Praise the Lord. I greet you all in the matchless name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
“If you have ears, hear” this statement occurs seven times in the Book of Revelation. When the Holy Spirit speaks in the congregation these words are repeated, “If you have ears, hear.”
When the Lord Jesus lived on this earth, He spoke in many parables. When He spoke these parables, many a times he said “If you have ears, hear.” In the New Testament, we see these words are repeated sixteen times when Jesus ministered on this earth and even after His resurrection. Matthew 11:15, Matthew 13:9, 43, Mark 4:9, 23, Mark 7:16, Luke 8:8, Luke 14:35. He spoke the same words through the Holy Spirit to us in Revelations 2:7, 11, 29 and in Revelations 3:6, 13 and 22.
“If you have ears, hear” is written in the Book of Revelation, showing that Jesus being in His heavenly kingdom still ministers to us on this earth through His Holy Spirit.
As this is the time of grace when we can receive His teachings through His Holy Spirit and we must make good use of this time. The prophet Amos says that the Lord says there will be a famine of words. Amos 8:11-12 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”
Hence it is the duty of every believer to make use of this time of grace and receive His teachings and walk accordingly, before darkness descends on this world through the Antichrist.
Jesus says in Mark 4:23-24 “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” And He said unto them, “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”
Again Jesus says in Luke 8:17-18 “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”
Some people’s eyes and ears are open but they cannot see or hear. These people will be hearing the messages but their minds are elsewhere. Jesus said in Matthew 13:15-16 “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.”
What prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:9-10, Paul repeated in Acts 28:26-27 saying, “Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
Jesus says “If you have ears, hear,” and the Holy Spirit says “If you have ears, hear.” What the Lord says we have to hear and remember and practice in our life everyday.
When the Lord says it once, we know it is important; when the Lord says it twice we know it’s very important. When the Lord says it thrice we should be very careful.
So my beloved ones, be always ready to hear the word of God. We can receive a lot of good things from the Lord, if only we hear His voice and obey His command. As your ears are open and hearing the word of God, be always ready to obey and do His will.
God bless you all.
Yours in Jesus Christ’s service,
Pastor Saroja M.
Praise the Lord. I thank and praise God for the wonderful work in my life. Within 6 months of my marriage, I was on a verge of a divorce, due to a misunderstanding with my in laws, because I had taken loan during my marriage. The arguments were leading to my divorce. My wife and myself meet Pastor Saroja for prayers when she had come to Chennai. Pastor Saroja advised us and then prayed for us, I thank the Lord for answering Pastor’s prayer and my divorce was averted, we are still together. Thank you Pastor for your prayers.
*Bro Stephen, Chennai.
Praise the Lord. I had a very bad neck pain, due to which I was feeling giddy all the time. Doctor advised me to take an X-ray for further treatment. I informed this matter to our Pastor Saroja and she very earnestly prayed for my request and advised me to apply prayer oil and avoid using pillow while sleeping. By the Lord’s grace all the pain and giddiness has disappeared now. I give all glory to Lord Jesus for hearing Pastor Sarojas’ prayer and giving me perfect health. I thank my Lord Jesus for doing such a mighty miracle in my life and I sincerely thank Pastor Saroja for always praying for me and my family. Thank you Jesus.
*Sis. Sangita Salvi, Thane (West).
Praise God and Thank-you Jesus. My husband Sanford called me after so long on his new WhatsApp no as he had changed his WhatsApp no. It was only after my prayer request to Rose of Sharon prayer line that he spoke to me from his new no. Thank you Jesus.
*Sis. Manisha, Goa
Praise the Lord. I thank and praise God for this wonderful work in my life. Last month I met my brother and asked for my money owed to me. He refused to give it back and arguments followed which finally lead to hand to hand fighting and the police were called. I met Pastor Saroja personally and told her my problems. She prayed for me. I thank and praise God for answering her prayers as I have now got my money back from my brother. I thank the God for his loving kindness towards me.
*Bro Rajendra, Delhi
A man came to see God one day. “Dear God, can I ask you a question?” God said “Sure my son”. Then he said “Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?” “What do you mean?” God asked.
“Well, first I woke up late so I had to rush to work.” “But then my car took forever to start.” “Okay, “God said calmly”. “At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait a very long time.” “On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call.” “Alright, “God smiled.” “And on top of it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my new foot massages and relax..” “But it wouldn’t work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?”
God waited until the man finished talking then with a smile, He said…
✔ “The death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of my angels to battle him for your life, so I had to let you sleep through that.”
✔ “I didn’t let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route. He would have hit you if you were on the road.”
✔ “The first person who made your sandwich today was sick. And I wouldn’t want you to catch what they have. I knew you couldn’t afford to miss work.”
✔ “Your phone went dead because the person that was calling… was going to give false witness about what you would have said on I didn’t even let you talk to them so you would be covered.”
✔ “And that foot massages had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn’t think you wanted to be in the dark.”
“I’m sorry God,” the man said, now that tears started trailing down his cheeks. “Don’t be sorry, my son. Just learn to trust me…in all things. The good and the bad, and don’t ever doubt that My plan for your day is always better than your plan.”
Everything that God allows to come our way is always with a purpose. Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is the best for our life.
As it is said in Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your way My ways, “says the LORD.
Luke 12:31 “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
As we step on to another new year of our Church, let us keep our Lord God foremost in our hearts and minds. When we keep God before us in our lives, He will protect us from our enemies and provide for all our needs. God will save us from the ills of this world. Let us, as a congregation decide to keep our Lord God foremost in our lives in this coming year.
God says to the high priest Eli in 1 Samuel 2:30 “Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” We know God’s promise for us – if we walk with Him closely and righteously and keep His every commandment, then He will be faithful to us and love us and keep us safe from the enemy.
The word says that Jesus came into this world for our sakes, lived and died for us and took all our humiliation and shame upon Him; He rose again the third day and continues to live within us because He loves us and because He did not want to leave us as orphans. He says that when we honour Him, love Him, and give Him the first place in our lives, then our Lord God will love us unconditionally and forever. When we deny Him or forget Him, i.e. when we do not keep Him as the main course on our menu, but rather keep Him as a side dish; then the Lord will do the same with us too. Hence it is important for us to know that He is the God of all flesh, and that every day we must give Him the primary honour in our lives. Then He will keep His promise and make us His foremost love. When we do not honour the Lord, our value becomes zero. But when we honour the Lord and when He stands with us, we become ‘10’. ‘1’ signifies Jesus in our lives. We must remember that when we do not love our Lord God or keep Him foremost in our lives, we become a big zero. Every work of ours fails, every love turns to betrayal and our every thought defeats us – and thus our life becomes a big ‘0’. On the other hand, when we honour our Lord God and call out to Him before we begin our every work, our God who is number ‘1’ stands along with us and our value increases from ‘0’ to ‘10’. Hence, let us decide to give God the foremost place in our lives and He will never let us lack for anything. I can confidently say that in my life today, I stand as a no ‘10’ with Him ahead of me in everything including my pain, sorrow, trials and tribulations. We all must make Him our first love to taste and see that our God is good.
Apostle John says in John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” When the ‘only true God’ who is no ‘1’ is with us, then our value definitely increases. Only when we honour Him, call out to Him and put our faith and trust in Him, will our lives be blessed with eternal life.
We know the story of the two sisters Martha and Mary in the Holy Scriptures; one sister (Mary) loved God with all her heart, soul and mind and she always kept God ahead of anything else; while the other sister (Martha) was busy in cooking, serving, and taking care of other chores in life. What did Jesus say about which sister chose the right path? Luke 10:41-42 “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Mary chose the right path – she kept Jesus foremost in her life and strives to be with Him first. As a result her value increased, while her sister Martha always worried about doing other things in life first. Thus Mary chose the right path that no one could take away from her. People can take or borrow anything from us and lose it thereafter, but one’s love for Jesus Christ is something no one can take away; it is exclusive and only with the person who loves God. Jesus is the ‘only one’ when He is with us, and no one can rob us of our happiness, peace and joy. When we are truly entwined with Him, no one can snatch us away from Him. Our God has come to increase our value in life, and hence we must never give the passing things of this world importance or keep them ahead; rather we must keep Jesus foremost in our lives.
There is a story that goes like this… an uneducated and poor boatman used to ferry people across the sea to earn his living. One day a learned man sat in his boat and asked to be ferried across to the other side. He started asking the boatman questions. He asked him a question to which the boatman said he did not know the answer. The learned man told him that he had ruined his life 25% already. The next question he asked him was whether he knew about vastu? Again the uneducated boatman said he had no idea, to which the learned man told him that his life was reduced by 50%. In this manner the wise man continued to ask him questions to which the poor boatman had no answers. Finally the wise man concluded that the boatman’s life was a big zero and that there was no use of living this life, as he did not possess knowledge. All of a sudden there came a powerful whirlwind and the boat was shattered. Now the boatman asked the wise man whether he knew swimming. The wise man said he did not. The boatman told him that now his life is 100% useless, as the learned man would now drown. The poor boatman comfortably swam to the shore while the learned man drowned.
God has planted his nature in every man and it is important for us to recognize it. When we are with the ‘only one’ Lord God, we can surely weather every storm in our lives and reach the other side safely. But when we do not know the ‘only one’, we cannot reach from this world into Zion. The world is a stormy sea in our lives, we may have to face storms, wilderness, trials and tribulations, we will be tested many a times, but to reach from one end of this world to another, we need the Lord Jesus Christ – the ‘only one’ with us.
Mathew 6:3 “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” When we forsake this world and everything that this world has to offer; when we are ready to lose this world for the Lord, our God will in turn add everything and much more back into our lives. No one in this world can buy for us or give us or add into our lives what God can do in our lives, as the Word says. We must believe in every Word that we read.
This morning when I prayed in the holy temple, the Lord spoke to me as He spoke to the man who came to him worried about his daughter saying ‘I am unworthy that you come to my home, but speak a word for my daughter and I know she will be healed.’ In faith that man cried and Jesus was pleased and answered his prayers and his daughter was healed. The Lord spoke to me through Nahum 1:15 “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.” We must believe in His Word and His promise for us. The Lord says that I have defeated the enemy, but every vow you have given me, you fulfill it. We must know that the evil will give us pain and sorrow only for a period of time, but we can never be defeated by the evil forever. In the coming year, let us be strengthened by this Word, for our God who is in Zion, His eyes are upon us always. He encourages us to do keep the feast as planned, but simultaneously we must never forget our vows made to Him. The enemy has been defeated over 2000 years ago on the Cross of Calvary, and God just tests us through the enemy. When our Lord God speaks to us like this, we get strengthened in our faith and every sorrow and pain is wiped off in our heart and soul; and boldness comes back into our lives.
For fourteen years the Lord God has walked with us as a congregation and today He reminds us to continue to fulfill the vows we have made to Him. God is watching over us, let us continue our feasting in Him. Yes, His promise word should strengthen us, knowing that He is hearing our every prayer made to Him.
What is the meaning of Judah? It signifies a ‘People of Praise.’ We are chosen by God to praise and glorify Him. The Word commands Judah to keep their feast. Many a times we have seen in the scriptures when the Israelite’s prayed to the Lord, the Lord God commanded Judah to go ahead of the Israelite’s when they needed to be sent forward. Judges 1:1-2 “Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.” The Lord God always sent the people of Judah ahead for war or to sing praises, whether in the wilderness or in the land of Canaan. Num 10:13-14 “And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.” The people of Judah went ahead with the banner of God. The meaning of Judah is ‘Praise’. Genesis 29:35 “And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.”
Praise must be foremost in our lives. God said in the Word above (Nahum 1:15) to keep your feast ongoing but remember the vow you made with me. What is the vow that Judah had made with God? Why is it that God always made the tribe of Judah to stand foremost? Because they were a tribe of ‘Praise.’ Thus, where there is praise, God’s glory descends upon that place. Even in my life I have avoided many things that I have liked viz. ice creams, cold drinks etc., for my voice must remain strong at all times to praise God. The Lord God has made a vow with Judah, and we are the tribe of Judah. Whenever He calls us we must be ready to praise Him and go forward. The Word says that He has defeated the enemy, so let us fulfill the vow we have made to him and continue to Praise Him. The name given to the Jacob’s fourth child was ‘Judah’ meaning ‘Praise.’ God reminds Judah again, to keep the vow made to God. Do not fear the enemy, for God has defeated the enemy over 2000 years ago for our sakes. God says that His feet is already on mount Zion and hence our feasting must continue for the Lord. This Promise Word is for the entire congregation of the ‘Rose of Sharon Church,’ that if we keep God foremost in our lives and family, He will always lead and guide us with His unfailing love. As we read in Genesis 29:35, the meaning of Judah is ‘Praise.’ Leah took the decision to Praise God and after the birth of Judah she left off bearing children.
Next we see that it is ‘Prayer’ that God hears. Mathew 26:40-41 “And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” By God’s grace and mercy alone, we have lived long because God wanted us to live this long. So along with Praise, God wants us to pray too. Our physical bodies may be weak, and they grow weaker with age. But just because of this we must not cease from prayers, but rather our feast must go on.
We know how in Abraham’s life he would seek God early in the morning. Genesis 22:3 “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.” Here we see Abraham was taking his son to be sacrificed to the Lord. Abraham was not going to get anything from God, rather he was going to sacrifice his son to the Lord. Imagine the fear and love that Abraham had for God. He went early in the morning to make this sacrifice. He trusted in God who had given him a long life and blessed him with a son after so many years. When we want to meet someone for our benefit, we always go early and are impatient to meet the person. But if are going to meet anyone who desires to meet with us, then we delay our meeting time and are not in a hurry to wake early for them. Abraham loved the Lord, and so he went early in the morning to meet with Him. Whatever the lack in our lives, we must give God our first love and keep Him foremost in our lives. What God told Abraham to do, he willingly did early in the morning. God is watching over us and sees how we may delay any work for Him. Our attitudes honour God, hence if we are ready to listen to Him, let us hear what the Spirit says to the church. The Spirit teaches us to entwine and live together with the church, priest, prophet and congregation. We may have lived our lives anyhow till now, but let us strive to change in this fifteenth year of our church and live entwined with the Lord.
Exodus 34:2 “And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.” God asked Moses to come early in the morning to Mount Sinai. We too must strive to commit ourselves into God’s hands and keep our actions in accordance with the Lord, so that our value increases.
We know how God came to meet Adam & Eve early in the morning. Yet one day when God came as usual, they hid themselves and did not come before God, because of the sin they had committed. If we love the Lord 100%, He in turn will love us 100%. He is large hearted. Mark 1:35 “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Though Father God gave Jesus the entire authority, yet Jesus would go early in the morning to His Father to pray and derive strength – for the Lord’s grace and mercy is new every morning. Lamentations 3:23 “They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” In the wilderness too, God called the people early in the morning to collect their share of manna. Those who did not get up early, could not collect anything and had to go hungry for the day. ‘It’s not by power nor by might but by My Spirit alone’ says the Lord. We know that the people of Israel were in bondage in Babylon for 70 years. After that the Israelite’s returned to Jerusalem, where they saw that the Lord’s temple burned to the ground and left in ruins. The temple of Jerusalem was a mighty temple, it was the same place where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed according to the Lord’s command. It was in this place that the Lord tested Abraham’s faith when he was prepared to sacrifice his only son Isaac. As he was about to perform the act of obedience, The Lord God called out to Abraham commanding him not to harm the child. It is at this very place that King Solomon built the temple… where God’s glory filled the temple and the fire from heaven came down and consumed the sacrifice made in this holy temple. Wherever the people of Jerusalem would be, they would open their windows and look towards the temple and pray to the Lord God and win victories for their prayers. But now after 70 years on their return from captivity, the temple was found razed and lying in ruins. Seeing these ruins, Zerubbabel a young Israelite was full of sorrow and pain and he desired to rebuild this temple. Though he faced challenges and hindrances and was pressurized not to build this temple, at that time God spoke to him through his prophet Zechariah in the book of Zechariah 4:6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
When I read this Word, I am reminded of a similar incident many years ago, that happened in this church when we had just returned from a prayer meeting held at Junnar, Pune district. The then Pastor Godwin and a house agent were coming out of this temple. We confronted him and he said that he was planning to sell off this church, as he did not want the church. At that time I felt the same pain as Zerubbabel felt, because many of us received our physical healing and spiritual salvation in this place. After this, Pastor Godwin and I strove constantly and I separated from this place and started the meeting in my home.
Many from this congregation joined the meeting held in my house. We also went searching to buy a new place of worship for us. The places we saw were very expensive at that time and not affordable at all. We were busy planning many things in our hearts during this time, when one brother stood up and said ‘Why are we looking out for another place, why don’t we purchase the same temple where all of us received our salvation? The Lord God is alive in this place, we have heard testimonies of God’s glory in this place and believed in them and received our salvation.’ Then we decided and purchased this very Holy temple from Pastor Godwin.
This is not the wisdom of man, but the plan of God alone, just as the Word promised in Zechariah 4:6-9 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, this is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.” Only by the Spirit of God, this miracle happened. We simply cannot imagine God’s way. Just as God promised Zerubbabel that what he started God would complete, similarly the Lord God gave this holy temple into our hands and by the grace of God alone this holy temple stands till today. First the Lord tells Zerubbabel ‘It is not by might or power, but by my spirit alone.’ Then God looks at the enemy and says ‘I will make you a plain,’ then God promises Zerubbabel ‘what you have started by laying the foundation stone, your hands will complete this work.’ This is the great plan and will of God, for when God plans, no one can stand in His way.
We know that this was the same holy temple where Daniel prayed looking towards, after opening the windows of his house, and where every prayer of his was answered. Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he knelled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did a fore time.” Daniel looked towards the temple and prayed, knowing fully well that God will hear and answer his prayers. Many years later, even though the very same holy temple was in ruins, Zerubbabel was prepared to rebuild it once again. The enemies did come against him and brought hindrance and tiredness in building this temple. At that time, God encouraged him through His Prophet Zechariah, as we have read in the earlier Word. He is the same God with us today, if we only hear His voice and be attentive to His Word, we will have victory in every work.
Today, what is the Lord saying about our very own holy temple? Our temple needs to be prepared not by bricks and mortar, rather by being in unity with the priest, prophet and the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22 “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
If our temple is not built on this foundation, the storms will come and heavy winds will blow and thieves will ransack our temple. But when the Lord God is the head of our temple He will take care of all of these. The Word in 1 Corinthians 3:16 says “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” We are the temple and the Lord God lives within us. How should we make ourselves holy and sanctified? We need to entwine ourselves with the priests, prophets and build our temple whose cornerstone is Jesus – and then the finishing of the holy temple will be the Holy Spirit. We must remember that we are the temple and the Lord abides within us. Thus if we have to become a holy temple for the Lord God, we cannot make ourselves the temple of the Holy Ghost by our own, rather we have to be entwined with the priests and prophets, then the Lord God will become the chief corner stone of our temple. God has kept priests and prophets in this world. We need to hear what the Spirit speaks in the churches with the priests and prophets who in turn speak in the churches. Only then can we stand firm as a Holy temple and the Lord will honour us, for without Him we are nothing.
Isaiah 59:19 “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Even if the enemies come as a roaring sea upon us, God will help us carry His banner. We know of Zerubbabel’s struggle to build the temple of the God, and how the Lord said unto him ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.’ Evil may come in any form, but our God will make the enemy a plain and help us hoist the flag. When is a flag hoisted? After a victory! What did God teach Moses? He taught him that it was not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the LORD of Hosts. Moses only had to stand in the Lord’s word and make the Israelite’s put the Passover blood on their doors. It was the Lord who came and destroyed the Egyptian’s firstborns and gave victory to the Israelite’s. We need only to stand in faith for the Lord, and he will work in our life. Exodus 7:1 “And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.” God gave such a high position to Moses, and we know how Pharaoh’s army followed the Israelites into the Red Sea. Once they reached the red sea, Moses prayed to the Lord, seeking His guidance. The Lord once again told Moses ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.’ Only God could separate the Red Sea, and the Israelites crossed the sea while Pharaoh’s army was drowned following them in the Red Sea. This was not Moses’ work but the work of our great Lord God. Today we may be oppressed and confused. Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” However big the enemy, we should not be afraid. 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Our tensions may be however big or small, yet when we give them into God’s hands, He will take charge of our lives and give us victory. We must give all our problems and burdens to the Lord. He will in His time set everything right. We must believe in the work of God’s hands, and He will accomplish it successfully. God Himself is worried about all our concerns. When we give all our concerns into His hands, He will set us free. The Word says’ Heaven and earth will pass away but God’s Word will not pass away’.
Once a similar thing happened in Gideon’s life; the Midianites came and attacked the Israelites and suppressed them from all sides, but God taught Gideon the same lesson – ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.’ Judges 6:11-12 “And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” Every Israelite warrior was ready to go along with Gideon to fight the Midianites, but God taught Gideon a lesson here – not to take all Israelites but take only three hundred men. The Lord specifically gave him the number of people to take along. Judges 7:12-14 “And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Median, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.” When Gideon heard the telling of the dream, he worshiped and activated his men into action and God defeated the entire Midianites army, giving victory to Gideon and his men, thereby teaching Gideon a valuable lesson. We also must understand that though we may have many enemies, we can never defeat them with our own wisdom. ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD.’
Goliath the giant used to come and frighten the Israelite’s daily, when Saul was the King. But in the sight of David, this was nothing, for David had already learned this lesson. When he was a shepherd boy, he fought the wild animals in the jungle in order to save his flock and so he learned to trust in the Lord’s Spirit while growing up. He stood before Goliath and told him that to defeat him he needed neither might nor power, but the Lord’s Spirit. He proclaimed that he came before Goliath in the name of the Lord God of Israel. With the one stone that David slung at him, Goliath dropped dead.
Let us read the names of God in Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” David got victory in the name of God alone. Today, we too may have many enemies and they will trouble us every now and then. But in God’s time He will do all things right. This is the cornerstone given for our sakes, this is the rock from which comes living waters. David took this stone and slung it towards Goliath striking him down dead with just that one stone.
The same lesson was taught to Daniel too. God gave a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar, but gave the interpretation to Daniel. Daniel 2:34 “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.” The statue is of this world and in order to bring this statue down, the stone i.e. Jesus Christ was required to smite it and shatter it. This was the interpretation that God gave Daniel.
Daniel, David, Moses were amongst the most righteous men in the Holy Scriptures, yet they too learnt this tough lesson. We must also learn this lesson: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.’ We have seen how this lesson was taught to the mighty and valiant of this world.
Daniel 2:35-44 “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: for as much as iron breaketh in pieces and sub dueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, for as much as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” The stone (Jesus Christ) that brought down the statue and made it plain, filled this world. Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
Mathew 21:42 “Jesus saith unto them, did ye never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” The learned and wise did not recognize the corner stone, hence they could not build the temple for the Lord. But if we recognize the corner stone and make him our own corner stone, our lives will be blessed.
We know that Jesus Christ alone is our corner stone and if we are entwined with Jesus we will never fail. 1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
At many places we have seen that Jesus is our corner stone. Isaiah 8:14 “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” When we love the Lord God, He will love us more than we love Him. However if ever the cornerstone falls on us, we will be powdered and destroyed.
May this message be a blessing in every life who reads this message.
Pastor Saroja M.
Praise the Lord! As the rains have begun our little ones too have begun a new journey and moved to a higher class. We at the Rose of Sharon are blessed to have all our little ones pass and move to the next grade.
While the little ones are busy getting accustomed to the new class and enjoy the rainy season, out in the rain with their new raincoats and boots, they are continuing to get empowered to live a powerful life serving Jesus, as the Holy Spirit empowers them through the learning of the books of Acts.
The kids are learning that the life of a believer isn’t an easy road ahead. They have been explained the story of the life of Stephen being stoned to death. The persecution that the believers went through when Saul was against the believers. How Paul and Silas were jailed, but even in the hardest of times they still focused on praising God and not murmur against the Lord.
The children have learnt that a true believer will stand DEVOTED in every situation come what may. DEVOTED stands for:
Do continue to lift up our Sunday School children in your daily prayers; that God will bless them as they grow to be strengthened in the Lord under every circumstance in their lives.
Joy Salins