In John 1:35-51, the Apostles began following Jesus.
The following began when John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to two of his disciples, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Understanding this to be a reference to the forgiveness that the Christ would bring for the sins of all mankind, John and Andrew left the Baptist’s side and followed Jesus.
Andrew went on to find his brother, Simon (now called Peter), and told him that “We have found the Christ.”
Jesus found Phillip, who went to find Nathanael, whom Jesus described as an Israelite “in whom there was no deceit.”
In reading about these interactions, three things are said of Jesus.
He is the Lamb of God (who takes away the sin of the world.)
He is the Messiah, the Christ, our Deliverer.
He is the King.
In the above-posted sermon, we examine each of these claims more thoroughly, and we explore more fully who Jesus is.
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words do hurt, especially when they slander your good name and undermine your life’s purpose.
A false accusation, a baseless rumor, and malicious gossip can ruin your reputation, disrupt your marriage, sideline your ministry, and undermine you career or business. Often, when these false accusations are raised, there is little you can do, because proving something didn’t happen is almost impossible.
For most people, the best you can hope for is that your track record of integrity and good deeds outshines the falsehoods being spoken. That’s hard to rely on, however, as people’s memories are becoming shorter with the proliferation of social media.
This is exactly the situation (minus the social media) that King David faced in Psalm 7. Cush the Benjamite had made serious accusations against David and cursed him. We don’t really know who Cush was, or exactly what his statements were. We do know, the words were severe enough that David took the situation to the Lord, not only through a spoken prayer, but David actually took the time to write this psalm about it.
In the opening verses of Psalm 7, you see the intersection of David’s faith and fear. David proclaims that he is putting his trust in the Lord, while at the same time expressing his fear of what his enemy may do.
“O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: 2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.” – Psalm 7:1-2
David professes that he places his trust (faith) in the Lord, and prays for deliverance so that he is not destroyed by the false accusations. He goes on in verses 3-5 to ask the Lord to hold him accountable should there be any truth to the false accusations.
These verses demonstrate the power that faith can give us in these hopeless situations. Furthermore, it shows us the power that comes with a clear conscience toward God and toward those around us.
David was able to ask God to examine his actions and hold him accountable because David knew that he was innocent of the charges being leveled toward him.
Living according to God’s word, doing right by others and glorifying God through our grace and mercy shown to others can help fortify us against situations like this. When the false accusation is leveled, we can in all confidence say, “Search me! For I am clean!”
Furthermore, our faith enables us to trust God to fight this battle, because we are completely incapable of securing the victory on our own.
In verses 6-10, David prays that God will rise up in anger against the wickedness that has come against him. He also proclaims and looks forward to the judgment of God. Again, this is the blessing that comes with a life of faith and a clear conscience.
David doesn’t fear God’s judgment because David knows that he will withstand the judgment because he has been made pure through his faith in the Gospel of God. David knows the judgment will vindicate God’s people, and destroy the wicked.
If you know the Lord as your Savior, you have no reason to fear God’s judgment, and you actually have a reason to look forward to the judgment, because it is the judgment of God that is going to restore everything to what God intended on it being.
David concludes the psalm in verses 11-17 by warning the wicked that the Lord is preparing to make war against them. Therefore, repentance is in order.
So, Psalm 7 teaches us the value of letting faith shape our lives and actions. We learn that we need to trust the Lord through the adversities, conflicts and perils of life. Meanwhile, we also learn the value of having a clean conscience toward God and toward man. When we have those ingredients, we have facilitated the Lord’s defense of us when the attacks come.
So trust the Lord today, and glorify him through your lifestyle.
Several months back, the walls were closing in on me. I had been laid off from Texas Farm Bureau, I was two months without employment, and things in my personal life had gone from bad to worse.
At that moment, a former church member texted me, “People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversation.”
He went on to explain that his quote was from a 16th-century Bible teacher who used the quote to teach open and honest prayers to God.
He went on to say, “Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and pains to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles that He may comfort you, your joys that He may sober them. Tell Him your longings that He may purify them.
“People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, they say what they think.
“Blessed are they who attain such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.” (Francois Feneion, 1651-1715)
After receiving that text, I drove out to a local picnic area and lifted my heart up to God, sharing every anxiety of my financial and family situation, my anxieties and fears, my needs and requests.
I had been praying, but I had “Spiritualized” my prayers, couching the words in sanitized language so as to demonstrate acceptance and faith.
But with this prayer, I laid it all out on the table.
“God, you have given me the responsibility to provide for my family, but to do that, I NEED A JOB!”
“God, you have called me to preach your Gospel, but I need you to provide for and enable this ministry!”
“God, I need direction!”
Isn’t it interesting? By the end of the day, I had an interview with a company that would go on to hire me, and transfer me to Austin. After a few months in Austin, I learned that financial services was not God’s calling on my life, and the pursuit of career accomplishments and wealth would never feed my soul.
Again, I prayed, “Lord, please rescue me.”
And now, I sit here in the study at First Baptist Church of Hermleigh, TX, sharing this testimony with you.
Open and honest prayers not only work, and are not only recommended by 16th-century teachers, but they are also Biblical.
Take David’s prayer in Psalm 6, for example. David opens the prayer by begging for God’s mercy, asking God how much longer this season of grief and suffering will continue, and asking to be delivered.
He goes on to discuss how long and how intense his grief is, saying that he makes his bed to swim and waters his couch with his tears.
In Psalm 6, David lays it all out there, before ultimately expressing faith that the LORD will receive his prayer.
David’s prayer is not unlike Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1, when she prayed out of the bitterness of her heart, asking God not to forget her, and that if she were blessed with a son, she would give him to the Lord and dedicate him to God’s service.
Scripture records multiple times when God heard and answered David’s prayer, and 1 Samuel records how God heard and answered Hannah’s prayer.
When Jesus taught us how to pray during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, He told us, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
This concept is what separates David and Hannah’s prayers from the ineffectual prayers of many others. People have been taught to use certain phrases and words when praying, and thus they lose the actual substance of the prayers they lift up to God.
What God wants, however, is for us to be open and honest with Him. He wants us to “Let our requests be made known unto Him.” (Philippians 4:6).
He wants us to be real, to truly explore our hearts and give them over to Him, to allow Him to refine our hearts, answer our requests, and transform us through the process.
When this level of prayer becomes our method of operation, we will truly see the Lord move, and our anxieties will be abated as well.
And if you need help, if you have a special prayer request, feel free to send it to me below. I will be glad to lift your request up in prayer.
What separates believers from the rest of the world? What is the difference between us, and those who remain condemned in their sin?
In Psalm 5, King David discusses how God hates sin and evil. He discusses how God takes no pleasure in wickedness and cannot let evil dwell with Him. Ultimately, David references how the wicked and evil will be destroyed.
Yet, David himself admitted in Psalm 51 that “I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
How does a man, who readily admits his own sin, expect to be spared the destruction that God will pour out on sinners?
He discusses it in Psalm 5. He opens by saying “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
David expresses faith that the Lord hears his prayers because David lifts those prayers up daily, beginning with his morning prayers. Despite the fact that David dwells in a dark and sinful land, he will look up to the Lord and pray to him.
David goes on to say in verses 7-8, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.”
The reason David expects to be spared from the judgment and wrath of God is because he is placing himself at the mercy of God, and worshipping God for His goodness and righteousness. He then begs the Lord to lead him in righteousness.
What separated David from the rest of the sinful world is that he recognized his sinfulness, confessed it to God, then placed himself at God’s mercy. God responds to that, and David knew he could trust in the Lord’s mercy.
What separates the saints from the sinners has nothing to do with societal standing, wealth, intelligence, or heritage. The saints are merely the sinners who realized their sinfulness, confessed it to God, then stepped out of that darkness and into the light by placing themselves at the Lord’s mercy.
The saints are the sinners who trusted the Lord’s mercy and grace, and believe in His righteousness and holiness. The saints are the sinners who trust the Lord has forgiven their sin, and will transform them into the people that He intended on them being.
The saints are the sinners who looked to Jesus on the cross and saw salvation and redemption. They are the ones who look forward to the Lord’s return, and who look forward to exiting this life in favor of the next.
We’re not spared God’s wrath and judgment because we’re “just better people.” And we’re not looking forward to the mansions in heaven because “we’ve earned it.” We are merely sinners who placed ourselves at God’s mercy, knowing and trusting that God rewards those who do.
Leland Acker 