LEVI PAYS TITHES THRU ABRAHAM
Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked God to spare the city if there are ten righteous men there. God agreed. “Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten” (Gen 18:32). You can see that ten righteous people can represent a city for good. In the same way, a bad man like Achan, can affect the nation for bad. We are told that Levi, who was yet unborn, paid his tithe thru Abraham. “Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him” (Heb 7:9, 10). Abraham won the battle against the kings. He meets a holy priest called Melchizedek who stands for Jesus. Abraham pays tithes to him. We are told here that Levi, who was Abraham’s great grandson, and was still unborn, now found in the loins of Abraham, he paid tithes to Melchizedek. Later, Levi is appointed by God to be a priest. He will collect the tithes from the children of Israel. But here, he pays tithe thru Abraham, to Melchizedek, a type of Christ! In the same way, when Adam sinned, we who were in his loins, we sinned in Adam.
2-DEATH ENTERED THE WORLD THROUGH SIN
God commanded Adam: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:16, 17). When Adam disobeyed God’s command, he sinned. Death entered him and his descendants. Death is a foreigner. Death is an enemy. Death is not natural to man who was created in the image of God. God did not create a man who will die. Death is a punishment God gave because of sin! Hell was never made for men. Our Lord said to the unbelievers: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt 25:41). If Adam did not sin, he could have gone to heaven like Enoch and Elijah who did not die on earth. Sin is the poison that entered Adam’s heart. Death is the result. Sin and death can never be separated. You die not because you commit sins (adultery, stealing, etc). These are the fruits of sin! You die because the original sin from Adam has produced death in you. That is why babies die. They inherited the sin and death of Adam. We are born to sin and die. This is the tragedy of sin.
Temptation to sin may come from the world, but sin does not come from outside. Sin lives in the heart and it is expressed thru words and actions. These words defile, corrupt, and kill the man. Death is first spiritual, then physical. Sin and death separate the sinner from God. It is an eternal separation from God. “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Is 59:2). This eternal separation caused by sin and spiritual death can only be ‘bridged’ thru the Blood of Christ. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:1, 2). All men are born spiritually dead. We can describe spiritual death as a useless mind, no understanding of life, ignorance, blind hearts, no love, no peace. “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph 4:17, 18). The sinner is alive to sin, to the world, and to the devil. He knows nothing about God. He hates God and His Word.
THREE TYPES OF DEATH: SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL, AND THE SECOND DEATH
There are three types of death: spiritual, physical, and the second death. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, became Man to live and die as a Substitute for sinners. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ who died for him, that one is saved. Anyone who refuses to believe in the Cross, dies as a sinner and goes to hell. Thru His death, Christ set us free from the power and bondage of sin and death. “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb 2:14, 15). Because the devil deceived Adam to disobey God, to sin, he is now the master of men. He holds men in slavery thru the fear of death. Men fear physical death but are ignorant of the spiritual death, which is by far, more dangerous. Thru faith in Christ, the believer has conquered the spiritual death. Death is separation from God. But the believer is one with Christ. Nothing can ever separate them. Therefore, he does not fear physical death, which is ‘gain’ to him. Lastly, there is ‘the second death’. This is the eternal death in hell. When an unbeliever dies, from spiritual death he translates to the second death in hell. Our Lord says: “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev 21:6-8). All this tragedy happened because of one man! He was not deceived as Eve. He sinned willfully, fully understanding the consequences of sin and death that will come upon him and his descendants. “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1Tim 2:14). Oh, Adam!!!
3-DEATH SPREAD TO ALL MEN BECAUSE ALL MEN SINNED
This doctrine is difficult to understand. It says that we die not only because we inherited sin from Adam, but also because of our personal sins. God says that in the loins of Adam, we too sinned. God hold us responsible for our personal sins. When a baby is born, he is born rebellious. You do not teach a baby to be stubborn. You teach him how to obey. King David said: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps 51:5). He also says: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, which will not heed the voice of charmers, Charming ever so skillfully” (Ps 58:3-5). Experience proves that all men are born desiring to commit sin. God searches the heart, and He knows!
Jesus was born in the womb of the virgin Mary, by the Power of the Holy Spirit. He was not born thru the contribution of Joseph’s sperm. This was to avoid man’s sinful heritage. He did not die because He sinned. He was sinless. He died as a holy, perfect, pure Substitute on behalf of sinful men who believe in Him. These are difficult doctrines, but we accept them by faith in the Word of God! By faith we believe that we sinned in Adam. By faith we also believe that we died to sin thru Christ, when we were buried and rose again in Him! “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor 15:21-23).
CHRIST THE SAVIOR OF MEN WHO BELIEVE
God could have killed Adam and Eve immediately after they committed sin. But He did not. He allowed millions of sinners to be born on earth, live and die and go to hell. Why? Because this was His plan from the beginning. In the midst of this tragedy of sin and death, the glory of His Son was revealed. This is the Gospel of our salvation. Jesus died and rose again for me and for you! Our salvation is a miracle. It is a Great Salvation indeed! Blood was shed for the oil of joy to run down on our heads. “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb 9:27, 28). God reveals this mystery of salvation and redemption of sinners thru the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s manifold wisdom is revealed to men thru the preaching of God’s Word in the Church. “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Eph 3:8-12). Let us never forget: This One Man, Jesus Christ, thru one Work, His death and resurrection, has saved all men from sin and death! Glory!
The angels are stronger than men. They worship God always crying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy!’. But there is a part of God’s character that they do not know. They do not understand God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, longsuffering, and love the way we do. We alone can praise God for His Forgiveness, Grace, and Mercy! When the angels sinned, they received no mercy. There were immediately judged. That is why the good angels desire to know about God’s Grace given to men (1 Peter 1:12). We are teaching angels about King Grace! Is that not wonderful? Adam’ sin affected all men. Christ, the Second Adam came, and by His obedience unto death, He affected all humanity for good, and forever. God is calling men from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness, from death to life! Will you come to Jesus? Will you believe the Word of God?
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
In the story of David defeating the Giant Goliath, you see the authority of the leader, the representative of the people. His victory is the victory for all his people. His defeat, his death, means slavery for all his people. The Goliath stands for Adam. David stands for Christ. King Saul was supposed to lead Israel in the battle, but he was afraid to die. Jonathan, his son, could have represented his father, as the heir to the throne, but he too was afraid to die. The Shepherd boy David stood and killed the Giant. At that moment, all the Philistines became the slaves of Israel. Also, King Saul Jonathan and all Israel, in theory, became the servants of David. They were to submit to him as their new king. That is why King Saul tried to kill David. Like King Herod killed all the babies because of baby Jesus, so King Saul tried to kill David. He failed because God was with David and not with him.
Goliath represented the Philistines. David represented the Israelites. Whoever loses, his people will become slaves to the other. This is an example of David, a type of Christ, and a federal representative of the people of Israel. King Saul and his son Jonathan were afraid to go forward to fight the giant called Goliath (1 Sam 17:4-11). That battle is the eternal battle between Christ and the devil. Goliath despised David for being just a youth. He cursed David by his Philisties gods. David won the battle before any arrow was shut. He won it by the Word of God. He said to the giant: “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands” (1 Sam 17:45-47).
What is the practical application? Sin is rebellion against God. Therefore, rebellion is always punished by God. We are to submit to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We are also to submit to the delegated authority in the church. This submission is our protection and blessing. Waling in submission under your pastors and leaders, is a proof that you are dead to sin and alive to God. Finally, dear Child of God, please remember and be encouraged: David always wins against all Goliaths of the world! Jesus is Lord! Worship the Lord!
OUR GREAT SALVATION (5)/ THE DOCTRINE OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE/ LORD, ONLY SPEAK A WORD
During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled Our Great Salvation (5)/The Doctrine of the Authority of the Bible/Lord, only speak a Word. Her text was taken from the Book of Psalms, 2Timothy, and Matthew 8:5-13. “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Ps 119:89). “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16, 17).
THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE
The doctrine of the Authority of the Bible is one of the most important doctrines. This is because we need to be sure of our foundation as Christians. The entire Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is a spiritual, unique, extraordinary, special, and supernatural Book. All other books are written by wise and literary gifted men. Their books are a collection of their ideas and imaginations. But the Bible is different. It is the Word of God!!! The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word ‘biblion’ which means “The Book”. ‘The Bible’ is also known as ‘The Scriptures’ or “God’s Word”.
The Bible is the infallible (perfect, incapable to be wrong) and inerrant (never makes mistakes) Word of God. It is sufficient for all matters of faith and practice. Thru the Bible, God speaks to man. Therefore, the Bible has complete authority over the souls of men. Authority is defined as power to influence, to command thought, opinion, or behavior. Man has limited delegated authority. God has supreme authority over all creation. The Bible demands total submission, faith, and obedience. Without these, the Bible will not ‘open’ to you. No unbeliever loves the Bible. It is only the children of God that love, study, and apply the Bible. God’s supreme authority is given to Christ, the Living Word. This authority is the basis for evangelism and ministry. “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen” (Mt 28:18-20).
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is impossible to know exactly how many copies have been printed in the roughly 1500 years since its contents were standardized, but research conducted by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 2021 suggests that the total number probably lies between 5 and 7 billion copies. The oldest original Bible known to have existed in this world is safely kept in the Vatican Library since the 15th Century. It is still looking good. The Bible has 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. These are written by 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years. The whole Bible is a unit. There is no contradiction in it. You can see the unity of the Spirit in the Bible. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and the New Testament is written in Greek language. The Book of Psalms is the longest Book in the Bible. The book of Jude is the shortest. The shortest scripture is “Jesus wept” (Jn 11:35). The last word in the Bible is “Amen!” (Rev 22:21). The oldest Book in the Bible is the Book of Job. It was written about 4000 years ago. The Book of Revelation is the most recent Book in the Bible. It was written about 90 AD. The Bible is about 1900 years old in its completed form. The Bible is the most loved and the most hated Book in the universe. It has survived all attempts of men and nature to destroy it. The Roman emperor Diocletian ordered all Bibles destroyed and decreed death for anyone who had copies of the Scripture in his possession. But he failed to destroy the Bible. His adopted son Constantine became the next emperor. He was the first Caesar to officially become a Christian. He made Christianity the law of the Roman Empire. “Kings and kingdoms, shall pass away, but there is something about Your name, Jesus!!!”
Scientific books older than ten years are out of use. But the Bible is still current, and its truth can be applied even after all these thousands of years. In the Bible you find science, history, politics, moral laws, prophesy, poetry, love, and romance. The main story of the Bible is God’s redemption of sinful man thru the Life and Death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Bible is the Book of the Christians, but it has influenced many cultures all over the world. All countries that have a Christian heritage are more civilized than others, especially concerning human rights.
Man must submit to the authority of the Bible. The Bible is not just a textbook. It is God’s revelation to man. The Bible is not a word of advice. It is the command from the Master. The Bible is not a Friend but a Captain! You need to humble yourself and receive this revelation by faith in God. It is only thru the Holy Spirit man can understand the Word of God. The unbelievers hate and reject the Bible. Even many Christians do not believe that the whole Bible is the Word of God. They take what they like from the scriptures and ignore the rest. Saving faith manifests thru believing the Word of God and not the word of men. Apostle Paul said this: “For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1Thess 2:13). These days many Christians do not regard the Bible as the Word of God. They preach and believe a ‘Jesus’ of their own imagination and not the Jesus of the Bible. Men put themselves as the ultimate authority! This is a terrible danger in many churches. What is the solution? We need the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our understanding to see that the Bible is the Word of God. Ultimately, you need faith to submit to the authority of the Word of God.
The authority of the Bible was central to the Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Bible is the Word of God. But they connect its authority with the Church, therefore limiting it. They do not see the Bible as an absolute authority, as God speaking to man. They say that the Bible needs the Church to be interpreted. They do not think that the Church needs the Bible. When Martin Luther became saved, he brought the truth to light. This is how the Reformation started. The Reformers believed that the Bible has an inherent authority because the Holy Spirit moved men to write it. The Bible must be believed for its own sake because it is the inspired Word of God, and it addresses men directly with the authority of God. The Catholic Church said that the scriptures are too difficult for the ordinary Christians. That they need the priests to interpret them. The Reformers said that the scriptures are simple and clear for anyone to read, believe and apply, with the help of the Holy Spirit. They did not deny that there are mysteries in the Bible and that we need Bible commentaries to help us understand the depth of the scriptures. What they are saying is that any man or woman who genuinely seeks God and salvation, will find the reading of the Bible simple enough to be saved, by the power of the Holy Spirit. No one needs the church to be saved. Faith in God’s Word is enough for that. The reason we attend church is so that thru the preaching and teaching of God’s Word we mature spiritually. The written Word is perfect and sufficient for all the spiritual needs of each believer and for the growth of the church. This is a quote from one of the saints of old: “The Bible is a sure guide to eternal life. The prophets and apostles did not speak from themselves but delivered what they received of God. It is profitable for all purposes of the Christian life. It is of use to all, for all need to be taught, corrected, and reproved. There is something in the Scriptures suitable for every case. Oh, that we may love our Bibles more, and keep closer to them! then shall we find benefit, and at last gain the happiness therein promised by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the main subject of both Testaments. We best oppose error by promoting a solid knowledge of the word of truth; and the greatest kindness we can do to children, is to make them early to know the Bible” (Matthew Henry, 1662-1714).
GOD’S WORD STANDS SETTLED IN HEAVEN AND MANIFESTS ON EARTH
“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides” (Ps 119:89, 90). “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Is 40:8). God’s Word is like a Rock that cannot be moved. The word ‘settled’ means that the God’s Word is standing like a pillar, secure, established, firmly fixed, and unchangeable in heaven. God’s Word is eternal. It will last for as long as heaven. That means, forever! The word ‘settled’ describes the armies of heaven, all in their position, following the Captain of Salvation. This holy army is orderly and all powerful. It can never fail. The heart of man may be unsettled by the trials of life. Circumstances and seasons change. What Man needs is God’s unchangeable Word! Let that man look up and see the settled eternal all-powerful Word of God in heaven. God’s plan of salvation, and God’s promises are all settled in His mind. The devil may attack on earth, but he cannot touch God’s Word in heaven. Faith in God’s Word in heaven manifests on earth. God is faithful to His word not only from birth to death, but thru all generations of children. The earth was created by God’s Word. By the same Word, creation is sustained and lives for the purpose of God. God is Eternal, Almighty, and Glorious! And so is His Word! Amen!
GOD HAS MAGNIFIED HIS WORD ABOVE ALL
“I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul” (Ps 138:1-3). This is a Psalm of King David. He was a true worshipper of God. As he was praising God for His faithfulness and truth, God gave him a special revelation. This scripture may sound confusing at the beginning. It says that God, of His own divine choice, has magnified the Word of His mouth above all His other attributes that compose His name. God’s Word is sovereign above His faithfulness, power, justice, love, and compassion. God’s Word is King! It is exalted above the earth and the heavens, which are the works of His hands. Jesus Christ is the Living Word made flesh. God has exalted His Son above all else. This is an encouragement for us, the believers. Faith in God’s written Word should fuel our prayers. During times of trials, we cry to God like children. As fast as that cry leaves the lips of a child, it is heard in heaven. Immediately, the answer comes down to the earth. God may not remove the burden, but He will immediately give strength into your soul, so that you are able to carry it. This is the holy strength of a true champion. That supernatural strength remains in your heart to the end of your life on earth. Faith in God’s Word and prayer are powerful sources of miracles. Your suffering paves the way to glory! This is the testimony of all true children of God, that God is faithful, and that He answers us when we pray!
MEN WROTE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet 1:19-21)
This scripture has been the source of much argument among the Christians. For example, the Roman Catholic Church said that the ‘ordinary’ Christians cannot ‘interpret’ the Bible. They say that only the Church can do that, thru the Popes and the Cardinals. That is why for many centuries the Roman Catholic Christians were not allowed to have their own Bibles. They depended solely on the preaching of the priests, and church attendance was insisted upon. This is the false doctrine of the Catholic Church. After Martin Luther split from the Catholic Church, the Reformation started. The doctrines of justification by faith and the priesthood of all believers were brought to light. The believers were now encouraged to study the Word of God by themselves. Faith in Christ and in the Word is enough for salvation. Many became saved. Like a Light shining in the darkness of empty religion and ignorance, the power of the Gospel manifested once more. Men were ready to die to print the Bibles so that the masses can have access to the scriptures in their own languages. Like a lion let loose from its cage, God’s Word created the greatest revolution in the world. This is the story of the Reformation. The Protestant and evangelical churches were born. Praise the Lord!
What is the correct interpretation of this scripture? The Bible is God’s revelation. It is ‘inspired’ by God! This says that prophecy or the scriptures in general, are not the product of the human writer’s will, wisdom or imagination. For example, Moses, who wrote the first five books in the Bible, he did not sit down to think about writing. These Books are not the product of his wisdom he has gathered in life. Some writers like Jeremiah, were ‘arrested’ by the Holy Spirit, became prophets, and wrote the words even against their will. The Word of God did not originate in the will of man, but it is ‘inspired’. They wrote the truth as it came to them from the Holy Spirit. They did not understand everything they wrote but they were sure that they wrote God’s Words. The Holy Spirit breathe on the writer and helped him to hear and write the exact words. The authors were ‘moved’ by the Holy Spirit who oversaw the writing of the scriptures. The word ‘moved’ means to be lead, to be carried along. It describes a ship with its sails driven along by the wind. The Holy Spirit helped them to write the exact words that He wanted them to do. That is why the scriptures are no longer seen as the words of men, but of God.
The word ‘profitable’ means to be useful for advantage. The men who wrote the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit. This ‘inspiration’ is not mechanical. The men were not unconscious or in a trance when they wrote the words. The Holy Spirit came on the writer, and worked in accordance with his own character, temperament, gifts and talents, vocabulary, and style. The Holy Spirit illumined his mind to see and understand what God was showing him. The Holy Spirit repressed sin in his vocabulary, prompted him to write, guiding him in the choice of words, protecting them from errors. That is why you see the different style among the authors of each Book in the Bible. The prophets often said: ‘Thus says the Lord…” Many reject the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible. They see the Bible only as a Book of religion and wisdom. Others believe that the Bible is God’s Word in general, but they do not believe in every word written there.
What then is the true doctrine? The Bible is written by men, but it is 100% the Word of God. God made it in such a way that we cannot separate the words, which one is human, and which one is divine. Therefore, we believe that all the Bible is the inspired Word of God! The Bible is not just a book for “Bible studies’, so that we argue with other about doctrines. We must honor the Bible by trusting and obeying God’s Word!
LORD, ONLY SPEAK A WORD
“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour” (Mt 8:5-13)
This is one of the greatest miracles Jesus had performed. This is the only place where Jesus commends someone’s faith. He did not see or touch the sick man. He spoke the Word from distance and the sick, dying man was healed immediately. This story happened in Capernaum. A Roman centurion came to Jesus, hoping that his beloved servant will be healed. Previously, Jesus healed a leper. Leprosy, seen as being unclean, is a symbol of sin. The Centurion’s servant was paralyzed. Paralysis, because of its total helplessness, was seen also as a symbol of sin. The Centurion believed that Jesus has the power to make his helpless servant well again. Read to the Centurion’s words to Jesus. Two times he calls Jesus “Lord”. He is taking great risk, for as a Roman soldier, Caesar is his only ‘lord’. For calling Jesus ‘Lord’ he is supposed to be killed as a traitor in the Roman army. Faith takes risks… He only gave the information, that his servant is seriously sick… and then, he stopped. He hopes that Jesus will understand his pain. He was right. See how humble, sensitive, and gentle he is before Jesus. He did not immediately ask for the healing. He trusted that Jesus will be willing to heal. Jesus immediately said: “I will come and heal him!” and started moving towards the house of the centurion. It was at this moment that the centurion stopped Jesus and told Him that just a word from His mouth is enough. He said (I paraphrase…): “I have seen what You have done. I have heard Your words. I believe that You can command anything, and it will happen! You are God! Lord, please just say the Word!” Jesus marveled at this man’s words and attitude of faith!
The centurion was a God-fearing man, and a humble man. He has compassion. He loves people and desires to help them. He was thinking himself unworthy to bring Jesus into his house. His humility is a special attribute. The Roman citizens, especially the soldiers, were trained to think that they are better than all other human beings, especially, the Jews, the people they have conquered thru war. As a soldier, he understood authority better than others. He knew that he was a man under authority. Caesar was his supreme commander. As a centurion, he had one hundred soldiers under him. He knew that these soldiers submit to him. His wish is their command. Somehow, he heard of Jesus, that He has the power and authority to heal the sick. He believed that Jesus is God, the Creator, and the Commander of all things. He believes that nothing hinders the power of Jesus, not even distance. He believed the Word of God! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). He believed when Jesus said: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18). He believed that God “worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Eph 1:20, 21). He believed that Christ “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 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” (Col 1:15-18). Therefore, Jesus only needs to speak the Word of healing, and the healing will happen! This was ‘a great faith’, appreciated by the Lord. Jesus said that ‘sons of the Kingdom’ will be cast out into outer darkness. He was referring to the Jews, who rejected Him while the Gentiles, like this Roman soldier, believed in Him. Jesus rewarded the faith of the Centurion, and He immediately healed the servant.
In the Roman world a slave does not matter. Master and slave did not have a love relationship. The master had the right to sell or kill a slave who is useless. But this Centurion was different. He had compassion. (By the way, compassion for others is a sure mark of a true leader). Luke tells us that the centurion built a synagogue for the Jews (Lk 8:5-13). It means he knew something about Jehovah God. He was a God-fearing man. By the law of the Pharisees, no Jew was to enter the home of a Gentile. But Jesus was willing to go to the house of this centurion to heal his servant. The appreciation of this Roman Centurion’ faith and the miracle itself were an offence to the religious leaders. The Jews hated the Gentiles, especially the Romans who conquered their land. But Jesus helped this foreigner. The Pharisees hated when Jesus did miracles to the outcasts, to the Gentiles, or to the lepers. This Roman soldier believes that Jesus is God!!! Think of it! Jesus calls it ‘great faith’! His faith was a rebuke to the Jews. That is the reason why the Jewish leaders hated Jesus and eventually they killed Him. Jesus paid with His Blood for our salvation and for all the miracles. Selah! To the Centurion, the word of Jesus brought life, healing, peace, and joy! To the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus, His words were death. The ‘great faith’ of the Gentiles still offends the Jews, even today. This is a prophetic picture: the Kingdom of God will be full of Gentiles, like me and you! To God be all the glory?
What are the lessons for us? The attitude of the Centurion is a great example for us, as we pray for miracles. He displayed four rare qualities: humility, compassion, spiritual sensitivity, and faith! He came to Jesus, interceding for his beloved servant. He knew that only a miracle can save him. He humbled himself. Face to face with death, men must humble themselves. Suffering should bring us to Jesus! He believed in the Grace and the Power of God. He saw himself as unworthy of the miracle. Even so, he had faith in Jesus and in His Word. This is the secret key of the miracle power of Jesus! We should also know that faith pleases God and will be rewarded by Him. “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” (Heb 11:6). Worship the Lord!
“Ruth answered, “Please don’t tell me to leave you and return home! I will go where you go, I will live where you live; your people will be my people, your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16)
My testimony: I live in Nigeria since 1980. I came here with my beloved husband, as a young wife and mother of our two little children. Before I came to Nigeria, I did not believe in God, and I did not see a Bible with my eyes. Also, I could not speak English. The engine of my life was my love for my husband. I could have followed him to the end of the world. We both worked as medical doctors. It was in Warri, in1986, that I had a crisis conversion and became born again. My life changed radically. I give God all the glory!
Most of the traditional customs here are very different than in my birth country, Romania. Long ago I made a choice: It is my duty to learn the traditions of people here. This is so that I may not ignorantly offend the very people I try to help spiritually. That will not be helpful to my testimony as a Christian and as a pastor. By the grace of God, I chose to show proper respect to the Nigerian people and all others I encounter daily! This is my duty before God!
Because I live here for so many years, I understand the way the Nigerian people think and behave. I study them because I love them, and so that I understand them. Like Ruth said, they are now ‘my people’ and their God, is now ‘my God’. They have thought me so much! For example, in Romania, the people are generally timid, shy, especially the women. I was like that for many years. It is in Nigeria that I have learned to be bold and courageous (not rude). This is a great achievement for me, for it has reduced my anxiety when talking to people.
Many people have helped me along the way, but my husband in particular. He has been my teacher, my mentor to help me understand the way Nigerian people think and behave. Over the years, he has patiently corrected me when I make mistakes. He has explained to me how to talk, dress and behave in a way that I will be accepted by the Nigerian people. It has not been always easy ‘to die’ to my Romanian way of life and adopt a new style. But the gain is so much that I stand in awe at what God has done in my life. My dear husband went to heaven suddenly in July, 2020. The lessons he thought me about Nigeria have made my life easier in his absence. My love for God, for my husband and for the Nigerian people have been the main reasons why I decided to continue to live here. I am a full time pastor in Warri/ Effurun, Nigeria. I say it with pride and gratitude. It is indeed my privilege to work here, where God has sent me. God bless Nigeria! Finally, once again, I honor my husband and my pastor, Dr. Richmond Leigh! God bless you Sir!
My desire: May I learn to live a humble holy fruitful faithful life, pleasing to God! Like sister Ruth, may I find favor with God and with the people! May people forget my face but only see and hear Christ in me! May nothing in my life hinder the progress of the Gospel! May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in Your eyes, my Lord and my Redeemer! Jesus is Lord!
(In the picture, my husband and I, during a vacation in 2015)
SUN SET TODAY AT 6:10PM, seen from the compound of Father’s House Bible Church / Warri/ Effurun/ Nigeria Do you see a glimpse of the glory of God in the sky? Give God all the glory!
“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge” (Ps 19:1, 2)
OUR GREAT SALVATION (4)/ THE DOCTRINE OF GLORIFICATION
During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled “Our Great Salvation” (3)/ The Doctrine of Glorification. Her main text was taken from Romans. “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you… For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us… And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom 8:10, 11; 18; 28-30).
DOCTRINE OF GLORIFICATION DEFINED
The doctrine of the glorification of the Christian says that one day in the future, the believer shall be like Jesus, in his new spiritual body and will share in His glory forever! Glorification is the ultimate honor and promotion given by God to the believer in Christ. It is God’s ‘dream come true’ concerning His children. God will completely remove all sin from the lives of the saints. They shall live with Christ and with God, eternally. They will have resurrected bodies without any sin. They will change from being mortal saved men to become immortal holy men. In that holy state they will have free entrance to the presence of God. They will worship Him eternally. They will see God face to face and be like Him. They will enjoy holy joyful glorious fellowship with Christ throughout eternity, in a way that it is not possible now on earth. This doctrine is amazing. It is possibly the boldest of all the doctrines in the Bible. In a way, it is ‘too good to be true’. But it is true! It comes only to the believers and only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. The promise that we shall be glorified in our very bodies should bring us great joy. That is glory! Perfectly redeemed, body, soul, and spirit! We shall see Christ and be like Him. We shall rule over angels and the world. There shall be no trace of evil in us. All scars of sin shall be removed. There shall be no risk or possibility of falling into sin again. We shall be without any spot of wrinkle, perfectly beautiful Bride for Christ. Perfectly eternally beautiful! Our youth shall be renewed! We shall never be sick, weak, or die! That is glory! “When He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). At the point of death, the soul and the spirit leave the body and stay in heaven waiting the resurrection of the body. At the second coming of Christ, our bodies shall rise from death and become new bodies, spiritual, holy, and immortal. The new bodies will reunite with the souls in heaven and become complete and glorious. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Phil 3:20, 21). This is the ultimate salvation. This is glorification! Do you know that? Do you believe this promise? Do you rejoice in it?
Glorification is the climax of the process of sanctification. The more you die to sin and self, the greater the glory of God is reflected on you. The glory of God will not only be reflected on us, but we will share in it. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18). Glorification is the last piece in the holy glorious golden chain of salvation. “Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom 8:30). This is the plan of salvation. Before the foundation of the world, God the Father deigned the plan. In His holy mind, God predestined us, one by one, to know Him one day and to be one with Christ. These people are called ‘the elect’. They shall believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They shall hear and answer the call of God. They shall become justified by faith in the Gospel, Christ crucified and resurrected. All these people shall be glorified. This is God’s plan. It can never fail. All these verbs are in the past tense. In the mind of God, the glorification of the believer is already a fact. Sin and death cannot stop it. At the moment of justification by faith, you become saved. The soul and the spirit take their position in heaven, seated with Christ. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:4-9).
The doctrine of glorification may seem strange. But it is part of our spiritual DNA. God “has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Ecc 3:11). God has put eternity into our hearts. We dream of the beauty of heaven and its glory even when we do not know what or where heaven is. “For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb 2:8-10). Jesus Christ is the Savior for the elect. He died for them, as their substitute. God accepted the Son’s sacrifice and proved it by raising Him from the dead. God put all under the feet of Jesus. Right now, we do not see all creation in submission to Jesus. But, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we see the glory of Jesus. It is the crown of glory in which as God’s sons we share forever.
Glorification must be understood primarily as the honor that will be given to us in our transformed eternal state. That honor will protect us from sin and falling away and will ensure that we suffer no pain in the way that we do here on earth. Those who have suffered and died for their faith will be rewarded in a special way. There shall be a New Earth and a New Heaven. We do not know for sure what type of life we shall have on the New Earth. But we know that there shall be a connection with our life on earth, as sinners saved by grace. There is a direct continuity between us as we are in this life and the persons that we shall be in the next. It must be so, since otherwise salvation would have no meaning. If I return as someone else, I can hardly claim that I am the one who has been saved! What is certain is that the worship of God will be central to our experience of glory. The Bible speaks of multitudes standing around His throne and praising Him. Clearly, worshipping God is primary to our new life. We don’t know if we shall work for God. But one thing is clear, we shall worship Him forever!
GLORIFICATION – TWO STAGES
There are two stages: first, there is an intermediate state (from death to the resurrection) and then secondly: the final or eternal or glorified state (which is the life of resurrection). All what is promised to us now will be given to us then. There shall be a deeper fellowship with God and greater opportunities for praising him than we presently enjoy. In the company of Christ, we shall be seated next to the heavenly throne and installed with him as rulers and judges of the world. The glorified state of the believers is still a mystery. The Bible does not reveal too many details. But one thing is sure, for Christians, the life of heaven will be the fulfillment of life on earth. Glory to God in the Highest!
Job believed in this doctrine. He saw his glorification from afar. He believed the Our Lord is his Redeemer; that He died and rose for him. He was confident that God will not only vindicate him from his present troubles, but he will see the glory of Jesus in his spiritual body, in heaven. “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27). Glorification does not mean that we shall become gods. It means that we shall become glorified perfect men, one with Christ, who as a Man, is glorified already! At that time, Gods glory will finally be ‘all in all’ (1 Cor 15:28). The act of justification by faith produces peace, and joy in advance, as we hope to share in the glory of God! “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom 5:1, 2). Christ in us is ‘The hope of glory” (Col 1:27). Because glorification is what happens after death, the fear of death is destroyed. Faith in the doctrine of glorification gives the believer a living (ever growing) hope, joy, and assurance of salvation. Having faith in the promise of glorification gives me the confidence to say: “By God’s grace, my future is better than my past and my present!” Glorification is the wish and the work of King Grace. To Him be all the glory!
WHAT TYPE OF BODIES DO WE HAVE AT THE RESURRECTION?
“But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also, is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so, it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Cor 15:35-49)
It will be a spiritual body. At resurrection, your identity will be preserved. You will be the same you. Like a seed buried in the ground and dies, after that it become a plant. There is an organic connection between the seed and the plant. The new body will be incorruptible, powerful, heavenly, and glorious. We shall resemble our eldest Brother Jesus. The family resemblance will be there.
THE GLORY OF GOD
To understand the doctrine of our glorification, we need to study the glory of God. In the dictionary, glory is defined as the greatest form of honor given to someone, based on his achievements. Glory is seen as the height of prosperity, greatest beauty, and triumphant authority among men. On earth, glory is a royal attribute. Kings and queens are seen as glorious when they are dressed in their regalia, with servants around them. Glory attracts joyful worship and exuberant celebration. Joyful shouts of ‘Hail the King!’ or ‘Long live the Queen!’ are part of the glory picture of men on earth. “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:24, 25). Man’s glory is a temporary shadow. God’s glory and His Word is eternal.
God’s glory is the combination of all the divine attributes of God. It is recognized by man only thru God’s self-revelation. On his own, man cannot see the glory of God. Without God’s protection which is found in Christ alone, the glory of God is like fire that will disintegrate all flesh. All the pictures of royalty on earth are only shadows of the glory of God in heaven where God sits on His throne. “Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool” (Is 66:1). God is Holy. God is Love. God is gracious. But God’s Glory is different. Glory is what surrounds God, the way the creation sees this Holy, Loving, and Gracious God. Worship the Lord!
THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE SKY
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden from its heat” (Ps 19:1-6)
In Hebrew, the word ‘glory’ is ‘Kabod’. It is translated as the weight, the worthiness, the heaviness of God’s splendor. Glory is a combination of God’s holy beauty and His awesome power. God’s glory is manifested in the heavens, in the sky, and not on the earth. To see even a glimpse of God’s glory we need to look up and not down. Like the still water reflects the face of one looking at it, so the earth only reflects the glory of His Maker. If you want to see a glimpse of God’s glory, then look up! When David looked up, he did not see just the blue sky, some white clouds, and some birds flying. He did not see just the sun, the moon, and the stars! He saw a little of God’s glory revealed to man! He saw ‘nature’ with holy eyes and spiritual understanding. His heart was stirred to worship God. He saw God’s glory revealed and the work of His hands displayed for men to see. Do you see God’s glory in the sky? The Glory of God in the sky speaks and heals! This is just a little information about the sun. God made the sun and put it there in the sky. The sun is 92,935,700 miles from planet Earth. It has the full spectrum of light. Even from that distance the sun has healing effects upon men. The sun’s light reduces body pains. It improves emotional mood making us happier and more peaceful. It breaks down adrenaline which is a stress hormone. It increases Vitamin D, strengthening the bones and the teeth. Sun’s light helps the blood flow, improving the brain functions. It makes us more alert and intelligent. It increases metabolism helping with digestion. The sun’s light works as an antibiotic. It kills microbes and viruses and helps the immune system to fight sickness. Can you give glory to God for His sun?
GOD’S GLORY LOST IN ADAM AND FOUND IN CHRIST
When God created Adam and Eve, they knew God in His glory. They were naked but they did not feel ashamed because the glory of God covered them like a garment. Once they sinned, the glory departed, and they felt naked, ashamed, and guilty. Sin separated man from God. Since the fall, man is blind to the glory of God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). In Greek, the word sin is translated as ‘missing the mark’. Sin is defined as ‘falling short of the glory of God’. The words ‘falling short’ mean to become inferior, to try and miss it. It means failing to share in the glory of God. A sinner always lacks. He is always missing the best of God. The Son of God, the King of glory, Jesus Christ, came from heaven to earth, from glory to darkness. He came into a world of sin and death, to bring salvation and eternal life to sinful men who believe in Him. Sin is like a blanket of dark clouds before the storm. There is no light. There is no hope. Suddenly, the rays of the sun pass thru the clouds, and the rainbow is seen above the storm. This is a symbol of the glory of the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected. It is only by God’s Grace, thru Christ, that man is able to regain the ability to see, reflect and eventually share in the glory of God. The truth is that it is hard for us, human beings, to imagine the glory of God. There are two main reasons why this doctrine is so difficult to believe. The distance between man and God is immense. God is the Creator, and He lives in the glory of heaven. Man is a created being. He is limited. That is the first difficulty. Secondly, man is born a sinner who is separated from God and His glory. Christ came to the earth, He lived and died to save the sinners who believe in Him. In Christ, man is now a new creation. The reflected glory of God that Adam had before the fall is now restored thru Christ. What man lost thru Adam’ fall has been gained thru Christ, and even more than that. The restoration of the lost glory thru salvation in Christ is one of the greatest miracles in the universe. The first stage of the restoration of glory is the act of being born again. The justification by Faith and by Grace it is to the glory of God. Secondly, thru the process of sanctification, thru dying to sin, the glory shines the more. The glory of God to man is perfected when Christ comes again, and He resurrects the bodies of the believers. Each believer will have a new spiritual and glorious body. Salvation is perfected then. The glory will be revealed in man like never before. The new body is eternal. It will never experience sin and death. Our new bodies are like the body Jesus had after His resurrection, material enough to eat and be touched, but spiritual enough to be able to appear and to vanish at will. Everything about us will be raised to a higher spiritual plane, comparable to that of the angels. In our new resurrected bodies, our present natural and good human desires will disappear. That is why Jesus said that there shall be no falling in love or marriage at that time. Jesus said: “in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God in heaven” (Matt 22:30). There is also the assurance that earthly pain, sickness, and suffering will be wiped away. Our transformed spiritual bodies will be immune to the causes of the things that plague us now. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).
GOD’S GLORY MANIFESTED IN THE FACE OF CHRIST
Our Lord Jesus Christ, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:3). Jesus Christ as a Man was glorified by the Father. The proof of this glorification was His resurrection from the dead. His Word has the same power. His Glory and His Word are intimately connected. The Gospel reveals God’s glory. That is why it is called ‘the glorious Gospel” (1 Tim 1:11). The sinners are spiritually blind and dead. They are not able to see God, Christ, or the Gospel. The glory of God proceeds from the face of Christ, and it is reflected on the believers. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:3-6). Once the glory of God is manifested, it attracts sinners to Christ. Both the glory and the grace of God are magnetic and irresistible. The sinners are in a deep darkness of sin, ignorance, and death. Glory is manifested as light and fire. The intensity of this light is gradual, and it is increasing. “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Is 60:1-3).
Our final glorification must wait for the glory of God manifested at the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Until then, what do we do? The Grace of God is already revealed in our salvation. Grace leads to glory! We need to die to sin, to purify our hearts in the process of sanctification. Grace is the Teacher. The Holy Spirit is also the Teacher. God’s purpose for our salvation while we live on earth is to prepare people for Himself, to be zealous and work for Him. This is our responsibility in this life on earth. Dying to sin, living, and working for God gives Him the glory even now. If you truly believe that we shall share in His glory, then you will pay the price for godliness. “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2Cor 4:16, 17). Suffering for Christ’ sake today, leads to an eternal weight of glory eternal! “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining (sharing) of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2Thess 2:13,14). Christ made our salvation to be His most glorious work, in which glory we are privileged to share. The Gospel calls us by God’s glory revealed thru the excellent virtues and goodness of Christ. “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Pet 1:3). The more you study God’s Word, the more you shall know and appreciate the Person of Jesus Christ. In that way, God’s glory shall be revealed to you. In that glory, you shall share! Is this not a wonderful revelation?
The believer is sealed with the Spirit of Promise, until Christ comes again to redeem His purchased possession. The resurrection of our bodies will complete our salvation. Our Bodies, souls and spirits will dwell in God’s presence and glory. That is when God’s glory is seen and praised eternally by all the redeemed children of God (Eph 1:13, 14; 3:14-16). God’s glory is infinitely rich. The revelation of God’s glory strengthens the believer in his spirit. This is the power and the promise of the Gospel. We died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, and we have resurrected with Christ! Both for Christ and for us, there is a glorious crown after the Cross. “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col 3:3, 4). The suffering on earth will end in glory!
THE TRANSFIGURATION
When talking about the glory of Jesus we must be careful not to think of it just as a doctrine. It is a reality of the Spirit realm. We can only see His glory by the grace of God, thru the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Most of His life, the glory of Jesus was ‘hidden’ by His human flesh. It was only for a short time, during the transfiguration, that men on earth saw His glory as He is in heaven (Matt 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:8-36). Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, appeared in their spiritual state, talking to Him about His soon coming crucifixion and death in Jerusalem. During that discussion, the apostles fell asleep. God, in His mercy, covered them with His peace so that they can sleep. To witness this heavenly glory without God’s protection can kill a man. Glory means worship. Let us bow before Him who is the King of Glory!
BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF OUR SAVIOR
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (Jn 17:24-26). This is part of the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. He prays in the shadow of the Cross. He prays for Himself, that God will glorify Him with that eternal glory He had before He came to earth. He also prays that God the Father will be glorified thru His work of redemption of sinners. He then prays for His apostles. They are the foundation of the church. He has revealed the truth to them and has invested His teaching in them. God should protect them from error and deception. Finally, Jesus prays for all the believers, for the elect. This prayer covers all of us even right now. Take a moment and consider, who is praying for you! It is the Son of God Himself! He prays to God the Father. One of the definitions for a believer is the man (or the woman) who is being prayed for by the eternal Son of God. Child of God, right now, Jesus is interceding for you! Another definition of a Christian is the man (or the woman) who God has given as a gift to the Son of God. Our Lord says: “Father, I desire…” This is a strong word. It means: ‘I will, I wish’. For Jesus to speak like that to God it shows the equality in the relationship as Father and Son. He wants us to be with Him in heaven! His wish was granted by the Father. He prays that we may be one with Christ and love one another. His glory shall be our portion forever. We shall see His glory in heaven, and we shall share in it! Going to heaven is not just our wish or our prayer. This is the prayer of the Son of God! May these holy words of prayer connected with your eternal destiny in Christ, bring you to your knees in total adoration! Have peace about your past, present, and future! Jesus is Lord over your life! Worship Him!
This is one of the greatest prayers in the Bible. It is a prayer few believers wish to pray. It is a revival igniting prayer. God has revealed Himself to Moses in so many ways. Moses is grateful, but he is not satisfied. He has experienced the Grace of God in his life, more than most men. But now he wants to see the fulfillment of God’s Grace which is God’s glory. Glory is ‘fulfilled grace’! That is what Moses wants to experience now. He does not pray for God’s gifts or blessings. He now prays to know God better, to see His glory. Moses wants to have a glimpse of ‘his wedding gown’ in heaven. He wants to see how he will look in heaven. Amazingly, God answers his request. But God answers this prayer in His own way. He answers the prayer partially. Moses will be placed in the cleft of a rock. That Rock is Christ. God’s glory shall pass by. God’s hand shall cover Moses’ face. If not, like Saul of Tarsus, Moses will become instantly blind or die. Moses will see ‘the back’ of the glory of God. God reveals His glory as His grace, and goodness, and His gentleness with His children. The glory of God is also revealed in the sovereignty of God concerning salvation. On the elect, God will have ‘compassion’. The rest must remain hardened. Our greatest need is to know God. This is an amazing revelation: God desires to reveal Himself to men. Revival is defined as the goodness and glory of God passing by. The answer to Moses’ prayer is not just a doctrine. It is an experiential encounter. You will ‘feel and touch’ Christ crucified and resurrected. You will see His power and beauty. Nothing else compares with Him. Do you want to pray like that? Do you desire a closer walk with God? Our Lord told Nicodemus: “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (Jn 3:12). Are you interested in ‘heavenly things’? I am interested! I believe! May this prayer stir your soul to pray for revival! Worship the Lord!
“Moses stood on a mountain
Waiting for You to pass by
You placed Your hand over his face
In Your presence he wouldn’t die
All Israel saw the glory and it shines down through the age
Now You’ve called me to boldly seek Your face.
Show me Your face, Lord
Show me Your face
And then gird up my legs, I might stand in this holy place
Show me Your face, Lord
Your power and Your grace
I will make it to the end, if I could just see Your face”
OUR GREAT SALVATION (3)/ THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH/ JESUS HEALS THE LEPER
During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled “Our Great Salvation (3)/ The Doctrine of Justification by Faith/ Jesus heals the Leper. Her main text was taken from the Books of Romans 1:16, 17; 3:21-24; 4:5; 5:1, 2; 8:28-34 and the Book of Luke 5:12-15.
THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
The doctrine of justification by faith is one of the most important doctrines concerning our great salvation. It is like ‘the mother’ of all the doctrines of salvation. Long ago, man was interested to know about justification. “How should man be just with God?” (Job 9:2; KJ). Many Christians are ignorant of the true meaning of Justification. It is not a difficult doctrine but the devil fights hard against its understanding. For many centuries this doctrine was hidden under a cover of empty religion. It was re-discovered by Martin Luther (1483-1546), who God used to start the Reformation. The understanding of this great doctrine has ignited revival in many hearts and churches. May God help us to experience such mighty revival in this land! Amen!
The biblical doctrine of justification by faith is defined as the Loving, Gracious and Eternal ‘act’ of God, by which a sinner who totally trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as His Substitute, is declared ‘justified’ or ‘righteous’. Simply put, to justify is to declare someone righteous. Salvation means that you are declared righteous (or justified) by God! In the dictionary, justification is defined as an acceptable reason or a reasonable explanation that defends and vindicates an action. For example, a man sends his child to a private school. He justifies his action by saying that he believes that school is the best for his child, and he has the money to pay the fees. This is an acceptable reason and a reasonable explanation for his action. In the same way, God chooses to save a sinner who is one of His ‘elect.’ God justifies His action by saying that the sinner has total faith in the death of Christ as his substitute. The believer is justified in saying that he is sure of heaven, because he has believed in Christ crucified. An unbeliever is not justified because he has refused to believe in Christ crucified.
Justification is God’s act based on His Grace alone. It is a gift. It is freely given. It is totally independent on our works. Justification for sinners is found in Christ alone. No other religion preaches justification by faith. God’s action is based purely on His Grace and Love. The question arises, “Is justification just? If God is holy, how can He forgive a guilty sinner?” The answer is that justification does not excuse, ignore, or endorse our sin. Rather, our sin is fully punished because Christ has taken our penalty for us. He is our Substitute (1 Pet 3:18). Because the wrath of God is satisfied in Christ (Is 53:4–6), we are now free from condemnation (Rom 8:1). Justification reveals God’s righteousness. God is both Holy (hates sin) and Just (He must punish sin). The death of Christ on the Cross gives God the reason for justifying the sinners who believe. God is always right in all His words, plans, and actions, including the act of justifying the elect. By this act of justification, God completely satisfies the demands of His holiness and His justice. This reveals the un-surpassing wisdom of God!
Justification is God’s legal declaration as the Supreme Judge of creation. God declares that a sinner who has total faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is now righteous before Him. Justification is a legal or forensic term, that belongs to the realm of the Law Court. The Almighty God is the Judge of all. God speaks and declares the sinner to be righteous, justified, or free from the condemnation of sin before Him. God’s declaration is based on the perfect work of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died as a Substitute for sinners and paid the price for their sins with His Blood. Justification has to do with God’s declaration about the sinner, not with any change within the sinner. That is, justification does not make anyone holy; it simply declares him to be not guilty before God and therefore treated as holy. Immediately after justification, the process of sanctification starts by which the sinner saved by grace becomes holy. God sees the sinner righteous because He has a new relationship with Him. Justification and sanctification are always connected. Justification is once and for all an act of God. Sanctification is a lifetime process under the direction of God. Justification of sinners is the work of the Trinity. God the Father declares the sinner righteous. God the Son died to pay the price for the sins of men. God the Holy Spirit oversees their sanctification. Halleluiah!
Justification is the opposite of condemnation. To condemn is also a forensic term. The judge in the court, after weighing the evidence, he pronounces the man guilty and sentence him to punishment. In the Bible, all men are born sinners, therefore all are condemned before God. Only the elect believe in Jesus and God declares them justified. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn 3:18). Justification changes the position of the sinner, from the realm of Adam (a state or sin and condemnation) to the realm of Christ (the state of justification, which is freedom from sin). The sinner was born in the realm of death, where sin was his king. Now, the justified sinner becomes a child of God, and is translated into the realm of eternal life, where Grace is King!
Justification by faith is revealed throughout the Bible. All believers in the Old Testament got saved thru faith in God and not by obeying the law or thru their religious works. After Jesus died and rose from the dead, justification by faith became clearer. Apostle Paul got the clearest revelation of this doctrine. He expounds it best in the Book of Romans. It is a simple doctrine but many stumble over it. They do not understand ‘the simplicity’ of it. They stumble over the meaning of Grace.
To understand this doctrine, we must believe these foundational teachings:
1-All men are born sinners. The punishment of sin is death. Because God is Holy no sinner can come before God. No sinner can enter heaven!
2-Man cannot save Himself. Salvation is found in Christ alone. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, became a Man, lived a perfect righteous life, and died as a Substitute for sinners. The work of Christ on behalf of sinners, to save them, is perfect! God the Father proved that He has accepted the Son’s sacrificial work by raising Him from the dead.
3-Faith in the life and death of Christ who died for man’s sins is the only ‘key’ to salvation. Man’s works to please God cannot save him.
3-Because salvation is God’s work, man cannot boast of his salvation or justification. God takes all the glory!
4-Justification brings peace with God, and experientially, peace in the mind and in the heart of the believer.
5-Salvation is by Grace alone, by Faith alone, thru Christ alone, thru the Word of God alone, and for the glory of God alone!
God predestines, calls, and justifies the elect. Salvation is not random. Salvation is planned and executed by the Trinity. Salvation is totally God’s work! The declaration of justification is not a declaring of what is already a reality from eternity past or what will be true in the future, but it is God’s actual decision which takes place at the very moment a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation, faith, and the act of justification are actual present miracles granted from heaven. Justification is the Divine Judge’s verdict in advance of the day of judgment. Justification is an event in time, and it is always connected with our faith in Christ. God does not declare a sinner righteous without his faith in Christ. Faith is necessary for justification to be declared. Faith is not works. It is only an instrument that God expects from a sinner so that He can justify him. God plants the seed of faith during his effectual call. Faith is God’s gift to the elect. That is why all who are predestined and called unto salvation, come to the point of faith in Christ. That is when God pronounces the sinner justified. Justification is not a provisional announcement but a once-for-all decree in the here and now that will not be withdrawn in the future. Even the final judgment of God will not cancel it. Once God justifies a sinner, God does not change His mind about him. The sinner is now His child. Even if a Christian sins, he cannot become ’a sinner’ again. Thru the process of chastisement, God will bring His child back to Him. He who is justified and glorified already. Backsliding does not cancel the declared justification of God. As far as God is concerned, once He has declared you justified, you are living with Him in heaven. That is why a child of God cannot ‘miss heaven’. The believer is one with Christ, the King of heaven. Dear child of God, your soul and spirit are already glorified. One day, your body will ‘sleep’ in death but at the resurrection day, your body will rise and be changed into a spiritual body, to be like Christ. Your new body will be totally free from sin. At that time, salvation will be completed and perfect! Glory to God!
Justification has two basic components: forgiveness of sins and receiving the imputed righteousness of Christ. In declaring you justified God does two things at the same time: 1-God not only forgives your sins, but He takes your sins and imputes them to Christ who died as your Substitute. From this moment on, God sees you guiltless, blameless, like you have never sinned. 2-God takes the perfect righteousness of Christ and imputes it to you. You are now clothed with His garment of righteousness. God sees you as Christ! Standing before the Cross I see that on my own, I can nothing to save myself. I also see that Christ has done everything for me! He said: “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30). I am now in Him. By faith I become one with Him. This mystical unity with Christ is my life, my hope, my glory! Halleluiah!
WRONG DOCTRINE – In the Roman Catholic church they preach a wrong doctrine. They say that man is justified by works. They say that if a man comes to church regularly, takes the Holy Communion, and confesses his sins to a priest, at last, he will be justified and goes to heaven. They do not believe that God ‘declares’ the sinner righteous by Grace and by faith! Many have fallen into this error!
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:16, 17)
The Gospel of Christ comes from heaven. God the Father designed the plan of salvation. God the Son agreed to become a Man and die as a Substitute for sinners who shall believe in Him. The Holy Spirit helps believers to apply the truth. This is the only way for a man to be saved from sin and eternal death. “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). The Gospel is the story and power of salvation: “Christ died and rose again, for me!” Salvation is by God’s Grace and thru Man’s Faith. The Gospel reveals God’s Righteousness, how can a sinner be justified and stand before Him. The Gospel, Salvation, Righteousness, Justification are not ‘natural’ teachings. They cannot be understood just by man’s intelligence. These are spiritual realities that come only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Jesus Christ. Man cannot be saved by religious works. “We are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Is 64:6). Man cannot go to God. God must come down to man. He has done this thru the life and death of His Son, Jesus Christ. In Greek, the word Righteousness is the same as being Justified. It means to right with God. A sinner cannot be right with God. Righteousness is that holy state that God approves and passes the test of His judgment. It is God’s ideal and His standard for man. Only Jesus lived and died as a Righteous Man. Christ’ perfect righteousness is imputed on us when we believe that Christ died as our Substitute. The word ‘imputed’ means to be paid unto your account. A sinner must believe in Christ. Then God will justify him. This justification is a double blessing: the subtraction of sins (forgiveness) and the addition (imputation) of Christ perfect righteousness on the sinner. The righteousness God demands He has provided it thru His Son! Glory to God! Faith is not a natural deduction. Faith is spiritual, a seed from God. Faith is not ‘blind’. Its root is in the Word of God which is Truth. Faith says: “God said it, that settles it! I believe it!” Saving faith is found only in the elect. The rest are called unbelievers. Your faith is not your justification. Then faith could have been counted as ‘works.’ Faith is the ‘hand’ that stretches to give your sins to Jesus and to take His garment of imputed righteousness. Salvation is ‘from faith to faith’. This means that the Old Testament saints were saved by the same faith in God. It also means that just as justification is by faith, the process of sanctification, of spiritual maturity, comes also by an ever-growing faith. This is the life of the Christian!
JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:21-24)
These are some of the most important verses in the Bible. Here we see that men are born sinners. When Adam rebelled against God and fell into sin, he took all humanity with him. Sin leads to death. Sin is defined as rebellion against God. There is no salvation for man except thru Jesus Christ who died for man and rose again victoriously. Salvation is defined as being justified by God! The sinner is declared righteous by God at the moment when he truly believes that Jesus Christ died in his place, as his Substitute. As believers we are ‘being justified’ freely by His Grace. The words ‘being justified’ reveal a present action. We are justified freely, at the very moment when we believe in Christ. Salvation is a free gift of King Grace. This salvation reveals God’s righteousness, and it is ‘apart from the Law’. God gave the Law to reveal the meaning of sin to man. But God did not give the Law for man for him to obey it as a way to salvation. The Law itself witnessed to God’s righteousness which is by faith in Him. That is how Abraham, King David and all other saints in the Old Testament got saved. God always saves by His Grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God given freely to those who merit the opposite. We are born sinners. We were going to hell. Then God calls and justifies the elect, those sinners who have faith in Christ who died for them. Because of sin, nobody could obey the Law to God’s standard. Jesus Christ is the only Man who obeyed God’s Law perfectly. That is why He was indeed a Righteous Man. Jesus took our sins and died for us. When He died, God took the righteousness of Christ and imputed it on the account of those who believe in Him. This is called justification by faith. We are saved ‘through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’. In Greek, the word ‘redemption’ means to loosen the chains of a slave who is at the slave market, by paying a ransom price for him. The payment gives freedom. Christ, by His Blood shed on the Cross, paid the ransom price for any sinner slave who has faith in Him. All glory to God the Father who sent God the Son to die for us, sinners, saved by Grace!
JUSTIFICATION OF THE UNGODLY
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Rom 4:5). Here you see that justification is a peculiar act of God. It is not according to man’s works. The Word of God says: “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord” (PV 17:15). God is the only One who can justify the wicked, the ungodly, the sinner. What is called abomination to man, is a blessing to God. God justifies the man who has faith that God justifies the sinner, the ungodly, not the godly. The reason why God justifies the ungodly is because Jesus Christ became sin on our behalf, took the punishment for it, and die for us. This is the mystery and the power of the Gospel! Halleluiah!
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH LEADS TO PEACE, JOY, AND CONFIDENT STANDING IN PRAYER
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom 5:1, 2)
Justification by faith is a miracle of life. It manifests as peace with God, and peace with man. For as long as you still feel restless, troubled, guilty and inferior to others, you should examine your foundation. Your money, religion, your church, your pastor or prophet, your education, your social status, none can save your soul. None can forgive your sins except God, who justifies the Christian when he believes in Christ who shed His blood for him. Peace is the sign that you have been indeed justified freely by God’s grace!
THE GOLDEN GLORIOUS CHAIN OF SALVATION IN CHRIST
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Rom 8:28-34). God the Father has planned this great salvation before the foundation of the world. God the Son became Man and died on behalf of sinners. According to God’s plan and purpose for the elect, any man God predestined to be saved, will be saved to the uttermost. God’s plan can never fail. These scriptures are great encouragement to all believers. Read the Word often and mediate on it!
JESUS HEALS A LEPER
“And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities” (Lk 5:12-15).
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae. The bacillus multiplies slowly. Symptoms appear about 5 years after the initial infection. Leprosy mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, and the eyes. Leprosy spreads thru the air, thru droplets from the nose or the mouth during close contact with the infected person. Untreated, leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eyes. The disease is now curable with multidrug therapy. People infected with leprosy live in communities called ‘leprosarium’. Today, about 4 million people worldwide are infected with leprosy, most of them in Africa and Asia (India in particular). According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, leprosy was almost eliminated. Recently, new cases have appeared. Over 3,500 people get infected with the disease every year in Nigeria. Most cases are in the northern part of Nigeria (Zaria, Kaduna etc)
In the ancient time, Leprosy was a dreaded disease that had no medical cure. In Israel, leprosy was more than a sickness. It was a social tragedy. The only way to deal with the leprous people was to isolate them outside the city. The leprous loses not only his health, but everything else. He loses his family, friends, the opportunity to serve God in the temple, and his business. Nobody hires a leprous. Most leprous are beggars. They live outside the community. they dress with rags. When they see people, they must shout ‘unclean, unclean’, to warn others to keep their distance. “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp” (Lev 13:45, 46). To be a leprous was like living in hell.
This is a wonderful story how Jesus healed a man who was ‘full of leprosy’. His was a terminal case. The man was dying. His body was covered from head to toe with infested smelly wounds. His fingers, his toes, his nose, and his lips were gone. He looked like a monster. When he saw Jesus and the disciples, he was to shout ‘unclean, unclean’. God’s Law said that he should run away from men. But this man had nothing to lose anymore. God planted Faith in his heart. When he saw Jesus, he ran towards Him, fell on his face in worship and ‘implored’ Him saying: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean!” Just try to imagine the scene… the disciples probably ran back in horror. They had no pity on this ‘dirty, ugly’ man. But the man was desperate and bold. The worse that could happen is that men will stone him to death. A quick death was better than this slow terrifying death. He knew that only God could help him. He believed that Jesus is not only a Man, but God. In his heart he said: “If Jesus dose not heal me I will die”. But if He heals me, I will live!” Here was his chance. Perhaps, his only chance… The man came to Jesus. He called Him, ‘Lord”. He needed healing, cleansing, forgiveness of sins, and a new life. He believed that Jesus has all power over sin, disease, and death. The leprous man was right! True faith is always right!
Jesus responded to the man’s humility and faith. He was a genuine sinner. He was not a hypocrite. He had great needs and no rights to claim at all. He forgot everything and everyone else. At the feet of Jesus, he waited, hoping, trusting… Then something totally unexpected and amazing happen. Jesus “put out his hand and touched him saying: I am willing. Be cleansed!” Jesus touched that man and “immediately the leprosy left him”. The man became completely healed by the Word and by the touch of Jesus. Instantly, as the disciples watched, his wounds disappeared. His fingers, toes, nose, and lips grew back. This was a creative miracle. Jesus always does creative miracles. He is the Creator of the universe. In the Old Testament, it was forbidden for any man, especially for a priest, to touch a lepper. By touching a leper, the power of sin will contaminate the other. But when Jesus touched the leprous man, the leprosy could not enter Jesus. The ‘high voltage’ of the power of Jesus destroyed the leprosy and the man became healed. Then Jesus told him to go to the priest and let him inspect the healing. The priest will pronounce the man ‘clean’ and restore him back to the community. This was total healing! Glory!
In the Bible leprosy is a symbol of sin. Man has no cure for sin. It destroys a man’s life, marriage, family relationships and ministry. Sin destroys the feelings, the conscience. The healing and cleansing of this man are symbols of what happens when a man becomes saved. It is a vivid picture of being justified by faith in Christ. The ugly sores of sin are gone. The dirty rags of self-righteousness are gone. He is now healed and clothed with the garments of righteousness given to Him by His Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ! From leprosy to liberty! From grave to glory! Only Jesus can do this! Oh, the goodness, mercy, grace, and gentleness of Jesus! There is no Savior like Him! What a Savior! Worship the Lord!!!
I was born in Romania more than sixty years ago. At that time Romania was a communist country. Religion was forbidden. We were thought in school that God does not exist; that religion is for the poor illiterate people. I believed that! I grew up in a loving family of four. My parents were teachers in the school which I attended with my younger sister; Adica. My father was also the principal of the school. My parents thought us by example to be kind, respectful, humble and hard working. We did not believe in God and did not attend church.
In 1973 I got admission into the Medical School in Timisoara. In my first year I met my husband Richmond Sisan Leigh, a Nigerian. We were class mates. We fell in love and against all odds we got married. After graduation, in 1980, we moved to Nigeria. We became very successful as medical practitioners. We started a private hospital in Warri Nigeria called “Lily Clinic”. We were very happy. We had three children. We had money and fame. What else could one possibly want? Nothing! Or so I thought…
In 1986 I had a crisis conversion. I met the Lord Jesus Christ. This was purely the grace of God in action because we did not attend any church. This is how it happened…. Before coming to Nigeria I did not see a Bible. In January 1986, I became very depressed. I saw nothing good in my achievements. I even lost the desire to live. This was very strange because I was always an optimistic person. The mysterious depression started after ‘accidentally’ I read a scripture on a pamphlet: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). I did not know who Jeremiah was. The scripture was not explained. But after I read it once, I just could not forget it. It seems like the words got stamped in my mind. I tried to forget it but I could not. After reading it I started thinking of God. I fought the thought but I failed my destiny. I felt like He was calling me. I panicked… I have never prayed in my life. Can I start now? A voice said: ‘It is too late for you. Don’t pray!’ Another voice said the opposite: ‘It is never too late to pray. God loves you!’ These voices in my head made me crazy. What voice I am supposed to believe?
Finally, I made my choice. For the very first time in my life, I prayed. It was 14th of March 1986. I said: “God, if You exist, then come down from heaven and change my heart. I am tired of doubting You. I am tired of fighting you. But please God, I can’t wait forever for the answer to this prayer. I give You ‘a month’s notice’ to come down from heaven and change my heart. If You come, I promise to be Your friend forever. If You chose not to come, then let me die in peace. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!” I did not know the meaning of the name ‘Jesus’ but I heard people pray like that so I guessed it was the appropriate end to a prayer. Immediately I knew that something ‘good’ had happened to me. Not certain of what, I felt a sense of destiny coming down enveloping my soul.
On the 12th of April, 28 days after this ‘a month’s notice’ prayer, the Holy Spirit came and filled my hungry heart. Like an invisible blood transfusion, I felt LIFE entering my veins. I was alone in the sitting room when this event happened. It was much later that I knew it was called ‘the baptism of the Holy Spirit’. I became a child of God, never to be the same again. I started reading the Bible like a mad woman. This hunger for the Word for God and for prayer continues without interruptions until now. After some time, my husband became saved also. We sold our private clinic and together, we are now in full time ministry. We are the founders and senior pastors of Father’s House Bible Church in Warri, Nigeria. To God alone be all the glory!
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Rev 12:11)
May this testimony ignite in you the desire to be truly saved or to experience revival! In Jesus’ name, amen!
OUR GREAT SALVATION (2) – THE DOCTRINE OF GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL/ THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT SUPPER
During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled “Our Great Salvation” (2)/ the Doctrine of God’s Effectual Call/The Parable of the Great Supper.Her text was taken from the books of Isaiah and Luke 14:12-24. “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine” (Is 43:1)
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL
This doctrine says that God calls the elect to salvation with a call that never fails!!! God, by His Grace, invites all sinners to accept the free salvation that is offered in Christ Jesus. This is the general external call. All sinners are born as enemies to God. They hate God. For a long time, God ignores their enmity. At God’s appointed time, the Grace of God manifests to the elect. They have heard the call, but like all sinners, they have rejected it. Now, God works in them what is called ‘the effectual call’. God works in their spirits convincing them to come to Christ for salvation.
To call somebody is to speak in a loud voice, as to be heard at a distance, to get his attention. You know when your mother, father, teacher, or pastor calls your name. You feel a strong impulse to obey but you may ignore that call. A stronger form of call is ‘to summon’. This is an official demand to appear in a court of law. The summon has a greater authority. You must go to the court and see the judge. If not, you shall be punished. The highest official form of call is ‘subpoena’. A subpoena is a written order (a writ) from a court for the purpose of compelling an individual to give testimony. Subpoenas must be served in person. His attendance is required, and if he does not show, he may be found in contempt of court, which is punishable with arrest and imprisonment. God’s call comes to the elect in a personal way. It comes thru the writing document which is the Bible. It becomes effectual thru the preaching of the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the court of the law, subpoena is seen as negative. Nobody likes to be ordered to come to court and give his testimony by force. But when God, the Judge of all men calls you, it is to bless you with salvation. Glory to God!
The Almighty God calls the elect to salvation. There are two types of call: General and Effectual. The general call that goes to all human beings. All sinners ignore or reject God’s call. John 3:16 is a statement showing God’s general call. The effectual call is towards the elect. It is internal. It is also called ‘irresistible grace’. It is God’s sovereign ‘drawing’ of a sinner to salvation by His Grace. The effectual call so overwhelms the sinner with the love of God, that he cannot rebel against God anymore. He repents and comes to Christ in total surrender. The sinner is ‘compelled’ (Lk 14:23) to come to God. The word ‘compel’ means to urge forcefully, irresistibly; to use overwhelming pressure to make the sinner submit and totally surrender to God. The Holy Spirit overcomes all his arguments by limiting his freedom of choice and action. Without this effectual call, no sinner will be saved. The effectual call applies only to the elect, those whom God has predestined to be saved thru His Son. The effectual call of God feels like a magnetic loving ‘drawing’ towards Christ. God’s call is only for the sake of salvation and for nothing else. This is a call to holiness! It is not a call to wealth and fame. The effectual call is a call to fellowship with God the Father, a call for an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a call to belong to the body of Christ, to join the family of God! The believer becomes one with Christ, one Spirit, and one faith.
Our Lord said this: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn 6:44). In Greek, the word ‘draws’ means to drag, to pull, or to persuade. The effectual call starts like this: God the Father frees man’s will from the power of darkness and of the devil. He also plants the seed of faith. Without the intimidation of the devil as his slave master, man is now free to think and to decide. He will see that God is love and for the first time in his life, he will appreciate God’s Grace. He has faith in God. This is the peculiar work of King Grace. Of his own free will, man will choose Christ and run to Him for salvation. This process that happens in a sinner’s heart is called conversion. Therefore, God’s calling precedes repentance and salvation. As servants of God we must preach, teach, and pray for sinners, patiently waiting for God’s call to manifest. “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim 2:24-26).
All men are born sinners and enemies to God. In the past, God overlooked their ignorance and foolishness. From the moment Christ came to earth, died, and rose again, the excuse of ignorance is cancelled. We are commanded to repent, in the name of Jesus! The resurrection of Christ is a proof that He is now the Judge of all men. All sinners are commanded to come before Him to surrender to Him. The divine subpoena has been handed to all by the Holy Spirit Himself. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Ac 17:30, 31).
As with the teaching on election, some people hate this doctrine. They say that God is ‘forcing’ people to love Him. They say that God is arresting some people to come to court before Him. This is a wrong understanding of God’s Grace and power. “Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power” (Ps 110:3). The word ‘volunteers’ also means to willing ones. In other words, when the elect feels the power of God in His Word, in His Grace, he become a willing lover of God. The truth is that all sinners fight against God’s call. The sinner will resist until King Grace comes out of heaven to meet him, manifesting Himself as this heavenly call. Once a sinner sees King Grace, he cannot fight against Him anymore. All desire to rebel against God dies immediately. Grace never loses any battle. Grace is King! Selah!
ATTRIBUTES OF THE EFFECTUAL CALL OF GOD
*THOSE WHOM GOD ELECTS, HE CALLS, JUSTIFIES AND GLORIFIES! “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom 8:28-30)
*GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL IS A HOLY CALLING, ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE AND GRACE
God, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2Tim 1:9).
The false prophets may deceive the elect for a time, by preaching wrong doctrines. But this deception is not forever. Apostle Paul said this: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:6, 7). The Grace of God calls you from the world, from backsliding!
*GOD’S HEAVENLY CALL IS MANIFESTED THRU THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL AND IT IS FOR THE GLORY OF CHRIST
“For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:22-24)
“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess 2:13, 14). “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus” (Heb 3:1). Preaching the Gospel was primary. When the crowds came to Jesus seeking miracles, He told them: “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Lk 4:43). God calls people to salvation thru the preaching of the Gospel! God has predetermined this call by His own purpose in eternity past. He has assigned salvation to some, and He reaches out to save them through this call. He calls them out of darkness. He calls them out of unbelief. He calls them out of confusion and chaos. He calls them out of sin. This is God’s sovereign, saving call. And He is unyielding in exercising His power to make the elect sinner come into His court, come in and be presented as forgiven, and justified, and on the way to eternal glory.
*THOSE WHO ARE CALLED REPENT, GET BAPTIZED AND FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
“Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Ac 2:36-39)
*BY HIS MERCY, GOD CALLS THE ELECT FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM, THAT WE MAY PRAISE GOD
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Pet 2:9, 10)
*GOD’S INVISIBLE CALL SHOULD MANIFEST AS A HOLY LIFE
“Therefore, we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess 1:11, 12)
*GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL NEVER FAILS- IT ALWAYS WORKS UNTO SALVATION AND MINISTRY – CHURCH IS THE ASSEMBLY OF THE CALLED ONES
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call]” (Rom 11:29; AMP)
“Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ… God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor 1:1-3,9). Paul was ‘called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ’. No man appointed him to this office. God called him. The elect who are saved ‘are called to be saints’. They are blessed with grace and peace from God the Father and God the Son.
In Greek, the word ‘church’ is ‘ekklesia’. It means ‘the called ones’. God calls us from the world to have fellowship with Christ. We are called out of the world to become members of the Body of Christ universal. The local church is ‘a mixed multitude’. There are believers (the called ones) and religious unbelievers (who called themselves). Serving God in your local church is compulsory. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:24, 25). In the local church we learn how to serve God by serving others.
THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT SUPPER (Luke 14:12-24) “COME, FOR ALL THINGS ARE NOW READY”
A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Parables in the Bible are not to make things easier. They are a form of God’s judgment on those who hear but do not understand. Only the Holy Spirit can interpret a parable. Understanding a parable in the Bible brings great comfort and courage. This is because only the true believers understand its meaning and wisdom.
Our Lord was invited by one of the Pharisees to his house for a banquet. During the supper He told the guests a parable about a wealthy man who invited others to a great feast. The rich religious rulers were the guests. They were already offended that Jesus was healing the sick on the Sabbath Day. When Jesus said that rich people should invite the poor and the lame, they got even angrier. Then one of the religious rulers exclaimed: “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God!”. This man assumed that because he is a religious leader, he will surely be invited at God’s feast in God’s Kingdom. He could not imagine that he will be left out. That is when Jesus told all the guests this parable of the Great Supper. A wealthy man prepared a great feast and he invited many to come. A feast is to encourage human relations. People gather to rejoice and to appreciate their friends or neighbors.
At that time, it was the custom to make two invitations. The first invitation was given in advance. The host needed to know how many people will attend his dinner, to make the right preparations. Animals had to be slaughter and wine had to be bought. When ‘all things are now ready’, the second invitation was made. Once the people agreed to come in response to the first invitation, they were bound to attend the party.
This man invited many other wealthy men like him. They all agreed to come. It was now time for the second invitation. The servants went to the same people who agreed to attend the feast, telling them to come now. They said: ‘Come, for all things are now ready!’. It was at this point that they all made excuses. The first one said that he bought a piece of land, but he wants to see it. This was clearly an excuse. Nobody buys a land without seeing it. The second man said that he bought five pairs of oxen and he wants to try them. This is also an excuse for none buys animals without trying them if they are healthy or if they can work in harmony. The third man said he just got married and he cannot come. He should have bought his wife along, but he loved his family life more than the host of the feast. These are all cheap excuses. Who buys five second hands cars without seeing them? None, of course! They raised the hopes of the host by promising to attend the feast. But they never wanted to come to His house. They deceived the host! They forgot that none could mock God! “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:9).
When the host was told about these men, how they found excuses not to attend His feast, he became angry. At that time, to reject such an invitation was considered an insult. Sometimes these incidents led to war. The angry host then told his servants to go and call the ordinary people on the streets, the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind. They were all surprised and delighted that they have been invited by such a great man. They all came and rejoiced at the dinner table.
But there was still room in the hall. The host then told his servants to go far to the villages, to the ‘highways and the hedges’ and ‘compel’ people to come. The word ‘compel’ means to constrain, to urge forcefully or irresistibly, to use overwhelming pressure to make someone to submit, to surrender. It means overcoming resistance by a force that limits the opponent’s freedom of action or choice. This invitation went to people who do not know the host. They are not people of the city. They are farmers and countrymen. They may even be thieves and robbers who hide in the countryside. The host insisted that the servants should ‘force’ them to come and be blessed at the feast. This is how the hall was full of people who can never repay the kindness of the host.
In this parable God is the Host of the Great Supper. He invited men to come and be saved. This is God’s general call. The prophets in the Old Testament stand for the servants who called all people to God’s salvation. For example, God used Isaiah to call people to free salvation.
“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (Is 25:6-9;NIV). “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy, and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live” (Is 55:1-3)
This was the first invitation. All the Jews said yes and amen to it! They were waiting for the Messiah to come and tell them that ‘all things are now ready’. Then Jesus came to them. As a Man on earth, Jesus stands for the servant who calls people during the second invitation, to the feast organized by His Father. He says: “Come, for all things are now ready!” He is the Lamb of God who will soon die on the Cross to save those who believe. On the Cross, Jesus said: “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30). In other words, ‘everything is now ready!”. Grace has opened the door to the Feast. The people who made excuses stand for the Pharisees and the religious rulers in Jerusalem. They refused to come to partake in the free salvation because they hated King Grace. They thought that they already belong to the kingdom of God, so they refused to come when invited.
The second group of people invited were the poor found on the streets of Jerusalem. These the ordinary Jewish people who accepted Jesus gladly as their Messiah. In the Old Testament, no man who has a physical deformity can become a priest or can approach God in the temple (Lev 21:16-21). Now, in the Kingdom of God, all these men rejected by the law, have found Grace in salvation, by the Blood of the Lamb.
The last group of people who were ‘compelled’ to come are the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit arrests them and brought them to Jesus. These are the elect among the Gentiles. They heard the Word and could not resist it! They have no money to pay the host. They come as they are, presenting only their needs. But they have faith that the host is the great King, and the supper will give them salvation. Sadly, the rich religious rulers refused to come. The door of salvation was shut before their faces. There is a point when Grace shuts the door to salvation. Grace says: “It is too late!” Religious spirits deceive many! King Grace says: “Because you refused to believe, now you cannot believe in Me!” Like Lot’s wife, God fixed them in their unbelief! They became salty pillars of God’s judgment! What a sad story…
The word ‘excuse’ means to be free from commitment. Excuse is a false reason that you give to explain bad behavior, for breaking a promise, or for absence. Excuse is an explanation for self-justification, to release a person from a duty or a promise. Thru the excuse, you indirectly ask for forgiveness for breaking his heart. James Moore wrote a book titled: “Yes, Lord, I have sinned, but I have several excellent excuses”. If you replace repentance with an excuse for sin, God will not accept it. A man who is addicted to giving excuses, why he cannot give his life to Christ, will eventually deceive himself and believe his own manufactured excuses. He becomes hard-hearted. He will always reject God’s call to salvation because he thinks he is saved already. On many invitation cards you see written at the bottom: RSVP. This stands for “please reply” (in French). It used at the end of a written invitation to mean that you should let the people who invited you know whether you are coming.
(By the way, like taking drugs, giving excuses is an addiction. It is a form of self-deception. The most common excuses people give for not doing the right thing, for not becoming successful in business are these: “I have no time/ I have no money/ I am too old or too young/ I will fail/ Nobody will buy my product”. If your thinking is based on excuses, you can never make progress in life! Repent! Trust God! Move on!)
This parable reveals the power and love of God. As you can see, God loves family and friends. He loves to have them around and rejoice. You can see also the sovereign will, the power of Grace, and the effectual call of God in salvation. The great supper stands for the offer of salvation found in Christ alone. On the table you find the bread of eternal life, the wine of the forgiveness of sins, the oil of joy, the jug of the living water, the cake of justification by faith and many dishes of blessings for body, soul, and spirit! God is waiting for you sinner to come for salvation! Come, for all things are now ready! On the Menu it is written “Jesus died and rose again for you!” Come! “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14).
OUR GREAT SALVATION (1) – THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION/ THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
During this Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled “Our Great Salvation” (The doctrine of election/ The parable of the Sower). Her main text was taken from the Book of Luke 8:1-15.
Election is a choice. It is the work of the will. The word ‘election’ is mostly used in politics. It is the process by which people vote for a particular person to hold an official position. Biblically, the doctrine of election says that God, in His sovereign will, from eternity, choses some people for Himself. He manifests His Grace to save them. Election is not a secret, but the decree revealed in Christ alone. He does not choose all people in this way. The rest are left as they are. They will continue in their sinful rebellion against God unto their destruction. Simply put, the doctrine of election says that God chooses/determines/elects/predestines those who will be saved. This is the truth: we are all born sinners and enemies to God. We all ‘merit’ to die and go to hell. From the foundation of the world, God, who created all people, decided in His sovereign will, to save some people from sin and death. He chose to bring them to Christ, to be saved by faith in His sacrifice for them. It is God who works in them the desire to have faith and to be saved. Without this sovereign election, no man will come to Christ to be saved. There are many people who hate this doctrine. They object to the fact that God choses some people to be saved and He leaves the rest to go unto destruction. But we cannot judge God! Be careful that you do not use your little mind to judge the great God!
THE ELECT ARE DRAWN TO CHRIST AND TO HIS WORD
Our Lord spoke about the elect. “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand” (Mk 13:19-23). This election is totally by God’s Grace. There is nothing special in the elect that attracts God towards them. It is God’s sovereign choice. That is why their salvation never fails. Jesus said that even during the times of tribulation, when evil seem to prevail, when the true believers are persecuted unto death, even then, the elect shall remain faithful to God to the end. The religious demonic deception will deceive all people. But the elect cannot be totally deceived. Their eyes cannot be totally blind. The elect may be deceived for a while, but not to the end. They alone will have the strength to stand and stay faithful to the end. Truth always prevails in their lives!
God the Father knows the elect even before they become saved on earth. Thru the Holy Spirit, God ‘draws’ these people towards Jesus. God creates in them new desires: to hate the devil, the world and sin; they now love the Word, prayer, worshipping God, and attending a local church. This spiritual ‘drawing’ ends in their salvation. This is what our Lord said: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me” (Jn 6:44, 45). The elect sense this internal drawing towards the Lord, towards the Bible.
THE ELECTION IS DONE BY GOD, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, AND FOR HIS PURPOSE
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Eph 1:3-6). God choses the elect ‘according to the good pleasure of His will’. He predestined them according to His purpose. This choice is done ‘before the foundation of the world’. These people are ‘blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ’. They are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. They become adopted by God as His children. This election will manifest the glorious grace of God, and all creation will praise it! Apostle Paul suffered much persecution because he preached the Gospel of Christ crucified. But he was not discouraged by these sufferings. “I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2Tim 2:10).
“When Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated” (Rom 9:10-13). God gave the Apostle Paul a special revelation concerning the elect. God chooses the people He wants to save. This choice is not based on their family godliness or their own good works. For example, God chose Isaac and not Ishmael. God chose Jacob and not Esau. God’s choice is done before the foundation of the world. In the case of Esau and Jacob, they were twins. They had the same parents. But God loved Jacob and hated (loved less) Esau. God’s choice was done before the boys were born. This is the mystery of God. We need to accept it by faith!
THE MEANS GOD USES TO SAVE THE ELECT
What is the means God uses to save the elect? It is The Word! It is the hearing of the Gospel, the preaching of God’s Word. The Word affects them powerfully. They develop a personal, intimate relationship with the Bible. To others, to listen to the preaching of God’s Word is seen as a duty, or it is entertainment. But to the elect is like eating spiritual food. They mature as they listen to God’s Word. We do not know who among the people are the elect and who are not. This is Paul’s command to young Timothy: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim 4:1-5). We must preach the Word to all men, everywhere. A preacher shall be judged not by men, but by God! What do we preach? The Word! Not stories or fables. We preach the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected. These last days are dangerous times. Many will abandon the faith and the sound doctrine. They will ‘heap up’ for themselves false teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. But God commands all believers to preach His Word. Not men’s opinions! We are commanded to ‘fulfill our ministries!’ The general call to repentance goes to all men. Some will ignore it. But others, will respond to this call. God works faith in their hearts. They will come and surrender to Christ.
The Bible does not tell us to be worried about who is among the elect and who is not! Just throw ‘the net’ of the Gospel! The good fish will remain. The bad fish will leave. This is the experience of true Christianity over the ages. Of course, this doctrine is not something we preach at an evangelistic crusade. Men will be offended and over-react. We preach the Gospel. We allow the Holy Spirit to separate the elect from the others. This doctrine is not meant to bring division. It is to encourage the believers, to help them appreciate God’s grace in their lives.
BE DILIGENT TO MAKE YOUR CALL AND ELECTION SURE
“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ… But also, for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1-11)
Apostle Peter commands the believers to ‘make their call and election sure’. This does not mean that they can save themselves, by their own efforts. What then does it mean? See how the Apostle Peter says about our saving faith. We have ‘obtained like precious faith’. God started the work of our believing. We did not produce faith by our efforts. Our faith was ‘obtained’ (or received) from God the Father and God the Son. We were dead in sin. A dead man cannot make himself alive. It is God that gives life to the dead. Election and calling are God’s sovereign works. This doctrine is a mystery. Man could not have invented it. Man cannot understand it totally. But this is faith: to believe what I cannot understand just because I find it in God’s Word!!! Faith has peace. Faith depends on God’s Word. Anything that it is not revealed in God’s Word, faith is content to rest in peaceful ‘ignorance’. Fake faith is always restless, has ‘itching ears’, and looks for new ‘revelations’ outside the Bible.
We are to be ‘diligent’ in our Christian life. In Greek, the word means to put effort (body and soul), to be fast, to have enthusiasm, and to be zealous. The opposite is to be passive, dull, and idle. It also means to work persistently until to achieve your purpose. What is our purpose? To Glorify God and to become like Jesus!
These are deep truths! I accept them by faith! I declare that I am a child of God! My mind is too small to understand all God’s mysteries. I am satisfied with what the Holy Spirit reveals to me from God’s Word. Apostle Peter commands the believers to practice the Christian life, to become fruitful. In this way, they will become spiritually mature and gain the assurance of salvation. May God help us all!
REPENTANCE – A GENUINE SIGN OF THE ELECT
What are the signs that you are among the elect? The major sign is genuine repentance from sin with fruits to prove the new life! It is God’s work to grant repentance from sin, and with fruits to prove that it is genuine. A true repentance is ‘unto life’. “When they heard these things, they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” (Ac 11:18). Are you sure that you have received forgiveness of sins? Any man who has come to Jesus, in humility and in faith, has received forgiveness for sins, peace with God and eternal life. The unbelievers are spiritually dead and blind. They cannot ‘see’ the beauty of Christ. The devil keeps them in bondage thru spiritual blindness. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor 4:3,4). A man who says that he wants to repent, and he wants to be saved, but he cannot, that case is totally foreign to the Bible. This is God’s Word: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Ac 2:21). Thru the study of God’s Word, prayer, church attendance and doing good deeds in the name of Jesus, your faith will become mature and fruitful. This will lead to the assurance of salvation. In your heart you will know that you are among the elect, a child of God indeed! This leads to a deeper worship of God! Lastly, a word of encouragement to you: If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, trusting Him alone for salvation, believing that His sacrifice is the full payment for your sins, congratulations! You are one of the elect! God bless you!
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER, THE SEED AND THE SOILS (Luke 8:1-15)
We shall study the Parable of the Sower, soils, and seeds. Here we see that most people do not get saved, even when the hear the Word of God. This revelation can bring sadness and disappointment to us, especially to the pastors and preachers. Truth is painful. At least initially. But we also see, that against all odds, some people receive the grace to believe and retain the Word of God. They become saved. These are the elect, the chosen people of God.
The Lord was going from place to place preaching the Gospel, teaching the Word of God, and healing people who had spiritual or physical illnesses. He had a group of men and women who followed Him faithfully. The twelve disciples were with Him always. He mentored them in a particular way. There were some women disciples who followed Him faithfully. Jesus saved their souls and delivered them from their bondages. These women “provided for Him from their substance” (Lk 8:3). Some were married and some were single. Jesus and His disciples had almost no money with them. They ate what they could find along the way. These women may have been wealthy and carried money with them, to support the ministry of Jesus. This ministry of helps was blessed by the Lord. As you read the Bible, you discover that no woman spoke against the Lord. No woman was ever hostile to Jesus the way the Pharisees were. The women faithfully served Jesus to the end of His life on earth. They worshipped Him with humility and passion. Except for John, all the male disciples ran away when Jesus was arrested. But Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the other women stayed with Him, at the foot of the Cross, until He died. They followed His body to the place where He was buried. They prepared spices to anoint His Body. At that time, the women were greatly discriminated by the men. They were treated more like property, not like persons. But Jesus treated them with respect and kindness. He saved their souls and healed their diseases. His attitude towards the women was revolutionary. These women followed Jesus and use their money ‘to support’ Him. What a privilege! This is a good lesson for all, but for the Christian women in particular: worship God with prayer, with praise, with preaching, and with your purse. Paying the bills to a Christian in need is a form of worship that King Grace notices and always blesses.
The Parable of the Sower is called by some as The Mother of all parables. A parable is defined as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The parable is the same as God’s secret or God’s mystery. The Holy Spirit is the only One who can interpret parables to men. Therefore, the parable is a point of spiritual intimacy between the believers and God. The unbelievers do not understand the secret code of the parables. But to the believers, it is an ‘open secret’ for them. Therefore, only the children of God benefit from the study of the parable. In the parable of the Sower our Lord tells His disciples the reason why He uses parables when teaching people. He says that His purpose is not to over-simplify His teaching. Like a Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so He uses parables to spiritually separate the people who listen to Him. He quotes the Prophet Isaiah (Is 6:9, 10). God sent Isaiah to preach His Word. But the people were rebellious and refused to believe it. Then God placed a judgment upon the rebellious people. This judgment manifest itself as a hard heart and stubborn will. They will hear the Word, but because of their hardened hearts, they will not be able to understand and believe God’s word. The Word does not produce saving faith in them. They cannot repent of sins. They cannot be saved. They cannot be healed. In the parable of the Sower, we see men’s different responses to the Word of God. When we read a parable in the Bible, we need two things: interpretation and application. Both these functions are done only by God the Holy Spirit and only to a believer in Christ. The unbelievers cannot understand, interpret, or apply the wisdom hidden in the parables.
In the Parable of the Sower, we see that God is the Sower. He uses His servants to preach His Word. The seed is God’s Word that is preached to all people. Our Lord said that this parable describes the Kingdom of God, the spiritual community where Jesus is recognized as the Lord, which is the visible church. There are four types of responses to the arrival of the seed; there are four types of soils. The soils represent men’s hearts. Three of these soils are not good. In them, the seed remains unfruitful. Only one type of soil is good and fruitful. Let us study them one by one…
*The first kind of heart is hard. It is like a path in the field. Men walk on it. Some seeds fall on this path. These people are hardened and bitter by disappointing experiences of life. Their minds are closed to the truth. They have a grudge against God and His servants. They hear the word, but they forget it quickly. The demons steal the word from their hearts. They feel sleepy during the preaching of God’s word. They feel tired to attend weekly activities. They grumble against pastors and other Christians. They have trouble trying to remember the sermon preached. The problem is that they forget there is a devil, who the enemy of their souls! They need to humble themselves, repent, and do spiritual warfare!
*The second kind of heart is superficial. The word is planted on a rocky ground that has some soft soil on top. The seed enters quickly and germinates. But because the little plant has no root, it cannot survive the heat of the day. This man hears God’s Word and loves it at the beginning. These are emotional hearers. But without a root, it cannot survive. They lack depth of character and faith. They look ‘soft’ on the outside, but their hearts are hard bellow this ‘niceness’. When the trials of life come, this temporary believer, abandons the faith.
*The third kind of heart is busy. The weeds and the thorns grow faster than the seed planted and choke it. These are people easily distracted and always worried. Their mind is not focused. These thorns are the cares, the riches, and the pleasure of life. The farmer should uproot these weeds. If you allow the anxiety of daily living to dwell in your heart, it will eventually kill the Word of God in your heart. A comfortable happy life is not bad. But be careful with the lawful pleasures of life, like marriage, or taking care of the children. Exercise self-control. These can destroy your desire to sacrificially serve God and to mature spiritually.
*The fourth kind is a good, spiritual, noble, patient, and fruitful heart! This is the only heart that gets saved by the Word. This man hears the Word, understands it, retains it and thru perseverance, produces fruits. This man is different than all the others. By faith, this man holds unto the Word of God. He loves truth! He patiently applies it in all situations of life. He expects God’s Word to work in His life and circumstances. He sees results. Grace strengthens him. Faith helps him. Eventually, he manifests fruits of the Holy Spirit in his life. His testimony and ministry influence others. He becomes a teacher and a mentor to other Christians. This is an elect child of God! The Word proves him true!
When the Lord spoke about 30/60/100 fold, that was shocking to his disciples. In Israel, if the multiplication of seed planted is seven-fold, they call that a great harvest. Nobody heard of hundred-fold harvest. This tells us that as we preach God’s Word, the loss of the seed is much, but the gain is always much more than the losses.
What is the conclusion of this parable? The first three types of hearts represent temporary ‘believers’. These are people who say that they are born again and attend a local church. They are religious ‘unbelievers’. They are not saved. The true believer is represented by the good soil. He is the only one who is saved. Examine your faith! It must grow and become fruitful!
We are to spread the seed to all. “Preach the Word!” (2Tim 4:2). We do not know what type of heart each man has. The Word is given to all. Only God knows that hearts of men. We should not be discouraged when there is no fruit in the ministry. The work of a farmer is not easy. There are many factors that make it difficult. It is ‘up and down’. In this parable, the Sower loses three quarters of the seeds he has planted. But as you can see, not all is lost! Be like God, like Christ, who is never weary to work alone planting the seeds. The Holy Spirit is also the Sower. All Christians should be Sowers. A little child can be as effective as an old Christian because the seed is carried by the Holy Spirit wind. The work of the Sower is to scatter the seed. The Sower cannot make the seed grow. That is God’s Work! Christ is the Seed! Some will accept Him, and some will not! When the good soil receives the seed and produces a harvest, the gain is more than the losses. God is the Sower! He provides the Word, His Seed! We should scatter the seed to all! Let God judge the hearts! We should preach the Word and not fables. We should preach the Word when it is convenient and when it is not. We should preach the Word when men listen and when they do not. Preach the Word with anointing, faith, power, and joy! The harvest is sure! To the glory of God!
Only God changes man’s heart. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (PV 21:1). The problem is not with the Sower, and the problem is not with the Seed. Stop complaining against the Pastor and against the Bible. The problem is always with your heart! Pray that God will change your heart! In His mercy and Grace, He will answer your prayer! Hallelujah! Finally, knowing the doctrine of election should humble us seeing that we did not merit salvation or any good gift from God. We should spend our lives worshipping God and preaching His Word! Worship the Lord!
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).
Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Philippi when he was in prison in Rome. He was on the death row. He was not sure if he will live or die. But he did not care. His joy was full. He was totally sold to the Gospel. For him, the progress of the Word of God was all that matters. What about you? Can you say the same thing? Most people live for other things. If you replace the word ‘Christ’ with ‘money, fame, family, fun…’ you must change the second part of the sentence. It will be like this: ‘For me to live is money; and to die is loss’. Christ is the only word that will balance this scripture in the right way. May God give us the courage to run the race faithfully to the end! Worship the Lord!
Last Sunday ‘a big man’, a chief and politician, attended our church’ service with his driver. As the church is getting more crowded, we did not know that he was there. Yesterday he phoned saying that he loved the service very much. He once attended our church more than 15 years ago. He said that the Spirit of the church, the anointing, has not changed at all! It is the same Holy Spirit that he remembers, that makes sinners bow down, repent and then receive the joy of the Lord. He said that many churches start well but later, because of the love for money and fame, they deviate from the original vision. But our church is exactly as he remembers it long ago, only better. He also said that his driver who was seated beside him was moved to tears. That throughout the service he wept and wept begging God to have mercy on him. The big man was surprised… He said that since then, the driver was ‘sober’. He said that ‘the way I see-am, I de fear say every Sunday he will beg me to allow am to come to Father’s House!’
(Note: I want to thank God for this particular ‘big man’ for allowing his driver to come inside the sanctuary and even to seat next to him. Some big men tell their drivers and mopols to wait in the church’ parking lot… Father God please bless this humble big man!)
Lesson: Dear ‘big men’, if God is using ‘small’ people (your driver, house servant or your children) to bring you to the house of God on Sunday morning, this is wonderful! The ways of God are past finding out! God always wins! Hallelujah! To God be all the glory! Worship the Lord!
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:33)
During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The Gospel according to Jonah’ “Jonah’s anger”. Her main text was taken from the Book of Jonah, chapters 3 and 4.
ANGER DEFINED
Anger (or wrath) is a strong emotion, a reaction to what people consider to be unfair or wicked treatment. It may be expressed as screaming, quarreling, loss or self-control, or physical violence. It is accompanied by the desire to punish or get revenge. Unresolved frustration leads to anger. Frustration is a feeling of disappointment because of lack of success. For example: you are trying to repair your car. After many hours of labor, you have not succeeded in fixing the problem. That is why you become frustrated and eventually angry or bitter. Passive-aggressive anger describes an attitude when anger is hidden most of the time. These people claim that they are not angry, but they are. They avoid situation that provokes them to anger. They express their anger in the form of fault-finding, withdrawal, stubbornness, resistance to authority, gossip, holding grudges, or procrastination. Anger is always destructive to man’s reputation and his relationships with others.
In the Bible we are told that anger is one of God’s holy emotions. God’s anger is always righteous. “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day” (Ps 7:11). Without the work of the Holy Spirit, man’s anger is always sinful. An angry man is a foolish man. “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Ecc 7:9). The only man who can exercise righteous anger is a Spirit filled mature believer who is dead to the flesh and alive to the Spirit. His anger is an expression of God’s anger against sin, and it glorifies the name of the Lord. A mature believer never defends himself but defends God’s name. This righteous anger is a jewel. It is rare to find. It takes great peace, wisdom, spiritual strength, and self-control, to exercise it. It always glorifies God!
NINEVEH REPENTS
Jonah is a prodigal prophet. The hero in the story of Jonah is God. Like the sun rays seen behind the clouds, His Grace shines thru. Grace is the unmerited favor and kindness of God the Father, to the unworthy, based on the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross.
Jonah has a problem. He is angry with God. He has a grudge against God. Jonah’s anger is a passive-aggressive anger. In the first two chapters, his grudge is somehow hidden. He runs away from God and God’s work. In chapter 2 he prays in the belly of the fish, but he does not truly repent of his grudge. But He worships God by saying: “Salvation is of the Lord!”. Because of this true confession, God commanded the fish to vomit him unto dry land. The word of God comes to Jonah the second time. It is the same command. This time Jonah obeys God. He preaches to the people of Nineveh. He obeys God, but not joyfully. His sermon is short, to the point, intended to bring the fear of God to them. There is no love or grace in his words. Even so, all the people in Nineveh repented. God shows mercy and grace to them. One of the greatest revivals in the ancient world happens in that city. But Jonah is not happy with the events. Finally, Jonah’s anger towards God manifests openly.
“So, the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). Like the mariners on the ship, these Gentile people believed in Jehovah, the God of Jonah. From the king to the lowest person, they all feared God, believed the word of His prophet, and repented of their sins. It seems that the revival started from the ‘grass roots.’ The people on the streets who heard Jonah, the were the first to repent. They started fasting and praying before the King heard of the matter. The King believed God’s warning too and he repented openly. He then officially declared a compulsory fast for all people and even for the animals. Just imagine the noise of the hungry animals… None remembered their idols. This was an emergency action trying to find mercy with Jehovah God.
This was the king’s decree: “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?” (Jonah 3:7-9). It is interesting that the king did not have to explain to the people, what their sins are. It is like they all knew that their ways are evil and there is violence in their hands. The only explanation is that the Holy Spirit came and convicted them all of sin. Having such a hatred for them it is possible that Jonah wanted to judge them of their sins. But there was no need. God prepared the way. They all knew that they are sinners in need of a Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit. The people of Nineveh understood God’s Word correctly. It was a warning of grace and love. They knew that Jehovah God could have killed them like Sodom and Gomorrah without any warning. They saw an open window of hope in the prophet’s warning. For example, God told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house and see how he works. The potter has a vessel in his mind. He will use the clay to make that vessel. If the vessel had a fault, he would re-use the clay to make another one. The potter has total control over the clay. In the same way, God has total control over Israel and all the other nations. There is a warning to repent. There is a window of mercy and grace revealed in the warning. In the case of Israel, God’s warning thru the prophet Jeremiah was ignored. That is why God handed them to Babylon (Jer 18:1-12). God told Ezekiel that He has appointed him to be a watchman to the house of Israel. It is the responsibility of the prophet to warn the sinners, to repent! (Ezekiel 3:16-21). True revival always starts like this, with genuine repentance. What men need is not information about their sins. They know themselves. They need the conviction of the Holy Spirit to openly repent. May revival come to our Land!
GOD RELENTS
“Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it… But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry” (Jonah 3:10; 4:1). Jonah was ‘displeased exceedingly and became angry’. In Hebrew, these are strong passionate words. Jonah hated that God used him to bless his enemies. He was selfish and proud. He wanted to control the prophetic office. But that can never happen! God is always in control. We are God’s servants. We do what God commands. We do not have personal preferences in the matter.
God relented from destroying Nineveh. The word ‘relent’ is defined as to soften the harsh attitude because of mercy; to act in a less severe way towards someone and allow something that you had refused to allow before. God decided to forgive the sins of the people of Nineveh. This forgiveness is not because of what they said, or their sackcloth fasting and prayers. It is because ‘God saw their works’. They truly repented with fruits to prove it. Their character and actions truly changed. Only God can detect if a repentance is true or false. Thiers was a genuine repentance that led to salvation. We shall meet our Nineveh brethren in heaven one day! Halleluiah!
We are not told why they repented so quickly. It is possible that their general Naaman has told them the story, how Jehovah, the God of Elisha, has healed him. Some say that Jonah was mentored by Prophet Elisha. Naaman was an Assyrian general who possible lived in Nineveh. He took soil from Israel with the promise to always serve Jehovah God. He also told Elisha that when his master, the king, goes to the temple to serve the Assyrian idol called Rimmon, he will follow but, in his heart, he will worship only Jehovah God (2 Kings 5). This is only one possibility that the people of Nineveh heard about Jehovah God, His power, and His mercy towards others and not only towards Israel.
Our Lord confirms that the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. Their hearts were open to believe the Word of God. But the Jewish religious rulers, closed their hearts towards God’s Son and His Word. That is why, the people of Nineveh who got saved, will stand in judgment against all religious hypocrites. “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed, a greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:38-41). Our Lord used the story of Jonah as a sign to confront the religious unbelievers. He reminded them that Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights. In other words, Jonah died in ‘the heart of the earth’. The fish’s belly represents the grave of Jonah. On the third day, The Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah unto dry land, near the city of Nineveh. This ‘vomiting’ of the fish is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ. God is totally in charge of all events: the fish swallows Jonah and the same fish vomits Jonah. Once the fish vomited Jonah, he immediately does the work of an evangelist. His words are anointed because they were backed up by His miracle of death and resurrection. In the same way, God the Father sent God the Son to die for sinful men. On the third day, Christ rose from the dead thru the glory of God the Father! This is the Gospel we preach: Christ Crucified and resurrected! It has the power of eternal life, to save all who believe the Word! The power of resurrection is the true source of revival and fruitfulness in ministry. Glory to God!
“IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU TO BE ANGRY?”
Despite this extraordinary success in ministry and revival, Jonah is still angry with God. Most prophets were persecuted and even killed because of their words. But God preserved and blessed Jonah. The people believed his words. He should have been happy. But he was not. Anger breeds un-gratefulness to God. He should have celebrated this great deliverance with the people on the streets of Nineveh. He should have organized some Bible studies centers to help them understand God’s word better. But, no! Jonah is still angry! This is clearly a sinful anger. Let us study it… Jonah was not angry with himself, or with the people of Nineveh. He was mostly angry with the only Living Holy Gracious Merciful God of Israel. In the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed that God should help him live. Now, because of this anger, he wants to die. Jonah’s people, the Jews, praised God for His lovingkindness, mercy, and grace. But these are the very attributes that make Jonah angry with God. Jonah is angry with King Grace. His anger blinds him to his own sin, his persistent rebellion against God. Even so, God extends grace to him and rebukes him mildly for his anger.
Jonah built a booth outside the city. He was waiting for the destruction of Nineveh. He was there as the spectator of a great event, much like the Romans who were watching the killing of the Christians by the lions. But after 40 days, to Jonah’s surprise, Nineveh was still standing. Just as he was suspecting, God forgave them. He became greatly disappointed with God. Then, God reveals to Jonah the root of his anger. He made a plant grow to cover him in its shade. Jonah was happy with God’s provision of comfort for himself. Then God ‘prepared a worm’ to destroy the plant and, to make the matters worse for Jonah, God ‘prepared a vehement east wind’ that brought a heat wave. Jonah became angry again, wishing to die. He even claims that he is right to be angry with God.
But God has the final word in this Book. God says: “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” (Jonah 4:10, 11). God ‘finds a common ground’ between Himself and Jonah. It was the attitude of ‘pity’. In Hebrew, the word ‘pity’ means to be concerned about someone, to be grieved when another suffers, to show compassion, and mercy and to spare someone from destruction. God compares Jonah’s pity to the plant and His own pity to the people of Nineveh. What are some of the points of difference? Jonah had pity on a plant, but God has pity on people, who are more valuable than plants. Jonah had pity on a plant on whom he did not contribute anything to make it grow. God had pity on people whom He created and kept alive for His plan and purpose. Jonah had pity on the plant because it died quickly. God had pity on sinners. He does not want them to die an untimely death and go to hell. Jonah wanted all the people in Nineveh to die and go to hell. Jonah has compassion only on himself. His pity was selfish. He did not even care for the plant, only for his comfort. But God has compassion on others, including Jonah.
JONAH HATED KING GRACE
Grace is God’s unmerited favor given to those who are un-deserving. We are saved by Grace alone. Because Grace is a free gift from God, no man can boast of his salvation. Grace is given to the humble and Grace humbles men. God extended grace to the sinners in Nineveh. Jonah knew that they are un-deserving. Why Jonah hated this display of Grace is because now, he too is seen as underserving. In the presence of King Grace, he is not better than the Ninevites. And Jonah saw this as humiliation. That is why he hated Grace.
In the Parable of the workers, the owner of the field said to the workers who came early in the morning: “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Mt 20:15). They were jealous with the last set of workers who received the same payment like them. They were also angry with the owner of the field because he made them ‘equal’ with others. What is the lesson? God does not owe any man anything. Whatever blessing we receive is always only by grace. Sinful men hate King Grace! Jonah was saved but, in his backsliding, he hated the very Grace that saved him. Grace is given to men to make them holy, not happy. Grace brings us to God. Under the plant, Jonah was happy, but not holy. That is why God destroyed the plant to reveal to Jonah his selfish happiness and lack of holiness. When Jonah prayed that God would save him, it was from the belly of the fish. That was not very comfortable. Even to be vomited by the fish on the beach was not a nice sight. Jonah could have preferred to walk on the water like Jesus and to stop the storm with his word. That could have been a better ‘picture’ of a successful prophet. Grace does not promise us comfort but strength to bring us closer to God. Apostle Paul suffered from a thorn in his flesh, possibly a chronic sickness. Three times he prayed to the Lord Jesus to take it away from him. “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:9-10). Grace comes mostly as strength to endure trials. Grace changes us from selfish people to godly people. That is why we need to be grateful for all experiences, pleasant or not because thru them all, grace is revealed.
No man can control or manipulate King Grace. But Jonah hated that lesson of humility. Jonah was saved by grace. But his theology was wrong. He believed that he was saved by works. He believed that because he has been serving God, he deserves to be saved. He thought that he deserves the plant to protect him from the sun. He also thought that the Ninevites, because of their evil deeds, deserve to die and go to hell. You can see how wrong doctrines affects behavior. What you believe will manifest thru your words and deeds. Jonah was a self-righteous religious man, a Jewish tribalist. This type of man sees Grace as a gift for beggars, not for himself. He forgot that Israel became a nation, not because of their righteousness but because of God’s Grace. Jonah knew that God is “a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2) to those who love Him and keep His Commandments. The problem was that Jonah could not extend this mercy and grace to the Gentiles. Jonah also forgot that the initial promise of blessing to Abraham was that thru Israel, all the nations will be blessed. “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3). Jonah was a symbol of the nation of Israel. They thought themselves to be better than other nations. They ‘claimed’ Jehovah God only for themselves. They thought that God is obligated to reward them for their nationality. They saw Grace as divine ‘handouts’ given to people who were inferior to them. That is why Jonah hated grace. The Book of Jonah ends with a question. We do not know if or when Jonah repented of his self-righteousness. God’s question is a sign pointing to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is only in Christ that any man or woman can be found righteous before God. Salvation is by Grace alone, and by faith alone. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:28, 29).
ANGER IS CRIMINAL
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (Mt 5:21-26)
We shall study our Lord’s words concerning anger against people. Our Lord exposes the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They twisted the law of God to benefit them. They were only interested in keeping the law outwardly, for men to see and admire their obedience. They ignored the spirit of the Law. They interpreted the law legalistically, without a spiritual meaning. They love to be seen and admired as religious leaders. But with all their visible religion, they behave as slave masters. They are hypocrites. They live a double life. In their private lives they are wicked, stingy, they lack compassion, and they exploit others. This legalism is an empty religion not pleasing to God. Our Lord exposes their error and reveals the true meaning of obeying the Law. God who gave the Law is Spirit. The Law is always spiritual. Obedience must start in the spirit, in the heart. Obedience that is only outwardly, in the flesh, is not true obedience. God looks at the heart and tests it. The Pharisees obeyed God only for men to see. Our Lord confronted and cursed this unspiritual proud religion (Mt 23:1-7).
One of the Ten Commandments given by God thru Moses is this: “You shall not murder” (Ex 20:13). The Pharisees added something to God’s law. They said: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment” (Mt 5:21). They added that if you murder a person, you ‘will be in danger of the judgment’. What they meant is that if any one physically murders a human being, that person will be in danger to be judged by a human court and found to be a criminal. To the Pharisees, murder was defined only as the act of killing a human being. But our Lord reveals the spiritual meaning of the Law, what God had in mind when He said: “You shall not murder!”. Our Lord says that anger in the heart is sin, and it will be judged by God, in His court, as murder. Religion is only concerned with men’s actions and opinions. Christianity is always concerned with the heart, with the thoughts and the motives that dwell inside, where no man sees but God sees and judges. Our Lord says that anger against men kills them. It may not be physically, but thru careless unkind words, anger kills another’s peace of mind, joy, and reputation. The Pharisees excused themselves. Because they did not physically kill anyone, they thought that God is pleased with them. They did not care about the purity of their hearts. They slandered others by calling them ‘Raca’ (which means worthless fellow, stupid, or ‘ye-ye man’). When they quarreled, they insulted others by saying “You, fool”. They thought that just because they are religious leaders, they are better than others. They were proud and wicked. Anger manifests as pride and slander. Anger and murder are brothers. Every insult towards another human being is a sin and makes you a criminal. You need to repent before God who created the man you have insulted. Repentance towards God is the first step. Secondly, you need to try your best to reconcile with the offended party and restore peace. Jesus said that if you worship God and the Holy Spirit reminds you of a quarrel you had with another, stop the worship. Go and ask for forgiveness from the person. Pray that you may find favor with the offended person. Try your best to change war into peace. After that, you come back, and you continue the worship. If not, that worship, that prayer is in vain. God will not listen to your prayer. Stubborn anger and unresolved quarrels between people are mighty hindrances in your prayer life. No matter how serious your need is, God will not listen to your prayer request. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Ps 66:18).
A Christian loves God and obeys His commands, not for men to see, but in his heart. Jesus loved the sinners and He laid down His life for them, even unto death. If you are a true Christian, then you desire to be and behave like Jesus. You too should lay down your life for the brethren. To lay down your life it means to love the loveless, to humble yourself and to help those in need (1 Jn 3:16-23). Love is expressed in words, but it is not only words. Love combines words with deeds. Love is a verb! Love is action! Love is never stingy with his prayers, encouragement, and helping the needy with provisions. Once you love God and sacrificially help the brethren, you become a friend of truth. You lose the guilt and the condemnation of a backslider, or a hypocrite. You gain confidence before God. Your prayer life gets stronger. God answers your requests freely and without delay. You make spiritual progress. The worship of God is intimately connected with the practical love for all men, and especially with the love for the brethren. This is a simple test: if God delays your prayers, you should examine your heart towards people you dislike. Marriage is a territory of much misunderstanding and anger. The devil attacks the husband or the wife creating painful conflicts. Learn to repent quickly, to God and to one another. If not, your prayers are ‘blocked’ (1 Pet 3:7). Anger in the heart quenches the prayer life and your desire to worship. Your progress in life, your spiritual growth in a way, it is in ‘the hands’ of your brethren. You cannot escape this law. If you want to hear God always, learn the value of peace with all men! Worship the Lord!
LESSONS FROM JONAH
*God is sovereign! His providence always wins! “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call]” (Rom 11:29; AMP)
*God’s dealings with men are always and only based on His Grace. We do not merit salvation, prosperity, children, or any blessings from God. Salvation is not a reward for labor. Salvation is a free gift found in Christ alone. The principle of Grace applies to all relationships we have with other people. We should be kind and forgiving with difficult people, even with the unbelievers. Let all people see King Grace living in us!
*This is the question the Lord asked: “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). The answer is no! I have no right to be angry at God, His Word, and His ways. I am what I am by grace alone! Anger is a work of the flesh (Gal 5:20). Uncontrolled anger has damaged the testimonies of many Christians. It has done great harm to relationships, marriages, and the fellowship of the brethren. It divides the Body of Christ. Many struggles with wounds received from angry, bitter people. Words spoken in anger hurt more than physical pain. We are commanded to forgive those who hurt us. The best way is to control your anger and live in wisdom, humility, peace, and love! By the power of the Holy Spirit, flesh must die! Repent of your anger! Destroy its stronghold in you! Redeem your testimony! This is God’s command to His children: “My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (Jam 1:19, 20). “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Eph 4:26, 27). Give all glory to God!
*Hating the grace of God is sin. “Insulting the Spirit of Grace” is punished by God (Heb 10:29). It is a sin to grumble when we do God’s work, or because He blesses others more than us, because He does not give us what we think we deserve, or because God chooses to withdraw some of our blessings. Anytime you discriminate others based on nationality, race, gender, or social status, you sin against King Grace. The solution is to be humble, grateful, and satisfied with King Grace alone. This is a question: “Is Jesus enough for you?”
*Evangelism and revival are Grace gifts. Preach the whole Gospel, Christ crucified and resurrected. True repentance shows fruits of a changed behavior. Even when God grants you success in ministry, remain humble and faithful, giving God all the glory! Praise the Lord!
*Human anger bows to God’s anger. God uses all situations to glorify His name. Man’s anger and rebellion is an opportunity for God to display His power. God, in His providence, uses all things for His glory, even men’s sins and failure. God’s always wins! “Human anger only results in more praise for you; those who survive the wars will keep your festivals…Even the most angry people will praise you when you are furious… For the wrath of man shall praise You; With a remnant of wrath You will clothe and arm Yourself” (Ps 76:10; GNT; CEV: AMP). Like all His qualities, God’s holy anger against sin is eternal. He defeats all His enemies. With the overflow (remnant) of anger, God will dress in His ‘army uniform’. King Grace is the Captain of our salvation! He is the Lord of Hosts, the General of the heavenly armies! God can never lose! Worship the Lord!
*Jonah should do what Job did! Repent and submit To God and His ways! Job said: “I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You. “Therefore, I retract [my words and hate myself] And I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5, 6; AMP). Praise God!
FINALLY…
Dear child of God, because of God’s grace, you are a special person. As a child of God, it is expected of you to behave well. Thru the study of God’s Word and prayer, become spiritually mature. Do not grumble when you pass thru difficult trials of life. Never doubt God’s love for you! Never allow grudges in your heart towards God. Don’t forget: God is in you! God is with you! Always! You may not like it, but because of sin, you need loving chastisement. God is interested in your soul more than He is interested in your body. He wants you to be holy more than He wants you to be happy. God is interested in your sanctification, that you may become holy like Jesus! When things are difficult, keep your eyes on Jesus, not on your circumstances! Remind yourself of the character of God, His loving-kindness, His faithfulness, His greatness, and His goodness. Remind yourself how big God is and how small you are. Your mind cannot understand God’s ways. That is alright. Accept that limitation. And still trust God! He loves you! The road from earth to heaven may be rough, but it is paved with the precious jewels of grace and glory! In all things give thanks to God! For He alone is worthy! Worship the Lord!
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:2)
*GRACE is not easy to define. There is some mystery associated with it. Generally, grace is defined as the unmerited favor of God to men. Favor is something you don’t deserve. You have no right to receive it in any shape of form. You are entirely unworthy and undeserving of such favor. Grace is the beginning of our faith and peace is the end of our faith. Grace is like the source of a river coming down the mountain. After a long distance, passing thru many places, the river enters the sea, which is the peace. Therefore, peace is the end product of grace.
*PEACE is more than the end of a war. It does not mean just quietness and rest, though it may include that. In Greek, the root word of the word peace is ‘union’. It means a spiritual union. It means two people who were separated, come together again. This is reconciliation after a quarrel. Two enemies who have been fighting put down their weapons, look at one another, shake hands and embrace themselves. That union is called peace. In Christ, both Jew and Gentile live now in peace (Eph 2:14). The middle wall of separation has been broken. The two former enemies are now one. They have peace with God and with one another. This is ‘the peace that passes all understanding’ and it is the work of the Holy Spirit (Phil 4:7). Only the believers experience this type of peace. It is independent of circumstances. It is the peace found in the center of the storm.
THE PEACE OF GOD
First and foremost, the Gospel of Christ gives a man peace in his soul. The Bible reveals that there are four types of peace:
*Peace with God (Rom 5:1). Thru the Cross, we have been reconciled with God. Because of what God has done by His grace, in Christ, the enmity between us and God is gone.
*Peace within (Col 3:15). This peace enables a man, for the first time in his life, to answer an accusing conscience; to have rest in his mind and heart. He can now live with himself without guilt and a restless heart. He now knows that all is well with his soul. The conflict between him and God has ended. He now understands for the first time the cause of all his troubles. He now sees that there is a way to overcome all his difficulties. He has a glimpse of the final victory awaiting him in Christ!
*Peace with others (PV 16:7). Having peace with God and with himself, the Christians now has peace with other people. From the moment he becomes born again, he sees everything and everybody in a new way. Nothing is the same to him. When he looks at his enemy, he pities him. He knows that his enemy is blind and in bondage to sin and to satan. He starts to pray for his enemy. The enmity has been abolished by this new view brough to him by grace. He forgives his enemy. He now desires to be reconciled with him and to live in peace with all men (Heb 12:14).
*The peace of God. The believer has not only peace WITH GOD, but also, he has peace OF GOD. He now has the same type of peace God Himself has. “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7). Not only that God has given you peace, but He has provided for the preservation of that peace. This peace is independent of the circumstances. It is a gift from Jesus, the Prince of Peace!
Please remember that this peace comes to us as a result of the grace of God. Grace and peace are always connected. As sinners, we deserve nothing, we do not even desire peace and we cannot achieve it. God comes to us and by His grace, He saves us and gives us His peace. How wonderful! Grace and peace are both free gifts of God. How does this grace and peace come to us? The source of it all is God, our Father in heaven! Before the foundation of the world, by His grace, God chose us to be in Christ Jesus. He decided in Himself that He will show infinite favor to some people (Eph 1:4-6; Heb 8:10-12). He said to Himself: “I will be their Father and they will be My people!” The amazing grace of God started our salvation! The same grace will perfect it! This grace has changed us completely! Hallelujah!
God is the Creator of all men, but He is Father to only the chosen ones. I can create a piece of artwork, a painting for example, and hand it on the wall. But I am not the Father of that painting. Fatherhood connotes kind. It implies resemblance. My children look like me and they speak like me. God has called us His children and He has given us His spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15, 29). The religious Jews mocked Jesus. He told them that they are the sons of the devil and not of God (Jn 8:44).
Not many Christians appreciate the grace of God enough. If you want to know how great this grace is, look first and see the depths and ugliness of sin. But no matter how bad your sin was, grace is deeper and higher than any sin! “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom 5:20). Grace is infinitely deeper than sin! Grace is older than sin! Grace was ‘born’ before the foundation of the world. Sin was ‘born’ only during the life of Adam. These revelations are difficult to understand. You need the Holy Spirit to understand them. The religious unbelievers will misinterpret this truth and will take the grace of God in vain. They will continue in sin that grace may abound. If you hear these words and you are not moved to repent and worship God for His grace, then you are not a child of God! You have crashed into the Kingdom of God ‘thru the window’, ignoring Jesus who is the Door! You may call yourself a Christian, but you are not saved!
Finally, let us appreciate God for His love, mercy, grace, and peace! We started by grace and we shall end by grace. Even in the journey of life, the grace of God is all-sufficient! It is all we need. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). What a Savior! “Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound; That saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am found; T’was blind but now I see!” Worship the Lord!
(From a sermon preached by Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh)
“Many waters cannot quench the flame of love, neither can the floods drown it. If a man tried to buy it with everything he owned, he couldn’t do it” (SS 8:7)
From the Bible we see that God invented marriage and God hates divorce. Marriage is God’s idea. As a pastor I counsel many women (and men) who struggle in their marriages. Many wives are ignorant of their husbands’ spiritual and physical needs. The devil takes opportunity of their ignorance and attacks their homes. That is why many marriages are like stagnant waters, boring and unhappy. From what the Bible says and from my experience as a wife I bring to you some time tested wisdom. Dear sisters, please try to answer these questions: “What does my husband want from me? What shall I give him so that our marriage will be strong, spiritual and happy?” These are the first five qualities most of the husbands expect from their wives (in this particular order): Respect, Sexual satisfaction, Faithfulness, Friendship and Understanding. Pray about each of them!
MY TESTIMONY AS A WIFE
My husband and I are happily married for 43 years. We got married as unbelievers. Then we became saved. Now we are pastors in full time ministry. We are parents to three adult children and have six grandchildren. Inspired from the Bible and learning from my experience, by the grace of God, I am now able to teach other women. I see marriage as a gift from God. I do not ‘merit’ to be called ‘a wife’. It is not because I am beautiful or educated. Marriage is ‘a grace gift’. Because I fear God, I fear to damage my marriage. I cannot be a happy wife without the help of the Holy Spirit. I read the Bible daily. I grow in wisdom and knowledge. Therefore my marriage becomes better. I pray daily for my husband, for our children, grandchildren, for our health and ministries. I pray to see Christ in my husband (in his words and deeds). I love peace in my home. I hate quarrels and divisions. I respect my husband not only thru my words and deeds, but even in my heart. I pray to be able to see him as a holy man of God. My prayer has been answered. I like to cook for him and serve his food. I like it when he is hungry and he sits at the table patiently waiting for me to bring the food. I like it when we eat together. I like it when he compliments me for the food I cooked. I like it when he encourages me to do better. I understand him and he understands me. We love each other and we take care of each other.
I like to wake up in the morning knowing that he is my husband. I do not dream about any other man. My imagination is limited only to him. Even after all these years, I appreciate his love for me. I appreciate the fact that out of millions of women he chose me to be his wife. He has his own favorite chair at the table. If a visitor comes and by mistake he sits there, I will not allow it. If we have visitors at the table, I do not use his (particular) plate for other people. These may not be ‘big things’ but to me, these are symbols of respect.
Long ago I knew that my husband will be a man of God and I will be a pastor’s wife. I started studying the Bible with great passion. The knowledge of the Word of God is for my own soul and to help my husband. I love it when we discuss the doctrines and new revelations from the Bible. I love it when I have something good to add to the discussion. I also pray for sexual compatibility. Sex is a great blessing from God that brings happiness to any marriage. It satisfies the bodies and the souls. It brings peace in the bedroom and in the home. We are colleagues in the ministry, we are friends and we are lovers. We rejoice with one another. We ‘gist’ and laugh a lot. Time has not reduced this joy. In fact, it has made it better. The water is now wine. The ordinary taste of life has become sweet. We drink from this cup of intoxicating love and have no apologies for it. We feel old and young in the same time. We feel weak sometimes and strong most of the times. The passion to love God and one another is the holy fire that keeps burning in our home, making it safe and secure. No man or devil can quench it.
May God bless you with the blessings of Christ and with the gift of a wonderful ever sweeter marriage! In Jesus name!
(I wrote these words in 2017. My beloved husband went to heaven, suddenly, in July, 2020. Since then my life has changed in some ways… But my passion for our Lord Jesus Christ and for the memory of my husband is getting stronger with time. “Many waters cannot quench true love…” (SS 8:7). The words I wrote then are still true and helpful to other married couples. Read and be blessed! And give God all the glory!)
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JONAH (6) “CHRIST IS RISEN!”
During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The Gospel according to Jonah’ (6); “Christ is risen!”. Her main text was taken from the Books of Jonah 1:17, 2:10, 3:1-5 and Luke 24:1-53.
THE SIGN OF JONAH
The story of Jonah is a sign prophetic pointing to the death and the resurrection of our Lord. God provided the great fish that swallowed Jonah. The belly of the fish is a form of a grave for him. As God provided the fish to swallow Jonah, so it was God’s will for His Son to die and to be buried for three days. On the third day, God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah on the dry land. Jesus too resurrected on the third day, thru the glory of the Father. Jonah now preaches the Word to the Ninevites. God blesses the ministry, and it becomes fruitful. Jonah gives all glory to God saying that “Salvation is of the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9). Our Lord resurrected from the grave and thru the Holy Spirit His Word becomes fruitful to the glory of God the Father! You see now why Jesus said that the story of Jonah is a sign for all unbelievers! “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed, a greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:38-41). Our Lord used the story of Jonah as a sign to confront the religious unbelievers. He reminded them that Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights. In other words, Jonah died in ‘the heart of the earth’. The fish’s belly represents the grave of Jonah. On the third day, The Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land, near the city of Nineveh. This ‘vomiting’ of the fish is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ. God is totally in charge of all events: the fish swallows Jonah and the same fish vomits Jonah. Once the fish vomited Jonah, he immediately does the work of an evangelist. His words are anointed because they were backed up by His miracle of death and resurrection. In the same way, God the Father sent God the Son to die for sinful men. On the third day, Christ rose from the dead thru the glory of God the Father! This is the Gospel we preach: Christ Crucified and resurrected! It has the power of eternal life, to save all who believe the Word! The power of resurrection is the true source of revival and fruitfulness in ministry. Glory to God!
THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST’ RESURRECTION
The doctrine of Christ resurrection is fundamental to Christianity. It is based on the belief that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the third day after his death on the Cross. Resurrection means victory! When Jesus rose from the dead, He confirmed His identity as the Son of God and His work of atonement, redemption, reconciliation, and salvation. The resurrection was a real, literal, physical raising of Jesus’ body from the dead. Through His conquering of death all believers will subsequently share in His victory over “sin, death, and the Devil.” Together with Christmas, the celebration of this event, called Easter, or the Festival of the Resurrection, are the two major feast days in the church. Because of Christ’ resurrection, the believers who fall asleep shall resurrect at the second coming of Christ. They shall have new spiritual bodies like the Lord’s. They shall retain their personhood and their individuality, and they shall have an expanded memory and understanding. Many have tried to destroy this doctrine. It cannot be destroyed because the resurrection of Christ is a fact. There are some theories trying to deny the resurrection of Jesus. Some say that His followers stole His Body from the tomb. Some say that Jesus did not die, that He only fainted and later He came out from the tomb. Others say that all the believers who testified that they saw the resurrected Christ had a nervous breakdown and they were hallucinating. All these theories are all wrong and are even harder to believe than the simple fact of Christ’ resurrection.
The resurrection of Jesus was not some poetic way to express the victory of goodness over evil. Rather, the resurrection was something many of the earliest followers of Jesus experienced as a real, historical event. To be precise, they did not witness the resurrection itself, but the resurrected Jesus who, much to their surprise, had conquered death. This same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us, the believers. Apostle Paul prays that you ‘may know… the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe, according of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead” (Eph 1:18-20). This power is greater than all our expectations. It dwells and works in us thru the Holy Spirit. It manifests especially as strength to obey God’s Word, to become godly and in doing ministry.
To appreciate the resurrection of our Lord, you must first understand what happened at the Cross. By His death, Jesus defeated at once and forever man’s five enemies: Satan, sin, death, the law, and the wrath of God. Man cannot be saved if any of these enemies are still standing against him. Jesus perfectly obeyed and fulfilled the law of God in two ways: actively, by living a life of total obedience to the Father; and passively, on the Cross, when He accepted to become a substitute and to die for man’s sin. The Cross was the greatest warfare field in the universe. At the Cross, Christ won the victory! By His death, Christ did three things relating to the devil: He cast out the devil from his position as the ruler of this world; Christ destroyed the works (the lies, the fears, the bondages) of the devil; and Christ made a public spectacle of the devil and his demons, openly displaying their defeat.
“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die” (Jn 12:31-33)
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8)
“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Col 2:15)
The Cross proved to men and angels that Christ is the eternal victor! The resurrection of Christ sealed His victory! Anytime you think of His resurrection, you should think of victory and triumph leading to eternal praise!!!
How did our Lord defeat and publicly disgrace the devil? The devil tried to kill baby Jesus thru King Herod. He failed. Later, the devil attacked Jesus thru his temptations in the wilderness. Christ defeated him thru the sword of the Word of God. Adam failed when the devil tempted him. Christ, the second Adam, conquered the devil by resisting all temptations and remaining obedient to God the Father. After the temptations, the devil left Christ for a season (Lk 4:13). He attacked Him again in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross. What was the devil’s strategy and weapon? It was the physical and emotional weakness of the human body. The devil hoped that Christ will draw back from the Cross because of the physical sufferings involved. He thought that Christ’ strength and faith will fail. The Cross meant more than physical sufferings. Because Christ accepted the sins of humanity on His body, for the remaining hours of His life, Christ will be separated from God the Father. In other words, Christ must live and die alone, without God. For the first and last time in the universe, sin separated the members of the Trinity. Father and Son must pass thru this road alone. The devil hoped that Christ will break down in fear at the idea to be Fatherless when dying alone. But the devil failed. Alone, rejected by God and man, Christ accepted the will of the Father and with our sins on His body, He went to the Cross. With His last breath, He cried a cry of victory, “It is finished!’ In other words, He said: “I have obeyed the will of My Father unto the end. I have finished His work. I passed thru this pain and shame, from death to life! My life and death shall bring eternal honor and glory to My Father! Many people shall be saved! I will be the first among many brethren! Life has conquered death! Glory to God forever!”
The devil’s hope that Christ will withdraw from the Cross failed that day! He has deceived Adam that God does not love him enough. His lies have influenced humanity since then. But on the Cross, as Christ died for our sins, God’s Love can never be hidden again. Light shines and makes this Love visible to all who believe! “Love is as strong as death” (SS 8:6). Glory to God!
What are some proofs of the resurrection of Christ?
*The empty tomb. The religious rulers had a great interest to deny the resurrection. They needed to find His body. But none could find it anywhere. Even today, people go to Jerusalem to see the empty tomb.
*The witness of the believers. Christ revealed Himself to many believers. He did not reveal Himself to Pilate, King Herod, to the High Priest or to the religious rulers. He only revealed Himself to the ones who believed in Him before He died. Later, He revealed Himself to the Apostle Paul!
*The changed behavior of the believers. There is no other explanation why all the disciples of Jesus changed from sorrow to joy once they saw Him. Their mourning ended once they saw their Lord in His resurrection body. They became bold and confident preaching the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected. They were ready to become martyrs and die for Christ’ sake! The fact of Christ’ resurrection is the only explanation!
*The existence of the Church cannot be explained outside the power of the Gospel and of the Holy Spirit. The Jews celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday. The Christians celebrated the Sabbath on Sunday. This is because Jesus resurrected on Sunday morning! Halleluiah!
*Faith in the Word of God is the ultimate proof that Christ is risen indeed! The true believers do not need to see Christ resurrected to believe in Him. They trust the Word of God! The resurrection power works in their faith! The unbelievers reject it! It will be so to the end of times!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
We shall revisit the story of the first Easter Day described in Luke 24. It is the first day of the week; it is Sunday morning. The women disciples who have been following Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and other women came ‘very early’ in the morning to the tomb. They carried burial spices to place on the body of their Lord. They saw where Jesus was buried on Friday evening. His body was wrapped with white linen. But there was no time then to add all the burial spices according to the Jewish custom. The next day it was the Sabbath day (Saturday), and nobody could work. Because the women did not finish their work concerning the burial of their Lord that is why they were coming very early on Sunday morning. See God’s providence: God did not allow the work of burial to be completed so that the women will come again to the tomb to witness that it was empty. Throughout the Book of Luke, the Person was Jesus Christ was the center of every action. Now, reading Chapter 24, we feel strange. Jesus is absent. At least initially. The women were shocked to find that the Body of Christ was missing. The tomb was empty! Or almost empty! They saw the linen clothes on the ground, but the Body of Jesus was not there. They were ‘greatly perplexed’. In their confusion, behold, they saw two men in shining garments. They were angels who rebuked them mildly saying: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Lk 24:5-7). Please observe the kindness of God the Father. He knew that these sisters could not sleep the whole night because of their sorrow. Now, the empty tomb created more pain. He sent the angels to help these women. They spoke the truth to them. They were seeking Jesus but in the wrong place. They re-directed the women to the Word of God, to the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected. Like the rest of the disciples, the women did not believe the words of Jesus who told them that He will die and rise to life again. This is a great lesson: doubt in God’s Word will lead you astray, to search for the truth in the wrong places. Always go back to the Bible! Find Christ in His Word! Praise God for His mercy in re-directing us!
Immediately the women ‘remembered His Word’ (Lk 24:8) they returned to tell the other disciples about the empty tomb and the words of the angels. When the apostles heard their story, their words seem foolish, like ‘idle tales’. They thought that the women’ sorrow made them to talk nonsense. That is why they did not believe them. But Peter did the right thing. He went to check things for himself. This is a good lesson: We should never reject the words of others. This is another good lesson: Search for yourself in the Bible and find the truth. You can see that because the story of Resurrection is a miracle, most people reject it, including many Christians. Peter saw the linen clothes on the floor of the tomb. He did not see the body of Jesus. He also did not see the angels. He must now humble himself, forced to listen to the women who became ‘the first preachers of the resurrection’ (St. Augustine). This is another great lesson: to see the empty tomb is not enough to make you believe in the Gospel. These people were still ‘perplexed’ with what they have ‘seen’. Faith comes thru believing the Word of God and not thru ‘seeing’! Even faith in miracles comes thru faith in the Word of God!
This is the Word the women remembered. This sanctified remembrance helped them to seek Christ, not among the dead, but in the Living Word of God. “And He (Jesus) began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Mk 8:31-33). Long before the Cross, our Lord clearly predicted His death and Resurrection. He told His disciples that the religious leaders will reject and betray Him, and that He will be killed. He also said that on the third day, He will rise again. Peter rebuked Christ for this word. Our Lord then rebuked Peter saying that Satan spoke thru him. Our Lord said that Peter in ‘mindful’ of the things of men and not the things of God. Satan did not want Jesus to die on the Cross and rise again! He knew that will be the end of his authority over men. This is another great lesson: anytime your emotions or your human wisdom control your speech, you will reject the Gospel.
THE ROAD TO EMMAUS
Two disciples were walking that same day from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village located 7 miles north of Jerusalem. One is named Cleopas. His name means ‘The Glory of the Father’. The second one is not named. He can be me or you. Both disciples were deeply sorrowful. They felt disappointed by the death of their Master. They were talking about the Cross and the empty tomb. Then Jesus ‘drew near and went with them’. Their eyes were ‘restrained’ supernaturally. That is why they did not recognize their Lord. They called Him ‘a stranger’ who is ignorant about the things that happened for the past three days in Jerusalem.
Why were their eyes ‘restrained’? Why did they not recognize the Lord after the resurrection? In His spiritual body Christ looks like a man. But His body is not the same. All the wounds He received during the beating before the crucifixion have now disappeared. The only scars He kept were the nail scars on His hands and the spear wound on His side (Jn 20:20). His body has the power to pass thru material things, to vanish or appear at will. After His resurrection Christ decides who can recognize Him and who cannot. Mary Magdalene thought He was the Gardner until He opened her eyes (Jn 20:15, 16). Peter and the other disciples recognized Him only later, when He told them how to catch fish (Jn 21:1-14). In the same way, we cannot ‘see’ the resurrected Christ with our natural sight. We cannot believe the doctrine of His resurrection using our human wisdom. Christ reveals Himself as He wishes and to whom He wishes. He has already said that only ‘the pure in heart will see the Lord’ (Mt 5:8). The believer must humble himself, must have faith, and come to a place of worship so that Christ will grant him ‘open eyes’ to see Him! Apostle Paul prayed that ‘the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened’ to see Christ in His resurrection power and in His glory (Eph 1:15-23). Holy pacemakers are promised to see the Lord. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). Any spirit of unforgiveness, envy, bitterness, and division blind the eyes to the revelation of Christ resurrected.
The Lord asked the two disciples about the things they were talking about. It was Cleopas who spoke. He preached what some called ‘the gospel according to Cleopas’. He declares all the facts, about Christ, His ministry and death. He also says that the tomb is empty. He expresses his sadness and disappointment that his hopes were dashed at the Cross. He was looking for the Redeemer, but the Redeemer was dead. What is missing from this gospel? It is the faith in Christ’ resurrection! Cleopas was mourning his lost dreams and broken hopes. He was complaining about his pain to the very One who rose from the dead! Face to face with Jesus, his Redeemer, he was weeping for the loss of all hope. That is when Christ rebukes them mildly saying, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk 24:25-27). Christ’ word of rebuke is this: you are foolish and slow of heart because you allowed doubts to enter your heart! You are trying to understand spiritual things using your natural minds’.
It is the same word of rebuke when Apostle Paul addressed the Galatians: “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?” (Gal 3:1-4). The Galatians believed the Gospel, which is Christ crucified and resurrected. But something happened to them. They allowed the devil to make them foolish, to ‘bewitch’ them. It manifested as doubt. They listened to religious lies and started to backslide in their hearts Foolishness damages the faith in the God of Resurrection and of miracles and it grieves the Holy Spirit! Foolishness is a sin to be repented of!
What is the solution? Christ directs them to the Bible! Observe that He does not reveal Himself to them at this point. The Living Word directs them to the written Word. The resurrected Christ preaches to them about Himself in the Old Testament. I would have loved to be there too, to listen to Christ preaching and teaching to the sorrowful and foolish disciples. This is a great lesson of how a sermon should be preached: It must be based on the Word of God, both Old and New Testament and it must be Christ centered. Christ helped His disciples to see the Grief and the Glory, the Cross and the Resurrection, the sufferings, and the victory of the Redeemer. The application of any Christ centered sermon should lead to burning hearts and open eyes to see Christ in His glory!
Christ and the two disciples arrived at their home at Emmaus. The Lord indicated that He wants to go further. But the two disciples insisted that He should stay with them for the night. Maybe they told Him that He will not be safe in the night, or they wanted to listen more to His words. But one thing is sure, they ‘constrained’ Him to stay for the night and share their home. I feel the joy of the Lord. When He was born, there was no room for Him. But now, after the resurrection, His disciples gladly welcome Him in their homes. They set the table offering the food they have. Bread was there and maybe some fruits. It was the tradition that the host of the home prays over the meal. But Cleopas submitted to his ‘Guest’, sensing that He is holier than him. Christ took the role of the head of the home. He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. At that moment the eyes of the disciples were opened, and they saw that the stranger they invited in was really the Christ, their Lord! Immediately they recognized Him, Christ vanished from their sight. They now had the word explained, their hearts burning with passion, and their eyes opened to see His glory. They now know that Jesus is not dead, but alive. In their excitement, they could not even relax to eat the food. They left the dinner on the table, and they went back to Jerusalem to tell the other brethren their whole experience. It was the same night. It was the same road. But oh, what a difference. Earlier on, they trekked that road in sadness and despair. But now, filled with the revelation of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, sure that Christ is risen from the dead, they now became ministers of the Word to others! This is the resurrection power at work in those who believe!
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF DEATH AND RESURRECTION – PAUL’S GREATEST AMBITION
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:10, 11)
The Great Apostle Paul had one great ambition: To know Jesus Christ better. Paul, who saw the resurrected Lord on the road to Damascus, Paul who had visions of the Lord, Paul who went to the third heaven, Paul who wrote three quarters of the Epistles in the New Testament, was not satisfied. He wanted to know Christ better. He is not saying just to study the Word of God more. He wanted to know the Person, the Presence of Christ better. He is talking of an increased intimate knowledge of the Person of Jesus Christ. He wanted a deeper experience than his initial experience he had on the road to Damascus. Secondly, Paul wanted to be more and more like Jesus! There are three aspects in his desire: To know the power of His resurrection, to have fellowship with Christ’ sufferings, and to be conformed to Christ death.
*To know the power of resurrection! Paul describes the doctrine of the union of the believer with Christ! In Christ, we have died with Him, we were buried with Him, we resurrected with Him, and we are now seated in heavenly places with Christ (Rom 6:3-11; Eph 2:6). These are spiritual facts. Paul knows them. But he wants that these facts become more and more spiritual experiential realities to him, to walk in the newness of life. Christ was raised by the glory of the Father. Paul wanted to experience this glory more and more in his life. The Lord told him that His ‘power is made perfect in Paul’s weakness’. “Christ said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor 12:9). Paul wanted to trust God more in his weaknesses so that the power of resurrection will manifest in his life, to experience Christ’ all-sufficient Grace.
*The fellowship of Christ’ sufferings. Christ suffered as a Man on earth. All His sufferings were because of sin. “He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief” (Is 53:3). Christ was rejected, misunderstood, betrayed, and killed by ‘His own’. He was grieved to see the damage sin has done to His Father’s creation. Christ suffered because He was holy and all the people around Him were sinners. That is why they hated Him. Because of that the Son of Man was lonely. Paul knew that the holier he becomes, the more the world will reject him too. But amid that rejection, he will understand Christ’ pain better. He wanted to identify with His Savior’s pain to know Him more.
*Being conformed to His death! Paul made up his mind, that for the sake of Christ and His Gospel, he is ready to die. Paul knew that ‘to die is gain’. Paul was in prison in Rome waiting to be killed. He has already suffered much, hated, stoned, beaten, and shipwrecked. But he discovered that Christ was always with him. He turned all his afflictions into opportunities for ministry. He now desires to be totally free from shame and fear of troubles. His ambition is to live and die in such a way that Christ will be ‘magnified’ in his body. He wanted to have the testimony of a servant of God not only in life, but also in death. He wanted to die as a Man of God. “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:19-21). Paul’s ultimate desire to is to go to heaven and be with his Lord forever! Is that your desire? Then you are truly a blessed child of God! Worship the Lord!
I love that you are able to find beauty in the mud, and diamonds (though unpolished) in the city trash cans. I love that you don’t waste your emotions, but you prune them and let them grow! I love that your words are like arrows, all gathered in the bull’s eye! I love that you help young birds learn how to fly! I love that you have the courage to pass thru the storms until you arrive at that miracle island called ‘Peace, be still’. I love that you have found the courage to speak, the strength to feel and the passion to sing! I declare that it is well with us!
God bless you with the blessings of Christ!
Love in Christ alone,
Your mum,
Malia!
“Here am I and the children whom the LORD has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel From the LORD of hosts, Who dwells in Mount Zion” (Is 8:18)
Green Pastures 