Herod

Luke 9:7
"Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some that John was risen from the dead."

MATTHEW 14:1-12;
MARK 6:14-29;
LUKE 9:7-9

Others may have thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead, but as can be clearly seen by looking at Matthew's account and especially Mark's record, Herod was convinced of this personally.

This shows Herod's own conviction of the sin John had rebuked, his guilt and torment over his even greater sin of beheading John, and his fear of John and the God he represented.

As revealed in Mark 6:20, Herod once listened to John gladly.
It is certain that John was preaching his favorite message of, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
For Herod to hear him gladly, he must have been under deep conviction from God.

Herod feared his wife and the opinion of others more than he feared God.
Herod was not as Festus, who told Paul he was mad for speaking of the resurrection from the dead.
Herod knew the truth personally, was exceedingly sorry, and yet chose death - both John the Baptist's and his own spiritual death.
Herod lacked peace after his fatal choice.

According to the world's mentality, peace is the absence of problems.
God's peace is not dependent on circumstances.
It is dependent only on God Himself who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

A Christian can have great peace even in the midst of terrible problems because his faith is in God.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee"
(Isaiah 26:3).

Rest

Mark 6:31,
"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat."

MATTHEW 14:13-21;
MARK 6:30-44;
LUKE 9:10-17;
JOHN 6:1-14

Jesus often separated Himself from others so that He could spend time with the Father.
Jesus called His disciples apart for rest and leisure. Many zealous Christians have neglected the needs of their physical bodies and have cut their ministries short through death or severe illness.
Many have failed to take the time to be still and know God (Psalm 46:10).

This will also cut your ministry short through non-effectiveness.
One of Satan's deadliest weapons against those involved in ministry is busy-ness.

We must balance our time ministering to others with our time of being ministered to by our Father.
If the devil can't stop you from "getting on fire" for God, then he'll try to stop you by getting you "burned out."

Remember, the reason Jesus and His disciples were going to this remote place was to get away from the multitude for awhile and rest.
This rest was not optional, but rather, a necessity.

Jesus and His disciples were taking a much needed vacation.
 
The multitude followed them and their vacation ended even before it began.
Surely, Jesus and His disciples were just as disappointed as we would have been.
But instead of anger or bitterness, Jesus was moved with compassion.

Later on in the evening, Jesus went up into a mountain and prayed until the fourth watch
(3 to 6 a.m.).

The Lord intends for us to take care of these physical bodies as can be seen by Jesus' actions in taking His disciples aside for rest.

But when this purpose was frustrated by the demands of the ministry, Jesus gave priority to the spirit man and stayed up all night praying and getting the spiritual rest He was needing.
We should follow His example and always put the needs of the spirit ahead of the needs of the flesh.

Rewards

Matthew 10:42,
"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."

MATTHEW 10:1-42, 11:1,
MARK 6:7-13,
LUKE 9:1-6

This verse shows that even our smallest acts of kindness will be rewarded.

As revealed in 1 Corinthians 3:13, every man's work shall be tried to determine "what sort it is," not what size it is.
Many people who have never done anything to gain the attention of the masses will shine bright in the day when the Lord passes out His rewards.

Some of the Lord's rewards for our actions come in this life, such as children, financial blessings, health, and many others.
Some of our rewards will not be realized until we stand before God.
This is the case with the reward for enduring persecution.

Many of the rewards for ministering the Gospel will not come until we appear before the Lord.
Rewards can be shared by those who aid others in their righteous tasks.

The ungodly who are not in the Kingdom of God will receive no rewards even though some of their actions might have been good.

Rewards are only for those who have been cleansed from their evil deeds by the blood of the Lamb.

Regardless of what these rewards shall be, there will not be any exalting of self over others.
"For who maketh thee to differ from another?
And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Corinthians 4:7)

The twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:10 are shown casting their crowns (which were rewards) down before the Lord and giving all their praise and worship to Him.
It's all because of Him.

Thank Him for His goodness!

Opposition

Matthew 10:34,

"Think not that I am come to send peace

on earth: I came not to send peace, but

a sword."

MATTHEW 10:34-42

This statement seems like a contradiction to
some prophecies concerning Jesus and some
of Jesus' own statements concerning peace,
as well as what was written of Him in the New Testament Epistles.

The peace that Jesus purchased was peace
between God and man.
We have peace with God (Romans 5:1).
We are exhorted to take this peace and
extend it to all men, but it is also made
very clear that not all men will receive it.

Peace can only come when we relate to God
on the basis of faith in what He did for us,
instead of what we do for Him.

A person who is thinking that he must perform up to some standard to be accepted by God will have no peace.
That puts the burden of salvation on our shoulders, and we can't bear that load.

We were incapable of living holy enough to please God before we were saved, and we are incapable of living holy enough to please God now that we are saved (Hebrews 11:6).

We were saved by faith, and we have to continue to walk with God by faith (Colossians 2:6).

Not understanding this has made many Christians, who love God, unable to enjoy the peace that was provided for them through faith in Jesus.
The Gospel will always produce opposition from those who don't receive it.

This "sword of division," even among family members, is not God's will, nor is it God that
causes it.
But, it will inevitably come, and Jesus was
simply preparing His disciples for that time.
As much as we would like everyone to receive the good news, we must not think it is strange when even our loved ones don't receive it.

Jesus was rejected by His own, and we will be also.
We must remain faithful to continue preaching the Gospel, for there are others who will receive.

Keep sharing the "Good News!"

Denial

Matthew 10:33,

 "But whosoever shall deny me before men,

him will I also deny before my Father which
is in heaven."

MATTHEW 10:32-33

This word "deny" can mean a variety of
things from as little as "to assert the
contrary of" to " to disavow; disown."
For example, we can see that it must have
been the lesser type of denial which was
committed by Peter because God certainly
forgave Peter's sin and continued using him.

In Hebrews 6:4-6, the Lord states that there
is no repentance from total denial of the Lord
(Hebrews10:29).
Even though Peter denied (asserted he did
not know) the Lord, he did not disown or
disavow the Lord.

No believer desires to deny our Lord, but
failing to provide for spiritual health is the
first step in that direction.
Remembering this will help motivate us to
seek the Lord as we know we should.
It takes more than desire; it takes
preparation.
 
We have all been taught how to rely on
ourselves, but we have to learn anew how
to be strong in the Lord and in the power
of His might (Ephesians 6:10).

Just as in the physical realm, muscles have
to be exercised to become strong, so we
have to exercise ourselves unto Godliness
(1 Timothy 4:7).

Many people have been tormented by fear
in thinking that they have denied the Lord
because of some type of sin in their life.
 
However, God looks on the heart
(1 Samuel 16:7) and, regardless of how
offensive our actions or words might be, if
there is still a place in our hearts where we
honor Him, He will not deny us
(2 Timothy 2:12-13).

Persecution

Matthew 10:23,

"But when they persecute you in this city,

flee ye into another: for verily I say unto

you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities

of Israel, till the Son of man be come."

MATTHEW 10:16-26

Persecution is an inevitable part of the
Christian life.
Persecution is from Satan and is designed to
uproot God's Word in our lives by taking our
eyes off Jesus.
We should not think it is strange to be persecuted.

"All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution"
(2 Timothy 3:12).

We can actually rejoice because we are being persecuted, for Jesus' sake, knowing that the Lord will be with us in the midst of the persecution and that there will be more than ample reward when we stand before Him (Hebrews 11:26).

Persecution is an indication that the ones doing the persecuting are under conviction.
They realize that they are not living what your words or actions are advocating and so, in defense of self, they attack the ones whom they perceive to be the source of their conviction.
If this is understood, it makes persecution much easier to take.

They aren't just mad at us; they are convicted.
When the Gospel is presented in the power of the Holy Spirit, there will always be either a revival or a riot, but not indifference.

There are many forms of persecution.
Having your life threatened because of your faith in Jesus is one way you can be persecuted, but it is not the most damaging.

History shows that the Church has always flourished under persecution with increased numbers and zeal.

During intense, life-threatening persecution, people's priorities get straightened out and the Lord assumes His rightful place.

This always works for our good, regardless of what our outward circumstances might be.

Remember it is not us that they are persecuting, but rather Christ in us.

Repentance

Mark 6:12,

 "And they went out, and preached that men should repent."

MARK 6:7-12

"Repent" comes from the Greek word, "metanoeo,"
and literally means to have another mind.
Repentance is a necessary part of salvation.
Repentance may include Godly sorrow,
but sorrow does not always include repentance.
Repentance is simply a change of mind accompanied by corresponding actions.
There is a Godly type of sorrow and an ungodly type of sorrow.
Godly sorrow leads to repentance.
 
Ungodly sorrow, or the sorrow of this world, just kills.
Our culture has rejected all "negative" emotions.
But God gave us the capacity for these negative emotions, and there is a proper use of them.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, "Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better."

People should feel bad about sin.
There should be sorrow over our failures.
However, this sorrow should lead to repentance. Then, when forgiveness is received, our sorrow should be cast upon the Lord (Isaiah 53:4).
The Lord's statements to His disciples, the night before His crucifixion, caused them sorrow
(Matthew 26:21-22; John 16:6).

If they would have let that sorrow lead them to repentance, then they wouldn't have denied the Lord. Peter's sorrow after his denial of Jesus changed him and, certainly, he never regretted the tears he cried.
The sorrow experienced by those who do not turn to God produces only death.
They grieve over their situation because they don't turn to God (that's repentance).

Christians should only have sorrow until they repent. Once repentance has come, we need to appropriate the forgiveness and cleansing that are already ours through Christ.
Godly sorrow that produces repentance leaves us with no regrets.

The positive change that our sorrows led us to, changes our attitude towards the things that caused us sorrow.
Let the negatives in our lives become positives through Jesus.

Good News

Matthew 9:38,

"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will

send forth laborers into his harvest."

MATTHEW 9:35-38, 13:53-58,

MARK 6:1-6

People are born again through the power of the Word of God, not through prayer.
Prayer is very important, but it is not a substitute for the Gospel.

Many people petition God for someone to be saved and can't understand why it hasn't happened yet. We don't have to ask the Lord to save anyone.

He isn't willing that anyone should perish.
He has already made provision for everyone's salvation.

So what do we pray concerning someone coming to the Lord?
Jesus said to pray that the Lord send laborers across their path.
They need to hear the Word.

Also, we should bind the influence of the god of this world (Satan) who tries to blind them to spiritual truth (II Corinthians 4:4).

God is more motivated to save our loved ones than we are.
We don't need to plead with Him, but rather we need to become a channel for Him to flow through to reach that person.

We do that by sharing the good news (Gospel) with them and/or praying that others will come across their path who will do the same.

The Gospel is the power of God that releases the effects of salvation in our lives (Romans 1:16).
If a person needs healing, it's in the Gospel.
If deliverance is needed, it's in the Gospel.
Prosperity, answered prayer, joy, peace, love - they are all found through understanding and believing the Gospel.

The Gospel is the good news that although we are sinners and worthy of God's wrath, God, in love, sent His Son to be our substitute, bearing our punishment, so that we could be made completely righteous in His sight.

It's based only on our faith in this completed work of Christ and not our own performance.

Now that's GOOD NEWS!

Fear

Luke 8:50,

"But when Jesus heard it, he answered him saying,

Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole."

MATTHEW 9:23-31;

MARK 5:35-43;

LUKE 8:49-56
 

Jesus told Jairus to "believe only," implying that faith and fear can operate in us at the same time. This is also the reason James tells us not to be double-minded, or to waiver (James 1:5-8).

Fear will negate faith.
We can have both thoughts of faith and thoughts of unbelief at the same time.

Fear and faith are opposing forces.
Fear is actually faith in reverse.
Fear is believing something or someone other than God.
Fear makes us subject to Satan and his death just as faith makes us recipients of all that God has to offer.


This is the reason Jesus told Jairus, "Fear not." Jairus' fear would have sealed his daughter's death.
Instead of trying to build huge amounts of faith to overcome our fears and unbelief, a simpler method is to remove our fears by cutting off their source.

Then, our simple "child-like" faith that remains will do the job.
It doesn't take big faith - just pure faith.

Where does fear come from?
Second Timothy 1:7 says,
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind."
It doesn't come from God.

The way that fear is able to come upon us is that we take our attention off of Jesus and put it on our situation.

Fear or doubt cannot "just overcome" us.
We have to let it in.

In the same way that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, fear comes by hearing or seeing something contrary to God's Word.

We would not be tempted with fear or doubt if we didn't consider things that Satan uses to minister that fear and doubt.

Satan tries to distract us with thinking about our problems.

No problem is too big for God.
We should cast our concern about the problem over on God and just keep our eyes on Jesus, the Word.

Word of Knowledge

Luke 8:46,

"And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me."

LUKE 8:43-48

Is it possible that Jesus, who was God manifest in the flesh, and therefore all-knowing, did not actually know who touched Him?
Yes! Although Jesus' spiritual man was divine, He took upon Himself a physical body with its limitations.
Jesus drew on His divine ability through the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and so can we
(John 14:12; 1 Corinthians 12:7).

Before His resurrection, He operated as a man (sinless) by receiving from His Father through faith. Luke 8:47 says that the woman "saw that she was not hid."

It is evident that Jesus received a word of knowledge from the Holy Spirit and had singled out this woman.
This was after He felt the power of God flow out of Him and heal her.
The woman was healed before He discerned her by the law of faith.

The law of electricity has been here on earth since creation.
Man has observed it in such things as lightning and static electricity, but it was not until someone believed that there were laws that governed the activity of electricity that progress began to be made in putting it to use.

Likewise, we don't deny the existence of faith, but it is only when we begin to understand that there are laws that govern faith, and begin to learn what those laws are, that faith will begin to work for us.

The Law of Faith

Luke 8:45,

"And Jesus said, 'Who touched me?' When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, 'Master, the multitude throng thee, and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?'"

MATTHEW 9:18-20;

MARK 5:21-34;

LUKE 8:40-48

The multitudes were thronging Jesus.
That is, they were compressing, and crowding in on all sides, so it seems strange that He would ask, "Who touched me?"
Many people were physically touching Jesus, but this woman touched His power by faith.
Many people in the crowd probably needed healing, but this person is the only one mentioned who received. The difference was the touch of faith.

If it was simply Jesus' willingness to heal that determined whether or not the healing took place, then all of the sick in this multitude would have been healed.
This instance illustrates that it's not prayer that saves the sick, but rather the prayer of faith that saves the sick (James 5:15).

Healing is governed by law and not by a case by case decision from God based on His feelings toward us.
This woman received her healing by the law of faith before Jesus knew anything about her. 
Pleas to God will not obtain the miracle we looking for.

Although Jesus is touched by our feelings, it requires faith.
It's not because Jesus doesn't know our needs or hear our cries that miracles don't happen, but rather it's because very few know how the law of faith works.

One of the main differences between a God-kind of faith and a natural, human faith, which everyone has, is that human faith believes only what it can see, taste, hear, smell, or feel.
God's kind of faith believes in things that cannot be seen.
We must believe that we receive our answer "when you pray" - not when we see the thing we've desired.

Simply put, faith is our response to God's ability, made complete by our actions.
Trusting Him completely and believing, our actions will follow.

Trust

Matthew 9:18,
"While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying
My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live."
 

MATTHEW 9:18-19

Jesus could have healed this girl by His spoken word, but He did as He was requested to do.
This illustrates how the Lord ministers to us according to our faith.

Jesus ministered to him at the level where his faith was and didn't rebuke his little faith (James 1:5).
There is a human faith which is limited to believing only what we can perceive through our five senses.
But the supernatural, God kind of faith goes beyond what we can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel. God's kind of faith calls those things which be not as though they already were.

We exercise faith almost daily.

But our faith is no better than the object in which it is placed.
If we were to sit in a chair made of cardboard, we would go crashing to the ground.
Regardless of how much faith we had, our faith would fall flat because the object of our faith was faulty.

Hebrews 12:2, tells us that we are to be "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

We must transfer our faith from human self reliance and independence, to reliance upon, adherence to, and trust upon Jesus Christ in all areas of our lives.
Faith, in its simplest definition, is to trust, to rely, and to depend upon the resource of another.

God's Word declares that the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, can never fail or disappoint us.

Love produces faith, or is what makes faith work.
We naturally trust those who we know truly love us.
A revelation of God's unconditional love for us will make faith just naturally abound in us.

Mercy

Mark 5:19,
"Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but
saith unto him, Go home to thy friends,
and tell them how great things the Lord
hath done for thee, and hath had
compassion on thee."

MARK 5:18-20

One of the ways God's goodness is
revealed is through His mercy.
We may describe mercy as "the readiness
of God to relieve the misery of fallen
creatures."

Many times, mercy is called compassion
or lovingkindness.
It is expressed toward the sinner because
of the misery that sin has brought upon
him.

God's mercy to the believer is revealed by
His taking away the misery of sin's
consequences through the New Covenant
of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mercy is not something merited or earned,
but as the Apostle Paul states, "Not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but
according to HIS MERCY He saved
us.

"Our Heavenly Father is the author,
originator, and source of all mercy.

"Mercy is condescending love, reaching out
to meet a need without considering the
merit of the person who receives the aid"
(Expository Dictionary of Bible Words
[EDBW]).

"Even when we were spiritually dead
because of our sins, God's forbearance
was working on our behalf.
He was tolerant, patient and kind towards us.

God abounded in excessive proportion with
good will, compassion, and desire to help us.

His disposition was kind, compassionate, and
forgiving in His treatment of us.

He wanted an abundant supply to alleviate
our distress and bring relief from our sins.

He did this by giving us life in place
of death.

It was with Christ that this salvation was
secured.
By grace, kindness, and favor we are saved.

All of this was the result of God's extremely
large degree of love wherewith He loved us,
always seeking the welfare and betterment
of us.

Worship

Mark 5:6,
"But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran
and worshipped him."

MATTHEW 8:28-34;
MARK 5:1-17;
LUKE 8:27-39

The word "worshipped" is taken from the
Greek word which means "to prostrate
oneself in homage to; do reverence to;
adore.

The fact that this tormented man ran to
Jesus, and not away from Him, indicates
that even "demon-possessed" people have
a free will and Satan cannot control an
individual without his consent.

Many battles have been fought over
whether or not a Christian can be demon
possessed.
The Greek word for "possessed" literally
means "to be demonized."

The Bible makes no clear distinction
between degrees of demon activity (such as
oppressed, depressed, possessed, etc.), but
simply refers to people as being "demonized."

All Christians are fighting against spiritual
powers.
If we don't put on the whole armor of God,
Satan can certainly affect us or even control
us.

The best way to administer deliverance is
through God's Word.
As a person receives the Word, it will set him
free and also help guard against this situation
when the demon tries to come back in with
seven other spirits.

In severe cases of being demonized, the
individual clearly needs the help of a
believer, and that's the reason why Jesus
equipped all believers with authority over
evil spirits.

Anointed praise and worship will also drive
off evil spirits.
One thing reserved for God alone is worship,
and the devil has always sought that.
If he can't be the one to receive worship,
then he seeks to turn others away from
giving true worship to the most High God.

Praise and worship to the Lord is such a
powerful tool against Satan.
He can't stand to see God worshipped.

Worship God today in spirit and in truth.
The Father seeks those who will worship
Him this way.

God-Man

Mark 4:41,
"And they feared exceedingly, and said
one to another, What manner of man is
this, that even the wind and the sea obey
him?"

MARK 4:35-41

When God created this physical world and all
of its inhabitants, He gave mankind authority
to rule and subdue His creation.

Although God still owned the universe and all
that was in it, He gave control of the earth to
man.

When man sinned, he began to use this power
against God's wishes.
God did not ordain all the terrible things that
have happened throughout history, and yet He
did not take back man's right to dominate the
earth.

Instead, He became a man and took back
that authority to Himself by conquest.

After Jesus' resurrection, He said in
Matthew 28:18, "...All power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth," and then He
gave the great commission to His disciples,
giving them authority, also.

Jesus becoming flesh was absolutely
necessary for gaining all power (or
authority) in heaven and in earth.

Jesus was a "God-man."
In 1 Timothy 3:16, He was God manifested
in the flesh, which is a great mystery.
Jesus came in the power and authority of
His Father to point men to the Father God.

Jesus existed before His coming on this earth
in the form of God and was equal with God;
yet, He humbled Himself and became a
servant while here on earth.

He did not come to promote Himself but to
give Himself as the way unto the Father.

This is different from the way some "great
men" present themselves.
The Roman Caesar of Jesus' day proclaimed
that he was God and demanded worship.
Lesser leaders ruled by exalting themselves
over the people they governed.

But, Jesus showed us that "whosoever will
be great among you, let him be your
minister; and whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant: even as the Son
of man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his life a ransom for
many" (Matthew 20:26-28).

Storms

Mark 4:37-38,
"And there arose a great storm of wind, and
the waves beat into the ship so that it was
now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship,
asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and
say unto him, Master carest thou not that
we perish?"

MATTHEW 12:46-50; 8:23-27;
MARK 3:31-35; 4:35-41;
LUKE 8:19-26

Considering the fact that the boat was filled
with water, it is amazing that the disciples
had to awaken Jesus.

This was not a large ship with cabins below
deck but rather a small, open boat and Jesus
was, no doubt, "soaked to the bone."

This shows Jesus' humanity and how tired
He must have been.
It also shows that Jesus must have been in
a very deep sleep.

Medical science has discovered that the
deeper we sleep, the more rest our bodies
get.
This is a clue as to how Jesus could keep the
pace He kept, along only with an occasional
all-night prayer time.

He was receiving the maximum benefit
from His sleep.

Jesus did not say "Let us go out into the
midst of the sea and drown in a storm."
He was going to the other side.

This shows that the disciples still didn't
understand Jesus' authority.
They were committed to Him as their
Messiah, but they hadn't yet realized that
Jesus was Lord even over the physical
elements.

Many Christians still do this today.
They receive the spiritual benefits of salvation
but have not reaped the physical benefits of
health and prosperity, which are also part of
our salvation.

Whichever we focus upon - the storm, or
the Lord in the midst of our storm - will
determine how we manage the storms we
face in life.

He is not asleep concerning the things we face
in this life, He's right there in our "ship,"
resting, because He knows we'll both get to
the "other side."

His peace is ours!
Believe His Word.
Rest in His love.

Joint-heirs

Matthew 12:50,
"For whosoever shall do the will of my Father
which is in heaven, the same is my brother,
and sister, and mother."

MATTHEW 12:46-50

We are not just heirs, we are joint-heirs
with Christ.
It would be wonderful to inherit any
amount of God's glory and power.

But, the idea that we share equally with
the one who has inherited everything
God is and has is beyond comprehension.

This is an awesome blessing, but it also
places a tremendous responsibility on us.

In the same way in which a check made out
to two people cannot be cashed without the
endorsement of both parties, so our
joint-heirship with Jesus cannot be taken
advantage of without our cooperation.

Unaware of this, many Christians are just
trusting that the Lord will produce the
benefits of salvation for them.

They are aware that they can do nothing
without Him, but don't realize that He will
do nothing without us (Ephesians 3:20).

The idea that God will do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think,
PERIOD, is not true.

He has power, but it is the use of His ability
together with the power that works in us.

"No power working in us" means no power
of God will come through us.
The exceeding greatness of His power that
is to us-ward who believe is power that is not
external, but is internal, within the believer.

It is working according to the faith that we
exercise in the indwelling Savior.

It was this principle that Paul was stating
when he declared, "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me."

The way we place our endorsement on the
check is to believe what God promised in
His Word and act on it as if it were true.

IT IS!

Jesus has already signed His name to every
promise in the Word.
We aren't waiting for Him.
He is waiting for us!

His Treasures

Matthew 13:44,
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto
treasure hid in a field; the which when a man
hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof
goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth
that field."

MATTHEW 13:44-50

The interpretation of this parable is this:
the field is the world, the man buying the
treasure is God, the treasure is the true
believers in Christ.
The price that was paid was the very life
of Jesus on the cross.

Jesus saw, through His foreknowledge, a
remnant of people who would receive Him
as Lord, and "for the joy that was set before
him," He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2)
and purchased us unto Himself with His
own blood (Acts 20:28).

He purchased the whole world, but not
everyone will receive what He did.

The Church is hidden (scattered among the
world) today.
Father God had the plan of salvation worked
out before He even created the world.

Most of us would not have created the world
and mankind if we had known the heartache
and terrible sacrifice this act would cost.
But God is not man.
In His judgment (which is the correct
judgment) the prize was worth the cost.

God knows in advance those who will accept
His offer of salvation.

The Scriptures teach that we (believers) were
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world (Ephesians 1:4).
That's how infinite God's ability is.

We were chosen in Christ before the world
began.

We are holy and without blame because God
sees us through Christ.
It was predetermined that we would be God's
children.
We have been accepted by God.

The Father would no more reject us than He
would reject Jesus, because we are accepted
by the Father through Christ.

We are redeemed and forgiven.
We are truly blessed!

The Kingdom

Mark 4:30,

"And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the

kingdom of God? or with what comparison

shall we compare it?"

MARK 4:30-34

The word "kingdom" means "the realm over

which a king rules."

When applied to God, it could refer to all

creation, since "his kingdom ruleth over all"

(Psalm 103:19), but the kingdom more often

applies to His rule in and through those who

are submitted to Him.

"The Kingdom of God" more specifically

refers to Christ living and ruling in our

hearts.

So praying "thy kingdom come" is praying

for the expansion and influence of God's rule

in the hearts of men everywhere and,

ultimately, the establishment of His physical
Kingdom here on earth at His second coming

(Revelation 11:15; 20:4).

Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, the Jews

kept looking for Jesus to establish a physical
kingdom here on the earth and deliver them

from the Romans.

During the Millenium, the Kingdom of God

will physically rule over the nations of the

earth, Jesus' Kingdom is spiritually

established by His Word and not by weapons

(2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God cometh
not with observation . . .behold, the

kingdom of God is within you."

(Luke 17:20-21)

Paul says we are already in the Kingdom

of God (Colossians 1:13).

The Kingdom of God is Christ's "invisible

Church," His body.

The Kingdom began during His earthly

ministry and is still ruling the hearts of men
today.

The new birth enters us into the Kingdom

of God which is greater in wonder and

benefits than our little minds can

comprehend.

As we begin to understand how God's

Kingdom works and apply our lives to it,

we can experience heaven here on earth.

Pray for a release into the physical of what

is already present in our spiritual beings.

Tares

Matthew 13:25,
"But while men slept, his enemy came and
sowed tares among the wheat, and went his
way."

MATTHEW 13:24-30

Satan has secretly infiltrated the Church
with some of his followers for the purpose
of hindering the influence of the Church.

This has been a more effective strategy than
direct opposition.

These tares that are spoken of refer to the
Old World variety of darnel, which is
poisonous.
All grains are almost indistinguishable from
tares when they send up the first blade from
the ground.
By the time the tares become noticable,
they are so well rooted that, if growing in
close to a good grain, uprooting the tares
would also mean uprooting the good grain.

Verse 30 admonishes us to let both grow
together until the harvest.
The grains of the tares are long and black
next to the wheat, and are easily noticed at
harvest time.

Many will profess Christianity, but "by their
fruits ye shall know them."

There will be those who are deceived and
unaware that they are not born again, and
will remain among the Church people.

Jesus warns us against trying to root them
out especially since it is not always possible
to discern other people's hearts.

In an effort to destroy these tares, we might
offend one of Christ's "little ones" and cause
his or her profession of faith to waver.

It is important, though, for our own personal
benefit that we be aware that the children of
the Wicked One are placed among the true
believers.

Our best defense is to preach the Word of
God without watering it down.
False brethren will not endure sound doctrine.
They leave when the Word, which is sharper
than any two-edged sword, begins to expose
the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Stick to the Word!