Psalm 23:6a: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…
Psalm 23 begins with God as our Shepherd. When we follow Him, we have nothing lacking (Psalm 23:1). Jesus Himself said He is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep (John 10:11). He is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for us. He died for us on the cross so that we may have life, an abundant life (John 10:10). He has done it for you and me. His body was broken to take away our curse and make us whole, and His blood was shed to take away our sins. When we believe and follow Him, He promises us that we will surely have goodness and mercy following us.
The word ‘surely’ here in Hebrew is ‘ak’. It means ‘certainly’. It’s 100%. It’s for sure! This is God’s promise for you, that if you believe, receive, and follow Him, ‘surely’ goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life. ‘All the days’ means ‘all the days.’ In Hebrew, the original language of this psalm, ‘all’ is ‘kol’. It means ‘whole, every.’ So when God promises us ‘all the days of your life’, it means ‘every day, in our entire, whole life’. So, surely, goodness and mercy shall follow you every day, in your entire, whole life. Praise the Lord!
What is this ‘goodness’ David, the writer of Psalm 23, talked about? ‘Goodness’ in this verse is ‘towb’ in Hebrew. It means ‘a life filled with good things, bountiful goodness, beauty, favor.’ It also means ‘prosperity or wealth.’ Wow! How about ‘mercy’? ‘Mercy’ is ‘khehsed’ in Hebrew. It carries the meaning God having ‘loving kindness, pity, favor’ for us.
Beloved, believe and receive your promise today. Confess what is already yours, “In Christ, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!”
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
No condemnation in Christ
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…
In Christ, we have no condemnation. Jesus has taken all our condemnation on the cross. Before Jesus gave up His Spirit and died on the cross, He said, ‘It is finished!’ It’s by this finished works on the cross that our condemnation has been taken away. We are now therefore forgiven, loved, and accepted. This is great news, my friend!
"Any example in the bible, pastor?"
Yes, let's look at Luke 19:1-10, Jesus was passing through a place called Jericho, where a rich, but notorious chief tax collector, Zacchaeus was staying. Zacchaeus was known to ‘extort’ people’s money by accusing people falsely. When Zacchaeus heard about Jesus coming to town, he sought to see who Jesus was (Luke 19:3). As he was short in height, and the place was crowded, he climbed up a tree to have a better view of Jesus.
As Jesus passed by, He saw Zacchaeus, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down, for today I must stay in your house.’ But the crowd complained, because Jesus accepted this ‘sinner’, and even wanted to stay with him. They must have thought, ‘How could this be? Jesus is going to 'fellowship' and stay in such a terrible sinner’s house!’
Notice when Jesus met Zacchaeus, He never said, ‘Zacchaeus, you terrible, condemned sinner. Burn in hell, and receive your punishment!’ Instead, Jesus showed His love and acceptance for him. He never approved of Zacchaeus’ sin. But He loved this sinner.
Zacchaeus’ heart was touched and changed by Jesus' love and acceptance. That day, he received forgiveness. This wouldn’t have happened had Zacchaeus not allowed Jesus to ‘come into his house’. As a result of the transformation in him, he told Jesus he’s going to give half his wealth to the poor, and restore four-fold to anyone he has taken anything from by false accusation (Luke 19:8).
Beloved, Jesus wants to enter your life too, just as He did in Zacchaeus’ life. You are too precious for Him to ignore. He really does love you. He wants to see you healed from your past. We are never too ‘filthy’ for Him. In fact, Jesus has come ‘to seek and save you and me’ (Luke 19:10). He specializes in people like us. So, if you have been feeling condemned, guilty, 'dirty' or ‘bad’ about how terrible you’ve been, or if there’s this voice saying “I’m not good enough, I’m too filthy for God to forgive and accept me again”, don't condemn yourself any further. I have good news for you. Christ has died on the cross for you. He has taken all these guilt, and condemnation of yours. He has taken them all. Allow Him, just as Zacchaeus did, and receive your forgiveness and healing now.
In Christ, we have no condemnation. Jesus has taken all our condemnation on the cross. Before Jesus gave up His Spirit and died on the cross, He said, ‘It is finished!’ It’s by this finished works on the cross that our condemnation has been taken away. We are now therefore forgiven, loved, and accepted. This is great news, my friend!
"Any example in the bible, pastor?"
Yes, let's look at Luke 19:1-10, Jesus was passing through a place called Jericho, where a rich, but notorious chief tax collector, Zacchaeus was staying. Zacchaeus was known to ‘extort’ people’s money by accusing people falsely. When Zacchaeus heard about Jesus coming to town, he sought to see who Jesus was (Luke 19:3). As he was short in height, and the place was crowded, he climbed up a tree to have a better view of Jesus.
As Jesus passed by, He saw Zacchaeus, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down, for today I must stay in your house.’ But the crowd complained, because Jesus accepted this ‘sinner’, and even wanted to stay with him. They must have thought, ‘How could this be? Jesus is going to 'fellowship' and stay in such a terrible sinner’s house!’
Notice when Jesus met Zacchaeus, He never said, ‘Zacchaeus, you terrible, condemned sinner. Burn in hell, and receive your punishment!’ Instead, Jesus showed His love and acceptance for him. He never approved of Zacchaeus’ sin. But He loved this sinner.
Zacchaeus’ heart was touched and changed by Jesus' love and acceptance. That day, he received forgiveness. This wouldn’t have happened had Zacchaeus not allowed Jesus to ‘come into his house’. As a result of the transformation in him, he told Jesus he’s going to give half his wealth to the poor, and restore four-fold to anyone he has taken anything from by false accusation (Luke 19:8).
Beloved, Jesus wants to enter your life too, just as He did in Zacchaeus’ life. You are too precious for Him to ignore. He really does love you. He wants to see you healed from your past. We are never too ‘filthy’ for Him. In fact, Jesus has come ‘to seek and save you and me’ (Luke 19:10). He specializes in people like us. So, if you have been feeling condemned, guilty, 'dirty' or ‘bad’ about how terrible you’ve been, or if there’s this voice saying “I’m not good enough, I’m too filthy for God to forgive and accept me again”, don't condemn yourself any further. I have good news for you. Christ has died on the cross for you. He has taken all these guilt, and condemnation of yours. He has taken them all. Allow Him, just as Zacchaeus did, and receive your forgiveness and healing now.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Surely, He has borne your griefs...
Isaiah 53:4a: Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
When Jesus was afflicted, bruised, and wounded on the cross, the Bible says His appearance was beyond recognition, and there’s no more form, beauty, and comeliness in Him (Isaiah 53:2-3). That was how He suffered for us. He willingly did it, for you and me. He has carried our griefs and sorrows once and for all on the cross. Today, His works is finished. It has been done. He has taken all our griefs and sorrows upon Himself, so that you and I can be set free from griefs and sorrows. Peace has prevailed in our lives.
You may ask, “Pastor, how sure are you?” Let’s take God at His Word. Isaiah 53:4a says ‘surely’. In Hebrew, the translation of the word ‘surely’ is “aken”. It means ‘certainly, truly, firmly’. So when the Word says ‘surely’, it really means ‘surely’. It’s 100%. It’s for certain. It's a guarantee. Surely, Jesus has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. The word ‘griefs’ here is ‘choliy’ in Hebrew, the original language in the book of Isaiah. You know what it means? It’s not just ‘griefs’ emotionally, but it also means physical disease, or sickness. So, if you have been having symptoms of a disease, or if you have actually been diagnosed by your doctor that you carry a disease, I have good news for you. Let’s take God at His Word. He says, ‘Surely, He has borne your griefs (disease, sickness).’ That’s as good as a ‘guarantee’ from God that you are healed! What you need to do now is ‘believe, and receive’ your healing. Believe that by Jesus’ stripes, you were healed already (Isaiah 53:5). It’s been done on the cross some 2,000 years ago. He was ‘broken’ so that you are made whole.
Jesus has also carried all your sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). This word ‘sorrow’ in Hebrew is ‘makowb’, which means ‘pain, anguish.’ Wow! God guarantees in His Word that He has also carried your ‘pains and anxiety’, whether in spirit, soul, or body. My friend, you can have your healing right now. It doesn’t matter what you have been diagnosed with, or what symptoms of disease you may seem to have, God says you’ll surely be healed, and He backs this up with the word ‘surely’. 'Surely’ really means ‘surely’. Believe and receive His healing for you right now! Keep declaring ‘by Jesus’ stripes, I am healed!’ Keep declaring ‘by Jesus’ brokenness, I’m now made whole!’
When Jesus was afflicted, bruised, and wounded on the cross, the Bible says His appearance was beyond recognition, and there’s no more form, beauty, and comeliness in Him (Isaiah 53:2-3). That was how He suffered for us. He willingly did it, for you and me. He has carried our griefs and sorrows once and for all on the cross. Today, His works is finished. It has been done. He has taken all our griefs and sorrows upon Himself, so that you and I can be set free from griefs and sorrows. Peace has prevailed in our lives.
You may ask, “Pastor, how sure are you?” Let’s take God at His Word. Isaiah 53:4a says ‘surely’. In Hebrew, the translation of the word ‘surely’ is “aken”. It means ‘certainly, truly, firmly’. So when the Word says ‘surely’, it really means ‘surely’. It’s 100%. It’s for certain. It's a guarantee. Surely, Jesus has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. The word ‘griefs’ here is ‘choliy’ in Hebrew, the original language in the book of Isaiah. You know what it means? It’s not just ‘griefs’ emotionally, but it also means physical disease, or sickness. So, if you have been having symptoms of a disease, or if you have actually been diagnosed by your doctor that you carry a disease, I have good news for you. Let’s take God at His Word. He says, ‘Surely, He has borne your griefs (disease, sickness).’ That’s as good as a ‘guarantee’ from God that you are healed! What you need to do now is ‘believe, and receive’ your healing. Believe that by Jesus’ stripes, you were healed already (Isaiah 53:5). It’s been done on the cross some 2,000 years ago. He was ‘broken’ so that you are made whole.
Jesus has also carried all your sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). This word ‘sorrow’ in Hebrew is ‘makowb’, which means ‘pain, anguish.’ Wow! God guarantees in His Word that He has also carried your ‘pains and anxiety’, whether in spirit, soul, or body. My friend, you can have your healing right now. It doesn’t matter what you have been diagnosed with, or what symptoms of disease you may seem to have, God says you’ll surely be healed, and He backs this up with the word ‘surely’. 'Surely’ really means ‘surely’. Believe and receive His healing for you right now! Keep declaring ‘by Jesus’ stripes, I am healed!’ Keep declaring ‘by Jesus’ brokenness, I’m now made whole!’
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
"Be still, and know that I am God"
Psalm 46:10a: Be still, and know that I am God.
All of us, in one way or another have experienced ‘stormy times’, anxiety, and panic in life before. Maybe some of you are in the midst of it now. It may be a relationship break down, financial crisis, burden of debt, loss of job, loss of direction in life, or an illness. Whatever your situation may be, I assure you my friend, there is a way out. God is here for you. He is the God who cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Psalm 46:10a tells us to ‘be still’. It means be ‘in quietness, calm, and trust in Him’. There’s peace in Him. And best still, there’s solution through Him.
In Mark 4:36-39, Jesus was in a boat together with His disciples. And somewhere in the middle of the sea, a great storm arose, and the sea waves began to beat into the boat, and water started to fill up the boat (Mark 4:37). The disciples were panic, and in fear for their lives. If nothing was to be done, they were all going to sink together with the boat and drown! In this ‘stormy’ moment, Jesus was still fast asleep, at the back end of the boat. In their anxiety, the disciples awoke Him and said, “Teacher, do You not care that we are going to die?”(Mark 4:38).
A remarkable thing happened after that. Jesus arose from His sleep and began to rebuke the wind, and said to the sea. “Peace, be still!” Guess what? The wind ceased, and there was a great calm in the sea (Mark 4:39). The disciples were astonished as even the wind and the sea obeyed Him.
There’s peace in the inside of Jesus, His inner self, and the peace inside of Him was greater than the storm in the outside. Peace prevailed over the storm. And so when He said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” the sea had to obey.
My friend, ‘be still, and know that He is God’. You can have Jesus’ peace in you too, even now. Maybe nobody understands your situation right now, and things seem to be getting out of control. It may be a struggle with an illness. It may be a struggle in finance. It may be a struggle on what to do with your life. But be still, beloved. Trust in Him. Nothing is impossible to Him (Matthew 19:26). Calm down. Take a deep breath, and begin to declare “Peace, be still!” to your situation now. The stormy situation will start to obey. You will be healed. You will come out of your problems. Never doubt, only believe. And the peace of God inside you shall prevail over the outward situation surrounding you.
All of us, in one way or another have experienced ‘stormy times’, anxiety, and panic in life before. Maybe some of you are in the midst of it now. It may be a relationship break down, financial crisis, burden of debt, loss of job, loss of direction in life, or an illness. Whatever your situation may be, I assure you my friend, there is a way out. God is here for you. He is the God who cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Psalm 46:10a tells us to ‘be still’. It means be ‘in quietness, calm, and trust in Him’. There’s peace in Him. And best still, there’s solution through Him.
In Mark 4:36-39, Jesus was in a boat together with His disciples. And somewhere in the middle of the sea, a great storm arose, and the sea waves began to beat into the boat, and water started to fill up the boat (Mark 4:37). The disciples were panic, and in fear for their lives. If nothing was to be done, they were all going to sink together with the boat and drown! In this ‘stormy’ moment, Jesus was still fast asleep, at the back end of the boat. In their anxiety, the disciples awoke Him and said, “Teacher, do You not care that we are going to die?”(Mark 4:38).
A remarkable thing happened after that. Jesus arose from His sleep and began to rebuke the wind, and said to the sea. “Peace, be still!” Guess what? The wind ceased, and there was a great calm in the sea (Mark 4:39). The disciples were astonished as even the wind and the sea obeyed Him.
There’s peace in the inside of Jesus, His inner self, and the peace inside of Him was greater than the storm in the outside. Peace prevailed over the storm. And so when He said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” the sea had to obey.
My friend, ‘be still, and know that He is God’. You can have Jesus’ peace in you too, even now. Maybe nobody understands your situation right now, and things seem to be getting out of control. It may be a struggle with an illness. It may be a struggle in finance. It may be a struggle on what to do with your life. But be still, beloved. Trust in Him. Nothing is impossible to Him (Matthew 19:26). Calm down. Take a deep breath, and begin to declare “Peace, be still!” to your situation now. The stormy situation will start to obey. You will be healed. You will come out of your problems. Never doubt, only believe. And the peace of God inside you shall prevail over the outward situation surrounding you.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Show me Your glory!
Exodus 33:18: And he (Moses) said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
Moses was asking God to show him His glory. What is God’s glory? It's God's magnificence, His holy presence. Then, God answered, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:19).
God wanted to grant Moses his request. However, there was one problem.
The problem was Moses would surely die in the face of God’s glory and holiness! If the glory of God was to be shown to Moses, God said he would die (Exodus 33:20). Why? God is perfectly holy and righteous, and man is sinful (every man is born with a nature to sin, ever since the first man, Adam’s fall). God cannot and will not condone sin. The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death is the judgment on mankind for disobeying or sinning against God. That’s what God told Adam- if he sins (by disobeying God), ‘he shall surely die’ (Genesis 2:17). If there’s a way out, there must be a redeemer, a reconciler between God and mankind!
What was the solution for Moses then? The answer can be found in Exodus 33:21-22. God told Moses, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.” What is this ‘rock’ that God told Moses about?
Let’s now refer to Psalm 31:3-5. When David said, “for You are my rock and my fortress… into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” Who is this 'rock', the one who ‘redeemed’ David? The answer is Jesus Christ. He is the ‘redeemer’ David wrote about. He redeemed us from the judgment for our sins.
Now let’s get back to Moses. In Exodus 33:21, God told Moses to stand on that ‘rock’, a ‘type’ of Jesus. In Exodus 33:22, God told him ‘while His glory passes by, He will put him in the cleft of the rock, and will cover him while the glory of God passes by’. The word ‘cleft’ here means ‘crack, or broken’. Some 2,000 years ago, this ‘rock’ (Jesus) was ‘cracked, broken’ on the cross to die for you and me.
While we were still sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus was judged for our sins, instead of us being judged. We are now covered from judgment, just like Moses was covered at the cleft of the ‘rock’. Jesus has taken all our judgment upon Himself on the cross, His body broken, and His blood was shed for us.
Today, you can have a relationship with God and experience His glory, without reservation or worry, because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross. Our sins have been washed away, once and for all, and we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
It’s truly by God's grace that we’ve been saved from judgment and death (Ephesians 2:8).
My friend, there's this grace for you right now. What you need to do is believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Believe in your heart, and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord of your life (Romans 10:9), and you are already saved, by His finished works on the cross. God loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for you, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Moses was asking God to show him His glory. What is God’s glory? It's God's magnificence, His holy presence. Then, God answered, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:19).
God wanted to grant Moses his request. However, there was one problem.
The problem was Moses would surely die in the face of God’s glory and holiness! If the glory of God was to be shown to Moses, God said he would die (Exodus 33:20). Why? God is perfectly holy and righteous, and man is sinful (every man is born with a nature to sin, ever since the first man, Adam’s fall). God cannot and will not condone sin. The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death is the judgment on mankind for disobeying or sinning against God. That’s what God told Adam- if he sins (by disobeying God), ‘he shall surely die’ (Genesis 2:17). If there’s a way out, there must be a redeemer, a reconciler between God and mankind!
What was the solution for Moses then? The answer can be found in Exodus 33:21-22. God told Moses, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.” What is this ‘rock’ that God told Moses about?
Let’s now refer to Psalm 31:3-5. When David said, “for You are my rock and my fortress… into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” Who is this 'rock', the one who ‘redeemed’ David? The answer is Jesus Christ. He is the ‘redeemer’ David wrote about. He redeemed us from the judgment for our sins.
Now let’s get back to Moses. In Exodus 33:21, God told Moses to stand on that ‘rock’, a ‘type’ of Jesus. In Exodus 33:22, God told him ‘while His glory passes by, He will put him in the cleft of the rock, and will cover him while the glory of God passes by’. The word ‘cleft’ here means ‘crack, or broken’. Some 2,000 years ago, this ‘rock’ (Jesus) was ‘cracked, broken’ on the cross to die for you and me.
While we were still sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus was judged for our sins, instead of us being judged. We are now covered from judgment, just like Moses was covered at the cleft of the ‘rock’. Jesus has taken all our judgment upon Himself on the cross, His body broken, and His blood was shed for us.
Today, you can have a relationship with God and experience His glory, without reservation or worry, because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross. Our sins have been washed away, once and for all, and we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
It’s truly by God's grace that we’ve been saved from judgment and death (Ephesians 2:8).
My friend, there's this grace for you right now. What you need to do is believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Believe in your heart, and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord of your life (Romans 10:9), and you are already saved, by His finished works on the cross. God loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for you, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).
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