You came in knowing only one Bible story and half a teaching of the church and that is okay. But it is not okay to continue staying at that level of ignorance, there is a need to grow. You knew nothing about church structure and leadership and that was okay at that time but not several years later since you came into the church. You need to grow!
The concept of predestination in scripture raises several genuine concerns. Has God predestined all of us? Has God already determined whether I am ending up in hell or heaven? If we are predestined, are we free to make any choice? Do we need the power of choice if we are predestined? The key questions are two, (1) has God already determined where all of us will end up, whether heaven or hell? (2) Do human beings have a power of choice and how does it relate to divine predestination?
The Bible in our key text today tells us that believers have totally changed. What they were before conversion and what they are now is no longer the same. Because of the gospel and conversion, believers who were previously low rated are now highly rated. The gospel improves your ratings in society!
Why does Paul say obedience comes from faith? Do Christians need obedience? Obedience to what? Isn’t faith enough for a believer? Why should faith give birth to obedience? If faith doesn’t give birth to obedience it seems it may be fake faith. What does Paul mean when he tells us that obedience comes from faith?
All disciples of Jesus are also the modern-day Israelites because they are Abrahams’s seed. All believers are therefore Israelites not by birth but by faith. Therefore messages to Israel in scripture refer to the past Israelites and everyone who believes in our present time.
God answers this prayer and the Bible records it as mercy. Nobody deserves mercy. If you deserve it, it is no longer mercy but a right. Mercy is never a right. Mercy is at the discretion of the one showing mercy. To be shown mercy suggests that we were guilty and deserved punishment. You can’t show mercy to a person who is holy, perfect, and ever right.
Bad things can happen to us because we are bad people, or we are in a bad place, or both. When we are bad, bad things happen to us, as punishment and God’s displeasure. However, bad things can also happen because we are in a world of sin, we are in a bad place. Zechariah and Elizabeth were not bad people, but they were in a bad place, a world of sin. Because we are all in a world of sin which is a bad place, bad things can happen to any of us whether we are good or bad. Even good people can have bad experiences!
It is important to minimize references to school or teachers that expose the possibility that since we left school we have not read further or learned anything else. “My professor told me” “When I attended this college or that one.” A once in a while reference is necessary, but if it is your only source of authority there is a problem. We must grow up and be of age, and say what we think and not just what we were told.
While in the wilderness it seemed that Jesus was alone with the wild animals. At times during temptation, it seems everyone has abandoned us. While it is true that Jesus was alone without any human support, He was not alone. While it is true that people can abandon us and they really do, but God though not visible never abandons us. In our text, today the Bible tells us that angels were attending to Jesus. In the lonely and fearful wilderness, angels attended to Jesus and they still attend to us. Tempted after affirmation but perfectly attended to.