Matthew
18:19
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Before we start, there is a
prayer request I’d like to forward. Her name is Carolyn. Patsy and I met her
two years ago, when she was being treated for breast cancer. Carolyn was
undergoing a similar circumstance at that time. She and her daughter are on
this mailing list and we reconnected when I returned to this effort.
Below is Carolyn’s current status based as relayed to me by her daughter:
“She’s actually in the hospital now
– went in this past. Her blood counts have been low (They’ve had to
give her 2 blood transfusions in 2 weeks) and now she has a case of pneumonia.
However, her spirits and
determination have not been affected. She’s still ministering to everyone
she comes in contact with and believing that she’s healed. In fact she’s
been talking in her sleep all week and I caught her rebuking satan one
night. She was telling him that God still sits on the throne and he has
no place here because the Blood of Jesus covers her. I just laughed
at her fussing and gave God a thankful Amen. “
And,
“Yes, that will be fine. We
are always welcoming more prayer warriors. Her Breast cancer from 2011
metastasized to her lung liver and brain in 2013 after being in remission for
almost 2 years. We believe that God healed her before and he’ll heal her
again.”
Let’s agree with Carolyn and her family for her complete recovery in Jesus’
name. Cancer be cursed, May Carolyn be covered in the Blood of Jesus, for there
is healing in the Blood! Amen and Amen!
Matthew
8:17
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
…………………………….
A tale of two letters and three kings –
Ezra
4:21
So, now issue a decree to make these men stop work, that this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me.
So, now issue a decree to make these men stop work, that this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me.
The
opponents of the rebuilding of the Temple wrote a letter to king Artaxerxes.
Making no mention of the previous decree by the previous king, Cyrus, who
authorized the effort, they simply accused the Jews of plotting insurrection
against him. If the Jews were allowed to finish the Temple of God, they would
revolt. Long story short: Artaxerxes stopped the work. This was before the
reign of Darius.
Ezra
6:12
May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”
May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”
Ezra
6:10
that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
Years
later, the opponents of the Jews wrote another letter. The Jews had started
rebuilding the Temple at the prompting of the preaching of the prophet Haggai.
The problem this time, they questioned the original authorization for the
rebuilding of the Temple by king Cyrus some sixteen years earlier. The problem
was they were writing to Darius, the new king of Persia. Darius had personal
reasons for finding on behalf of the Jews. You see, he had taken the throne by
force. He was disliked by his peers and rightfully concerned for his life and
the lives of his loved ones. Pay attention Church, here’s the deal: He’d heard
about the God of the Jews. Here’s what he knew: If God is with you, He’s more
than the whole world against you. What what?! I can’t call Darius a believer,
not by Christian standards. What I can tell you is that he and everybody else
in the surrounding nations knew the history of the nation of Israel and the God
they served. They knew that at His whim, nations were toppled, kings were
overthrown. They’d heard of His wondrous miracles and his terrible judgments.
When faced with a choice, Darius chose wisely. He sided with the God of the
Jews. It is against this backdrop that the current rebuilding effort of the
Temple of God is cast.
Haggai
2:11
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘ Ask now the priests for a ruling:
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘ Ask now the priests for a ruling:
Haggai
is prompted to ask a question of the priests of Israel. It had to do with
holiness. In essence, how was holiness to be maintained? In verses 12 through
14, Haggai poses a question about personal holiness in two parts. Subsequently,
two responses are required. The requirement of two responses causes something
of a spiritual ‘double take’, a deeper introspection, an inward examination of
the hearers. Why? Two reasons. On the one hand, Darius had commanded the
opponents Jews to give them every bit of assistance within their power to give:
money, food, supplies, everything. At the point of the sword of the king, the
opposition acquiesced.. completely. But this presented a problem for the Jews.
How much of the building effort could the non-Jews participate in? The answer
was none. The actual hands on building of the Temple was to be the sole
responsibility of the Jews. The second deeper look at the questions posed by
Haggai require a personal response from each participant individually, who is
your source? Who are you relying on for sustenance?
Haggai
2:19a
Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit?
Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit?
This
third time that Haggai brought a message to the Jews, it was in the dead of
winter. All the seed had been planted. They had been working obediently for
three months with no visible, tangible guarantee of a future harvest. Their
present ‘blessing’ was coming by the hand of their foes due to the decree of
king Darius. But God wanted them to know that their enemies were not their
source, He was.
Psalm
110:1
The LORD says to my Lord: “ Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
The LORD says to my Lord: “ Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
That’s
right beloved, your foes will become you footstool. God wants you to turn your
face towards… Him. Our job is not to chase blessings, but to chase after the
heart of our Father, from Whom all blessings flow. .
Haggai
2:19b
Yet from this day on I will bless you.’”
Yet from this day on I will bless you.’”
Genesis
49:25
From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath…
From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath…
The
inference here is subtle, but real, and it is a challenge for each one of us:
To keep God first. To keep Him front and center. Beloved, holiness is more
about what we do, than what we don’t do. While we don’t smoke, drink or chew,
or hang with those who do (most of us J), that in and of itself is not enough. Holiness
comes in two parts. Part one: we separate ourselves from the world and the
lusts thereof. Part two: We consecrate ourselves unto God. Consecration
requires us to acknowledge that holiness, pure holiness must be imparted to us
as a gift from God. We don’t deserve holiness any more than we deserve
righteousness. If we are to be Holy, then we must be made Holy by God. He
imparts it, we receive it as a precious gift. Just as it is with every gift
from God. God is looking for a single minded, purposeful intent from us to gain
His heart, His favor through our separation and consecration. His desire for
all of us is intimacy; face to face – “into me see” with Him. Attainable
through our recognition of the Grace given to us through our Lord Jesus,
Christ..
1
Peter 1:17b-19
… conduct yourselves (D)in fear during the time of your (E)stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not [a](F)redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your (G)futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious (H)blood, as of a (I)lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
… conduct yourselves (D)in fear during the time of your (E)stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not [a](F)redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your (G)futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious (H)blood, as of a (I)lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
Enjoy the lesson!
.wb
See the video at: http://youtu.be/ZTXUQKtYlhM
No comments:
Post a Comment