God's Wonderful Provision

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28-29)

• Some cities and countries are often seen busy preparing festivals to welcome the spring flowers.
   
• Flowers often remind us that summer is on the way and with it will come even more flowers to delight our eyes.
   
• Flowers are also wonderful reminders of the grace of God in our lives.
   
• Our Lord used the lilies of the field to remind us of the provision of our heavenly Father.
   
• In His great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field . . . ; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. . . . Will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matt. 6:28-30).
   
• Flowers alert us to the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
   
• They also remind us of the gracious God upon whom we can depend to provide food, clothing, and shelter.
   
• In trees and flowers of the field, in creatures large and small, we trace the watchful care of Him Who planned and made them all.
   
• If Jesus is concerned about flowers and birds, He certainly cares about us.
  
  

Pray For Our Loved Ones

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, (Matthew 5:44)

• Many of our brothers and sisters around the world suffer persecution.
   
• They live in danger every day simply because they love Jesus and want others to know Him too.
   
• But there is another form of persecution.
   
• It may not be life-threatening, but it is heartbreaking.
   
• It is the persecution from our non-Christian family members.
   
• When our loved ones ridicule our faith and mock us for what we believe and how we express our love for God, we feel rejected and unloved.
   
• “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
   
• And rejection will come from those we love too (Matt. 10:34-36).
   
• When the people we love reject the God we love, the rejection feels personal.
   
• Jesus told us to pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44).
   
• That includes more than strangers who hate us.
   
• God is able to give us grace to persevere through persecution, even from our love ones.
   
• They may mock our message.
   
• But they can’t stop our prayers for them.
   
• And we will pray earnestly for them.
  

All Who Are In The Graves Will Hear His Voice

John 5:24-30

The Lord Jesus now gives further teaching on His power to raise the dead and about His authority to judge the world.

He speaks in these verses of two resurrections:

• The bringing of dead sinners to spiritual life, and
• The resurrection of all mankind at His second coming.

When we are born again, we are brought out of a state of spiritual death into life. God freely forgives us our sins and we no longer fear judgment.

Spiritual life comes through hearing the voice of the Son of God through His Word.

The Lord Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live”.

Preaching is very important for us and must never be neglected in our churches or despised.

The Lord Jesus went on to speak of His second coming when He will come with a great shout and when all the dead will be raised.

“All who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

Everyone who has ever lived will hear His voice, even though they have returned to dust!

That voice brings forth life and this is a great miracle!

Lazarus, 4 days dead, heard Christ's voice and was raised!

For the Christian, Christ's coming will be glorious indeed!

We shall see our blessed Saviour.

We shall have new resurrection bodies that will never know pain, illness or death.

What a wonderful salvation!

Can we help but love and praise the Lord?

He Who Comes From Above Is Above All

John 3:25-36

John told his disciples concerning the Lord Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. He rejoiced that the multitudes were now following the King whose way he had prepared.

John said of Jesus, “He who comes from above is above all.” Again he said, “He who comes from heaven is above all”.

The Lord Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the holy Son of God who came down from Heaven. He is above the Herald who told the people of His coming.

John had an earthly origin. He was frail and sinful, though God did speak through him. The Lord Jesus, by contrast, is perfect and sinless.

The message that we must proclaim is that Christ is above all.

Christ is the only begotten Son of God. He is the brightness of His Father's glory; He is the express image of His Person.

Christ was in the beginning with God. And all things were made through Him.

He is above all because the Father loves Him and has given all things into His hand. He is above all because He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

The message of the love of God, who gave His beloved Son to die for sinners, is wonderful!

John testified about Jesus who came down from Heaven.

But most people rejected his testimony.

The vast majority today continue to reject Christ and they do so at their peril!

The chapter closes with a solemn warning about the wrath of God: He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Only the Lord Jesus is able to save sinners. Those who refuse to trust in Him have the wrath of God hanging over them. They are condemned and have no hope!

Whatever He Says to You, Do it

John 2:1-12

Nathaniel was from Cana in Galilee.

On the third day after he met the Lord Jesus, there was a wedding in his home town, which was about eight miles north of Nazareth. It was at this wedding that Jesus performed his first miracle. Jesus’ first miracle was at Cana!

Through this first miracle the Lord Jesus manifested His glory.

His disciples believed in Him. They began to understand that the Lord Jesus was no mere man or prophet that they were following, but the almighty Son of God!

Mary told the Lord Jesus that they had run out of wine.

Jesus responded by saying, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come”.

The Lord Jesus was not showing any disrespect to Mary in the manner of His response. The way He used the word “woman” was in a tender and loving manner.

The Lord Jesus used the expression 'My hour has not yet come' in relation to His death on the cross and His victory over death. His resurrection was the greatest of all His miracles.

The Lord Jesus never lost sight of the fact that He had come to earth to suffer and to die on the cross in order to save sinners.

Mary pointed people to her Son and said to the servants at the wedding, “Whatever He says to you, do it”.

Those servants obeyed the Lord Jesus and drew from the waterpots as He had instructed and found that a wonderful miracle had taken place. Blessing comes through obedience to His Word!

Is God challenging us as we read the Bible or through a sermon we have recently heard? — “Whatever he says to you, do it.”

The glory of the Lord Jesus was revealed to His disciples and to the wedding guests through this miracle. (n) They needed to see that the Son of Mary was no mere man, but also the Son of God.