GraceUnlimited

Wisdom is the key to a godly and productive life. Solomon, whose net worth would dwarf the rich men of the modern world, claims that wisdom is worth more than wealth. Knowing how to get it is therefore critical. Our greatest obstacle to developing wisdom is that we are fools, and we love it. Gratefully, God gives wisdom by grace. God does however give wisdom in relationship with your own pursuit of it. Five requirements are, -1- you must want it like a treasure, -2- you must listen to the word of God intentionally, -3- you must regularly call out to God for help to obtain it, -4- you must search for it fervently, -5- you must obey God's commands. As you engage in this pursuit, God will give you the wisdom you need, as He has promised.

Did Jesus come to start a creche or did He come to inaugurate a kingdom- If we focus of the kingdom, but don't see the children, we have missed what is important to God. The disciples rebuke the children, whom they see as interrupting the big moment of the kingdom. In the disciples' minds, they will probably soon be overthrowing Rome with Jesus their champion. And these children are simply not important enough to take up Jesus' time. This is, however, a big thing to Jesus.. It is recorded in all of the gospels. He notices the children and wants them to have access to Him- God Incarnate- Even though He is on His way to fulfil all of the prophecies about His suffering and death. We hinder children by ignoring them too. When we do nothing about bringing them to Jesus, we hinder them by not taking their spiritual concerns seriously. For Jesus, taking time to love children is a theological issue. The kingdom belongs to those whom God unexpectedly elevates by His grace. it is going to be people like the crying babies, to whom God will give the kingdom. People who are not respected in this world, but massively important to God. A danger here is to say more than Jesus is saying. Children are not born innocent. No. This conclusion would rob Jesus' teaching of its logic. Jesus receives those who have nothing to offer Him. People who are dependent. Takers, not givers. Does this characterise your understanding of your position before Jesus- Does this characterise your understanding of Children-

You will not understand the beauty of salvation until you understand your need for it. Jesus tells a parable about a man who had a remarkable track record for keeping God's law. He was a Pharisee. he prays with gratitude and he highlights the good he does. In contrast, a lowlife man stands next to him with nothing to say to God except to plead for mercy. he is a tax collector. They both pray. Jesus declares the tax collector justified, rather than the Pharisee. At face value, this should be shocking. And this is shocking because it assaults our religious sensitivities. The tax collector's perception of his need is evidence of the gracious work of God in his heart. It should be clear that the Pharisee is not loving his neighbour- rather he is looking down on him. Imagine a criminal convicted in court for breaking a law. Yet he argues that he does obey his own personal law, therefore the law of the land doesn't apply to him. This is what the Pharisee is doing. The only difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector is their understanding of the basis of their standing before God. The beauty of the beggarly heart is that it comes from God.

Two valuable truths regarding Jesus' return- We should expect a delay. We should be concerned about overemphasizing Jesus' return to the point where it leads us into error. The problem today, however, is that the world is sleeping. Many Christians are sleeping too. Many are not actively anticipating Jesus' return. One enemy to anticipation is falling in love with the world, but also to embrace Jesus in anticipation. The pain around us and in our lives should drive us to long for Jesus' return. Jesus tells story that helps us to understand this. An unjust judge lived in a city. He was unlike God. he doesn't care about or respect people. The pitiful plight of the widow and his wicked response shows his attitude. But motivated by her irritating persistence, he is compelled to give her justice. he is reluctant. but the point is that he gives the persistent widow justice. So even if an unjust judge does that, how much more will the loving and just God answer our prayers when we are persistent. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you care about sin and suffering more than God does. For god, this is personal. Saul was persecuting Jesus by persecuting His people. Jesus will return quickly. It may not feel that way to people in pain, but as we look back from eternal bliss, it will.

The dread of facing a magistrate when you are guilty, doesn't seem to last when you are free. This seems to be the case when people think about the coming judgement of Christ. No dread. No concern. No change in life. Even in a lesser tragedy, people can understand the sense of urgency. For example, if a person is sleeping in his bed when his house catches on fire. That would put people into a panic. but not the judgement of Christ and the consequence of hell. Even lot's wife longed to go back to Sodom, even as judgement fell upon it from God. You need to see this reality and take action- Does the honour of Jesus mean more to you than breathing- Do you flee the love of possessions- If Jesus truly is at the centre of your desires, you will take action-

So when is the kingdom actually going to come- Maybe you are even wondering whether Jesus will every come back at all. Are you like the small child whose mom comes late to pick him up from school every day, and he cries every day because he thinks his mom may not return. There is a delay, but God is eternal. So to Him, the delay is certainly not long at all. And when Jesus does return, it will be a sudden and glorious return. The day of the Lord will start with judgement and fire. It is the most prophesied-about event in the whole Bible. His glorious and terrifying coming will be followed by a glorious reign- he will come. It will be obvious to everyone. But for this to happen, Jesus must first suffer and die. Therefore, since Jesus has indeed suffered and died, risen and ascended, we know that His kingdom will come- Soon- The warning is that many people, astoundingly, will not be ready for Jesus' glorious return. Like those who were too busy to notice Noah preaching and building an ark for 120 years. Are you longing for His return- Will He find you ready-

How can Jesus say that no signs will precede the coming of the kingdom, yet later, He says that signs will occur- He denies the Pharisees the signs because they are objecting to His identity claims. They want a sign, but they are not acknowledging Christ. They want the kingdom without the King. So, regardless of when the kingdom comes, if they don't received Jesus, the King, they will have no part in the kingdom. They will lose it completely. They were missing the very moment when God comes to them. Why would they be doing that- Firstly, they didn't like who Jesus claimed to be. Secondly, they didn't like who Jesus said they were. And thirdly, they couldn't conceive of the greatness of Jesus' salvation. Hypocrisy was the killer for them. The desire to look good is front of people is enough to cause you to miss Jesus. Their hypocrisy eventually led to them crucifying their King. How far into sin has your hypocrisy led you- How much have you objected to who Jesus says you are- How much have you lost by not seeing the greatness of Christ's salvation-

Throughout God's glorious creation and the mess man has made of it, God has committed Himself to His people through His covenants. He commits Himself to Noah, Abraham, and Moses. His people were to image God among the nations. As Adam was God's man in Eden, so also Israel is God's people in Numbers. As Adam failed and was expelled, so also Israel fails to even enter the promised land. After their deaths in the desert, God sends their children into the promised land, where they fail again. Another spectacular failure is when Israel asks for a king so that they can be just like the other nations. This is in the face of God's deliberate efforts to make it clear to them that they, out of all of the nations, were different. Yet even then, God again covenants Himself to David. Then, a long string of godless kings ensues in Israel, finally bringing the exile upon them. Yet, as we have seen before, God is not yet finished with His people. Messiah must come.