“Eye
has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the
things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
How
does the Lord keep us walking in His way? – He keeps on bringing to our
attention the glorious future which He is preparing for us. He keeps on
reminding us that we are being prepared for His eternal glory. How is
He preparing us for ”praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is
revealed”? – He is teaching us to “love Him. ” The more we are learning
to love Him, the more we will look forward, “with an inexpressible and
glorious joy” to ”the end result of our faith, the salvation of our
souls” (1 Peter 1:7-9).
Salt and Light ...
We're
called to be "salt for the earth" and "light for the world" (Matthew
5:13-14). How can we be "salt" and "light" in a world that has turned
its back on the things that matter most in life? Can we do this by
"setting aside Moses' teaching or the Prophets" (Matthew 5:17)? No!
Jesus says, "No." He says, 'This is what we must never do. We cannot
preserve true Christian living, if we set aside the Word of the Lord. A
stripped-down ethic, which changeable from one generation to another, is
no substitute for a Christian that is grounded in the Word of God,
which is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. Who are we come to the
Word of God with the attitude that we can decide that there are some
things that are "unimportant" (Matthew 5:19)? When God calls something
important, we must also say, 'This is important.' It's not to be changed
because it doesn't fit in with our modern outlook. Sometimes, people
disregard what God's Word says because they think that they have the
right, to say, 'This is important. That is unimportant.' When we say
this kind of thing, what are we really saying? We're saying, 'I am more
important than God. I know better than God." Such an attitude can have
no place in the hearts of those who want, through their lives, to
"praise their Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
What are You saying to us, Lord, here and now?
"You
have heard that it was said ... But I say to you ... " (Matthew
5:21-22,27-28,31-32,33-34, 38-39,43-44). When we see the great contrast
between what has been said in the past and what Jesus says to His
generation and our generation, we must remember Jesus' words, "Don't
ever think that I came to set aside Moses; teachings or the Prophets"
(Matthew 5:17). What does Jesus mean? Clearly, He doesn't just repeat
what's already been said. Jesus says, "I didn't come to set them aside
but to make them come true" (Matthew 5:17). Jesus doesn't contradict the
Old Testament. He brings out its deeper meaning. He reveals its fuller
meaning. Jesus is expounding the Word of God. He enables His hearers to
see things in a new light - but He doesn't do this by setting aside
God's Word. The Word of God stands - for every generation. It is not to
be tampered with. It's to be upheld. At the heart of upholding God's
Word, there's a very real question we must ask, "What are You saying to
us, Lord, here-and-now?"
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Bible Notes by G. Philip
For forty years, Rev George Philip (11th November 1925 - 16th February 2019) taught God's Word, faithfully and fruitfully, at Sandyfo...
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Nahum 1:1-2:9 ‘Fulfil your vows’ (1:15). God is calling us to be faithful to Him. We are to be faithful in worship. We are to be fait...
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God's Word is "a lamp to our feet and a light to our path." He has "wondrous things" to teach us as we pray "...
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For forty years, Rev George Philip (11th November 1925 - 16th February 2019) taught God's Word, faithfully and fruitfully, at Sandyfo...
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