6 Lessons on Righteous People that I Learned from Luke 1:5-25 (Short Bible Study)

Open your Bible to Luke 1:5-25 (NIV),

"In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

6 Lessons that I Learned:

#1 Righteous People Is Not Perfect People

#2 Righteous People Serve God with Joy and Respect

#3 God hears the Prayer(s) of Righteous People

#4 Righteous People Let Got Raise their Children to Be Godly

#5 Even Righteous People have Doubts (Too)

#6 God will Reward His Righteous People

Haven’t watched Episode #1? CLICK HERE: https://youtu.be/PVorOCQqOVM

Blog: www.richardangelus.me

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Young Men, Consider the Returning Jesus

“I will come back” (John 14:3, NIV)

The return of Christ to earth is the denouement toward which the Church has been looking for centuries. “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11) and so is the second coming of our Lord. It is not only the object of our anticipation, but of admonition to very practical Christian duties. A careful study will reveal that this event is linked to every great doctrine and ethical duty.

It sounds a call to consecration (means the separation of oneself from things that are unclean, especially anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with a perfect God). “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed” (Revelation 16:15). We are to be careful in keeping our garments of the soul stainless. Are we as careful in this realm as we are of the garments we wear? When others see our garments, they see us. We are to “clothed with Christ” (Galatians 3:27 or “put on”) so that others will see Him when they see us. In these Laodicea days our Lord counsels us to “buy from me… white clothes to wear…” (Revelation 3:18).

His return carries with it the assurance of reward. “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me” (Revelation 22:12). There is a tendency to regard the reward motive as a commercializing of Christianity, but it played a prominent part in the thinking of the early Church. Paul frequently refers to it, as did his Master. Some Christians piously protest that they will be content with the lowest place in heaven, but this is false humility and could be a cloak of spiritual lethargy. “Run in such a way as to get the prize,” that is, the promised reward (1 Corinthians 9:24). It any case, rewards are not given. They are earned. Heavenly rewards are for earthly renunciations.

The second coming is an encouragement to continuance. “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11). In Hebrews 2:1 we are exhorted not to drift away from the truth we have heard. The ascended Lord urges us to hold fast what we already have, lest our reward be taken by someone else. His imminent return provides the motive for this. There may still be years before this blessed hope is realized. Let us fill the days with sacrificial service. Spiritual idleness/laziness means eternal loss.

[Edited, modified and modernized from Consider Him (1976) by J. Oswald Sanders]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Evidence of Jesus' Resurrection #2: The Lives of the Disciples

Peter and John, both were former fisherman now become preachers of Good News.

“We must obey God rather than men”

(Peter boldly said to the Sanhedrin council, Acts 5:29, ESV).

Among the most convincing proofs of the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection was the change in the lives of the disciples. They changed from being scared and scattered followers to being confident and courageous evangelists who did not fear for their lives. In fact, all of them but one (Judas Iscariot) died gruesome deaths as martyrs because of their testimony that Christ rose from the dead. Peter, the disciple who denied Jesus during his trial just before his execution, clearly attests, “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again. We have seen his majestic splendour [emphasis added] with our own eyes” (2 Peter 1:16). What splendour was Peter taking about? The resurrected Christ!

Who were these disciples? Were they extraordinary people who were prepared from childhood to represent Jesus? Jerry Rose, former president of the National Religious Broadcasters, says, “As individuals, they were completely unremarkable, middle class at best. They came from all walks of life – fishermen, a tax collector, even a militant rebel. But drawn together by the Messiah himself, this unlikely band of brothers would change the world.”

After Christ’s Crucifixion, this band of followers scattered, cowering behind locked doors, in fear for their own lives. What changed them? A miracle beyond what they could ever dream – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. From those early days on, they became a powerful force that spread the news of this miraculous event that changed the world in one generation.

But no one was in the tomb during the Resurrection. How could the disciples be sure that it actually happened? Because Jesus physically appeared to them numerous times after the Resurrection. John tells of the first appearance in his Gospel: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord’” (John 20:19-20).

But one disciple was not present – Thomas. When he heard of the experience the other disciples had with Jesus, he doubted that it was true. We can feel sympathetic toward Thomas. He was filled with grief; he thought he would never see Jesus again. All his hopes for the future had been dashed. Although Thomas has the reputation as the doubting disciple, none of Jesus’ followers believed in the Resurrection until they saw the proof for themselves – his presence among them.

The apostle John writes about what happened when Jesus appeared to Thomas: “Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.’ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:24-28).

One of the most amazing facts of the transformation of the disciples is that they had no reason to claim that Jesus had been raised from the dead. When jurors sit on a case in a court trial, one of the questions they ask about the testimony of the witnesses is: “What does this person have to gain by giving this testimony?” For some, it could be that the testimony will lead to financial gain or status. That puts their testimony into question.

But the disciples had nothing to gain by attesting to the Resurrection – not wealth, political gain or prestige. They weren’t going to get a retirement fund set up in their names or a villa at a Roman resort. The apostles received no benefits outside their reward in the eternity. In fact, they were persecuted and executed for their faith. But they were so convinced that Jesus rose from the dead and was alive that they endured beatings, stoning, ridicule, loss of family, and horrific deaths. There is no doubt that they valiantly claimed to have seen him alive with their own eyes.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) David W. Balsiger and Michael Minor, The Case for Christ’s Resurrection (Orlando, Florida: Bridge-Logos, 2007), p. 8-10.

2) Twelve Ordinary Men, DVD, David W. Balsiger, senior producer, Grizzly Adams Productions, Inc. 2005. 

Jesus is Worth Losing Everything For.

In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells his disciples, “The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

I love this picture. Imagine walking in a field and stumbling upon a treasure that is more valuable than anything else you could work for or find in this life. It is more valuable than all you have now or will ever have in the future. You look around and notice that no one else realises the treasure is here, so you cover it up quickly and walk away, pretending you haven’t seen anything. You go into town and begin to sell off all your possessions to have enough money to buy that field. The world thinks you’re crazy.

“What are you thinking?” your friends and family ask you.

You tell them, “I’m buying that field over there.”

They look at you in disbelief. “That’s foolish,” they say. “Why are you giving away everything you have to buy that field?”

You respond, “I have a hunch,” and you smile to yourself as you walk away. You smile because you know that in the end any risk that others perceive is nothing compared to the reward you will receive. So with joy – with joy! – you sell it all. Why? Because you have found something worth losing everything else for.

This is the picture of Jesus in the gospel. He is something – someone – worth losing everything for. When we really believe this, then risking everything we are and everything we have, to know and obey Christ is no longer a matter of sacrifice. It’s just common sense. To let go of the pursuits, possessions, pleasures, safety, and security of this world in order to follow Jesus wherever he leads, not matter what it costs, is not sacrificial as much as it is smart. In the words of Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

[Taken from David Platt forward for John Piper’s Risk is Right: Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It (Crossway: Wheaton, Illinois, 2013) page 9-10.]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Christmas: What Christ Done for Us and What We Done for Christ Matters

“There is a blessed kind of giving, which,

though it makes the purse lighter, makes the crown heavier” (Thomas Watson)

Good movie to watch on Christmas Eve. The film Schindler’s List chronicled the heroic efforts of a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler. Through his unselfish activities, over a thousand Jews on the trains to Auschwitz were saved. Although the film, even on television, has some very graphic and disturbing scenes, the message itself is profound.

After Schindler found out what was happening at Auschwitz (one of German Nazi’s concentration camps), he began a systematic effort to save as many Jews as he could. For money, he would buy Jews to work in his factory which was supposed to be a part of the military machine of Germany. On one hand he was buying as many Jews as he could, and on the other hand he was deliberately sabotaging the ammunition produced in his factory. He entered the war a wealthy industrialist; by the end of the war, he was basically bankrupt.

When the Germans surrendered, Schindler met with his workers and declared that at midnight they were all free to go. The most emotional scene of the film was when Schindler said good-bye to the financial manager of the plant, a Jew and his good and trusted friend. As he embraced his friend, Schindler sobbed and said, “I could have done more.” He looked at his automobile and asked, “Why did I save this? I could have bought 10 Jews with this.” Taking another small possession he cried, “This would have saved another one. Why didn’t I do more?”

Friends, one day Jesus is going to split the eastern sky and come for his own. It will not matter then how much money we have in mutual fund or how many bedrooms we have in our homes. The temporary satisfaction we have in vacations and nice cars will be gone. Only what we have done for the cause of Christ will matter. “Only what’s done for Christ, will last.” This is the message of Christmas I learned strongly this year. Give. Give. Give.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Every Christian a Missionary

“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT)

“If God wills the evangelization of the world, and you refuse to support missions, then you are opposed to the will of God” (Oswald J. Smith)

“You must go or send a substitute” (Oswald J. Smith)

Suppose a child should fall into a well, who would get the reward for the child’s rescue, the one who held the rope and lowered the other to the bottom, or both? God says they will share alike. The one who stands at the top and makes it possible for the other to go down into the well in order that the child might be rescued is just as much entitled to the reward as the one who goes down. You may not be able to go down; you may never see the foreign field, but you can hold the rope. You can make it possible for someone else to go. You can send a substitute; and if you do, if you give your money, your reward will be just as great as the reward of those who actually go.

Everyone must be in the bucket brigade. You may not be the one who throws the water on the fire at the end of the line; you may be somewhere in the center passing the bucket. Or you may be dipping up the water. The question is, are you in the line? Do you belong to the bucket brigade? Are you doing something? Or are you merely a spectator? Our motto must be: “Every Christian a Missionary”!

“God had an only Son and He made Him a missionary” (David Livingstone)

How about you? Will you go or send someone as your substitute?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Serve God Diligently (and Expect Rewards)

“The person who can distinguish between being tired
and being lazy will go far” (Unknown)

In his book The Normal Christian Worker, the Chinese teacher Watchman Nee listed the character qualities needed for effective Christian service. Chapter one is devoted to ‘Diligence’. Noting that our Lord criticized the man in his parable in Matthew 25:24-30 as being both “wicked” and “lazy”, Nee warns his readers about laziness, saying:

“Look at the apostles. How diligent they were! Think of the colossal amount of work Paul accomplished in a life-time. See him travelling from place to place, preaching the gospel wherever he goes, or reasoning intently with individuals; even when he is put in prison he is still buying up opportunities – preaching to all who come in contact with him and writing to those from whom he has been cut off. Read what he writes to Timothy from prison: ‘Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.’ Imprisonment might restrict Paul’s outward movements, but it could not limit the effectiveness of his ministry. What spiritual wealth he ministered through his prison epistles! There was not a shred of laziness about Paul; he was always taking time by the forelock.”

[Quote from Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Worker (Hong Kong: Church Book Room, 1968), 12]

Read Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25:24-30, you’ll discover that those who ‘invest’ and ‘earned’ and ‘went to work’ (v.16-17) were said by their master as: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”(NLT) What rewards for those who work in Christian service and for those who are faithful, diligent and hardworking – an honorable compliment from the Master: “My good and faithful servant”! Wow! But for those who are “wicked” and “lazy”, the master said: “Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v.30) No…

Always be diligent in Christian service and expect God to reward you

But be ashamed if you find yourself lazy – God may throw you away

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Nota Khas bagi orang Kristian yang Sedang Mengalami Penderitaan dan Kesusahan Hidup

 “Kita tahu bahawa penderitaan menghasilkan ketekunan.
Ketekunan menyebabkan kita diperkenankan oleh Allah.
Oleh itu kita mempunyai harapan” (Roma 5:3-4).

Apa yang kelihatan [kesusahan] hanya tahan sementara,
tetapi apa yang tidak kelihatan itu [kemuliaan] kekal selama-lamanya” (2 Korintus 4:18).

Di dalam masyarakat sekarang, dimana keinginan untuk menjadi senang dalam sekelip mata dan keinginan untuk hidup gembira senantiasa adalah beberapa faktor utama yang penghalang kita untuk memahami maksud tersirat di dalam penderitaan atau kesusahan yang kita alami di dalam kehidupan ini. Malah, kita sanggup membuat apa sahaja untuk mengelak semua itu. Namun begitu, bagi orang Kristian khususnya, penderitaan yang kita alami di dalam hidup ini ialah cubaan yang terpenting bagi kita untuk menguatkan iman kita dalam Yesus Kristus dan untuk kita bertumbuh secara rohani melalui pengharapan kita kepada-Nya.

Tiada seorang pun di dunia ini yang suka akan penderitaan, pencubaan dan kesusuhan kerana semua ini akan mencabar kita secara fisikal, mental, emosi dan rohani. Namun, bagi orang yang pernah melalui semua ini dengan iman yang teguh dan harapan yang bersandarkan kepada kekuatan Tuhan Allah – mereka ‘keluar’ dari cabaran-cabaran ini menjadi lebih kuat iman dan lebih bijaksana. Adakah kamu pernah mengalami perubahan seperti ini? Jika pernah, kamu pasti tahu apa yang saya cuba maksudkan di sini.

Sebelum saya pandai bermain bola sepak sewaktu remaja dahulu, saya pernah jatuh terseliuh dan tangan saya retak kerana berlanggar dengan tiang gol (ketawalah). Sebelum saya pandai bermain gitar, jari-jari saya menjadi bengkak kerana terlampau lama belajar menekan kod-kod gitar (senyumlah). Sebelum saya lulus memandu kereta, saya selalu melanggar tiang-tiang semasa latihan meletak kereta dan tergelungsur ke belakang semasa latihan naik bukit (Wah, wah, wah, kamu tidak pernah ka?). Semua contoh-contoh ini boleh juga kita samakan dengan kehidupan rohani kita.

Kita tidak mungkin boleh menjadi seorang Kristian yang teguh iman dan penuh berharap dengan Tuhan Allah sekiranya kita tidak pernah mengalami kesusahan dan percubaan hidup. Tidak dinafikan bahawa Tuhan Yesus tidak senang melihat kita sengsara, namun begitu kadang-kadang Dia akan membenarkan kesengsaraan dan penderitaan terjadi di dalam kehidupan kita supaya iman kita diteguhkan, peribadi kita dikuatkan, dan harapan kita kepada-Nya akan menjadi semakin nyata di dalam hidup kita.

Melalui penderitaan, Tuhan Allah mahukan kita supaya mengalihkan pandangan kita kepada-Nya. Dia mengingini supaya kita bergantung harap kepada-Nya dan mempercayai setiap janji-janji-Nya di dalam Firman-Nya yang Hidup, Al-Kitab. Kita harus mengalami kasih-Nya di dalam penderitaan dan memahami kasih-Nya melalui pengalaman peribadi kita. Ini janji-Nya di dalam 1 Petrus 5:10, “[Tetapi] setelah kamu menanggung penderitaan untuk sementara waktu, Allah sendiri akan menyempurnakan kamu. Dia akan menegakkan, menguatkan, dan mengukuhkan kamu, kerana Dia Allah yang sangat baik hati dan yang sudah memanggil kamu untuk turut menikmati kemuliaan-Nya yang kekal, kerana kamu hidup bersatu dengan Kristus”.

“Dialah yang berkuasa selama-lamanya! Amin” (1 Petrus 5:11).

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Rewards for Generosity of Heart

“If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers,
you will surely be rewarded.” (Matthew 10:42NLT)

Even if you don’t have much materially (like I am) to offer, you still have other resources available to you. For example; your time, your talents, your skills, your thoughts, your friendship, your care, your testimony, your faith, your prayer, your muscles, your encouraging words etc. – all these you can give generously without having much material stuffs. Hey, even if you feel that what you have to offer is as small as ‘a cup of cold water’ (represent small acts of kindness); do not be discourage. Don’t compare your gifts with others. Don’t even think of it because if you do, your motive of giving would be out of ‘reluctant’ and ‘in respond to pressure’ (see 2 Corinthians 9:7).

Brothers and sisters, my generous friends; have faith that God, the Owner of All Things, would multiply your gifts as you gives to others who are in need. With a little bit of yours and some other generous fellows whom also contribute a little bit, soon it will multiply in blessings. Malay proverb says, “Sikit-sikit lama-lama jadi bukit” (please go Google this proverb if you don’t understand Malaysian language). Therefore, regardless of what you give – do it sincerely, joyfully, generously in the light of your love for God (or because of God’s love for you).

As you give to others without string attached, you’ll discover that the benefits of giving are far greater than receiving. You’ll learn that your joy quench explosively as you bring joy to others in need. You’ll understand that by giving to those in need, ‘even a cup of cold water’ to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, you will surely be rewarded. I’m not sure what kind of rewards is Jesus talking about, but one thing for sure; since it is a promise of God, and God can’t lie – there are rewards for you from God. Wow!

Now THINK BIG.

START SMALL okay?!

GO DEEP Activate your faith-life – GIVE!