God, Us and Truth Part 3

Parable of the lost son

In Luke 15 Jesus tells three stories to illustrate how much God loves people, seeks them out and rejoices when they turn to him. One is about a shepherd seeking a lost sheep, one is a woman searching for a special coin that was lost. The third story is the story of the Lost Son.

Luke 15:11-32 NLT
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. [12] The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now before you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. [13] "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. [14] About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. [15] He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. [16] The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. [17] "When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! [18] I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, [19] and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant."' [20] "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. [21] His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.' [22] "But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. [23] And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, [24] for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began. [25] "Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, [26] and he asked one of the servants what was going on. [27] 'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.' [28] "The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, [29] but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. [30] Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!' [31] "His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. [32] We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"

The Story.
This is a story about a wayward son who wants to find his own way in the world and totally wastes everything he was given. It is a story about a self righteous son who couldn't grasp the Father's love. And it is a story of a Father who is willing to love and forgive, to bring hope and restoration.

What do we learn about God?
The father in this story represents God.
1. One of the things I notice is that the Father lets the son go. He actually gives him the value of his share and lets him loose into the world, even if it broke his heart.

He doesn't force the son into relationship. Instead, he lets him exercise his free will and lets him go. This must have been incredibly hard. It is difficult as a parent to let your children go, when you know the dangers ahead. But God does not force us into relationship. When we choose to go our own way, he lets us go.

2. The father is waiting for the son to return.
When the son chose to return, the father was there, ready, watching, waiting. God wants us to return to him, but does not force us to return. However, when we come to God, he is there waiting for us and watching out for us, ready to embrace us. God wants to be in relationship with us and he is there waiting for us when we choose to return to him.

The father was filled with love and compassion for his son. He was not concerned with what had passed, only that his son was again with him. God is waiting for us to come to him. He is filled with love and compassion for us, and when we return to him, he celebrates that return. There is no recrimination, no reminding us of what we did, just love, forgiveness and the chance to start anew.

Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. [2] For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord ’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!

Ps 100:5
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Eph 3:18
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

Luke 24:47
It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, f beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

Romans 4:5-7
David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: [7] "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. [8] Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

God is ready and willing to embrace us and not count our sins against us. His forgiveness is complete.

What do we learn about human nature?

There are two sons in this story. Both of these sons needed redemption

Son 1 was self righteous and his attitude was full of pride.

It is clear from the story, that he believed his acceptance was all about what he did and how he behaved. His attitiude was one of pride and disdain for his brother. As a result he could not handle that the father had forgiven the second son and he became jeaous and sulky because he thought life was unfair.

There is a lesson for us here:
How do we respond when it seems that we are the ones who have been working hard, but someone else gets the party and the recognition, for what we believe they have not earned?

We've worked hard, we haven't fallen away. In truth, we can become like the older brother who is only focussed on what he has done, and has missed the truth. If we find our value in what we do, rather than who we are, we toatally miss the truth of God's great love and forgiveness, and his joy for those who come to him.

The older son says "all these years ...." he was so caught up in what he did that he could not see the need for grace and forgiveness.

Son 2 had been sinful, but repentent.

Yet he did not fully appreciate the extent of the father's love. He wanted to come home, but he felt unworthy. He was prepared to be a servant, rather than a son. The father greats him and restores him to sonship. The Father in this story is not in need of an extra servant. He is wanting restoration, total restoration for his son.

We can fall into the trap of missing the point. We feel so bad about our past, that we do not believe we are good enough to be "sons" in the family. Instead, we expect to be treated like a servant in the hope that it will be slighlty better than what we have now.

But the Bible tells us that we are forgiven, utterly and totally. Our sins are remembered no more.

Ps 103 - as far as the east is from the west
Our sis are forgiven etc.

Psalm 103:12 NLT
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

God is not holding our sin against us, yet sometimes we are!!!

What sins are you holding against yourself that God has already forgiven?

What other truths do we see in this story?
There are many other things that we can draw from this story. The one I want to highlight is the position we have in God. We are "sons" of God. We have been given position in the family.

The first son was all about works and earned position. He missed the point that position in the family was not earned. It was not about works, it was not about what he did. We are born into family and that is what gives us position. The works were important, the family business had to be run and run effectively and efficiently, but his position in the family was not reliant on what he did.

Position is not about how good we are and what we have done. Our position is because of what God has done. In John 3 Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. This new birth is by the Spirit. We enter God's family by rebirth, through the Spirit, and we become members of the family with the position and the rights and responsibilities that go along with that.

Neither son fully understood their position. The first son thought it was all about what he did, his works and his "goodness." He totally missed out on the good things that go with the position because he was trying to earn his way. The father says that he could have asked at any time for a party, yet he never did? Why? He didn't understand the heart of his father.

The second son also thought it was about what he had done. He did not understand the power of forgiveness that the father had for him. His position in the family was not changed because of what he had done. He was still a son. He had been born into the family.

John 1:12-13 NLT
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. [13] They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

1 John 3:1 NLT
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know him.

We are heirs of God.

Romans 8:15-17 NLT
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." [16] For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. [17] And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Everything that is God's is at our disposal. We are heirs, we are God's children, and what we have or have not done does not change our position.

How well do we understand the position we have in God?

Which camp do we fall into?

Are we concentrating on earning our position instead of embracing the position we already have through grace?

Jesus tells us that we can ask God for whatever we will, in his name and it will be done. The father was happy to give the first son a party but the son never asked for one because he forgot his position.

Are we like the second son, feeling like we don't deserve the position because of the lifestyle we led?

So we don't ask God because we don't think we are worth it. We are children of God. Our position in him does not change. We are his children, born into the family by rebirth, through the love and grace and mercy of God.

We can ask ourselves:
What attitudes, or perceptions about God do I need to address in my life?

What does God say about me and my position in his family?

I encourage you to search God's word and find out what he says about us, and who we are. We are children in his famiky, loved and forgiven. We have access to God, and to all that is ours because we are positioned in him.

What is my next step?
What will I do this week to challenge the wrong perceptions I carry about God?

Challenge: Who does God say I am?

Who will I share this story with?
Be open to who God might be leading you to, to share his love and grace with them.

God, Us, and Truth Part 2

Parable of scattering the seed

Luke 8:4-15
While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“‘though seeing, they may not see;    
 though hearing, they may not understand.’[a]

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

What does the Story Say?
Jesus tells this story to people from a rural context who are gathering together to hear him. His disciples don’t really understand the parable and so Jesus explains it to them.

Jesus is using this parable to help people understand that there are different responses to the word of God. The seed is God's word, and the ground is the state of the heart and determines the response to the seed and the fruitfulness of God's word in people's lives.

What do we learn about God?
God’s Word is sent out. It will accomplish what he planned for it, but not everyone will respond.

Isaiah 55:10-11
10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens    
 and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,     
producing seed for the farmer     
and bread for the hungry.
11 It is the same with my word.     
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,     
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

The interesting thing about the parable, is that it seems like some of the word does not accomplish its purpose. But God knows who will and who won’t accept his word, and his purpose will always be accomplished in the world.

Jesus understood that the hearts of the people were hard. They look, but do not really see, they hear, but they are not really listening and learning. As a result, Jesus uses parables, and says – listen to the truth and understand it – he who has hears – should listen and understand. God wants us to listen to his word, to take notice of it, to learn from it and for it to be able to grow and produce fruit in our lives.

Isaiah 53:3a
“Come to me with your ears wide open.     
Listen, and you will find life.

God wants us to really listen to him and to understand him, to take notice and to act on it. This is hearing with the intent to act! When we truly take the time to listen, and listen with the right attitude we will actually receive more understanding.  

God says he will remove from us the ability to understand if we don’t come to him with the right heart.

Luke 8:18
So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away.

This sounds kind of harsh, but Jesus never minced his words. The word is sent out to accomplish God's purpose in our lives.

What other truths does the story portray?
This is also a story about the state of the human heart.
1. Sometimes the heart is so hard that the devil can easily take the word away. This person is so bound up that the heart is so hard, that the grace of God has not had a chance to penetrate. They have no interest in the things of God and the truth of his word. They have shut themselves off from God’s grace.

2. The rest of the seed falls on ground where it is received, and received with joy. The next group of people are those who have heard the word. They are joyful, because they have understood and received God’s grace and salvation. The difficulty here is that they forget to devote themselves, or they devote themselves for a while but slacken off quickly.

I liken this group to those who accept Jesus from emotion, rather than from faith. There is no substance and no deep roots of belief or desire to know God in a real way. There is temptation in this world, and these people easily succumb because they do not have the strength and the maturity to face it, and overcome it.

The sad thing is that these people have actually heard and joyfully accepted the truth, but the lack of substance, the lack of deep roots means they fall away easily. This is the “I tried Christianity and it didn’t work” people. There is something in this I think about a selfish heart that does not deeply care about God, but is only joyful about what God can do for them. There is no desire to really honour and worship God. 

But God actually enables us to stand against temptation if we will allow him.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Proverbs – people make their own dumb mistakes and the blame God for it.

Prov 19:3
People ruin their lives by their own foolishness, and then are angry at the Lord.

Developing deep roots takes time and effort, reading the word, praying, worshipping, and seeking a kingdom purpose not a self-purpose.

We can ask ourselves:
How am I ruining my own life because of my own foolish behaviour?

3. The seed that falls among the thorns, is heard, taken in and starts to grow and develop. This seed grows, but the growth is choked.

It is choked out by:
Care – the things of this world that we worry about. We allow them to become more important than God’s word and what he has to say about the situation. Jesus often said "do not worry, God knows what you need". The writers of the letters talked about not allowing cares to get in the way, but to bring them to God and to let him deal with them.

Dea with cares, give them to God. Look up these verses and see what they say about dealing with worry and care.

1 Peter 5:7; Phil 4:6-8, Matt 6:31-33

The key is to act on these scriptures, not just to repeat them.

Riches – This is a big one for us. We either allow what we have to choke out the word of God, or we are so focussed on what we don’t have, that we let it get in the way. Either way, it is indicative of a heart that is captured by wealth, and more intent on storing up treasure here on earth than on storing up treasure in heaven. The bible  has a lot to say about the riches of this world

1 Timothy 6:6-8
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

The love of money is a trap. It stops us from growing in to the people God has called us to be and it blinds us to the truth of God’s word. These people know and hear the word, but don’t apply it to life because the chasing after riches has become the main focus.

Pleasure –(The Greek word is Hedone) - This is basically hedonism. The "feels good so it must be right" attitude. The word of God is planted and growing, but the desire for “pleasure” is greater than the desire to know God and to actually experience true joy.

This is a misunderstanding of what joy is. God is not against fun, and he’s not against pleasure, these things have their place in the right context. The people Jesus is referring to are those who get side tracked by these things and allow them to become more important that God’s word. They allow the things of life to be more important than producing fruit for the kingdom of God.

Titus 3:3-8
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

The sad thing about this group of people is that they have the potential to reach maturity. They just never do because the things of the world have become more important than what God is doing in their lives.

James 4:1-3
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Unfortunately, I think this group of people often present to the world as who Christians are and give the world a misunderstanding of who God is and his love for them. Christian maturity is developed over time, when people are proactive in their faith and deliberate about removing the “weeds” from their life.

My garden has many great plants. The new plants struggle if I don’t constantly keep the weeds down. This is a good picture of what this means. If we don’t remove the weeds, if we don’t give the plant a chance to grow, then the plant will not produce the new fruit and will not achieve its purpose.

What weeds do I need to extract from my life?
What is choking out what I know God wants me to do.

4. The good ground is soil that is well prepared. The hard work has been done to prepare it to hear what God has to say. This soil receives the word and grows and produces fruit. This is well prepared soil and represents a well prepared heart, ready to receive the news of salvation, and ready to receive the grace of God.

This soil represents the person who makes the effort to keep their heart right and to remove anything that will affect the quality of the soil. The word is able to take root, to grow strong, and to produce good fruit. In fact, through perseverence, these people multiply the seed and there is a huge harvest.

What do we learn about how we are to live?
Ideally we are to live in a way that allows good soil to develop in our hearts. There are many aspects to this story. There are many ways we can look at it. Jesus was talking to people who were God followers. They were people who already had an understanding of who God is.

Which people do we most relate to in the story?  Why?

The truth is, this is not just about the salvation message. The word of God is there, we read it, we hear it. Our hearts can be open to one aspect of it and closed to another. Sometimes we just don’t want to hear what the word of God says because we know it will mean a change. It is helpful to take time to take a good hard look at our lives.

What kind of people are we? What heart issues do I need to address?
What do I need to do now?

How am I making sure that my heart is in a place where the word can grow and develop and produce good fruit?

What actions might I need to take this week? What issues of life might I need to address?

Will I listen with the intent to act or the intent to ignore?

Next Steps
What will I do with what I know. How will I apply these truths to my life?

God, Us and Truth.

Jesus Heals in Response to Faith

Luke 5:17-26 NLT
One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord's healing power was strongly with Jesus. [18] Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, [19] but they couldn't reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. [20] Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Young man, your sins are forgiven." [21] But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!" [22] Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why do you question this in your hearts? [23] Is it easier to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Stand up and walk'? [24] So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!" [25] And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. [26] Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, "We have seen amazing things today!"

What does the story say?
Can you imagine being in this situation. Jesus is in the area, everyone wants to see him, but you and your friends can't get in because it is so crowded. You are desperate to see him, so what do you do? I'm not sure I woukd have thought about going through the roof, but these friends did.

The friends realise that this is no ordinary situation, so they decide to lower their friend through the roof. Now that was sure to get attention. Jesus saw them, he saw their heart, and their desires, and he responded.

Jesus heals in response to faith

Jesus heals the paralyzed man in response to faith. He saw and responded to the faith of the man and his friends. Jesus knew the people's hearts, he knew that the man on the mat needed healing and forgiveness. (He also knew what the reaction of the pharisees would be). But he knew the need, he saw the faith, and he responded. 

The friends' also saw the need and the possibility of new life and were determined to get the man to Jesus, no matter what. They were prepared to do something radical. The place where Jesus was teaching and healing was crowded, but his friends were radical in their thinking and did not allow circumstances to defeat them. They knew Jesus was the answer for their friend. Jesus knew that the real need was forgiveness, he addresses both the felt need, and the real need and the man walks home totally free.

We also see here the critical heart of the pharisees. They were not responding to faith. They chose to judge and to criticise.

What do we learn about God?
God forgives, and his grace and mercy are available to all no matter the situation. Jesus had been healing lots of people, his desire is to set people free so that they can truly be all that God created them to be.

God is a God who heals. Whether your 'paralysis' is physical, emotional or spiritual, God is there and wants to set people free. Forgiveness of sin is often linked to healing. We need God's forgiveness. Jesus healed the man, and set him free, not just from his physical paralysis, but from the sin that separated him from God. God will heal in all sorts of ways, and  he heals in response to faith, and sets us free.

Psalm 103:1-5 NLT
Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. [2] Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. [3] He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. [4] He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. [5] He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

What other truths does the story portray?
Religious people like the pharisees, miss opportunities for miracles because they are caught up in rules and regulations rather than grace and forgiveness. These people had come as spectators to watch and to criticise. They had all the right gear, but they had not come to support the game, they had come to sit back and watch the players.

Jesus often had strong words for the pharisees, because whilst they knew so much, or thought they knew so much about God, they did not come to God with the right attitude.

Matthew 23:2-4, 23-28 NLT
"The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. [3] So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach. [4] They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. [23] "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law-justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. [24] Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! [25] "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy-full of greed and self-indulgence! [26] You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. [27] "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs-beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. [28]Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

We can ask ourselves some questions here:
How do I see other people and what is my response to what God is doing for others?

What critical and judgemental attitudes do I have that stop me from seeing God's grace and mercy at work in others?

James 4:8, 11-12 NLT
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. [11] Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. [12] God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbour?

It is usually spectators who are not taking part in the game who think they have a right to criticise the actions of everyone else. Think about sport: its the commentators and the spectators, who usually sit back in judgement of the referees or the players. Some know quite a bit about the game. But they are just spectators. People truly active in God's kingdom usually have a desire to just get on with it, and they don't have the time or the inclination, to criticise.

Proverbs 3:7 NLT
Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

Mostly we criticise because we think people should do things our way. It's actually a selfish motive, usually based in wanting/needing to promote ourselves in some way. (Note: I'm talking about the attitude of criticism, as opposed to having a good, sound objective, critical analysis of a situation.)

What do we learn about how we are to live?
Our attitude is meant to be one of faith that is based on who God is, not on who we are. The paralyzed man was not trusting in what he could do himself, he was trusting in what God can do. His friends were not trusting in their own abilities. They were looking to Jesus for the answer.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

The friends facilitated the healing, they were active and practical, but they trusted In God not in man. They had a desire to be close to Jesus and they wanted to place their friend in a situation where he was close to Jesus. We don't know whose idea it was, the man or his friends, but together, they made a difference for someone. This is the value of good friends. Notice that they positioned themselves close to Jesus and were prepared to be a little radical in what they did to make sure they got close. God wants people to draw close to him.

Isaiah 55:1-7 NLT
"Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink- even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk- it's all free! [2] Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. [3] "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. [4] See how I used him to display my power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations. [5] You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious." [6] Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. [7] Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

The friends didn't care if they looked a little bit silly. They just did what they needed to do to get close to Jesus and give their friend a chance to be healed.

Are we living in a way that positions us close to Jesus?

What radical actions (out of the square, out of the box kind of actions) are we prepared to take to help our friends come close to Jesus?

What do I need to do now? Or; What is my next step?
The answer to this is for personal reflection.

A thought

Jesus says in Luke 8, Be careful how you hear.

Am I hearing with the intent to take action and respond to the word of God and the voice of God, or am I hearing to ignore?

How am I hearing? What is my attitude and how will I respond?

What is my response to what I have just heard?

Disciple and Teach

Our key verses for this series are Matt 11:28-30 and Matthew 28:18-20

We have discussed what it means to come to Jesus, and what it means to go into thw world. Today our focus is on making disciples and teaching them to follow Jesus.

Matt 28:18-20
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

As we come to Jesus and find our fulfilment in him, as we go into the world with the good news that we have, (be and tell a friend). The next thing I see here is “make disciples” and “teach them to obey” the commands of Jesus.

When we are in the business of making disciples it is more than just telling them the good news. The next step is helping them to take the journey of faith with you. When people accept the grace of God, they always need someone else to guide them on the journey. That is our responsibility. It is not the responsibility of the life group leader or the pastor. It is our responsibility.

Now, before we all get worked up and think we can’t do it, because we don’t know enough, haven’t had enough education etc. know that Jesus made it easy for us. Remember, we come to Jesus. In relationship with him, we come and we then take on what he’s called us to do.

We only need to stay one step ahead of those we are discipling. Jesus used many different techniques to teach his disciples and to teach the people. He spoke to them about God’s word, he spoke to them in stories. He presented truth in a way people could understand, and he loved and accepted them in the process.

There are some things we can do that will help us as we do life with those we are discipling and teaching. They are not difficult, but they are necessary.

1. Be a disciple
The best thing we can do is be a proactive person; being a disciple; being a follower and a learner. This is what the word disciple means. It is someone who follows, learns from another, and then passes it on.

We are followers of Jesus. If we are true disciples, we will learn from him, and place ourselves in an environment that allows us to learn. This is why life groups and hanging out together is good. We learn from one another, and we follow Christ. 

Acts 2:42
The Believers Form a Community
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

The word “devoted” means:
to adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to one
to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing
to continue all the time in a place
to persevere and not to faint
to show one's self courageous for
to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly

In other words, the new converts and followers of Jesus were steadfastlty attentive, they made every effort to follow and learn about Jesus, meet with one another, share together and pray. Note that it does not say the apostles had to chase everyone up, check that they were ok and make sure everyone was connecting.

Instead, the followers made decisions in their lives that put the discipleship, learning process as the main priority and they were “steadfastly attentive” to it themselves. This is about a decision to live in a way that means choosing to walk with Jesus.

It means choosing a relationship with him, and with other Christians, choosing to share in small groups, meet at the Temple in larger groups and to pray. They set a pattern we can follow. We all have the power of choice. We will find time for what we value, and the things that are our priority.

What decisions am I making that draw me to Jesus or away from him?

What areas of my life do I need to make different choices in if I am to be a follower of Jesus?

What will I do this week that will help me become “steadfastly attentive” to being a follower of Jesus?

2. Know what Jesus commanded
How do we know what Jesus commanded? If we spend time with him and in his word, we will find out. This does not mean you have to become the next Bible scholar. But if we spend time in his word we will discover his commands.

Here's some examples:
Love one another. Love your neighbour as yourself. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Etc. I’m not going to press this point, but reading the Word of God every day helps.

The early disciples were “steadfastly attentive” to the teaching, to what they were being taught. They followed it up. The Berean’s were commended for not just listenning, but for being attentive, and more honourable, checking out what they were taught and putting it into practice in their lives.  

Acts 17:10-12
Paul and Silas in Berea
10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. 12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

If we are followers of someone, it is usual to know what they stand for and what they believe. A follower or member of a political party needs to understand tge manifesto, to understand the beliefs of those they follow. What makes us think that we can follow Christ without knowing what he stands for and what he thinks. We are to teach others, but we can only teach what we know. 

1 Corinthians 2 tells us that we can know what God wants because the Spirit who knows lives in us. As we read the Bible, as we spend time in the word, more understanding is given to us. Let’s be women who are not just proactive in being a disciple ourselves, but who are proactive in reading, listening and learning and then being ready to pass it on. Paul said to Timothy to always be ready to have a word, in season and out of season.

What commands of Jesus do I need to know to help others to become followers of Jesus?

What am I actively doing to learn the commands of Jesus?

3. Pass it on to others.
When we know the Word, when we are active, then we can pass it on to others. This does not mean you have to be word perfect. No-one is asking you to recite word by word long passages of scripture (though it is possible to do so with practice).

The key thing is that the word of God is passed on in a way that does not dilute or detract from its truth. Jesus often used stories, and much of the Bible narrative lends itself to stories. Think about the people Jesus meets, and the way he uses stories to explain things to them. Jesus was a great story teller and he highlighted God’s truths through them.

Stories are easy to learn and to repeat. Think about how the people of Israel learnt about their history and were able to repeat it to others. Now don’t worry if you think you can’t remember a story. We have our Bibles to help us along the way and the Holy Spirit to guide us. 

Jesus says to teach others to obey his commands. Remember, all of this is meant to be done as part of a community, and with the help and support of others. If we are proactive in our followership, if we know the commands and the stories, then it’s easy to pass them on to others. No main auditorium is required. Jesus did most of his teaching walking and eating with others. We can do it the same way.

An Exercise:
When we think about people who are at seeking God, there are some great stories from the Bible that reveal God’s grace. When we are discipling and teaching others we can use other stories. Today, lets think about some stories that will help us understand Biblical truth and how we can apply it. This is learning how to retell Scripture and to pass on God's word without diminishing its truth in any way.

For your friends who have struggles with a difficult life there is the woman at the well - John 4

For friends who are religious but don’t have relationship with God there is Nicodemus - John 3

For the person who has wandered away and really needs to know God’s love, there is the prodigal son. Luke 15

For the person caught up in the love of material things there is Zacchaeus (Luke 19) and The rich young man (Matt 19) – different responses to the same issue.

You can learn these stories. There is some skill involved in learning the story, but that skill is not beyond anyone of us. It is a method that even the unschooled can learn. But there are many other stories that illustrate God’s love and his grace and how he wants us to live.

Here is the exercise. Choose a story:
Read it and then practice retelling it. Help one another. Then ask the following questions.

What does the story say?

What do we learn about God?

What truths does the story portray?

What do we learn about how we are to live?

What is my next step, what do i need to do?

This is a pretty straight forward way to disciple another.

So as we conclude this series, remember to come to Jesus, find your fulfilment in him and take on his agenda for your life. Know that as you do that, you are also equipped and empowered to go into the world, starting where God has placed you now. As you spend time with him, and learn his ways through his Word and apply it to your life, you will be equipped to make disciples, teach them, and help them on their journey of faith.

Go

Come

Matt 11:28,29
Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

And Go

Matt 28:18-20
I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Come and Go.

As we've been discussing, this is a theme that Jesus uses. He calls his disciples to himself and then he sends them out. He calls us to himself, and then he sends us out.

Come
Mark 1:16-17
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net out into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, Come follow me and I will show you how to fish for people.

Go
Luke 9:1-2
One day Jesus called together his disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Luke 10:1
The Lord now chose 72 other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.

This week we will think about what it actually means to go.

Jesus tells us to go out into the world and share the good news of his love and grace. He has been given all authority, so he basically says "because I have all authority, you are able to go".

What does the authority of Jesus actually give us.

1. The authority to go in Jesus name

We don't go in our own power or strength. We go in the power Jesus has given us. This power/authority means:
-Power of choice and liberty
-Permission
-Physical and mental power
-Authority, right and privilege
-Power of rule and government

Are we getting the picture? Jesus has all authority, and his command to "go" is based in that authority.

Luke 9:1-2
One day Jesus called together his disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

When he sent out the twelve he said he was giving them his authority (the same word he uses later in his commissioning), and power - strength, power, power for performing miracles.

In Acts, he tells the disciples to wait, and they will receive power to be witnesses. God's power is for a purpose.

Acts 1:8
But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

The word here is the same - power, the same miracle performing power, strength and ability. Lets get a hold of the truth that Jesus brings. We have his authority and power to go into the world.

What hinders us from going in his power?

Do we actually believe what Jesus says?

Then, we are already equipped to go into the world. We are already empowered by Jesus, through his Spirit to take his good news to our community.

2. Go means go.

Mark 10:15
Go into all the world and preach the Good news to everyone, everywhere.

I think this is pretty straight forward. Everyone, everywhere does not give much room for excuses. We have power and authority given to us by Jesus to bring the good news of God's love and grace to everyone, everywhere.

Go does not mean sit around in your comfort zone and drink tea from fine china. (This doesn't mean we can't ever use nice china, but it does mean that if that is all we do, we've missed the point.)

Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!

Paul says:
Romans 10:14-15
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believein him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news.

There are two aspects to this. There are those who go and those who send. But these are not mutually exclusive. Jesus did not say - find other people and send them out. He said go yourself. But there is also an aspect of sending. In the church of Antioch, the elders prayed and the church sent out Paul and Barnabus.

So we are to go and we are to send. We are to go to Judea, Samaria and the Ends of the earth. What does this mean for us? Some will go to Jerusalem,the local Wollongong Community, this is our main area or to Judea, a bit like our state

Some will go to Samaria - other parts of the region and some will go to sthe ends of the earth. I believe that what Jesus is saying is start where you are, and go out from there. Start where you are in Wollongong, and God will lead you if he wants you to go further afield.

Don't get caught up in negative thinking such as: what if God sends me to some God forsaken place. Instead, be positive: God has empowered me to reach out to people, right here, where I am.

When we do that, we will be willing to go to other countries if he calls us. These are not mutually exclusive. Some will be called to different areas and this will be where God calls them to serve. This may be local or it might be to unreached people groups.

Where is God calling you to "go"?

What are you doing about it and how will you act on it this week ?

3. Be Active in the Community

What are we doing locally to reach people?
This is where Be a Friend; Tell a friend; Bring a Friend comes in. The Bible tell us that others will know we belong to Christ by the love we have for each other. This is a challenge because often its the way we behave towards each other that says more about what we believe than anything else.

Lets be a community of women that loves each other. We may not always agree, but lets be gracious in our disagreements. Lets continue in community so that together we reach our community.

As we build a community of women here at Citylife, and as we think about our families and friends: who is God placing on our hearts, in this community, for us to relate to, pray for and tell about God's love?

Come

Come and Go Part 1.

Jesus says: Come

Matt 11:28,29

Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

And Go

Matt 28:18-20

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Come and Go.

Coming and Going is a theme that Jesus uses with his disciples and those who follow him. He calls his disciples to himself and then he sends them out. He calls us to himself, and then he sends us out.

He calls the disciples to "Come follow Me"

Mark 1:16-17

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net out into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, Come follow me and I will show you how to fish for people.

And then a little while later he tells them to "Go". He sends them out on a mission to heal and to tell about the Kingdom of God.

Luke 9:1-2

One day Jesus called together his disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Luke 10:1

The Lord now chose 72 other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.

Over the next few weeks we will investigate what it means to come to Jesus and how we go out into all the world. Today we look at "Come". Jesus says "Come to me". What does Jesus mean when he says "come to me"? In Jesus, we find the answer to life's greatest need. In Jesus we find love, grace, mercy, acceptance, and a place to lay down the sorrow and the burdens we carry.

Jesus promises to give us rest if we will come to him.

A couple of thoughts 

1. Choose to come

So often we run around trying to resolve the issues we face when Jesus simply says to come. We talk about giving our cares and our worries to him, but it only happens when we actually do that. When we stop the merry-go-round and we choose - a deliberate action - to come to Jesus.

We can reel off all the scriptures, all the platitudes, but unless we actually stop, and choose to come to Jesus, nothing changes. Jesus wants us to get off the merry-go-round of running in circles and to choose his presence, his peace, his hope. He simply says, come, and be still.

Psal 37:7

Be still in the presence of the Lord.

Psalm 46:10

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still. Stop the worry, stop the anxious running around.

1 Peter 5:7

Give all your worries and cares to God for he cares for you.

Jesus cares for us, and he knows that the burdens that we carry are too big for us. He says to offload our burden with him, and to take on his yoke because his burden is light, and his yoke is easy. When we come to Jesus, and trust him, he removes our burden of guilt and shame and he brings peace to our anxious thoughts. He gives us a place to come, and a place to experience his peace, and his righteousness.

When we yoke ourselves with him, following his pattern and his purpose, we begin to allow his life to flow through ours. We take on his yoke, his purpose for our lives, which lives is be a light yoke, because we are in a place of rest in him and living a purposeful life. 

Let go of the burdens. Jesus offers rest, peace and hope. He offers an opportunity to come to him, no matter what life throws at us, no matter the circumstances we face, and he gives us grace to go and live the way he has purposed for us. 

Choose to come to Jesus. Choose his rest and his presence.

John 1:16-17

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ

When we are intentional we can let go of worry and rest in God. This does not mean we do nothing, but we first come to Jesus, we give the worry to him and we wait for his direction.  

Don't just react to everything - we can choose our response. When stuff happens, when people say or do dumb stuff, (and they will), when circumstances aren't great, lets be women who choose to respond in a sensible way, and come to Jesus.

2. Ready to listen

God speaks to us in many ways. When we choose to come, when we deliberately take the time, we find that God is there, waiting. If we will listen, we will hear his voice.

Elijah heard God, not in the fire, or the earthquake or the storm, but in the still small voice. The old hymn - O Lord and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier, says it perfectly: "speak through the earthquake, wind and fire, o still small voice of calm". This encapsulates the understanding that it is in the still small voice that God speaks.

1 Kings 19 tells the story.

Elijah had reacted and gone into panic mode. He literally runs and yet God finds him and says "what are you doing here?" How often do we find ourselves away from God and his purpose because we react, go into worry mode and run around aimlessly?

But how can we hear God's voice when we are like that? Are we prepared to stop, listen for the voice of God, the voice of calm? God came to Elijah and he basically says "what are you doing". "How about you stop running and panicking. How about you get on my agenda, and he isnt too keen on Elijahs response.

Elijah tried to justify himself, and God says - stop running, draw close - listen to what I have to say. God spoke in a gentle whisper, and again says "what are you doing here?" He then tells Elijah to go back. And he gives him directions for the next phase of his ministry. We can only hear God properly when we stop running and we start listening for God's still small voice.

Lets make sure we are listenning. Sometimes we want the miracle, the loud audible voice, but God speaks in a still, small voice.  God speaks to us by his Spirit. This is his prefered mode of communication. God is waiting for us to come, he is wanting us to come, to take the time to sit/stand/walk in his presence - to hear his voice.

1 Cor 2:9-12

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No-one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spiirt, an no-one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

We come to Jesus. We find refuge in him, we draw to him, and are still. We wait, and know that God will speak to us. He will speak, in his still small voice, and through his Spirit.

Will we take the time to respond instead of react and sit quietly before God?

Concluding Thoughts

Jesus tells us to come to him, to give him all to him, to take on his plan and purpose for our lives. Then, when we have come to him, we are in a place where we can be still, and listen to him, learning to recognise his still small voice.

Will we come?

Will we be still?

Will we listen?

 

What is your response to God today?

 

 

A thought for today

Acts 2:42 NLT
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

Devoted themselves.
What does it mean to "devote yourself"?

When I think of these words I think of the following: time, intentional, deliberate actions, proactive, passionate and willing.

What does it mean to devote yourself?

For me it means to take the initiative, to be proactive in my approach to my spiritual life, not waiting for others to do something for me, but taking responsibility for my relationship with my Heavenly Father. He has done everything for me when I did not and never will deserve it. I am saved by grace and through the mercy of God. For this reason, I take hold of Jesus Christ and actively pursue my relationship with him.

What does it mean to devote yourself?

Here's some more thoughts. It means ensuring study of the word of God, choosing discipleship, choosing to learn from and follow Jesus, applying the word of God diligently to your life.

It means being in meetings together and giving time to people, spending time with one another, deliberately meeting, intentionally getting together, to celebrate together. It means being sincere in wanting to be with fellow believers regardless of where they are up to on life's journey.

It is community. It is sharing together over food and sharing in Communion. It is celebrating Jesus and his love, his grace and his mercy, shown to us by his death and Resurrection.

And finally, for me, it means spending time with God. Being committed to prayer; choosing to be disciplined in our prayer life and to take time each day to pray, to journal and to listen. It is sharing your heart with God and then listening to his heart for the world, for people, for us. 

What will you do to"devote yourself" this week?

Aliens in a Strange Land Part 4

Over the last few weeks we have been looking at people who were strangers in their lands, to some degree. We’ve looked at Abraham and Moses who were faced with impossible situations and in the face of the impossible, trusted God and saw victory.

We’ve also taken a look at Joshua and Caleb, and discovered that courage comes from God who gave his promise, and we looked at Caleb's faith and determination, age was no barrier to living for God.

Last week we took a look at Ruth and Esther, and their families, and how loyalty and God’s wisdom are really important parts of living in God’s Kingdom, and for our sojourn in this world.

Today we will take a look at some people who lived in Babylon and Persia. These guys lived in places unfamiliar to them, but against all odds fulfilled the purpose that God had for them. These guys did not have it easy. They did experience great blessing, but they also experienced great trouble and hardship.

Daniel 1:1-7
Daniel’s Training in Babylon
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.[b] 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

We know Daniels story, he was taken into captivity and he was found by the king to be wise. Nehemiah lived a little after Daniel. Kings had come and gone when people from Judah come to Nehemiah and tell him that Jerusalem is basically destroyed and the walls broken down. Nehemiah leads a group of people back to the land and begins the rebuilding of the walls, but he faced treachery and he faced trouble and opposition.

The responses of these men to their situations highlights some points for us.

1. Never compromise your standards.
Daniel and his mates would not compromise. They would not eat meat that they considered unclean and was not prepared the right way. They did not compromise their standards when Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to bow down to him; they chose the fiery furnace instead, fully believeing God would save them.

I wonder if we would be prepared to stand up to the king that way. God is able to take us through anything we face. These guys totally trusted God.

They believed Isaiah 43. "When you walk through the water you won’t drown, when you walk through the fire you will not be burned". God is in the business of saving people. He enables us to go through any situation. We do not need to compromise God’s standard.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were prepared to trust God even to death, and God saved them. I love the attitude of these guys. It was an "And if we die, we die" attitude.They were prepared to die, totally refusing to give in and bow down to the King, because God was the only person hey would bow down to.

This is reminiscent of Mordecai, who for the same reasons years later, refused to bow down to Haman. In both these situations, they faced possible death. But they stood up to people and declared allegiance to God alone.

Daniel 3:16-29
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

God saved them.

Esther 3:1-6
3 After these events, King Xerxes honoured Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honour higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honour to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour.
3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behaviour would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

Mordecai was placing honour of God above people. He would not give worship to anyone but God. Bear in mind that he had already saved the life of the king. This was not about honour but about worship. Mordecai refused to compromise his standards and his beliefs. Not only did God save these people, he changed the heart and the mind of the king.

God honours those who honour him. God honours those who choose to honour him and who do not compromise their beliefs for convenience and comfort.

What situation are you facing where there is temptation to compromise your faith and your beliefs?

God is encouraging us to be people who will stand firm in our beliefs.

What is God asking you to do in this situation?

Remember that he will never ask you to do something that goes against his word. But if you honour him, he will bring you through.

Daniel and the lion’s den is also a well-known story. Again, Daniel refuses to compromise and he is placed in the Lion’s den. And God saved him, also changing the heart and mind of another ruler. God is always there, ready to defend his people.

2. God’s work and fighting the enemy go hand in hand

Whilst Daniel and his mates stood up for what they believed, Nehemiah faced opposition of a different kind.

Nehemiah 1:1-3
The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
Nehemiah 2:1-5
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

So Nehemiah heads back to Jerusalem. This is the time of Artaxerexes, so after Esther, and he was probably born in Persia and he spent his time in the king’s service. After he went to Jerusalem, he was in Jerusalem for some time, 12 years, before he was called back to the King’s service.

This is a loyal man, who knew that God had given him an assignment. For some people it is lifelong, for others, there are definite times and seasons. In Jerusalem, where he is tasked to build the city walls, he finds opposition (in fact the building of the Temple had also been interrupted by opposition).

Nehemiah just does not give in. Nehemiah 3 gives a really good example of needing everyone to build something important. Nehemiah was tasked with rebuilding the wall, but he could not do it alone, it actually took all hands on deck. As we shall see, it also took everyone to be alert, and to build the wall, working and ready to fight.

Opposition to the Rebuilding
Nehemiah 4
[a]When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armour. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.[c]

This is a good analogy for us. We are tasked with building something worthwhile for God’s kingdom. We do it together and we do it ready to fight the enemy. (Those who did not take their place were singled out.) God calls each of us to do our part. To do what we have been given. We are not responsible for everything. Just our part and we are to be ready to fight for it.

Eph 6:10-13
The Armour of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Be strong in the Lord’s power. Nehemiah said that God would fight for them. Jesus has already won the victory for us. But there is still a fight that we fight. We are to stand firm in God’s power.

How well prepared are you to fight? What action do you need to take to be prepared to face the enemy?

What part is God calling you to play?

Concluding thoughts
Stand form in God, trust him. Be ready to stand up for what we believe no compromise. Stand firm, know that God is fighting for us, but we have our part to play. We do our bit, and we let God do his.

So as strangers and aliens in this land – we can live in a way that sets us apart from other people, through faith, courage, determination, trusting God and living a no compromise life.