"But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." 

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 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  [Luke 18:13]

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"But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." 

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Since our Father knows the things we have need of, even before we ask Him, then it is reasonable to ask,"Why pray at all?" The reason is that, in prayer we acknowledge our need and dependence on Him. It is the basis of our communicating with God. Also God does things in answer to prayer that He would not have done otherwise.

"You do not have, because you do not ask God." [James 4:2]

“This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
   on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.

For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

     “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,  so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.





PRAYER

 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”  [Mark 11:25]

Praying



Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus

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 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  [2 Corinthians 4:4]

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Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus 

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
What kind of attitude did Jesus Christ exhibit? What characterized His behavior toward others? The mind of Lord Jesus can be described as 1) The selfless mind; 2) The sacrificial mind; 3) The serving mind.
The Lord Jesus consistently thought of others.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
This is marvelous in our eyes! He obeyed even though it cost Him His life. Obedient to the point of death means He obeyed to the end. Truly  He was the Merchant who went and sold all that He had to buy the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:46).
Even the death of the cross. Death by crucifixion was the most shameful form of execution. And that was the form of death reserved for heaven’s Best when He came into this world. He did all this for you and me.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
When the Savior humbled Himself, God also  has highly exalted Him. When He did not see a name for Himself, God has given Him the name which is above every name. When He bent His knees in service to others, God has decreed that every knee shall bow to Him.
We should not exalt ourselves but be the servants of others, that God may exalt us in due time.
Those who do not willingly bow the knee to Him now will one day be compelled to do so. Those who will not be reconciled in the day of His grace will be subjugated in the day of His judgment.





Every Knee should bow

 “...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord...”  [Philippians 2:10-11]

Every Knee should bow



The Triumphal Entry - Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

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 “As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,  “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.”  [Luke 19:29-31]

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The Triumphal Entry 

Jesus had drawn near to the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives en route to Jerusalem. When he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, He sent two of His disciples into a village to get a colt for His entrance into Jerusalem. He told them exactly where they would find the animal and what the owners would say. After the disciples had explained their mission, the owners seemed quite willing to release their colt for use by Jesus. Perhaps they had been blessed previously by the ministry of the Lord and had offered to be of assistance to Him any time He needed it.

The disciples made a cushion or saddle for the Lord with their own cloths. Many spread their clothes on the road before Him as He ascended from the western base of the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. Then with one accord the followers of Jesus burst out in praise for all the mighty works they had seen Him do. They hailed Him as God’s King, and chanted that the effect of His coming was peace in heaven and glory in the highest. It is significant that they cried “Peace in heaven” rather than “Peace on earth.” There could not be peace on earth because the Prince of Peace had been rejected and was on to be slain. But there would be peace in heaven as a result of the impending death of Christ on Calvary’s cross and His ascension to heaven.

The Pharisees were indignant that Jesus should be publicly honored in this way. They suggested that He should rebuke His disciples. But Jesus answered that such acclamation was inevitable. If the disciples wouldn’t do it, the stones would! He thus rebuked the Pharisees for being more hard and unresponsive than the inanimate stones.
Dear friend, do you recognize Jesus Christ as your Savior, who only can save you from eternal damnation?



Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

 “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”  “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  [Luke 19 :37-40]

Jesus rides on a donkey



"...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done..."

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 “...who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time...”  [2 Timothy 1:9 ]

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"...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done..." 

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

An additional obligation of the Christian disciple is that he be ready for every good work. Not all job are honorable-some businesses sell products that are harmful to man's spiritual, mental, and physical health. In all good conscience, these occupations should be avoided.

A Christian should speak evil of no one. What oceans of grief and trouble could be avoided if Christians would obey this simple truth to speak evil of no one! We should be peaceable and avoid quarreling. It takes two to generate a dispute.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

God's goodness and loving kindness appeared to us when we were saved. It was a manifestation of these attributes that He would send His beloved Son to die for a world of rebellious sinners.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

The Lord Jesus is also called God our Savior because He paid the necessary penalty in order that we might be pardoned and forgiven.  He saved us from the guilt and penalty of all our sings--past, present, and future. They were all future when the Savior died, and His death covered them all.

One of the simplest, clearest truths of the gospel is the most difficult for man to receive. It is the salvation is not based on good works; one doesn't become a Christian by living a Christian life. The consistent testimony of the Bible is that man cannot earn or merit salvation. Man cannot save himself by good works; all his righteous deeds are like filthy rags in God's sight.  It is not good people who go to heaven; it is sinners who have been saved by God's grace!

Dear reader, do you trust in your own good works for your salvation, or do you trust in Christ's redemptive work for you on the cross? Are you washed in His precious blood?


Born of water and the Spirit

 “Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”  [John 3:5]

Throughout the Word of God we read that Salvation is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Baptism is intended for those who have already been saved, but not as a means of salvation. 

Baptism



 

"For many are invited, but few are chosen." 

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 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.”  [Matthew 22:11-12 ]

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"For many are invited, but few are chosen." 

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

The man without a wedding garment is one who professes to be ready for the kingdom but who has never been clothed in the righteousness of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Christ, he is speechless when challenged as to his right to enter the kingdom.

Wedding Banquet

 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.”  [Matthew 22:8-9]

Wedding Banquet



"...but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us" 

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 “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  [Joshua 1:5 ]

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"...but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us" 

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.  Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.  Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.  They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.  They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.

 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian,  he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land.  I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

  The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.  When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

  “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

  “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Before Gideon went into battle, he desired a pledge of victory from God.



Fire flared from the rock

 “Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared.”  [Judges 6:21]

The Angel of the Lord touched the meat and the bread...



"Those who are with us are more than those who are with them" 

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 “And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”  [2 Kings 6:17 ]

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"Those who are with us are more than those who are with them" 

Those who are with us are more than those who are with them"
 Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”

 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Syrians are going down there.”  So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

 This enraged the king of Syria. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

  “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.”  Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

  When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

  As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

  Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.

  After they entered the city, Elisha said, “LORD, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.

When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”

  “Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.”  So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Syria stopped raiding Israel’s territory.
"..He who is in you is greater than be who is in the world."  1 John 4:4
In our spiritual battle with the forces of evil , we have protection and power given us by our omnipotent Ally.  Through the prayer of faith the Lord can open the eyes of our hearts to the reassuring fact that He is defending us and frustrating Satan's destructive intentions.






Chariot of Fire

 “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”  [2 Kings 2:11]

Chariot of Fire