I am the resurrection and the life

Bible Reading: John 11:1-44

 

This incredible story is one that would make great headlines even in today’s world that is used to sensation however the meaning behind the story that is just as amazing as the event itself.

       Death is His enemy

The one word John uses more than any other to describe what Christ gives to us is life.  The Greek word for life, Zoe is found 35 times in John and 133 times in the New Testament
On arrival at the funeral and in the face of the death of someone He loves -Jesus is “deeply moved.” (v33)
Some commentators say that the Greek words used here literally mean, “he snorted with indignation.” Jesus is outraged at death.
B. Warfield explained it this way, “The spectacle of the distress of Mary and her companions enraged Jesus because it brought poignantly home to his consciousness the evil of death, its unnaturalness and its violent tyranny.”

Death was not a part of God’s original plan but resulted from human sin. It is an intruder, an invader, an enemy in the plan of God.

Many people say they’re not afraid of death – but they are misinformed.

Death should be feared, because death is to be separated from God for eternity.  Death isn’t just when you stop breathing, and you therefore don’t have the struggles and worries anymore. Your soul and your consciousness are never going to die.

 The Bible talks of two resurrections. One is a resurrection to life; the other, resurrection to eternal death – separation from God. 

Erwin Lutzer puts it this way: “We do not need a Saviour who can just ‘help’ us. We need a Saviour who can resurrect us. We do not just need a Saviour who helps us when life gets tough; we need a Saviour who can help us when life ends”

Ultimate and final separation of God from His creation is not God’s purpose.  Jesus didn’t accept that nothing could be done about it, He came to offer an answer to it.
 
2.      Delivering life demonstrates His divinity
Warren Wiersbe says, “Jesus transformed Jewish doctrine about resurrection. He took it out of a book and put it into a person, Himself.  He goes on to say, “When you are sick you want a doctor not a medical book. When you are being sued you want a lawyer and not a law book. Likewise when you face your last enemy, death you want the Saviour and not a doctrine written in a book.”
 How could people be assured that it is true?
What better way to prove His claim than resurrecting a dead man? 
Jesus didn’t just raise Lazarus just to prove a point but the miracle did show His God-like character; delivering life demonstrates Jesus’ divine nature.
Jesus wasn’t just putting on a show but recognised that it was imperative that the people understand that He is God, not just a miracle worker. 
Jesus' public prayer in verses 41 & 42 was to assert that He was one with God. He also claimed that He always heard the Father because His will and God’s will were one.
There was no doubt what Jesus was attempting to do. He was claiming to be God in human form.
If Jesus is God his words mean more. When we see Jesus as "less than God" then we can rationalize his directions about sexual purity, forgiveness, the importance of a humble/servant heart, the importance of using possessions not being enslaved by them. But if Jesus is God we can’t pick and choose what bits of His teaching we accept as we could if he were a mere man.
If Jesus is seen as God his actions mean more.
A good man dying for a cause is admirable and moving but God becoming man to bring us to himself is astounding.
If Jesus is seen as God then life is more meaningful. 
We are not a cosmic accident but creatures intentionally created by a God who will go to any lengths to let us live.  
3.  Depending upon Jesus is crucial
Jesus says to the bereaved Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” (v23)
Martha’s response was correct but it lacks any linkage to her life. It’s the religious response, but it doesn’t appear to be relevant.
v 24: “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
She understands this in her head, but it hasn’t filtered down into her heart.
Jesus makes it personal. “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
 This statement focuses attention upon Jesus Himself. Depending upon Jesus for life is crucial There was new life now, because He is the resurrection.
This is important because Jesus Christ’s sufficiency is our basis for hope.
Sin does not just have unpleasant side effects. It is a killer. Without Jesus Christ we have no spiritual pulse at all. 
Faith is a key factor in this story.  God operates in response to our faith.
Jesus asks Martha about His claim; “I am the resurrection and the life, “Do you believe this?”
The most important thing we will ever do is exercise faith in Jesus. Our eternal future rests upon it.
Martha affirmed that she did believe in Jesus.  She said; "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
She moves from abstract belief about something in the distant future to a personalized trust in Jesus.
Trusting in Jesus is not just about booking a place in heaven, an insurance policy for the future but changes life in the here and now.
Martha and Mary in their grief but who cling on to faith in Jesus even when they don’t understand what Jesus is doing.   
Jesus tells Martha, "Only believe". Things may not be as she wished Martha hadn’t wanted Lazarus to die but trust in Jesus would lead to her  seeing God's hand in her life.”
It was when they trusted and obeyed Jesus command to “take away the stone” that new life was released.
When they opened up the situation to Christ, the deliverance they had hoped for began to flow.
Notice the physical progression of Jesus. He is far away, then He comes and is met by Martha and Mary on the outskirts of Bethany. After much discussion He is taken to the place where Lazarus is buried.  But there is still a stone between Jesus and the body.  At last on Jesus’ instruction the tomb is opened up and Jesus is able to speak directly to Lazarus and speak life into what was dead.
Are there some things in your lives that are hidden away to which Jesus needs access, so that he can bring you renewed life.  So often we keep Him on the outskirts of our lives.
We also need to go on being transformed after our initial emergence from death into new life. 
Lazarus emerges from the tomb alive. But he’s quite encumbered, restricted, hindered, and inhibited by his burial wrappings. He’s been freed from the grave, but is still bound by his grave clothes. 
When Jesus calls us from our spiritual graves to new life, suddenly we are no longer corpses. We emerge from our tombs very much alive to God.
But, like Lazarus, we find that we’re still wrapped up tight in our death rags. We’re still confined by our old habits, old behaviors, old patterns of thinking, old wounds—and we’re not able to freely move about.  Jesus called upon Lazarus’ friends and family to free him from the grave clothes.

God bless
Alan and Carol

I am the good shepherd

Exeter Temple Corps Message notes
Sunday 18th August 2013

John 10:11-16

Jesus says that he is the good shepherd
2 Greek words for English word good
- agathose 
a moral and efficient quality about a person.
- kalos   
capability with the addition of loveliness, or attractiveness
 Jesus is the model shepherd who brings to the job the strength and courage of an earthly shepherd, but also the qualities of beauty and kindness which helps us to call him friend.
 
1. Jesus:  the Shepherd who saves life v 11
n Israel, 2000 years ago a shepherd faced daily danger from wolves in the hills.
Hired hands tend sheep to earn a living not because they love sheep. No job is worth your life so they run when a wolf threatens.
Jesus is not a hired hand but a good shepherd who owns the sheep and to whom they are precious.  
The hired hand loves his life more than the sheep but Jesus loves his sheep more than his life.
 There are 3 destroying wolves in John’s gospel
a) Sin                         John 1:29                                                                                                        Sin is a wolf that destroys the world and cuts us off from God. And Jesus came into the world to draw the wolf of sin off the world onto himself, and so die in the place of his sheep.
 b) Death                     Romans 6:23                                                                                                   Death is a great destroyer. It attacks and destroys everyone, great and small, rich and poor, men and women, every race, every creed. The purpose of wolves is death – the purpose of the shepherd is life
c) Judgment: Hebrews 9:27                                                                                                           Death does not lead to nothingness. It leads us into the courtroom of God Almighty whose law we have broken and whose glory we have despised. Jesus is not a weak shepherd. When those wolves threaten his sheep he lays down his life to destroy them and to save us from them.   John 5:24,
 
2.Jesus the shepherd who gives new life
Dead wolves and a dead shepherd leave the sheep alone to care for themselves, which they cannot do. Other creatures left alone will fend for themselves but sheep will become the prey of other animals or die in the cold. The death of the shepherd would be in vain were it not for the fact that the good shepherd also has power to overcome death. We need to recognize our need of the living shepherd:

a)    Just as an area where wolves dwell might seem an attractive place for sheep to graze we find sin attractive. Isaiah 53:6   We need to repent of our waywardness and or foolishness

b)  We cannot meet our own needs. Self-help books, DVD’s or 10 Steps to Success Courses don’t lead us home because they are written by other sheep like us, who are just as lost. And some are even wolves in sheep’s clothing’s. We need to accept his help.

3. The Shepherd who extends life to all     v16

Jesus doesn’t stop with just the sheep that are immediately at hand, he says that other sheep must be brought into this fold.

The fold of sheep, the church, is always changing, growing, adding and losing members. It is not a constant place, but a place where things happen, where changes are made, where people grow in faith, where people meet people of faith who help them to understand and receive God’s love.

 

How much does the above describe Exeter Temple Corps? What needs to be celebrated?  What needs to change?

Is there an area in your life that you are not letting God be the “Good Shepherd” for you?

 

God bless

Alan and Carol

 

 

 

I am the gate

Exeter Temple Message notes

Sunday 11th August 2013

John 10:1-10

The city picture v 1-6
- a public sheepfold
- all local shepherds would come at night with their flocks.
- watchman guarded the door - only allowed legitimate shepherds in
- true shepherds knew their own sheep
- sheep recognised the shepherd through distinctive voice 
 
The truth behind the picture
 a)    Bogus callers
Not everyone who seeks entry into our lives is from God. 
Teaching in John 10 arose out of confrontation with the Pharisees over the healing of the blind man.  Their attitude and teaching showed that they were not the real shepherds of the people that they claimed to be. 
Their teaching was based on     - religion rather than relationship,
                                                   - salvation by works 
Such bogus teaching and wrong thinking is still around today plus such things as humanism
materialism and new age philosophy
b) Identification of the genuine
A true shepherd seeks entry legitimately.  If something is of God it does not need cunning deception, force or manipulation to get its way.
 Who is the watchman?
- John the Baptist- like the watchman in that he ushered Jesus, the true shepherd into his ministry.
- The Holy Spirit - acts on our conscience. Speaks truth and gives discernment to us.
- The Bible - everything that seeks to gain access to our lives needs to be measured against it.
All testify to the authenticity of Jesus as the true shepherd and will only open the door for him.   If something doesn’t measure up to the word and the witness of the Spirit then we must not let it into our lives.
 c)    Familiarity
The best safeguard is to know the shepherd personally.
Sheep were trained to recognize the voice or the tune played by their shepherd.
 
2. The country picture v 7-10.
- sheep herded into a low walled enclosure of piled rocks with small  opening.
- sheep returned to the fold at night after a day of grazing,
- shepherd accounted for, inspected and ministered to each   sheep as it entered.
- shepherd lay down across the doorway to protect sheep.
 
Further reading:     
Psalm 121                 Hebrews 10               Revelation 3:8

 Prayer focus

Think about the people who may come through or to your front door this week and pray for them. 
What are the doors of opportunity that have opened to share the love of Jesus recently?   What do you need from the Holy Spirit to help you walk through them?
Open Doors is an organisation which supports persecuted Christians, pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ, as they seek to bring the gospel in places that try to shut the door to them. 

God bless
Alan and Carol

 

I am the light of the world

John 8:25-40

In the Old Testament God is a God of light.
- appeared to Moses as a bright burning bush       Exodus 3:2
- appeared to the Hebrews as fiery, cloudy pillar  Exodus 13:21
- Shekinah light was seen in the temple                2 Chron 7:1
- Jewish teaching that the Messiah was "Light      Mal 4:2
The commemoration of God’s presence and the hope of the Messiah Light to come was celebrated at the Feast of Lights.
During the festival four large candlesticks called Menorahs’ were lit in the Court of the Women in the Temple. Their light was seen all over Jerusalem.  Jesus was in Jerusalem for this festival with his disciples. The incidents around Jesus’ statement that He is the light of the world help us to understand something of the kind of light.

1. A Penetrating Light                      
The incident
People hear that Jesus was teaching in the Temple and gather to listen to Him. The Pharisees arrive, dragging with them a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery.
-the trap
They used the woman to trap Jesus. If Jesus refused to condemn her they could accuse him of flouting Hebrew law. If he followed Hebrew law he would be breaking Roman law, where stoning was not permitted.
-the Pharisees were:
Astonished at being outwitted
Shocked at his discernment of their inner struggles
Angry at their own exposure
If the Pharisees had believed that Jesus didn’t want to use His knowledge of their hearts to destroy them but to save them, their lives could have been different. 

2. The Transforming Light                    

-the woman
Her extra-marital affair is exposed in the light of day. And her sin is put in the spotlight by the Pharisees. 
The world loves to expose sin but exposure alone does not bring transformation.
-Jesus
The spotlight was on the woman but the light of Jesus’ purity, justice and grace shine brighter.
Everyone stares and points- Jesus looks away and writes in the sand. 
Everyone abandons her - Jesus stays.
Everyone else saw this as an ending- Jesus gave her a new beginning.
Jesus didn’t declare her innocent condone sin or justify her actions but told her to put her sinful life behind.

3. The Undiminished Light

The Menorah lights commemorating the God’s presence and the hope of the Messiah’s return had just been extinguished.  John 8:12 was an unmistakable claim to being the Messiah and that he had exclusive possession of ultimate truth.
Jesus enemies continually try to snuff out his influence through argument but couldn’t do it.  They wanted to argue legalities, discuss theology but not believe. They wanted a legal battle, not a saving moment.
Jesus is a light that those in the dark were so determined to get rid of that they had him killed.  As he died the sky turned black but resurrection brought new dawn. John 1 v 5 “The Life Light blazed out of the darkness and the darkness couldn’t put it out.” (The Message)
The condition for experiencing the full potential of His light in our lives is to follow him.  John 8:12b “He who follows me will never walk in darkness.”
Following implies a commitment of our life to Him
Following the light implies a daily walk.    See also Eph 5:8 & 1 John 1:7 
Unlike the physical sun we do not need to protect ourselves against harmful rays. There is nothing in the Son that can harm us and we need to be more exposed to the light of Christ.

God bless
Alan

I am the bread of life

Jesus and bread.
 

Bread is a staple.

Jesus is not the icing on the cake of life but our staple diet.
Bread is universal
Bread is everywhere, and so is Christ. He is universally available.
Bread is eaten daily.
Jesus can nourish our hearts daily.
Bread is served in many forms.
Jesus is adaptable to need.



Bible Reading:  John 6:25-40
The large number of people in John 6 are from the 5000 men plus women and children who enjoyed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

 1. They are excited. 
Their excitement was based upon what they expected Jesus to do for them but this is due to a false assumption of who Jesus was and what he was offering.
Jesus would not accept their invitation to be their king, sent his disciples away from the influence of the crowd and withdrew to a mountain.

2. They are determined
They are passionate and aggressive in their search for Jesus, which is encouraged by Jesus at other times, (Matthew 7:7) however their motives are wrong.

The crowd falls into three categories:

a) Materialists          John 6:25

The people wanted hand-outs and provisions. They lived with material insecurity which exhausted them physically and humiliated them emotionally. A physical struggle can rob a person of the energy to meet needs of the heart and soul.  That is why William Booth said that it was no use preaching to a man whilst his belly was empty and their feet were cold.
Jesus advice           John 6:27
Jesus recognised that these people didn’t recognise spiritual need but assumed material wealth would satisfy them completely.  
In the west today we don’t deal with the fact that we are spiritually starving to death not because we are struggling with poverty but because we are so over stimulated by our outer senses that we can hardly hear our inner soul.  Many fear looking at the hunger within.  We should value our spiritual hunger as we do our physical hunger; a bad appetite leads to under nourishment and malnutrition.

 b) Legalists              John 6:28
This group wanted a list of rules because it is easier to be dominated by a leader than to responsible for your own inward spiritual life.  It is easier to make rules than to build relationships.

Jesus’ reaction: John 6:29
The LEGALISTS wanted the LAW but not the GIVER of that law.
c) Sensationalists  John 6:30
Even though they had witnessed the feeding of the 5,000 by the next day this group were eager for another sensation.
Many in the church today fall into the category of “keep them “wowed” and you’ll keep them around!”  It is fickle.
John 6:34
Jesus replied with, “I am the bread of life.”
The Greek could be translated "I am the bread of life and no one else is.
No more waiting required.  Jesus didn’t say “I’ll get onto the supplier.  I have arrived. Here I am.

Which group of people in the story do you have the most sympathy with?

Why wouldn’t Jesus settle for meeting the economic needs of people and abolishing hunger?

What is the most satisfying thing about your relationship with Jesus at the moment?

If Jesus came to meet all our spiritual hunger, why doesn’t every Christian experience full  satisfaction all the time? 

How do we know the difference between being satisfied with our Christian experience and being complacent?

What do you hunger for spiritually?  

Read the story of the baker below and pray about your own efforts to help people find Jesus the bread of life

 The Story of the Beggar and the baker

There was a beggar who came and sat before a baker. “I want bread,” he said. “How wise you are,” the baker assured him. “Bread is what you need. And you have come to the right bakery.” So he pulled his cookbook down from his shelf and began to tell the beggar all he knew about bread.
He spoke of flour and wheat, of grain and barley. The baker’s knowledge impressed even himself as he cited the measurements and recipe. When he looked up, he was surprised to see that the beggar wasn’t smiling. “I just want bread,” he said.
“How wise you are.” The baker applauded his choice. “Follow me, and I’ll show you our bakery.” Down the hallowed halls he guided him, pausing to point out the rooms where the dough is prepared and the ovens where the bread is baked.
“No one has such facilities. We have bread for every need. But here is the best part,” he proclaimed as he pushed open two swinging doors. “This is our room of inspiration.”
The baker knew the beggar was moved as they stepped into the auditorium full of stained-glass windows. The beggar didn’t speak. The baker understood his silence. With his arm around his shoulder, he whispered, “It overwhelms me as well.”
Then the baker leaped to the podium and struck his favourite pose behind the lectern. “People come from miles to hear me speak. Once a week my workers gather, and I read to them the recipe from the cookbook of life.”
By now the beggar had taken a seat on the front row. The baker knew what he wanted. “Would you like to hear me?”
“No,” he said, “but I would like some bread.”
“How wise you are,” The baker replied. And he led him to the front door of the bakery. “What I have to say next is very important,” he told him as they stood outside. “Up and down this street you will find many bakeries. But take heed; they don’t serve the true bread. I know of one who adds two spoons of salt rather than one. I know of another whose oven is three degrees too hot. They may call it bread,” the baker warned, “but it’s not according to the book.”
The beggar turned and began walking away. “Don’t you want bread?” the baker asked him. He stopped, looked back, and shrugged, “I guess I lost my appetite.”
The baker shook his head and returned to his office. “What a shame,” he said to himself. “The world just isn’t hungry for true bread anymore.”

Pray about your own efforts to share Jesus the Bread of Life with others  

 

Courage

Sunday 2nd June 2013
Exeter Temple Bible notes
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1-8

There are situations in life that require even more than just confidence. They need courage. Today we have witnessed the enrolment of a soldier in the Salvation Army. This is an act of courage, as is any stand we make in obedience to God and his word.

Deuteronomy 31:7b “Be strong and very courageous for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

1. Courage comes from a sense of call
Even though initially it was Moses who commissioned Joshua when everything was looked difficult or dangerous, Joshua knew that his involvement in the claiming of the Promised Land was God’s idea. It was not easy following the famous Moses and Joshua needed personal reassurance from God that he was the man for the job.
Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you?
The secret of courage is the knowledge that what you do is right. If we have a sense that God is behind us we can be filled with confidence. God has a particular purpose for all of us, which he promises to guide us into. For Joshua, it was to go with the people of Israel into the land and be responsible for allocating the areas where each tribe was to settle. Without the assurance of God within us, that what we undertake is what He commands, there will always be the fear that we ought to be doing something else.

How can we find that assurance?
 Proverbs 3:6: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Guidance about what we should specifically do with our lives comes from him in a variety of ways. God speaks to us by His Spirit, into our minds, through the scriptures, through other people and in our circumstances, sometimes in more unusual ways, like dreams and visions – a variety of ways - but God does command us. We need to take time to listen. When we do a sense of certainty comes.

2. Courage comes from good company
Joshua is also told not be afraid. Fear is an immediate and intense internal alarm system that alerts us to the presence of danger. It prepares us either to flee from or fight against the perceived danger.
Almost every servant of God from Genesis to Revelation is at one time told not to be afraid. In most the Bible does not just instruct us not to be afraid but attaches promises to the instruction.

Joshua did not need to be afraid because, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”
What fear to you battle with?
It was possible for Joshua to experience fear at the prospect of the way ahead and yet be a courageous man, for courage is not absence of fear but its conquest.

In Mark 6:50 When Jesus walked on the water towards frightened disciples they were more afraid than ever until Jesus reassured them with the words, “Take courage, it is I!”
In the tense situations of life we can become so absorbed in battling with them that when the presence of Jesus becomes real we fail to be comforted. We almost see it as another thing to cope with.

Yet often the difficult experiences of life only bring Jesus closer to us. The benefit of having Jesus close to us is immeasurable.

3. Courage comes from the strength of God’s word

The conviction that we are in God’s will gives us courage to step out, but we need strength to continue. Joshua is told not only to have courage but to be strong.
Courage and strength are not the same things. I might summon up enough courage to get in the water and swim with crocodiles but that doesn’t mean I would have what was needed fight them off if they got nasty!

How would Joshua be strong?

In Deuteronomy 31 Joshua’s call comes at the end of a great summit when all the people had been called together to renew their covenant with God. The people were reminded that their future prosperity lay in holding fast to God and obeying his instructions.

Deuteronomy 30:15 “See I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your god, to walk in his ways and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.”

It is in the context of such an instruction that Joshua receives his calling to lead.

Joshua 1: 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”

Joshua could rely on his own merits and do a good job but he is told to rely on the word of God given to Moses. Short cuts to strength are very dangerous. Athletes using steroids to build muscles and increase power are dangerous giving short-term success but in the long term affecting their health. Joshua, having been a popular sort of hero could be tempted to rely on his previous successes and on his famous name to follow in the footsteps of Moses, using military experience to conquer the Promised Land. However Joshua must not rely upon his own resourcefulness but should have confidence in the word of God.

The world has a very subtle way of making us feel foolish about believing in God and his word. We need to remind ourselves that we hold the most important message our world has ever and will ever know because sometimes Christians lose their confidence.

Laurence Singleshurst: “We have seen our society move away from one that was largely based on Christian morality where the church was an accepted part of the fabric of our communities. We have watch the church decline in numbers and influence. We have seen that it has become more acceptable to hold almost any other set of beliefs than those held by Christians. We realise that we cannot expect our friends and family to have even a basic knowledge of who God and Jesus are. Do we still believe that the gospel is the powerful message which has the ability to save?

He goes on to say, “Our society is involved in an epidemic of selfishness. Our whole post-modern way of thinking that says we decide what is right and wrong for ourselves out of our own experience; that we as consumers are the ultimate answer to what is right and wrong. Now our society gives us permission to be selfish, we are making choices dependent on what feels good to me. It is a manifesto for ultimate selfishness. Is there one of your friends who has not been damaged by someone else’s selfishness?
We can have confidence in the gospel because it has an answer to the deepest sickness in our society. Through Jesus there is a way to break free from the selfishness that can now be seen to be the curse of our families, communities and nations.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Joshua needed to rely upon the wisdom of the word of God but he was also commissioned to uphold it and pass it on to others. Would he be strong enough? Again the word of encouragement comes to him and to us. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you.”

When Paul was giving his testimony in his letter to Timothy, he wrote,
2 Timothy 1:12 “I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”

The Message translation puts that same verse. ”But I have no regrets, I couldn’t be more sure of my ground. The One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he trusted me to do, right to the end.”

Blessings
Carol

The Eyes of God

1. THE ALL SEEING EYE OF GOD

We live in a surveillance society and we are at times comforted and disturbed by this. Is it a comforting or a disturbing fact that God has such remarkable eyesight that He never misses anything, ever?

Isaiah 29:15: “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in the darkness and think, “Who sees? Who will know?”

Nothing can be hidden from God. Unless it is dealt with, there will come a day when God, who has seen all our sin will judge it all.

God is a God of justice who wants to see justice done. Because God sees everything we can trust Him as our judge. He sees not only actions but motives, not only deeds of the moment but the history that built up to it. He sees not only what we have done but what has been done to us. When he does declare us guilty, that verdict is not His final word, there are other words that He offers to speak over us, such as forgiven, healed, redeemed or restored.

The all seeing eye of God is not something to fear but to trust.
Genesis 16:1-16
Whilst waiting for God to fulfil his promise that Abraham and Sarai would have a son Abraham had a son by his wife’s slave Hagar. Instead of this being a solution it caused tension. Hagar ran away. In the desert God came to this desperate and lonely woman.
Hagar finds a new name for God. She calls Him; “The Living One who sees me”. Rather than this terrifying Hagar, it gave her the strength to go back and face the situation she had run away from.
Hagar was bullied by Sarah. Bullying is so often done so subtly. It seems to happen when no one else is there to defend us.

Hagar tried to escape her but God’s angel would not let her hide or deny what had happened, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” (v8)
God already sees our past but he will often take us back to acknowledge the pain and look at it again but this time through His perspective.
The angel’s second question is also vital, “Where are you going?”
Hagar knew what she was running away from but she had no idea where she was heading. But God could see and God knew and then instructed her to trust Him and go back so that she could have a future.

This story also shows us the possibility of our own eyes being opened. Hagar said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

It is great to be the object of someone’s care. It is even better to know that you are.

2. THE SEARCHING EYE OF GOD

2 Chronicles 16:9: “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”

Every day, God watches out for an opportunity to do a great thing for us when our hearts are devoted to him.

In 2 Chronicles 16 Asa had defeated the Ethiopians in open battle but he now he sought only a human solution to his problems by making alliances with pagan nations. When confronted by the prophet Hanani about is rebellion Asa threw him in prison and began to oppress his own people.

It is not sin to use human means to solve our problems but it is sin to trust them more than God. Instead of there being commitment in his heart there was rebellion. And that is serious.

When Samuel confronted King Saul about his rebellion he used strong words, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”

Now not many of us would contemplate getting involved in witchcraft but how many of us can say that there have not been times when we have kicked against God’s way in our life and stubbornly refused to accept His will or do it?

God is looking for people with a right heart attitude. God can do great things through those whose heart is right

1 Corinthians 2:9: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

God begins to work in our lives at the level of our hearts. The heart is the place of conscious decision making, the place of spiritual activity. Our hearts are our personality as a whole. It’s our desires, our passions and our will. It is where God meets us.

God is not impressed with externals. It’s possible to be religious and devout on the outside, and to be hollow and empty spiritually inside.

Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties. See if there is any wicked way in me annd lead me in the way everlasting.”

God’s eyes are moving back and forth across the earth looking not only for individuals to bless but for congregations of His people that are fully committed to Him. The most important characteristic of a God-blessed church is a passionate unquenchable love for God and when God finds that He blesses and He strengthens.

3. THE GUIDING EYE OF GOD

Psalm 32: 8:“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you”.

The AV translates this as “I will guide thee with mine eye.”

v9: “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you”.

When our children are small we often need to put them on reins because they may not understand the instruction to stop at the kerb, look both ways etc. As they grow older they are given more freedom. Perhaps they are allowed to walk to school alone, but the parent stands at the gate and when they are given the nod, they can cross the busy main road.

Or the contrast could be a puppy that must be taken out on a lead, with the sheep-dog, who only needs a signal from the shepherd to perform the complicated task of rounding up the correct number of sheep into a pen.

God does not want to bark instructions at us or have to force us to do His bidding. God wants a people who know Him well enough to move at His slightest urging. He wants us to have that kind of rapport that is there between people who work closely together, for whom a glance is enough.

Half of the time though we may not even be looking in His direction. We really do need to turn our eyes toward Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”.

Many believers do not spend enough time in God’s presence to know Him in this way. Instead they go about their business and don't know what it is their trusted leader would have them do.

God bless

Alan

Going deeper:

In what ways has God’s watchful presence been comforting or disturbing to you?

What stands out for you in the story of Hagar?

How would you answer if God were to ask you, “Where have you been and where are you going?

How assured are you that we are the apple of God’s eye?

What example could you give of God’s guidance in your life?

Where do you feel you are in relation to your sensitivity to God’s will?