The Bible Teacher - Devendra Pandey - AV messages

Whose image is on you Man is created in the image of God. There are orders in the living universe. Within the classes of the living world there is diversity of a limited degree. But between different orders there is incomparable difference. God is unique and highest amongst all living beings. Angels, humans, animals and plants are at their own uniquely distinct order in terms of their attributes. There is no chance of replacing one with another. This is why idolatry is man's erroneous attempt to imagine God in terms of human or animalistic order. Bible reveals that man is uniquely created in the image of God. This infers that we are moral and volitional creatures. However, image is known to have much lesser dimensions than the original. This means that when we bring God to human levels, we commit huge error. God is not pleased with that attempt. The common human attempt to make images and statues to worship in place of God is an evidence of goodness and severity of God. God can bless us. So we would like to bring Him to our closet. But the true essence of worship is to give back to Him what truly belongs to Him - ourselves.

We live in an environment in which it is so easy to develop a hardened heart. Hardened heart is insensitive to God, His work and instead of being receptive, it is rationalising. Hardened heart also makes it difficult to have a genuine intimacy and care in relationships towards other human beings God has placed in our lives. God loves us enough that He takes up the process of breaking us. The process seems tough, but it is for our good. Henceforth, we will be healed and we will see God in our situations.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Lead us not into temptation." Readers of the Bible are told that God does not tempt anyone by offering them sinful baits. That is the work of the devil and the world system. God is Holy. Even though in His sovereign plan evil exists by permission and due to nature of His plan of love, yet He never authors evil. Then what would be meaning of praying to God such a prayer? God is in the process of purifying us from the areas of lust and sin, that we are so easily able to hide. As we endure temptations and tests, our faith is purified like gold. This leads to fear of God and braking of will power and confidence in our own ability. Now we dread the lustful opportunities which we secretly coveted before. We are in a place of vulnerability, where we pray to Him and trust His power. We cherish our relationship with Him more than the momentary pleasures sin might bring. Living in holiness enjoying the perfection of faith like pure gold becomes an unbroken joy.

We are faced with problem of evil and sin around us that offends our lives. Apart from that, we are also faced with the evil within us which we are unable to correct. The natural tendency is to take revenge or react with evil. However, God's answer to the human evil is His goodness. God resolves the issues in our life with a severe goodness. He offers chastisement to transform our lives. He offers the cross of Jesus Christ to transform the sinful world.

God is working in our lives even when it seems to us that He is not. God is speaking into our lives. His work is not superficial. His work is deep and transforming. When we hear something, we need to receive it with faith. Jesus came in the history, lived a unique life and died on the cross because of His love towards us. It is not enough that we agree to the facts just intellectually. Human condition is not just an intellectual issue, but a matter of the heart. When a man decides to let receive the truth by believing in it with his whole heart, the inner changes begin to happen. Because of what he holds in his heart now, what he knows already starts becoming meaningful and powerful.

Unbelief hardens our hearts. A hardened heart results into a situation where even our strengths start hurting us. God holds every human being responsible to respond to His initiations by faith towards Him. Failure to respond in thankfulness and acknowledgement turns our hearts insensitive and cold. Turning to Jesus by faith replaces our old heart with new heart, that is tender, tankful, loving, joyful and much much more.

God has revealed that He accepts man's approach to Him only through faith. Works, religious systems, superstitions are not acceptable to God. Man's systems are incomplete. There is always a scope for further improvement. Faith is a complete thing. Part obedience is not real obedience. God confronts those areas of our lives where we do not yet trust Christ. Christ has finished the work on the Cross and He invites us to trust Him.

Apostle Paul was a man of accomplishment. But, he also faced the struggle of being in a place where he could not fulfill what he really desired to do. The core of true religion is internal not external. That is why in the scope of ten commandments, God has set up a law regarding 'covetousness,' that is so internal and so impossible. We need to desire things based on knowing that they belong to us. Whatever is not given to us by God, we must learn to surrender it back to Him. Accomplishments are truly relevant and satisfying when the motives behind those are set right in the depths of our spirit.

यूहन्ना ४:१-१५; यशायाह ४४:१३-२७; हमारे अन्दर एक गहरी प्यास है| हम उसे गलत तरीके से बुझाने की नाकाम कोशिश करते हैं| यीशु हमें विश्वास के द्वारा जीवित जल से भरना चाहता है| There is a deep thirst within us. It is due to our broken relationship with God. It is a thirst for the eternal, the unconditional love, the forgiveness, and the restored relationship with God. Man's typical response to this thirst is either to deny it or to quench it using lesser things. However, such things end up only to increase the thirst. Jesus promises to quench this thirst. The solution is to first acknowledge that I am thirsty, and then come to God by faith.

There is a deep thirst within us. It is due to our broken relationship with God. It is a thirst for the eternal, the unconditional love, the forgiveness, and the restored relationship with God. Man's typical response to this thirst is either to deny it or to quench it using lesser things. However, such things end up only to increase the thirst. Jesus promises to quench this thirst. The solution is to first acknowledge that I am thirsty, and then come to God by faith.

King Solomon was rich, intelligent, privileged and very resourceful. And yet, he raised up the ever-prevalent question regarding the meaningfulness of life. These are the questions a normal human heart ventures into - Who am I? What is my destiny? What is life all about? What is the purpose? Where shall I go after I die? Will I cease to exist or I will be translated into the spirit world? Is there really a God? Will I ever get to see Him in reality? The Bible makes bold and legitimate claims to answer these questions. The question of salvation, or so called 'moksha' oe eternal life stands at the bottom of the tree of many of these questions. We are told that we cannot save ourselves. We are also told that our eternal destiny is settled and partly experienced on this earth. We are also told that eternal life involves knowing the Only True God and His Son Jesus Christ. We need to quit believing ourselves and start trusting God.

रोमियों १:१८-२१; परमेश्वर का ज्ञान सम्भव और असम्भव है| परमेश्वर का ज्ञान सभी इंसानी सीमाओं से ऊपर है| हम उसे सच में जान सकते हैं| कुछ हद तक उसने अपने बारे में हर इन्सान को प्रकट किया है| हम सब जिम्मेदार हैं| True knowledge of God crosses the religious, cultural, language and age boundaries. God is knowable. In fact, God desires to be known by man. But also, God is incomprehensible. Man can know Him only the way He reveals Himself. Every human being has been inherently given a measure of the knowledge of God. He is our Creator and our Father. Knowledge of God is progressive. Wherever we are in our journey of knowing God, there is further to go and grow, Our prayer should be an acknowledgement of what He has already revealed, thankfulness for it and a desire to know Him more intimately. Knowledge of God is the real good news. Jesus Christ has prepared the way for this. Amen!

True knowledge of God crosses the religious, cultural, language and age boundaries. God is knowable. In fact, God desires to be known by man. But also, God is incomprehensible. Man can know Him only the way He reveals Himself. Every human being has been inherently given a measure of the knowledge of God. He is our Creator and our Father. Knowledge of God is progressive. Wherever we are in our journey of knowing God, there is further to go and grow, Our prayer should be an acknowledgement of what He has already revealed, thankfulness for it and a desire to know Him more intimately. Knowledge of God is the real good news. Jesus Christ has prepared the way for this. Amen!

We have all gone through this question in our hearts, "After all, what does God want from me?" The answer to that question is found in a principle of humanity which affects all of us. We tend to hold on to what we love the most at the cost of other things. Jacob did the same while he picked up gifts to appease his brother Esau. He kept his best for the last. When we do this, we don't seem to experience God's best for us. God's best has been given to us at the Cross. We can choose to live a surrendered life. We can choose to follow God, not inspired by what we can gain, but by love.

Whatever is about us, is about God. Everything that happens in our lives is part of a larger plan. Here we see a man who was deceived by his son. However, a little while later he calls his son and blesses him. We should recognise that our failures, our situations and also our enemies, are all part of what God is doing in our lives. Nothing is really coincidental in our lives. We must learn to submit to God in our situations and to care also about our enemies.

We have been created for God's glory. This means reflecting the nature of God to the world around us. We care for, love and serve the people around us in response to God's call. God waits for our faith. God's nature is gracious. He does not compromise with sins, but creates a way out for sinners.