Because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live too.
Observation
Generations pass and the descendants of Jacob prosper in Egypt. A king arises who knows noth8ing of what Joseph had done for Egypt. He becomes fearful of the threat that the Hebrews may pose to his reign.
The Egyptians make the Israelites their slaves, hoping to wear them down with crushing labour. The king is ruthless, but still the Hebrews prosper.
The king orders the Hebrew midwives to kill all baby boys that are born. The midwives fear God, so they refuse to obey this order. When questioned later, they say that the Hebrew women give birth too quickly for them to get there in time, and so the baby boys live.
God continues to bless the Hebrew people and the midwives. They continue to grow in number and in strength.
Application
The Hebrew people are in a place of captivity. The Pharaoh tries to reduce their population by ordering the midwives to kill all the baby boys. The midwives fear God and so refuse to obey this order.
The king was an absolute monarch. There were no human rights then. The Hebrews were a feared ethnic minority. The midwives stood in defiance of an absolute ruler who could do what he liked to them.
Because these brave women were faithful to God, God blessed them with children of their own and continued to bless the people of Israel.
The Covid pandemic has forced some churches to ask themselves whether it is right to obey the Government and close their doors for a season, or to obey God’s commandment to meet regardless of what the Government says? The availability of technology and shorter shut downs in some areas made that decision easier for some than for others.
Christians in the medical community sometimes have to make a stance against participating in abortions or euthanasia. Some have lost their jobs or licence to practise over these issues.
Whatever the situation, we must always be prepared to defy human rulers if they require us to go against God’s will.
Prayer
Lord, please hep me to be faithful to you, to follow your ways rather than the ways of people. Amen.
“When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!”
Observation
Jesus tells a parable about a king who prepares a great wedding banquet for his son. When the banquet is ready, the invited guests refuse to come.
The king sends out more messengers to summon the guests. Still they refuse, and some even insult and kill the king’s messengers.
Finally the king sends out servants to bring in people from the streets, both good and bad, to fill the banqueting hall.
The king notices that one of the guests is not properly dressed. He orders this person to be bound and cast out into the darkness.
Application
The people of Israel were all invited to God’s marriage feast, but many refused to come. They had insulted and killed God’s messengers, the prophets. Now Jesus is saying that the king is inviting a different group of people, those who had previously not been invited, that is the Gentiles.
It is a wonderful privilege to be a part of God’s kingdom. Even those who previously rebelled against God can now come in and be a part of His party.
The parable contains one jarring note. One man is seen to be not wearing the appropriate clothes. He is kicked out of the feast.
Repeatedly, in the New Testament we are told to take off the old nature and put on Christ. Many are called or invited to be in the Kingdom of God, but it is only through a change of heart that we become acceptable to God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for inviting everybody into your kingdom. I turn away from my sins and choose to follow you today. Amen.
I would have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.
Observation
John is writing to a man called Gaius, who he hopes is well in spirit and in body. Some of John’s travelling teachers returned and told John how Gaius is living faithfully to the Lord.
John asks Gaius to continue supporting such itinerant ministers because they are serving the Lord.
Diotrophes opposes these teachers and tells others not to support them. When they do help, he expels them from the church.
Application
Any pastor recognises the reflection of John that we have no greater joy than hearing our spiritual children are “following the truth.”
John uses this phrase to mean that they are walking with the Lord and refusing to be swayed by the false teachers and the heretics. There is clearly a problem with people such as Diotrophes who resists the itinerant teachers who are faithful to the gospel. In 2 John, John calls the false teachers antichrists. It seems that Diotrophes had been influenced by such people.
In the midst of all this, John is blessed to know that some people, such as Gaius and Demetrius, are standing firm and prospering both spiritually and physically.
When I think of people whom I have mentored over many years, it gives me great joy to seeing them moving onward in the Lord. It means that the church of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ are growing in influence across the generations.
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for those people who are faithful to you and who seek to serve you in their work, in the church, and in their families. May they continue to thrive in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:16. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:16
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
God’s glorious riches are unlimited. We think of wealthy people as being beyond the financial limits that constrain most of us. To people in developing countries, those of us who live average lives seem to them to be wealthy beyond imagination.
But God’s glorious riches are in every way unlimited. The God who created the universe with a word is not limited by physical resources. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the Psalmist tells us.
The glorious riches of God, though, are not merely physical. He commands a billion human servants and an untold number of angels. He can redirect the courses of nations with just a thought.
A million words cannot come close to describing these glorious riches, out of which He strengthens us.
God is not a hoarder. He does not store up these rich is for his own glory, although He could if He chose to. Instead, He shares them with us, His beloved people.
It is a quality of love that we want to share what we have and who we are with those whom we love. I may not be inclined to give $1,000 to my neighbour down the street, but I will share all I have with my children .
So God shares His riches with us because He loves us and He wants to strengthen our trust in Him.
One way that God strengthens us is through provision of our needs. I have seen on many occasions that the laws of economics fail when God is involved. He equips us to do more with less. He provides things that we could not have dreamed of. All of this is His good pleasure.
Another way that God strengthens us is through the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:22. We may think that it is impossible for us to fulfil the calling that God has on our lives, but He will give an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities will not only enable us to do a task, but to become more like Jesus in the process.
Paul prays that God will strengthen us with power through the Spirit.
The power of God is demonstrated through the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12, and in the book of Acts. The power of God flows through a heart that is totally surrendered to God’s purposes.
When we speak out what God is saying, we may speak words of knowledge and wisdom or prophecy. When we minister the power of God, we see healings, miracles, and deliverance from evil spirits.
We may be strengthened in power through prayers that are answered. There is nothing that encourages faith so much as prayers being answered both through natural and miraculous methods. Many have poured out their hearts to the Lord seeking a blessing that seems impossible and have been awestruck when God came through.
In all of these ways, and many more, God strengthens us. These are manifestations of the power of God.
All of this is brought about by God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit, in our inner being. This Is a miracle.
C.S. Lewis talks about christians being a new species. We are outwardly the same as every other person, but there is something fundamentally different. We know that changes in a molecule called DNA can change an organism, including humans. Inserting a fragment of DNA can bring big changes. In the same way, God insert His Spirit into our spirit being.
All of the signs of God’s power flow from the Holy Spirit through us to the world. In the past, God’s Spirit might have been ”with” a person, but now He is “in” a person.
We no longer should think of God as somewhere else, because he is in us wherever we go. We have no need of temples or special places to meet with God. We are the temple.
The Holy Spirit is alive in each of us. Therefore He can strengthen us with His power that is already in us.
We are often held back by the lies we believe. We might feel that we are not good enough, or holy enough, to be used by God. We might think that we could never be as Godly as that other person.
The truth is that we all have access to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
Key points in this verse:
God has unlimited glorious riches that are physical and spiritual
God shares his riches with us because he loves us
The power of the Holy Spirit is in us and can strengthen us.
I say this because many deceivers have gone out int the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Observation
John writes this letter to “the chosen lady”, probably referring to a local church. He declares that he was happy to have met some of the “children” of the lady, finding them living according to the truth.
We must live in love for one another according to the commandment of God. Many deceivers have gone out into the world. These people deny that Jesus came in a physical body.
If anyone comes into a meeting teaching lies about Christ, we should not give them any kind of encouragement.
Application
There were many sects and heresies that sprang up in the early decades of the church.
One of the more persistent heresies was called Gnosticism. According to the Gnostics, we can only achieve salvation by learning knowledge that was hidden from most people, but was revealed to a select few. They drew in teachings from many religions, including Christianity. The core belief of these groups was that the physical world, including our bodies, is evil, but the spirit world is good.
We know that Jesus came into the world, in the normal way, as a complete human being, including a body. For many people it was impossible to believe that a perfect God could dwell in a physical body. So they denied that Jesus had a body, and that He died in that body.
John says that to follow such teachings is to be against Christ, that is antichrist.
Our beliefs are important because they determine how we believe. For John, the important doctrine that Jesus came into the world in the form of a man, with a body, was the basis for us to love other people with the love of God. To abandon this belief would eventually mean abandoning love for one another.
Not all of us are called to be theologians, but we all must check that the things we think and say correspond to the Bible.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, please convict me about the things that I think and the things that I do, in whatever way I go against your will. Amen.
We know that we are children of God and that the world is controlled by the evil one.
Observation
God has given us eternal life through His Son. Anyone who has the Son has life, and anyone who does not have the Son does not have life.
When we see a brother or sister sinning, we should pray for that person to repent. There is a sin which leads to death; not every sin leads to death.
We know that we are children of God and that the world is under the control of the evil one. We live in fellowship with the Son of God, and therefore we live in fellowship with the true God.
Application
There is a huge gulf between the children of God and the people of the world. The world and its people are controlled by the evil one. The children of God are led by God.
This is not to say that we should avoid unsaved people or look down on them. We should love them with the love of Jesus who loved the world enough to die for it. We should love them and seek to win them to Him.
At the same time, we should understand that the gospel will never be popular in the world. Most people do not want to know that they are sinners, although there are many people who long for their Redeemer.
We should also work at redeeming institutions that the world controls- education, entertainment, politics, and culture. Jesus is greater than satan, and He alone can rescue the world, its people and its structures.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for saving me. Thank you that I am led and directed by you and not by the evil one. Amen.
So we have three witnesses- the Spirit, the water, and the blood- and these three agree.
Observation
Everyone who believes Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. If we love God, we will obey His commands and love His children.
Jesus was revealed as God’s Son at His baptism and on the cross. The Spirit also confirms this, meaning there are three witnesses to Jesus’ Sonship- the Spirit, the water, and the blood.
God has testified about His Son, so anyone who refuses to believe that Jesus is the Son of God is calling God a liar.
Application
The three witnesses- the Spirit, the water, and the blood- all testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts that Jesus is Lord, and that we can be set free from the bondage of our sin. We need that testimony because satan has blinded us and we would never work it out by ourselves.
The water is the water of Jesus’ baptism. This was the first revelation that He is the Son of God. The heavens opened and the voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son.”
The blood is Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. Jesus, the truly divine one, laid down His life for our sake. The Roman centurion said at the time of Jesus’ death, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”
Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God not only calls the Father and the Holy Spirit liars, but they also ignore the testimony of the water and the blood.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, today I declare, “You are truly the Son of God.” Amen.
All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
Observation
Since God loves us, we ought to love one another, for this brings full expression to God’s love for us.
God has given His Spirit as proof that He lives in us. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is the Son of God has God living in them.
As we live in God, our love becomes more perfect. Perfect love casts out all fear because fear has to do with fear of being punished. If we fear then it shows we have not experienced God’s love.
God has given us this command- if we love God then we must also love our christian brothers and sisters.
Application
If we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, then God is living in us and we are living in God.
Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God is not just about words- it is about expressing heart- felt conviction that stems from relationship.
Paul says something similar in Romans: “if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
If we believe this with our heart, then it is a sign to us and to others that God is living in us. When we come to Jesus and confess that He is our Lord, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, comes and resides in us.
As John describes repeatedly in this letter, the result of this is that we love God and love other christians. Love is the fruit of relationship with God, and it is the sign of it.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for loving me. Please grow your love in my heart so that I can love other people with your love. Amen.
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:14-15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:14-15
“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”
Paul now returns to his prayer. In verse 12 he said : “ In him (that is, Christ) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” This is the reason that he can kneel before the Father to pray. This prayer starts in verse 16.
God is our Father. He has revealed Himself as a Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The term Father is not just a theological term. Father is a relational term.
Jesus knew God as Father, as “Abba” a term of intimacy. For Jesus the name Father was not a theoretical term but an expression of deep love.
We call God Father for many reasons.
Firstly, it is an expression of love. God is love, and He loves the whole of his creation including human beings who have rebelled against His authority. God continues to love us despite our actions towards Him.
Secondly, God our Father seeks to draw us up to spiritual and relational maturity. In biblical times, a father was expected to shape his children to be like himself. God desires that we become like Him in our character and our desires.
Thirdly, God our Father disciplines us when we go astray. In Hebrews 12:7 we are told, “Endure hardship as a discipline; God is treating you as sons.” The Father disciplines His sons and daughters to perfect their character.
Fourthly God delights to pour out blessings on us. This is not contrary to the previous point, but balances it. Our Father does not dole the bare minimum to keep us alive. No, He provides what we need and more. He pours out all kinds of blessings because it pleases Him to make us happy .
In many cultures, the family takes the name of the father not of the mother. Paul is saying here that God gives His name to His family.
A name often says something about a person’s lineage. The name Smith in the past was associated with blacksmiths. Certain names might be associated with the aristocracy or with lesser classes.
To be named for our heavenly Father means that we are part of His family, related to him through the blood of Christ.
To be saved is to be a part of a family that has members right around the world and in heaven as well. This is a family that literally will never die out.
We are named with the name of Christ- Christian. We share the family name and should grow into the family likeness.
To be in the family of God means that we are members of a royal family. We are heirs of God’s Kingdom, princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses in God’s realm.
Key points in this verse
Paul kneels in prayer to the Father, confident of his access to the throne
God is our Father. This is a relational term
God loves us with unfailing love
God wants to mature us and He uses both discipline and blessing
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:13. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 3:13
“I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.”
Paul’s imprisonment is part of God’s plan to make known the mystery, the wisdom of God, the plan of salvation. God is in control of all things, and so even Paul’s imprisonment is in God’s plan.
For this reason, Paul says the Ephesians should not be discouraged.
We can imagine that some christians might be asking why God would allow Paul to suffer like this. Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, so why would God have him locked away?
We know now, with the benefit of hindsight, that Paul wrote several of his letters during his imprisonment. We could argue the New Testament would be somewhat smaller without Paul’s suffering.
We also know from Acts 28:30-31 that for two years of house arrest Paul welcomed many visitors and boldly proclaimed the gospel to them.
Despite his suffering, Paul was not sidelined. He was not prevented from continuing the ministry that God had prepared for him.
So Paul tells us not to be discouraged when things don’t go the way we expected.
God will prevail, and nothing can stop the gospel. What is important is that we seek to be faithful in whatever task the Lord sets before us.
We need to be mature also in our understanding of suffering. Many people do become disheartened because of their own suffering or that of others. They fail to understand that God always turns every situation to our own spiritual growth .
Our culture tells us that we deserve to be happy, that we should expect a fulfilled life, and that nothing bad should ever happen to us. While this is an appealing myth, it is complete rubbish. People get sick and die. There are acts of violence and abuse everyday. Disasters befall whole communities and nations .
Suffering is not an interruption to the good life. It is part of the process of growing to spiritual maturity .
Children don’t like it when their parents say “No” to their requests. They cannot understand why the parent puts them through painful medical or dental procedures. It hurts when they are smacked for running onto a road .
The suffering and pain that we go through in life serve to shape and strengthen our spirits. We are forced to hold on to the fact that God loves us and that this painful experience is, in some way that we cannot comprehend, for our own ultimate good.
We must not lose heart then, when we, or the people we love, go through painful times.
Paul describes his sufferings as being “for you” and “for your glory.”
Paul is aware that God uses suffering for God’s purposes, and that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28). This suffering that he is going through will make him stronger in his own faith and trust in the Lord.
Paul’s sufferings, therefore, are for the Gentiles because he will be a better apostle for the Gentiles through his suffering. This then is for them and for their glory.
As a pastor, I know that the relatively light sufferings that I have experienced have taken me deeper into the Lord. They have also given me greater empathy for those who go through severe or extended periods of suffering. In that sense, my own suffering is for them as well as for me.
Key points in this verse
We must not be discouraged by suffering- our own or others whom we love.
Suffering should draw us closer to the Lord and deepen our faith in him
God will prevail, even if we cannot see it
Suffering is not an interruption to the good life, but a part of God’s plan to bring us to maturity
Our suffering can help other people and bring glory to God
