Chapter 8 - Released to worship

Freedom from Captivity

Chapter 8 – Released to worship

In this Chapter we study the Bible further, to understand God’s divine plan that He purposed in order to free us from every form of bondage and enslavement in our lives.

In Exodus 2:23, we read, “Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God.” (NLT)

The people of Israel were in slavery and bondage to the Egyptians. Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, was not only a hard man, but one who ruled the people with an iron hand. Anyone who was captured by the Egyptians had almost no hope of escape from Pharaoh’s cruel reign, as his heavy hand made them his bond servants. 

A person who was in bondage functions like a machine with absolutely no will of their own.  They have no direction, no way they could fulfil any of their desires and are subjected to a life of routine and drudgery. 

Pharaoh was using the people of Israel as slaves to build and establish his own Kingdom. The spirit of Pharaoh didn’t care about the feelings or desires of those whom he had subjected. The people of Israel were in deep distress and as they struggled with their lives day in and day out, they called out to the Lord to have mercy on them and deliver them. The rule of Pharaoh was such that he gave the people of Israel no freedom or the time to seek God or worship Him.

For those of us who are so caught up in this rat race, where work and earnings becomes our top priority, so that we have no time for God, His word, prayer or fellowship with other believers, it’s time we realized that we too are in bondage. If we continue this way, we will come to a stage in our lives when we will look back to realize and be saddened by the fact that we have only grown older but have not accomplished anything substantial in our lives.

The people of Israel were crying out to the Lord so they could be brought out of their bondage, and be set free to worship the Lord once again.

If we sincerely seek the Lord to deliver us from our bondages, He will come to set us free.  However, we must always keep in mind that the freedom and deliverance God brings us, is so we will worship the Lord and fulfil His purposes for our lives. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed with our cares, worries and difficulties that we hardly have time to seek after God. In the midst of our problems we must call on the Lord, and He will do things way beyond our thinking and understanding. There is absolutely no situation or problem that is too hard for the Lord to handle.

The cry of the people of Israel reached the ears of the Lord and He sends Moses to deliver them from the hands of Pharaoh.  God’s ways are strange and mysterious.  Moses whom the Lord called to liberate the people of Israel, was raised in the very Palace of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt as his own son.  

Pharaoh did not realize that the child he was rearing in his Palace, would one day come back as a leader of Israel, to break the power of his iron hands and free the people of Israel. If Pharaoh had an inkling that this Moses would one day come against him, he might have tried to kill him but the Lord had a purpose and protected Moses all through the time he was growing up in Pharaoh’s Palace.

In Exodus 7:16, the Lord said to Moses, “Say to him (Pharaoh), ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to tell you, “Let my people go to worship me in the desert.” So far you have not listened.” (GW)

When Moses went and requested Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go so they could worship the Lord in the desert, Pharaoh’s retort was that they could very well worship their God right where they are.  The Egyptians were an idolatrous people. They worshipped the Nile River and the Sun because they believed that they were two main sources of their sustenance.  

In a place where people worship the creation instead of the Creator the land gets defiled.  Pharaoh was a hard man and would not agree to allow the people to be set free to go and worship the Lord. There was no way the people of Israel would have the freedom to worship the Lord in a place like Egypt.

We will study briefly from the history of the people of Israel and try to understand and correlate significance of what Jesus did to bring about freedom from our captivity.  This will help us realize that, the solution for our problems does not come from man but only from the Lord Jesus.  Whatever be our enslavement, it is the Lord alone who can free us from every form of bondage.

In Exodus 12:3 we read, “Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb for his family one lamb for the household.” (TLV)

In Exodus 12:5 – “a male, one year, unblemished”

In Exodus 12:6, says, “Then, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, the whole community of Israel will kill the animals.”(GNB)

In Exodus 12:7-8, we read, “They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.  They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.” (NRSVA)

The people of Israel were in a crisis, they were in gruesome slavery and the Lord was planning to deliver them from the cruel hands of the Egyptians.  In order for the Lord to do this, the people of Israel had to listen and obey all that the Lord instructed them to do.

So also in our lives, if we seek to be freed from every bondage we must first and foremost choose to listen and obey all that the Lord commands us to do. For instance when we go to a Doctor for an ailment, if we want to recover, we must do exactly as the Physician instructs us or else our going to him or her would be pointless.

The command of the Lord to the people of Israel was to take a male lamb, a year old without any blemish to their house, on the tenth day of the first month.  The lamb became a part of the family for four days and on the fourteenth day in the evening the lamb was to be killed.  Their hearts must have been broken as they killed the lamb, but they did not question but obeyed because they were wanting their freedom from their life of slavery and bondage.

The Israelites were then to take some of the blood of the lamb and smear it on the two doorposts and lintels of their houses. That night they were to eat the meat roasted on the fire along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The people of Israel did not understand why the Lord was instructing them to do all of this, but they only knew that the Lord had a solution to their slavery and all they had to do for their freedom was to simply obey His words.

When we go to the Lord with our problems and He gives His word of instruction, we must be willing to obey Him no matter what He says. When the Lord is giving us a solution to be freed from our bondages, we must give heed and not try to reason it out with our finite minds. Only then will be set free from every enslavement.

The people of Israel obeyed and now were waiting to see what would happen. Before the night began there was the sound of the death of the lamb in the Israelite homes, but as the night proceeded this was replaced by the sound of death of the first born son in every Egyptian home. The protection of the blood of the lamb on the door posts and lintels was available to all, but only to those who accepted it and actualized it did the Lord give His divine grace and protection.

In Exodus 12:23 we read “For the LORD will pass through to strike down the Egyptians; when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down.”

Wherever the blood of the lamb was not smeared, the angel of death struck the firstborn in that house but the angel of death passed over all those who had the blood on their doorposts and lintels. Pharaoh and all of Egypt was so filled with fear and sorrow that they begged the people of Israel to leave.  The Lord did not wage a war with the Egyptians to save his people from bondage and slavery, but all that He instructed them to do was slay a lamb.  The blood of the lamb saved them from death and also freed them from the life of enslavement and captivity.

This was being commemorated by all the Jews, year after year, as the Passover Festival, to remember their great redemption from slavery. But the best was yet to come.

In Luke 22:7-8 we read, “The Day of Unleavened Bread came. This was the day when the Jews always killed the lambs for the Passover. Jesus said to Peter and John, "Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat." (ERV)

Jesus being a Jew Himself, asked His disciples to prepare to celebrate the Passover Feast.

In Luke 22:19, we read, “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (EMTV)

In Luke 22:20we read, “Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (EMTV)

As Jesus broke the break He was now giving it a new symbolism and telling His disciples, the bread represents ‘My Body’. In the same way He explained to them that the cup they were participating in was ‘My Blood’ representing the New Covenant through His blood which was going to be shed for the sins of the world. This was now a new covenant the Lord Jesus was establishing with His disciples, which extends to all who believe in Lord Jesus.

All of us who live in this world are in bondage to sin, wickedness and to Satan and his schemes.  None of us can come out and break free from any of these bondage with our own effort. But just like the lamb without blemish was slaughtered by the Israelites on the evening of the Passover, Jesus Christ the sinless Lamb was crucified for all of our sins, our curses, our sicknesses and our bondages. The reason Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood was so that, we too may pass from death unto eternal life.

That is the reason why we celebrate communion in Church.  The bread is the representation of the body of Christ and the cup is the representation of the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross.

In 1 Corinthians 5:7 reads, “Take away, then, the old leaven, so that you may be a new mass, even as you are without leaven. For Christ has been put to death as our Passover.” (BBE)

Paul refers to Jesus Christ as the Passover Lamb who was slain on our behalf and it is indeed His death that brought us victory. If we are covered with the blood of the Lord Jesus, Satan will have no power over us. We must believe and accept this fact that Jesus died on the cross for each one of us and when we make this personal decision to follow Jesus, He comes to break every bondage and frees us from everything that enslaves us.  It’s only when the Lord lives and reigns inside of us that we can defeat Satan.

As the Israelites fled from Egypt towards their freedom the Egyptian army pursued them and tried to overcome them but God made the very sea that parted and brought deliverance to the Israelites, a death trap for the entire Egyptian army. In I Corinthians 10:2 Paul refers to the Israelites passing through the Red Sea as an imagery of a person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, repents and is passed through the waters of baptism. 

It is important therefore that for one to come into this New Covenant with the Lord Jesus that they not only believe and accept Him as their King and Master but must also be baptized. Baptism is that act of faith whereby we identify with what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Just as Jesus died and rose again so we too confess by being baptized, that we are dead to our old self and rise again to a new life and that just like Jesus rose again we too will rise again in the last day.  That is why Jesus said, ‘unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven.’

Regardless of the kind of bondage we are in, we must sincerely desire to be set free so we can truly worship and serve the Lord. As we worship and praise the Lord, He breaks all those things that bind us. Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, but they praised the Lord in spite of all their chains, and the result was all their chains and fetters fell apart and they were freed. As we continue to walk in obedience to the Lord and worship Him, the Lord will set us free from everything that enslaves us and we be transformed to be those who fulfill the purposes of God in our lives.

A prayer : 

Our loving heavenly Father, thank you for sending Your son, Lord Jesus into this world just like the lamb that was killed by every Jewish household when they were under bondage in Egypt.  The purpose of Your coming to this world, was to set me free from every bondage so that I can worship you, the one true God in spirit and in truth. Thank you for setting me free to worship you. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray. Amen.

A.Dixon

www.goodnewsfriends.net

Transcribed by : Ms. Esther Collins

Email : goodnewsfriends.net@gmail.com

For audio : Released to worship - Audio message in Tamil

Chapter 7 - Repentance - Change of mind

Freedom from Captivity

Chapter 7 - Repentance - Change of mind

Matthew 3:1-2,“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (RSV)

Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (RSV)

The central message of John the Baptist and Jesus as we can see from the above mentioned verses was on Repentance. The word ‘Repentance’ is essentially a ‘change of mind’. Since our thought life is secret and hidden from others many are negligent about keeping a check on the same, but repentance is the transformation that begins from within one’s mind. 

Repentance is rightly an alteration of our thought process. People can sometimes control our actions, but our thoughts are totally under our control and as our thoughts are hidden from others, we often don’t give much importance to controlling our thoughts. However, if our thoughts are not kept under control as they should be, they can cause many problems and complications for us.

The message of both Jesus and John the Baptist were echoing the same thing; if one wants to enter the Kingdom of God, then repentance is the prerequisite. The word Kingdom rightly implies, that there is a King who rules, and everything that happens there should be under His divine Lordship. The message is categorical; only when one brings the mind under control will one come under the Lordship of Christ and gain entry into the Kingdom of God.

Many are leading defeated lives because they have tried to change the outside but they have had no victory in their mind. If our mind is not renewed we will not see any real change.

In Romans 12:2,“Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.” (GNB)

If our mind is not changed there will be no change of life style. If the thoughts are new then the mind will be renewed, but if our thoughts are held captive by Satan there will evidently be no transformation of our lives.

What are the things that enslave the minds of people?

    Wicked Thoughts

Proverbs 21:27says, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!”(WEB)

Many are trying hard to cope with thoughts that are wicked and evil. They are unable to think anything good because the mind is filled with negative and vile thoughts.

    Proud Thoughts

In Daniel 5:20, we read, “But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was put down from the throne of his kingdom, and they took his glory from him.”(LITV)

The above verse talks about King Nebuchadnezzar, whose heart was hardened with pride. Many are struggling with proud and lofty thoughts.  A person with proud thoughts can easily be identified, as their talk with always be centered on themselves and their achievements. They will also constantly compare with others, to prove that they are far better than them.  A proud mind is a clear sign that the Lord is not in command but the devil is, because humility is the Lord’s hallmark and pride is the trademark of the evil one.

    Fearful Thoughts

In John 20:19,we read “That Sunday evening, the disciples were together behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you!" (GW)

After the resurrection of Jesus, we see the disciples were hiding behind locked doors because their minds were filled with fear. Many are gripped with all sorts of fear and are living in a state of constant fear.  These could be fears from the past, fears of the immediate or even fears regarding the future, but whatever it may be, many are unaware that fear is contagious. It surely affects the lives of those around us. In the list of those who will not find entry into the Kingdom of God, is mentioned those who are fearful and the reason for this is that, where there is fear there is no room for faith.

    Doubtful Thoughts

Luke 12:29, says, “And do not give overmuch thought to your food and drink, and let not your mind be full of doubts.” (BBE)

The above mentioned verse clearly admonishes that our minds should not be filled with doubts. Some people doubt everything. A colleague shared an experience of working with a boss who was extremely suspicious and doubted everything.  One day when the employee took a photocopy of a letter, and handed it over to the employer, he was shocked to see him study the photocopy intently to check if it was the same as the original.  It might sound hilarious, but a lot of people live in constant doubt and suspicion. If Satan has his control over our mind, he will make everything and everyone look suspicious and will not let our mind trust anyone.

Thoughts that Blind

2 Corinthians 4:4 reads, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” (NLT)

The above mentioned verse talks about a mind that is blinded by the god of this age. The reason Jesus came to the earth, was to give His life and bring us a wonderful salvation. He offers us victory by overcoming death and leaving His word and His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us, but many people are blinded to this glorious good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Satan’s plan is to blind our minds so we can never comprehend the beautiful message of the Gospel. 

Only if we win the battle in our mind we will be able to see and experience victory in every area of our lives.

In 2 Corinthians 10:4 we read, “The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”(AMP)

God has given us certain weapons to overcome the battle that rages in our mind. It is indeed true that Satan has built fortresses in our mind which we need to break down and destroy. In order for this to happen, we require God powered weapons.  It will not be possible with our own human effort to break down these strongholds. Some people give a worldly advice that the best way to overcome evil thoughts is to keep it occupied, but that will only be a temporary solution.

How are the Strongholds Built?

In 2 Corinthians 10:5we read, “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” (EMTV)

If we were to investigate how strongholds are built, the first step is when thoughts are instilled in our mind. The next step is that these thoughts stimulate our imagination which start to linger in our minds. These thoughts and imaginations when not brought under the Lord’s authority will definitely become strongholds.  It is so much easier for one to control the mind at the thought level, than to allow it to develop into imagination and let Satan build a stronghold in our mind, which then becomes a struggle to overcome. 

We must categorize our thoughts and not let self-pity, fear, doubt, failure and pride become the evil one’s strongholds in our minds. Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” It’s simple, we must learn to stop the thoughts at the very outset, rather than let them dawdle on and become tools that the enemy uses to enslave and keep us captive.

How do we overcome these Strongholds?

If we notice most of our struggles with our thought life is when we are alone.  It is at those times we need to speak the word of God loud and clear. We should not give room for any negative thoughts. It is entirely in our hands.  We must take the conscious effort to cast out every thought that is not pleasing to the Lord and bring our minds under the captivity of God and His word.

Instead of constantly telling ourselves what we are not supposed to think, we should train our minds to think those things that really edify and build our faith.  That is why Paul gives this admonition to the Philippian Church in Philippians 4:8,“In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” (GNB)

It is important for us to analyse each of our thoughts and see they are as Paul exhorted in the above verse.  It is paramount for us to deliberately break down and destroy every one of the strongholds that Satan has managed to build in our minds. May the Lord renew our minds to think and speak those words that build and edify us and others. May we fill our minds with those things that are good, that deserve praise, things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honourable.

A prayer :

Heavenly Father, help me to analyse every thought, to take every thought seriously and be careful that no wrong thought remains, leading to wrongful imagination in turn giving an opportunity for Satan to have a stronghold in my life.  I speak the Word of God and fill my mind with it, so that it will be the source of all my thinking and imagination. I break every stronghold of Satan in my life by the power of the Living Word of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, I pray. Amen

A.Dixon

www.goodnewsfriends.net

Transcribed by : Ms. Esther Collins

Email : goodnewsfriends.net@gmail.com

For audio : Repentance - A change of mind - Audio message in Tamil

Chapter 6 - Repent

Freedom from Captivity

Chapter 6 - Repent

Matthew 3:1-2:“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (RSV)

Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (RSV)

As we study both of these above mentioned verses, we will realize that Jesus and John the Baptist who was the forerunner of Jesus, preached a very similar message of repentance, as they both fully grasped the urgency of the message they preached.

The last book of the Old Testament is Malachi and the first book of the New Testament is Matthew.  In our Bibles there is only a page separating them, but in reality the period between Malachi and Matthew was 400 years. This was a period of total silence where there was absolutely no word from God. 

The revelation of God and His son Jesus commences again from the Gospel of Matthew. The question is, ‘What transpired in this lengthy period when the Lord chose not to speak or reveal Himself in any way to His people?’

In the Old Testament, God had commanded Solomon to build a temple, and the only reason was,  that God wanted it to be a place where He met with the people and the people gathered together to meet with Him.  

The temple was built with several specifications – importantly it had the Outer court, Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The only one permitted to enter the Most Holy Place was the High Priest and that too only at a time specified by the Lord, having followed several regulations as set by the Lord Himself. If anyone entered the Most Holy Place irreverently, they were instantly punished with death. 

However, as the years passed by, the people forgot the primary purpose of why the temple of God was built.

In this period of 400 years when the Lord chose to remain silent, everything in the temple continued as it always had.  The rituals of worship, sacrifices, feasts and festivals were carried out with regularity, but the dismal part was that the Lord was not in it.

We looked at the church of Laodicea in the last Chapter, how the Lord was standing outside the church and knocking.  Everything was going on as usual inside the church but the tragedy was that they had in actuality kept the Lord standing outside. He had no part in anything that was going on inside the church.

This could be sadly portrayed as the situation of the church today as well.  We pride ourselves with our huge buildings and follow all the traditions, but have lost and forgotten the very purpose for which the Lord instituted the Church in the first place. It would be a sombre thought for us to know that the Lord is often not welcomed into our churches, but has been kept outside seeking to gain entry.

Let’s read, Mark 11:17:“Then he taught them by saying, “Scripture says, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves.” (GW)

The above mentioned words are the words of Jesus.  This is first and foremost “His” (God’s) house. Secondly, it is a place of worship for all people and not an exclusive place for one particular language group or regional group. The church on earth is a representation of how things are going to be in heaven. In heaven there will be people from every tribe, language and people groups. Thirdly, it is written that His house is a ‘House of Prayer’ for all nations, but sorrowfully it has become a ‘Den of Thieves.’

If one were to compare the ‘House of God’ with a ‘Den of Thieves’ here’s what it will look like. 

Firstly, the House of God is a place of light, but a den of thieves is usually a dark and shady place. 

Secondly, the ones who come to the House of God, come together for prayer, God is in their midst and He answers their prayers whereas the primary reason robbers get together, is to connive evil and they are ruled by Satan and his schemes. 

Thirdly, everything is open in the House of God whereas things are kept secretive among a group of thieves. 

Fourthly, the House of God is for all people but the Den of Thieves is for an exclusive lot of wicked people. 

Finally, God reigns in His House whereas the devil rules among the Den of Thieves, because their purpose is only to loot, kill and destroy.

The Lord Jesus and John the Baptist came and preached the message of repentance because the key to entering the kingdom of God is repentance. Many people have a faulty understanding of the word repentance.  A lot of confusion in our lives will be cleared if we understand the true meaning of repentance. 

We will search the Bible to see where this word ‘repentance’ first appears.

Repentance is to feel sorry

Genesis 6:6:“And the LORD repented that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” (WBT)

1 Samuel 15:11, “I have repented that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he hath turned back from after Me, and My words he hath not performed;” (YLT)

The above two passages clearly depict how God felt on two important occasions.  One, when evil increased on the earth the Lord repented or in other words felt sorry that He had created mankind. In the second instance, the Lord chose Saul to be King over Israel, but when Saul rebelled and disobeyed the Lord, the Lord felt remorse that He had even chosen him to be the King of Israel.

For instance, if a parent were to admit their child into a prestigious college, with great hopes that he or she will excel and come out with flying colours, and if for some reason the child discontinued the course, the parent’s heart will be filled with untold sadness and disappointment. They would probably be filled with sadness and regret. In other words they would feel so sorry that they sought admission in the first place.

The first step of repentance is for one to truly feel sorry for the wrongs they have done.

Matthew 26:75, “Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.”(GW)

When Peter denied the Lord as the Lord predicted and the rooster crowed, he was so filled with remorse that He had denied the Lord whom he loved so much, that he went out and wept bitterly because he felt extremely sorry for his disloyalty to the Lord.

Each one of us must come to a place where we truly feel sorry for all the things that we have done wrong, both against God and against others.  We approach the Lord with a penitent heart and feel remorse for all our wrong doings – all of our erring thoughts, words, deeds, choices and decisions.  Only when we do so can we find entry into the Kingdom of God.

Repentance is Returning Back to God

Luke 15:17:“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food overflowing, but here I am dying of hunger! (TLV)

In the story of the Prodigal son, he started off from his Father’s house with plenty but after he squandered all of it he came to a place of total emptiness –   a situation where he had no love, no mercy, no safety, no food, no shelter but one of want and loneliness. Only then he came to his senses, and realized all that he had forfeited when he chose to rebel and walk away from his father and his family.

It is appropriate that we often analyse ourselves to see why we have landed up in certain situations that have caused us emptiness, trouble or lack of peace. We must intently search our hearts to find out where we have gone wrong, and seek to set it right.  Repentance is feeling sorry for our wrong doings and turning back to God.  

Repentance is a total change of heart – a complete turn over. Repentance is a matter of the heart and the acts will be evident but it is primarily a change of heart in the first place.

The prodigal son had to make a decision to come back to his Father’s house and only then there was transformation.

If we don’t choose to come back to the Lord we will continue to be in the same pathetic position, but when we decide to walk back to Him only then will we get to the place where our lives and situations will be changed forever. True repentance will always be followed by the right actions. A person cannot say they have repented and continue to live a life of sin and defeat.When we turn back to the Lord, He will restore back to us all that we have lost.  If we repent and believe and come to the Lord everything will change radically.

John 2:13-16,“The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. He found those who were selling cattle, sheep, and pigeons in the temple courtyard. He also found moneychangers sitting there. He told those who sold pigeons, "Pick up this stuff, and get it out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" (GW)

In the first passage in Mark 11:17, Jesus referred to the House of God becoming a den of thieves but in the above mentioned passage He warns against making the temple of God a market place of business transactions.  An open place where anyone can come and do anything they want. It is also a place where people go to make money. It is indeed frightening, to even think of the response of Jesus to the various schemes, plans and sales that are being promoted in the Churches today.

Some people have hearts like a market place, where anyone can come and manipulate and deceive them.  It represents a life without any rules or discipline. 

John 2: 19, “Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (ESV)

John 2:21,“But the temple Jesus was speaking about was his body.” (GNB)

When Jesus said to the Jews, that if they could destroy the temple, He would raise it up in three days, they were perplexed.  The reason for this confusion was they looked at the outward physical structure of the temple and knowing that it took 46 years to build it, they were unable to perceive what Jesus was saying.  

However, when Jesus spoke about the temple he was not referring to the architecture of the temple, but to His body that would be laid down for the sins of the people and raised up on the third day.

The Bible says that we are the temple of the living God. When the Lord looks at us, and searches our hearts, does He perceive that this is His temple where He resides and rules or does He see a dark place where thieves reside or a market place filled with chaos and confusion?

If our heart is like a Den of Thieves, we will be secretive and conceal our sins and secrets from others and live with a constant sense of guilt and shame. Our hearts would then be a dark place where the devil rules and enslaves. On the other hand if we allow our hearts to be a market place, we will allow others to wield us and lead us astray.

If we want to be freed from every form of bondage in our lives, we must surrender our bodies to become the temple of God, where the Lord will rule and reign. If that becomes a reality, there will be no place for the devil to have a foothold to enslave us to his evil schemes. The Lord will set us free from every form of oppression and bondage.

Our body is God’s temple and if we destroy this body that the Lord has gifted to us so graciously, the Bible says, ‘The Lord will destroy us’.  If we were the owner of a house, we would take great precaution to not let anyone damage or destroy the house we own.  How much more possessive will the Lord be, who has created us and given us this blessed body and life so He could dwell within.

A prayer :

Our loving heavenly Father, every single day of my life help me to understand that my body is the temple of God. I want to live in total surrender to your will and overcome every bondage and be victorious in every area of my life. I desire, Lord that You make my body holy, a place where You can come, reside and reign forever. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen

A.Dixon

www.goodnewsfriends.net

Transcribed by : Ms. Esther Collins

Email : goodnewsfriends.net@gmail.com

For audio : Repent - Audio message in Tamil

Chapter 5 - Run well

Freedom from Captivity

Chapter 5 - Run Well

The Apostle Paul writing to the Church in Corinth admonishes them this way. He says to them in 1 Corinthians 9:24 -25,“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. (ESV)

As we take a closer look at the above mentioned verses, there are four important aspects that stand out. Probably as Paul observed groups of athletes preparing for a race the following features captured his mind. The first aspect Paul is talking about is that this is a running race, the second, that there are the participants in the race, the third, is the fact that every participant needs to exercise self-control and the fourth, that there is a crown waiting at the end of this race for those who run well.

Nothing distracts an athlete who is preparing for a race. He is completely focused and his only aim is to win the race and receive the crown. In ancient times, when an athlete won a race, they were given a beautiful wreath made of leaves to celebrate their victory.  However, the wreath they received would probably last only for a few days and then fade away.

If we were to observe the athletes who participate in a race we may have noticed that they wear light clothes, they often keep their hair short and the reasons for this kind of discipline is that they do not want anything to hinder them or their speed when they are in a race. They are also very selective and controlled with the kind of food they eat, so they can keep their bodies healthy and fit. They will exercise self-control in every area of their life so that they can run the race really well.

If we were to compare ourselves with this indirect representation, we will understand that each one of us are participants in this race of life.  We are all running towards a goal and our reward is the crown of righteousness that the Lord has promised to all those who run and finish well.  However, in order to attain this imperishable crown, we need to exercise self-control in every area of our life.  This is not a compulsion, but a daily discipline and choice. We also constantlyremind ourselves that whatever the world offers us will eventually fade away. Every trophy we receive in this world is only temporary, and will vanish someday but the crown the Lord assures us will last into eternity.

The question is how we can run this race well, so as to be victorious and receive the crown.  We have looked in detail at various areas in which people are being enslaved. One is not in bondage only to habits like drinking, smoking etc., but is enslaved even if they are struggling in areas like controlling anger, hatred, and jealousy too. To run this race well we need to break free from all these yokes that bind us, pull us down and prevent us from fulfilling our full potential and purposes of God in our life.

How should we run this Race of Life?  

    Run with a Vision

Habakkuk 2:2, “And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” (ESV)

The Lord commanded the prophet Habakkuk to clearly write the vision He gave him on tablets, so that the people could read and understand it and run with the same. The vision that was planted in his mind, was to be written out so the people could comprehend the vision clearly and run with it.

Many companies have what they call a ‘vision statement’ that portrays what they would like to see happen in the future.  For instance way back in 1975, when Microsoft was just launching, they had a vision statement that read like this ‘A computer on every Desk’.  When they first floated the company this was not even a possibility as computers in those days were huge and usually confined to a room, the computers were also very expensive and not affordable for common man.  However, we see that 44 years later, it is indeed a reality and almost every home and office have a computer or a laptop.

The vision that the Lord has given to us is that we will have eternal life and receive the unfading crown that He has in store for us and we are all running towards it.  We cannot perceive this with our temporal eyes, but we run by faith because we received this vision from the Lord. We need to run with this vision.

If we study the life of Joseph in the Bible, we realize that he faced untold troubles from a very young age.  The heights of it was when he is faithfully serving as a head slave in the house of Potiphar, and Potiphar’s wife starts to take notice of how handsome Joseph was, and entices him to have an affair with her. On one such day of being tempted, Joseph leaves his coat and flees from her presence. Regrettably Joseph faces prison for an offence he never committed.  The only reason Joseph ran that day was because he knew that the Lord had chosen him and had great plans to honour him and with this vision so clearly etched in Joseph’s heart, he did not let anything hinder the Lord from fulfilling the same.

If we desire to effectuate the vision that the Lord has for our lives, it is necessary for us to like Joseph literally run away from all those things that would ensnare us. Let us choose to run away from hate, anger, bitterness, unholy things and anything else that would prevent us from attaining that vision.

In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul Says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day.”(NRSV)

We often sees this verse on a grave stone, but we should truly make this verse our theme and vision.  We must desire to fight the good fight of faith and not give room for the devil to trap and enslave us. Paul could boldly say, I have kept the faith and I will receive the crown of righteousness that the Lord has promised for everyone who runs and finishes well.  This is the primary reason why we run with a vision.

     Run with a Purpose

2 Kings 4:24, “She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Let's go. And don't slow down unless I tell you to." Don’t stop.... run....” (CEV)

This is the incident that happened in Shunem.  There was a notable woman in this city who got acquainted with the prophet Elisha.  Every time Elisha passed by she would invite him home for a meal. Soon she and her husband understood that Elisha was a prophet of God and wanted to honour him. So they build a small room on their terrace, furnish it and invite Elisha to stay there whenever he passed through.  Elisha was so thankful to the woman, that he asked her if there was anything he could do for her in return for her kindness.

She mentioned nothing but the servant informs Elisha that the woman was childless and that her husband was old.  Elisha called the woman, and promised her that the Lord would bless her with a child within a year and sure enough as the prophet spoke the woman did have a baby boy within a year.

When we honour those who serve the Lord, He will honour us and the word of the prophet of God will never fail.

However, the little boy suddenly took ill and died. The Shunamite woman, took the child laid him on Elisha’s bed in the up stair room and ran to bring the prophet.  That is when she instructed her servant in 2 Kings 4:24 not to stop anywhere but rush ahead to the prophet. She was running with a purpose and her sole purpose was to bring the prophet home, so her son could be raised from the dead.

She clung to Elisha’s feet and begged him to come and raise her dead son.  Elisha sent his servant ahead of him with his staff and instructed him to place it on the dead boy.  However, she did not give up but begged Elisha to come with her.  She refused to leave the place without the prophet. The servant rushedahead to the room and placed the staff on the dead boy, but nothing happened.  The boy remained dead.  Finally Elisha reached the room and stretched himself on the boy a couple of times and the little boy was raised to life.

There was only one purpose on this Shunamite woman’s mind and that was to see her dead son raised to life.  She would not go home until the prophet accompanied her, for she knew only then that her purpose of running to the prophet would be accomplished. 

All of us must discern God’s purpose for our lives and run with it.  However, we should never go anywhere or do anything without the Lord going along with us. Many people have ruined their lives because they chose those paths and places where the presence of the Lord cannot come. The Lord must accompany us at every lap of this race we run, only can we comply with His purposes for our life.

Paul says in 1Corinthian 9:26,“So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air;” (NRSV)

Paul explains how he runs this race Jesus set forth for him with aim and purpose. Our life should be so purposeful and different that those around us should desire to be like us and should aspire to follow the Lord Jesus.

Naomi is a fine example of a woman who though was displaced from her home and was a stranger in the land of Moab, a land filled with idolatry, she was so committed to the Lord and her life was so exemplary that her daughter-in-law Ruth said to her, “your people will be my people and your God will be my God.”Ruth1:16and desired to be like her and follow the God she followed.

We should be those filled with such a purpose that those who relate with us would be eager to be like us and follow the Lord we serve.

     Run with all your strength

Gen 19:17, “Then one of the angels said, "Run for your lives! Don't look back and don't stop in the valley. Run to the hills, so that you won't be killed." (GNB)

Lot, his wife and two daughters lived in the land of Sodom. The sin of Sodom was so great, that the Lord could bear it no longer and decided to destroy the city with fire and Sulphur. Though Lot lived in this sinful city, he remained a righteous man and God being a just God wanted to save Lot and his family from the fiery destruction.  That is when the Lord sent his angels, and they literally drag Lot, his wife and daughters out of the city.  The command of the angels to them was “run for your lives” or in other words run with all your strength, and run to the hills, to save yourselves from this impending danger.  Sadly, however, Lot’s wife decided to look back and she turned into a pillar of salt.

We can receive encouragementand inspiration from Lot’s life to know that it is possible for us to be righteous in this unrighteous world.  Lot was able to live this way at a time when the power of the Holy Spirit was not available to him, how much more we when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to lead a holy life. With God’s strength we can live a holy life in an unholy world.

Lot’s wife on the other hand is an example for us to be cautious how we live the life that the Lord has called us to.  She was actually dragged out of a sinful place to go to a place of freedom, but she chose to look back.  A word of caution to all of us who are saved and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to keep going strong and not give in to temptation and sin that could destroy us as it did Lot’s wife. Once the Lord has saved us from depravity and sin, we should be circumspect not to get pulled back into the same sinful habits.

Genesis 12:4, “When Abram was seventy-five years old, he started out from Haran, as the LORD had told him to do; and Lot went with him.” (GNB)

When we look at the background to this incident, we will realize where Lot actually made a wrong choice that landed him in Sodom.  When God called Abraham to leave his country and his people and go to the place that he had promised, Lot also gladly accompanied him. God was blessing Lot because of Abraham and as their wealth increased there arose a misunderstanding between the herdsmen of Abraham and the herdsmen of Lot.  Abraham decided it was good for Lot and him to part so they can be at peace and so Abraham gives Lot the freedom to choose from the land whichever part that he thought was best.  Lot looks at all the greenery and decided to move towards Sodom. Lot’s life took turn for the worst.  He slowly moves into this city and later becomes a leader in this sinful city. The Lord in His grace saved Lot and his family but unfortunately he lost his wife.  What happened as a result was that his daughters did what was detestable to the Lord.

Let us not make decisions based on what our eyes see, but make right decisions by waiting on the Lord. Often the place where there is sin will look very pleasing the eyes, but we need to keep in mind that even if we are in a desert, the place of safety is always the one where the Lord is with us. We must be careful whom we associate with and those whom we are friends with. We must choose to join with those who will help us grow in the Lord and not be affiliated with those who will lead us away from the Lord.

Lot’s life also is an admonition to us that if we don’t make right associations, we not only affect ourselves but also our families and especially our children. Let us decide to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and not be entangled with the things of this world.

Isaiah 40:31 says “But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”(NKJV)

When we truly wait on the Lord, He will strengthen us and help us to run this race well and strong.

A prayer :

Our loving heavenly Father, as I run this race that the You my Lord has set for me, let me run with a vision, let me run to fulfil Your purpose for my life and let me run with all the strength that You provide.  You will give me, Lord that imperishable crown that You have promised to me and I will be free of every single sin that binds and entangles me on this earth. Loving God give me Your grace to run well and receive the everlasting crown You have in store for me. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

A.Dixon

www.goodnewsfriends.net

Transcribed by : Ms. Esther Collins

Email : goodnewsfriends.net@gmail.com

For audio : Run well - Audio message in tamil