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Open Heaven Devotion

  • 14 Aug 2023

JESUS OUR TEACHER

MEMORISE:  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9

READ: Matthew 7:24 -28

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

MESSAGE

John 3:1-2 tells us clearly that Jesus was a teacher. It may amaze you that throughout His ministry on earth, nobody ever called Him Evangelist or Prophet or Pastor; they kept calling Him 'Teacher'. Everywhere Jesus went, He went teaching, including by the seaside (Mark 2:13).

Jesus is a teacher and likes to relate with us as such, this is good news because the teacher is held responsible for the success or failure of a student. If the teacher can then prove that the student failed because he or she refused to obey instructions, then the teacher is relieved of that responsibility. You see this clearly when Jesus gave His report at the end of His time on earth in John 17:12. He said: "While l was with them in the world, l kept them in thy name: those that thou gravest me l have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."

Thus if you listen to all Jesus' instructions and obey Him, He will definitely help you make it to heaven at the end of time.

After Jesus resurrected from the dead, His role advanced from teacher to Teacher of teachers. This is why, in John 20:16, Mary called Him 'Rabboni' a special title used to honour great teachers. For those of us who are teachers of the gospel, James 3:1 says that we would receive greater condemnations on the last day if our works are found wanting. Of course, this is because such people are responsible for the souls of men that the Almighty God allocates to them. The good news however, is that we have a Teacher who will teach us how to pass this great test on the last day. He is always there to teach you how to succeed in whatever assignment He commits into your hands. That is why l have always told my children not to get so busy with ministry that they lose connection with the Teacher of teachers. Believe me honestly, without Him, you cannot do ministry right. You cannot be snatching souls from the devil's kingdom and expect him to be soft on you. He will deploy many tactics to bring you down, but if you remain connected to the Teacher of teachers, you will win in the end.

PRAYER POINT 

Teacher of Teachers, please teach me what to do to make it to heaven at the end.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 33-36

HYMN 9: IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE GOD ONLY WISE

1 Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

2 Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;

thy justice like mountains high soaring above

thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

3 To all life thou givest, to both great and small;

in all life thou livest, the true life of all;

we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,

and wither and perish but naught changeth thee.

4 Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;

all praise we would render, O help us to see

'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.