Author: churchadmin

The son in the parable was all of these, and more!  He had more than he could ever need at home, but he still wanted more. He didn’t care that he had hurt his father badly by taking the money and heading off on his own.  He only thought of ‘ME’.  Do you think we are like this too?

He enjoyed himself at first (probably he enjoyed bad things, such as drinking too much and going to bad parties).  But these things were only nice on the surface – his new ‘friends’ would have deserted him as soon as his money ran out.  And he had lost the comfort and love of his family.

The son in the parable forgot about his soul, and thought he would be happy if he had lots of money to spend.  But money didn’t really make him happy, and when it ran out he had nothing – he was in despair.  If we have a good job or do good things, that’s fine, but they cannot save us from our sin, or take us to heaven.  Only the Lord Jesus can give us true life, now and for ever.

The parable is about a man who tries to get away as far as he can from his father, and he has a very hard time.  This teaches us that until we are saved, our sin takes us far from God.  This leads to great sadness – and unless we repent, judgement for sin.

There are many good things in the world that people can enjoy (just think of this beautiful world around us, and family and true friends).  But we were made to love God and serve Him, and if we are far from God because of our sin, we can never really have true joy.

Many people regret doing bad things, but only because they were caught, or because life has become difficult.  If we repent, we are truly sorry that we have displeased the God who has been so good to us.  Sin becomes something we truly hate.

He didn’t deserve anything – and nor do we deserve anything good from God.  The amazing thing is that God has been so kind, to send the Lord Jesus Christ to die for us, so that our sin can be completely forgiven.

Remember how the father came to meet the son, because he was too weak to get home by himself.  He forgave all his sin, and took him home to a great welcome, which he did not deserve.  The Lord God will do all these things for us, and more, if we truly repent and ask Him to save us.

Sheep can be described by all of the above. They are foolish, weak, vulnerable and clumsy/silly creatures.

A shepherd leads his sheep to lush pastures where they can feed. He also keeps them together safely in a flock with other sheep so that they do not wander off on their own where dangerous animals could kill and eat them. The shepherd loves his sheep and works very hard to make sure they are kept safe and well.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night”

Luke Ch.2 V.8

The shepherd immediately went off to look for his lost sheep. It was a dangerous time for the shepherd as he would probably have had to travel a long way over rough ground and mountains looking for the animal. Wild animals such as lions and bears may have put his life in danger too. This shows how much the shepherd loved his sheep.

The shepherd searched very hard for the lost sheep and eventually found it stuck in a pit where it had fallen. He carefully picked up the sheep and carried the scared and hungry animal back home to the flock and to safety.

He was so happy he told all his friends and neighbours about the joyful news that he had found the sheep which was lost, and they all rejoiced with him.

It is good to feel like a lost sheep. It is true that we can often feel strong and able to cope with the trials of life. We can also distract ourselves watching TV or by playing games on our tablets to try and forget life’s problems. It is however a good thing to feel like a lost sheep as this makes us realise that we DO need help in our lives. Unhappiness, sickness, losing a loved one, falling out with friends and family soon make us realise that we are not in control of our lives and that we are weak, foolish and vulnerable. All these distresses are a result of sin entering this world. Sin is the most important thing that we need rescuing from.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;”

Isaiah Ch.53 V.6

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can forgive our sins. We must realise that we are like the lost sheep – weak, foolish, vulnerable and helplessly lost in sin and cry out to Him for mercy and to save us.

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep…. and I lay down my life for the sheep”

John Ch.10 vs.14,15

The Lord Jesus Christ is presented in the bible as being like a shepherd. He seeks out His lost sheep (Christians) to save and rescue them from their life of sin. He did this by willingly taking the punishment for their sins on the cross and all that believe on Him and repent of their sinful lives are His sheep.

“For the Son of man (Jesus Christ) is come to seek and save that which was lost”

Luke Ch.19 V.10

No. The sheep was helplessly stuck in a pit and could not get out on its own. Even if it had got out, it would never have found its way home. Wild animals would soon have killed the poor sheep. This is just like us – we cannot save ourselves. We carelessly wander off in our lives and will soon find ourselves lost and stuck in a pit of sin, in danger of eternal death, unless we cry out for the Lord Jesus Christ to come and rescue (save) us.

Yes, a parable is a story that Jesus told which He used to teach us important lessons. Some people remember what a parable is by saying- “A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”

Yes, the woman had lost a very valuable coin. It was worth a lot of money and she needed to find it as soon as possible.

Yes, the woman searched very thoroughly and carefully all over her house. She searched up high and down low. She swept in all the dark corners and she did not give up until she found it.

Yes, when Jesus told the parable he was using the lost coin as a picture of what our hearts are like. We are lost and far away from God. The sins in our hearts have cut us off from the Lord God our Creator. But the wonderful news of the Bible is that we do not need to stay lost- Jesus has come to rescue us and bring us close to God again.

Yes, this is a picture of sin in our hearts. Sin stops our hearts from loving the Lord and ruins our relationship with Him. But the wonderful news of the Bible is that we can have our hearts cleaned and made new by the Lord Jesus. He came to save us and bring us back to the Lord again.

Yes, The Lord Jesus knew how sinful our hearts were and yet He stilled loved us so much that He came into this world to save us and die for us. He knew that our sins deserved to be punished. He said that He would be punished for all the sins that we had done on the cross of Calvary and that we could have could be completely forgiven. What wonderful and amazing love He has for us!

Yes, we can do nothing to save ourselves from our sins. Some people think that trying to live a good life, giving money to charity, going to church every week will save them but the Bible shows us that trusting completely in the Lord Jesus is the only way to know forgiveness. Jesus has done everything to make it possible for us to go to heaven to be with Him one day- all we have to do is repent and believe in Him.

Yes, the woman was so overjoyed that she ran to tell all her neighbours about her discovery. They were all very pleased too and they celebrated together. The Bible tells us this as it is a picture of how joyful it is when a person repents of their sins and turns to the Lord Jesus in true faith.

Yes, The Bible tells us – “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke Chapter 15 verse 10. Every single person who turns to the Lord Jesus in repentance and belief is extremely precious to Him and He rejoices over every single one. The Bible also tells us that it makes the Lord so sad to see people who refuse to repent and believe as He knows that one day their sin will be punished.

Yes, We will know great joy and peace in our hearts. We will know that our sins have been forgiven, that we have a God in heaven who will care for us and guides us through all our life. We will know that we will be taken to heaven when we die and that we will be able to live their for all eternity with our Saviour. Such wonderful love will make us so thankful that we will want to serve the Lord God and tell others about Him too.

Being clever, having a good job and enough money are all very good.  But to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and to know that our sins have been forgiven is more important than anything else.

The man was very clever with his money, and he thought he had everything he could ever want.  But he forgot that his soul had needs too, and that was a terrible mistake.

All the man could think about was his own comfort and wealth. He was not bothered about other people, and most of all, he had no thought of God.

Many people feel quite pleased with themselves.  They may think they are nice people, and probably better than others.  But in God’s eyes we are ALL sinners, and none of us deserve a place in heaven.  Only people who trust in the Lord Jesus can have a place in heaven, and that is not because we deserve it.

The man in the parable was very good at looking after himself, and very successful.  So he was ‘wise’ with his money.  But God said he was a fool, because he had neglected the needs of his soul.  The Bible tells us that ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’.

It is good to look after ourselves (of course!).  But only God knows how long we shall live, because He decides.  The man in the parable was completely taken by surprise.  He thought he had many years left, but he didn’t – and he wasn’t ready to die.  He is an important lesson to us, that we mustn’t be like this man!

If we are clever or artistic or good with people  ….. all these things are given to us by God.  So we should never be proud of ourselves, but thankful to God for everything He gives us.

Moses was raised as a prince of Egypt and would have enjoyed all the comforts and riches that come with being in a royal palace.

Moses settled into a very quiet and humble life, becoming a shepherd looking after his father-in-law’s sheep.

God loves His people and wanted to save them from the cruel life they were enduring in Egypt. He told Moses that he would have to go back into Egypt and lead God’s people (the Israelites) to the ‘Promised Land’ of Canaan.

Pharaoh constantly refused to release the Israelite slaves (Gods people), so God sent him plague after plague to punish him for his cruelty and hardness of heart. This also demonstrated God’s great power to all those who witnessed the plagues and to us when we read of the plagues in the Bible.

The Angel of death went through the land of Egypt one night and many of the eldest sons from families across the land were killed. Pharaoh’s hard and stubborn heart of unbelief led to terrible distress for the Egyptian people he ruled over and they demanded that he set the Israelite people free.

God had promised His people that He would give them their own country where they could live in peace and freedom. It was the land of Canaan and is called the ‘Promised Land’ in the Bible.

God commanded Moses to stretch his hand over the sea and the waters parted. This created a dry path across the sea bed for the Israelites to walk over to the other side. When the Egyptian army tried to cross through the same path, Almighty God caused the waters to return and they were drowned.

They did not trust that God would provide them with all that they needed. Because of this distrust, they felt uncomfortable and scared in the hot desert and thought they would die. They wanted to go back to Egypt where they knew they would at least have some food and drink, even though the Egyptian people were very cruel to them. If only they had trusted in a kind Lord God to provide them with all they needed! then they would not have been scared, angry or complaining, but would have instead been happy, calm and contented.

Aaron, the priest, made a Golden Calf which was a false god. Sadly the Israelite people worshipped this Golden Calf which made their true God very angry.

Almighty God was showing the Israelite people the danger and evil of sin. He also showed them that He would send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only true sacrifice for the sins of His people. 

God had done all of these things, and many more.  The people had so many reasons to believe that God would take care of them perfectly when they went into the ‘Promised Land’, if only they would trust Him.

The Lord sent many poisonous snakes or ‘fiery serpents’ into the camp which killed the people if they were bitten. It was a punishment for their unbelief. God also used this to teach the people a lesson about how He had power to save them. God commanded Moses to make a brass serpent and put it on a pole raised high for all to see. If the Israelites looked upon this brass serpent after being bitten, they would be saved from death from the poisonous bite. This shows us how the Lord Jesus Christ was raised up on the cross so that we could be saved from eternal death and have everlasting life if we look upon Him as our Saviour, trust in Him and repent of our sins.

As soon as the Lord saw that the people had faith, he stopped the water flowing in the river to allow the Israelites to cross. The Lord always keeps His promises, and just like the Israelites, we need to have faith to trust in His promises to us.

The journey the Israelite people took from the miserable slavery in Egypt to the glorious ‘Promised Land’ of Canaan represents the Christian life. As we grow up, our lives become more miserable as we become slaves to sin and Satan, with no hope of true happiness. However, if we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe that He has died for us, we will be ‘set free’ from the power (slavery) of sin and Satan, and begin our journey to the ‘Promised Land’ of Heaven. The road will often be difficult, just like the journey of the Israelites, but our loving and kind Saviour will lead us safely home if we trust in Him.

As soon as the Lord saw that the people had faith, he stopped the water flowing in the river to allow the Israelites to cross. The Lord always keeps His promises, and just like the Israelites, we need to have faith to trust in His promises to us.

When Christians die, they leave behind their old, sinful, failing life and body to go to their new home in Heaven. For Christians, death is no more frightening than crossing the Jordan was for the Israelites.

Only Joshua and Caleb survived from the generation who left slavery in Egypt to lead the next generation into their new home. They had remained faithful to God, trusting His promises. We have God’s promise of eternal life in Heaven if we trust in Him. We know from the Bible that God always keeps His promises.

Our souls are the eternal part of us. When we die, we don’t need our old earthly bodies anymore. In Heaven, we receive a new body that never gets sick.

Heaven has been prepared for Christians as their eternal home. There will be no more sin and the Bible tells us that Heaven is a place of indescribable beauty and joy. Best of all, we will meet our Saviour, the Lord Jesus, and live with Him forever.

No sin can be allowed into Heaven, so only those who have repented of their sins and had them taken away by the Lord Jesus will be allowed into Heaven.  

None of us can ever be good enough to be allowed into Heaven on our own merit. The only way is to repent of our sins and believe that Jesus died to save us. If we do that, we will want to learn more about the Lord and try to keep His laws. Jesus has promised that all those who do these things will be saved by Him and will live with Him in Heaven after death.

Yes, the Lord sent many snakes or ‘fiery serpents’ into the camp. It was a punishment for their unbelief and the Lord also used it to teach the people a lesson about how the Lord had power to save them.

Yes, Moses knew that the Lord was the only one who could save the people. He prayed straight away to the Lord God and asked for his mercy and forgiveness.

Yes, the Lord commanded Moses to make a brass snake and put it onto a long pole. He was then told to hold up the pole with the brass snake on it so that all the people could see it. This was because a wonderful miracle was going to be performed by the Lord.

Yes, the people did not have to do anything special or complicated. They just had to look at the bronze serpent and they were healed instantly from the poisonous bites. The people could not do anything to save themselves. They simply had to believe the Lord’s promise and look to the brass snake and the Lord would heal them.

Yes, The Lord Jesus was lifted up on the cross of Calvary. We also cannot save ourselves but must look to Jesus Christ alone. If we do look to Jesus The Bible tells us- “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John chapter 3.14-15

Yes, We cannot see the Lord Jesus with our actual eyes while we are here on earth. But when the Bible talks about ‘looking’ to the Lord Jesus it means to trust everything we read about Him in the Bible and to believe with all our hearts that He is the One who can save us and forgive our sins. It also means that we will be truly repentant for our sins and will want to live our lives to please Him.

Yes, the hymn ‘Look to Jesus weary one’ uses the picture of Jesus being lifted high and speaks of how we should look to the Lord Jesus and our souls will live. See the words below;

Look to Jesus weary one,
Look and Live! Look and Live!
Look at what the Lord has done,
Look and Live!
See him lifted on the tree,
Look and Live! Look and Live!
Hear him say look unto me,
Look and Live!

Look the Lord is lifted high;
Look to Him he’s ever nigh;
Look to Him, why will you die?
Look and Live!

God had done all of these things, and many more.  The people had so many reasons to believe that God would take care of them perfectly when they went into the Promised Land, if only they would trust Him.

God did make a beautiful world, and He gives us good things every day.  But His love is shown most of all when He sent His Son into this world, to die on the cross.  It was almost ‘easy’ for God to create this world, but when He sent the Lord Jesus to die for sinners like us, the cost was huge.

They brought grapes, pomegranates and figs – proof that the land was full of good things, and a lovely place to live.

Sadly, only two believed (Joshua and Caleb).  The other ten told everyone that they needed to turn round and go back to Egypt.  They had every reason to believe God’s promise, but they would not.

Yes, always!  God’s word is completely dependable – we can count on Him completely, and He will never let us down.

The Promised Land was a lovely place.  There were giants in the land, which would have been a bit scary ……  but God is greater than all the giants in the whole world.  The spies had nothing to fear. They didn’t trust God because their hearts were hard – they just refused to believe.  How sad!

God is very kind and patient.  But the people were so determined to turn away from God, that sadly, God had to tell them they had lost their place in the Promised Land.  This is a lesson for us too, because people who never believe in the Lord Jesus, cannot have a place in heaven.  We must not be like the ten spies!

All of these wonderful things will be ours, if we repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for ourselves.