Worship Call 0721

Friends, God answers prayers...that He inspires! 1 John 3:21-24 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. 1 John 5:15-16 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. When does God answer our prayers? And when do we receive what we ask of Him? And when are we confident He has heard our requests? Many of us wonder why our prayers seem to go unanswered. Here are some insights: "If our hearts do not condemn us.." Simply, it's almost impossible to ask for anything in faith if your conscience is defiled. Yeshua (Jesus) said, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive;" [Mt. 21:22] If your heart is condemning you, thank God you have a conscience, and then clear it by confessing your sin and receiving forgiveness through his blood. Your capacity for faith will be restored and your prayers won't be hindered by a troubled heart. "Keep His commandments..." John distills this advice with two simple injunctions; "Believe in the name of the Son of God", and "Love one another"... Apostle Paul beautifully re-echoes these with his word in Galatians, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love; [Gal. 5:6]. Faith is a steadfast reliance on the nature and character of Yeshua, and love is the outflow of abiding in Him. Prayers which emerge from this disposition are answered. Faith in Yeshua, and love for others form a sure foundation for answered prayers. Yeshua taught us to pray, "Thy will be done." John simply affirms that our confidence of being heard derives from asking for anything that God wants. Some people teach that God will give us anything that we want, because He loves us and has paid for all of it. But that's not what the scripture teaches. John says that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and if we know that He hears us, then we know we're getting what we asked for...this could be the most important element in our prayer life. Why do I say that? Because John's implication is that we should always pray "in the Spirit"; that if we really want to pray confidently, we should listen first; we should make sure we're abiding in Him, and are in communion with his Spirit. Praying from the place of communion will issue prayers that are inspired by the Lord himself, and are sure to be answered. Friends, "Whoever keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him." Any hope of effectual prayer in which we can have confidence for answers depends absolutely upon this one amazing reality. God with us: "Immanuel"... The great challenge and opportunity of the life of faith is maintaining this abiding reality. Don't waste the opportunity. Have a blessed weekend! Shabbat Shalom! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George & Obadiah (in Baltimore), Baht Rivka (in Israel) and Elianna (in Texas)

And this is another fine day in the Lord

Matthew 5:48 (NASB95) — 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

τέλειος, α, ον (Hom. [e.g. Il. 24, 34 of unblemished sacrificial animals] +)

gener. ‘attaining an end or purpose, complete’.[1]

ⓑ of persons who are fully up to standard in a certain respect and not satisfied with half-way measures perfect, complete, expert [2]

John 1:35–39 (NASB95) — 35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Is there difference in one who calls him or herself a Christian and who is a Christ follower. Would Jesus turn around to you and ask you what is it that you seek?

How many are actually seeking a closer walk with the Lord, relationship, nearness. That is the question you can answer privately to yourself. What occupies your heart over everything to become your soul ambition.

Fair question. I have had my souls’ ambitions; things I wanted to accomplish in life, career Goals, financial goals, athletic goals and such. My ambition wanted to be a better person.

So, if I was following along behind Jesus and Jesus turned and said what is it that you looking for and I laid out some of my life’s goals, I imagine he would have just told me carry on and really thinking about it he did. For I had my own agenda, I had too many other things than to pursue Christ. it was enough to be in church, take in a bible lesson or two a week, pray here and there, all to meet my relationship with the Lord.

Andrew and John however got a different answer.

Jesus asked; what are you looking for?

They answered, where do you live?

and it was the right answer, and Jesus said come and see and they spent the evening with Jesus.

What should be my ambition? to Glory God and enjoy him forever.

But what course do I follow when there is so many differing religious opinions?

Jesus is the Way. Jesus is that narrow path by which any of us can enter into the Kingdom. He is the word that is the light unto my feet that leads to intimacy with the Father.

Being the way which he successfully demonstrated Jesus leads the way beginning with His baptism and the results of it.

Matthew 3:16–17 (NASB95) — 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

What am I seeking?

To be pleasing to my Father as Jesus was who himself was perfect.

I want to know where my Lord lives and I want to be in His presence.

I want to be the one in Psalm 15 who abides in the tabernacle of the Lord, and I want to dwell with Him on his holy Hill.

I want to be the one in revelation who is permitted to sit on the Lord’s throne as he himself had sat on the Father’s throne.

And if nothing else I want to hear the words of my Father in heaven refer to me as one who brings pleasure in Him and calls me his son.

Some will criticize and say, “Oh he is holier than thou!”

“No,” I would answer

I’m not holy enough.

How close do any of us want to be with the Lord?

How much are you willing to be a personal sacrifice to draw near.

Coming to completion is where the journey of the Christian life brings a believer who occupies his heart to drawing near to the Lord. Like Moses the believer begs to see the glory of God while the rest remained idolaters seeking to return back to Egypt.

No, not for me, there has been stages in my life, from being a new convert but yet pursing my own ambitions. To a student of God’s word at least taking in doctrine and living a moral life. to the point where one morning I woke up with a vital need to have a relationship of this God of doctrine.

Salvation comes in three Phases

1. Justification = I have been saved

2. Sanctification = I am being saved

3. Glorification = I will be saved

At the point of being born again through faith in the person and work of Christ we have entered the Royal Family of God. We are Saved from the day of wrath; we have received the imputed righteousness of God. We have received the Holy Spirit, and inheritance, and so much more.

Sanctification is the process of drawing near to God.

James 4:8–10 (NASB95) — 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

In Justification. We heard the Gospel. We responded positively to the message that Jesus Christ died for us and by trusting in him we have eternal life.

At that point we into a Napios position with Christ.

Hebrews 5:12–14 (NASB95) — 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

9.43 νήπιος, α, ον: a small child above the age of a helpless infant but probably not more than three or four years of age—‘small child[3]

We all start out as babies. We bring with us much baggage when we come into this new life. baggage that slows our growth and maybe even keeps us from growing as long as we hold on to those things that we think we cannot do without.

We have weaknesses. Like babies who are trying to walk we stumble, and we fall over and over again.

But we are told by Peter

2 Peter 3:18 (NASB95) — 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

What is the objective?

Becoming a matured relationship with the Lord to Love Him with all my heart all my mind and all my strength.

That the Father may find pleasure in my life.

And I thank God for every day of my life to be in the pursuit of Sanctification that I might be presented without spot and blemish as a bride to the bridegroom

Ephesians 5:26–27 (NASB95) — 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

Being made compete is finishing the race strong, with absolute confidence that we have ran that race and have fought the good fight of faith and in confident expectation to receive the rewards and decorations of the mature believer.

[1]Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 995). University of Chicago Press. [2]Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 995). University of Chicago Press. [3]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 109). United Bible Societies.

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