TEXT: ‘The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared’ (Luke 23:55, 24:1 MSG). The watching women saw Jesus on the cross, when some of His disciples may not have, for they ran away when Jesus was arrested. The women heard Jesus cry, “It is finished” and saw the soldier plunge the spear into His side, confirming His death. They saw Joseph, with the help of Nicodemus, take Jesus’ body down from the cross. After they bound it with strips of linen and spices, they laid the body in Joseph’s tomb and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Early on Easter morning, the women came with more spices to anoint the body of Jesus. The only question they were asking on the way was, “Who will roll away the stone?” They weren’t aware the tomb had been sealed on the orders of Pilate, and a Roman guard of soldiers were stationed to ensure Jesus’ disciples didn’t steal His body and then claim He had risen from the dead. This negated any chance the women had of...
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TEXT: ‘God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?’ (Numbers 23:19 NLT). Promises. Easy to make, but much harder to keep. Everyone has been let down by empty promises at some time in their life. The Bible says, ‘When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it’ (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 NLT). Don’t make promises you have no intention of keeping. It’s wonderful that God is not a promise-breaker but a promise-keeper as our text indicates. Solomon prayed, ‘You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today. And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, “If your descendants guard their behaviour and faithfully follow me as you have done, one of them will...
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TEXT: ‘But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses’ (1 Timothy 6:11-12). Some people want to make Christianity complicated, when it’s very simple, so that everyone can benefit if they want to. One sales technique is K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid!) and that can help us understand God’s salvation for ourselves and be able to explain it to others. Once we are a Christian, there are certain things to do and our text highlights three things that form the basis of Today’s Teaching. 1. Flee – ‘But you, O man of God, flee these things’v11 Jesus said, ‘Remember Lot’s wife’ (Luke 17:32). That was when the angel told her to flee and not look back, but she did look back and perished instead of being rescued (See Genesis 19:12-29).The Bible warns, ‘Flee from the wrath to come‘ (Matthew 3:7). These are not idle words, but a real warning of future judgment. Thankfully we can escape the consequences of that judgment through faith in Jesus. The preceding verses to our text reveal two...
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TEXT: ‘But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me’ (Psalm 26:11). Paul said, ‘I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16 NLT). Unfortunately, many Christians are embarrassed to witness and create the impression their faith is private, not something to be talked about. Jesus said, ‘Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all’ (Matthew 5:16 TLB). Walking with integrity is one way of letting the world know who you belong to. It will also create many opportunities to share your faith. 1. Walk with Integrity – ‘Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man? A righteous man who walks in his integrity’ (Proverbs 20:6-7 NAS). It’s difficult to stay untainted in a world full of compromise. Striving for excellence doesn’t mean we will live sinless lives, but when we fall short, we’ll know who to go to – Jesus! Be a person of your word, even if it costs you more to do it than you first expected. If you make a promise, keep it, whether it’s to tithe, serve, or help in some other way. Churches suffer when Christians...
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TEXT: ‘For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me’ (John17:8 NIV). Christianity is not designed to be a means of personal blessing only. God said to Abraham, ‘I will bless you … and you shall be a blessing’ (Genesis 12:2). Being a blessing to others by passing it on, is usually where Christians come unstuck, claiming to be tongue-tied when it comes to evangelism. Strangely, the very same people can talk endlessly about the weather, work, recreation, holidays and any other subject they want to! It’s only when we take on board the necessity to share our faith, will we ever do it. The famous quote, “If not now, when? If not me, who?”, is as true concerning sharing my faith as any other burning issue. It’s a lie of the devil that people are not interested to hear about Christianity. Of course, not everyone wants to hear about Jesus, but you will never discover the ones who want to, unless you start the conversation in the first place. 1. The Example of Jesus – ‘I have given them the words you have given Me and they have...
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