Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....September 24, 2018
For those of you who have been in my classes, you know how strong faith is in my teachings.
No matter where you are on the faith scale, as long as your faith is in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, it is the one thing to focus on in your walk with Him. As you pray and study God’s Word, your faith will grow stronger AND stronger.
Over the next few weeks, I want to talk to you all about that word, faith, and what it has to do with your walk with the Lord. Now a note, as you know, I usually use the ESV Bible verses however for the points in this teachings I believe the KJV makes the ideas come out more clearly.
What is Faith?
I saw an automobile with a license plate that read: “Moving on Faith.” I was both impressed and inspired. What does Moving on Faith mean? Before we can fully embrace its meaning, we must first understand the word faith.
What is faith?
First, let‘s look at what faith is not.
(1) We must realize that faith is not based on our feelings or attitudes.
(2) Faith is not merely wishing for something to happen, at least this is not biblical faith.
So, what is faith? How does the author of Hebrews define the word “faith?”
In Hebrews 11:1, the writer states: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Let’s study this for just a moment. What does the word “evidence” mean? Webster’s Dictionary defines evidence as:
“The means of proving or disproving an alleged fact; testimony, exhibits, etc., offered as proof; an indication of proof.
2. The state of being clear or certain.
Therefore, it is absolutely clear that faith is the evidence of things that we do not see. You may be praying and believing God for healing, yet the pain is still there. Although, the manifestation of healing is not there, you must have faith enough to believe that you are already healed. Begin speaking and believing God through faith that your body is already healed.
You may be financially bound, destitute, and do not know where to turn. Listen: Pray and believe God for your deliverance, for a breakthrough. The Bible says:
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).
Jesus continues, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17: 21).
I’m absolutely certain that if God promises something, we can rest in the fact that He will do what He says. Our faith is in itself the evidence of things not fully seen.
When we sit on a chair, we have faith that the chair will not fall. We have faith in the furniture maker who built it, don’t we? If we go to a restaurant for dinner, we have faith in the chef who cooked it, in the servers who keep it at the correct temperature and in the health inspectors who guarantee it is safe to eat.... although we don’t know them.
When we purchase a new automobile, we have faith in the person who designed it, in the people who built it, in the inspectors who tested it for safety. In fact, we have faith. that everything will work safely and completely. In other words, we trust people without a thought or moment of hesitation. In order to understand this more clearly, let’s look at I John 5:9.
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater...
for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son”(I John 5:9).
Perhaps, there is somebody or something we put our trust in on a daily basis, yet nothing is trustworthy but Jesus! Shouldn’t we have faith and trust in God who is completely and absolutely trustworthy? This is what I believe John is referring to in I John 5:9.
Faith is Trust and Commitment
It is only when we come to the realization that trusting in ourselves won’t work, and begin trusting God completely, and committing everything to Him, it is then that we can begin moving on faith.
I went through years of heartache, depression, sleepless nights, and loneliness before learning this very important lesson. I would go to bed at night, and wake up in the morning trying to figure things out. Would there be enough overtime to pay the utilities? Would there be enough money to buy clothing for my children?
What was I doing? Trusting myself, wasn’t I? What should I have done? I should have trusted God to work it out.
The Bible tells us to: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs: 3:5,6).
We must put complete trust in God, and not in ourselves, believing that He is not only able but capable of doing what is best. Trusting in our own understanding and ourselves will surely fail. We should rest in the promise that He shall direct thy paths.
Abraham Moved on Faith
When I was preparing this sermon, one of the Patriots in the Old Testament came to mind.
Abraham was not only obedient but also committed. Let’s go to Hebrews 11:8:
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” KJV
How did Abraham move? “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” Hebrews 11:9-10. KJV
When God called Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go into a land where he should after receive for an inheritance.... the author of Hebrews says, “Abraham obeyed....and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Heb. 11:8). This is faith. Abraham had the belief and faith that God would lead him into the land.
Romans 4: 13- 16 tell us that, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace; to the end of the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.”
Romans 4:19-25:
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.
No matter how weak or how strong your faith is, as long as your faith is in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. As you pray and study God’s Word, your faith will grow stronger AND stronger. And, soon you will be able to say: "Look at me, I AM MOVING ON FAITH.”
TO BE CONTINUED....
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW
There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.
Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,
Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed.
We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.
The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.
With its possible adversities, Its burdens,
Its large promise and poor performance.
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,
but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.
This just leaves only one day . . . Today.
Any person can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity's -
yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.
It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.
It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday
and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us therefore live but one day at a time.
David Cullinan
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
THIS WEEK, WE LOOK AT THE BOOK OF CHRONICLES....
Who wrote the book?
“The chronicler,” as scholars have long referred to the author of this book, is anonymous. Jewish tradition speculates that Ezra could have written 1 and 2 Chronicles, which—like Samuel and Kings—originally formed one work. But nothing within the text provides a definitive clue as to the compiler of the material.
Several indications throughout the book reveal the author’s reliance on a variety of source materials—“annals,” “books,” and “records”—which are cited as dependable historical documentation. “Whoever the author was, he was a meticulous historian who carefully utilized official and unofficial documents.”
Where are we?
The time frame covered in 1 Chronicles mirrors parts of 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. The chronicler focused on David’s reign in 1 Chronicles, including and omitting different events recorded in the other biblical histories, so that his document recorded those events significant to his purpose. For instance, 1 Chronicles does not include David’s adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), which was a well-known fact even before the chronicler began his work, and so it did not bear repeating.
Chronicles was most likely written during the time of Ezra or Nehemiah, while the Jews were dispersed throughout Persia, some having returned to Israel. Archaeological evidence supports this premise. “Fragments of an actual manuscript of Chronicles found at Qumran makes a date in the Persian period (538–333 BC) almost certain.”
Why is First Chronicles so important?
Readers will note the extensive space devoted to genealogies. Why are these family lists so common in Chronicles? Scholars say that genealogies serve many purposes, among them
To demonstrate the legitimacy of a person or family’s claim to a particular role or rank . . . to preserve the purity of the chosen people and /or its priesthood . . . to affirm the continuity of the people of God despite expulsion from the Promised Land.
In addition to family history, 1 Chronicles lists priests, Levites, armies, temple officials, and other leaders of various ministries.
In Chronicles, the history of Israel is told through a priestly perspective. The chronicler devoted significant attention to proper worship of Yahweh and adherence to the regulations of His Law. The author included David’s decisions on the proper manner in which to undertake moving the ark of the covenant (1 Chronicles 13, 15–16) and detailed descriptions of its return to Jerusalem. The chronicler even highlighted one of David’s psalms (16:8–36). We read the story of how David purchased the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, which he then designated as the future site of the temple (21:15–30). Though David desired to build the temple, God revealed to him that David’s son Solomon would have that honor (17:1–14).
What's the big idea?
Why do we need the books of 1–2 Chronicles when we already have the history of 2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings? Just as the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each offer a different perspective on the life of Jesus, so the books of Chronicles present Israel’s history with a purpose different than the other historical books. The books of 2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings reveal the monarchies of Israel and Judah—in particular the sins of the nations that resulted in the exile. But the books of Chronicles, written after the time of the exile, focus on those elements of history that God wanted the returning Jews to meditate upon: obedience that results in God’s blessing, the priority of the temple and priesthood, and the unconditional promises to the house of David.
David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10–19 summarizes the themes the chronicler wished to communicate: glory to God, gratitude for gifting David’s family with leadership of the nation, and the desire that David’s descendants continue to devote themselves to God. Remaining faithful to God would reap blessing.
When the book was written,
David’s descendants no longer ruled as monarchs over Israel. But the chronicler desired the people to remember the royal Davidic lineage, for God had promised a future ruler would rise from that line. After the seventy-year exile in Babylon, Jewish political and social power resided more with the religious rather than political rulers. Telling Israel’s history through a priestly and kingly lens was intended to prepare the people for a future Messiah.
How do I apply this?
Read David’s magnificent prayer in 1 Chronicles 29. Consider your own spiritual heritage. Would you like to model such godly strength and character as his to your own children? What steps do you need to take in order to echo truthfully David’s attitude in verse 11, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours” (NIV)?
Knowing that He tests the heart and is pleased with integrity (1 Chronicles 29:17), ask the Spirit to fill you daily and guide your steps that future generations might be blessed.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou