|
Exo. 17:12 - But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. NASU
In Exodus 13-14 God is delivering the Israelites out of Egypt by using Moses to stretch out his hands and part the Red Sea. Once they are safely on the other side Moses will once again stretch his hands out and the Red Sea will return to its normal position and wipe out all the Egyptians who tried to catch the Israelites to destroy them. The Israelites are no sooner on the other side and they begin to complain that they have no water to drink, and then they grumble and groan that they have no food. They get in Moses' face and accuse him of bringing them out into the wilderness to die. God provides them water from a rock, manna and quail are also given to them for their survival.
However, when he drops his hands to his side the Amalekites begin to be the victors. Here is where the plot takes a change. Aaron, Moses' brother, and Hur have Moses sit on a rock and they support Moses' arms to stay up and in so doing the Israelites are victorious over the Amalekites. Everyone needs someone to give us the support we need when we are battling with life's challenges. Here in Exo.17 Moses has Aaron and Hur. Earlier in this chapter when the Israelites were complaining against Moses God steps in and validates Moses. In life when we are battling life's challenges we need an Aaron or Hur to provide us with the support we need to stay in the battle. As Christians we need to have someone like this in our lives and we need to be the Aaron or Hur in someone else's life.
"The thing that you are doing is not good. 18 "You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone." Did you see what just happened there? Jethro told Moses straight up what he needed to hear. It most likely wasn't what he wanted to hear but it was exactly what he needed to hear. We all need this type of person in our lives. The ones who love us enough to tell us straight up what we need to hear. Knowing full well that there will be times when what we need to hear will not be what we want to hear. Again, as Christians we need to have this type of person near us and we need to be near others who need this type of a friend. Think About These: Advice is least heeded when most needed. What good is good advice if you don't take it? It takes a great person to give sound advice tactfully, but a greater person to accept it graciously. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
0 Comments
Jesus and Paul Did This Lk 22:15 - And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;… NASB
Philippians 1:23 - But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;… NASB 1 Thes. 2:17 - But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while — in person, not in spirit — were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. NASB Jas 1:14-15 - But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. NASB
In the verses above the same Greek word "epithumia" is used. In the passage about Jesus and the passages about Paul it is translated as "desire, earnestly desired, or greatly desired". When it is used in James it is translated "lust". But the Greek word is the same one "epithumia". Many times we take the word "lust" and always connect it to some-thing that is bad, but you can see from the scripture references above that both Jesus and the apostle Paul lusted or desired greatly, but not in an evil way. Change the word "lust" to "great desire" and no one has a problem with that definition.
He thought about it and He thought about it "earnestly," the text says. He was going to announce being betrayed by Judas (vs.22), and denied by Peter (vs.34). Wouldn't it be great if we thought earnestly about partaking of the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day the week before? At times, I am guilty of not thinking much about it until Sunday. Shame on me!
In fact, I could probably say I have been where Paul was when he penned this scripture. I have had strong desires (lusts) to go to Heaven and I have had the same strong desires (lusts) to stay here on earth. The second way he "lusted" was about seeing his Christian brothers and sisters in Thessaloniki. I was baptized at the Lake Mount Church of Christ in Rogers, Ohio in 1975 and when I visit that part of Ohio it is always nice to go and see some brothers that helped me grow in my faith. One dear brother is Bob Taucher. The love he has for the Lord is contagious and I am glad I was able to begin my life in Christ around him. When I think about going back to Ohio I have great desire (lust) to see him and fellowship with him.
Don't lust in a bad way, lust in a good way. Hopefully, you will be lusting about taking the Lord's Supper, going to Heaven to be with Jesus, or going to see some family, friends or brothers and sisters in Christ. Think About These: Christianity is a way of walking as well as a way of talking. What can't be done by advice can often be done by example. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word John 8:34-36 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. NASU
The sins that we have committed enslave us and this is why Jesus came to earth. So that sinners could be set free from their sins. There is a band called Hillsong Worship from Australia and they have recorded a song "Who You Say I Am" I have included some of the words below and if you click on the link below the lyrics it will take you to a video of the song being sung. Who the Son sets free Oh, is free indeed I'm a child of God, yes, I am Free at last, He has ransomed me His grace runs deep While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me Yes, He died for me Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I'm a child of God, yes, I am In my Father's house There's a place for me I'm a child of God, yes, I am I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfo I couldn't agree more with the words of this powerful song. I am and you are who God says we are and not anyone else.
The good news is once we have been baptized into Christ His blood continually cleanses us (1 John 1:7 - if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin). My desire is that you will sing the lyrics of the song "Who You Say I Am" over and over to yourself today and always remember You Are A Child of God. Think About These: Faith builds a bridge from this world to the next. Our faith deals with what God says - not what men say. No one lives in doubt when he has prayed in faith. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Ps 30:5, 10-12 -
5 Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning… 10 "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper." 11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. NASU
The formula is an easy one: Prepare Yourself Mentally and Trust God Fully. David says, "Weeping may last for the night, BUT a shout of joy comes in the morning…" David is writing this Psalm after he got in trouble with God for numbering the people. He knew he had done wrong and the plague had come upon him and his people because of his actions. He also knows that joy comes in the morning. We must train our minds to think all I have to do is make it until tomorrow because "joy" comes in the morning. We are all 24 hours away from a joyous occasion. When I find myself in tough situations I always tell myself, "I can endure anything for 24 hours. I will get a fresh start tomorrow." It is like a wrestler who needs to get out of bounds and get a fresh start. It is not exactly what you want to do, but sometimes it is what you have to do.
God had informed David that because of his sin (numbering the people, which is the equivalent to taking a census, by doing this David was showing his faith was in the number of people and not in God, this also shows David had an issue with pride) He was going to send a plague. He names three different plagues and allows David to choose which plague he wanted to endure. David chose the plague of falling into God's hands because David knew God's mercies are great. You and I need to know the mercies of God are great. He has His eyes on us and He will not give us more than we can bear. 2 Sam. 24:16 -When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand!" NASU David was correct when he desired to fall into the hands of the LORD for His mercies are great. In this passage we see God putting a halt to the punishment that was being administered. You and I will do well to trust in the mercies of God for it will be God who will be your helper and turn your mourning into dancing. It will be God who puts a stop to the punishment that is upon you.
Prepare yourself to sing praises to God and give Him thanks forever for it will be God who brings your night of weeping to a close and opens your morning with joy. So remember this formula it is an easy one: Prepare Yourself Mentally and Trust God Fully. Think About These: We learn some things from prosperity, but we learn many things from adversity. When things get rough, remember: It is the rubbing that brings out the shine. Your character is what you have remaining when you have lost everything you can lose. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Col 1:24 - Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church,… NASU
I taught that what we should say is "Would you like to come and worship God with me?" We would worship God in a building where we would sing praises to Him, Christians would fellowship with one another and we would fellowship with God when we would partake of communion. We would worship God when we listened to His word be expounded upon by the minister giving us instructions on how to live a Christian life to the glory of God.
Christians are people who have been called out of the kingdom of darkness into God's Kingdom, which is a synonym for the Lord's Church. We can read this in 1 Pet. 2:9-10 - But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. The Lord's Church is people who have been called to leave their life of sin and enter into the body of Christ, which is the Lord's Church. We don't go to church. Christians are the Church. I have included a few passages of scriptures that discuss the church in the first century and as you read them I hope you will be convinced the Church passages are referencing people and not a building.
Acts 11:21-22 - And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Acts 12:5 - So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. The building isn't praying for anyone, but the members inside the building do. Acts 14:27 - When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. The good news was how the gospel was converting people and this was told to the members of the church. 1 Corin. 15:9 - For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. We know Paul persecuted Christians before being struck by the bright light and listening to a message from Ananias. Eph. 1:22-23 - And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body,… Paul tells us Jesus is the Head of the church and the church is the body of Christ.
Christ loved the church and died for her. If you are a Christian you should never think that you don't matter in this world. You would be wrong. Jesus died for you because you were and are important to Him. Eph 5:29-31- for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. Col 1:18 - He is also head of the body, the church;… 1 Tim. 3:15 - but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God,… After reading these few scripture passages one is able to see that the church was persecuted, ravaged, prayed fervently, gathered together, and was loved by Jesus Christ. The church is considered the "Bride of Christ" and at the end of time when Jesus returns He is not coming for buildings. He is coming for His Bride aka His Church, His people. Jesus is the Head of the church. He is the one we are to look for when anything is troubling us. He is the one we are to pray to when we want to express our thankfulness. I hope this Sunday you will not say you're going to church, but rather remember you are a valuable part of the church everyday of the week. You are a part of the body of Christ and you are the one Jesus died for. You are something. Think About These: The worship service isn't to make people happy. It is to help them be holy. The mark of a great church is her ability to lead others to Christ, not build buildings. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
Archives
June 2024
AuthorGary A Serago. Categories
All
|
RSS Feed