Blest morning, whose young dawning rays
Beheld our rising God,
That saw him triumph o’er the dust,
And leave his dark abode!
In the cold prison of a tomb
The dead Redeemer lay,
Till the revolving skies had brought
The third, th’ appointed day.
Hell and the grave unite their force
To hold our God in vain;
The sleeping Conqueror arose,
And burst their feeble chain.
To thy great name, almighty Lord,
These sacred hours we pay;
And loud hosannahs shall proclaim
The triumph of the day.
[Salvation and immortal praise
To our victorious King;
Let heav’n, and earth, and rocks, and seas,
With glad hosannahs ring.]
Author: Richard Bargas
5 Words of Wisdom to Live By
The other day I came across the first Bible that I purchased after coming to Christ. It’s old and worn with a cover that is coming off the spine. It served me well. As I looked through it, I found some notes from a sermon that I had heard that I had written in the back. I wish I knew who had spoken these words of wisdom, but there were so many godly men speaking truth into my life during this time that I don’t know who it would have been. Whoever the teacher may have been, the truth of those words still rings true.
- I must understand that God very much wants to communicate to me and control my life (Heb 1:1-2)
- I must approach the Bible knowing that God wants me to know truth and that he put it into writing (Ex. 24:14-16)
- I must have the conviction that although God used human authors that he also prevailed [upon] them, that what they wrote were the very words of God (1Cor 14:37)
- I must have the conviction that all of Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2Tim 3:16)
- I need to establish a daily pattern of reading & studying the Bible.
- I must read prayerful and with dependence on the Holy Spirit (1Jn 2:27)
5 Reasons God Wants You to Stop Being Anxious (Matt. 6:25-34)
On the website for the Anxiety Disorder Association of America (ADAA), the following statistics are reported:
- Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18.1% of U.S. population).
- Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than $42 billion a year, almost one-third of the country’s $148 billion total mental health bill.
- More than $22.84 billion of those costs are associated with the repeated use of health care services; people with anxiety disorders seek relief for symptoms that mimic physical illnesses.
- People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.[http://www.adaa.org/AboutADAA/PressRoom/Stats&Facts.asp; accessed 3/20/09]
Anxiety is not merely a problem from Bible times that we don’t understand. Anxiety lives in our town, our street, and probably even in our own homes. Anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes, and for all sorts of reason. Some elderly folks worry about having living too long so that their money runs out or about who will take care of them when they are no longer able to. But the young are not immune to anxiety either. I currently know of at least five young men and women who are worried that they will never get married and that maybe God has chosen them for a life of celibacy (we should get them all together!).
So, money and food, and clothes aren’t the only things that we are anxious about. Jobs, kids, bills, cars, relationships, health, all of these things and more give us plenty of reason to worry. But God says something different.
Five Reasons God Wants You To Stop Being Anxious
1. Anxiety Clouds Your Real Mission on Earth (vv. 25, 33)
Jesus asks a serious question that we forget when we are in a state of anxiety. It is found at the end of verse 25, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” God wants our lives to be more about getting stuff and keeping it. If all we do is chase after the latest and greatest, then we prove ourselves to be serving the false god mammon, and not the Lord Jesus Christ. The correct focus that every true child of God ought to have is found in verse 33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” You see, we can spend all of our time worrying about temporal things, and we shall find that when we get to heaven, we missed the boat completely. Our eyes were on the wrong prize. Our true mission is to see the kingdom of God grow and for the individual members of the church to grow in the likeness of Christ in holiness. That is our mission—priority one. The church has become weak and diluted because it has lost its mission and has begun chasing after lesser things.
2. Anxiety Causes You to Doubt God’s Love for You (vv. 26, 28-30)
Jesus goes on to give us two illustrations of God’s loving care and concern over his creation: birds and lilies of the field. First, Jesus shows that although birds work very hard daily to care for their needs by feathering their nests, hunting down worms and other insects, they don’t worry about storing up food for the winter. They let God be God and trust him to supply their needs tomorrow.
Second, Jesus directed his disciples’ attention to the wildflowers growing around them on the mount they were gathered on. These flowers were adorned beautifully by God himself, all without worrying.
Jesus’ main point is this, and don’t miss it—God cares more for you than he does for any animal, even these little birds. He loves you more than the temporary grasses and flowers that last only a few days and then wither up and die. If he cares enough to attend to their needs, how much more does he care about you?
Rom. 8:32 reminds us, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Did Christ die for sparrows? Did he give his life for flowers? Did God send his only begotten Son to save your soul, only to leave you to die naked and starving? It is when we are anxious that we imply these things. We imply by our anxiety that God doesn’t love us enough to take care of us and supply us with every need, whether physical, spiritual or emotional.
3. Anxiety is a Waste of Energy (v. 27)
This reason is probably the most pragmatic of the five reason. It asks, what does worrying change? How has anything ever been accomplished by anxiety? Stress and panic, sleepless nights and tearful fretting all accomplish nothing. They cannot bring a solution to the table, and in the end, they usually make us feel worse.
4. Anxiety is a Mark of Small Faith (vv. 30a-32)
Jesus doesn’t say that if you are anxious that you have no faith, but he does say that you have little faith. I don’t think I know of a Christian who wants small faith. You may have small faith, but you want to grow in your trust of the Savior. Jesus is setting before us an opportunity to do just that. But how?
Peter tells us in 1Pet. 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
We need to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. We can’t be anxious and at the same time say we have placed our full trust in God. Matthew 6:32 tells us that the Gentiles, or pagan unbelieving world, chases after its own needs, feeling that if they don’t take care of #1, then nobody will. Should a follower of Jesus Christ have the same attitude? We need to be humble and put our full weight upon the Lord, and he will not fail us. Why? Because he cares for you!
5. Anxiety Tries to Get Ahead of God (v. 34)
Today has enough problems doesn’t it? God has wisely and sovereignly distributed the amount of blessings and troubles that we can handle. Like the manna in the wilderness, He has given us enough grace for today. But we can’t hoard it up for tomorrow. There is only enough for today and the worries of today. We need to trust the Lord in this. We can’t begin worrying about tomorrow. What a precious Savior, that he cares so much for us!
So, what can we hope to do when anxiety attacks our hearts? Here are some wise closing words of biblical instruction from A.W. Pink: “Be anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6). Worrying is as definitely forbidden as theft. This needs to be carefully pondered and definitely realized by us, so that we do not excuse it as an innocent “infirmity.”
The more we are convicted of the sinfulness of anxiety, the sooner are we likely to perceive that it is most dishonoring to God, and “strive against” it (Heb. 12:4). But how are we to “strive against” it? First, by begging the Holy Spirit to grant us a deeper conviction of its enormity. Second, by making it a subject of special and earnest prayer, that we may be delivered from this evil. Third, by watching its beginning, and as soon as we are conscious of harassment of mind, as soon as we detect the unbelieving thought, lift up our heart to God and ask Him for deliverance from it.
How to Pray, pt. 7 (Matt 6:13)
In 2009 a woman was attacked by a friend’s pet chimp in Connecticut. The chimp’s owner had raised him from infancy. He was treated as a member of the family, even eating dinner at the table, sipping wine from wine glasses and dressing himself. But, Travis the chimp wasn’t without his problems. The 200lb chimp had been disruptive, even escaping into town and avoiding police for 2 hours. The consequences were devastating. Travis May have been raised as a family member but he was by nature a wild animal.
Should we be surprised when a wild animal, even one raised from infancy, acts like a wild animal?
And when we are dealing with sin, even little, so-called harmless sins, should we be surprised that when we pamper these little vipers that one-day they will rise up and fill our hearts with their venom? We are, after all, sinners we a deep, dark secret well hidden by niceness and manners. We are desperately sick with sin.
The sixth and final petition from the Lord’s Prayer addresses our needs when we face temptation and evil. Of course, we need to see the serious nature of sin before we will be driven to our knees in prayer.
Let's examine this petition in its two parts, the first being a desire to avoid temptation, and the second to beseech God’s deliverance when evil comes.
Four Aspects of Temptation
First, understand that God does not tempt anyone.
This is clear from James 1:13. The word tempt, peirasmos, can mean either “temptation” as well as ”trial” or “testing” depending upon the context.
The difference in the way that we understand it depends not only on the context, but upon the intention. A temptation is meant to destroy, while a trial or test is meant to strengthen and confirm our faith.
Second, Temptations do not come from God, but from our own hearts.
This too is clear from James (1:14). Notice that temptation desire (or lust) is universal (“each person” (ESV), “every man”).
Notice too, that the lust you have is custom to your own tastes (“his own”).
Third, Satan is also a source of our temptations.
Matt 4:3 says that Satan is called “the Tempter.” Additionally, 1Peter 5:8 warns us of the danger of our enemy, therefore we are to put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11) so that we can fend off his attacks.
Fourth, God allows these trials and tests.
Why would God do this? Because like a goldsmith purifies the gold in fire by heating it to remove the dross, so our Lord tries our faith in order for it to grow stronger and more secure.
As we all know, in this physical world trials and hard times are those times when we often grow and mature the most as people. Great men of faith were strengthened and matured through trials—think of Abraham and the sacrificing of Isaac, Moses and the exodus, David and his sin with Bathsheba, and the attempted coup of his son Absalom.
Look at 1Peter 1:6-7. From this letter written to persecuted Christian, Peter teaches us that the trials we go through are meant by God to shine forth the genuine quality of your faith, and in the end will bring glory to God.
So, why would Jesus teach us to pray that we not be lead into temptation, if there is the potential for such a great outcome?
In testing, we recognize that the intention of God is for our good, but the intention of Satan is for our destruction. Although there is always a way of escape there is always a danger and terrible risk of our failure. In this way we are driven in prayer to depend upon God.
As we depend upon God for our daily bread and our forgiveness of debts, we also depend upon our Lord for the deliverance that we need from evil. 1Cor 10:13 shows us that in every temptation, God is faithful.
We cannot overcome evil by ourselves. We cannot survive any of these trials in our own strength.
Consider the example of the Apostle Paul in 2Corinthiqna 12:7-9. Notice that the Lord allowed for this “thorn in the flesh” to be given to Paul in order to keep him humble because of the incredible insights he had into the heavenly visions described in 2Cor 12:2-4.
Now, the Lord could have removed this burden from Paul; that is why he prayed for it. But, the Lord did not. Why? Look at verse 9. To show to Paul that he needed to depend upon the Lord for his sufficient grace through this trial.
The Lord is sufficient in his grace for your every trial. God could remove every problem and trial from your life. He could remove from you every temptation and every danger—but you would no longer need his grace and power. For Paul, he learned the lesson and boasted in his weakness because through this trial the power of Christ rested upon him.
How is it that we can depend upon the Lord for our every need, including the deliverance from evil? Because His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. To him and him alone. We once again start where we left off—the God-centeredness of this prayer!
May we beseech our Lord that he cause us to avoid temptations, but if the trials come, we pray that he would deliver us from evil, for He, and He alone has the power to do that. Amen!
How to Pray, pt. 6 (Matt. 6:12)
The first half of these lesson on prayer taught us to pray for God’s name, God’s kingdom and God’s will.
The second half, so far has taught us to ask for God’s provision for our physical needs. As we move from our physical needs, the next two petitions address our spiritual needs: forgiveness of our sins and deliverance from temptations and evil.
We are twice as needful of spiritual provisions as physical needs, although in our daily attention we spend far more time addressing physical needs than spiritual ones!
Let’s turn to Matt 6:12 and look at this fifth petition in the Lord’s model prayer: “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
The Problem-Debts
This word used in the Greek New Testament comes from a verb which means “to owe, as in a financial obligation.” It is usually used for monetary debts, but it is also used for a moral obligation.
We know that this is not a financial debt that Jesus is talking about here because this same saying in Luke 11:4 has the word hamartias or sins. Forgive us our sins, as we ourselves forgive everyone who are indebted to us.
Luke’s account shows us that debts in this context are sins. Sin is pictured as a debt, and the sinner is pictured as a debtor. Get this: sin is not only wrong, but it requires payment—the debt must be settled. This is a major problem. Many People woefully underestimate the seriousness, deadliness and consequences of their sins before God.
To illustrate this, look at the picture that Jesus paints of our situation using a story that will hopefully tingle in our ears: Matt 18:21-35.
- V. 21: Notice that the context of this parable is in response to Peter’s question about forgiveness.
- V. 23: This parable is couched in financial terms. The servant who owes the king is said to be in debt.
- V. 24. How much is ten thousand talents by today’s standards? A talent was worth about 20 years wages. The servant here owes the king 10,000 talents, or $6 billion dollars! This is a dramatic representation of the amount of sins that we have committed against our King and God.
You need to grasp this if you are ever to grasp forgiving others. If you see yourself as a relatively good person (relative to others, not relative to God), then you will never understand why we ought to forgive as God forgave us. Back to our story in Matthew 18:
- V. 25-27 Not surprisingly, the servant could not pay the king the debt, despite all the servant’s vain promises that he could.
Scottish pastor Horatius Bonar wrote these words in a hymn:
Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.
We’ll come back to this parable later. But what I want you to understand is that great debt of sin that every person owes to God. It is both wrong, and must be paid.
If you are a Christian, your debt has been paid. Your sins have been forgiven. Your account has been settled.
For you, passages like Col 2:13-14 are sweet:
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Now, if you have never approached Jesus Christ and asked for his mercy and forgiveness, then you still owe a huge debt of sin to God, and you can never repay it. But it doesn’t need to end for you this way. Notice what 1John 1:9 says, “if we confess our sins…”
Forgiveness by God for your sins requires confession on your part. Confession doesn’t mean repeating all the things that you’ve done. Confession is from the Greek verb homologeo and it literally means “the same word.”
Confession is when you say the same things about your sins as God does. God knows what you have done. He isn’t surprised. He wants YOU to recognize them as offenses against HIM, and to call them what they are. He wants you to agree with him that they are sins, and they are wrong, and they are a stench in his nostrils.
If you confess with a broken heart and a right attitude, God will forgive and will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
If you play the part, saying “I’m sorry” in order to get out of punishment, or in order to satisfy your guilt without truly seeing the depths of your sins, your only fooling yourself and your sins remain.
When you realize how your sins are an offense against God, then you will want to be changed. You will want to turn from them. You will want to get away from them like a wretched garment that is stained with filth and vomit.
Is. 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Always Reforming 