AND SAW HIM, SHE FELL DOWN AT HIS FEET

Memory verse: Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. John 11:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 47-49

While on earth, Jesus had a friend named Lazarus. This friend had two sisters - Mary and Martha. Because of His love for their family, He would visit from time to time, spend time with them, fellowshipping and teaching about the Kingdom of God. One day Lazarus fell sick, so his sisters (Mary and Martha) sent a message to Jesus. John 11:3 says therefore his sisters sent unto him saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. One thing about this family is, despite Jesus’ relationship with them, they respected him. Do not look down on a man or woman of God because he or she is close to your family or because you now know one or two things about them. If a man of God frequently visits your home, do not take him for granted. Despite the fact that Jesus was close to this family, these girls still referred to him as Lord. Because your church pastor spent 45 minutes with your family at your place, is that why you now refer to him by his name when discussing with your wife? Instead of referring to him as pastor L, you refer to him as L. Some have even taken it to another level by nicknaming men of God. The Lord will have mercy.

Shortly after, Lazarus passed away. These girls were in pain. You can imagine how these girls felt, Jesus received the message that their brother, Lazarus, was sick and did not show up. Jesus, who had been there for total strangers, was nowhere to be found when his beloved Lazarus fell sick. The first day passed, Jesus did not turn up or send any message. The second day, the same. The third day, no sign of Jesus, even to come and mourn His beloved friend as custom demanded. Finally, on the fourth day, Jesus arrived at Bethany. When Martha heard, she went to him. John 11:32 says Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. Instead of Mary to abuse Jesus, she worshipped him. Immediately she got to where Jesus was, she fell down at His feet. Mary could have cursed Jesus, she could have said things out of anger but she did not. Although she was in pain, she still called Him Lord. She did not ask Him any questions, she just bowed at His feet. When you are in pain, what do you say to Jesus? Do you threaten to stop serving Him? Do you talk to Him to rudely? Do you talk to Him as if He is your servant? Do you still call Him Lord when it seems that you have lost the battle? Do you worship Him after you must have prayed and prayed and nothing happened? Have you stopped going to church because He did not answer that prayer? Have you stopped paying your tithes because Jesus was nowhere to be found when you needed Him most? Jesus purposely waited so that Lazarus would die and raise him. Had it been, Martha had decided to curse Jesus out or stopped worshipping Him, she would have lost her brother for life and missed that miracle

NOTE: In pain worship God not denounce Him.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

BUT I SAY UNTO YOU

Memory verse: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Matthew 5:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 44-46

Yesterday, we talked about what God said concerning Jesus. He said: “this is my beloved Son, in whom i am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).” Jesus is God’s Son and God is well pleased with Him. In Matthew 17, the Lord gave the same testimony but this time around, He added an instruction. Matthew 17:5 says While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. The Most High is instructing you and i to listen to Jesus. Friend, saying the sinner’s prayer is not enough to get you to heaven. You must listen to Jesus too. If He says forgive, please forgive. If He says you must witness, please witness.

In Matthew 5 Jesus preached a powerful sermon, I want us to look at some of the things He said. According to the Law of Moses, adultery is a sin. Matthew 5:28 says But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. The moment you look at a woman and imagine things, you are already guilty of adultery or fornication. If the bible says a man is guilty of adultery if he lusts after a woman, as a woman, should you encourage men to lust after you through the way you dress? Dress modestly so that men will not see you and begin to imagine things. To the men that feed their eyes by looking at women, you are not feeding your eyes but committing adultery.

According to the Law of Moses, once you don’t like a woman, issue her a divorce letter. Matthew 5:32 says but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. You cannot divorce because of irreconcilable difference. The only ground for divorce is adultery and you cannot just wake up one morning and accuse your husband or wife of adultery without being able to proof it. You cannot divorce your wife because your mother said so. You cannot divorce a woman because she has failed to give you a male child. It is not your wife that gives a male child, it is God. So also you cannot divorce your wife because she has failed to give you a child, it is not your wife that gives children, it is God. You cannot divorce your husband because He has changed. Before you start courting that divorced man or woman, investigate what happened. If you marry someone who left her husband because of irreconcilable difference, you will be guilty of adultery.

ACTION: Let us remember marriages that are going through storm that the Lord will restore peace.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Memory verse: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 14:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 41-43

BIBLE STUDIES: Ezekiel 14:13-15

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment, heaven opened and a voice was heard. Matthew 3:17 says and lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Heaven gave two important testimonies about Jesus Christ. Firstly, He is the son of God. Jesus is not a slave of God neither is He, a prophet of God. Secondly, God is well pleased with Him. There are few instances in the scriptures where we find God referring to an individual or a nation as His sons, none of them lived up to His expectation. In Exodus 4:22, God referred to Israel as His firstborn. By the time we get to Exodus 32, the children of Israel had begun to worship a molten calf. Before Solomon was born, the Lord choose him to be His son. 2 Samuel 7:14 says i will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. After God blessed Solomon, he went and marry strange women, these strange men led him into Baal worship. Jesus is the only One who never disappointed God for once. The Most High was not only pleased with Jesus; He was well pleased with Him. This was heaven’s public testimony of Jesus.

All through the scriptures, we see God giving public testimony about people. He said of Abraham in Genesis 18:19 : “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Concerning Moses, He said, Moses was meek above all the men on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3). Concerning Job, He said to Satan, that boy Job eschews evil (Job 1:8). Can God give such testimony about you and me?

In our bible studies, God gave a wonderful public testimony about Noah, Daniel and Job. He said the righteousness of these three would deliver them from harm. They were so righteous; God could not allow anything to harm them. Can God testify that if you find money on the floor, you will not keep it? Can the Most High say, I know that boy, if you slap him on the right cheek, he will turn the left. If you are a politician, can God say that if you get into power, you will not embezzle public money? In this age where oppression is the other of the day, can the Lord say, if I bless that family, they will not oppress anyone? Can God say of you, if I give her a child, that child will not replace Me in her life? Can God testify that if you become the MD, you will not only promote people from your ethnic group? Can God testify that, wealth will not take you from Him?

TO PONDER: Is my lifestyle pleasing to God?

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

BUILD ACCORDING TO PATTERN

MEMORY VERSE: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, see, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. Hebrew 8:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 37-40

When God wanted to dwell among the children of Israel, He commanded Moses to build a tabernacle for Him. A tabernacle is a place of worship. God loves worshippers. He loves those who worship Him in truth and in spirit not those after Him for bread and butter. It is easy to worship God when you have just gotten a raise in your salary. Shouting Hallelujah comes naturally, when you have just passed your driving test. Worshipping God in the beauty of His holiness is easy when your wife finally gets pregnant after five years of delay. Praising God becomes extremely difficult when you receive a letter of redundancy from your place of work. Shouting Hallelujah becomes difficult when your visa application has just been refused. A true worshipper will still praise God even after he has lost his job.

Before building the tabernacle, the Lord called Moses up to a mountain and gave him the pattern of the tabernacle. Just before work started, God reminded him to build according to the pattern shown to him. Exodus 25:40 says and look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed in the mount. God wants to build you to become His tabernacle. He wants you and I to be His residing place. He wants to change the world through us but to do that; we must build our life according to pattern. Who are we to pattern our life after, Jesus Christ. He spent 33 years on earth showing us how to live our lives, how to conduct ourselves, how to relate to our parents, how to speak, how to behave in marriage, how to relate to God. Are you building that relationship after the pattern of Jesus when you and your fiancé kiss and do all sorts when alone? You said he has never slept with you but you undress before him. He has never slept with you but he touches you in inappropriate places. Would Christ have built that way?

The only way to build according to the pattern of Jesus is by doing what Jesus did and avoiding what he did not do. Jesus lived a life of prayer. He prayed at all times. Anyone doing what Jesus did not do or doing what Jesus will not do is building his life after his own pattern. Many build their life after the pattern of a great man of God. They want to talk like the man of God, behave like the man of God; there is no problem in this as far as you know the man of God is building his life according to the pattern of Jesus. However, the truth is, we are not to build our life after any great hero, not even after Martin Luther, John Wesley or John Calvin. Building our life after a particular man or woman is dangerous. If they get it wrong, you will get it wrong also. Jesus never for once got angry unnecessarily; He never said a wrong word once. If someone cuts Jesus in traffic, I can assure you; He will not swear at them or show them the middle finger. Jesus will not see black and call it white. Jesus will not attend a nightclub or go to a strip club. Jesus will never get into a physical fight or verbal abuse. He will never use the ‘F’ word, the ‘C’ word, or any offensive language. Jesus was not a rebellious youth; He was into neither the pop culture nor punk culture. He was not a Rastafarian. Many of our youths today are building their lives according to the pattern of a rock star. Many are building their life according to what they see on soap operas and movies. We cannot build our life after the pattern of a character in a secular soap opera or romance novel and expect the Lord to make us His tabernacle.

TO PONDER: What are the things you are doing that you know Christ will never do , repent immediately and turn a new leaf.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

SAYERS OR DOERS

Memory verse: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 34-36

BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 21:28-32

In our bible studies, Jesus told the story of a father and his two sons. One day, the man approached his first son and said: “Son, i need help in my vineyard, go there and work for me.” The boy answered and said: “Dad i am tired, please send my brother.” The old man said no problem and left. Shortly after this, being convicted by his conscience, he repented and went straight to the vineyard. The old man then approached the second son and said: “i need your help in my vineyard.” Oh, that is not a problem, he said. The moment the old man turned his back, he continued his business. The question is this, which of these two boys did the will of their father, the one who refused but later repented, or the one who promised to go and never went? Which of these two deserved a reward, the “sayer” (the fellow who promised to go but never went) or the “doer” (the fellow who refused to go but later repented)? Obviously, the “doer” i.e. the son who refused at first but later repented.

There is a popular saying: “actions speak louder than words.” It is not what a man says that matters, but what he does. A lot say A but do B. Matthew 7:21 says not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Jesus is not interested in those who will quote the Word alone; He wants believers who will do what the Word says. Are you a “sayer” or a “doer”? Not everyone that says the sinner’s prayer will enter into the kingdom of heaven but those who do the will of God.

In what ways are you and I, saying Lord, Lord but not doing the will of the Father? The Lord said in Romans 12:19, vengeance is mine and I will repay, you said no way, you must pay that fellow back in his coin. Are you doing the will of God when you pay that brother back in his own coin? The bible says pursue peace with all men (Hebrews 12:14), you said you will never speak to that sister –in-law who called you barren because you experience delay in childbirth. Is that the will of God? God promoted a family friend, instead of rejoicing with them; you started envying them. Is that how you do the will of God? You are not married to that man but you live together under the same room, are you doing the will of God? The whole church calls you a brother, but you secretly steal from the offering bag. Is that how to do the will of God? You said you wanted to build an orphanage, people contributed towards the project, you took the money and married a second wife. Is that how a Christian should behave? You were tasked to go and pay some money into the company accounts; you took the money and ran away. Is that the will of God?

TO PONDER: Are you a doer of the Word?

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

WHAT TYPE OF REPENTANCE?

Memory verse: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel 2:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 31-33

In Exodus, God sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: “let my people go.” When Pharaoh heard, he was wrath. Exodus 5:2 says And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will i let Israel go. Every attempt to convince Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go was ignored. Because he refused to let them go, the Lord began to plague Egypt. He started by turning their water to blood (Exodus 7:19); Pharaoh was unmoved. The Lord plagued the land with frogs (Exodus 8:2-4); Pharaoh did not budge. The Lord sent lice (Exodus 8:16), because his magicians were able to reproduce these plagues, he ignored the plea to let the children of Israel go.

The Lord sent flies (Exodus 8:21), these flies began to trouble all the Egyptians, Pharaoh repented and called for Moses and Aaron. He said; i will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me (Exodus 8:27).” This is called “EMERGENCY REPENTANCE.” Pharaoh permitted the children of Israel to go and sacrifice because he was suffering, the moment relief came; he changed his mind. Since he refused to change, the plagues kept on coming. Their livestock perished (Exodus 9:3); they were inflicted with boils (Exodus 9:8); thunder and hail destroyed their fields (Exodus 9:18); locust destroyed their plantations (Exodus 10:4). When the plagues became unbearable, he repented again. This is time around, he permitted only the men to go and sacrifice, leaving the women and children behind. This is called “INCOMPLETE REPENTANCE.” There are many who have repented from robbing the Lord in tithes, instead of paying a tenth of their earning, they pay a fifth of their earning. As far as God is convinced, this is not repentance.

The plagues continued, the Land was covered with thick darkness (Exodus 10:21) and then the Lord killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians (Exodus 11:4-5). This time around, he repented and took an action; he literally chased the children of Israel out of Egypt. One would have thought that Pharaoh had finally repented but it was a “FALSE REPENTANCE,” after the children of Israel left Egypt, he went after them to bring them back to Egypt.God is interested in genuine repentance not repentance by mouth. Is your repentance an emergency one, an incomplete one, or worse still a false repentance? You said you have repented, no more fornication and adultery again, after a while you called your ex to come and pass the night at your place. Is that repentance? Because you wanted something desperately from God, you vowed never to do certain things again, the moment the Lord answered your prayers, you went back and continued in them. You said you have turned a new leaf but not completely, you no longer smoke but you drink. You no longer watch pornography but you look at nude pictures. Is that repentance?

ACTION: Pray that the Lord will truly give you a change of heart.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

SET IN SLIPPERY PLACES

Memory verse: surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction. Psalm 　73:18　

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 　Jeremiah 29-30　

BIBLE STUDIES: Psalm 73: 3-22　

At one point or the other, you must have wondered, how come the wicked is prospering and the righteous have nothing to show for their righteousness.You are single , you have kept yourself pure by not defiling yourself with the opposite sex before marriage, you attend service regularly, you pray and fast, you sow seeds - time, energy, money, etc and nothing is happening in your life, no brother has come to say hi. 　Meanwhile, your friends or colleagues who are living a wayward lifestyle – drinking, smoking, partying, etc are getting married. You are diligent at work, you do your work well, never done fraud or forge any records and yet for over five years, you have not been promoted but your friends who participate in dodgey dealings, are the ones getting all the recommendation and promotion. In ministry, you preach the truth, keep God's standard , work very hard and yet ,the church is scanty. Meanwhile, others who are playing games and wasting the destinies of their members by not preaching the truth to them keep expanding. One may be tempted to wonder if righteousness really pays. 　

You are not the only one who has entertained such thoughts; the psalmists in his time observed that, only the wicked made progress, the righteous despite working really hard was stagnant. This man saw the righteous going from one challenge to another, as he is leaving one problem he is entering into another problem but the wicked enjoyed peace. He saw the wicked, leaving in affluence, their children doing well in school; he said "I envy the wicked". Psalm 73:3 says for I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 　Later, when the Lord opened his eyes, his confession changed. Instead of envying them, he began to pity them. 　Psalm 73:18 says surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction. 　A slippery place is a place full of danger. Because they have been marked for destruction, the Lord permitted them to prosper temporarily 　to aid their destruction. They were like cows fed for slaughter. The Lord permitted challenges on the path of the righteous to prune him. He refines him in fire so that by the time he comes out of it; he will be shining like gold. After He must have worked on him, taught him patience, endurance and humility, He will now elevate him.　

NOTE: 　What you are facing at the moment, is your desert experience. Moses went through it, Abram passed through it, Jesus while on earth went through it too, you and I must go through it before we can become great.　

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.