Third Heaven Discourse

Joel 2:23-24 (NKJV) Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God;  For He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you — The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. Prophet Joel begins by telling us to be glad and rejoice in the Lord our God; and of a truth we have all been called to live a life brimming with  joy and gladness  because amongst other reasons,  it is for our safety . Moreover, Joel presents a reason for us to rejoice and be glad in our reference scripture. He tells us that God has been faithful in giving us "the former rain". "Rain" speaks of blessings. Indeed, God has been faithful in blessing us. We all are products and benefactors of His faithfulness. He has and He keeps showing us how wonderful, gracious, merciful and loving He is. I am sure you can attest ...

Phil 4:4, *2 Thess 5:16 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! *Rejoice always. In a previous post Rejoice in the Lord always (1) , we saw that out of everything Jesus could have said when He resurrected, He chose to say "rejoice" first. This, as we learnt, underscores the importance of the command to "rejoice" .  Furthermore, after Jesus left, Paul carried on the message. But this time, he added a very critical component to it as we see in our reference scriptures (Phil 4:4, 2 Thess 5:16). Apostle Paul, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God tells us to rejoice  ALWAYS , not sometimes, not most times, but every time!   This is very significant because it clearly reveals that rejoicing is not a function of circumstance . If it was, Paul wouldn't say "always" since, as he knew very well, it is not every time one will have reasons to rejoice.  So, we are not to rejoice because of what happens or doesn't happen ...

Phil 4:4, *2 Thess 5:16 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! *Rejoice always Apostle Paul begins the third chapter of his letter to the church in Philippi by saying, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe" . One of the things he repeated severally to them was "rejoice" (it is mentioned at least once in every chapter of the book of Philippians). Indeed, it is for our safety that the bible advises us to rejoice. This is because of the enormous medical, emotional and psychological benefits that joy imparts on life. To rejoice means to be joyful. That is, to be full of joy. The command "rejoice" is one of the most important commands in the bible. It is so important that out of everything Jesus could have said when He resurrected, He chose to say "rejoice" first , according to Matthew's account (Matt 28:9, NKJV). I am sure ...

Psa 23:5 (NKJV) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Have you ever wondered how the gathering of your enemies pan out? In your quest to out-think or outsmart them as it were in prayers, you may have tried to imagine what happens in their gatherings; what they do or would be doing when they come together to plot against you. Well, if you have, wonder no more because our reference scripture clearly presents what eventually happens. The Psalmist reveals that God prepares a "table" for us in the presence of our enemies. That means, their gatherings eventually end up as your table-preparation gathering. A "table" is symbolic of a meal or a feast . So, King David reveals that God Himself takes His time to cook us a meal in the company of our enemies. Now, if God prepares a meal, you can imagine what kind of meal it will be! Someone is probably salivating already. You can bet it's goin...

Psalms 150:6 (NKJV) Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  The above scripture tells us that the only requirement to qualify to praise God is life (to have breath). Since this is the case (on the authority of scriptures), every living thing qualifies to praise God and must do so for He deserves our praise. If you have life, you have the wherewithal to give praise to God. If you have breath, you have the capacity to praise God. You really don't need to get lessons on how to praise God before you do so. All you need to praise God is life and if you are reading this, then you have what is takes to praise God. So, praise Him. Moreover, we were all created to praise God and  in Psalms 148, the Psalmist makes a loud call on all creation to offer praise to God. Indeed all creation, in one way or another, responds to that call. The plants do; the animals do; the sun, moon and stars amongst other do too. The winds blow in worship and the sea moves to and fro in r...

Psalms 47:6; *147:1 (NKJV) Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! *Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. Praise is an act of worship and thanksgiving to God by which we extol, glorify, magnify, commend, celebrate, applaud, eulogize, or compliment Him for who He is and what He has done.  Praise is like a coin with 2 sides. On one side is worship; on the other is thanksgiving . Worship (adoration) is being mindful of the virtues or qualities or character or nature of God and extolling Him for them; while thanksgiving (appreciation) is taking into cognizance the acts or deeds of God and extolling Him for them. Consequently, mindless or thoughtless praise is no praise. It is meaningless . Friends, you cannot praise for no reason at all. There are infinite reasons to praise and for these should you praise. David the Psalmist said in Psa 47:7 "... sing praises with under...

"....Have you not read....?" (Matt 12:3,5, Matt 19:4, Matt 22:31; Mark 12:26) Five times in the Gospels, Jesus asked the above question. By this, He communicates His expectation for us to be readers, to be knowledgeable. Every time Jesus asked the question, He was basically saying 'you should have read that...' or 'you are supposed to know that.....' . This shows the significance of knowledge and the indispensability of reading in the Kingdom. Moreover, Hosea 4:6 says "My people perish for lack of knowledge" . So ignorance can make God's people perish; even God's people are not immune to the destructive nature of ignorance . Some have said and I quote "the day you stop learning, you start dying". This can be inferred from Hos 4:6. Friends, knowledge will keep you 'alive or living'; it will give you life and make you live longer (Pro 3:2, Psa 119:25) . Knowledge here, pertains to the knowledge of God's word. Go...

Job 14:7-9 (NKJV) For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground, Yet at the scent of water it will bud And bring forth branches like a plant. If there is hope for a tree, there is so much more hope for you! Jesus didn't die for a tree, He died for you . It doesn't matter what you are going through, things will get better! There is definitely hope for you.  You may have been cut down, I give bring you God's word, you will sprout again! Never give up. Never give in. Keep believing. You will surely sprout again. You will bring forth again and you will flourish as the palm tree (Psa 92:12). Friends, you may have tangible reasons to be discouraged, but I say to you again, there is hope for you, and hope doesn't disappoint (Rom 5:5) . God bless you.

2 Cor 12: 7 - 10 (NKJV) And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong . In a previous post Jesus has given you great peace , we were reminded that we live in a world that is loaded with troubles, challenges, distresses, storms; and Jesus Himself acceded to this when He said "in this world, you will have tribulation.." (John 16:33). In this post however, we seek to establish the purpos...

Rom 5:1 (NIV) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Our reference scripture clearly establishes that peace with God is attained after justification by faith ; and that we obtain peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . Friends, this is a powerful truth because it clearly reveals the prerequisite for being at peace with God and the person through whom we obtain such peace. Now, if indeed we have peace with God after we have been justified by faith, it means that at some point (that is before our justification), we did not have peace with God. And this is consistent with scriptures. The bible clearly reveals that with the sin of Adam all were made sinners and therefore enemies of God (Rom 8:7) . As a result, we lost our peace with God. While we enjoyed fellowship, peace and harmony with God from the beginning, the disobedience of Adam brought discord, dispute, separation between God and men, and ...

In a previous post  You have the peace of Christ! , we saw that when Jesus was leaving His disciples and returning to Heaven, He intentionally left HIS   peace behind with them. He didn't forget it, He left it willfully and mindfully.  You might ask, of all the things He could have left behind, why peace ? Firstly friends, He wasn't going to need it in Heaven (smiles) . Heaven is a peaceful place and each inhabitant doesn't need His own peace as it were; the peace of God in Heaven overwhelms everyone and everything. The bible says in Rev 21:4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Everybody is joyful and happy because the Glory of God fills the place. Oh, you don't want to miss Heaven! On the contrary, earth is a chaotic place and every single inhabitant of earth needs peace! We live in a world that is filled wit...

The Cross (symbolic for Jesus' crucifixion) was by far the most painful experience that God and man has ever and will ever have. However, it was also the most glorious and rewarding. Jesus, as the bearer of the cross, was both God and man here on earth when He went through the extraordinary ordeal of the cross. As man, the cross was by far the most dreadful ordeal any man has ever and will ever experience. It was torture in the highest order. Jesus experienced excruciating pain during the crucifixion. He felt pain from the strokes of cane (which was one short of what was required to kill a man according to bible commentary), the public ridicule and embarrassment, the spitting, insults, abandonment by His disciples, the mockery of the people He was saving, even the irony of being mocked by a thief (who deserved to be crucified when He wasn't), the brutality of the soldiers, the fact that His mother was witness to this sorrowful ordeal, the thirst, and above all, the rejec...

In a previous post Pure Grace Exemplified (1) , we saw how Barabbas enjoyed God's grace in its pureness. We saw that he was totally oblivious to and uninvolved in the 'work' that led to his release even though he was condemned to die. Further, there is a slight difference between the account of Barabbas and what transpired later that same fateful day on the cross between Jesus and the two thieves crucified with Him (Luke 23:32, 39-43). Therefore, in this post, a distinction is made between the case of Barabbas and the two thieves (particularly the one who entered into paradise). Firstly, according to the details of the law (Deut 21:22), these thieves were deserving of death by hanging, and so they were rightly crucified. However, they were crucified along side One who, in contrast, didn't deserve to be crucified. Moreover, from the way they spoke to Jesus, it is possible to extrapolate their temperaments. This is necessary to further our understanding of their...

The story of Barabbas - the notorious prisoner who gained freedom on a platter of gold -  presents the epitome of the workings of pure grace (Matt 27:15-26). It was fitting that Grace Himself - Jesus Christ - was on the scene to administer it. Barabbas was made free, not because he had the best lawyers at his disposal, or that he pleaded for pardon. Not at all. He was totally oblivious to and uninvolved in the 'work' that led to his freedom even though he was condemned to die. How ironic it was that the people became his staunchest supporter and were instrumental to his release. More paramount is the fact that his place of punishment was taken by One who was the least worthy of any form of punishment whatsoever. However, it all came perfectly together for Barabbas and before he knew it, he was a free man. So, how did it all happen? Let's find out. It was the feast of Passover, and it was customary for Pilate to release a prisoner whom the people wished. So, Pila...

Matt 12:1 (NKJV) At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat .  It was Sabbath day and Jesus passed through the grainfields . The disciples were so hungry that they plucked heads of grain and ate. It wasn't Jesus that told them to do that, but I am sure He intentionally passed through the grainfields because He knew His disciples were hungry and wanted to meet their need. Of course He knew they would eat. This reveals the infinite love and concern of God for us. He knows our needs and He is committed to meeting them . He promised to meet us at the point of our need. He will order our steps, He will make us lie down in green pastures, lead us beside still waters. He will lead us into provision so our needs will be met. Jesus is the good shepherd (John 10:11,14) and we are His sheep, the sheep of His pasture (Psa 95:7, 100:3). In our reference scripture, we see Jesus p...

Psa 46:1 (NKJV) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Beloved, this scripture provides a wonderful source of comfort and encouragement for us in our days of trouble. It presents some of the attributes of God as our refuge, strength and help.  The psalmist tells us that God is a very present help in trouble. I believe the word "very" in that scripture offers something insightful. There is a difference between "God is a present help in trouble " and "God is a very present help in trouble" . The latter offers more assurance . Let me attempt to show you as inspired. The reason God is very present in times of trouble is because He never left in the first place . He promised He'll never leave nor forsake us; that He will be with us always. Friends, that's why He is very present in our troubled days. If He left us occasionally and still showed up in days of trouble, then we could say " He is present in day...

Matt 5:14-16 (NKJV) You are the light of the world.....Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. In a previous post, I highlighted what Jesus said to His disciples, and to us by extension;  we are the light of the world . Kindly refer to the post if you haven't. Now, what does this tell us about our duty to our families, associations, relationships? Friends, it is crystal. The scripture tells us to be the light.  It also tells us to let our light shine greatly . In all our relationships, in every gathering, in every association, we are expected to provide illumination. Light represents good and knowledge. Our duty therefore is to be good to people  and also to provide knowledge consequent upon God's Word. Let darkness and everything it represents flee from every relationship, association as a consequence of your presence! That's why you are there. God bless you!

John 14:27 (NKJV) Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;  not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid . The scripture above reveals that we have the peace of Jesus  because He gave it to us. Furthermore, the statement ".... not as the world gives do I give to you"  reveals how He has given us His peace. Beyond that, the bolded statement exposes God's pattern of giving to us generally -  He gives to us not as the world gives . To help us appreciate this, we need to firstly understand how the world gives. It is important to note that " the world"  represents a system that is contrary to what God instituted in the beginning. The world was created when Adam sinned. John 1:10 tells us the world does not know God. So when we think about the world, we think about man with his flaws, weaknesses and his 'less-than God's-standard' way of doing things. However,  if you are saved, then ...

1 John 4:18 ....But perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves torment.... Fear has torment; it is sometimes said that fear is faith in the negative, and because there's an element of 'faith', what we are afraid of sometimes tend to happen . It is important to note that it was Job's fear that eventually caught up with him . He said in Job 3:25, "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me." So, fear isn't something we want to have a strong hold in our lives. It incapacitates, make you powerless, unloving and weak in mind ; that is why we are admonished severally in scriptures to "fear not" . Scriptures say "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim 1:7). In as much as He hasn't, sometimes, because of the difficulties and challenges we face, fear does creep into our hearts and then we find ourselves worrying about our is...

Luke 1:34  Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (NKJV) Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen, since I have not had relations with a man?” (ISV) When the angel Gabriel visited Mary with the awesome words of Jesus' conception, she asked a very interesting question out of wonder "How can this happen...?" I find this question intriguing because even though she was a virgin, she was engaged to Joseph who she was going to be married to shortly. So, it would have been expected that she would think that the conception of Jesus would happen when she got married and 'knew' Joseph. In addition, considering that the angel said "...the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David" (Luke 1:32), she probably would have known that King David was an ancestor of the man she was engaged to and thought Jesus would be conceived from their union. This would have been the easy, if not normal, reasoning. However, ...