In our sermon this morning, Martin Luther was mentioned. Now before Martin Luther was converted, he was an Augustinian monk. He was practicing Roman Catholicism and he wrote so many letters to his fellow priests. One priest that he wrote to whose name was John Lange. Sabi nya doon sa kanyang letter that they were experiencing poverty, and yet, Martin Luther together with his fellow priests, they were supporting 22 more priests and they were supporting 42 more youths. Okay, and at the same time, nung mga time na iyon ay mayroon pa silang naeexperience na bubonic plague. So, sinabi nya ang mga problems na iyon. Sinulat nya kay John Lange, and then sabi niya dun sa bandang huli.. BUT the Lord will provide. Now it may have come from an unconverted Martin Luther, yung phrase na iyon, but it would be familiar to you as we will read that, or, you have read a part of that it in Genesis chapter 22 where we have Abraham who was tasked to sacrifice his son, Isaac, for the Lord, and yet it was the Lord who has provided. And so Abraham has called that place “The Lord will provide” or in other terms, JEHOVAH-JIREH.
Turn with me to Genesis chapter 22, and we will read verses 9 to 14..When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
And so, the ultimate test of faith has come and Abraham had one assurance that gave him true strength, ‘no, to accomplish, ‘no, in a sense, yung pinapagawa as kanya ng Panginoon.He’s so assured, he’s so confident to do it because he knows that his God is able to provide; that he has a God who provides. God has provided Abraham a son – Isaac – which was promised 25 plus years ago, so he really know na nag- poprovide talaga ang kanyang Panginoon. Hindi lang iyon. God also provided for him a land, the land of Canaan. So again, he knew and he was confident that God, sinabi pa nya that God would even raise Isaac, ‘no. Marahil ma-slaughter pa nya ang kanyang anak, but at the end of the day, he knew that God will still accomplish His purpose, mabubuhay pa rin ang anak nya and He will resurrect Isaac, in fact, after resurrection, God will still provide a lamb for an actual burnt offering. Mataas ang kumpiyansa ni Abraham sa kanyang Panginoon. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as we know, God intervened, pinigil sya ng Panginoon. Instead, ang Diyos mismo, tama ang sinabi ni Abraham na mag-poprovide ang kanyang Panginoon. Ginawa nga ng Panginoon iyon. He provided a ram na stuck dun sa thicket sa horns nya at yun ang ginamit nya for a burnt offering as sacrifice for the Lord.
And so, because of this, pinangalanan ni Abraham yung lugar sa Moraiah; pinangalanan nyang – The LORD will provide. Again, in other terminology, ito yung tinatawag na Jehovah Jireh. Jireh ang letra, pero “jirah” Jehovah Jireh. Okay.. In the original language, actually kung titignan nyo pa sa Hebrew, yung original nito, ang ibig sabihin nito that – The LORD will see to it. The Lord will see to it ang ibig sabihin nung The Lord will provide. Yun ang ibig sabihin ng Jehovah Jireh, The Lord will see to it.. meaning, He will be making sure. He will really give it. He will really provide. Yan ang ibig sabihin.. He will really do it. He will see to it, yan ang ibig sabihin. Now, this adds to how Abraham was so encouraged, how he was so confident that no matter what happens, God will see to it. The Lord will provide. God will provide a real burnt offering. SInabi ng Panginoon ito na maraming mga descendants na manggagaling sa kanya, the Lord will see to it. He will provide. Jehovah Jireh.
Now, what do we see here? We see specifically God’s faithfulness, yung faithfulness ng ating Panginoon by providing for Abraham. And this is again, the great source of confidence para kay Abraham. This tells us why he was so convinced that God would resurrect Isaac, that God will even provide another ram or another sheep lamb para sa sacrifice. So if Abraham was this confident, we too should feel the same. Kung siya ay so encouraged by the faithfulness of God sa pag-provide ng Panginoon, dapat tayo rin. We also must have such faith. Such encouragement and confidence knowing na unchanging ang ating Panginoon. If he was a provider back in Abraham, He’s still a provider now. Nagpo-provide pa rin Siya. And that is my message this afternoon.
Our great encouragement in this life is that God is the Provider. He’s not just “a” provider, He is “the” provider.
Ang nagpapatibay ng ating loob sa buhay na ito ay walang iba kundi ang Diyos ang talagang ating TagapagBigay. Siya ang provider natin.
So sa passage natin, we can see two things. Dalawa ang makikita natin. Una, The Great Provider, and secondly, The Great Provision.
Let’s consider the first point..
The Great Provider
Abraham, again, was asked to offer his son Isaac to be a burnt offering. Now, alam ni Abraham, alam niya kung ano ang burnt offering. In fact, gumamit ng lenggwahe dito si Moses. Ang audience nya, ang recipient ng letter ni Moses, ng sulat nya, ng ginawa nyang story, Genesis story narrativeay walang iba kundi mga Israelites. So alam nila yung burnt offering. Nung ginamit ni Moses yung salitang “burnt offering” sa Genesis chapter 22, ang understanding ng mga Israelites: “ah, okay, magsasacrifice si Abraham para sa Panginoon.” And hindi lang ito basta- bastang sakripisyo. Ang sacrifice na ito ay para sa atonement ng kanyang kasalanan. Iyon ang ibig sabihin ng burnt offering. Okay, para sya’y tanggapin ng Panginoon. Hindi siya makatanggap ng sanction ng curse sa Panginoon, Siya’s kailangang mag-sacrifice ng hayop, burnt offering. Of course we know, na sa panahon ng mga Israelites, this was something na ginagawa nila. Okay, so nababasa nito ng mga Israelites, na okay, when Moses said that Abraham was asked to take his son at gawing burnt offering; ang ibig sabihin, isa-sacrifice nya ang kanyang anak, papatayin at i-ooffer sa Panginoon para sa atonement ng kasalanan ni Abraham.
Yun ang ibig sabihin ng burnt offering dito. Okay, so alam ni Abraham yung burnt offering at alam din niya na siya ay makasalanan. Hence, he was already also do the sacrifice, okay. So the burnt offering was something that he knows he needed to do for he was a sinner. But when again when he was about to do so… God provided his own lamb, sabi sa verse 13 it says there, nakita natin yung substitutionary word ‘no.. instead of his son Isaac. Rather, than Isaac, instead of Isaac ang ipinalit ay yung pinrovide na ram ng ating Panginoon. Imagine, even the faithful Abraham or even the..even Abraham who has a refined faith; refined na ang kanyang pananamalataya. Even that ‘no, even Abraham, as a faithful man, cannot atone for his own sins. Abraham, eto Ako magpo- provide, hindi mo kaya iyan. Imagine also, even si Abraham, ay yung pinakamamahal na nya yung kanyang i-sasacrifice. And sometimes we think, ganun ang understanding natin sa Diyos..eto yung pinakamamahal ko, Panginoon, ito ang isasakripisyo ko paaalisin ko na ito para ako ay tanggapin mo para sa Panginoon..hindi..Ako pa rin ang magpo-provide ng sacrifice. That’s futile. Sabi sa Psalm chapter 49 verse 7 – Truly no man, no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, walang sinuman sa atin ang kayang magbigay ng sarili Niyang offering sa Panginoon, okay.. for the ransom of their life is costly, and can never suffice, sabi sa Psalm chapter 49 verse 7, again, no man, even the man of God Abraham couldn’t atone for his own sin. It can never suffice.
Even the faithfulness of Abraham couldn’t suffice. Even the sacrifice of something or someone, in that regard, Isaac whom he truly loves, hindi pa rin enough. Kahit na sabihin pa nating mahal na mahal ni Abraham ang kanyang anak. Hindi pa ba dapat katanggap-tanggap iyon sa Panginoon? Mahal na mahal na iyon ni Abraham ah! Pero nakita mo ang faithfulness ni Abraham? Ready siya to sacrifice his love, his love one para sa Diyos? It can never suffice..never. Remember, Abraham was just a human being.. Abraham was still a sinner, katulad natin. Obviously, nakikita natin sa story na ito. Ang Diyos lamang ang kayang mag-provide ng Tamang burnt offering, tamang hayop na mamamatay para ma-atone ang ating mga kasalanan. Only God alone can provide atonement for our sin;our creatureliness, yung pagiging, tayo’y human beings lamang, add to that, yung heaviness ng ating kasalanan make any effort from all of us futile. And obviously, that’s what we can see dito sa sacrifice ni Abraham.
Kahit anong klaseng kabutihan meron tayo, kahit sobrang mabuti na si Abraham, kahit na sobrang mahal na mahal na nya ang isa-sacrifice nya, hindi natin kayang pagbayaran ang ating mga kasalanan. God has provided his own ram so Isaac wouldn’t have to die. God too has provided for us His sacrificial Lamb, and that is Jesus Christ so you and I wouldn’t have to die in our sins. Abraham was just a sinner, just like all of us. We all deserve the wrath of God.
And yet God provided for us His son, Jesus Christ, ang katanggap- tanggap lamang na lamb. Kahitna tayo’y mamatay ng ilang beses, hindi katanggap-tanggap sa Diyos ang sakripisyo ng buhay natin. Kahit yung mga minamahal natin sa buhay, sila’y ma-sacrifice, hindi katanggap- tanggap sa Diyos. Lahat tayo’y makasalanan. Isa lamang ang katanggap- tanggap sa Diyos at yun lamang ay walang iba kundi si Kristo na walang kasalanan.. yun lamang ang tatanggapin ng ating Panginoon. So kung hindi ka nananampalataya sa Panginoon, then hindi ka tatanggapin ng Panginoon. Pero kung ikaw ay nananampalatay sa Kanya, kung ikaw ay Kanya, then ikaw ay tatanggapin Niya kagaya ng pagtanggap Niya sa Kanyang Anak. If he has accepted Christ and if you believe in Jesus Christ, then you are in Christ. He has accepted his Son, the sacrifice of His Son, then you also will be accepted ti His family. At kung ikaw ay hindi pa naniniwala kay Kristo, ngayon na! Tumalikod ka na sa iyong kasalanan. Repent of your sins and come to faith in Christ and be part of
the household of God, be part of His family, beloved by the Father. Hindi mo kaya magatone sa sarili mong kasalanan. God, it is necessary for God Himself to provide that Lamb for us. It was necessary for Christ to willingly die on the cross for the salvation of sinners. Yun ang Diyos natin mga. kapatid. Kaya natin masasabi, we can say Amen to Abraham or the Lord will provide, Jehovah Jireh, amen. We can definitely say amen to that. Marahil mababa ang tingin natin sa provision ng Panginoon and we would say such thing because He has provided for us riches materially; He has sustained us, provided for us, meron tayong traabaho, napakagandang trabaho, meron tayong pamilya, maayos ang ating buhay. We can say at the end of the day, the Lord will provide, the Lord provides. Jehovah Jireh, amen. But there’s more ti it. He has. Provided something you and I can never ever provide for ourselves. And that is Redemption..redemption, justification in His eyes. Only Jesus Christ can do that for us. The question is are you in Christ? If you are not, repent of your sins now and come to faith in Him. Again, iyon ang ating Panginoon. He is our provider, Jehovah Jireh. He has provided salvation for us in Jesus Christ, redemption comes from Him, spiritual provisions come from Him. Yung mga spiritual provisions na yan, yung pagpapalakas ng pananampalataya, pag-refine ng faith na pinag-usapan natin last week, itong mga bagay na ito, mga spiritual provisions Nya. The fact that you have been adopted to His family, that is a spiritual provisions, the fact that God remember your sins no more is a spiritual provision from Him.
Justification, sanctification, the fact that you are enable to fight, enable to say no to temptations and to mortify your sins and cultivate specific graces, you can now understand the Word, the Word now becomes clear and has been illuminated to you..malinaw na sa iyong mga mata, sa iyong puso, these are spiritual provisions given to you by our Provider because Jehovah Jireh. Every good gift, especially, most especially, the spiritual provisions. The spiritual ones. Every good gift comes from the Father of lights, James chapter 1. Pero, labas tayo konti sa spiritual realm. Mag-aapply din ang pagiging Provider ng ating Panginoon even sa material realm. Hindi lang tayo mag-sstick doon sa spiritual. Dahil totoo rin na ang ating Panginoon ay kayang mag-provide even sa temporal at even sa material as He pleases. Kung gusto Niya, ipo-provide Nya. Kung iyon natanggap mo, pin-rovide Niya iyon. Kung hindi mo natanggap, providence ng Panginoon na hindi mo natatanggap iyon. God has control on this things. Even material provisions come from Him. In His providence, He may or may not grant us temporal things. Temporal things like sustenance food and water. Nakakain ka ba? Nabusog ka ba ngayon? Kanina? Oh, thank the Lord. ‘Pasalamat ka ba sa Panginoon? Sa kinain mo kaninang napakasarap? Sa ininom mong kape kanina? Na inorder mo pa sa “Telegram”? Thank the Lord. Pero yung maliliit na bagay na iyon, maliliit na bagay iyon, pero naa-appreciate mo ba na even those things come from the Lord. He provided water sa mga nauuhaw na mga Israelita. Right? Galing sa bato. He provided bread, manna, galing sa langit. Sa nagugutom na mga Israelita. And He continues to provide for us daily bread. In fact, His Son, taught us how to pray; give us daily bread, hindi monthly bread, hindi yearly bread… daily bread. Sa atin, three times bread pa nga. Three times ang kain natin, I think, yung iba siguro dalawa o isa. But you see the point, daily bread. Daily ang probisyon ng ating Panginoon. In fact, sinasabi sa atin na i-pray natin iyon. Ipag-pray daw natin iyon sinabi ng Panginoong Hesukristo. Nagpapatunay sa atin na when we say that the Lord is a provider, we’re not just talking about the spiritual provisions; although primarily, that is the case. But also even materially and temporally continues to provide for us. He is the Great Provider. Both salvation, and also EVEN in our physical sustenance. EVEN the temporal, material things, they all come from the Provider.
But beware, mga kapatid, beware. Eto yung mag-ingat tayo, that these temporal things may veer us away from the Giver. These temporal provisions may veer us away from The Provider Himself.The gifts may be so good that forget the One who gave them; the One Who provided them.
Alam nyo, may isang magulang na nasa ibang bansa. Lagi syang nagpapadala ng mga gamit at laruan sa kanyang anak nung bata pa yung kanyang anak. Grabe mag request yung anak ng laruan. Parang wala syang pake sa magulang nya, basta importante may padala, may balikbayan box every December. Inaabangan nya, binubuksan nya yung balikbayan box, laruan kaagad, yun kaagad. In fact after nung December balikbayan box, he looks forward again for another December kasi yun yung another balikbayan box. Ganun ang understanding nitong bata.Hanggang sa lumaki yung bata at nag mature sya at nasa ibang bansa pa rin yung magulang nya, narealize nya hindi na nya kailangan yung kahit anong padala sa kanya. Ang importante ay yung makauwi ang kanyang magulang. Ang makauwi ang nagpapadala. Yung makasama nya ang kanyang magulang. Sana ganun din tayo..sana ganun din tayo. We have a greater Father in heaven who gives us good gifts. Let us always focus our attention to The Provider. Yes, appreciate the benefits, provisions, but look at The Provider. Huwag mong hayaan na because of the gifts, ay mawala ang iyong focus doon sa nag-provide. Ang challenge ko sa lahat, Let all provisions, spiritual or even temporal, point you to your real need – and that is God Himself!
You receive spiritual provisions, dun muna tayo sa spiritual provisions. Nare-receive natin ito, you hear the Word, you are encouraged by the Word. You know that these things are there to remind you of GOD. To remind you of who you truly need!
Now, you may may fall, you may fall trap into enjoying the spiritual provisions of being, let’s say being in a church, being in fellowship with one another, sobrang na-eenjoy mo iyon having someone come up to you and encourage you, marahil pumunta sa iyo and lovingly ni-rebuke ka pa..those are spiritual provisions..again, coming from the Lord. And yet at the end of the day we may NOT appreciate the one who provided for you these good things. Na-enjoy mo ba ang iyong extended fellowship?
Pag-uwi mo ng bahay, ang utak mo nandoon sa mga tao, nakalimutan mo yung heart mo na sobrang nagpapasalamat ka sa Panginoon. Panginoon, binigay mo sa akin itong mga taong ito. Sa Iyo ito galing. Na-ppreciate ko Panginoon na nilagay mo ako sa church. Na-aappreciate ko Panginoon na may lumapit sa akin. Walang kahit sinuman kayang lumapit sa akin at i-correct ako sa aking kasalanan..pero itong taong ito, nilapitan ako, Panginoon, salamat! Nakita mo kahit mga spiritual provisions na ito, kahit pwedeng-pwede tayong ilayo sa tunay na Nagbibigay. Don’t let that happen, mga kapatid. HIndi ko sinasabing hindi natin i-enjoy itong mga spiritual provisions na ito..i-enjoy natin! Now, huwag mong kakalimutan sinong Nagbigay nyan. Huwag mong kakalimutan kung sino ang nag-enable sa iyo, nag-allow sa iyo kaya mo na-experience yang mga bagay na yan.
Mapunta tayo sa materyal. Now, you may also receive even material provisions from God, may it be food for sustenance, may be work.
Marahil napakaganda ng iyong trabaho. Na-sustained ka talaga because of your work. Even these things kapatid, must point you to God. The natural self, eto yung prublema, yung natural self natin, when God provides for us material things, we tend to delight more on the gifts.
That’s the problem. But see, God provides for us materially, or even our daily bread, mga pagkain natin, not for us to appreciate the material provisions more. Hindi iyon heh. Kaya ito binibigay sa atin, kaya tayo pinapakain kada araw, hindi para ma-appreciate natin yung pagkain, hindi rin para lagi nating sabihin penge pa, penge pa, penge pa.. hindi. Rather for us to appreciate all the more yung Nagbibigay! When we ask, Lord, please give us our daily bread, hindi ba ang tunay na kailangan mo ay yung Nagbibigay? You ask for daily bread not because it’s what you truly need, not because it’s what will sustain you in eternity. You ask for daily bread because you know apart from the True Provider, we are but nothing. You ask for these things because GOD IS the true and great Provider, and He’s the one we all truly need.
Kilala niyo si Thomas Chisholm? Thomas Chisholm. Hindi sya katulad ng mga you know, pag meron mga preachers dito behind the pulpit at binibigyan kayo ng mga istorya, na usually dinadaan kayo sa mga trahedya..eto yung nangyari sa kanya. Siya’y namatayan, Siya’s nagkaroon ng ganito, iba po si Thomas Chisholm. Wala naman syang mga trahedya sa buhay, okay. Unlike the many examples that we share to you, sometimes, one would undergo such big tragedies in life for us to say that God is a faithful Provider. O, ako’y talagang nagkasakit ako, pero nag-provide ang Panginoon, dun natin nakita yung power Niya.
Pero sa story ni Thomas Chisholm, teka parang wala masyadong emosyon, wala masyadong trahedya ang kanyang istorya. Pero see, si Thomas Chisholm, he delighted on the mundane things, on the daily things, on the daily mercies of God, that God has continued to provide for his daily needs, but most importantly, God has provided him Jesus Christ. Now these material things, you know, hindi sya nakulong doon, hindi sya in bondage doon sa mga probisyon na iyon kundi lahat ng mga probisyon na iyon, napo-point sya sa faithfulness ng Panginoon. In fact, gumawa sya ng kanta. Ang sabi nya doon sa kanta,‘All I have needed, thy hand hath provided, Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.’ The provisions, the mundane things, the daily mercies, you know, Thomas Chisholm was reminded of the faithfulness of God. It pointed him to the True Provider. Can we sing that? Jehovah Jireh? Great is thy faithfulness later? Can we say that even when there’s no BIG provision that has come, pwede ba nating sabihin pa rin that Jehovah Jireh? That Christ Himself is ALREADY THE GREAT provision – it would cause us to say GOD is the Faithful Provider – kaya ba natin itong sabihin? Do we appreciate the material provisions more than The Provider, mga kapatid? Do we engage ourselves in the spiritual provisions of God and yet fail to acknowledge and see who provides for us these things?
In the material provisions, appreciate Him. When He provides His daily mercies, His daily bread, may it not drive you to say – Lord I want this, Lord, I want more. Rather may it drive you to say – LORD I WANT YOU. LORD I WANT YOU.
In the spiritual provisions, appreciate Him all the more, brethren, for He graciously PROVIDED for us salvation in Christ. We enjoy His blessings now because His Son was the one who suffered on the cross.
Let all provisions, point you to your real need – and that is GOD Himself!
You know, in the story, hindi lang Provider ang nakita natin dito. Pinakita rin natin yung probisyon. And this is my final point…The Great Provision
God didn’t just provide a ram for the burnt offering, rather God provided a picture of a better burnt offering that was to come. Iyon yung ultimately pino-provide sa atin ng Panginoon dito sa text natin. We see striking parallels to the Christ-event. Just as Abraham gave his only son, the one who he loved, Isaac, to be sacrificed, so also God the Father gave His only begotten Son, Whom He loves. Just as Isaac carried the wood behind his back to the calvary willingly giving himself, so also God the Son, Jesus Christ carried the cross to calvary and willingly gave Himself to die on that cross. Sorry, Isaac went to the altar, not the calvary. But you see the parallels. This is God saying, ‘Abraham, let me
show you, Let me show you how I would provide redemption for you and for those who have the same faith as yours. I will also give my Son, my only begotten Son, whom I love. In fact, a better one than this ram that I have provided you.’ So, we have this picture, ultimately of the beautiful gospel, wherein you have the Provider, and since God is One, we can say that the Provider gives Himself to sinners.
In the gospel, we have the Greatest Provider becoming the Greatest Provision – and that is Jesus Christ. Siya rin ang probisyon. Siya ang nag-provide sa Kanyang sarili para sa atin.
God is the Provider. God also is the Provision.
On our own and in our sinfulness, we cannot be at peace with God. ‘Di natin kaya. We cannot even approach God. However in the gospel, it is God Himself who comes to us, who gives Himself to us. The Provider becomes the Provision. He gives Himself to us. And you can’t approach Him because of your sin, because we were enemies of God. And what we deserve is His wrath because of our sins. And that He, Siya mismo, He loved us first, Siya ang nag-approach sa atin, Siya ang lumapit sa atin, Siya ang nag-provide ng Kanyang sarili sa atin.
GOD Himself became flesh and dwelt among us. Gave His life for you and I. Died on that cross for you and I. Rose from the dead for you and I. God is the Great Provider, and He Himself is the Provision.
And you know, He continues to give Himself to us. Mga kapatid, patuloy Niyang ibinibigay ang Kanyang sarili sa atin. Kaya we can say that it is done, it is done in a sense that it is done on the cross. Salvation is
ensured on that cross. Pero nagpapatuloy ang ministry ng ating Panginoong Hesukristo ngayon. He continues to give Himself to us!
The Encourager is also the True Encouragement. Hindi mo kailangan ng encouragement from the world. Ang kailangan mo, si Kristo, kapatid!
Yung Comforter na sinasabi sa Corinthians ay Siya ring Great Comfort. You don’t need the comfort of this world! You need the comfort of Christ. You need Christ the Comfort, not just a comforter. The Source of Strength. Siya ang ating Kalakasan. Siya ang nagbibigay ng kalakasan.
Binibigay Niya ang Kanyang sarili para tayo’y lumakas. The Provider is also our Provision. Ang tanong: are you humble enough to receive Him, to receive His Word as He continues to give Himself to you through His Word, humble ba ang ating mga puso na tanggapin Siya? Tinatanggap ba natin ang Kanyang Salita? Tinatanggap ba natin kapagka tayo na- reremind ng ating mga sins just so our sins will be exposed. Na kapagka tina-try tusukin ang ating mga puso pero ikaw, matigas ang iyong puso at hindi mo tinatanggap. Ganun ba ang ating mga hearts whenever the Word of God is proclaimed to us? Whenever Christ Himself gives Himself to us through His Word? Are we humble to accept the encouragement from the Encourager? Are we humble enough to accept Christ from Christ? From God Himself? He’s giving us Himself. Are you hungrier for Christ or maybe for other provisions? Marahil mas gutom tayo sa iba?
Kaya hindi natin kayang maging humble enough, na tanggapin Siya, every Lord’s Day
Alam niyo, sabi ni CH Spurgeon – I have a great need for Christ; very famous quote it. Sabi nya, I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need. And brethren, that’s coming from someone who is so submerged sa Salita ng Diyos everyday. Ilan ang sermon nyang taong iyan? 7 to 10 per week? Hindi porke’t preacher sya pero, even before naging preacher sya, naging pastor, ang practice nya talagang, everyday, talagang nagpapakalunod sya sa Salita ng Diyos. And yet he’s so ready to be humble enough to say that I have a great need for Christ. He’s not saying yung Salita ng Diyos is not enough. No, he’s saying ‘I want more. I want more of Christ.’ As I submerge myself into the Gospel, the more I get hungry, the more I get I get thirsty. The more I need the Living Bread. The more I need the living water, Christ.
See, the more we feed ourselves with the Word, the more we know our
need of the Lord. Ang challenge ko sa atin, be hungrier for your need of Christ more than anything, and at the same time, eto naman ang kagandahan noon, gutom, pero sina-satisfy tao ng Panginoon. Be satisfied in Him!
Mas gustuhin mo si Christ over anything. And be satisfied in Him, and be satisfied BY Him because He satisfies.
See if we crave more for other things, those other things become our refuge. They become our strength. Baka meron tayong mas ine-enjoy na provisions ng Diyos. Instead of Himself, instead of Christ, instead na mas magutom tayo kay Kristo, ginugutom natin sarili pa natin lalo sa mga ibang bagay. Now we crave more for other things. At nagiging kalakasan natin iyon pag dumaan ang testing, dun tayo pupunta. May it be work, may it be relationships, may it be money, kapag dumating ang trials sa buhay natin, yung refuge natin na iyon, wala ‘yung kapangyarihan. It has no power. They can’t give you strength, they can’t give you satisfaction! Only Christ can.
In your struggle with sin, with the sin of lust, let’s say. While it’s true na mayroong mga practical steps that you can follow, do we sometimes think na ang solusyon natin sa sin of lust is ‘okay, sige lalabas na lang ako ng bahay to be with friends para mawala sa isip ko ang lust’? Yun yung naging refuge natin. In your struggle with sinful anger or unforgiveness or hatred, again while it’s true that there are practical steps, do we sometimes think that the solution is ‘ah hindi ko na lang kakausapin yung tao.. I won’t even look at him, iiwasan ko na lang sya pag makita ko siya sa church’ Yun yung naging refuge natin. Brethren, hindi yun yung mga tunay na solusyon. Ang tunay na solusyon ay si Kristo. Si Kristo lamang ang kayang magbago ng puso mo. So, mas magutom ka kay Kristo, kasi si Kristo, pinrovide sa iyo ng Panginoon, The Provider, provided to you His Provision, His great Provision, and that is Christ so that the sin of lust, the sin of anger, whatever sin that is, will be mortified. Such practical solutions may help for a time. But ultimately, it won’t. Bakit natin sinasabi dito na si Kristo ang solusyon dito, because Christ defeated sin. Christ defeated sin. Christ defeated death. He is our salvation.
Again ang katanungan po natin, do you know your need of Christ? If you do, be hungrier. Want more of Christ! When we struggle with our sin, let us be hungrier for the Word of God. Alam mo kung saan ka tutungo. Nag- struggle ka sa sin, hindi ka dito pupunta. Pupunta ka sa Salita ng Diyos. Hindi ka dito pupunta sa lugar na ito. Pupunta ka sa church. Kasi nandoon si Kristo. Pini-preach ang Kanyang sarili. Want more of Christ and be satisfied in Him.
Alam niyo sa Revelation chapter 2- meron doong isang church na tinatawag na church of Thyatira. Ang prublema ng church na iyon, karamihan ng mga church members nila nakikinig sila sa maling katuruan especially kay Jezebel. Okay, mayroong prophetess doon na hinahayaan nilang magturo, nagtuturo ng sexual immorality. Pero sabi ng Panginoon, kung meron sa inyo na ni-rereject ang katuruan ni Jezebel, at kayo’y mag-persevere in faith, I will give you a reward. You know what that reward is? Ang sabi nya sa Revelation chapter 2 verse 18, Ang sabi Nya, “I will give you the morning star.” Now kung titignan natin elsewhere is the sa Book of Revelation, anong ibig sabihin ng morning star. To be specific Revelations chapter 22 verse 16, ang morning star ay si Kristo.
So ibig sabihin, mag-persevere ka sa Salita ng Diyos. Sa halip na makinig ka kay Jezebel, makinig ka kay Kristo, sa Salita ng Diyos at alam mo kung ano ibibigay ko sa iyo? Ako. I will give myself to you. I will give the morning star, I will continue to give Christ to you if you persevere. You now, walang other rewards kundi si Christ din. Panginoon ang nagbibigay sa atin ng reward na ito, itong provision. At ang probisyon ay wala nang iba kundi ang Kanyang saarili. So magandang evaluation yan sa buhay natin ngayon. Are we hungrier for the Lord, or for other things?
Masasabi ba nating, ‘mas kailangan ko si Christ ngayon’.
…Well here’s the good news. Jehovah Jireh. Jehovah Jireh. You need Christ? God is your provider. You need Christ? God is your Provision.
Jehovah Jireh! And He provides Himself to us.
And In our deadness, in our sin, God has given us life, eternal life, in Christ, with Christ. Hence with great confidence, and with conviction, we can indeed say – JEHOVAH JIREH! But in our time we can say, The LORD has provided, the Lord continues to provide!
May the Word of God enrich our knowledge of Him, and may it stir us to live in light of these truths. Let us pray. Panginoon Diyos, marami pong salamat sa Inyong kabutihan sa amin. Panginoon, Ikaw ang kailangan namin, O Diyos! Lord, bigyan Mo kami ng gutom, ng hunger for Your Word, for Christ, O Lord! Lord, tanggalin Mo po sa amin yung cravings namin sa kamunduhan, sa mga ibang bagay na Lord na hindi naman po talaga makakatulong sa amin, Panginoong Diyos. Lord, salamat po Panginoon na sa reminder na ito, na Kayo nga ay tunay na Provider. At Lord, salamat din Panginoon na ang pinoprovide Ninyo sa amin ay ang Inyong Anak na si Kristo. Lord, we praise You for Your goodness, grace and mercy in our lives. We pray all these in Your Great Provision, Christ in His name. Amen.
Transcribed by: Jen Cordero