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Matthew 14:1-12 — as John the Baptist, let’s true to God and faithful unto death

Of the billions of people in the roster of all human history, all have been called by God. But of all those called ones, only few have been chosen to number among the redeemed. Do you belong to both groups, or just to one? Praise God, I belong to both and I hope you do also! However, I want me and you to belong to an even more exclusive group yet: the faithful. I want us to be among the fewer who are “called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14). (Source: Ready for Our Lord’s Return) Let us purpose to be faithful unto death!

Practical questions from the passage

How well do I live by the value system I profess?

How far out will I stick my neck for truth? Right out onto the chopping block?

Was John the Baptist’s faithfulness misplaced?

Did he give his head and his life for an issue not at all worthy of such a sacrifice?

Which matters more: my faithfulness or the object of my faithfulness?

How were John, Herod, and the daughter of Herodias each faithful? Read it all

Matthew 11:1-15 — John the Baptist was more than a prophet. But are you, Christian, greater than he? You must be!

Questions to help personalize the lesson

• What should I do with my own doubts regarding spiritual matters?
• How highly do I value the witness of another?
• If I show another what I see and hear, would it be helpful to him?
• Offended in Jesus? Me? Why? When?
• What motivates me to go hear the visiting preacher?
• How well does my heart use my ears?

Where the least are more than a prophet

“Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). He was more than a prophet!

Least in the kingdom of heaven — do others know what that means…by looking at you?!

Least is an attitude about ourselves. Read it all

John 17:10-26 — Oneness, holiness, protection, preservation: all included in Jesus’ prayer for us.

Jesus wasn’t trying to burnish His record at the end of His life. He wasn’t self-deluded, attempting to paint failure into looking like success. Again, Jesus was judging rightly and righteously. He knew exactly what He was talking about. The Father knew the utter truthfulness of what the Son had just said. God knew those men had already become tributes of His faithfulness and grace, of His teaching and discipling, of His keeping and perfecting. He knew the best was yet to come in their lives.

The disciples heard Jesus’ testimony of them to His Father. They heard the Advocate speaking in their favor. What a comfort for Jesus’ disciples then and now!

Jesus would shortly leave the world to return to the Father in Heaven. His disciples would stay behind. Would they stay true? Only One who is holy could keep Jesus’ followers while they are in the world. So Jesus asked His Holy Father to keep His disciples. Despite the good report Jesus gave of His good work in them, they still needed to be kept by God. Jesus was not about to leave His disciples to their own devices and their own strength.

Jesus wanted His disciples to be one as the Trinity is one. He desired that His followers have an intertwined identity and relationship such as exists in the Godhead. Only the Holy Father’s keeping could bring about something so incomprehensible. He would do that. He would keep them in Him. He would keep them together. Read it all

Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21 — If I believed others’ spiritual success depended on it, would I do better at praying for Christians?

What shall I pray?

“Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:2).

“Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16).

“That…the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17).

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know…” (Ephesians 1:18).

“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe” (Ephesians 1:19). Read it all

1 Kings 17:1; 18:36-46; James 5:16-18 — to be effective, the prayer of faith requires a life of faithfulness

If you read the King James Version (and perhaps even if you don’t), the translators seemed to have lost something in the translation of 1 Kings 18:37,39. So here’s another translation (mine, as rendered from the Spanish Reina-Valera Revisi¢n 1960):

Respond to me, Jehovah, repond to me, so that this people may know that you, O Jehovah, are the God, and that you turn to you the heart of them.

Seeing it all the people, they prostrated themselves and said: Jehovah is the God, Jehovah is the God!

What did Elijah want known that day?

• Jehovah was God in Israel (36).
• Elijah was Jehovah’s servant (36).
• Elijah had acted at Jehovah’s word (36).
• Jehovah is Jehovah God (37).
• Jehovah had turned Israel’s heart back to Him again (37).

Though CLP’s lesson title focuses on the prayer of faith, I’m focusing my comments on the life of faithfulness. The next two sections I have taken from Read it all