SERMONS ABOUT CHRIST AND HIS STATEMENTS
This page consists of articles that discuss the meaning of Christ's statements, and the significance of what he did on earth.
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
Jesus Christ is the beloved son of God. He was created by God generously wanting to give life to someone else, and that person is who we know as Jesus Christ. “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” (John 5:26). And it was through him that all other things were created. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3 - see also Colosians 1:15-17, Ephesians 3:9 and Revelation 3:14).
Jesus Christ was a chief angel of God. He would come down to this world from time to time to talk to certain people, like a messenger. Examples of when he’d done things on earth are in Genesis 18:1-33 and Daniel 3:24-28.
What made Jesus Christ so important was the ransom sacrifice he made for our sins. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). He gave his life for all of mankind. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10 - see also Isaiah 53:3-12, Hebrews 2:9, 14-15, 9:1-28 and John 15:13).
The Bible makes us know that he was rewarded immensely as a result of his work. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11). God rewarded him with many rights.
Jesus Christ has also been crowned by God as Head and King of his glorious government. “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.” (Psalms 21:1-3 - see also Psalms 110:2, Isaiah 9:6-7, 32:1 and Revelation 19:11-21).
Now that Jesus Christ is a very big person in this world, it is important that we understand that he is the mediator between God and men. (1 Timothy 2:5-6.) “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). Therefore, we must live through him, and believe in his word. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
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THE LAMB OF GOD
The Lamb of God is no other person than Jesus Christ. John the apostle, when he saw Jesus, said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). He came down to this world to give his life as a ranson. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life, a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28).
The reason why a lamb is used to represent Jesus is because lambs (and also goats) were used to atone for the people of Israel. In Leviticus 16:6-11,16-17,21-22, 33-34, 23:26-32 and Numbers 29:7-11, it describes the idea. There would be a scapegoat, and the High Priest would confess the sins of all the nation of Israel, including him, on the head of that goat. Then, a man would be chosen to lead the goat out to the wilderness, where the goat would never be seen again.
The sin that Jesus Christ came to die for is the sin that Adam and Eve had committed in Genesis 3:1-6. The punishments that God said would come upon them if they disobeyed in Genesis 2:16-17 ended up happening in Genesis 3:16-19. And, they being the two first humans on the earth, gave birth to everybody else, causing the death sentence to continue on (Romans 3:10-11, 23, 5:12-19, 6:23, James 1:15, etc). And for the sin that we committed to be replaced, a perfect life was required. “And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go fore life, eye for eye tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot of foot.” (Deuteronomy 19:21 - see also Exodus 21:22-25). Jesus Christ hadn’t sinned, so he was qualified to pay the ransom sacrifice. “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22).
Then, another factor is blood. Traditions were that atonement had to be done with blood. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22 - see also Leviticus 17:11). Therefore, Jesus Christ was being the propitiation of our sins. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to the propitiation of our sins.” (1 John 4:10 - see also 1 John 1:7, 2:2 and Romans 3:25).
And for such reasons, the ransom sacrifice ended up happening in Matthew 26-27 (also in Mark 14:43-15:47 / Luke 22:47-23:56 / John 18-19). There was a lot of pain that Jesus Christ had to go through, because the Pharisees and their gang of supporters were mocking Jesus Christ, by putting a crown of thorns on his head, and sarcastically calling him a king. It was a lot to go through. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Saviour Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10 - read it from verse 3 to 12 for more details).
And when Jesus Christ resurrected, and spent some time with his disciples, he went back up to heaven, and God accepted the ransom sacrifice. It was a sacrifice that was made once and for all (Hebrews 10:1-14). And God rewarded him for it. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).
It is only through Jesus Christ that we can worship God. “I am the way, the truth, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6.) He is the only mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5-6.) Therefore, any man that believes truthfully in Jesus Christ, and does the things that Jesus Christ instructs them to do, they will be saved (John 6:47, 3:36).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
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RECEIVING THE KINGDOM LIKE A CHILD
In Matthew 18:1-4, Jesus Christ used children to help us understand the way we should approach and worship God. Children are innocent, and they trust that their parents have the best say in all matters. We have to behave like children, because those attributes are the same ones that God has always said we need to have. That doesn’t mean we should do childish things, though. “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” 1 Corinthians 14:20 - see also 1 Corinthians 13:11).
For example, there is humility. Children are generally humble and meek, not proud and know-it-alls. And God deals with both children and adults who behave like this. “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revei the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15). “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:10 - see also 1 Peter 5:5-6, Proverbs 22:4 and Matthew 11:25-26).
There is also obedience. Thousands of years ago, and even today, the main law that God has set up isn’t offerings and sacrifices, but rather that we should obey him, and keep his commandments. “For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” (Jeremiah 7:22-23 - see also Exodus 19:5). When we obey God, we will spend our days in property, and our years in pleasures (Job 36:9-11). Disobeying God brings the opposite. (Job 36:12).
Sincerity is another important virtue. Most little children are sincere. You know where they belong. It has to be obvious that we worship God, to ourselves and to others. “Four rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.” (2 Corinthians 1:12). Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth.” (Joshua 24:14). The opposite of this attribute is hypocrisy, and that isn’t righteousness. “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20 - that leaven being hypocrisy - Luke 12:1).
And finally, there’s trust. Children trust that what their parents tell them to do is correct, and it is therefore in their own interest to obey. We must see God and somebody who can provide a great future for us. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7). We should be like Abraham, who trusted God to the extent that he left his own country, and went into the direction God showed him, to a land he wasn’t aware of (Genesis 12:1-3). We should be like Hezekiah, or king Jehoshaphat, because both those kings trusted that God could deliver them from losing battles and being taken over (Isaiah 36-37 and 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 respectively). And when we pray to God, we must trust that he has the ability to answer us. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22).
There are still more attributes to cover (e.g. forgiveness) but those 4 are already pretty strong. Such attributes are especially necessary in these last days, because these days are very troublesome, and we need a strong foundation, the truth, built up by attributes of Christ, such as the ones above, in order to fight through this (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, etc). We should never be envious, set in our ways, filled with malice, or any other kind of bad attributes, preventing us from having God’s rewards (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Peter 2:1-3, etc). Rather, we should be babes before God, and put all his ways and principles first. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33).
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WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?
In Luke 10:25-37, a person had asked Jesus Christ, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus Christ then used the parable of the Good Samaritan to tell us who our neighbour really is.
From verses 30-37, there was a man travelling that was spotted and beaten up by thieves, and wounded , so that, as the account says, he was half-dead. A priest walked by him, and did nothing, and so did a Levite. But it was a Samaritan who picked him up, helped him, and even supplied money for further care.
The story made it clear that the Samaritan’s neighbor was the man that he’d helped cure. But who are our neighbours? And once we identify them, how do we aid them?
Our neighbors are people who we influence, and people who are interested in God’s word. The Pharisees weren’t neighbors of Jesus Christ at all, because, though they were both vast in the Scriptures, they had completely opposite opinions on what was righteous, and what wasn’t. And the Bible has told us that we should love our neighbors, and not do evil against them (Romans 13:9-10, Galatians 5:13-14, Hebrews 13:1, James 2:8-9, Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:33, etc).
There are examples in the Bible of good neighbourliness. For example, Jonathan was a neighbor of King David, because he loved him as his own soul (1 Samuel 18:1-4, 20:17). Same goes with Jesus Christ, who loved his disciples, and made sure that the group was still intact when he was to die, and afterward (John 17:12). Jesus Christ is also a good neighbour to all Chistians because he died for them (2 Corinthians 8:9, Philippians 2:1-11).
There are also examples of people who hated their neighbours, even if they pretended not to. The BIble has told us that we cannot hate our neighbors, simply because of their spiritual weaknesses (Proverbs 14:21, 3:29, 29:5, etc). The churches in these last days that don’t obey Jesus christ are in that category, because they exploit from them, and they don’t wish good for them. Whether they believe in God, or love God, or can solve spiritual problems, is of no worth to them. They don’t tend the flock (Matthew 24:48-51, Isaiah 56:10-11, Matthew 7:15-24, Ezekiel 34:1-11, etc), but they just want your tithes every service. Such people are hating their neighbours, because they are destroying them (Isaiah 9:16, Habakkuk 2:15-16, etc). Anybody who talks to their neighbours with care but don’ feel good about them, and just want their money, is somebody who hates his neighbour (Psalms 28:3).
The Bible has explained to us what it means to love our neighbours. It has to do with the sacrifice that we make for our neighbours (Romans 14:21). All it is is living a life that people can benefit from. There are certain things that won’t shift our spirit relationship with God, but we can still stop doing them for the sake of overs. This is not only true charity (1 Corinthians 13:1-13), but it is a good way of helping people come to the faith. For such reasons, in Romans 15:1-2, St.Paul had said, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.” (see also Roamns 14:15, 1 Corinthians 10:24, 8:11-13, etc). We are being the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16, Philippians 2:12-18), by living a life that can be of great benefit to other people with good spirits. We should also forgive our neighbours, not being bitter against them (Colossians 3:13, Matthew 18:21-35).
It is important that we understand who our neighbors are, and how we can show love to them. In Psalms 15:1-3, David the Psalmist was talking about who will be able to dwell in God’s tabernacle, and who qualifies to dwell in God’s Estate, being a righteous person. He’d stated, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” (Psalms 15:1-3) One of the requirements to qualify as a righteous person is respecting your neighbour.
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THE NARROW ROAD TO SALVATION
Jesus Christ, when talking about the scarcity of righteous ones, had stated, “Enter ye in at the strait grate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 - see also Luke 13:23-24). But, why is this? If the Bible has also said that God wants everybody to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4), then why is there a narrow road to salvation?
There are many examples of times when very few people were found righteous in God’s eyes. In Genesis 6:9 and 7:1, Noah was considered the only righteous one on the earth. Same goes the Israelites, because though over 600,000 people who were able-bodied men (Numbers 1:45-46), and including women and children, over 2 million people, only 2 of them were spared (Numbers 32:10-12, 14:24). God also spared the children who were born along the way, who wouldn’t understand the science behind the riots and murmurings, and therefore they would’ve ignorantly partaken in all the disagreement (Ezekiel 18:4, 20).
Now, there are many factors that make the road of salvation narrow. For example, there are few people that know the truth of God. Many people believe that they are going to heaven, despite such quotations as these (John 3:13, Matthew 5:5, Psalms 37:9-11, Ephesians 1:10, etc), or that Jesus Christ and God Almighty are the same person, thinking that quotations like these (John 10:30, Matthew 28:19-20), support it, but that means unity of purpose, and they don’t see quotations like these (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38, 14:28, John 3:16, 36, Matthew 26:39, 42, etc). Some people believe that the church was set up for business making, but the idea was for them to serve, like how Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples in John 13:5-10). And the truth about God’s word is only going to become more scarce (Amos 8:11-12).
Then, there are attributes that are in this world that make the road to salvation very narrow. For example, lust makes the road to salvation narrow because lust makes it hard to do God’s will. Lust is an uncontrollable urge to do something wrong. God warned us to not love the world because we can’t love the world and still worship God (1 John 2:15-17, Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13, etc). If we are like Martha, who cared more about things that didn’t matter than things that did (Luke 10:38-42), then it will be hard to receive God’s word, because the things of the world are our priorities (James 1:21 - see also Matthew 6:25-34).
There is also emulation. Emulation is mimicking somebody, or imitating somebody. This isn’t good because it has to do with wanting to copy the works of the Gentiles, people who don’t know God. The Israelites had done this when asking for a king, after seeing that the Gentile nations had kings (1 Samuel 8:1-8). St.Paul described this as one of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). We should not follow after evil (Exodus 23:2, Ephesians 5:11, 3 John 1:11, etc), but rather, we should learn righteousness and pursue it.
Then, there is persecution. If we want to be true Christians, then we have to be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). When we are persecuted, it is a good indicator that we are doing the right thing, because the world is bathing in sin (2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 1 John 5:19, etc). For such reasons, Jesus Christ told us that we should celebrate when we are persecuted (Matthew 5:10-12).
There are many others, like entitlement, but the point has been made. The road to salvation has been made narrow by various circumstances in this sinful world. God is rescuing his children from this world through the process of these last days (Zechariah 13:8-9). The key thing that will drive us through the narrow way is our hearts. If we don’t really love God - if we’ve come to Christianity for any other reason apart from our individual relationship that we have with God - we are going to fall out of it somewhere in between. That’s why Moses said: “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12, Matthew 22:37).
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JESUS AND THE TEN LEPERS
In Luke 17:12-19, ten lepers saw Jesus Christ and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Traditions were that when you had leprosy, you had to go visit the priest, and various procedures would take place (Leviticus 14:2-32). People with leprosy were unclean and unholy, and had to be separated from the rest of the society (Leviticus 13:45-46).
When Jesus Christ had told them to go to the priest, the ten lepers obeyed. However, as they went, they realized that they were healed. Nine of the men decided to continue anyway, but one of them didn’t. He thanked God and glorified him, before going back to Jesus Christ to thank and praise him as well. This man was a Samaritan. He was the one man that actually showed gratitude for the healing, meaning he didn’t believe in the sickness, but earnestly wanted it gone.
The leprosy of these ten men represents the leprosy of this world. We are leprous because we are unholy and unclean to God. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6 - see also Isaiah 1:4, 6). When Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed us with death (Genesis 3:16-19, Job 14:4), and the sins that we started committing are the wounds and sores that leprosy is composed of (Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 1:28-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Ephesians 4:17-32). The Israelites were infested with such things because they were a very disobedient people, and they had killed the people who would’ve helped cleanse them of such things (Jeremiah 8:22, 30:12, etc). And in these last days, there are people who will not want to listen to the truth, and their wounds will remain with them (Revelation 9:20-21, 16:10-11).
Speaking of the truth, the truth has been described as something that is capable of cleansing our sins, when understood and practiced (Ephesians 5:26). The leprosy of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 was healed because he obeyed Elijah’s instructions. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the infirmities in our lives can be changed, and we become new people, walking in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20.
The one guy who came back to Jesus to thank him for it are the people who actually use the truth to full potential, by using it to change their lives and cleanse themselves of their iniquities, and through that celebrating the grace that they had to come and know the truth (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Israelites at the time had thanked God with the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 12:13), which is still kept in some places in the Israeli nation. And true righteous ones of God also keep the festival, not physically, but by living God’s life out and celebrating God’s feats in their hearts.
The other nine lepers represent the ones that felt entitled to healing, and, to an extent, even believed in the healing. The 1 leper who came back didn’t like the leprosy, but the other nine didn’t mind. And such people will never be rescued by the truth in our period, because their iniquities make them joyful..
It’s very important that we understand the significance of the story of the Ten lepers in Luke 17:12-19). God has said that he will heal the wounds of this world, so that righteousness will prevail (Deuteronomy 32:30, Jeremiah 30:17). “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3).
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THE POWER OF MIRACLES
Miracles have been a big part of both the Old and New Testament. Miracles were used as advertisements, to bring the faith of people up. In John 6:2, for example, it states, “And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” (see also John 2:11, 23, 3:2). God knows that supernatural events can bring the hearts of people to him, so he does them from time to time. As Jesus Christ had stated in John 4:48, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”
There are many examples of miracles in the Bible. Jesus Christ had done many, like in John 11:32-44, when he resurrected Lazarus, or in Luke 17:12-19, when he’d healed the ten lepers. There were also many done in the Old Testament. For example, Elijah, in 1 Kings 17:1-6, was fed by ravens as a result of the drought, or famine. From verses 7-16, Elijah, from God’s power, made sure that the woman of Zarephath’s little food lasted a long time. Also, in verses 17-24, the son of the woman fell sick, and Elijah healed him. And, in verse 24, the woman acknowledged that Elijah was truly a man of God. Same goes with Moses, who was shown a miracle of a burning tree in Exodus 3:1-6 for him to know that it was somebody special. Here are some more examples (Acts 13:1-12, Joshua 5:13-15 - God made an angel stand in the battle field for Joshua to know that this is God’s battle - Joshua 10 - The sun didn’t set until Joshua, or God’s battle, was finished.
Now, even though miracles are like advertisements, just as how not everybody responds positively to advertisements, not everybody believes in miracle. For example, after the Pharisees had found out that Jesus Christ had raised Lazarus in John 11:32-44, they plotted to kill him from verses 45-53. The people in John 6:26 hadn’t believed in Jesus Christ, but just because they’d eaten the loaves. And Jesus Christ had talked about this idea of unbelief in John 12:37-43, quoting Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 53:1. Also, in the Old Testament, there were many people that hadn’t believe in what Moses was doing, and the miracles that God was performing (Numbers 14:22-24).
Now, in these last days, many people are praying for physical miracles, some even praying to be miracle workers. But, not only did St.Paul say that not everybody can be a miracle worker (1 Corinthians 12:28-31, Romans 12:4-8, but miracles aren’t just natural phenomenons, like a hurricane, or you survive a car crash. The Bible has described the beast in these last days as a miracle worker (Revelation 16:14, 13:13-15). Just as how people were praising God as a miracle worker (Exodus 15:11, 1-21), the beast will have such honour (Revelation 13:2-4. Mark 13:22). This is the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, where God used to be (Matthew 24:15-16).
There are also some spiritual miracles that God is doing in these last days. For example, God is making sure that spirituality, sometimes called the whore (Revelation 17:16-17), is suppressed by the beast, and overcome. Then, people will celebrate, and be happy (this isn’t physical, but there will certainly be no prophecies of destruction from any false prophet - Revelation 11:10). Some of these miracles were talked about in Matthew 24:1-51. Christianity used to rule and preside over the affairs in this world. Popes used to crown kings, emperors, etc. Popes could judge kings, and anybody else. Now, they can even be closed by the government!
Miracles are great things, supernatural things that make the faith of people grow strong. However, we have to understand the power that miracles can have, and understand their purpose. They aren’t for their own sakes, but simply advertisements. As a result, they are to be believed in and remembered, like the Israelites use the Feast of Tabernacles to remember and commemorate the feats of God in the wilderness, and spiritually, in the last days (Exodus 12:13, Zechariah 14:16-19). “Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.” (1 Chronicles 16:12-13).
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THE LORD'S PRAYER
When a disciple had asked Jesus Christ, “Teach Us to Pray”, Jesus Christ had answered him by stating, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:2-4).
Now, we’ll explain each part:
“Our Father, who art in heaven”. This isn’t different from when you come to a king when making a request, and saying, “Majesty”, or, “Your Highness” (Esther 7:1-2). God is also our Father, the creator of all living creatures (Genesis 1, Acts 17:24-28, Revelation 4:11), and he does live in heaven, both in the abode kind of sense (Psalms 11:4, 115:16), and in the authoritative sense (Isaiah 57:15, Psalms 87:1, etc).
The next part is, “Hallowed be thy name”. This is the most important part of the prayer, because it is, in fact, a summarization of the rest. His name being hallowed is the hope of all Christians, because his name being hallowed, or glorified, means the victory of his righteous ones, and the destruction of the wicked. (1 Samuel 2:30, Psalms 2:4, 37:13, Proverbs 1:24-30, etc). A small version of this had taken place in the time of the Israelites (Exodus 9:16). “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.” (Psalms 111:9).
The next part is, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” The reason why praying for the Kingdom of God and his will being done here as it has been done in heaven is important is because it’s what Christians hope for - a place with no hypocrisy, wickedness and ignorance - is going to be achieved with that kingdom. The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 was told to help understand this. The request of the saints who had worked for God in Revelation 6:9-10 was for that. The desire of all nations is that (Haggai 2:6-7).
After that, there is, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The Bible tells us that this doesn’t necessarily refer to our physical food, because God can take care of that (Matthew 6:25-33, Psalms 84:11). It is the spiritual bread, or the word of God personified by Jesus Christ himself (John 6:51), which people can’t live spiritually without (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:2-3, Job 23:12, Matthew 16:6-12). This is why we were advised to assemble for spiritual services to have such a prayer answered in our lives (Hebrews 10:24-25). The importance of the spiritual daily bread also explains why King Solomon prayed for it in 1 Kings 3:3-15). All other problems will be solved with that.
The next part of the prayer is, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” It’s very important we understand the fact that God cannot forgive somebody who isn’t grateful shown by his inability to forgive others (Matthew 18:21-35). When we forgive people who transgress against us when they ask for forgiveness, we are showing gratitude and love, and that’s why God said he’ll forgive us of our big debt, our frailties from sin (Psalms 130:3-4, 103:8-14).
And finally, there is, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” There was a mistranslation in the text, because God does not lead us into temptation (James 1:13). However, when our lusts bring us into temptations (James 1:14), or when temptations are shoved at us by Satan the Devil (Matthew 18:7, Luke 17, and we suffer/fall, God won’t leave us there (2 Peter 2:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 24:16). After all, David fell into temptation with Uriah’s wife in 2 Samuel 11, and though he suffered from 2 Samuel 13-19, he was restored, and was therefore delivered from evil. Jesus was delivered from the temptations by God giving him the strength to overcome them so that the mission could be finished successfully (Matthew 4:1-11).
This prayer of Jesus Christ is a good summarization of everything a righteous man would want, and what God would want from such ones. That’s why it’s all sufficient. The idea of it being all-sufficient can be understood with the story of the Israelites, once again. People could’ve been yearning for a dozen different things. However, people praying for God remembering his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis 15:13-14 was the answer to everything they’d wanted, and what God would want for the Israelites.
This is the importance and all-sufficiency of the Lord’s Prayer.
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THE HIDDEN TREASURE
In Matthew 13:44, Jesus Christ used a treasure hidden in a field to signify the importance of the power of the gospel message. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is the like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”
The most important part of this is the treasure itself. The treasure is the word of God, a precious thing to humans (1 Samuel 3:1 - people liked having something to do with it). The word of God / the gospel message will be understood by few people, who will come trembling from the west (spiritually - Hosea 11:10). The Bible has also described the word of God as a precious thing. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!” (Proverbs 16:16- see also Job 28:12-20, Proverbs 8:10-11 and Colossians 2:2-3). That was why we are advised should study it (2 Timothy 2:15, James 1:25).
The parable also talks about hiding the treasure. The Bible has talked about this physically; for example, Hezekieh did not hide his treasures in 2 Kings 20:12-21, but rather showcased them to Babylon, which become a target and motivation for invade their kingdom. And spiritually, the same concept applies. We don’t let anything from Egypt steal the treasure, the word of God and its power, away from us. We get rid of friends that would do so (1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18), and the iniquities that trouble our hearts (James 4:1, Matthew 15:18-20, Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 1:28-32), and any conversation that would convince us otherwise (Colossians 2:8, Titus 3:9).
The parable also talks about a man selling all he has to buy that field. Selling all we have had been talked about literally, especially by Jesus Christ. For example, in Mark 10:17-25, Jesus Christ told a rich man to sell all he had and come follow him. He didn’ though, because he had great possessions. It’s physically hard to sell everything you have just to buy something. The Chrisrtians converted by Peter’s speech did do that though, because of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:45). Spiritually, those great possessions are the things that we had in Egypt (a term used to describe people who don’t know God and don’t worship him, based on the Israelites were seen to the Egyptians they’d left behind - Exodus 19:4-6) before; all our investments in loving the world, and competing against others for it (1 John 2:15-17). Those things have to be forgotten, and we have to make every sacrifice to secure the treasure (Matthew 19:29, Luke 14:26).
Once we do all of that, we can buy the field. The field is very pricy, but the man managed to purchase it, because he sold everything he had. Similarly, the word of God is very pricy to keep, but when we secure everything, so that we are pure, and it is only God that has access to ourselves, our families, our relationships, etc, we have secured it with us, and have bought it. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word fo truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possessions, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 - see also Joshua 1:8).
There are some examples of people in the Bible who had dome as the man in the parable had done. Abigail had done it, because she protected David from killing Nabal and possibly offending God, risking her life, the way the man in the parable had risked all his possessions to buy that field (1 Samuel 25:25-31). St.Paul had done all that he could to win Christ (Phlippians 3:7-9). Jonathan had done all he could to protect David, ignoring his future position of king and staying where God himself was, which was with David (1 Samuel 18:2-4, 23:16-17). There’s also Moses (Hebrews 11:24-26), Obadiah (1 Kings 18:2-4, and Lot (Genesis 19:1-30).
It’s very important that we understand what the parable of Jesus Christ in Matthew 13:44 means. It may be a short parable, but the meaning is big in our time. In Proverbs 2:1, 4-6, King Solomon, telling us the value of God’s word and what happens when we seek it, had stated, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of GOd. For the LORD giveth wisdom: Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”
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SEEK YE FIRS THE KINGDOM OF GOD
This statement is drawn from Matthew 6:33. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
To understand how people seek something first, let’s look at the children of this world (ones who love and believe in the world).
People are raised to have an understanding of what the standards are. There are community standards, national standards, international standards and, of course, universal standards. Western education, for exampole, is a universal standard, because parents worldwide use their lives to work that out for their children. They love talking about it. They think about how to achieve it. People who help them achieve such goals are very “nice” and “thoughtful” and will be their bosom friends. It’s where their heart and soul is.
However, “children of God” don’t understand their place. They know God is the god of gods (Psalms 95:3), and that Jesus is their redeemer (Job 19:25-26), and fewer know that the Kingdom of God has been set up (other articles in our website explain this). However, they want to get a mix of both God and the world. They go to church, read the Bible, but they worry about the standards of this world, and how to fit in (Matthew 6:25-32). They trust in the world to give them happiness and fulfill their dreams (which Christians shouldn’t do - Psalms 146:3-4, Jeremiah 17:5-6). And Jesus warned us that such conditions don't earn us rewards. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24). The Israelties were like this, because though they were the children of Abraham, they would “look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.” (Hosea 3:1 - NKJV).
Because of this lack of understanding that children of God have that unbelievers don’t, Jesus stated, “for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” (Luke 16:8).
True Christians should seek God the way children of this world seek to meet the world’s standards. We should have interest in God’s will and desire to build a relationship with Him, all the time. “Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.” (1 Chronicles 16:11). Talking about God and worshipping Him delights us. “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Psalms 122:1). We should seach for God and His Kingdom like treasures (Proverbs 2:1, 4-6). And, knowing that iniquity doesn’t fly with God, we would avoid it wherever possible. “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” (Proverbs 4:14-15). And, just like people are proud of their achievements in the world, we boast about what we’ve achieved in our worship to God (Jeremiah 9:23-24). All of this doesn’t mean we don’t seek things in the world; it is that we seek God “first”.
There are people in the Bible who sought God first. King Josiah sought to build a better relationship with God by repairing the temple so it could be used to attain love and protection from God (2 Chronicles 34:1-7, 14-32). Remember, King Josiah’s father, Amon, was a wicked king who brought pagan idols to God’s temple and made his subjects worship them. Josiah spent much time removing all of it and breaking certain relationships that Judah might’ve had with other nations due to religious ties, because he was interested in keeping God by his side.
Josiah can be contrasted with King Saul, who never showed interest in God. He killed 85 priests at Nob (1 Samuel 22). He ignored God’s instruction to kill all the Amalekites, and decided which ones should be killed and which cattle should be spared (1 Samuel 15). He deemed it good to offer the offering before war instead of Samuel (1 Samuel 13). From his life history, it’s apparent that the desire and hunger for righteousness and holiness wasn’t with him. He was a “natural man”, because he had no value for spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14).
But how do we seek God’s Kingdom in particular? What even is it?
God’s Kingdom is a project God initiated in our time to restore the world to righteousness (Acts 3:19-21). The desire of all nations - peace, freedom, love, lack of war - is championed by the Kingdom of God from heaven. “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:6-7 - see also Isaiah 33:24, 60:1-22, 65:17-25 and Revelation 21:1-5).
This project requires peple who will give “a cup of cold water” (Matthew 10:42), which is talking about it and living our lives according to it. While others run after the world’s standards, people who understand God’s Kingdom celebrate it by obeying the king, Jesus, who is ruling God’s Kingdom (Ecclesiastes 8:1).
There are disavantages and advantages to not seeking God and seeking God respectively. When we don’t seek God, God won’t bless us. For example, when the Israelites sinned against God, God didn’t bless them, or protect them, or show His love to them until they sought God’s face. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” (Hosea 5:15).
When we seek God, He will reveal Himself and His wisdom to us. “The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2). Our prayers will always be heard by God. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7). Jesus was somebody who was granted everything he asked for because he sought God and showed interest in his Father’s purpose (John 11:41-42). And in our time, the day of God’s anger, when we seek God’s face, he won’t humiliate us like He’s doing to false pastors (Ezekiel 29:4, 34:1-16). “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.” (Zephaniah 2:3).
From what’s been said, seeking God’s Kingdom first is important for Christians because people who seek and hunger for it with all their heart will be filled with peace and love that can’t be found in the world. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:3, 6).
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THE SIGNS OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM
The disciples listened to Jesus talk about a kingdom a lot, but they wanted to know when it would come. “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3).
It’s worth mentioning that there are many signs proving the coming and establishment of Christ’s kingdom; this article will review several.
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Globalization is a sign that Christ’s Kingdom has come. Jesus said that all nations would be gathered before him (Matthew 25:31-32). This has been done with social media (the whole world uses it), and other things. God wants the world to work as one, to share standards, to believe in the same things. And the world is gradually moving to be completely secular, all over the world. With that kind of system controlling the world, when God makes something occur that dismantles that system, the whole world will be affected and judged (2 Corinthians 5:10).
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The abomination of desolation is another sign of the time. Jesus Christ warned us of it in Matthew 24:!5-16). The abomination of desolation is the political system in this world which is God’s “whip” for spirituality, as it doesn’t represent what God wanted. The abomination of desolation does not regard God (that’s why it’s an “abomination”) and it takes apostate Christianity out under God’s control (Revelation 17:16-17). But, we must remember, the abomination of desolation itself will be taken out by Jesus Christ, too, because it’s wicked and doesn’t regard God (Revelation 19:11-21).
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Another sign of the time is that the heavens have been shaken. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29). The monarchical leadership that used to dominate the earth has now been replaced (through war) with a more liberal kind of hierarchy. And the Egyptians faced the same fate. The Pharaoh, the astrologers, prognosticators and magicians were the heavens in that time, but God shook them with the ten plagues, and the Israelites were set free (Exodus 7-12). They even went with much spoil. This was all in fulfilment of a promise from God to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14.
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Another sign of Christ’s Kingdom is that people and governments have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). The constitutions of various nations sprinkle Bible laws and traditions, like a prohibition of murder and theft (and these are from Exodus 20:13-17). However, they don’t honour or worship God. They take people to themselves, and not to God.
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The general society is included, too. Many people go to church, but they don’t seek after God’s will or honour Him. They deem it more important to pay more attention to worldly things than God’s plans. And the Israelites were like this, as they would perform the burnt offerings, celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and annually do the Day of Atonement, but mercy, faith and loyalty to God was not present in the land (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 23:23).
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Another sign of Christ’s Kingdom is that people love their own pleasures more than God (2 Timothy 3:4). 300 years ago, everything was about God. If a woman wanted to buy an expensive dress, it was for church. People were excited to go to church and attend Bible meetings. A big chunk of the money made was spent on that, and there was deep glory in it. But now, football and other sports seized such honours. This is a fulfillment of Philippians 2:21. “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.” And this is a sign of Christ’s Kingdom, because the abomination of desolation drives people to care more about worldly things than spiritual things.
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The fact that a great, spiritual famine is raging in our time is a sign of the time, too. And this is explained in Amos 8:11. “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.” The interest that people used to have in God has decreased dramatically (Matthew 24:12 - iniquity has decreased people’s love for God) to the point where people feel celebrate being secular (Revelation 11:10). This is a sign of Christ’s Kingdom because Jesus is controlling the abomination of desolation to do that to people, to eliminate Satanic Christianity.
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One more sign of the time is the abundance of false prophets. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (1 John 2:18). Jesus has come to take down Apostate Christianity (Revelation 19:11-21, 18:1-24), and Satan is using wealthy false prophets, who change their doctrines into smooth sayings to suit the ears of society (Isaiah 30:10, Jeremiah 23:17, 2 Timothy 4:3-4), to make Christianity still look appealing. False pastors also take advantage of this time of ignorance (people don’t know what’s going on, spiritually) to make as much money as possible, with clever snares (Jeremiah 5:26).
The signs of Christ’s Kingdom aren’t just things we know, though. We have to utilize such knowledge by rejecting the concepts from the abomination of desolation (enumerated in 2 Timothy 3:1-5), soberly and prayerfully, so that we can escape these things, and be judged by Jesus Christ as righteousness and worthy of eternal life (Romans 14:10-12). “”And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36).
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BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
Poverty is an undesired condition in this world. People with established positions think that it’s simply because of money, and that poor people don’t have the money to ride rich vehicles, and buy houses with 10 acres of land. But we have to understand, it’s a lot more than that, and that helps us to understand the spiritual poverty, which, when aided by God, leads to eternal happiness.
When people are poor, it’s not really about their poverty that makes them depressed. It’s still possible for them to survive. However, it’s when they see other people doing better than them, cruising through life, and not even having to think about the next meal, that makes ones of poor fortunes become depressed. It’s that feeling that makes them want to do anything they can to build themselves up.
This yearning is the same idea that Jesus Christ was talking about in Matthew 5:3, 6: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” But what does it mean to be poor in spirit? And what does it mean to be taken from that poverty?
There are many examples in the Bible of people were poor in spirit. For example, in Job 13:15, Job demonstrated his yearning to remain with God, and be humble before him. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Also, in Daniel 1:8, Daniel demonstrated his will to stay with God and his yearn to be righteous when he didn’t accept King Nebuchadnezzar’s food. He’d also demonstrated this humility and nature when, though being threatened by those generals under King Darius, still continued to worship God and follow his normal routines (Daniel 6:10-28). They valued their relationships with God, and yearned to make them better.
The reason why Jesus Christ said that people who are poor in spirit are blessed is because they end up being the ones to know stuff. Whether in the workplace, or in spiritual matters, people who have convinced themselves that they already know everything, simply because they were born in a family where such things were known and practiced, etc, will never yearn to build any strong relationship with God. The Pharisees, Saducess, scribes, and everybody else in that category, were a part of such group. They didn’t believe that Jesus Christ could teach them about God, but they remained in their blindness as a result (John 9:39-41), and that gradually led to their collapse in AD.70 (Luke 19:41-44).
The Bible has told us that it is the poor in spirit that God will feed, both with his knowledge and understanding. “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed.” (Isaiah 65:13). The poor in spirit will accept everything God has to offer, and will never feel hungry for worldly tastes anymore. “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalms 81:10). The water and bread that Jesus Christ was talking about, that will never make you thirsty or hungry again, is the same idea (John 6:35, 51, Isaiah 55:1-2, etc).
However, it is important we understand, not everybody who calls himself a Christian is now poor in spirit, because they think that you having Christian in your nickname means you believe in him. It is only people that are converted by God himself (John 6:44), that are poor in spirit, because they yearn for God’s kingdom, and they yearn for a better, stronger and more peaceful relationship with God. It is only such people that God will raise up, so that their poverty can become riches, riches that will never cease (Matthew 6:19-21). “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to receive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15).
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IN PURSUIT OF TRUE WEALTH
The idea of true wealth started with Jesus Christ before being explained further by the apostles. For example, in Luke 16:11, Jesus had stated, “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (see also Romans 11:33 and Ephesians 3:8).
We should understand, though, that God can give us physical riches. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22). “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.” (Proverbs 22:4). Physical riches are good because we live in a physical world. Plus, riches don't just buy you visible wealth; they give you power, influence and a sense of valuableness.
There are examples in the Bible of people who were rich. Abraham was very rich in cattle, silver and gold (Genesis 13:2). God gave Job the riches mentioned in Job 1:2, and the doubled version in Job 42:11-13. King Solomon was a very rich king as well (2 Chronicles 9:13-29).
However, these physical riches have been labelled vanity in the Bible, as they can be gotten in illegal ways (such as stealing), and physical riches, as much as you have, can’t ransom. “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.” (Psalms 49:6-9). Neither do riches make people better than others. “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.” (Proverbs 22:2 - see also Psalms 37:35-36).
However, the true riches that Jesus Christ and others talked about is the Kingdom of God and it's principles, listed in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The wisdom of God fits into this too, and it’s required to exercise those things (Joshua 1:8). Part of attaining these was done with the ransom sacrifice (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Those attributes are true riches because they don’t fit into the limitations of physical riches. These riches can’t be stolen by anybody when we secure them for ourselves (Matthew 13:44-46 - you can check out our article, “The Hidden Treasure”, as securing such riches was explained), and they don’t corrupt (Matthew 6:19-21). These can be achieved by the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). Using money and other mortal resources is also an effective strategy, in the sense of spreading the gospel and other things with such resources (Luke 16:9 - see also Luke 18:18-26, as another strategy for attracting the true riches to us).
There are examples in the Bible who had sought true riches. In 1 Kings 3:3-15, King Solomon didn’t ask for the vain riches - money, lucre, etc - but the wisdom of God; true riches. People came to Jesus Christ and followed him because they wanted the true riches, ones that would let them inherit the Kingdom of God in the end (Matthew 11:25-26). Abraham wanted the true riches, which were God's promises to him in Genesis 12:1-3, explaining his obedience and patience (Hebrews 11:8-16).
The Pharisees, however, wanted physical riches and honour, which would be granted by their perception of a messiah (somebody with the riches and power to save them from the Romans). Jesus Christ brought true riches, though, as he came to save the world with such (Luke 19:10).
It is clear now what true riches are, and how we are in pursuit of them. When we pursue true riches, and we obtain it (1 Peter 3:11), then we are in the category of people talked about in Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
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TEACH US TO PRAY
In Luke 11:1, the disciples of Jesus came to him and asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Then, in response to this question, Jesus Christ taught them the Lord’s prayer (verses 2-4, and Matthew 6:9-10).
Prayer is important because true Christians come to God needing God. We acknowledge our problems, and prayer is what allows us to make our requests to God, to fix those things and bring us closer to God. We see this is Job 36:9-12, Matthew 5:3, 6 and 6:1-8. People who are poor in spirit, who acknowledge their iniquities, and want to fix them, will use prayer to fix those problems to be close to God.
Jesus Christ answered it with that prayer because many people pray for their own lusts. They don’t come to God because of God, but because of themselves. This isn’t being nice. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3). Jesus Christ didn’t pray for the world, neither for person lusts, but for matters that concerned God (John 17:9). Jesus Christ had even told us not to worry about the things of the world, but focus on God’s laws, concerning our prayers and what we take to God (Matthew 6:25-33, Deuteronomy 8:2-3, Matthew 4:4). In Psalms 101:4, David the Psalmist, not wanting to be like such ones who care about themselves, had stated, “I will reject all selfishness and stay away from every evil.” (Living Bible - TLB).
An example of something that we should pray for when we want to bring God closer to us is for God to give us the Holy Spirit. It is a requirement to worshipping God (Romans 8:9), because it is what opens the Bible to us, helps us understand it, and what gives us the strength to live our lives accordingly. This is why David the Psalmist had stated, “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” (see also Romans 8:26).
When we want to be closer to God, and we don’t have many companions, asking God for people who believe in him to have as friends is something God wants us to pray for. After all, once we fulfill 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, some of us might want friends to help build our faith, and God answers such prayers for his children. For David, God gave him Jonathan, who was a true supporter and friend (1 Samuel 18:2-4, 23:16-17). Jesus Christ, after praying, was given the disciples (Luke 16:12-13). The apostles wouldn’t have to told us to look for people with like minds in 1 Peter 3:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:10 if that wasn’t something God liked.
Another thing that people can pray for is the wisdom of God. God is very open to such prayers, because it is about him, instead of about the person who’s asking it. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5 - see also Proverbs 2:1, 4-6). King Solomon, when given the opportunity to pray for whatever he wanted, chose wisdom, because he valued the kingdom of Israel being ruled according to God’s principles. God was pleased by this (1 Kings 3:3-15). Daniel also prayed to know the plans of God at that time, and to also let others hear it (Daniel 2:17-23).
If we also have people who influence us, we can pray for such ones to live longer. “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” (1 Timothy 5:17 - see also Ephesians 6:2, in the light of children). A part of that honour is the prayer(s) that we make for such ones, whether it be elders, our parents, or others, who have the knowledge of God and use it in a pure way. We want Psalms 71:17-18 to fulfill on them, considering living long and God not forsaking them. Because we want to walk and be with wise people (Proverbs 24:5-6, 13:20), God likes prayers of people who wish well for their parents, or others with the wisdom of God.
Expanding on the last point, God also likes it when we pray for friends, and others who might need spiritual help, because it shows God that we are interested in others coming to be soldiers for God. Jesus Christ prayed for the apostles and all the people that they would recruit (John 17:6-26). Daniel prayed for the children of Israel at the time (Daniel 9:14-19), and so did Ezra (Ezra 9:16-15). Abraham even prayed for the righteous ones of God that were in Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that would be destroyed by God (Genesis 18:20-33).
It is important that we understand what we should be praying for. God doesn't want people who come to him because they heard from somebody who said that God can answer prayers. He wants people who will come to him and pray to him because they want to be closer to him, and be better for him. And it is only such people that really believe that God can answer their prayers, because it is God they want. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22).
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JESUS AND HIS PRIORITIES
A priority is something regarded as more important than another. There are common priorities that most people have in this world: getting educated, having a job, raising a family, meeting the standards of their environment, etc. All kinds of people, including most Christians, have these as their biggest priorities; these things take up most of their thoughts and time.
But when we read the Bible, we’ll see that Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles had their priorities set up quite differently. Their priorities were centered around God, rather than activities of this world. Today, we’re going to analyze Jesus Christ’s statements and actions to see what he prioritized. This is important because in our time, setting our priorities right is pivotal to be saved.
God sent Jesus down to this world with a mission: to save humanity/bring us close to Him (Matthew 18:11, John 3:17, 12:47, etc.). All the activities of Jesus Christ, from the miracles to the preaching to the ransom itself, supported God’s purpose of saving mankind from sin. That was what Jesus Christ focused on when he was on Earth; it was his priority.
For example, those who cared about his mission and bothered to support it were the most important people to him. For example, the women in Jerusalem who were taking care of him (Matthew 27:55-56) were close to Jesus, because they supported the mission. He socialized with them in a friendly manner and made them know that they were doing God’s will by taking care of him. And as a reward, they were the first to know about his resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).
Furthermore, instead of feeling proud and puffed-up because he was the Son of God, he decided to showed compassion to those who were weak (Matthew 9:35-38, 14:13-21, etc.), and humility to those he was leading (e.g. in John 13). And by doing so, he showed an example that all Christians should follow (1 Peter 2:21). He spent his time teaching about the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 4:23, Mark 6:6, Luke 13:22, 21:37, etc.) so that people would be aware of God’s plan for mankind, and how it would manifest itself on Earth. Also, he protected the disciples God gave to him (John 6:39, 17:12) so that when he would return to heaven, they could successfully play their role as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). This was the will of God, and Jesus Christ kept his focus on that.
Jesus made sure that he wasn’t distracted by what Satan was doing, as well. Satan was always around him, lurking privily, and he made different attempts to undermine Jesus Christ and take him over (such as in Matthew 4:1-11). But because Jesus understood humanity and the spirits (John 2:24-25), Jesus knew who Satan was controlling, and made sure to never be friends with them. For example, the Pharisees followed the will of the Devil (John 8:37-47) and Jesus never respected them or their traditions (Matthew 15:12-14). They were hypocrites (Matthew 15:7-9, 23:13-39), and as a result, he never became friends with them, nor joined them in their work.
Worldly matters didn’t bother Jesus Christ. He didn’t seek physical fame and riches. That’s why at certain times, he didn’t have a comfortable place to sleep (Luke 9:58). His physical condition didn’t bother him too much, because he was more focused on the mission. And Jesus advised that we do the same (Matthew 6:25-34).
The ransom sacrifice was a big part of the mission, and he made sure to go through it. Even though he was afraid at one point, he made sure he fulfilled what his Father wanted (Matthew 26:39, 42). He endured all the suffering and shame that came with his death (Hebrews 12:2-3, Philippians 2:5-11, etc.) because finishing the mission and not being a disappointment to God was his priority on Earth.
And by focusing on the mission, Jesus was fulfilling prophecies in the Scriptures. Many verses in the New Testament mentioned Jesus Christ fulfilling prophecies (e.g. John 13:18, Mark 15:28, Luke 4:21, John 19:28). Prophecies must be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18), so Jesus Christ made sure that he fulfilled what the Bible had said about him.
But we can’t forget about what Jesus said with his mouth, because his statements hit the nail on the head. Particularly in the book of John, Jesus made it clear that doing what God wanted was his priority. He said in John 4:34, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” Just like our physical work which we do to earn a living and feed ourselves, Jesus Christ’s goal was to do the will of God successfully and submit the token of it to his Father (Hebrews 9:23-26).
Also, in John 5:30, he said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” This is similar to John 4:34. Jesus Christ’s priority was doing God’s will, not his own.
But the question is, do we set our priorities like Jesus?
This question is important because we are living in the last days, and the ability to properly set priorities is crucial. Jesus Christ has come, and Satan the Devil is driving humanity to secularity and worldliness (Revelation 16:13-16, 13:1-4, etc.) so that we can forget about God and believe in our own abilities. Spirituality is now under big pressure and tribulation (Matthew 24:21) because people have begun to rebel against it (Revelation 11:7-10). Our time is perilous because it’s so easy to lose our spirituality (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Organizations that don’t regard spiritual law and principle are becoming more and more powerful, and people who want to remain with the Bible’s way of life are seen as out of date and stupid (in fulfillment of Amos 8:11 and Matthew 24:12). People are celebrating as the world rids itself of its spirituality (Revelation 11:10).
Therefore, our priorities should not be about getting jobs, getting married, etc. Those things are nice; but are they required for our salvation? Not entirely. What is, on the other hand, is maintaining our spirituality and righteousness. Remember those who perished in the flood in Genesis 6-7 and those who perished in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19? Why did they perish? It was because their priorities were worldly, and not spiritual, and therefore they were not prepared for the destruction ahead (Luke 17:26-30). The Bible makes us know that, in our time, God is coming after Satan, and will revamp what he’s messed up in this world (Christianity, leadership, etc.). This period is the “Day of the LORD”, as described in Zephaniah 1:14-18 and Joel 2:1. The destruction and distress are not physical tragedies, but rather how spirituality is collapsing, and leadership is becoming weaker and weaker. People are losing focus on God, and have been redirected to worldliness and secularity.
Therefore, we need to be spiritually alert and sober. “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7). We must guard our hearts against iniquity (Proverbs 4:23) and be watching for when Satan wants to destroy us with temptations (1 Peter 5:8-9). We must “flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:16), which essentially means, rely on the wisdom of God to make decisions for us. That’s why the wisdom of God was called a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). We can use it to make good decisions (e.g. who to marry, which job to get, who our friends should be, etc.), and we’ll be protected from troubles people suffer from lack of knowledge (just like a physical mountain is strong, reliable, and can act as a source of protection if you’re fleeing from danger).
We’ve made it clear that setting our priorities right is essential to our salvation. We’ve used the life of Jesus to understand what our priorities should be, and we’ve discussed how important it is that we apply such knowledge in our time. We hope that, in your own lives, you’ll focus on what’s most important: consistently doing God’s will, until the end. “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:14).
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PRAY FOR YOUR ENEMIES
The title of this article is drawn from Matthew 5:43-44, which reads, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
An enemy is a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. The enemies of a Christian are those who actively work to make their service to God difficult (Matthew 10:36, 22, 2 Timothy 3:12, etc.).
To pray for our enemies is to intercede on their behalf, and talk to God about them, so that He may help them and recover them from Satan’s captivity (2 Timothy 2:26), so they may serve God faithfully, and cease to oppose the righteous.
Therefore, the question is, why should we do so? Why do our enemies deserve our prayers?
One important thing we need to know is that not everybody who wants to make life difficult for us is “wicked”. Some people are just ignorant, and they don’t know better. They may also be persecuting us because they have no other choice (as in, others above them want that, and they can’t say no for fear of consequences). St. Paul, renowned for his eternally beneficial contributions to Christianity, started as a persecutor of Christians, but as he said himself, he did it out of ignorance. “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” (1 Timothy 1:12-13). But in Acts 9, after Ananias laid his hands on Saul (his name later changed to Paul), he converted from his ways of ignorance to the faith of Jesus and did very well (1 Corinthians 15:10).
We all know that Jesus Christ was persecuted and killed by his many enemies. But as he was about to die, he said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” in Luke 23:34. Many of those who took part in his crucifixion had no choice, and others simply didn’t understand that it was the Son of God Almighty, the creator of the heavens and the Earth (Isaiah 45:12, 18) who they were killing. Many who were killed by Titus’s army in AD.70 were ignorant people, who would’ve done better had they known who Jesus was. And even some of the scribes and Pharisees contributed towards his death out of ignorance (Acts 3:17, 1 Corinthians 2:8).
Steven was in a similar situation to that of Jesus Christ. In Acts 7:54-60, people stoned Steven after he preached the truth, which wasn’t in their favour. As Steven was being stoned, he prayed to God for those against him, saying, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” (Acts 7:60). Some of them were stoning Steven out of careless zeal, and he decided to intercede on their behalf and pray to God to not punish them for it.
Similar to the last point, not everyone has the grace of God as we might have. They may not have been born in a Christian family, so they weren’t raised in the faith. Even if they have, God just might not have touched their hearts, and if God Himself doesn’t help you by giving you the Holy Spirit and opening your heart to the Word (like he did to Lydia in Acts 16:14-15), then there is no chance of salvation (Romans 8:9, 14, John 6:44). So if we were raised with the Bible, like Timothy (2 Timothy 3:15), we have to show mercy to those who haven’t gotten such grace and are weak (Romans 15:1-2) by including them in our prayers.
And no matter how bad we think our enemies are, we shouldn’t forget that God still created them; therefore, they are still the children of God (but not in the righteous sense). Therefore, as a way of showing love to our fellow human beings, if they are working against our will, and are therefore not doing God’s will, we should pray for them. After all, God Almighty is good to both the wicked and the righteous. “The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalms 145:9; see also Proverbs 15:3). Jesus also said, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45).
God also demonstrated true benevolence in Deuteronomy 2:1-6. God said that when the Israelites were passing by the land of the Edomites, they should respect their rights to life and property; therefore, they should buy water and food from them, like everyone else. Now, remember, the Edomites were enemies to the children of Israel, and based on what God had said about other lands (that the Israelites would eat what they didn’t plant, etc., according to Deuteronomy 6:11), the Israelites might’ve expected that they could do whatever they wanted. But because God respected certain rights of the Edomites, he gave His children that instruction.
But if we decide to pray for our enemies, what will our prayers do?
The Bible makes it clear that God Almighty hears the prayers of the righteous. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” (Psalms 34:15). And the prayers of the righteous can be powerful, so long as they believe in what they’re saying. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16). This is why it was common for people to pray for the ministers of Christ (Philippians 1:19, 2 Corinthians 1:11, Acts 12:5, Philemon 1:22). “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.” (Hebrews 13:18).
However, new generation churches have begun to advise people to pray against their enemies. They are specifically fond of calling “Holy Ghost Fire” on their enemies. Firstly, there is no Holy Ghost fire; that does not exist. The Holy Ghost (better called the Holy Spirit) is God’s spirit, which does His will (for example, His will is that people should be saved, and by sending it to people, they can do the right thing and be saved). Also, it is un-Christian to be wishing that God bring such judgment on their enemies.
The Bible makes us know that God Almighty does not enjoy the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 32, 33:11); rather, it is His will that they should be saved. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4; see also 2 Peter 3:9 and Jonah 4:2, 11). And Jesus said in Luke 15:7 that there is more joy in heaven when people repent of their sins than when they remain in them. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
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WHY JESUS PRAYED
Prayer is how we communicate with God. It comes in different forms: physical talking with the mouth; meditation (when we think about God and His Word); fasting (especially in old times); and even when we trust in Him (because He is a spirit, according to John 4:24 and 2 Corinthians 3:17, so believing in Him is like a prayer for protection, peace and strength to continue in the path of righteousness).
There were many people in the Bible who prayed to God. For example, Hannah prayed to God for a son, because she was barren (1 Samuel 1:9-20). Abraham’s chief servant prayed to God so he could choose the woman who would be compatible with Isaac and positively contribute towards God’s promises to Abraham (Genesis 24:1-27). King Hezekiah prayed to God to be delivered from the powerful force of King Sennacherib (Isaiah 36-37). And it’s important to note that what these people prayed for were things they were not fully capable of doing; things they needed spiritual support for. And due to God’s kindness and mercy, He ansswered their prayers.
But Jesus Christ was not like King Hezekiah, or Hannah, or anyone else who prayed in the Old Testament, because he was the Son of God. He had the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34), and due to his spiritual status, you’d expect that he wouldn’t pray, but rather end all his sufferings. But he did actually pray to God, and more than once.
So why did Jesus pray in the Bible? What did he go through that would make him talk to God, and what did he gain from doing that?
Here’s what we should understand: Jesus Christ came down to this world with a mission: to save humanity (Matthew 18:11, Luke 19:10, John 3:16-17, 12:47, etc.). God had the whole mission planned out, and Jesus Christ was the one to do it (Isaiah 6:8, Hebrews 10:7, Revelation 5). It was something between God and Jesus (John 8:15-16), so even when he was on Earth, that connection between him and his Father didn’t break or cease.
Jesus Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit once it was time to begin the mission (Matthew 3:16-17), and he began to preach the gospel. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17).
But the mission proposed different challenges. In Matthew 4:1-11, as Jesus was fasting (a form of prayer), Satan the Devil made his first attempt to take him over. Jesus Christ was hungry and worn out, and Satan proposed an easy way out of all the sufferings he’d have to go through. This was very tempting, and if things were to have gone wrong here, the whole mission could’ve ended, and God’s purpose jeopardized. So you’d expect that spiritual support would be given to Jesus at a time like that. So as Jesus was trusting his Father and rejecting Satan’s offer, the spirits would’ve been strengthening him, and giving him courage.
Then, in John 11, it was time to prove his power, by resurrecting Lazarus. Now, remember what happened in 2 Kings 4:17-37: the Shunammite woman’s son died, and when Gehazi tried to bring him back to life with Elisha’s staff, it didn’t work. Elisha then prayed to God about the situation, and afterwards resurrected the boy. So miracles don’t just happen the way we think they do.
Jesus Christ knew that there was the chance of failure, and making himself look like a charlatan. Therefore, he prayed to God about the situation. John 11:41-45 gives the account: “And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.” It’s the same idea; Jesus Christ faced a difficulty, he prayed to God about him, and he received the strength to do what was needed.
But the biggest challenges came near his death. This is when we really understand why Jesus prayed. At this stage, there was a lot of fear and tension. “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44). He was fearing that he wouldn’t pass through this as planned by his Father, and he’d be a big disappointment to those in heaven. He couldn’t imagine something worse than that. He needed assistance, and strength from a source beyond himself (because his disciples fled the scene, according to Matthew 26:56). So he talked to his Father about it in prayer. “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” (Luke 22:41-43).
It should also be noted that Jesus Christ could have easily ended his suffering. That made things more difficult. Hypothetically (and realistically), he could’ve prayed to his Father and ended all his sufferings. “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Matthew 26:53-54). But he didn’t allow himself to escape the suffering. Therefore, he prayed to God, and he received the strength to finish the mission.
We need to understand this because the children of God have to run the race of salvation (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12:1). It is not an easy race; there are challenges and obstalces everywhere. Satan the Devil, the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) will pose all kinds of threats to you (temptations - Matthew 18:7, Luke 17:1 - and persecution from those who are close to you, according to Matthew 10:36). That’s why St. Paul said, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12). And in Acts 14:22, it says, “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
We cannot maintain a righteous life in an evil world like ours without heavenly support. After all, when we live in the world, but we don’t think like others, or love it, we will be hated by those who love the world and think worldly (John 15:19). Therefore, Jesus Christ advised us to “watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41). “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36). To watch is to study the Bible to understand the signs of the times (that is, what the Bible says about our time, and how that’s fulfiling in real life) and live accordingly (for example, we wouldn’t trust in political leaders becuase the Bible makes us to know that they, symbolized by stars, and “powers of heaven” are being weakened, according to Luke 21:25-26). And to pray is to seek assistance from God so that we can succesfully overcome the snares and traps of Satan the Devil (which we’ve addressed in detail in this article).
Running the race of salvation is more difficult in our time because we are living in the last days. Satan the Devil has been defeated (and so have his kings and princes been defeated too, according to Revelation 6:15-17 and Revelation 12:7-12). And because of this, he has dislocated the world (causing what St. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 to fulfill). Things that used to be banned due to spiritual law have now been legalized, and people are now living lives void of spirituality. Those who want to live their lives according to God’s Word seem outdated, because we are living in a “modern” world that has moved on from spirituality.
Spirituality’s condition now is like the death of Jesus Christ back then. When he was to die, there was a lot of fear, pressure, and tension. And simiarily, worshipping God in our time will come with much tribulation (Matthew 24:21); persecution, temptations, and everything in between. Therefore, we need to pray to God so He can give us courage and strength to do the needful. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
The Bible assures us that prayers concerning our salvation will be answered. In Psalms 34:17-19, God said, “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (also see Psalms 145:18-20). Therefore, when we begin to experience difficulty in running the race of salvation, talk to God about it, because it is His will that we run it and be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). So He would be more than happy to assist us by giving us the Holy Spirit, and making sure he drives away those Satan puts in our lives to drag the godliness out of us.
Jesus Christ gave us the Lord’s Prayer for that reason (Matthew 6:9-10). By praying the Lord’s Prayer, we are not only showing interest in God’s plan for mankind, but we are showing God that we desire His assistance to live as proper citizens of the Kingdom and inherit eternal life (Daniel 7:27). Also, those who pray with their hearts, and not just with their mouth, will also have their lives changed with the Lord’s Prayer. That will keep us in line with running the race of salvation, because that prayer gives us the hope to continue facing challenges from our evil world to inherit the ever-growing Kingdom of God.
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