The Roaring Lion

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

(1 Peter 5:8)

We must be watchful in our actions and thoughts. In the Bible the devil was compared to the "roaring lion." When we commit sin, we are feeding the roaring lion. There are 3 things we don’t know we are feeding the lion:

I – By our rebellious and independent spirit – “Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” (Ephesians 6:1). “Parents must not provoke their children to wrath.” (Ephesians 6:4). “Husbands and wives must submit to one another.” (Ephesians 5:20-25). If we become rebellious or disobedient we are feeding the roaring lion. The devil is very happy if there is broken home. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls.” (Hebrews 13;17). We must submit therefore to God in order to resist the devil and he will flee you.” (James 4:7).

II – By our proud and haughty spirit – We are feeding again the roaring lion if do not humble ourselves. We must be Christ-like who humbled himself by “washing others feet.” “If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet....that ye should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15). “A high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.” (Proverbs 21:4). Pride is a sin. “A man’s pride shall bring him low; but honor shall uphold the humble spirit.” (Proverbs 29:23). One of the most important virtues that Christ showed unto us is humility. If we commit sin, we must ask God’s forgiveness. We must repent. But if pride is always in our heart, we will not live in peace. Admission of guilt, truth and honesty will set us free. “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:5).

III – Worried and distraught spirit – We know that every one has a problem in life. But the way we handle our crosses counts most. If we always worry and cannot go on with our daily living, again we are feeding the devil, the roaring lion into it full stomach!! “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.” (Matthew 6:26).
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6). God knows how to handle our problems. Relax God is in control! He is an all knowing God. “ “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7).

(Sermon taken from Nil Queben Alubog Fosana, Bible Student of Bible Baptist Church, Cebu.)

"Stop Contradicting God-Start Trusting Him"

“As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”

(Mark 5:36)

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

(Hebrews 11:6)

Contradicting is rebellion and offense to God. Our Heavenly Father always speaks the TRUTH and contradicting God is rebelling against the TRUTH. (Titus 1:2) “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” “God cannot lie.” The foundation of our faith is trust in God’s character. Because He is TRUTH and cannot LIE. We should build our faith on the foundation of a TRUSTWORTHY GOD who will not lie. Let us look at some EXAMPLES of contradicting GOD:

I – “GOD DOESN’T LOVE ME” – “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”(Jeremiah 31:3).“Everlasting love.” God’s love is PERMANENT. It does not last for just a day, week, month, or year. God’s love is ETERNAL. (Isaiah 49:15) “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” Fathers and mothers may forsake their own children. Husbands and wives may separate. But God’s love is constant and dependable. When we feel that God has deserted us, we must ask if we have deserted God. (John 11:3) “Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.” “He whom THOU lovest is sick.”
LESSON: When Mary and Martha sent to Jesus their message, it was not: “Lord, he loveth Thee” but, “Lord, He whom Thou lovest is sick.” It is not our imperfect love to Him that comforts us, but HIS PERFECT LOVE to us. It is not my love to God, but God’s love for me, that I should be thinking of. It is comforting to know that despite our inconsistencies and sins, God loves us UNCONDITIONALLY. Eternal life is not achieved on the MERIT SYSTEM, but on the MERCY SYSTEM. Understanding that God loves us no matter who we are and what we have done. (Matthew 10:29-30) “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” You are a great worth to God. You are never lost in God’s INVENTORY. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms, persecution, illness, imprisonment, even death. These could cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ.- But Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death and resurrection is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can stop His constant presence with us. God tells us how great His love is – so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid. (Ephesians 3:17-19) “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
God’s love is TOTAL. It reaches every corner of our experience.
1. It is LONG – it continues the length of our lives.
2. It is DEEP – it reaches to the depths of discouragement, despair, and even death.
3. It is WIDE – it covers the breadth of our own experience and it reaches out to the whole world.
4. It is HIGH – it rises to the heights of our celebration and elation.
When you feel shut or isolated, remember that you can never be lost to God’s love.
(Psalm 30:1) “I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.”“For thou hast lifted up.”
God’s love can lift the drunkard, God’s love can lift the thief, God’s love can lift the prostitute, God’s love can lift the sinner out of the miry clay of sin.
CONCLUSION:
1. We must depend on God’s love DAILY. He is abundantly ABLE to fortify us against the stresses of life. (Philippians 4:13) “ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
2. We cannot OUTGIVE God’s love. The Lord is bountifully able to supply all our needs.
(Philippians 4:19) “ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
3. God’s love is not changeable. The Lord never leaves nor forsakes His own. He is eternally able to stand by us and sustain us.
(Psalm 55:22) “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
4. God’s love will take God’s children to Heaven when their earthly journey has ended.
(Revelation 21:4) “ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” “For the former things are passed away”
5. God’s love knows no defeat! No mountain is too steep, no valley too deep. “We are more than conquerors through Him that LOVED US”.
(Romans 8:37) “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

II – “IT IS IMPOSSIBLE” For with God nothing shall be impossible.”(Luke 1:37).“ NOTHING shall be IMPOSSIBLE. (Jeremiah 32:17) Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. (Jeremiah 32:27) Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? “there is NOTHING TOO HARD for me.”
LESSON:
1.Sometimes we find ourselves caught in a problem and see no way out. Don’t panic, God can open up a way. Example: The Red Sea. (Exodus 14:10) “ And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.” (Exodus 14:13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
2. IMPOSSIBLE is a hopeless word. In daily life, we face many apparently impossible situations that would be hopeless if we had to handle them with limited human strength alone. But God specializes in the impossible. A situation that seems impossible with human means is simply an OPPORTUNITY for God. Example. Miracle of the Bread. (Matthew 14:15) . ...”And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to [his] disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.”
3. If we want to have our prayers answered, we must be open to what God can do in impossible situations. And we must wait for Him to work in His way, in His time. Example: Abraham and Sarah.
(Genesis 21:1-2) “ And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.” Abraham did not know whither he went; but he knew WHOM he went.
4. What God promises, He delivers. And He delivers ON TIME! You can have complete confidence that God will keep His promises. It may not be the next day, but it will be at His PROPER TIME.- If you are waiting for God to answer some request or fill some need, remain patient. No matter how impossible God’s promises may seem, what He has said in His Word will come true at the RIGHT TIME.

Poem:
Waiting! Yes trustworthy waiting!
I know, though I’ve waited long,
That, while He withholds His purpose,
His waiting cannot be wrong.

5. Sometimes we become preoccupied with problems when we should be looking for OPPORTUNITIES.
Instead of focusing on the negatives, develop an attitude of expectancy. To say that God CANNOT rescue someone or that a situation is IMPOSSIBLE demonstrates a lack of faith.
6.PRAYER should be our FIRST RESPONSE in any CRISIS. Our PROBLEMS are God’s OPPORTUNITIES.
Example: Paul and Silas. (Acts 16:22)” And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
(Acts 16:31) “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
7. Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.- Faith is not necessary when we think we can do it ourselves. Faith comes along when we realize that we cannot do it on our own. Too often, we are in the habit of handling our problems to God and then taking them back to worry ourselves sick again.
God wants us to commit once and for all our impossible – to work – our burdens to Him. “It is not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”

The Heavenly Highway

“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.”

(Isaiah 35:8)

God is preparing a way for His people to travel to His home, and He will walk with us. ONLY the REDEEMED will travel God’s “HOLY HIGHWAY”.Man has made the magnificent highways of Modern Europe, and the tremendous turn-pikes and freeways of America and Australia.God has surpassed them all. Let us note the features of the Heavenly Highway God has prepared for His people

I – A HALLOWED WAY - “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it [shall be] for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isaiah 35:8). “It shall be called the way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it.” “The Holy Highway”, and no evil-hearted men may walk upon it.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:1-2).
“Ye shall be holy; for I am the Lord your God am holy.” It means – Israel’s fundamental calling was to be a “holy nation”. They were to be “SEPARATED FROM SIN” and to “CLING UNTO THE LORD.”
God will never do anything that is not holy and ultimately, He will not allow anything that is not holy to remain.
Application:
The God of Israel and the Christian church is HOLY – He sets the standard for morality. Our Holy God expects us to imitate Him by having high moral standards for ourselves. Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God. “Holiness” Hebrew word “Kidushin” it was used to describe something which was dedicated to God as HIS EXCLUSIVE and PECULIAR possession. Holiness means we are set aside for His SPECIAL PURPOSE, and set apart from sin and its influence.
We’re to be set apart and different, not blending in with the crowd, yet not being different just for the sake of being different. What makes us different are God’s qualities in our lives. Our focus and priorities must be His. God called us out of the mass of idolatrous world and sought to make us unique people, dedicated to serve Him and lead holy lives. To grow in HOLINESS is the pathway God wants us to follow. This is no easy task and requires strenuous efforts on our part, by God’s grace we can! I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13).


II – A HARMLESS WAY –“No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon...(Isaiah 35:9).Note the words: a)“Lion” 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: b) “Beast” Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Ours is a dangerous world. When we read....
- of drug addictions,
- of terrorist attacks,
- of tremors of earthquakes,
- of incurable diseases,
- of untimely deaths,
- of mysterious disappearances,
- of missile strikes,
- of gang rapes,
- of violent robberies,
- of financial failures,
- of business bankruptcies,
- of stock market fluctuations,
- of military invasions,
- Of racial hatred
- of social injustice,
- of national corruption,
- of political oppression,
- of weapons of mass destructions,
- of germ warfare
Praise God! Jesus is the way. We can follow Him safely. My Fathers’ house is safe and secure forever!

III – A HOME WAY –“ Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”(Isaiah 51:11). Every road is good if it leads us home – no matter how rough, steep or winding it may be. God’s Heavenly Highway will take the Christian to His heavenly home. There will be mountains to climb, valleys of sorrow to descend. We may grow tired and footsore, but the trials of the road will seem insignificant at our journey’s end.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us .” (Romans 8:18). “What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later”.
Question: In what way are you suffering? Are you suffering...
Physically?
Mentally?
Financially?
Spiritually?
All those sufferings are nothing compared to the Fathers’ House – your home in Heaven...
... It’s a home that is safe,
... It’s a home you can never lose,
... It’s a home of lasting value,
... It’s a home that’s been paid for,
... It’s a home filled with God’s family.

IV – A HAPPY WAY –“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. “(Isaiah 35:10). “They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
Happiness is often sought in the form of sinful pleasures and selfish possessions; but the happiness thus found is short lived and disappointing. “A man’s riches consist not in the amount of his wealth, but in the fewness of his wants”.
We can find true happiness only as we find God. We cannot enjoy ourselves in the highest sense unless we enjoy God. He is the source of real and lasting happiness. “Only the redeemed will travel God’s Holy Highway.” When we accept Christ as Saviour and Lord, we begin to travel the Heavenly Highway, which is God’s way to eternal life.