A witness is one who testifies to the certainty of an event. As such, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. By doing so, they were declaring the resurrection to be an absolute truth. The disciples physically witnessed the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ had been put to death, but was alive and well. Although no believer today physically saw the birth, life, death, burial, or resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can and should still testify to its truthfulness. In order to offer an adequate witness of the Lord’s saving grace, an individual must first have experienced the new birth combined with the witness of God’s indwelling Spirit (1 John 5:10).
The Bible is not meant to be read merely for the sake of reading. God intends for the Bible to be read with a deliberate purpose! Sometimes that purpose may be learning, while at other times it may be for purification. There will be times when one might not know the purpose for reading, but there can be no doubt that the Lord has a purpose. In Deuteronomy 17:18-19, the Lord states that His king should spend time in the law of God so that “he may learn to fear the LORD his God” and “keep all the words of” God’s law “to do them.” In Ephesians 5:26, the Lord describes one of these purposes when He speaks of “the washing of water by the word.” God’s purposes may be missed when one indiscriminately hastens through the scriptures.
The Bible clearly proclaims that believers have full access to the throne of God through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, the Bible also identifies circumstances that can and will hinder a believer’s prayer life. According to James 1:6-7, a lack of faith hinders the Lord’s response to a person’s prayer. According to 1 John 3:22, disobedience can also be a hindrance to prayer. In 1 Peter 3:7, the Bible declares that the prayers of a troubled home will be hindered. In addition to this, the Lord acknowledges the benefit of praying according to His will (1 John 5:14). It is important to pray but also important to insure that your prayer life is not hindered by your personal walk and ways.
The 2,000-year history of the church reveals that there have been teachers and whole religions who have rejected the biblical teaching of the coexistence of a Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Others have accepted their existence but rejected the fact that these three are one with each being fully God (1 John 5:7). Some have simply been unable to comprehend or unwilling to accept that God could exist as one God in three persons. Regardless of man’s intellectual inadequacies, the Bible reveals that each member of the Godhead works together on our behalf in prayer. The Lord told us that every believer should pray to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 15:16). The prayers are directed toward the Father with the Son acting as the mediator (Hebrews 7:25). The book of Romans further reveals that the Spirit of God makes intercession for us in our prayers (Romans 8:26).
The Old Testament Law sometimes condemned the guilty without remedy and with little mercy for the oft offending party. Our passage explains one such instance. It describes the method by which God's Law punished a disobedient child following repeated attempts made to correct him. Certainly, the method of punishment has changed under grace, but the passage proves the importance of obedience. Though God’s method of punishment has changed, His requirement for obedience has remained forever constant. Failing to learn obedience at an early age presents a stumbling block that impedes future growth. Perhaps this is why the Old Testament Law was so strict in punishing offending children. Unfortunately, far too many children in Christian homes think that if they could simply escape the confines of their godly homes they could truly enjoy life. Some of these children simply can't wait to grow up to be finally free to do whatever they want. However, God demands obedience and judges disobedience regardless of one's misconceptions.
Imagine one day standing before “the righteous judge” of the universe who knows every action, thought, and motive. One day, this will become the reality for all those who have ever lived. The Son of God is that judge because the Father committed all judgment to Him (John 5:22). He will judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity (Psalm 98:9). His Father gave Him full authority to mete out this judgment. As the judge, He incorporates an equal standard in every ruling. The scripture testifies of this judgment when it says the Lord has a crown for Paul. Fortunately, this crown is not limited to Paul only, “but unto all them also that love his [Christ’s] appearing.” It is important to note that the word of God stands as the standard by which all truth is judged. The Lord Jesus Christ remains the righteous judge by which all is judged. Unfortunately, far too many judges pervert judgment by incorporating a changing standard into their decisions.
