God's Purpose for Physical Blessings

This message is not a theological discussion.

This is only a loud thinking about a question we constantly face in our practical life.

The question is: what is God’s the purpose for physical blessings?

Let us start with another question: Does God blesses us physically?

The answer definitely is “yes”. God blesses us physically while we live in this world.

Physical blessings are a reality that we see around.

Do you have a shelter, food and clothes? If yes; you are physical blessed.

Our testimonies are mostly testimonies of physical blessings.

A major part of our prayer is request for physical blessings.

Jesus, the Promised Land

Here we intend to discuss how Jesus transplanted the Promised Land, its blessings and the rest in the land to Himelf.

The Promised Land was a rather small country, not particularly rich in minerals or oil, much of it lacking trees, and having a chronic shortage of water.

But it has tremendous historical and religious significance.

It also has symbolic meaning in the gospel, as the type of the "rest," or the eternal inheritance, of those who believe in Christ.

Free Slave

We are called the servants or the slaves of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament, the Greek term “dulos” which means slave is used to speak of His servants.

For example in Ephesians 6: 6 , the Greek word “dulos” or slaves is used to denote the “servants of Christ”.

We all know that we are set free by Jesus Christ from all bondages of slavery.

If we all are free from slavery, what kind of slaves are we to Christ?

The intention of this discussion is to find our correct position as slaves of Christ.

Let us draw our attention to three passages: Deuteronomy 15: 12-18; Exodus 21: 1-11 and Leviticus 25.

The Jubilee Year

The prominent image in the Bible is Redemption from slavery.

The Old Testament narrates incidents of slavery and redemption.

The New Testament is all about the fulfillment of redemption from slavery.

The people of the Old Testament, the people of Jesus’ time and Apostles were familiar with slavery and redemption story.

Slavery was a reality of the time and so was redemption.

Even Israelites had to go under slavery more than once in their national history.

CHRISTIAN STEWARD

Who is a steward?

Steward is a person who managers another’s property or financial affairs.

He is a person who administers anything as the agent of another.

A steward doesn't own the household but manages it.

And stewards in the ancient world were trusted with everything from seeing that the floors were clean, to the finances

A business manager who oversees a company’s resources including money, machinery and personnel in order to materialize the company’s purpose and values is a stewardship.

Wealth Creation - a Christian perspective

What is wealth?

What is wealth? Let us start our study with question.

Wealth according to the Bible is different from the world.

The value system in the Heaven is invert to the value system in this world.

In another way, wealth in heavenly perceptive is not always what we call wealth.

Wealth in heavenly perceptive is physical, material, mental and spiritual, all together.

God has created the whole world for increase.

He placed the power within every living creature to reproduce beyond them.

God gives humans the special ability to manage the resources from earth to create a comfortable atmosphere for living.

We suffer often because of the ignorance and practice of Biblical principles.

Patriarchs and Prosperity

What is the relationship between a healthy fellowship with God and prosperity?

Is there any Biblical evidence to support the view that prosperity is a sign of God’s blessing?

In order to answer these questions, we need to take a closer look at what the Old and New Testaments teach about God’s blessings in our lives.

Biblical prosperity is a vast subject.

None can explain all aspects of Biblical prosperity in a short video like this of 20 minutes.

So I do not claim to present an exhaustive study of the subject.

In this study we are leaning only about the attitude of the Patriarchs towards Prosperity.

How Jesus endorsed it is also explained in this video.

The Triumphant End of Paul's Journey - 2 Timothy 4:6-8

This study note is about the triumphant end of Paul’s journey.

Paul never looked at his end as death like common people used to do.

Paul had a different concept about death.

This is the core idea we discuss in this message.

2 Timothy 4: 6 – 8  are the farewell speech of Apostle Paul.

Laws of sowing and reaping

Introduction

There are certain universal unchanging laws that govern this universe.

They are universal and hence do not change from place to place and time to time.

They existed right from the beginning of the universe and will exist till the last day of this world.

In truth this universe exists on them and without them nothing can exist.

A change in a jot or line of these laws affects the whole universe even to its self destruction.

No one, no wise man or fool can deny their existence and influence over the universe.

Whether we like them or not, they are to stay, work and influence everything.

That is the importance of these laws.

FREE WILL

What is Free Will

 

Free Will is the freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention

In the Bible, Free Will means God gives humans the opportunity to make choices in their life that genuinely affect their destiny.

 

God created man as a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions.

God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.

First Commandment

Communication

A definition of language I came across says that, language is “A systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols.”

I found this definition in WordWeb, a virtual dictionary copyrighted by Princeton University, USA.

In this definition there are two components of a language.

1.      Sounds or conventional symbols – means of communication

2.      Communication – that is the purpose of language

Language is often considered as a way of communication.

Alphabets, sound, gestures or objects are used for communication.

These are only means of communication.

Right Time – He is coming again

The calendar of God is different from ours.

When we say that a particular event happened on a certain day of the month of the year, God prefer to record it as an event happened after or during another historical event.

God uses months and dates, but connects events with events more than calendar dates.

Let me give an example so that you can understand it easily.

1 King 6 : 1   And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.  (NKJV)

 

There are many other recordings of events like the above.

As we read them all we feel that God prefers to relate events with other events.

Or in God’s plan certain event happens only during, after or before another event.

Are you really wealthy? - The Parable of the Rich Fool

 Let us start with a question: Are you really wealthy?

Before answering the question, we should know what real wealth is.

There is a difference between rich and wealth.

If you have a lot of money with you, you are rich.

You might have inherited the money from your ancestors; or you might have earned it by hard work.

You may keep the money in bank or in your house without using it.

You may hide it from others or live a luxury life spending all or a part of it.

You may be kind enough to share a part of it to the poor around you.

“Rich” simply is like water you have in your large water tank which you pour out as you wish. 

The Rescue Prayer - Acts 12

I have a simple message for you for this Sunday.

I intend to talk on the prayer of a church at Jerusalem narrated in Acts 12.

I call it ‘a prayer without a motivation’.

Why I call it like that? Because the church was praying though fervently without any expectation of a miraculous answer.

Still that was a great prayer that destroyed the might of the enemy.

We read the narration of this prayer and other related events in Acts 12.

Mosaic Covenant - An Introduction

What is Mosaic Covenant?

Covenants are a means that God graciously chose to relate Himself with man.

God could execute His plan at proper times in the history of man without any covenant.

He is powerful to manage all events in this world from genesis to the eschatological era according to His will and pleasure.

Still God decided to enter into a covenant with His elected people, Abraham and his descendents.

Thus Yahweh stands alone, different from other gentile gods.

Yahweh is the only God who has entered into a covenant with man.

Only the descendents of Abraham enjoy a covenantal relationship with God.

And He is faithful and powerful to fulfill the covenant.

It is a challenge to all false gods of this world.

Sacrifice of Isaac

Sacrifice of Isaac is a story of obedience.

In obedience Abraham stands foremost to any other character in the Bible except Jesus.

This story presents the sacrifice of his beloved son to prove his faith and obedience.

This is not the first time Abraham obeying God’s commands.

While he was living with his father and other family members in his home town, Ur, he was called by God to move out to another promised land.

He immediately obeyed.

Abraham was a worshipper of Yahweh.

This is very important in the ancient society.

Perhaps Abraham was the only worshipper of Yahweh during that time.

Abrahamic Covenant

Abrahamic Covenant is paramount to a proper understanding of the kingdom concept and is foundational to Old Testament theology.

It is the turning point of the redemption history of man.

Abrahamic covenant governs not only God's unique relationship with Israel but also His relationship with the nations of the world.

A proper understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant is the key to understand God's purpose for Israel and the Nations.

The covenant contains His way of dealing with humankind in general.

Abrahamic Covenant has multi dimensional facets.

It is the inaugural covenant of the Kingdom of God that extends to the eschatological era.

Abrahamic covenant is the basis for the development of other covenants. 

Sheep and Shepherd

Jesus was responding to the question, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" in Matthew 18.

His disciples raised this question.

Jesus answered them that even the little one on this earth is precious in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let us start this message by reading His answer.

Matthew 18 : 12 - 14

12    "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?

 13   "And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

 14   "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  (NKJV)

Significance of the Exodus

What is the most influential event of all time?

Historians’ opinions in response to this question vary.

Some historians are for Industrial revolution and some others support the French Revolution as the most influential event in human history.

It is natural for the Marxist historians to argue in favour of Russian Revolution and Muslims in favour of the revelations received by Prophet Mohammed.

But the most important event of all time is indeed the Exodus of Israelites from Egypt.

Why I make this claim?

Because Exodus directly or indirectly generated many of the important events cited by other groups.

Exodus is the mother event that generated all other historical events afterwards.

Lordship of Jesus

I am aware that heated arguments are going on about Lordship Salvation and Free Grace or easy believism, as critics call it. Here, I have no intention to take part in the debate. And I see no end to this debate till the coming of our Lord.

Usually it is not my intention to present any debatable topic and take any one side of the debate. I always focus on practical Christian living. I am concerned about the common man struggling under sin and satan. I prefer to talk to them about a practical way out, which is Jesus the only solution to all their problems.

So here too, I am not presenting any theological debate or I am not taking any part in this great discussion going on among eminent theologians. I respect all of them, and I have a mind for either side.

In this message we intend to understand repentance, salvation, born again experience, eternal life, Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ for a down to earth practical Christian life.

Parable of the Prodigal Son - a re-reading of the parable

What is the most popular parable of Jesus?

Surely the answer is the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

It is true that this is the most popular story of Jesus.

You might have heard a lot of sermons based on this beautiful story.

I too have preached at many occasions on this parable.

But let me assure you that what you are going to hear now in this video contains new information on the story.

This sermon is a re reading of the parable.

So please patiently continue to read this study.

The Covenant Meal (Lord's Supper)

Let us start this message with an introduction to covenants.

Covenants were a form of agreement or contract based on trust made between two parties – between two persons or two groups of people.

Covenants are not mere contracts.

Trust in each other was an integral part of covenants.

A covenant is a legally binding contract based on trust.

They were popular in ancient times in Middle East area.

They were unchanging as long as the conditions stipulated in the covenant are kept.

Redemption – 1 Peter 1: 18 & 19

Introduction

 My usual practice is to present topical Bible studies. But this message is a different study.

This is an expository study of two verses in the Bible, 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19.

An expository study presents the meaning and intent of a biblical text, providing commentary and examples to make the passage clear and understandable. And so here we are trying to dig deep into these Bible verses.

 

To start the study let us read the passage:

1 Peter 1 : 18 - 19 

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  (NKJV)

Claim Your Blessings

James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.    (NKJV)

Man is a precious creation of God.

God cares for man more than anything else that He has created.

So God is ready to bless man abundantly with all the blessings of Heaven.

God rejoices in a blessed man.

But Heaven gives nothing freely.

Everything in Heaven has a price tag.

Even Salvation is not a free gift from Heaven

This may be new news for you.

So please continue to read.

How to become an extra ordinary person?

These are days in which everybody wants to become an extra ordinary person

People want to receive extra ordinary power, extra ordinary beauty, extra ordinary wealth, extra ordinary success etc.

They are ready to adopt any method to become extra ordinary.

There are lot of business that offers different methods to become extra ordinary.

Some motivational speakers, some other corporate trainers, religious leaders, physical fitness experts, beauticians etc. are in the field offering different methods.

Tragically, it is a truth that none of us become extra ordinary by practicing any of these methods.

This is the paradox of this century.

Between Two Wars

All Bible verses are taken from the New King James Version, if not otherwise mentioned

Introduction

War never ends with war

It is a continuous process

All wars continue until the enemy is totally destroyed to the point that he will never come back.

A War ends only by the total destruction of the enemy

This is an eternal and universal truth.

Nothing has changed this principle so far.

So our ancients also knew this principle about war

And hence they tried to annihilate the enemy during the war.