Our first promise today is found in Matthew 10: 29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
What a consoling thought it is that the Almighty God who set the sun, moon and stars in their courses and created this vast universe with its untold wonders and beauty, will yet watch tenderly over a fallen sparrow. This verse informs us that we are of more value than many sparrows. So if not one of them falls to the ground without the Father, how much more does He care for us, His children. Indeed He cares so much for us that even the hairs of our heads are numbered. This, we think, has been placed in the Scriptures to give us, first, an idea of the greatness of God in performing such impossible things; and second, to make us realize that the most insignificant detail of our lives does not go unnoticed by Him.
How marvelous, how unsearchable is the love of the Father! He knows our every thought, word and deed, whether they are good or evil. And yet because He is our merciful Father He forgives our unworthiness if we are repentant and ask Him to forgive us. He understands our motives and sympathizes with our sorrows ,frailties and weaknesses. There is never a tear that falls unnoticed, nor a sigh that is not recorded, no prayer is uttered that is not kept in His Book of Remembrance, to answer in the way that He sees best.
Some day we shall behold His handiwork in the pattern of our lives, and will discover that the threads of sorrow and disappointment mingling with those of happiness and joy have made it far more beautiful than it otherwise would have been, for the Master Weaver knew just what to choose to make it surpassingly lovely ,and we will bow our heads and acknowledge that in His wisdom He doeth all things well.
The second promise is found in Matthew 10:42 “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”
Some of us often feel sad and “left out of things’ because there seems to be no way open whereby we may do some outstanding work in God’s vineyard But in this text Jesus tells those encumbered with home or other cares that even the least service given in His Name always brings a commensurate reward Our neighbor may be sick We take her a hot dish for dinner, perhaps straighten the house and wash the dishes, or look after the children for a time We will receive no acclaim for these acts, they will not be written up in the newspaper or change the course of nations But God takes note of them, and in due time we shall be rewarded, as He has promised.
The third promise is found in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
These verses tell us that Christ’s yoke is easy and His burden is light “Oh, no,” we are apt to protest, “our burdens are so heavy that it is almost impossible to bear them ” If this ls true, then it ls because we are endeavoring to bear them alone, in which case they are indeed too heavy for our frail, human strength Or it may be that unconsciously we are still wearing the yoke of the world which is sometimes so heavy that many hapless individuals have Not been able to bear it, and, having no Savior to help them, have taken themselves away from it all in self inflicted death But what does Jesus tell US to do? He tells us to take HIS yoke upon us We will then have Someone to pull with us, Someone who will bear the heaviest part of the burden, and in His strength it will become light, and we Will have spiritual rest as He has promised.
The fourth promise is found in Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.’
This is the same theme again, faith, and the reward of faith As we have already noted, we cannot today raise the dead, open blind eyes or perform some of the other miracles that the disciples performed But we Can have faith, much more faith than we do have, and Jesus could do much more for us than He does do because of our unbelief We must ask for help, and then Believe that we will receive It Not literal mountains, but mountains of trouble can often be removed from our lives if we have faith to believe that they will be removed.
If we are doing the work of the Lord and need funds or help for some cause in the Truth, let us have Absolute Faith that the Lord will provide it, and He will He tells us that faith as A Grain Of Mustard Seed will remove mountains, so if we have a mighty faith, nothing will indeed be impossible to us Of course, as already stated so many times, we must Put the Kingdom of God first, and then whatever we ask for will be in accordance with His will.
The fifth promise is found in Matthew 19 26 ‘But Jesus said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”
This is almost the same promise as the preceding one, illustrated and told in a little different way A rich and young ruler had just asked Jesus what he should do in order to obtain eternal life Jesus told him that he must keep all the commandments When the young man replied that he had done this from his youth up, Jesus then directed him to sell all that he had, distribute the money to the poor, and follow Him. Apparently he did not care to sacrifice his worldly goods in order to become a disciple of Jesus. He considered the price too high. He placed material things above the spiritual, the temporary above the eternal. He could not see beyond this life to the glorious future to come, so he turned away and went back to his fleeting riches. Jesus then told His followers that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (a gate through which it is difficult to pass) than for a rich man to be saved. His astonished disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” And Jesus answered that with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible, implying, it seems, that sometimes God’s love can touch the hearts of even the great and noble, so they will be willing to give up their riches and honor to be His humble disciple. But God’s power is not limited to this. All Things are possible to Him. Let us ask ourselves again, do we really believe this? If we do, when things seem to be impossible for us, when we are utterly helpless, let us acknowledge this condition and ask for God’s help. We have then placed ourselves in a position where He can and will perform great things for us, if He sees that this will redound to His honor and glory. Are we sick? The prayer of faith will heal us if it is God’s will that we should be healed. If, for some reason God sees it is best Not to heal us, then let us know with Equal Confidence and Faith, that His denial is the best answer to our prayer.
Are we in need of a position in this age of automation? Do we feel friendless, weary and alone? David has said that in his many years of life he had never seen a righteous man forsaken nor his seed begging bread. We may not get just the kind of position we had hoped for. The author’s faith was tested severely during the depression years. Like many others she had lost her position, and she was no longer in the prime of life. She asked God’s help, believing that she would receive it. She did not receive a permanent position for many months, but she was taken care of during that time strictly on faith, a little work here, a little there. When things became critical, help always appeared just in time.
Again, we should never feel friendless or alone as long as we have Jesus as our Friend. He is far greater, and far more reliable than any earthly friend. This has been repeated several times for the purpose of impressing it on our minds. He will Never leave us nor forsake us, He will Always be faithful and true. So, if dear friends and beloved relatives turn their backs upon us, we have a Friend that is much closer and much more precious than they are, and we are Not alone.
If we are weary, He has in many Scriptures promised to share our burdens with us. Let us remember, God can work a great work for us if we have faith in Him and trust Him. Do we trust Him? Let us search our hearts and minds for an honest answer to this question. How far do we trust Him? If we are willing to go all the way with Him, then we can know for certain that nothing is impossible with Him.
The sixth promise is found in Matthew 28:20: “. . . Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
How different our lives would be if we realized the full implications of this text at all times, especially when we are frightened, when we are in danger, when we are sick, when trouble strikes, and when death is near. It is not possible for our friends and loved ones to be constantly at our side, they must of necessity be away at different times. But if we are brethren of Jesus Christ, He is always there. We may close our eyes in the darkest jungle with the assurance of God’s protection, or we may go confidently about the most hazardous occupation, for “the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psalms 34:7).
When death approaches, we can fearlessly face even this last dreaded enemy of all mankind, for our Lord will uphold and comfort us as we pass through “the valley of the night.” We will quietly sleep, a peaceful, dreamless sleep, and awake in God’s morning to the glorious light. Yes, Jesus is with us, even to the end of this present age, or the end of our world, whenever that may be. His love watches over us. and if we are in Him, then all is well.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One