Hear from Heaven - Pt. 1
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says”. Revelation 3:22
>>>This is a 2-part lesson, so relax and soak it in.
There is a phrase that pops up several times in 1 Kings and again in 2 Chronicles and it kind of jumped out at me as I was studying for this lesson. It is the phrase: ‘Hear from Heaven or Hear in Heaven’. Solomon is pleading with God to listen to; (to hear from Heaven) the prayers made by Israel from the temple he had just built (1 Kings 8:30). Solomon was asking that if people could just turn from where they lived geographically toward the direction of the temple in Jerusalem and offer their prayer, that God would hear and answer and forgive them from His dwelling place in Heaven. The temple was the connecting point between God's dwelling and man's.
I am so glad we don’t live back then! I am not the best with direction and I’d be forever wondering if I was facing the right way to pray! For Jesus has become our bridge, the one final sacrifice, so that we can actually house the very Spirit of God within us … we are now the temple of God! (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) So, here is Jesus, standing at the door of our temple and asking to come in; asking us to listen and eat with Him. Do you see it? In the Old Testament, Solomon asked God to ‘hear from Heaven’. Today, Jesus is asking us to ‘hear from Heaven’! Amazing! When we ask Jesus to come and reside in us Heaven literally comes, for God makes us His dwelling place; there to befriend, guide and to give instruction & wisdom. There to apply salvation and give us all the resources for the destiny that He's created for us. This is so incredible!! How great is our God that He would take up a dwelling place in us.
It’s so important that, before we move ahead and really define forgiveness from other books, formulas or even our life experiences; we need to really hear what Heaven is trying to say to us. As we study the following passages we are going to go through a little process with each so that we glean the most that we can.
1. First of all, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and reveal truth to us. He promises that when we ask, He will answer!
2. Second, we will take time to write down comments with regards to these three vantage points:
There is a phrase that pops up several times in 1 Kings and again in 2 Chronicles and it kind of jumped out at me as I was studying for this lesson. It is the phrase: ‘Hear from Heaven or Hear in Heaven’. Solomon is pleading with God to listen to; (to hear from Heaven) the prayers made by Israel from the temple he had just built (1 Kings 8:30). Solomon was asking that if people could just turn from where they lived geographically toward the direction of the temple in Jerusalem and offer their prayer, that God would hear and answer and forgive them from His dwelling place in Heaven. The temple was the connecting point between God's dwelling and man's.
I am so glad we don’t live back then! I am not the best with direction and I’d be forever wondering if I was facing the right way to pray! For Jesus has become our bridge, the one final sacrifice, so that we can actually house the very Spirit of God within us … we are now the temple of God! (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) So, here is Jesus, standing at the door of our temple and asking to come in; asking us to listen and eat with Him. Do you see it? In the Old Testament, Solomon asked God to ‘hear from Heaven’. Today, Jesus is asking us to ‘hear from Heaven’! Amazing! When we ask Jesus to come and reside in us Heaven literally comes, for God makes us His dwelling place; there to befriend, guide and to give instruction & wisdom. There to apply salvation and give us all the resources for the destiny that He's created for us. This is so incredible!! How great is our God that He would take up a dwelling place in us.
It’s so important that, before we move ahead and really define forgiveness from other books, formulas or even our life experiences; we need to really hear what Heaven is trying to say to us. As we study the following passages we are going to go through a little process with each so that we glean the most that we can.
1. First of all, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and reveal truth to us. He promises that when we ask, He will answer!
2. Second, we will take time to write down comments with regards to these three vantage points:
- The ORIGINAL Context: What is the historical & scriptural context that the scripture was written in?
- The CURRENT Context: What does this imply or what lesson is being taught for us today?
- My RESPONSE to it: What will I do to apply this teaching to my life right now?
Let’s look at some scripture together as an example:
Luke 11:2-4
So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:12, 14, 15
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
So, let’s break these verses down:
Luke 11:2-4
So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:12, 14, 15
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
So, let’s break these verses down:
ORIGINAL Context: What is the historical & scriptural context that the scripture was written in?
- To read these in context we need to look at the whole paragraph or section for each passage. Read Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:5-15. Then, we can see things in a better light.
- Here are my comments: in the beginning of Luke 11 we see that Jesus is praying. When He stopped, the disciples were so intrigued by the way He prayed & I would assume, connected with His Father, that they wanted to learn too...
- Now, add your own comments:
CURRENT Context: What does this imply or what lesson is being taught for us today?
- If we don't forgive others, God cannot forgive us.
- Here are my comments: This is a principle that we can live by... sowing & reaping, 'Do to others as we would have them do to you' (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31). God's requirements are because of His great love for us. He follows His own rules and like a good parent, holds us accountable for our actions to help us learn to be like Him.
- Your comments:
My RESPONSE: What will I do to apply this teaching to my life right now?
- Here are my comments: I must remember (or be reminded) of where I have come from and what God has forgiven me for.
- Your comments:
So, for homework this week let's look at another passage: Mark 11:25-26 ORIGINAL Context: What is the historical & scriptural context that the scripture was written in?
Read Mark 11:22-26 to see it in context.
CURRENT Context: What does this imply or what lesson is being taught for us today?
My RESPONSE: What will I do to apply this teaching to my life right now?
So, here's the Challenge:
Follow up with yourself. Apply & Do what you recommended in the 'My Response' sections above. (sounds easy, eh? :) |
“trespass” 1. Law. a. an unlawful act causing injury to the person, property, or rights of another, committed with force or violence, actual or implied. b. a wrongful entry upon the lands of another. c. the action to recover damages for such an injury. 2. an encroachment or intrusion. 3. an offense, sin, or wrong. |