"What
then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He
who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also
with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against
God's elect? It is God who justifies." Romans 8:31-33
There are times when things don’t go well in our life, we often seek God.
However God has given us a choice, a free will, to accept Him or not to. We can
make noise it is but it could be possible that we have no experience. Jesus
says, "I can understand you because I know what I have gone through."
The
more we know of other things, the less we wonder; but the further we are led
into gospel mysteries, the more we are affected by them. While God is for us,
and we keep in his love, we may with holy boldness defy all the powers of
darkness.
All
things whatever, in heaven and earth, are not so great a display of God's free
love, as the gift of his coequal Son to be the atonement on the cross for the
sin of man; and all the rest follows upon union with him, and interest in him.
All things, all which can be the causes or means of any real good to the
faithful Christian. He that has prepared a crown and a kingdom for us, will
give us what we need in the way to it. Men may justify themselves, though the
accusations are in full force against them; but if God justifies, that answers
all. By Christ we are thus secured. By the merit of his death he paid our debt.
Yea, rather that is risen again. This is convincing evidence that Divine
justice was satisfied. We have such a Friend at the right hand of God; all
power is given to him. He is there, making intercession. Believer! Does your
soul say within you, oh that he were mine! And oh that I were his; that I could
please him and live to him! Then do not toss your spirit and perplex your
thoughts in fruitless, endless doubting, but as you are convinced of
ungodliness, believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. You are condemned, yet
Christ is dead and risen. Flee to Him as such. God having manifested his love
in giving his own Son for us, can we think that anything should turn aside or
do away that love? Troubles neither cause nor show any abatement of his love.
Whatever believers may be separated from, enough remains. None can take Christ from
the believer: none can take the believer from Him; and that is enough. All
other hazards signify nothing. Alas, poor sinners! Though you abound with the
possessions of this world, what vain things are they! Can you say of any of
them, who shall separate us? You may be removed from pleasant dwellings, and
friends, and estates. You may even live to see and seek your parting. At last
you must part, for you must die. Then farewell, all this world accounts most
valuable. But the soul that is in Christ, when other things are pulled away,
cleaves to Christ, and these separations pain him not. Yea, when death comes,
that breaks all other unions, even that of the soul and body, it carries the
believer's soul into the nearest union with its beloved Lord Jesus, and the
full enjoyment of him forever.
"When
I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which
you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of
man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the
heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him
dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens,
and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord ,
our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" - Psalms 8:3-9
We are to consider the heavens, that man thus may be directed to set his
affections on things above. What is man, so mean a creature, that he should be
thus honored! so sinful a creature, that he should be thus favored! Man has
sovereign dominion over the inferior creatures, under God, and is appointed
their lord. This refers to Christ. The greatest favor ever showed to the human
race, and the greatest honor ever put upon human nature, were exemplified in
the Lord Jesus. With good reason does the psalmist conclude as he began, Lord,
how excellent is thy name in all the earth, which has been honored with the
presence of the Redeemer, and is still enlightened by his gospel, and governed
by his wisdom and power! What words can reach his praises, who has a right to
our obedience as our Redeemer?
Illustration: Now a days GST is in news and all
businesses were offering discounts and encouraging all of us to go for shopping
and avail biggest discounts or else we will be required to pay the goods and
service tax in days to come. God has freely blessed us and there is no GST
coming for us, in fact GST for us is 'God sitting on Throne'. He has paid for
us and once for all and there are going to no taxes in blessings in days to
come.
"What
I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim
on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill
the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are
not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground
apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." - Matthew 10:27-31
Have you ever heard of someone talking about one of the most common bird,
sparrow? Who talks about sparrows? Maybe if there is a specific scientist
research, else we don’t even hear about sparrows even in idioms. Even most of the
pet/bird stores do not sell sparrows and if they do, sparrows are sold fairly
cheap, or unless these vendors have coloured their sparrows and sell it in the
name of love birds. Jesus spoke! Otherwise who has time to speak about
sparrows?
See how the care of Providence extends to all creatures, even to the sparrows.
This should silence all the fears of God's people; you are of more value than
many sparrows. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered. This denotes
the account God takes and keeps of his people. It is our duty, not only to
believe in Christ, but to profess that faith, in suffering for him, when we are
called to it, as well as in serving him. That denial of Christ only is here
meant which is persisted in, and that confession only can have the blessed recompense
here promised, which is the real and constant language of faith and love.
Religion is worth every thing; all who believe the truth of it, will come up to
the price, and make everything else yield to it. Christ will lead us through
sufferings, to glory with him. Those are best prepared for the life to come,
that sit most loose to this present life. Though the kindness done to Christ's
disciples be ever so small, yet if there be occasion for it, and ability to do
no more, it shall be accepted. Christ does not say that they deserve a reward;
for we cannot merit anything from the hand of God; but they shall receive a reward
from the free gift of God. Let us boldly confess Christ, and show love to him
in all things.
God is the only one who cares for sparrows also. Few people even make faces to
hear about sparrows but God spoke about sparrows, likewise many people may also
make face when your name pops up, there is also an insult known as ‘Sparrow
Face’, still God bothers about His creation. Be it sparrows or be it anything
he has made with His own hands, He cares for all. You must trust that God cares
for you and in God's eye, no one is insignificant.
There
are two things that I want to take out of this passage:
1: You are insignificant.
2: Not anyone of us will fall down, not even a sparrow, God watches for us.
Even
though God's eyes are upon you, you may fall but then you need to have trust in
God, He will lead you to the path of victory.
There are chances that a hunter may find a sparrow and kill it or maybe a bigger
bird attacks it and kill it. Our life is similar, we can easily get under
attack. Even though God had His eyes on sparrow, yet the hunter knocked it
down. We are living in the terrible times and we can fall in temptation which
can lead us down towards darkness. When attack comes on you and trouble comes
on you, don't think God is not watching you, you are still under God's plan.
Whatever happens, have faith in God and put your trust in Him.
"Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his
face." - Job 13:15
Job
depended upon God for justification and salvation, the two great things we hope
for through Christ. Temporal salvation he little expected, but of his eternal
salvation he was very confident; that God would not only be his Saviour to make
him happy, but his salvation, in the sight and enjoyment of whom he should be
happy. He knew himself not to be a hypocrite, and concluded that he should not
be rejected. We should be well pleased with God as a Friend, even when he seems
against us as an enemy. We must believe that all shall work for good to us,
even when all seems to make against us.
"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "This shall be the law of the
leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest,
and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if
the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, the priest shall
command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and
cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. And the priest shall command them to kill
one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. He shall take the
live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them
and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh
water. And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the
leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living
bird go into the open field." - Leviticus
14:1-7
"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that
have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear:
fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell
you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of
them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:4-7
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will
eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not
life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds
of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" - Matthew 6:25-26
The bible says that even Solomon could not get his throne by himself, God
helped him. If God can take care of the lilies
in the valley, how much can He provide for us? Faith is the key! Allow the word
of God to work in you.
Illustration:
Jim Elliot was an American. He became a Christian at a young age and after
university he became a missionary in Ecuador, South America. He, with a few
other young missionaries wanted to reach a tribe of Indians who lived in a
remote region beyond civilization. The tribe was known for its violence so
no-one ventured in their territory but they were people for whom Jesus had died
to bring them towards forgiveness and salvation. Jim Elliot and his four
friends thought the best way was to try to make friends with them. They made contact
by flying a small aircraft down their river bank. They made contact from their
airplane with the tribe by using a loudspeaker and a basket to pass down gifts.
After several months, the men decided to build a base a short distance from the
Indian tribe. There they were approached several times by small groups of
Indians, and even gave an airplane ride to one curious man. Encouraged by these
friendly encounters, they began plans to visit the tribe, but then a larger
group of Indians arrived who were vicious and they killed Elliot and his four
companions on January 8, 1956. After his death, an entry was found in his
diary: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot
lose." A cross can be a Stumbling Block and foolishness....
Nevertheless, people thought that this missionary was a fool, yet they became
fools themselves.
"The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools
is in the house of pleasure." - Ecclesiastes
7:4
God will provide! If His eyes can be on sparrows, His eyes are upon you.
"Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the LORD will
provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On
the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." - Genesis 22:14.
In this verse of Genesis, for the first time, ‘Giver’ for God is mentioned.
‘Jehovah-Jireh’, the Lord will provide; probably alluding to what Abraham had
said, God will provide himself a lamb. The Lord will always have his eye upon
his people, in their straits and distresses, that He may give them seasonable
help.
Illustration:
I live in the city of Mumbai and as you all know, Mumbai is a city of towers
and sky scrapers. My home happens to be in one of the towers on third floor.
One fine day, I returned home after my routine visits. I found a goat in my
home and to my surprise my children were playing with it and getting
entertained. When enquired, I came to know that someone gifted this goat to me
for meat source. It was a gift by someone to a pastor, as I am one. I realized,
“Wow! God can provide a goat even on third floor of a tower out of nowhere!”
Even though I returned it, but I was in an awe that God can provide anything
and everything and that also comes with a surprise. In my whole life, nobody
gifted a goat to me. I have seen people calling names using goat, such as “Hey,
you goat face!”, but a real goat gift? Not even in my dreams. Imagine a picture
of a goat in a modern apartment, surprising, isn’t it?
God can provide!
Our God is a God who cares for you and understand that you are important! You
may face rejection or trouble in your life but always remember that God will lead
you to victory.
Illustration:
Bobby was walking with his father to one of his friend’s place and father
was holding son’s hand since there was darkness of night and the sound of the wind
was blowing. Boy whispered looking at lantern, “Daddy, I am scared in this
darkness as the light of this lamp is very little.” Father tightened the grip and
assured him confidently that he is with Bobby. Father continued talking, “This lamp
has very little light, but if we keep on walking it can lead us to the end of
the road.” They reached their destination eventually.
As a believer on our journey, many a times we see only darkness with a very
little light. But if we keep on walking on this unknown path, given the little
light yet it will keep on shining and we can reach where God wants use to reach
and be victorious in Christ.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105
The word of God
directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be
without it. The commandment is a lamp kept burning with the oil of the Spirit,
as a light to direct us in the choice of our way, and the steps we take in that
way.
If a sparrow’s care is taken by God, you are made in His own image. Keep walking with the light of word, and God will take care of you!
You can subscribe to Andy's YouTube channel by clicking here.
We hope you enjoyed today’s service. We look forward meeting you next Sunday, God bless!
If a sparrow’s care is taken by God, you are made in His own image. Keep walking with the light of word, and God will take care of you!
You can subscribe to Andy's YouTube channel by clicking here.
We hope you enjoyed today’s service. We look forward meeting you next Sunday, God bless!
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