Christmas Worship 2005 (Photos)

Matthew 2:1-12

2005 Christmas Study 3

BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP HIM

Matthew 2:1-12
Key verse 2:11
"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."

Last week we studied how the birth of Jesus came about. Virgin Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child. Joseph was shocked and decided to divorce her quietly. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Virgin Mary was with child not through a man but through the Holy Spirit. So Jesus is the Son of God. He came down to this world to save his people from their sins.
Sin is the deadliest disease. It destroys our relationship with God and others. It destroys our personalities. Finally it throws us into hell forever. But Jesus came to save his people from their sins. He will enable them to worship the true God. He will help them love one another. He will take them to his everlasting kingdom in heaven. What a great privilege to be Jesus' people to receive all these wonderful blessings!
Now who are Jesus' people? Are they only the Israelites? Look at verse 1. "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem." Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea which was Israel. In those days King Herod was ruling the country. He was cruel and fond of splendour. He built many magnificent buildings with massive stones. One day Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Magi are Wise Men. They were not interested in the latest technology or fashion. Instead they earnestly sought for the truth. They did not mind to take such a long journey from their country to Jerusalem if only they could find the truth. They were truth-seekers. And all truth-seekers are Jesus' people regardless their nationalities. Jesus came to save them from their sins.
Look at verse 2a. "and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" Currently King Herod was the King of the Jews that is the Israelites. But the Magi were searching for a new born king of the Jews. And they said, "We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 1400 years prior to Jesus' birth, a prophet said in the Bible, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel." (Numbers 24:17a) It was God's promise that one day the King of truth would rise out of Israel. And when he is born his star will shine in the sky. The Magi held fast to this promise of God in their hearts. Then they waited and waited for the star to appear. At last, the star of the King appeared in the sky. Following the star they came to Jerusalem to meet him and worship him. They expected that the whole country would be in festive mood at the birth of their new born king. But surprisingly the Israelites were not aware of the birth of the King of truth.
Look at verse 3. "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him." Herod felt his throne was threatened. All people in Jerusalem feared his cruel reaction.
Now begins Herod's search of the new born king. Look at verses 4 to 6. "When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" It took just few minutes for Herod to know the birthplace of the new born king. And he knew that the new born king was the Christ. The Christ means a Saviour sent by God. So it was clear to Herod that the new born king was not a political king but a spiritual king. Herod and all the people in his kingdom should go and worship the new born king because he came down to save them from their sins. And according to the prophecy in verse 6 the new born king will be the shepherd of his people Israel. In ancient kings ruled with swords and spears. And in our time they rule with military power and politics. But Jesus is the Shepherd King who rules his people with grace and truth.
Herod learned that Bethlehem was the birthplace of the new born king. But he was not sure where his house was. Look at verses 7 and 8. "Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.'" His plan was to kill the new born king secretly. He was afraid of loosing his throne and people's attention. He considered the one year old new born king as his political rival. Even though he was in the highest and richest place in the country his mind was always disturbed with fear and jealousy. This is the status of all men who are under the power of sin and death. But Jesus came to save us from the power of sin and death. When Jesus ruled the hearts of the Magi, they were not afraid to give up their comfortable life. They did not fear all the dangers they encountered on their way to the new born king. They rather enjoyed perfect peace in each step of their journey.
Look at verses 9 and 10. "After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." The star did not fail to guide the Magi to Jesus. God sent not only Jesus as our Saviour but also the star to guide us to him. The star that guides us to Jesus is the Bible. When we carefully follow the truth in the Bible we will surely meet Jesus. When the Magi saw the star stopping over the place where Jesus was, they were overjoyed. They could not control their joy. They had never been so joyful like this in their lives. At last their hard journey ended. At last Jesus the Saviour would take away all their sins. At last Jesus the King of truth would guide them into all truths. There would be no more wandering or suffering under the power of sin and death. Jesus the new born king would take them to his everlasting kingdom to be with him forever and ever. How then could they control their joy? So they were overjoyed.
Look at verse 11. "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." The house was very small and shabby. It could hardly accommodate five people standing. There was no decoration of Christmas tree and balloons. What they saw was a small child with his mother. The child was not wearing a crown or holding king's sceptre. He looked very simple and ordinary. On the contrary the Magi were the elegant and noble intellectuals from the east. They were wealthy and powerful men. But here we see them bowing down and worshiping baby Jesus. They also presented the best gifts to him.
How could they do this? It was because they knew who really Jesus was. Jesus is none other but God the Creator. He created the whole universe. Everything in heaven, on earth and under the earth belongs to him. But he left all his glory in heaven and came down to the earth as a baby. He wanted to be with sinners like us and save us from all our sins. When he grows up he will take all our sins upon himself and die on a cross. Then in three days he will rise to life to prove that he completely conquered the power of sin and death. Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. He will take all those who accept him to his everlasting kingdom to be with him forever. The Magi felt they were rather greatly privileged to bow down and worship Jesus. They also felt their gifts were so small compared to all the gifts Jesus brought to their lives. They accepted Jesus as their true God, true King and true Saviour. This was the Magi's Christmas.
Look at verse 12. "And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." They became good shepherds to their people guiding them to Jesus.
Today Jesus wants to be born in our hearts as our true God, true King and true Saviour. May God bless us to bow down and worship Jesus like the Magi!

Matthew 1:18-25

2005 Christmas Study 2

IMMANUEL JESUS

Matthew 1:18-25
Key verse 1:21
"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Last week we studied about the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Today we want to study how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

Look at verse 18. "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit." Mary was a virgin who was engaged to Joseph. But before their wedding, Mary was found to be with child. The Bible says it was through the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to be with child through the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. So it means God enabled Virgin Mary to be with child. The best answer is in the first chapter of Luke's gospel. An angel of the Lord said to Mary, "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:31,34,35) It is impossible for a virgin to be with child. But it is possible with God because he formed a human being even from the dust of the ground.
People in Nazareth believed that Mary was with child through Joseph. But the Bible tells us that she was with child not through Joseph or any other man but through the Spirit of God. It means Jesus is not the son of a man but the Son of God. Even now many people do not believe this truth because it is contrary to their human reasoning. But if Mary was with baby Jesus through Joseph or any other man, Jesus is a mere man who must die for his own sins. But Jesus was born of Mary through the Holy Spirit. So he became both God and Man. As God he is sinless and as Man he could take our sins upon himself and die on the cross. The author of this gospel is Matthew who was a tax collector by profession. He was a man of calculation. But he testified that Mary was with baby Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God Man. So he alone can be our Saviour.

Mary knew what was happening to her. But Joseph was not informed about the work of the Holy Spirit in her. Being a carpenter he was working hard to make a wardrobe, a dining table, a double bed and a cot for their happy marriage life. But one day he noticed Mary being with child. He couldn't work. He couldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He didn't want to live anymore. Mary was everything in his life. But he felt he was terribly betrayed by her. If he was an ordinary man, he could have exposed Mary to public disgrace so that she might be stoned to death.
But look at verse 19. "Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." The Bible acknowledges Joseph as a righteous man. What does it mean by a righteous man? A righteous man means a man who has right relationship with God. So a righteous man is different from a legalistic man. A legalistic man deals with every matter according to the law. He is very hard and merciless. But a righteous man deals with every matter according to the will of God. Joseph could not simply forgive Mary and take her home as his wife because the law of God commands an adulteress to be stoned to death. At the same time he could not expose her to public disgrace because he had mercy on her life. So he had in mind to divorce her quietly. He neither compromised with sin nor judged Mary. He humbly entrusted the matter in God's hand. Outwardly he was a mere village carpenter. But inwardly he had a royal character. He was a righteous man before God.

Look at verse 20. "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.'" Joseph must have been earnestly seeking God's will and guidance. Then God answered his prayer in a dream. The angel of the Lord called him, "Joseph son of David." According to verse 16, Joseph was the son of Jacob. But the angel reminded him that he was a descendant of King David. God had promised David that he would send a Saviour through his descendants. Now God was going to fulfil his promise through Joseph. The angel clarified all his doubts by saying, "Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." When Joseph saw Mary's pregnancy as a work of a man, he was so much disturbed. But now the angel helped him see the work of God in Mary, and everything became so clear.
Look at verse 21. "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." The name Jesus means "the Lord saves." Jesus came to this world to save his people. From what? From their sins. In this history of Israel there were many deliverers. Moses delivered the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. Gideon rescued the nation from the hands of the Midianites. Some kings saved the people of Israel from poverty. Some kings educated them and saved them from ignorance. Some famous physicians saved the people from deadly diseases. But none of them could save their people from their sins. In fact the rulers themselves died in their own sins. But now Jesus came to save his people from their sins. Sin is the deadliest disease. Sin does only one thing that is to remove the true God. Worship is good. But worship without the true God is idol worship. Love is good. But love without the true God is lust. Freedom is good. But freedom without the true God is self-indulgence. Helping the poor, studying hard, working hard and playing sports are all good. But without the true God in them they all become poisonous to our souls. We easily become proud or despair.
But Jesus came to save his people from their sins. What does it mean? It means Jesus will bring us back to the true God in all matters. He will guide us to worship the only true God. He will enable us to love even our enemies with the love of God. He will teach us to use our freedom for the glory of God. He will help us do anything and everything in the true God. Then we will taste heavenly joy and peace in every step of our lives. Some people are suffering from malnutrition, some from illiteracy, some from unemployment, some from low marks and some from family problem. But all people are suffering from their sins. And this suffering is most painful and dangerous. Someday everyone will die and has to face God's eternal judgment. Whoever does not solve his or her sin problem must be thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. Therefore the most urgent and fundamental mission is to save people from their sins. And Jesus came for the very mission. In Jesus our Saviour now we can live with God, live by God and live for God forever.

Look at verses 22 and 23. "All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel'—which means 'God with us'". Jesus' birth through a virgin was prophesied 700 years prior to his birth. According to the prophecy Jesus is Immanuel—which means "God with us." We have learned Jesus came to save us from our sins. How is he going to that? He will do that by being with us. He is God. So he could have shouted from heaven, "You sinners. Repent and come out of your sins or I will kill you." But he did not do that. Instead he came down to this world as a baby. He was born of Virgin Mary so that he might be with us until we are saved from our sins. The author Matthew was the most selfish man. He loved money more than his family, his friends and even his life. So no one wanted to be with him. But one day Jesus visited him and began to be with him. Jesus was with Matthew until he was saved from selfishness and changed into a man of sacrifice. When Jesus ascended into heaven he said to his disciples, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20a) It means surely Jesus is with us always, to the very end of the age. He will never leave us alone in our terrible sins. He was with us yesterday, is with us today and will be with us forever until we overcome all our sins and completely restore the very image of God. Jesus is God with us.
When Mary was found to be with child, Joseph might have doubted, "Is God with me?" When he saw his suffering people under the tyranny of the Romans, he might have questioned, "Is God with us?" But Immanuel Jesus is the answer from God. In our life of faith, we too raise the same question time and again. Especially when we see our sinful natures remain unchanged and evil world becoming worse, we ask the question. But God's answer is always same. "Look at Immanuel Jesus. I came down to be with you and save you from all your sins."

Look at verses 24 and 25. "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." This was Joseph's Christmas. How happy he was when he came to know Mary was innocent. But the greatest joy came from meeting Jesus as his Saviour and Immanuel. May God bless us to meet Jesus as our Saviour and Immanuel! He will save us from all our sins and bring us back to the true God forever.

Matthew 1:1-17

2005 Christmas Study 1

THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST

Matthew 1:1-17
Key verse 1:1
"A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Last week we studied about God's command to Abram to go to the land God would show him. For three weeks from today we are going to study about Jesus' birth. There is 1800 years gap between Abram and Jesus. Some of us may wander what happened during those long years. Today's passage bridges the gap.
Look at verse 1. "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham." This is the record of Jesus' family line. It begins with Abraham, flows through David and reaches to Jesus Christ. The passage can be divided into three parts.
Part 1, fourteen generations from Abraham to David.
Look at verse 2. "Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers." Here we see Abraham, his son, his grandson and his great grandsons. When called Abraham was a childless old man worshipping idols in Ur. But God had promised him, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Trusting the promise Abram made his journey to the Promised Land of God. Then God began to fulfil his promise one by one and step by step. Though Abraham was 100 years old and thus as good as dead, God granted him a son. His descendants increased greatly in number until they became a great nation. Abraham's descendants were not godly all the time. Many a time they became worse than unbelievers. However God never failed to continue Abraham's family line until Jesus Christ was born.
Look at verses 3 and 4. "Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon," From Judah to Salmon the descendants of Abraham had lived in Egypt for 430 years. They were multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. Once they were a small family. But now they became a nation named Israel. In terror the king of Egypt made the Israelites his slaves and oppressed them harshly. He even ordered all the newborn male children of Israel to be killed. The nation would have perished in Egypt if God did not come for their rescue. God sent his servant Moses and made a great Exodus. The whole nation of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land and marched to the Promised Land.
Look at verses 5 and 6a. "Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David." Salmon was one of the soldiers in the army of General Joshua. Once Israel was a slave nation in Egypt. But God changed it into the army of God to conquer the Promised Land. On every side they turned God granted them a great victory. Finally at the time of David, the kingdom of Israel became so powerful and glorious. The nation served the Lord God as their true King.
When we see the first part of Israel's history we are marvelled at God's great power. He established a great nation from a childless old man like Abraham. He formed a God-fearing nation from a slave nation in Egypt.
There is one more wonderful fact we must pay our attention. We see three women's names mentioned in the first part of Israel's history. They are Tamar, Rahab and Ruth. They were not Israelites but Gentiles. Tamar slept with his father in law Judah to have a son. Rahab was by trade a prostitute before being married to Salmon. Ruth silently went to Boaz at night and requested him to take her as his wife. How could such women be in the family line of Jesus, the Son of God? Why didn't the author of this gospel mention Sarah and Rebekah instead? Why did he rather emphasize the three women who seemed to be immoral and unqualified in human point of view? The author of this gospel is Matthew. He was by trade a tax-collector who was considered as a traitor. He sucked the blood of his nation to please the Roman invaders and himself. He was the last person to be saved. But Jesus saved him and made him his one of twelve disciples. By God's one-sided grace Matthew could be in the family of Jesus. Then he studied the history of Israel all again and found that the same grace was given to those three women. They were undeserving. But when they humbly repented of their sins and fully trusted in God, they were shown mercy to be in the family line of Jesus Christ. Here we see God's mercy extends not only to the Israelites but also to all nations. His mercy extends not only to morally good people but also to all kinds of sinners.

Part 2, fourteen generations from David to the exile to Babylon.
Look at verses 6b to 11. "David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon." This is the line of the kings of Israel until the nation was exiled to Babylon. If Indians respect King Ashoka most among all the kings of the nation, Israel respected King David most. He was a man after God's own heart. God gave him a victory wherever he went. King David ruled his nation with justice and righteousness. But Matthew did not mention such things. He could have simply said, "David was the father of Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba." But he omitted her name and introduced her as a woman who had been Uriah's wife. Uriah was David's one of the most faithful subjects. But he secretly slept with Uriah's wife and let her conceive. In order to hide his sin he killed Uriah. Then he took Bathsheba as his legal wife. But this was the most wicked sin before God. David received so much hard training because of his sin. However when he repented from the heart God forgave him. Here we learn that David could be in the family line of Jesus Christ not because of his great achievements but only because of God's grace. David's successors were not up to David's level in serving God and the nation. Most of them walked in the ways of sin. The Babylon exile exposes the serious sins of the nation as a whole. They became worse than the Gentiles. God should have given them up. But he didn't. He purified them in the land of their exile through many hardships and sufferings. The more they were tortured they more they began to long for their Saviour promised by God. Men always fail to keep their commitment but God never fails to keep his promise. He even uses our weaknesses to fulfil his promise. Jesus came not through the most holy nation but through the most wicked and sinful nation like Israel. Why? It is because he wants to save even the most hopeless nation. So he is the hope of all nations.

Part 3, fourteen generations from the exile to the Christ.
Look at verses 12 to 16. "After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." After Babylon exile Israel was again ruled by Persia, Greek, Syria and Rome. There was no word of God given to the nation between the exile to Christ. It is called silence period. Except Jeconiah, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Joseph and Mary, the names mentioned above are not known in the Bible. Eliakim, Zadok, Eleazar and Jacob are different persons of the same names. It seemed everything was forgotten and even cancelled. But even though people were not interested at all and they did not have a smallest room for God, God never stopped to complete his promise. At last he let his Son be born of Mary.
The genealogy of Jesus Christ could be possible only because of God's one-sided mercy upon sinners and his marvellous faithfulness to keep his promise. The same mercy and faithfulness are still available today. Whoever comes to God in repentance and faith, God will put him in the family line of Jesus Christ. Jesus will be born in us today when we confess our sins and have faith in him.

Genesis 12:1d

Genesis Study 87

GO TO THE LAND GOD WILL SHOW YOU

Genesis 12:1
Key verse 12:1d
"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.'"

Today's lecture will be the conclusion of Genesis 12:1 study. Last three weeks we studied why Abram must leave his country, his people and his father's household. Today we want to study where he should go. The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." God did not say to Abram, "Go to my country, my people and my household." Instead he said to him, "Go to the LAND I will show you." Why did God talk about the land? Suppose Abram left his country, his people and his father's household today but God did not provide him any land. What would happen to Abram? He would be a restless wanderer all the days of his life and his descendants would become gypsies. But God promised to show him the land to settle down. It means God had a great plan to establish Abram's country, Abram's people and Abram's household in the land. When Abram became a man of God, his country would be God's country, his people God's people and his household God's household. This was God's great vision. But for this vision to come true Abram must go to the land God would show him.
Here let us shortly think about the importance of land. Without land we cannot build a church or a school or a house or any offices. Without land we cannot cultivate any crops. Without land we cannot dig a well for water. In fact without land we have no where to stand. So land is the basis of our livelihood. Land value in a rapidly growing city like Bangalore is increasing day by day. Two kinds of shops are blooming in this city; one is cyber café and the other real estate. People are so eager to acquire their own land before it gets too late. They consult real estate agents and property magazines. They take bank loan to purchase a land to build their own houses. They build up their lives on the land they purchased. They hand it over to their children. Buying a land is different from buying a scooter. The land they buy will be their permanent life base. So they try their best to choose the most suitable land. Now let us go back to today's passage.
The land God was going to show Abram was the land of Canaan. But how was the land? Was the land far better than the land of Ur and Haran? Idol worshipping was more prevalent in Canaan. While worshipping their idols some people sacrificed their firstborn children in fire. Some cities in Canaan like Sodom and Gomorrah were well known for their homo sexuality. They were far more corrupt than Ur and Haran that God had to destroy the cities with fire from heaven. Was Canaan at least better than Ur and Haran for farming? Not at all. Ur and Haran had the Euphrates—the giant and never drying river. But Canaan had the Jordan which often dried up. Severe famine frequently occurred in the land. Was the land at least more peaceful than Abram's original country? No. There were at least five kings in Canaan in Abram's time. It means there were more than five countries in such a small land. Wars and conflicts, fights and terrorist attacks took place almost everyday. If there was law in the land it was the law power. The strong ruled the weak mercilessly. It was a common practice in the land to take others' wives by force. We need to remember Abram's wife was extremely beautiful.
Some people may think that the land God would show Abram must be like heaven where there is no sin, no conflict, no disaster but every good thing is available in abundance. But the land God would show Abram was just opposite. After believing in the God of the Bible, we expect a heaven like land. But what do we practically receive? We receive mockery from our friends, rebuke from our parents, fear and anxiety within ourselves. Had Abram known what kind of land God was going to show him do you think he could gladly begin his journey to the land? Why then did God choose such land to give to Abram who sacrificed his country, his people and even his father's household in obedience to God? Shouldn't God prepare a better land for him? In human point of view it was much worse than Ur and Haran. But in spiritual point of view the land was the best one for Abram to grow as a man of faith. Now let us see the land from God's point of view.
If a severe famine occurred, Abram's all cattle and flock would die. If a strong nation invaded his household they would be dead. If a strong man snatched his wife Abram would not be able to rescue her. If idol worshippers in the land strongly forced him to attend their idol worship, Abram would have no option but to compromise with them. Both spiritually and physically Abram could not survive in the land even one day. So he could not but depend on God in each moment. He relied on God for his protection and provision everyday. In each step of his life Abram could not but hold on to the word of God as the matter of life and death. Through this he could practically experience God's power, God's love and God's faithfulness. The land God would show Abram was not a place like a five star hotel. Rather it was like a battle field where you see bullets firing, bombs blasting and worst enemies dashing towards you. God put Abram in the land where every kind of hardships and dangers were expected. But there Abram would be moulded as a good soldier of God. So there was no better land than Canaan for Abram's spiritual growth.
Some people are willing to start their journey to the promised land of God with their own expectations. But when they sense upcoming dangers and hardships they slowly give up their pilgrimage and go back to their country, their people and their fathers' households. But here we must learn that the land God is going to show us is not a tourist place but a battle field. It was impossible for Abram to survive in the land of Canaan. But when he reached there by faith, God guided him step by step. Not even one hair of Abram's head was harmed. God protected his wife from the kings of the land. God blessed Abram with great wealth. God granted him a son even at the age of hundred. Most of all God grew Abram to be a man of absolute faith and obedience. In the land Abram met God as his Everlasting God. Then God gave him eternal life and the eternal kingdom as his inheritance. God raised him as a source of blessing for all people on earth. The land God showed him was the most dangerous battle field. But there God blessed Abram to be the most victorious and glorious soldier of God.
When God called Abram to go to the land he did not know anything about all these things. In fact he did not know where the land was. How then could he decide to go there? Hebrews 11:8 says, "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Abram did not know where he was going. But he obeyed and went only by faith in God's word. Even after reaching the Promised Land it was very hard for him to stay and survive there. Then God granted him his word in every moment and Abram held fast to it. Therefore the land Abram practically stood on was not simply the land of Canaan but the land of God's word. He stood firm on the promises of God and built his life on them.
Whatever it may be on which we are trying to build our lives is our land. It may be our job career or academic career or human relationship with many people or outer beauty. But all these lands will never last long. As an earthquake destroys everything on earth, someday God's judgment will destroy everything built on such land. But whoever builds his life on the promise of God will be prosperous not only on the earth but also in heaven forever. And God will surely bless him and make him a blessing for all people on the earth. I eagerly pray that we all may go to the land of God's word and build our lives on it.