A Real Death : Unfairly Tried

59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.


63 But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.
Matthew 26:59, 60, 63-66


Study:

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 

All the council sought false witness - What a prostitution of justice! - they first resolve to ruin him, and then seek the proper means of effecting it: they declare him criminal, and after that do all they can to fix some crime upon him, that they may appear to have some shadow of justice on their side when they put him to death. It seems to have been a common custom of this vile court to employ false witness, on any occasion, to answer their own ends.

See this exemplified in the case of Stephen, Acts 6:11-13 - 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.

But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Though many false witnesses came - There is an unaccountable confusion in the MSS. in this verse: without stating the variations, which may be seen in Griesbach, I shall give that which I believe to be the genuine sense of the evangelist. Then the chief priests and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; but they found it not, though many false witnesses came up. At last two false witnesses came up, saying; This man said, etc. It is the property of falsity to be ever inconsistent, and to contradict itself; therefore they could not find two consistent testimonies, without which the Jewish law did not permit any person to be put to death. However, the hand of God was in this business: for the credit of Jesus, and the honor of the Christian religion, he would not permit him to be condemned on a false accusation; and, therefore, at last they were obliged to change their ground, and, to the eternal confusion of the unrighteous council, he is condemned on the very evidence of his own innocence, purity, and truth!

But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

I adjure thee by the living God - I put thee to thy oath. To this solemn adjuration Christ immediately replies, because he is now called on, in the name of God, to bear another testimony to the truth. The authority of God in the most worthless magistrate should be properly respected. However necessary our Lord saw it to be silent, when the accusations were frivolous, and the evidence contradictory, he felt no disposition to continue this silence, when questioned concerning a truth, for which he came into the world to shed his blood.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Thou hast said - That is, I am the Christ, the promised Messiah, (see on Matthew 26:25 - Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely you don't mean me, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "You have said so." ); and you and this whole nation shall shortly have the fullest proof of it: for hereafter, in a few years, ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, fully invested with absolute dominion, and coming in the clouds of heaven, to execute judgment upon this wicked race. See Matthew 24:30 - "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 

Our Lord appears to refer to Daniel 7:13 - "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. : One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, etc. This may also refer to the final judgment.

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 

The high priest rent his clothes - This rending of the high priest's garments was expressly contrary to the law, 
Leviticus 10:6 - Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire.

Leviticus 21:10. - "'The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes.

But it was a common method of expressing violent grief, 
Genesis 37:29 - When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.

Genesis 37:34 - Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.

Job 1:20 - At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship

and horror at what was deemed blasphemous or impious. 
2 Kings 18:37 - Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.

2 Kings 19:1 - When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD.

Acts 14:14 - But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:

All that heard a blasphemous speech were obliged to rend their clothes, and never to sew them up again.

What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

He is guilty of death - Ενοχος θανατου εστι, he is liable to death. All the forms of justice are here violated. The judge becomes a party and accuser, and proceeds to the verdict without examining whether all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, and the innumerable miracles which he wrought, did not justify him. Examination and proof are the ruin of all calumnies, and of the authors of them, and therefore they take care to keep off from these two things.

Help From Above : The Deity Of Jesus Christ

1 Timothy 3:16

16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

John 1:1 and 14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Matthew 1:22-23

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

John 10:30

30 I and the Father are one.”

John 14:9, 10a

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

10a Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?

Proverbs 20:22

22 Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”

    Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.

Walk With God : Meditation

Holy and frequent meditation is another blessed means of keeping up a believer's walk with God. 

"Prayer, reading, temptation, and meditation," says Luther, "makes a minister." 

And they also make and perfect a Christian. 

Meditation is to the soul what digestion is to the body. 

Holy David found it so, and therefore he was frequently employed in meditation, even in the night season. 

We read also of Isaac's going out into the fields to meditate in the evening; or, as it is in the margin, to pray. 

For meditation is a kind of silent prayer, whereby the soul is frequently (so to speak) carried out of itself to God. 

Through meditation, the soul is, in a degree, made like unto those blessed Spirits, who by a kind of intuition always behold the face of our heavenly Father. 

None but those happy souls that have been accustomed to this divine practice can tell what a blessed promoter of the divine life meditation is. 

"While I was musing," says David, "the fire kindled" 

my heart grew hot within me.

While I meditated, the fire burned;

    then I spoke with my tongue: - Ps. 39:3

And while the believer is musing on the works and word of God, he frequently feels the fire of divine love kindle, so that he is obliged to speak with his tongue and tell of the loving kindness of the Lord to his soul. 

Especially when we meditate on that work of works, that wonder of wonders, that mystery of godliness: "God manifest in the flesh," the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world! 

Be frequent therefore in meditation, all you who desire to maintain a close and uniform walk with the most high God. 

A Real Death : Cruelly Betrayed

42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Jesus Arrested

43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him.
Mark 14:42-46


Study:



Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

To meet the enemy and the danger; for there is no escaping;

lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand; Judas, that he had hinted at supper should betray him, was now about doing it; and was just now coming upon him, in order to deliver him into the hands of the Jews, and the Roman band of soldiers;


Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

cometh Judas one of the twelve: apostles of Christ, and which was an aggravation of his wickedness; the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic, versions add, "Iscariot"; and so it is read in one of Beza's copies. The Ethiopic version reads, "one of the ten", very wrongly:

and with him a great multitude; a band of men and officers, with many of the chief priests and captains of the temple, and elders of the people, that mixed themselves with the crowd, to see how things would issue:

with swords and staves; which they intended to make use of, should any resistance be made in apprehending him, or any attempt to rescue him:

from the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders; from the Jewish sanhedrim, which consisted of these


Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.”

And he that betrayed him had given them a token,.... A common sign, in which they agreed; and so this same Greek word is used by the Jews

"said R. Phinehas in the name of R. Reuben, did you ever see one man go out of the north, and another from the south, and meet each other, except they made, "a common sign", between them.''

Such an one the traitor gave his company;

saying, whomsoever I shall kiss, the same is he; Jesus of Nazareth; who was to be delivered to them:

take him, and lead him away safely; with care and caution, lest he should get out of their hands, and make his escape, as he had sometimes done: the word "safely", is omitted in the Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions. The Vulgate Latin renders it "cautiously", and so does the Syriac version, which joins it to the words, "take him"


Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.

To the place where Jesus was:

he goeth straightway to him; alone; as if he had nothing to do with the company behind, and as if he was his friend, and concerned for his safety:

and saith, Master, Master; expressing great affection for him, and respect to him, by repeating this word. The Ethiopic version has it but once, and so two exemplars of Beza's; and the Vulgate Latin reads, "hail, Master", as in Matthew 26:49 - Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

and kissed him;


The men seized Jesus and arrested him.

And they laid hands on him, and took him. After Christ had said to Judas, "friend, wherefore art thou come?" as in Matthew; and also, "Judas, betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss?" as in Luke 22:48 - but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

An Essential Requirement

If a person approaches this issue with a mental mindset which obstinately refuses to honestly consider the proofs presented in defense of the Bible, he will be wasting his time.

Through we must respect the mental reservations a person may have, a person must seriously challenge any bias against the Bible which is not based upon reason or a careful examination of the facts.

If a person will review the proofs presented with an open and intellectually honest attitude, he will see that the evidence in support of the Bible's accuracy is overwhelming and conclusive.

Help From Above : The Love Of God

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 13:1

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Revelation 1:5

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Psalm 85:2

2 You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.

Walk With God : Personal Prayer

Secondly, believers keep up their walk with God by private, personal prayer. 

The spirit of grace is always accompanied with the spirit of supplication. It is the very breath of the new creature, the fan of the divine life. 

By it, the spark of holy fire, kindled in the soul by God, is not only kept in, but raised into a flame. 

Neglect of private prayer has been frequently an inlet to many spiritual diseases, and has been attended with fatal consequences. 

Origen observed that on the day a certain Christian offered incense to an idol, "he went out of his closet without making use of private prayer." 

Prayer is one of the most noble parts of the believer's spiritual armor. "Praying always," says the apostle, "with all manner of supplication" 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. - Eph. 6:18

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - Matt. 26:41

And he spoke a parable, that his disciples should pray, and not faint. 

Not that our Lord would have us always upon our knees or in our closets, to the neglect of our other relative duties. 

But he meant that our souls should be kept in a praying frame, so that we might be able to say, as a good man in Scotland once said to his friends on his death-bed, "Could these curtains, or could these walls speak, they would tell you what sweet communion I have had with my God here." 

0 prayer! Prayer! 

It brings and keeps God and man together. 

It raises man up to God, and brings God down to man. 

If you would therefore, 0 believers, keep up your walk with God; pray, pray without ceasing. 

Be much in private, written prayers. 

And when you are about the common business of life be much in extemporaneous prayer. 

Send, from time to time, short letters speedily to heaven upon the wings of faith. 

They will reach the very heart of God, and return to you again loaded with spiritual blessings. 

Help From Above

"HELP FROM ABOVE" is a collection of related verses of Scripture by subjects from various parts of the Bible.

I believe the best commentary on Scripture is the Bible itself.

God's Word come "from above" and indeed very helpful to hearts that hunger and thirst after righteousness.

When a person repents, forsakes sin, invites the Lord Jesus Christ to dwell in his heart, and believes with all his heart on the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, the Lord will manifest Himself to him and impart His own joy and peace to the believer's heart.

Let us surrender to Him as our Saviour and Lord NOW if we have not done it.

Why Do People Reject The Bible?

For a variety of reasons, many remain skeptical and unconvinced concerning claims about the Bible's trustworthiness and divine authorship.

Some of the questions raised regarding the Bible are, on the surface, both reasonable and justifiable, while others are based upon willful ignorance and blind opposition.

Many reject the Bible as the Word of God without even examining the facts.

Some harbor deep reservations about the Bible because they have not been confronted with sufficing proofs to the contrary.

Some reject its divine authorship, without sacrificing a measure of respect for the Bible, as a noble piece of ancient literature or a great religious masterpiece.

Still others challenge the Bible's reliability on superficial grounds.

Their opposition is often based on will-worn arguments, sweeping generalizations, mindless objections, and preconceived prejudices rather than the sound foundation of reason, truth and reality.

A Real Death : Clearly Foretold

Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matthew 16:21

Study:

Jesus began to explain to his disciples

From the time that Peter made the confession concerning Jesus, as that he was the Messiah, and Son of God, and which things were clear to all the apostles, he began to teach them more expressly, and to point out to them more clearly, and plainly, his sufferings and death, than he had done before: and this he chose to do now, partly because that their faith in him was well grounded and established, so that they were the better able to bear these things he told them, which before might have been more staggering and discouraging to them; and partly, that being forewarned of them, they would not be so shocking when they came to pass: as also to destroy all their expectations of a temporal kingdom, which they might now be big with, he having so fully and freely owned himself to be the Messiah: and this also furnishes out some reasons why Jesus would not have his disciples, for the present, declare him to be the Messiah, that his death might not, by any means, be prevented, which was so necessary; since, should the princes of the world know him, they would not crucify him: and besides, seeing he was to suffer, and die, and rise again for the salvation of his people, it was proper that all this should be over before he was so publicly declared to be the Messiah, the Saviour, and Redeemer.

that he must go to Jerusalem

the metropolis of the nation, where the great Sanhedrin sat, who only could take cognizance of him, under the imputation of a false prophet, and condemn him to death, and which therefore would be in the most public manner; and though it would add to his reproach, would leave no room to be doubted of. The word "must", not only belongs to his going to Jerusalem, but to his sufferings, death, and resurrection; all which must be because of the immutable decree of God, the council, and covenant of grace, and peace, the prophecies of the Old Testament, and the redemption and salvation of God's elect; these required them, and made them absolutely necessary:

and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law,

who would lie in wait for him, send persons to apprehend him, insult, reproach, and despite-fully use him; load him with false charges, accusations, and calumnies, and deliver him to the Gentiles, to be mocked, scourged, and crucified: and this is aggravated as what would be done to him, not by the common people, or the dregs of them, but by the principal men of the city, by the Sanhedrin  which consisted of the "elders" of the people, their senators; for this is not a name of age, but of office and dignity; and of the "chief priests", the principal of them, those of the greatest note among them, who were chosen members of the grand council; and of "the Scribes", a set of men in high esteem for their learning and wisdom:

and that he must be killed

signifying, that he should not die a natural death, but that his life should be taken from him in a cruel and violent manner, without any regard to law or justice; indeed, that he should be properly murdered; but for the comfort of his disciples, and that they might not be overmuch pressed and cast down, at the hearing of these things, he adds,

and on the third day be raised to life.

according to the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and the type of Jonas.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

A Real Death

It was about twelve o'clock when the sun stopped shining and darkness covered the whole country . . . Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father! In Your hands I place my spirit!" He said this and died.
Luke 23:44, 46

A Study Of Luke 23:46

Walk with God : Read the Scriptures

To begin with, believers maintain their walk with God by reading his holy Word. 

"Search the Scriptures," says our blessed Lord, "for these are they that testify of me" (John 5:39).

And the royal Psalmist tells us that God's Word was a "light unto his feet, and a lantern unto his paths" (Ps. 119:105).

He makes it one characteristic of a good man that "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and that he exercises himself therein day and night" (Ps. 1:2).

"Give thyself to reading," says Paul to Timothy (I Tim. 4:13).

"And this book of the law," says God to Joshua, "shall not go out of thy mouth" (Josh. 1:8).

For "whatsoever was written aforetime, was written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4).

And the word of God is "profitable for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, and every way sufficient to make every true child of God thoroughly furnished unto every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16).

If we ever think we are above our Bibles, we shall soon lie open to all manner of delusion, and be in great danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. 

Our blessed Lord, though he had the Spirit of God without measure, yet always was governed by, and fought the devil with "It is written" (Matt. 4:4,6,7).

This the apostle calls the "sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17).

We may say of it, as David said of Goliath's sword, "There is none like this." 

The Scriptures are called the lively oracles of God: not only because they are generally made use of to beget in us a new life, but also to keep up and increase it in the soul. 

The apostle Peter, in his second epistle, prefers it even to seeing Christ transfigured upon the mount. 

For after he had said, "The voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount," he added, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arises in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1: 18,19).

That is, till we shake off these bodies, and see Jesus face to face.

Till then we must see and converse with him through the glass of his Word.

We must make his testimonies our counselors and daily, with Mary, sit at Jesus' feet by faith hearing his word.

What Is Meant When We Say That The Bible Is The Word Of God?

This simply means that Bible is the divinely inspired and infallible revelation of God to man, rather than the mere words of men to other men.

When we say the Bible is the Word of God, we do not mean that all the words are God's words. Some are the words of men, angels, demons and even Satan.

However, it is in its entirety the Word of God in the sense that God, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, divinely directed and inspired the writing of it and supernaturally controlled its overall construction, design and recording of contents.

In other words, it is not the product of human devising, manipulation, or imagination, but God was the author and architect behind its creation from beginning to end.

2 Timothy 2:22

22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Deep cleansing before the conquest of God

What happened between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot? [Genesis 13:1-9]

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

What are the decisions taken? [Genesis 13:10-11]

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:

What did God do for Abram after the decision taken? [Genesis 13:14-end]

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.  All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.  I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.  Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.

What Isaiah realizing after saw the Lord? [Isaiah 6:1-5]

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

How God makes Isaiah suitable for ministry? [Isaiah 6:6-8]

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Which part of our body that is difficult to tame and full of poison? [James 3:1-13]

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers; because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

Share your experience of an event in which the tongue causes a lot of harm.

My experience:

Cheating people make the people around us would not believe a single word even at the time we speak the truth.

What are Gideon’s fears and limitations when God told him to fight the Midianites? [Judges 6:11-15]

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joashthe Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Discuss some of our fears and limitations when asked to do something that is not comfortable or familiar with.

Fear.

There is no self-confidence.

Often questioned God.

Where does the strength come and help us? [Psalm 29:11, Psalm 121, Philippians 4:13]

Psalm 29:11

The Lord gives strength to his people;

    the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

    where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

    he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

    both now and forevermore.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

How to we own the land? [Zechariah 4:6]

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

What did Jesus do to his enemies? [Hebrews 10:13, Psalm 110:1]

Hebrews 10:13

and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.

Psalm 110:1

The Lord says to my lord:

“Sit at my right hand

    until I make your enemies

    a footstool for your feet.”

What are the two sins that the Israelites had to do? [Jeremiah 2:13]

“My people have committed two sins:

They have forsaken me,

    the spring of living water,

and have dug their own cisterns,

    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

What is Jesus' response to Satan when Satan tempts him to use his power to tell these stones to become bread? [Matthew 4:1-4]

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Action: Repent and ask God to cleanse us from the sins and weaknesses.

Let us pray:

Genesis 6:5-6

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

Matthew 26:28

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

1 John 1:9-10

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Hebrews 8:12

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

Acts 2:38

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Walk with God

What is Walk with God?

Walk with God is the practice of applying Christian principles and beliefs to everyday live.

It means several things:

1. That the prevailing power of enmity in a person's heart has been taken away by the blessed Spirit of God.
2. That the person has actually been reconciled to God the Father.
3. That the person has an abiding communion and fellowship with God-what in Scripture is called "the Holy Ghost dweilling in us."
4. Walking with God implies our making progress in the divine live.

Walking requires a progressive motion.

But how does a Christian maintain such a walk with God?

John 3:16-17

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.