pastorway

FINAL POST AT THIS ADDRESS

2008-03-05T23:00:00.003-06:00

This blog is moving. The new address is www.timeintheword.org.

~pw

Transitions

2008-02-28T19:00:00.005-06:00

We are in the middle of several transitions around here. Part of the transition now is to consolidate several ministries/websites into one. In order to do that I am going to be moving some of the material from this blog over to a new site which will combine devotionals, sermons, articles, and the like into one area under the umbrella of our preaching ministry. As a arm of my ministry I started TIME in the Word Ministries in college and have had it as part of what I do to serve the Body of Christ at large ever since. The site is up and in the weeks to come the material from here will be moved there and I will begin work on some new material as well. UPDATE your WEB LINKS please.

So the NEW LINK is
http://www.timeintheword.org
and the ministry name is
TIME in the Word Ministries.

I will leave this site up for archives because so many people end up here as the result of internet searches, but anything new from this point on will be posted at the new site.

As always, thank you for reading. I do hope what I write is an encouragement to the Body. I know you all are an encouragement to me.

My personal theme and meditation for this year seems a good place to intitiate this transition. In all we think, do, and say may we

"give unto the Lord the glory due His name." (Psa 29:2)

See you at the new site!

Yours and His,
Phillip

An Invitation and a New Beginning

2008-02-10T22:00:00.000-06:00

Two new messages from Jonathan Hunt:

A Great Invitation

Luke 14:16-24

Christ teaches the Pharisees with this remarkable parable, picturing the great invitation to come to Him for salvation. What is our response to the gracious invitation of Christ?

Abraham's New Beginning

Genesis 25:1-11

We come to the end of Abraham's life, and reflect that it is not an end, but a new beginning. We summarise Abraham's life, and take encouragement from his example.

Remember, Repent, Rebekah

2008-02-01T21:30:00.000-06:00

Here are 2 sermons preached by Jonathan Hunt back in November:

Remember. Repent!

Text: Proverbs 14.34

On this Remembrance Sunday, and Armistice Day, we consider the great deliverances that have been wrought for our nation in previous world wars. We consider what it is that once made Britain 'Great' - recognizing that it really is righteousness that does exalt a nation. We consider the reaction to the end of World War II, and ask if we would see such glory given to God today. Of course, the answer is 'no'. We recognize the great sin of our nation in recent years, with the murder of 6.7 million unborn children heading the list of offences, and conclude that at the time we remember, we should repent. We call upon our once-great nation to repent of her rebellion against Almighty God, and we plead with Him to send a wave of revival through our needy land.

Rebekah

Text: Genesis 24

In this lengthy yet beautiful account we see Abraham’s great faith in operation once more as he sends his servant to seek a wife for his son, Isaac. We note three things particularly - Abraham’s servant as a model of our service to Christ, lessons about guidance, and further lessons about faith. Are we true servants of our Master? Do we seek His guidance? Do we exercise faith?

Phillip's Phunnies: Separated at Birth - Challies Trio

2008-01-19T21:00:00.000-06:00

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Let me start by expressing my admiration and respect for Tim Challies.

While he is a Canadian, he remains the "world's most famous christian blogger." And if you have not already done so, please BUY AND READ his book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. I recommend the book first because it is a needed and important book for the church today. Beyond that, knowing that this blog post is at heart about humor I have to add that I recommend his book because I am quoted in the work and listed in the footnotes!! (no wonder some questioned his credentials)

Tim has been all over the blogosphere these last few days and so he was already on my mind. I have been reading about him and his book every day for a while now. As I was flipping through TV stations one night last week I saw a commercial for the movie City Slickers that was going to be showing and during the ad one of the actors in the movie caught my eye. I thought to myself, "Hey, that sure looks like Tim Challies."

While I admit that I have not met Tim face to face, I have seen him around on the internet and the likeness was such that I wondered if I was the first to see the similarities. Of course that meant that I simply had to post a separated at birth blog post (again, in honor of the master of the separated at birth posts, purgatorio, who is thankfully posting again).

So here we go.

The actor I saw was Daniel Stern, and, well, look here and see what I mean when I say that I found a separated at birth trio:

Tim Challies, Ray Comfort, and Kirk Cameron
Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, and Billy Crystal

Is Huckabee Ashamed of the Gospel?

2008-01-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

Pulpit Magazine had a post today by Jesse Johnson on The Church's Mission Statement. In the article there is a clear point made from the Scripture that the mission statement for the church and for each individual Christian involves proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost world.

Johnson wrote:

The church’s mission statement was given to us by Jesus himself.

Matthew 28:19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Mark 16:15-16: And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Luke 24:45-48: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

John 20:21: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Acts 1:8-9: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

So at the end of all four Gospels, as well as at the beginning of Acts, the church is given it’s mission. To reach the lost with the saving power of the Gospel. And with this commission, Jesus makes evangelism an issue of obedience to our mission statement.

Christians are then called to live, think and act in light of our mission statement. We make decisions and choices based on how they will affect our purpose, the reaching and saving of the lost.

Now then, while I do not usually address politics here on my blog, after I read that post today I read a news story that highlighted a visit by GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to the First Baptist North Spartanburg Church in South Carolina. He apparently set his campaigning aside long enough to preach at the church's Sunday morning worship service. And what he said afterward needs to be commented upon because this is not so much about politics as it is about the gospel.

Yes, Huckabee is a preacher and a politician. He is courting the religious right and the evangelical community, presenting himself as a Christian and a conservative. I am not posting to debate whether he is a Christian or a conservative, or whether he was preaching or merely campaigning from behind a pulpit, but I am compelled to speak up when a fellow minister of the gospel appears to be using the gospel for political gain.

Like every Christian, and certainly like every preacher of the gospel, Mike Huckabee is responsible before God to live out the churches mission statement. There is no salvation in politics or politicians. There is no salvation in government or religion. There is only salvation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when Huckabee was asked a direct question about the gospel, he should have responded by clearly preaching the gospel to those who asked. Instead, he responded in such a way that he sounded as if he was ashamed of the gospel.

The Apostle Paul says to us in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..."

In contrast, here is what Huckabee said when asked a question that opened the door for a clear and bold proclamation of the gospel:

Asked by reporters later if he thinks only Christians will go to heaven, Huckabee refused to say. "I'm going to stick to the things that make it critical for me to be president of the United States," Huckabee said Sunday. "I have deep convictions about who goes and who doesn't, but as far as who makes that decision, it isn't me, it's God. I'm going to leave that up to him."

I really have to wonder what motivates Mike Huckabee when he is willing to put his hand over his mouth when he is asked to preach the gospel to the lost world. Besides that, God has told us exactly who will and who will not go to heaven.

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 3:16, 18 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

When asked if only Christians go to heaven Huckabee should have said, “Yes,” and then gone on to define who is and who is not a Christian. However, he blew it. He disobeyed Paul's admonition in 2 Timothy 4:1-5:

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

It seems that Huckabee will preach the gospel to those who know it, but he will not preach it to those who don't. Either way, it sounds like he is using the gospel to get votes. That means that these days Mike is more politician than preacher. We all know that he is eloquent enough to speak the truth clearly, but instead he side stepped the single most important question he has been asked on the campaign trail.

For that he should be ashamed!

The Beginning of Months

2008-01-01T15:00:00.000-06:00

As we begin this New Year I am reminded of a passage I read a few weeks ago in the Book of Exodus. As the Lord gave instructions to Moses and Aaron for the institution of the observance of the first Passover He said to them:

This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

In preparing His people for deliverance, both from bondage in Egypt and from the Angel of Death, He tells them that this coming event is significant enough that it should be used as a milestone to mark the beginning of each new year. This passing over of the houses marked with the blood from the lamb that had been sacrificed was so precious an event that it was used to mark time and is proclaimed by God to be given as an "everlasting ordinance" to His people. We now remember and participate in this ordinance each time that we observe the Lord's Supper, or Communion.

In Exodus we see that Israel was in bondage to Egypt just as we are all born slaves of sin (Rom 3:23; 6:16). Israel was crying out for deliverance (Exodus 3:7) and God was the One Who set in motion the plan to rescue them (Exodus 3:8), just as He set into motion the plan to redeem us from our sin (John 3:16; Eph 1:3-6). And just as He took His people through the wilderness to the Promised Land, so too, we look for heaven, to the return of our King, and to life in His presence forever (Heb 11:9-10).

For today then, as this is our beginning of months, let us think about the things that were necessary for the deliverance of God's people. This gives us cause to remember and to rejoice in the salvation of our God.

Bondage

First we see that there had to be bondage. The people needed to be delivered. Without bondage, without being enslaved, and without being incapable of rescuing themselves the people had no need of a Savior. How often do we forget that we need to be saved and that we need to be delivered from sin and death and that there is nothing that we can do about it on our own? Since the fall, the race of Adam has been bound in sin and in need of salvation.

Death

Secondly we see that there had to be death. There was the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians that motivated Pharaoh to finally let the people go and there was the death of the Passover Lamb, sacrificed so that the blood could be spread on the doorposts of the homes where the Angel of Death would pass over.

Death is just a fact of life! As we close out one year and ring in the new we remember those who died during the last 12 months, but even then we try to hide from it, ignore it, or pretend we will never die. We really do try not to think about death. But each of us will die physically unless Jesus returns first. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) and we are all sinners. We live in a fallen world, afflicted with sickness, sorrow, and suffering. And sin is the only explanation that can be offered when we are asked why bad things happen, even to "good" people.

Is this a reason to give up hope or to despair? Of course not. For those who have been delivered they have been passed over - physical death though inevitable will not hurt them! It is merely a step from this life into the presence of the One Who gave Himself to save us.

For those who have not been delivered from the power of sin through repentance and faith in Christ, death is a sudden step into eternity to face their Judge, and with all the talk these days about contextualizing the gospel and being relevant, perhaps we would be better off if we just realized that people are dying without Jesus and they need to hear the gospel!! We need not contextualize it or make it relevant. All people are sinners. All people die. Only Jesus can deliver them from sin and death. You can't get more relevant than that!

We must notice from the passage in Exodus that it was not only the firstborn of the Egyptians who died that night. The lamb died too. The lamb was sacrificed, and that gives us cause to rejoice because Jesus is our Passover Lamb. He died in our place, substituting Himself for us so that we need not fear death.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing! And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “ Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Obedience

The third thing that we see that had to be necessary for the Passover was an obedient people. Moses and Aaron had to tell the people what God expected and the people had to hear and do what they were told. It was only through carefully following the things that Moses said that the people were spared death and freed from their bondage. There was only one way to get out of Egypt. There was only one route to freedom, and the instructions were specific.

Today we need to be reminded that there is only One Way to be delivered and that Way is Jesus Christ (John 14:6). His gospel is specific, it is a command, and we must hear it and obey it if we are to be freed from this slavery to unrighteousness.

Beyond hearing the gospel for the first time we also need to continue to hear His voice as He leads us through His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. We hear Him through reading, through listening to faithful preachers and teachers, through fellowship, though the songs of praise we sing, and through other means as we are exposed to the Word of God. As we hear the Word and obey the Word we prove that we love God (1 John 5:3), we are sanctified (John 17:17), we are transformed (Rom 12:1-2), and we are equipped to fight the good fight and overcome sin and temptation (Psalm 119:11).

There are plenty of false teachers out there. There are more than enough who try to entertain people and preach that it is all about us, all about being happy, having our best life, being healthy, wealthy, and wise. But this man-centered gospel never saved anyone - it only condemned those who hear it because it is not the truth. The truth is that it is not about us - it is about a Holy God. It is about hearing Him and obeying Him, not for what we can get from Him but because He alone deserves our worship, adoration, and obedience.

In this, our beginning of months, let us remember the things that God tells us are important - things important enough to rewrite the calendar. Let us be determined not to mark the time of our lives by the simple worldly things that pass us by, but by the worship of our God who has passed us over in regards to His wrath solely on the basis of His Son, freeing us from sin and death so that we might proclaim His holiness, His love, and His goodness.

In this New Year, it is not about us, it is about Him! That is the only place to begin.

“In the beginning, God…….”

Far as the curse is found

2007-12-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

John 1:1-5; 14

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life,
and the life was the light of men.

And the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

It's TIME to get real about Christmas

2007-12-23T22:00:00.000-06:00

Two special messages today from Jonathan Hunt focusing on the truth about the incarnation celebrated this time of year around the world.

The Everlasting Son of God - Micah 5:2

A simple study to consider this wonderful prophecy of the coming Messiah, encouragements and insights for us. We consider Christ's eternal existence, and his rule over all things. We review several features of Christ's coming revealed here, and reveal the greatness of the government of Christ as our glorious Prince. We also see that He is our peace, even when 'the enemy is in the land'

Time to Get Real about Christmas - Isaiah 40:4-5

We all know the traditional version of the 'Christmas Story' - but so much of it is not supported by scripture. What DOES the Bible say about why Christ came? Who is He? Why did He come? What does it have to do with us today?

The Death of a Saint

2007-12-17T19:30:00.000-06:00

The next message in Jonathan Hunt's sermon series from Genesis is taken from Genesis 23 and titled The Death of a Saint.

In this message we consider the life and death of Sarah, Abraham's wife. We understand that Sarah 'died in faith' from Hebrews 11. Have we thought carefully about whether this is how we will die? A useful maxim is 'To die IN faith, live BY faith'. We also look at Abraham's careful purchase of a burial place, and learn once more from his example as he deals with death in a godly way.

Politics and Religion

2007-12-05T20:45:00.000-06:00

Here in the United States we are in what seems to be the middle of a political campaign when in fact the first presidential primaries are still a month away. Seemingly endless debates, decisions determined by sound bites, and the ever present discussion about what exactly the church's role in politics should be leave many tired, others preturbed, and a few who act like a child who just ate a box of cookies and drank a gallon of red kool-aid. Some live for politics. Others dread all of this as a necessary evil and see a best case scenario where we are required to do our civic duty and discern the lesser of two evils. The candidates are judged by their positions, how often they change those positions, and how well they communicate their views and how convincingly they make their promises. There are values voters, the religious right, the liberal left, neo-conservatives, libertarians, moderates, constitutionalists, democrats, republicans, independents, and a lot of wackos. The base must be appeased. The fringe pandered to. And the undecideds lured to one side or the other.

Well, lest I go on and on like a politician let me get to my point. I was reviewing a few blogs and a few email lists I am a part of and a thought struck me. Just popped right in my head. Before I reveal that thought though I must mention that I have read and heard a lot of good, a lot of bad, and quite a bit of ugly lately when it comes to politics and religion. I have not decided how I will vote yet (and when I do decide I promise I won't blog about it), but many in the reformed and "evangelical" world (I use the term as loosely as it has come to be defined) are taking lots of time to talk about why we should vote for their candidate. The debates are heated, the logic impressive, and the stubborness quite amusing at times. But with all the talk about politics and religion I am concerned.

So what was it that hit me like a bolt of lighting?

How many of us lately have been better evangelists for our candidate than for our Savior?

The time, money, effort, zeal, words, arguments, debates, fact finding, passion, and all the rest that we spend pushing our favorite politician is embarassing when compared to the time, money, effort, zeal, etc, that we have given for the preaching and living of the gospel.

Politics and elections are not a bad thing. But I am afraid we are acting as if the politicians were our saviors. And no matter who they are or who we elect it is God who raises the nations up or puts them down. And it is not our elected leaders who influence God's will in the matter. It is whether we the people repent of our sin and turn back to Him.

Discussion and debate can be useful and good but the words of our mouth reveal the true condition of our heart. What do our lips (and typing hands) tell us about who we are trusting to save us?

Religious Scholars

2007-12-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

"Until a man has received the divine life, his remarks thereon, even if he be an archbishop, go for nothing." -- CH Spurgeon

A Thanksgiving Prayer by Dr. Peter Marshall

2007-11-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Our Father in Heaven,

If ever we had a cause to offer unto Thee our fervent thanks, surely it is now, on the Eve of our Thanksgiving Day, when we, the people of this Nation, are comfortable, well fed, well clad, and blessed with good things beyond our deserving. May gratitude, the rarest of all virtues, be the spirit of our observance.

Let not feasting, football, and festivity end in forgetfulness of God. May the desperate need of the rest of the world, and our own glorious heritage, remind us of the God who led our Fathers every step of the way by which they advanced to the character of an independent nation.

May the faith and conviction of George Washington be renewed in us as we remember his words:

...there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exits in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained...

For if we do not have the grace to thank Thee for all that we have and enjoy, how can we have the effrontery to seek Thy further blessings? God, give us grateful hearts.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

From the Senate of the United States - November 26, 1947
Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain

When Wrestling is Real

2007-11-18T15:45:00.000-06:00

When commenting on Ephesians 6:12 Matthew Henry wrote:

Our enemies strive to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings, and to obstruct our communion with heaven.

We find that this is true. Our enemies would do all within their power to distract us from "setting our minds on things above" so that we are overwhelmed with the things of this earth. If we are going to fight the good fight then we must be prepared to engage the enemy in combat and we must know how to overcome them and their tactics.

The first step in preparing is found in Ephesians 6:12 where we are told that we are locked in hand to hand combat with the enemies of the Kingdom of God. We "wrestle" against them, and here, unlike on the television, the wrestling is real! But we need to be sure that we know who we are fighting. Understanding who the real enemy is will help us stand against them and overcome them in the course of this lifelong battle.

This week's sermon, taken from this text, explores the truth about our enemy and explains how it is that we successfully combat their plans and schemes in this fallen world.

(click the message title below to download or listen to this message for FREE)

The Rulers of Darkness
Ephesians 6:12

III. The Rulers of Darkness – Eph 6:12

A. Wrestling is Real
1. We wrestle...not (we do wrestle) – we are at war
2. Combat, hand to hand
3. “To throw a man down by deceit and craft, to supplant and trip” (Calvin)
4. Today, wrestling is often fake or theatrical. In NT times it was often a matter of life and death.
B. Know Your Enemy
1. Not Flesh and Blood
a. An enemy not human, not physical, not of this world
b. An Enemy not threatened by any mere human power or ability
c. Who the enemy is not:

How often do we forget that God says in His Word, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay."? And so when we are persecuted or attacked verbally, emotionally, or physically for our faith we have as a first response the desire to fight back - to strike out against the person who has hurt us. That is another point of confusion brought on by the true enemy of our souls. We fall for the lie that we are fighting against lost men and women!

As a result then we use our words and actions to hurt them and drive them back - and then we wonder why the reject Christ so openly!! Have we forgotten that those who would engage us in this warfare and attack us are themselves in bondage to sin, slaves of unrighteousness, and children of their father the devil? This is what Jesus said to the Pharisees. In calling them a "brood of vipers" He was saying that they are the offspring of Satan - they are, as it were baby snakes, children of their father, the Devil.

But these people are not the enemy we are to engage in warfare. We should seek to rescue them - to preach and witness and love and encourage them. The Bible is so clear. Bless those who curse, pray for those who spitefully use, do good to those who hate. And yet our natural response is to fight. Then we see we are at war but we are fighting the wrong enemy! We think that those in bondage should be hated and reviled just as they hate and revile. But these are the very people we should be loving with an unconditional self sacrificing love.

2. Principalities
a. Gk: arxas
b. ruler, office of authority, denotes organization and domain, sphere of influence
c. Rom 8:38; Col 1:16; 2:15 – a created thing under God’s authority
3. Powers
a. Gk: edzousias
b. ruling power, the right to act, domain in which power is exercised
c. 1 Peter 3:22 – subject to Christ
4. Rulers of Darkness
a. Gk: kosmokratoras skoutas
b. world rulers over darkness
c. Eph 5:8; Luke 22:53; 1 John 5:19
5. Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness
a. Gk: pneumatika ponarias
b. wicked (sick, virulent, evil) spirits (in the spiritual realm)
c. 1 John 3:10; James 1:21
C. Our Defeated Foe – Rev 12:11
1. Prophesied - Gen 3:15
2. Temptation Resisted – Luke 4:1-13
3. Demons Cast Out – Luke 4:33-36; 11:20; Matt 10:1
4. His Works Destroyed – 1 John 3:8
5. Fulfilled at Christ’s Death – Col 2:15; Heb 2:14
D. Dealing with Demons – 2 Cor 10:1-6

A Message about Methods

2007-11-11T17:30:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The word "wiles" is the Greek word methodia, which we might also translate "methods". Have you ever given much thought to the methods that the devil uses to trap us and tempt us?

This Sunday's message was taken from this text and we spent some time looking at the methods the devil uses against us and ways in which we have been equipped to stand against the devil and resist his schemes.

Here is the outline and a link for the audio for this sermon online available to listen or download for FREE.

The Wiles of the Devil
Ephesians 6:11

A. The Necessity of Strength – 1 Samuel 17

1. Be Strong
2. Be Brave

B. The Reality of War

1. Gal 5:17
2. Rom 8

C. Strategy and Tactics

1. The Big Picture
2. The Daily Grind
a. Put On – Rom 13:14; Eph 4:24; Col 3:12-14
b. Stand – the theme

D. The Methods of the Enemy - ABCD

1. Accuser of the Brethren
2. Bait - Gen 3:6; 1 John 2:15-17
a. Doubt God’s Word
b. Deny God’s Word
c. Disobey God’s Word
d. Appealing to Our Fallen Flesh – James 1:14-15
3. Confuse
4. Deceive

E. Application – We have been given the Armor of God. Are we using it?

Set Free

2007-11-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

Two new sermons from Jonathan both touch on being set free. The first finds a jailor set free from the captivity of sin and the second finds a boy bound to the altar to be sacrificed set free as God provided a substitute.

The Jailor Set Free - Acts 16.16-34

The Philippian Jailor was a hardened man. He'd seen it all, but nothing prepared him for the conduct of two Christians thrown into the foulest depths of his prison. Paul and Silas had not only preached the gospel, but they lived in such a way that it was hard to doubt their sincerity. Dramatic events follow as God intervenes in the situation, and the Jailor asks the well-known question 'What must I do to be saved?' Do you know the answer to this question? Are you like the Jailor, thinking that the Christians are the captives and you are the free one? He soon found out how wrong he was!

The Lord Will Provide - Genesis 22

Here we examine one of the best-known passages in the Bible, as Abraham obeys the Lord and offers up his only son Isaac as a sacrifice, only to be stopped at the last moment, with a ram being provided for the sacrifice in Isaac's place. We consider how hard it is sometimes to do as God commands. We also ask 'What could God do with us if only we would obey Him?' Most importantly we ask 'Are we like Abraham?' - Are we willing to rest in the knowledge that the Lord will provide? Are we trusting in the fact that He HAS provided full and free salvation in His Son Jesus Christ?

If You Dare

2007-11-05T18:45:00.000-06:00

You can visit http://www.ravenhill.org/mp3.htm and listen to sermons by Revivalist Leonard Ravenhill.

Warning - not for the faint of heart or those prone to hear but not do!

~pw

Saul and Paul; Isaac and Ishmael

2007-11-04T22:07:00.000-06:00

New messages from Jonathan are now available online to listen to or download for FREE:

Title: Destination Damascus? – Acts 9:1-22

Series: Evangelistic Ministry

In this message we examine the well-known account of the conversion of Saul - who became the Apostle Paul. He set out for Damascus intent on doing what he thought was God's will - but God had other plans. Do we know conversion to Christ like Paul did? Do we think we are pleasing God when in fact we are offending Him?

Title: Isaac and Ishmael - Genesis 21

Series: Genesis

Isaac is born to scenes of great joy. Sarah tells how the Lord has made her to laugh - how He has filled her with joy. Has God filled you with joy because of His promised Son Jesus Christ? What do you do with the joy God gives you?

Back in the Saddle Again

2007-11-04T21:00:00.000-06:00

Finally! After only preaching once so far this year God has made it possible for me to resume preaching His Word and I preached today from Ephesians 6:10 a message titled The Power of His Might. Here is the outline:

I. The Power of His Might – Ephesians 6:10

A. Finally, My Brethren
1. The Worthy Walk (Eph 4)
2. Walking in Love (Eph 5:1-7) be imitators
3. Walking in Light (Eph 5:8-14) you were darkness
4. Walking in Wisdom (Eph 5:15-21) be filled with the Spirit
5. Walking in Family Life (Eph 5:25-6:4)
6. Walking at Work (Eph 6:5-9)
B. Be Strong
1. In the Lord (through Christ)
a. I can do all things (Phil 4:13)
b. Our consolation abounds through Christ (2 Cor 1:5)
c. We are heirs through Christ (Gal 4:7)
d. We come to the Father only through Christ (John 14:6)
e. Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5)
2. In the Power of His Might
a. He is all powerful (Luke 18:27)
b. He is called Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
c. Not Will Power, but the Surrender of our Will (Luke 9:23)
1) Gal 2:20 – we have been crucified with Christ
2) 2 Cor 5:17 – we are a new creation in Christ
3) Eph 4:24 – we are a new man, created in righteousness and holiness
C. Examples
1. The Presence of God’s Power
a. The Plagues in Egypt and the Exodus
b. The Conquest of Canaan (Jericho)
c. The Fire on Mt. Carmel
2. The Absence of God’s Power
a. The Golden Calf
b. The Defeat at Ai
c. The Flight from Jezebel
D. Application – More Than Conquerors (Rom 8:37)

Wycliffe, Hus, and Luther

2007-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

In 1384, John Wycliffe, the morning star of the reformation, died of a stroke in Lutterworth, England. His life, until its end, was the beginning of a recovery of the Scriptures and the Gospel from the corrupt and power hungry Church of Rome.

Wycliffe broke with tradition by refusing to claim that the Church was the final authority in matters of faith. In 1378 he authored The Truth of Holy Scripture in which he claimed that the Bible alone was the authority for believers. He stated that church councils, tradition, and even the Pope himself were to be held accountable to the authority and teaching of Scripture.

He also proclaimed that every Christian should be able to read the Bible for himself! This was novel, for the church not only controlled and interpreted the Bible for its members, but only the clergy were even allowed to own or read Bibles! Wycliffe’s answer was to publish the Bible in the everyday language of the people.

Wycliffe went on to say that the office of Pope was an invention of men and not based on Scripture. He said that the Pope was indeed the antichrist, exalting himself in the place of Christ the Lord. Further, he stood up against the doctrine of transubstantiation – the idea that at the offering of the mass, the Eucharist, that the priest offered Jesus again as a sacrifice for God’s people and that the people then ate bread and wine which was literally the physical body and blood of Jesus.

As Wycliffe continued in the teachings and tradition of Augustine his greatest contribution to the world was the Bible translated into everyday language.

John Hus carried on the teachings of Wycliffe after his death. Hus, from Bohemia, not only encouraged the translation of the Word of God into the language of the people, but he preached in the language of the people instead of in Latin. He wanted the gospel to be heard and believed by those to whom he preached.

Hus also rejected the power and authority of the Pope, and while at a meeting to discuss his views in 1415 was arrested and burnt at the stake for his “heresy.” The council also took the opportunity to proclaim Wycliffe a heretic, even though he had been dead for almost 40 years. In fact, they dug up his bones and burnt them in contempt for his teaching and its influence on Hus.

At the end of Hus’ trial, when asked if he would appeal to the Pope for mercy, he responded, “I do affirm before you all, that there is no more just or effectual appeal, than that which is made unto Christ. Who is a higher judge than Christ?” When the chain was wrapped around his neck, binding him to the stake, he cried out, “My Lord Jesus Christ was bound with a harder chain than this for my sake, and why then should I be ashamed of this rusty one?” As Hus was dying, being burned alive at the stake, he proclaimed, “What I have taught with my lips I seal with my blood. You are now going to burn a goose, but in a century you will have a swan which you can neither roast nor boil.”

The name Hus, means literally “goose.” In the 100 years from 1415 to the early 1500s another man came on the scene, a man whose family crest was the picture of a swan. That man was Martin Luther.

In the years between Hus and Luther there arose another figure of great importance, William Tyndale. He learned Greek so that he might translate the Word of God in the New Testament from the original language into English. You and I have our Bibles today because of the perseverance and hard work of William Tyndale. His English New Testament is perhaps the most important book ever published in the English language.

Tyndale, while in attendance at a meeting with priests and bishops said that he "defied the Pope and all his laws" and vowed that "a plough-boy would know more of the Scriptures than they." He was condemned as a blasphemer and heretic and burnt at the stake.

As the Word of God spread, and God continued moving upon men to proclaim the truth of the gospel, on the Eve of All Saints Day, October 31, 1517, (Reformation Day) exactly 488 years ago this week, a momentous and incredible event took place at the Church in Wittenberg, Germany, in fulfillment of Hus earlier prophecy. There this Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther, the swan, challenged the leaders of the church that had burned the goose to a debate. He did so in the form of a protest.

Luther had long been studying the Scriptures and having been regenerated by the Spirit of God was given understanding as to what the Scriptures taught about sin, salvation, and especially about the justification of lost sinners by faith alone in Jesus Christ. He came to see, as had Wycliffe and Hus, that the sole authority for the church was the Word of God.

Describing his own conversion, Luther wrote:

At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In this the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’.” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives, by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.

As Luther reacted against and protested the selling of indulgences (money paid to the church for the forgiveness of sins) and many other abuses by the church – things that he saw the church doing that clearly contradicted the teachings of Holy Scripture – he made a list. His list of 95 offenses or abuses, which are referred to as Luther’s 95 Thesis was an indictment of the church and many of its tradition and practices.

In challenging the church, he wanted a public debate, and so took and nailed his list to the church door at Wittenberg. He made a public protest by posting this in such a way. It was a public statement about the condition of the church and its relation to the truth of Holy Scripture.

In response he was put on trial and challenged to recant of his thesis, which the church court saw as heresy. He challenged their ultimate and infallible authority to interpret the Word of God for the people. At this trial, know as the Diet of Worms, Luther stood his ground. In fact, his final reply to the command to recant was an absolute appeal to the authority of Scripture alone as his guide in matters of faith. Luther was asked by the court:

Do you wish to defend the books which are recognized as your work? Or to recant anything contained in them? . . .

He concluded his reply by saying:

You demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convinced by Scripture or by plain reason (for I do not accept the authority of popes or councils, for they have often contradicted each other), my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.. God help me. Amen. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.

As history unfolded around him, this date and time at that church door have become the spark that brought FIRES of renewal to the church and freed to gospel from the clutches of the cultic church controlled by Rome and the Pope. This spark, this birth of a protest against the abuses of the Church, is known to us today as the Protestant Reformation.

This turning point in history has given us many rich traditions and doctrines. The foundation of the Reformation of course is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. This truth sprung forth from the cornerstone, the conviction that God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, was itself the sole infallible authority for life and faith, for salvation and Christian living, for the church and the world.

Rebuilding PRBC - UPDATE

2007-10-28T22:35:00.001-05:00

Providence Reformed Baptist Church is now meeting for worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM at the pastor's home in Round Rock. If you are interested in attending a meeting and worshipping God with us, please call or email for directions.

Phone: (512)577-8433
Email: info (at) providencerbc (dot) org

Phillip M. Way, Pastor
Providence Reformed Baptist Church
TIME in the Word Ministries
www.providencerbc.org
www.timeintheword.org

The Wilderness

2007-10-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever given much thought to the Wilderness? So much of life around us is no longer wild. There are snake farms, zoos, wildlife preserves, and other places that bring the wildlife to us in cages and make it all seem so tame. We rarely experience the wild any more.

On a trip earlier this year to Florida I noticed the dense vegetation around us as we drove down the interstate highway and I paused to think about those explorers who worked their way across the New World with no pre-existing maps, GPS satellites, or even roads. I am sure working through the wilderness to establish a new civilization was hard and hazardous work. The wilderness is often uncharted and those who venture in may not come back out again.

Scripturally and spiritually speaking there are other dimensions to the wilderness. It was the backside of the desert where God took Moses for 40 years preparing him to lead the people out of Egypt. It was the Arabian wilderness where God took Paul for 3 years after his conversion on the Damascus Road. It was the wilderness where Jesus was tempted by Satan after 40 days of fasting. It was the wilderness where John the Baptist preached the gospel of the Kingdom, wearing camel skin and eating locusts and honey. At times He even used the wilderness to judge His people. That is, after all, where the generation that came out of Egypt died while wandering for 40 years, headed for the Promised Land.

The wilderness is barren. Hot during the day and cold at night. It is far from civilization and the comforts of home. It really is wild. And yet this is where God over and over again takes His people to teach them and to prepare them, making them useful for His service.

Have we been in the wilderness? Have we been rejected by friends and family, exiled to wandering in the wild, far away places? Has God taken us out into the places where there is no help and no resources except for those He providential sends our way? The wilderness can make us crazy, you know. The isolation. The silence. Those things out there which would prey upon us and consume us if given the chance. Some outside and others inside of us, ringing in our ears as we do battle with our own thoughts and fears.

And yet the wilderness is used to purge, to cleanse, and to prepare us for the work that God has for us. Without the wilderness we would not know what to do or how to respond to hardship. Yet we often reject the wilderness. We flee for what is familiar and comfortable. We hide. But God is still able to send us out so that He might teach us how to depend on Him and how to turn back to Him. When in the wilderness all we have is God we learn to long for Him, to hear Him in the hustle and bustle around us once we return to civilization. Yet these lessons are missed by those who prefer the easy paths.

I have often thought that many today, if put back in the day of our ancestors, would die a quick death and hardly be able to survive with the pioneers and those who settled our land. It is no different in the church. When we mistake apathy for contentment and activity for obedience we are sure to miss the great blessings of the wilderness. When we think a full schedule and a busy program is the same thing as living in the power of God then we have been deceived. Being busy will only make us barren. Spiritually, abundant life flows from the times our faith is tested and tried and proved.

Just because we are comfortable does not mean that God is blessing us. Just because things are going along smoothly does not mean that we are being obedient. And just because we think we are full does not mean that we should cease to hunger and thirst after righteousness.

The church today, safe from the hardships of the wilderness, is full of junk food. Sermons that do not feed the inner man. And we are malnourished. There is a famine from hearing the Word of the Lord. And the men charged with preaching that Word, with feeding the sheep, too often feed themselves and appease the sheep, all the while leading them to death and despair. For it is the truth that makes us free. Anything less than the truth serves only to enslave us.

Have you been to the wilderness? The place where it is just you and God? And sometimes there even He does not answer? Can you relate to the Psalmist who cried out many times, "How long, O Lord?" and as he waited on God he learned to believe even in the absence of all evidence and to trust simply because God said so and His every Word is true? The same man, David, hungered for God. He panted after God. It was God who sustained his life.

The wilderness is a place where we are forced to ask uncomfortable questions and to face our deepest fears. It is also the wilderness where we learn who we are in Christ and we see that He was telling the truth when He told us, "Without me you can do noting."

Maybe we need some time in the wilderness, some place where we cannot do it on our own, some place where it has to be the power of God that sustains us so that we see that without Him we really cannot do anything.....but with Christ, and through Christ, and in Christ, then all things are possible.

Sometimes I look longingly at the wilderness, for it is there that I see Who God is and what He can accomplish by the power of His might. There He does these things without my help! There I cannot rely on books, programs, or methods. There it is me against the wild, and it is the wild that He uses to show His power in preparing us for His use.

Have you been to the wilderness lately? It is not a place for the fainthearted, but it is for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Maybe it is time for us to "take a walk on the wild side."

Worship and Witness

2007-10-21T17:45:00.000-05:00

Two new messages from Jonathan find him continuing on in his series on Bible Basics and his series through Genesis. These messages show us what it means to be a worshipper of God and how it is that we can press on in being a witness even after we have failed and fallen into sin.

What is Worship?

John 4:24

What is worship? You might expect a variety of answers. Here we look at the meaning of the Bible words translated as 'worship' and particularly about what the Lord Jesus Christ had to say to the woman of Samaria. We see how misunderstood the term 'worship' is today, and we ask, most vitally of all, 'Are we true worshippers?'

Abraham and Abimelech

Genesis 20

In the life of Abraham, we reach another low point. Repeating a mistake of 25 years before, Abraham moves into a new neighbourhood and disgraces himself. Yet God is not ashamed of him, and still uses him despite his failures. We take encouragement from the record of scripture, and ask how we should deal with our own shortcomings. We reflect on how our mistakes do not thwart God's sovereign plans, and on how we must press on in our life of witness and service for Him.

Interfering with God's Will

2007-10-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

I wonder how often we pursue God's will and at the same time interfere with His will. What am I talking about? Well, often we are willing to do what God wants us to do. We meditate on the Scriptures and we strive to be pleasing to Him in all that we do. We really do care about His will for our lives and likely have even read a book or two on the topic. I know I have preached and written about God's will on numerous occasions.

However, it is not enough to find or to know God's will. Some make finding God's will an end in itself. "I found it", they proclaim, and yet they do not live it. They hear but do not obey.

Lately I have been thinking about another problem we run into when seeking God's will. We find it and we assure ourselves that we know what God wants for us but then we get impatient. We know what God wants and so we decide to help Him bring it to pass.

The best example of this of course is the story we find in Genesis when God tells Abraham and Sarah that they will have a child in their old age. They wait and wait and wait. They know what God is going to do, but they do not know how He is planning to do it and finally their impatience leads them to the decision to have Abraham take Sarah's maidservant Hagar and with her have "their" promised child.

We need not look far to see the turmoil that this decision has wrought upon the world even still today. But what happened?

I have termed this "Interfering with God's Will." This happens when we are sure that we know what God wants, we have clear direction spiritually speaking, but we try to make it happen. We try to force it. We think that God's will depends on us and so we think about ways to make sure that we can make God's will happen. We offer Him a helping hand.

We need to be reminded that God's will is going to happen! We also need to remember that Jesus did not teach us to pray, "God help me find your will." He prayed, "Your will be done." And it will be!

So why do we interfere? Why do we think that we have to make things happen? Why do we have to be so impatient and so in a hurry? Often we miss the lessons, the faith building challenges that God has provided for us so that we can know and trust Him better. Often, too, it is immaturity. Experience and wisdom teach us that we must indeed let God be God and learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

Do you know what God wants for you? Trust Him. Wait on Him. Be still as He works. And learn what it means to pray, "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Then, if we live like we pray we will not interfere but will instead find the joy of knowing and doing God's will, in His way and in His time.

Next time you think you know what God is doing, stop and wait to see how He is going to do it. And remember, if you try to make it happen your way instead of His you have followed in Abraham and Sarah's footsteps, but not in a good way!

Don't interfere. Persevere!

Do You Understand What You Read?

2007-09-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

Two more messages from Jonathan:

Do You Understand What You Read? - Acts 8:26-39

Philip is sent to share the gospel with an important Ethiopian official who has visited Jerusalem. He finds the man reading from the book of Isaiah, and asks him if he understands what he is reading. He takes the opportunity to preach Christ to the man, who declares his faith and is baptized. What can we learn from this episode? Do we understand what we read in God's Word?

Sodom: Destruction and Salvation- Genesis 18-19

In this study we see a contrast between Abraham's close personal relationship with the Lord, played out in intimate hospitality, and the judgment of the Lord upon the cities of the plain who lived godless lives. We also see a contrast between the life of Abraham and the sad ending of the biblical record concerning Lot. In Chapter 18 we consider Entertaining, Educating, and Entreating, and in Chapter 19 we consider Deliverance, Destruction and Desolation.

Ananias & Sapphira vs. Abraham & Sarah

2007-08-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

Two new messages by Jonathan give us a comparison between the deliberate deception of Ananias and Sapphira and the fruitful faith of Abraham and Sarah. One couple lied to God and were judged, the other believed God and were blessed and became a great blessing to all people. Here are their stories:

Are You Lying to God? - Acts 5:1-14

Ananias and Sapphira thought that they could deceive the Apostles and the Early Church into thinking that they were giving more than they actually were for the relief of the poor. But, as Peter points out to them, they have not just lied to men, but to God. Do you think that you can lie to God?

The Covenant Sign - Genesis 17

God again announces his covenant with Abram, and re-names him Abraham, and his wife Sarah. Circumcision is introduced as the sign of the covenant. This covenant foreshadows the New Covenant in which we are saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. Just like Abraham, we are all called to believe!

Phillip's Phunnies - Who's on First?

2007-08-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Just because it is a classic.

Watch it here:

And here is a scripted variation of the bit:

Abbott: Well Costello, I'm going to New York with you. You know Bucky Harris, the Yankee's manager, gave me a job as coach for as long as you're on the team.

Costello: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players.

Abbott: I certainly do.

Costello: Well you know I've never met the guys. So you'll have to tell me their names, and then I'll know who's playing on the team.

Abbott: Oh, I'll tell you their names, but you know it seems to me they give these ball players now-a-days very peculiar names.

Costello: You mean funny names?

Abbott: Strange names, pet names...like Dizzy Dean...

Costello: His brother Daffy.

Abbott: Daffy Dean...

Costello: And their French cousin.

Abbott: French?

Costello: Goofè.

Abbott: Goofè Dean. Well, let's see, we have on the bags, Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third...

Costello: That's what I want to find out.

Abbott: I say Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third.

Costello: Are you the manager?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: You gonna be the coach too?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names?

Abbott: Well I should.

Costello: Well then who's on first?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: I mean the fellow's name.

Abbott: Who.

Costello: The guy on first.

Abbott: Who.

Costello: The first baseman.

Abbott: Who.

Costello: The guy playing...

Abbott: Who is on first!

Costello: I'm asking YOU who's on first.

Abbott: That's the man's name.

Costello: That's who's name?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: Well go ahead and tell me.

Abbott: That's it.

Costello: That's who?

Abbott: Yes.

PAUSE

Costello: Look, you gotta first baseman?

Abbott: Certainly.

Costello: Who's playing first?

Abbott: That's right.

Costello: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?

Abbott: Every dollar of it.

Costello: All I'm trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base.

Abbott: Who.

Costello: The guy that gets...

Abbott: That's it.

Costello: Who gets the money...

Abbott: He does, every dollar. Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it.

Costello: Whose wife?

Abbott: Yes.

PAUSE

Abbott: What's wrong with that?

Costello: Look, all I wanna know is when you sign up the first baseman, how does he sign his name?

Abbott: Who.

Costello: The guy.

Abbott: Who.

Costello: How does he sign...

Abbott: That's how he signs it.

Costello: Who?

Abbott: Yes.

PAUSE

Costello: All I'm trying to find out is what's the guy's name on first base.

Abbott: No. What is on second base.

Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.

Abbott: Who's on first.

Costello: One base at a time!

Abbott: Well, don't change the players around.

Costello: I'm not changing nobody!

Abbott: Take it easy, buddy.

Costello: I'm only asking you, who's the guy on first base?

Abbott: That's right.

Costello: Ok.

Abbott: All right.

PAUSE

Costello: What's the guy's name on first base?

Abbott: No. What is on second.

Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.

Abbott: Who's on first.

Costello: I don't know.

Abbott: He's on third, we're not talking about him.

Costello: Now how did I get on third base?

Abbott: Why you mentioned his name.

Costello: If I mentioned the third baseman's name, who did I say is playing third?

Abbott: No. Who's playing first.

Costello: What's on first?

Abbott: What's on second.

Costello: I don't know.

Abbott: He's on third.

Costello: There I go, back on third again!

PAUSE

Costello: Would you just stay on third base and don't go off it.

Abbott: All right, what do you want to know?

Costello: Now who's playing third base?

Abbott: Why do you insist on putting Who on third base?

Costello: What am I putting on third.

Abbott: No. What is on second.

Costello: You don't want who on second?

Abbott: Who is on first.

Costello: I don't know.

Abbott & Costello Together:Third base!

PAUSE

Costello: Look, you gotta outfield?

Abbott: Sure.

Costello: The left fielder's name?

Abbott: Why.

Costello: I just thought I'd ask you.

Abbott: Well, I just thought I'd tell ya.

Costello: Then tell me who's playing left field.

Abbott: Who's playing first.

Costello: I'm not... stay out of the infield! I want to know what's the guy's name in left field?

Abbott: No, What is on second.

Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.

Abbott: Who's on first!

Costello: I don't know.

Abbott & Costello Together: Third base!

PAUSE

Costello: The left fielder's name?

Abbott: Why.

Costello: Because!

Abbott: Oh, he's centerfield.

PAUSE

Costello: Look, You gotta pitcher on this team?

Abbott: Sure.

Costello: The pitcher's name?

Abbott: Tomorrow.

Costello: You don't want to tell me today?

Abbott: I'm telling you now.

Costello: Then go ahead.

Abbott: Tomorrow!

Costello: What time?

Abbott: What time what?

Costello: What time tomorrow are you gonna tell me who's pitching?

Abbott: Now listen. Who is not pitching.

Costello: I'll break your arm, you say who's on first! I want to know what's the pitcher's name?

Abbott: What's on second.

Costello: I don't know.

Abbott & Costello Together: Third base!

PAUSE

Costello: Gotta a catcher?

Abbott: Certainly.

Costello: The catcher's name?

Abbott: Today.

Costello: Today, and tomorrow's pitching.

Abbott: Now you've got it.

Costello: All we got is a couple of days on the team.

PAUSE

Costello: You know I'm a catcher too.

Abbott: So they tell me.

Costello: I get behind the plate to do some fancy catching, Tomorrow's pitching on my team and a heavy hitter gets up. Now the heavy hitter bunts the ball. When he bunts the ball, me, being a good catcher, I'm gonna throw the guy out at first base. So I pick up the ball and throw it to who?

Abbott: Now that's the first thing you've said right.

Costello: I don't even know what I'm talking about!

PAUSE

Abbott: That's all you have to do.

Costello: Is to throw the ball to first base.

Abbott: Yes!

Costello: Now who's got it?

Abbott: Naturally.

PAUSE

Costello: Look, if I throw the ball to first base, somebody's gotta get it. Now who has it?

Abbott: Naturally.

Costello: Who?

Abbott: Naturally.

Costello: Naturally?

Abbott: Naturally.

Costello: So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally.

Abbott: No you don't, you throw the ball to Who.

Costello: Naturally.

Abbott: That's different.

Costello: That's what I said.

Abbott: You're not saying it...

Costello: I throw the ball to Naturally.

Abbott: You throw it to Who.

Costello: Naturally.

Abbott: That's it.

Costello: That's what I said!

Abbott: You ask me.

Costello: I throw the ball to who?

Abbott: Naturally.

Costello: Now you ask me.

Abbott: You throw the ball to Who?

Costello: Naturally.

Abbott: That's it.

Costello: Same as you! Same as YOU! I throw the ball to who. Whoever it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play. Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know! He's on third and I don't care!

Abbott: What?

Costello: I said I care!

Abbott: Oh, that's our shortstop.

Merely Speaking

2007-08-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

Recently I was very encouraged as I read a series of posts on "The Mereness of Church" by Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile at his blog Pure Church. Topics covered included the Mereness of Church in the areas of Preaching, Mission, Singing, and Fellowship. The point driven home throughout these posts is the remarkably ordinary and simple things that make up the life of a growing church.

It reminded me of a message I preached from Isaiah 1:10-20 titled "Iniquity and the Sacred Meeting." In that message I stressed the simplicity of pure worship and concluded that church is not something we do, church is not somewhere we go, but church is what WE ARE, and we must never confuse the physical building for the spiritual body.

But what do we do when these mere things are not enough? Let's face it, many in the church today want to be entertained, excited, and energized by innovative and relevent programs and projects. The atmosphere in many local churches is such that Ravenhill stated that the Holy Spirit could leave and things would go on as usual for at least 6 months before anyone would notice. In our search for meaning and in our pursuit of spiritual self fulfillment we have learned to depend upon ourselves. We see spiritual gifts as a means to an end - namely, making each other feel good!

But what is the purpose of the Church? Why have gifts been given? Is our focus so humanistic that we see the universe swirling around us as we desire to be the center of God's desires? Do we see God as a Genie, there to grant us wishes, wealth, and well being? Have we forgotten Soli Deo Gloria? Have we neglected the power of God given to us through Christ? Have we quenched the Spirit of God as we strive to do things our way in our wisdom according to our will?

Merely speaking, the church is built and the Body grows as we continue "steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). And yet just as so many rely on diet pills and suppliments instead of a healthy diet and exercise, so too in the church we chase short cuts and neglect the proven methods, the God ordained methods of being about the Father's business.

What do we do when sound, practical, expository preaching is not enough? What do we do when no one comes to the prayer meeting? What do we do when there is no body life, no fellowship? What do we do when we neglect fellowship, worship, and the ordinances of our Lord? We do what we do when sinners are not saved and saints are not sanctified - we see the local church die. When we hear and do not do, when we learn but do not live, when we know but do not obey, then we see that we are living in the land of make believe in stead of walking by faith. We make the simple complex. We run away from wisdom and into foolishness. We abandon the family of God and embrace the cheap substitute of worldliness. We desire things that have no place in the church and we accept false doctrine and unsound practices as if they were good and right before God. We pollute worship. We sully the blood bought Bride.

We have indeed adopted a new mereness when it comes to church. We are merely spectators. We are consumers. We come to get. And if we do not get what we want we leave. And churches hurt and are dying because people that God has called and gifted and joined to these local bodies neglect and forsake the church in order to pursue a religion of self help.

Let's move back to the simplicity of merely being what God has called us to be. As Pastor Anyabwile rightly concluded in his posts:

What Christian who has ever benefitted from the power of God's word, the intimacy of fellowship, the grace of breaking bread, and the delight of prayer would really want to exchange all of that for the newest denominational initiative and publication? Deep, refreshing, joyful, lasting, awe-inspiring, favor-inducing, thankful and ultimately evangelistically powerful corporate living is actually quite mere. What we need is devotion to it, a back to basics, Word-trusting approach.

Amen!

No Room

2007-08-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing like the first day of the month to start fresh! As you may have noticed the blog has lagged quite a bit of late. It has been noted that this blog is usually tied in with my preaching schedule and in fact the daily devotionals and many thoughts I share do indeed spring from my daily study in preparing messages to preach. I also like to provide devotionals that are related to the sermons I preach so that the congregation and others who listen online can delve more deeply into the things we cover from the Word of God.

However, since I have not been preaching lately I have not been studying for messages.....that and a very hectic work schedule have conspired to hamper my writing. I need to learn to blog apart from preaching if I am to continue blogging faithfully. And in the mean time I hope you are praying with me as we wait on the Lord for our next assignment in service to Him and His bride so that I may once again preach the Word regularly!

So, Lord willing, I will finish out this week with a few thoughts and then work back into our devotions on the spiritual armor starting next week.

For today, I want to share a quote I recently came across from Leonard Ravenhill. It is challenging and strikes at the very core of how we think about our relationship to the world around us. Ravenhill preached:

If I was to ask you tonight if you were saved, do you say, "Yes, I am saved?" When? "Oh, so and so preached, I got baptized, and ..." Are you saved? What are you saved from? Hell? Are you saved from bitterness? Are you saved from lust? Are you saved from cheating? Are you saved from lying? Are you saved from bad manners? Are you saved from rebellion against your parents? Come on - what are you saved from?

Look at Jesus. We see that there is no room for Him in the inn. He got a bit older, there was no room in His family. His family turned on Him. He went to the Temple, no room in the Temple, the Temple turned on Him. And when He died there was no room to bury Him. He died outside the city. Well why in God's name do you expect to be accepted everywhere?

How is it that the world couldn't get on with the holiest Man that ever lived and can get on with you and me? Are we compromised? Have we no spiritual stature? Have we no righteouness that reflects on their corruption?

As Dr. Tozer used to say, "You knew one thing about a man that was carrying a cross out of the city. You knew he wasn't coming back." Is the world crucified to you tonight, or does it fascinate you? The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity, it's waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity. I am embarrassed to be part of the church of Jesus Christ when she is totally, radically different from the New Testament, so impoverished, so blind, so powerless. The redeemed must be determined to be a part of the bride and to be part of the bride you've got to be divorced from everything in the world!

Are we busy trying to make room for ourselves in the world? Are we truly fascinated with the things this world has to offer to entertain and amuse us? Some have been asked if they want to go to heaven and they answer, "Yes. But not today." Perhaps that is what is wrong in so many of our lives. We are not citizens here. We are pilgrims passing through. And yet we have become infatuated with the world around us. We love this life more than we love Christ.

Today, at the start of this new month, let us look to see if we are trying to make room here, to be accepted here and esteemed here. If so, let us repent. Let us strive to store up treasures in heaven. Let us love Christ more than this life. More than this world. Let us love Christ with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This after all is the least we might do in service to Him.

Small Faith? Great God!

2007-07-29T20:00:00.000-05:00

The latest messages from Jonathan are now available online.

As part of an evangelistic ministry service he preached a message from Acts 3 titled, Rise Up and Walk. He introduces the message by saying, "Come with us to Jerusalem as we visit the gate called Beautiful and witness the miracle of a man, lame from birth, walking, and leaping, and praising God. How did this happen, and why? In what ways are we like this man? Do we see our need of a wholly new life?"

In the evening service, continuing his series from Genesis he preached a message from Genesis 16 titled, Small Faith, Great God. Abram and Sarah are desperate to see God's promises come true. Sadly, they seek to try and make the promises come true themselves without waiting for God's timing. We see their mistakes and seek to learn from them, and we also see the amazing grace of God as He shows mercy to Hagar.

Phillip's Phunnies - Get It?

2007-07-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Do You Get It?

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Police were called to a daycare where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.

In Business News: Pending Company Consolidations

Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W. R. Grace Co. will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.

Polygram Records, Warner Bros, and Zesta Crackers join forces and become: Poly, Warner Cracker.

3M will merge with Goodyear and and become: MMMGood.

Zippo Manufacturing, Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge and become: ZipAudiDoDa.

FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become: FedUP.

Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become: Fairwell Honeychild.

And finally:

(click on comic to enlarge)

The Privilege of Prayer and the Covenant Cut

2007-06-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

Jonathan's sermons continuing in his series Bible Basics and Genesis are now available online.

Title: The Privilege of Prayer

Text: Matthew 6:5-13

The Lord's prayer is often misunderstood, but it is a vital pattern for us as we seek to pray to God. In this message we take a brief look at the components of the prayer, and the Lord Jesus' comments that precede it, and we ask whether our prayers reflect our Saviour's pattern, and whether we have that living relationship with God which means that we truly can pray as He has taught us.

Title: The Covenant is "Cut"

Text: Genesis 15

As we continue to consider the life of Abram, we come to this chapter which comprises two main parts: 1. The Promise Believed and 2. The Covenant 'Cut'. We consider the wonderful subject of justification by faith alone, and we see God's gracious dealings with Abram as He binds himself to keep His promises. We conclude that delay and suffering can often be part of God's plans, and we rejoice that even death is no barrier to peace and blessing for those who believe.

Phillip's Phunnies: Word Problems

2007-06-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Word problems are not the result of an inability to communicate, but are a tool used to test our math skills. When it comes to communicating (or doing math) it is easy to get frustrated. Here are a few examples of failing to communicate correctly when answering tricky word problems:

Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Cor 9:16)

2007-06-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is a message from Kirk Cameron (The Way of the Master Radio) that was directed to pastors at last week's annual Southern Baptist Convention:

Can I speak to you from my heart for a moment? I realize that, theologically, I’m not worthy to wash your socks. But imagine this scenario with me, if you will: Imagine I’m a “seeker”- I’m a non-Christian, sitting in your church week after week after week listening to you. Am I ever going to hear the message that will save my soul from Hell? Will you ever tell me the truth clearly enough so that I realize that my sin has made me an enemy of God: that I am currently on the path that leads to destruction, with the wrath of God dwelling upon me, and that unless I repent and put my faith in the Savior, I will perish? Or have you decided that it’s better to simply entertain me, and on Sundays I can come to have my “felt needs” met with good music and good advice? Pastor, while I would appreciate that, it’s the ultimate betrayal of my trust in you if you don’t tell me the truth. Will I ever hear the words “repent,” “surrender,” “turn to the Savior,” “be born again”? If you don’t tell me those things, how will I ever know to do it?Please don’t leave it up to the Wednesday night small-group leader. They’re taking their cues from you. You’re leading the flock.

And now I speak to you as a Christian. If you and I fail to teach the whole counsel of God, and we don’t warn sinners to flee from the wrath to come, and run to the love of Christ on the Cross to save their soul, we make a terrible mistake. It doesn’t matter how happy a person is- how much a sinner is enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season- without the righteousness of Christ, he’ll perish on the Day of Judgment. The Bible says, “Riches profit not on the Day of Wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” You see, that’s how Kirk Cameron realized he needed a Savior. I had riches, but I knew that it was the righteousness of God that I needed in order to be saved from my sin.

AMEN!!

Q & A: Degrees of Sin

2007-06-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

I was recently given an opportunity to reply to a list of questions asked of a group of pastors. I want to share a few of these this week and I hope these questions and my answers provoke thought and further study of the Word of God.

Here is today's Q & A:

Are there degrees of sin?

Proverbs 6:16-19 gives us our first clue, followed by the fact that the OT law gave different punishments for different sins. All sin is wickedness and horrid. All sin earns the wage of death (Rom 6:23). But all sin is not equal in the eyes of God. Some He hates more than others!

These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

The Law, foundationally, teaches us about the character of God. It shows us what mark we have missed (all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God). It reveals His nature. And in His very nature, God reactes differently to some sins.

So while all sin is sin, there are degrees to how sinful a sin is. This can be demonstrated by the fact that there are degrees of differing punishments based upon the sin, degres of what is required to atone for sins when we compare the OT sacrifices, degrees of accountability (James 3:1; Luke 12:48), and even degrees of blessing in heaven and degrees of judgment and punishment in hell (Deut 32:22; Matt 23:15; Ps 62:12; Rom 2:6; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Cor 3:12-15)

The last and most graphic example of degrees of sin of course is the fact that while Jesus died to forgive the sins of His people there is one sin that is unpardonable! (Matt 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-30; Luke 12:10)

So there are at the very least 2 degrees of sin - forgiveable, and unforgiveable!

Q & A: The Hope of Eternal Life

2007-06-20T00:00:00.001-05:00

I was recently given an opportunity to reply to a list of questions asked of a group of pastors. I want to share a few of these this week and I hope these questions and my answers provoke thought and further study of the Word of God.

Here is today's Q & A:

What is the Scriptural Basis for your salvation and hope of eternal life?

My Scriptural basis and hope of eternal life is based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ as my substitute. I was born a sinner by nature, as is every person (Rom. 3:23) except Christ (Heb. 4:15). As such I was dead in sin and guilty before a holy God, deserving only death (Rom 6:23), eternal torment (Luke 16:24), and judgment in the lake of fire forever (Rev. 20:15). However, solely by His grace (Eph 2:8), God through the work of the Holy Spirit and His Word convicted me of my sin (Rom. 1:16-17), effectually called me to new life (Rom. 8:30), regenerated me (Eph 2:1), and gave me the free gifts of repentance (Acts 5:31; 11:18) and faith (Rom 10:17; Eph 2:8-9). At the point in time that I repented of my sin and trusted Christ I was justified before God by faith alone (Rom 5:1) as the righteousness of Christ was imputed to me (Rom. 4:23-35). Further, by His death on the cross Jesus has paid my debt (Col 1:19-20; 2:13-14), bearing the full wrath of God for all my sin through the sufferings of the Garden (Luke 22:44), the crucifixion (Luke 23:33-47), and in the suffering of separation from the Father while on the cross wherein He cried out, “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1; Matt. 27:46). His cry from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30) declared the price for my redemption secured (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and upon my conversion the Holy Spirit indwelt me and seals me (Eph 1:14) as a guarantee of the final and complete redemption of my spirit and body at glorification (Rom 8:30). His resurrection proves that God’s justice has been satisfied and that He has conquered both sin and death (1 Cor 15:54-57), thereby giving me freely eternal life with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth (2 Peter 3:13). Further, the Holy Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am a child of God (1 John 5:10), giving me assurance (1 John 5:13), peace (Phil 4:7) , fruit to bear (Gal 5:22-23), and faith that leads to good works (James 2:26; Eph 2:10) performed in obedience to and out of love for the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:15, 21).

June 19, 1834 - Charles H. Spurgeon

2007-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Charles Haddon Spurgeon
June 19, 1834 - January 31, 1892

In remembering this,
the birthday of the Prince of Preachers,
be sure and visit the
Spurgeon Biography Page
at
Pilgrim Publications.

Q & A: Abortion

2007-06-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

I was recently given an opportunity to reply to a list of questions asked of a group of pastors. I want to share a few of these this week and I hope these questions and my answers provoke thought and further study of the Word of God.

Here is today's Q & A:

What is your view on abortion?

Abortion is in every case the murder of an innocent human being. We in the church need to be reminded that Jesus loves the little children.....

Attitudes today that stem from feminism and liberalism have given birth to ideas that children are a curse, a burden, a bother, a chore, a mistake, an accident, and therefore undesirable. Children we are taught - whether we know it or not - intrude upon our personal liberty. They infringe on our rights over our own lives and our own bodies.

We must understand and embrace these following points as truth, because this is what the Bible tells us about children:

1. God gives children as a blessing (Psalm 127:3).

2. God causes conception and crafts each child in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16).

3. God even causes the time of delivery and birth for each child (Isaiah 66:9).

And each child is just that, a living human being from the moment of conception.

So the church must minister to women who are pregnant. We must help them with health care and a clear review of their option for keeping the baby or putting the baby up for adoption. We must meet her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. We must SACRIFICE so that these babies are not killed in the womb!

We must not ever be tempted to stoop to violence by killing abortionists – this is just the same as killing the baby. It is murder. So what must we do? Protest. Counsel. Pray!! Help. Minister. Speak out.

In this particular battle I have worked in Crisis Pregnancy Centers, written material for counseling for women and men before and after abortions, spoken to youth groups about sexual purity and about abortion, written curiculuum for a high school for teaching teens about the right and wrong way to view dating/courting, marriage, sex and children. As a recent example, I wrote an article posted on the internet about this very topic titled “How Many More?”

I also believe that God is judging our country because of the slaughter of these children and I pray daily that He will end this plague in our land and restore us to Himself.

Q & A: Savior and Lord

2007-06-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

I was recently given an opportunity to reply to a list of questions asked of a group of pastors. I want to share a few of these this week and I hope these questions and my answers provoke thought and further study of the Word of God.

Here is today's Q & A:

Can a person have Christ as his Savior without submitting to Him as Lord?

No. Jesus is Lord. We do not make Him Lord. He is Lord. And the gospel is an invitation and a command that begins with the word, “Repent”. This was the first message Jesus preached (Mark 1:14-15) and the first John the Baptist (Luke 3:7-8) preached. Peter preached repentance at Pentecost (Acts 2:38). Paul preached repentance (2 Cor 7:10). And in fact, Jesus’ last words to the Church include the necessity of repentance! (see Rev. 2:5, 16; 3:3, 19). So our response in obeying the gospel command to repent and believe starts with our turning from sin and to Christ in faith. Without conviction and repentance there is no conversion. And without obedience and fruit there is no salvation. Jesus says that we know the truth about a man by the fruit we see in his life (Matt 7:20), and the fruit we look for is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Jesus makes this all clear when He asks, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)

Note: This does not mean that our works or fruit save us, but only illustrates the point that saving faith is faith that works.

More from Genesis

2007-06-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Hunt has been continuing his series of messages from Genesis, covering chapters 10-12. These next three messages are now available online at the following links:

Confusion at Babel - Gen. 11:1-9

At Babel, the people rebelled against the will of God, and He acted decisively to end their plans, creating many languages. In the New Testament era, God enacted a dramatic reversal of this at Pentecost, and the Church looks forward to Heaven, where people of 'every tongue' will gather round the throne. Challenges abound as we consider these issues.

By Faith, Abraham - Gen. 12

Abraham is held up to us as a great example of faith - but he was not a superhuman, and we can follow his example of living by faith. In this message we examine God's announcement of his Covenant with Abraham, Abraham's Faith, and also his failure in Egypt. Above all, we remind ourselves that when 'I AM' says 'I WILL', we should take Him at His word, and that the focus of our lives should be Heaven.

Lot's Choice, Abram's Reward - Genesis 13-14

There is much we can learn from the poor choice of Lot, and the principled actions of Abram. We review Lot's disastrous move to Sodom, and the consequences of failing to separate from sin, and we consider Abram's heroic rescue of Lot, which brings blessing to all the local nations. Throughout these events we see Abram's solid dependence upon God, and God's kindness to him.

Also be sure to check out his latest evangelistic messages:

The Challenge of the Ascension - Luke 24:50-53

Many overlook the ascension of Jesus Christ - but it was an event that caused his disciples great joy. Why was that? Have we faced up to the reality that Christ has ascended to Heaven - and will return?

The True Power of Pentecost - Acts 2

When the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost, amazing things happened to the Apostles. They spoke in many languages to the crowds who gathered. How do we react when we hear the gospel? Are we like the crowds? Have we experienced the true power of Pentecost - lives transformed by faith in Jesus Christ?

Iniquity and the Sacred Meeting

2007-06-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

Here is the audio and a few notes from the message I preached at Grace Baptist Church in Gainesville, Florida, this last Sunday.

Iniquity and the Sacred Meeting - Isaiah 1:10-20

This text teaches us about the purpose of worship, the practice of worship, the preparation for worship, and the provision for worship. We also learn to evaluate our motivation for worship, whether we worship for what we can get from God or what we can give to God. In summary we learn that with the right heart attitude, church is not something we do, church is not somewhere we go, but church is what WE ARE, and we must never confuse the physical building for the spiritual body.

An Update

2007-06-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

So where have I been recently? Good question! If you find the answer please let me in on it.

Seriously, I do covet you prayers. My workplace (outside the church) has found it advantageous to the bottom line to cut back on the number of employees at our location and the result is that the work gets split between fewer and fewer people. The hours and work have been hard, hot, and long. As Jonathan Hunt pointed out in a message from Genesis recently, "Hard work is the result if sin!" Thanks, Jonathan! I appreciate the reminder. I think. :)

But my attention and energy has also been directed toward seeking out where the Lord is sending us next ministering to His Body and we may well find out this month. I have spent the last 2 weeks preparing a message that I will preach at an undisclosed location on Sunday, June 10. After several days of visiting with pulpit committee members and then after preaching Sunday the committee will seek to know the will of God regarding whether or not I will be asked to come be their pastor! So pray for me as I continue to prepare and as we travel and I preach Sunday. I will certainly tell you more when I am able.

In the mean time, here is the outline for the message I will be preaching from Isaiah 1:10-20 titled Iniquity and the Sacred Meeting (audio available next week):

I. The Purpose of Worship – vs. 10-11

A. Hear the Word of the Lord (vs. 10)
1. Preaching
a. Salvation – Rom 1:16-17; 10:17
b. Sanctification – John 17:17
c. Sound Doctrine – 2 Tim 3:16-17; 4:1-5
2. Praise – Eph 5:18-19
B. Give Glory to God (vs. 11)
1. Thanks – 1 Thess. 5:16-18
2. Offerings – 2 Cor 8:1-7
3. Things that “delight” God – Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 6:20

II. The Practice of Worship – vs. 12-15 (iniquity = good things/wrong motive)

A. Worship that Displeases God – Amos 5:21-24; Zech 7:4-7
B. Having a Form of Godliness – 2 Tim 3:1-5
C. Lips vs. Heart – Mark 7:6-7

III. The Preparation for Worship – vs. 16-17

A. Put Away Evil (Repent) – Eph 4:17-24
B. True Religion – James 1:27
C. Spirit and Truth – John 4:19-24
D. Reverence – Ps 95:6-7; 96:8-9 – (chief quality of worship)

IV. The Provision for Worship – vs. 18-20

A. The Forgiveness of Sins – (vs. 18) – Col 1:13-14
B. The Foundation and Cornerstone - 1 Peter 2:1-5; Eph 2:19-22
C. The Fellowship of the Body – 1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 6:16
D. For the Mouth of the Lord has Spoken (vs. 20) – frame worship with the Word of God

Application: Acts 2:40-47
Church is not something you do (rote ritual, Amos 5).
Church is not somewhere you go (spirit and truth, John 4)
Church is what you ARE – we must not mix iniquity with the sacred meeting, nor can we allow ourselves to confuse the building for the Body!

~pastorway

Phillip's Phunnies: Church and State

2007-05-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Special thanks to Lance for bringing these to my attention.

When Church is like Football

Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during the invitation.

Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.

Halftime - The period between Sunday school and worship when many choose to leave.

Benchwarmer - Those who do not sing, pray, work, or do anything but sit.

Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) during the service.

Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord's work.

Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.

Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week's illustrations.

Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime."

Trap - You're called on to pray and are asleep.

End Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.

Flex Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.

Halfback Option - The decision of 50% of the congregation not to return for the evening service.

Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.

The True State of Government

A major research institution (MRI) has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest chemical element yet known to science. The new element has been tentatively named Governmentium.

Governmentium has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would normally take less than a second.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of three years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause some morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass.

The Belt of Truth

2007-05-14T00:00:00.001-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

NOTE: THIS SERIES WILL BE CONTINUED AT MY NEW SITE
http://timeintheword.wordpress.com

Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:14
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Daily Scripture Reading - Genesis 3

Puritan Catechism
Question #54 - What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment?

Answer - The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a promise of long life and prosperity — as far as it shall serve for God's glory, and their own good — to all such as keep this commandment (Eph. 6:2-3).

Devotional Thoughts
As we have taken a look at why we have been given the whole armor of God, and why we are commanded to wear it and use it, we will now begin to look at this armor piece by piece. What is the armor we have been given? How does the armor function, or better asked, how do we use it effectively?

The first piece of armor is really not viewed as armor. It is a belt. But why is the first piece of armor mentioned a belt? Simply put, because without a belt everything else falls apart!

Paul would have been referencing the armor of a Roman soldier to illustrate this spiritual truth and we learn that the physical and spiritual reality are amazingly similar. For the soldier, who wore a loose fitting outer tunic, when it came time to fight, those loose ends and the flowing material of this garment would be a hindrance or even give the enemy something to exploit and grab a hold of. So the tunic was pulled up and tucked into the belt. This leather belt around the waist gave him a place to tie it all up. In fact, as we examine the armor we will learn that most every other piece was linked to the belt in some way.

Looking outside of a military application, we see this used to reference those who wore robes when they had hard work or had to run, they would "gird up their loins", meaning that they pulled the ends of the robe up and either tied them around the waist or tucked them into a belt so as to be able to work or run without being tripped up.

Spiritually speaking we are told in 1 Peter 1:13 to "gird up the loins of your mind", that is, to pull in all the loose ends of our thinking, to reign in a wandering mind so that we might be ready and able to think clearly and discern wisely as we make decisions. It is a willful removal of those things that would otherwise confuse and confound us so that we might think what we ought to think (Phil 4:8).

So what is this belt? What is it that we are to use to gird up our loins/mind so that we might be able and ready to think, work, or fight without hindrance or confusion? It is called the belt of truth. More than just truthful content this refers to truthfulness. We gird up our minds with truthfulness. It is an attitude of being true and an action of seeking out and holding to truth. It is at the same time a rejection of lies and dishonesty.

So what is this truth? It is the pure, infallible, inerrant, and inspired Word of God. It is His truth. It is not only things that are true, as in true facts and figures. It is pure truth. Remember, we are to use this armor to stand against the schemes of the devil. How can we even recognize those schemes unless we know the truth of God's Word? If we do not know the truth we will not know the counterfeit or the lie.

In seeing that it is God's Word that is the foundation of our armor in this belt of truth, it is that which holds all of the rest of our armor together. We see that the Bible is the very Words of God and as 2 Timothy 3 tells us, it is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." The Bible is not a mere book. It is alive and active (Heb.4:12), eternal (Isa.40:8; Mat.24:35), perfect (Psalm 19:7), pure (Prov 30:5), and it is truth (John 17:17).

Is it any wonder then that in order to achieve a victory over us the devil would first attack the Word of God? Think about the temptation in the garden. His first question was "Did God really say?" As he tempted Eve he started by calling the Word of God into question. He persuaded Adam and Eve to doubt God's Word (Gen 3:1), to deny God's Word (Gen 3:4-5), and then to disobey God's Word (Gen 3:6).

Throughout history we see attempts by heretics and false teachers to deny the truthfulness of the Word of God. Whether it is liberalism in its many manifestations, legalism, antinomianism, or any of the other many -isms and heresies that keep popping up we see at the root of each an attack on the Word of God. Satan knows that if we take the belt off we have nothing to prevent obstacles or provide stability as we fight. In fact, once the belt is off we are no longer fighting but are already conquered.

As we face liberalism in its many forms, the latest of which is the emergent church movement, we find at the very foundational levels of thinking and faith a rejection of the absolute truthfulness of the Word of God. The Word is removed or reduced and counterfeits and mystical substitutes are provided that may make us think and feel good but in reality once the truth is gone we have no way to know right from wrong and no basis to believe anything at all. Liberalism denies inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility. Liberalism denies miracles in favor of "scientific reason" which is actually neither. Liberalism denies the truth of the gospel and the exclusivity of salvation in Christ.

As many denominations have fallen to liberalism others have fought it off, but the danger for them is to take the Word for granted. Many who claim to uphold the truth of the Bible refuse to do what the Bible says - as if it is enough to have the Bible but a step too far to actually obey the Bible. These kinds of people will fight tooth and nail over tradition but all the while reserve the right to interpret the Bible for themselves, believing that whatever they think the Bible says is truth for them. This relativism reduces the Bible to a superstitious or ritualistic object to be waved while the church has no clue as to what it actually says or means. This too denies the absolute truthfulness of the Word of God.

How important is the Bible when it comes to putting on the whole armor of God? It is absolutely necessary. The breastplate and helmet are tied to it. It holds the sword. It keeps the tunic out of the way. It makes it possible for us to fight in close quarters, effectively and without getting tangled up. In other words, if we do not have the truth of God's Word then we have no armor at all.

There have been a few things that have happened recently that have demonstrated how we really do view the Word of God and its relevance to life and faith. I want to look at these examples today in order to give a warning. We must still fight for truth. We must hear and do the Word of God. We must gird our loins by putting on the belt of truth. Why?

Because these three examples are taken from mainstream evangelical churches that claim to believe the Bible:

The first example comes from a worship service my wife and I attended recently at a local church. It was absolutely idolatrous. The "special music" did not even mention God or Christ, it was not even a religious song or a song of worship, but an emotional song about daughters in trouble and how they could count on their mothers to stand with them through the hard times. Totally man centered (or woman centered I should say), and completely inappropriate for the worship of God. Then the pastor started his message by talking about the cultic roots of pagan practice and showing how many in our culture are involved in the same activities today. But he never once actually used the Word of God to make his point about right and wrong. His basis for determining what was right and wrong came from a movie he had seen, not from the pages of Scripture. And so the congregation was encouraged to take the lesson of this movie and take it to heart in order to know the truth about how to act and think in certain situations. The other problem with this approach was that the scene in the movie that he used to make his point was absolutely contrary to the Scriptures. How pathetic and infuriating. We left before the service ended.

The second example we experienced years ago. A pastor from a church in our area broadcast his services on the radio and we heard one day that he was preaching a new series of messages that were aimed at helping Christians understand their new nature in Christ. His text? Well, there was no Biblical text. He actually said that his congregation and those listening on the radio would not need their Bibles for the next several services, so they could be left at home! Then he proceeded to "preach" four passages taken from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein!! I am not making this up. In order to be "relevant" and in order to reach people with "the truth", he set the Bible aside and preached a work of literature that is science fiction.

The third left me shaking my head in disbelief as Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron decided to debate two atheists on television recently and proclaimed that they could prove the existence of God without the Bible or any appeal to faith. They could do it 100% scientifically they said. Now, these two brothers in the Lord were surely well meaning, and they both have good things to offer the church especially in teaching us how to evangelize and share our faith. But where they failed from the very start was where they removed the very foundation of the gospel by claiming that they could talk meaningfully about the gospel without the Bible.

The Word of God is His revelation of Himself to us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). It is the Word of God that the Spirit uses to convict us of our sin, to call us to new life in Christ and convert us! Look at Psalm 19:7-11. The Bible is the truth. It is effective. And without it there is NO GOSPEL! What is the point of trying to prove the existence of God if our goal in doing so is not to call sinners to repentance and faith in Christ?

As our own Confession of faith states:

The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God so much that man is left without any excuse, they are not sufficient to provide that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary for salvation.

Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in diverse manners to reveal Himself, and to declare His will to His church;

- and afterward, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church, protecting it against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world,

- it pleased the Lord to commit His revealed Truth wholly to writing. Therefore the Holy Scriptures are most necessary, those former ways by which God revealed His will unto His people having now ceased.

From these examples we must ask the question, "What is wrong with the church when we think we can do anything without the Word of God as our basis?" Benjamin Keach sums this up nicely in his work The Travels of True Godliness as he defines true godliness. He writes:

Godliness consists in the right knowledge of divine truths, or the fundamental principles of the gospel. Secondly, Godliness is a holy conformity to these sacred and divine principles.

Keach warns us not to be deceived by false godliness but to be sure to receive the power of godliness, for godliness without power is no godliness at all. As a result we must not add to or take away from the Word of God, nor must we ever believe that God needs us to make it any more true or beautiful than it is.

The truth of God's Word is foundational to standing against the wiles of the devil. The belt of truth must be worn, used, and relied upon if we are to fight and overcome. If we take off the belt, we will not fight and we will not win. If we take off the belt we have nothing to believe and nothing for which to live or die. If we take off the belt, we will fall into sin.

Today, let us look around us and examine ways that we and others try to lay the belt of truth aside as an inconvenient or useless garment. And when we see these things let us commit even more stridently to put on the belt and keep it on, believing God and taking Him at His Word. The way we handle the truth, the way it is preached, heard, and obeyed tells us everything we need to know about our churches and our lives.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Useful Directions For Reading and Searching the Scriptures by Thomas Boston
God Has Spoken by John MacArthur

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

NOTE: THIS SERIES WILL BE CONTINUED AT MY NEW SITE
http://timeintheword.wordpress.com

Words of Truth and Reason

2007-05-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

Many today think that Christians are mad, out of their minds, insane, or intellectual weaklings who must use blind faith as a crutch to face reality. But the truth is that the very creation itself declares the truth about Who God is and what He has done.

As Paul appears before King Agrippa he is accused by the Governor Festus of being mad. Paul's reply is that he is not mad but is speaking words of truth and reason.

Festus hopes that Agrippa will understand the issues which are causing the Jews to be so angry with Paul, as He himself is a King among the Jews. Yet Paul does not waste the opportunity to challenge the King and to proclaim the gospel. King Agrippa tells Paul that he is 'almost persuaded' to be a Christian. Are we 'almost Christians' like Agrippa?

This is the theme of Jonathan Hunt's message this morning, taken from Acts 26:28 and titled "Almost a Christian?".

In his evening message, continuing on in the series from Genesis, Jonathan demonstrates the truth that we can be persuaded to be a Christian and put all our trust in Christ because our God is a faithful, covenant keeping God. The message, "A New Beginning with a Faithful God" covers Genesis 8:1-9:17 and provides a survey of the aftermath of the flood, highlighting Noah's godly character, and God's unfailing covenant faithfulness.

God's Word is indeed the only reasonable account of life and death and gives us the only true reasons for hope in this life and the life to come.

To Stand

2007-05-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:13
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Daily Scripture Reading - Jude

Puritan Catechism
Question #53 - What is required in the fifth commandment?

Answer - The fifth commandment requires the preserving the honour, and performing the duties belonging to every one in their various positions and relationships as superiors (Eph. 5:21-22; Eph. 6:1, 5; Rom. 13:1), inferiors (Eph. 6:9), or equals (Rom. 12:10).

Devotional Thoughts
At times I am amazed at just how complacent we in the church can become. Apathy reigns and as long as we are not bothered we do not bother anyone else. Of course, as we have all heard before, if we do not bother the devil he will not bother us. But wait a minute. Is this true? Of course not. We are at war. And our enemy is not flesh and blood. Our enemy is Satan and his demonic kingdom.

The truth is that we cannot live the Christian life complacently. We cannot be at ease. We cannot let our guard down. We must never assume that we are safe from temptation or sin. If we are lulled into a false assurance that we need not fight then we are about as helpful to the church as a watchman who is asleep.

We tend to think that the absence of conflict is peace. Is this really what it means to have peace? Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is found in victory. We have peace when we resist evil and when we overcome his schemes. Peace is that which passes all understanding when every emotion in our soul tells us we should be afraid. Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is living in the assurance that we have won through Christ Jesus.

The key then to keeping the faith and finishing the course is not taking the easy way out or trying to find a way around trials, tribulations, and torments. The key is found in resisting the devil. Over and over we have heard this - we must resist. We must fight. We must be strong willed and determined and confident and courageous. We must stand firm. This is how we participate in the victory already secured. We stand.

In this passage, as we hear the command to put on the whole armor of God, we find that we are to be using the armor God has given us so that we might "withstand in the evil day." To withstand is to resist. It is to make up our minds that we will not yield.

Why is it that so often we are stiff necked and stubborn when it comes to holding on to our sin or excusing our disobedience when instead we should stubbornly stand against all that is evil? Our resolve should not be firmly planted behind satisfying self - it should be a resolute determination to stand against all that is wicked.

Looking at our text we see that we are told to put on the armor so that we might "stand against the wiles of the devil" (vs. 11), "withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand" (vs. 13), so that we might "stand therefore" (vs. 14). Fighting here is not about taking ground or conquering territory. It is about standing our ground! We need not take more ground - Jesus has already taken it all! So what is left to do? Stand firm. Stand in defiant resistance, refusing to give ground or yield our mind, will, or emotions to the enemy.

The whole armor of God, as we will study each piece, has been given not so that we might fight an offensive, but that we might stand firm through the fighting and remain standing to the end of the war. Often we think of battle in offensive terms - taking an objective, invading and conquering, pushing forward. However, Jesus has already taken the objective! Just as His heel was bruised as He was nailed to the cross so the head of the serpent was crushed (Gen 3:15).

Many times we see those who would go on the offensive. They want to fight spectacular battles and expose the devil and his demons and route them from the field in people's lives. But we are getting ahead of ourselves if we think this way. We need to see that since the war has already been won we need not re-defeat the enemy. He is already defeated. What we need to do is stand against the attempts he makes to wound us as he himself is dying. Even Michael the Archangel, as he is engaged in warfare against Satan, does not rely on himself, his angelic power and might, to overcome the enemy. He proclaims boldly, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9), for it is the Lord who has defeated Satan - it is the Lord, not us, who binds the “strong man” and plunders his house (Matt 12:29).

Fighting defensively against Satan is really like killing a rattle snake. Chop his head off and he can still bite you and there is still venom in his fangs. So we need not chase the devil. We need not go looking for him. We need simply to resist him. Resistance is difficult. Think about it - when soldiers are on the offensive in battle that momentum propels them ahead. It is a different kind of battle though to dig in and hold your ground against the assaults of the enemy.

It is not a surprise then to see that the whole armor of God that we are given is defensive in nature. As we will see, there is no armor on our back!! If we turn and run away we are exposed to attack and to injury. Christ is on the offensive and our task in the battle is to remain on the defensive. Why is this the case? Because we need not go looking for the devil - he is already looking for us! Like a roaring lion.

When he roars we must decide whether we will flee, or stand and resist. We have been given the whole armor of God so that we might stand. If we flee that is indeed a lack of faith in the victory Christ has won and in the armor He has supplied. There is no need to fear the devil or to flee when he roars.

Let us not be afraid of the fight. And let us not be complacent and apathetic as if the absence of conflict is the same as victory and peace. Peace comes at a price. Thankfully, Jesus paid that price in full once for all so that now we can stand with this assurance, "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim 2:19) and He will not leave or forsake us in the heat of battle.

As John Gill put it, our aim in the battle is to “keep your ground, do not desert the army, the church of Christ, nor his cause; continue in the station in which you are placed, keep your post, be upon your watch, stand upon your guard.” Having done all, we are told, we must stand.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Christ the Conqueror of Satan and How They Conquered the Dragon by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

The Rulers of Darkness

2007-05-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Daily Scripture Reading - Luke 10

Puritan Catechism
Question #53 - What is required in the fifth commandment?

Answer - The fifth commandment requires the preserving the honour, and performing the duties belonging to every one in their various positions and relationships as superiors (Eph. 5:21-22; Eph. 6:1, 5; Rom. 13:1), inferiors (Eph. 6:9), or equals (Rom. 12:10).

Devotional Thoughts
We are engaged in a conflict with eternal implications. This statement may seem shocking, or a little over the top, but the truth is that we are soldiers and we are engaged in a war. Of course the devil would have us believe that we are at peace - and that the true path to lasting unity is compromise. He especially loves it when we compromise on the truth of God's Word in our attempts to still the conflict of the raging battle being fought between the Kingdoms of Light and Darkness.

Our Enemy would rather that we ignored the war. You know the type. They proclaim "We Support Our Troops" but at the same time hold up signs that scream "Get Out Now!” and equate peace with love and war with hate. In the spiritual realm this is a daily reality. Satan tells us that we just need to all get along by setting aside any doctrinal differences. Doctrine, after all, divides, right?

How can we support the troops, i.e. edify the Body of Christ, and at the same time ignore the war that rages? We cannot, for to deny the war and to act the part of the pacifist is to abandon the Church in the heat of battle. The war is real. The enemies we fight are real. The victories and defeats we face are real. And the implications are indeed eternal.

More than failing to realize that we are engaged in a war, we also see a great danger in failing to recognize who the enemy is. In modern terms, this is a difficulty in the "war on terror." We see that it can be very difficult to fight an enemy that looks like the people amongst whom they hide! Terrorists wear no uniform and have allegiance to no state. They are hard to recognize as the enemy until it is too late.

So what happens when we are talking about the conflict between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan? What are the consequences of failing to recognize the enemy?

To help us see who it is that we fight against Paul reminds us "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood." The technical term he uses for this struggle is a term for hand-to-hand combat. We are not combating flesh and blood.

Listen, because this is important. How often do we forget that God says in His Word, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay."? And so when we are persecuted or attacked verbally, emotionally, or physically for our faith we have as a first response the desire to fight back - to strike out against the person who has hurt us. That is another point of confusion brought on by the true enemy of our souls. We fall for the lie that we are fighting against lost men and women!

As a result then we use our words and actions to hurt them and drive them back - and then we wonder why the reject Christ so openly!! Have we forgotten that those who would engage us in this warfare and attack us are themselves in bondage to sin, slaves of unrighteousness, and children of their father the devil? This is what Jesus said to the Pharisees. In calling them a "brood of vipers" He was saying that they are the offspring of Satan - they are, as it were baby snakes, children of their father, the Devil.

But these people are not the enemy we are to engage in warfare. We should seek to rescue them - to preach and witness and love and encourage them. The Bible is so clear. Bless those who curse, pray for those who spitefully use, do good to those who hate. And yet our natural response is to fight. Then we see we are at war but we are fighting the wrong enemy! We think that those in bondage should be hated and reviled just as they hate and revile. But these are the very people we should be loving with an unconditional self sacrificing love.

The true enemy we are told here is not flesh and blood. It is not other people. It is those in the spiritual realm who comprise the Kingdom of Satan. These demonic powers are wielded by fallen angels - those who were cast out of heaven in the great rebellion of Lucifer against the Most High God. These are our enemies.

They are referred to as principalities, that is rulers. While God remains absolutely sovereign, He has allowed these fallen beings to have limited authority on this earth. They have been given this authority for a time and are willing to use it. They are also referred to as powers, reiterating this truth that there are realms of reality where they will come against us and we must be ready to identify them, stand, and fight. Another term used here identifies them as the "rulers of the darkness of this age." What age? This age where men are blinded to the truth and dead in sin. They rule the darkness!

How interesting then that Paul tells us earlier in Ephesians that before were called to new life in Christ we were "darkness" (Eph 5:8). He did not say we walked in darkness. He said we were darkness. Interesting then isn't it that these demonic powers "rule the darkness"?

These rulers of darkness are spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places - that is they are spiritual beings with great powers and great wickedness! They are the Devil and the demons. Here is the enemy. The one who has in his pride plotted against God from before the beginning. The one who was cast down to the earth and now seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. The one who desired to be worshipped by Christ as he tempted Him in the wilderness, and the one who wants nothing more than for you and me to forget the real enemy and the real war - to sit back in our apathy and drown in the pool of our own lukewarm devotion to a God of our own imagination.

So how do we fight this enemy? Now that we know who he is how do we defeat him? The religious nuts on TV would have us believe that we should shout and scream at the demons, casting them out, exorcising them in the name of Jesus. But the truth is that the battle plan that God has put in place for the defeat of the devil and the spoiling of his kingdom is much more simple than the theatrics of yelling at the demons hiding behind every bush and hitting people in the face with a Bible or an idolatrous crucifix!

How then do we wrestle against these rulers of the darkness? What method of attack do we use? How do we train? How do we win?

We will pick up there tomorrow. Until then, when we are tempted to sin remember that sin originates in our own fallen flesh and its desires (James 1:14). And when we are attacked or persecuted, remember that we do not fight against flesh and blood. Remember who the true enemy is. Pray that you might stand against him, resisting him and his demons so that he will flee.

He is a defeated foe. Not that that makes the war easy. But it does make the victory sure!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Subjugation to Satan by AW Pink
Satan's Devices by George Whitefield

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

The Wiles of the Devil

2007-05-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:11
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Daily Scripture Reading - Luke 4

Puritan Catechism
Question #53 - What is required in the fifth commandment?

Answer - The fifth commandment requires the preserving the honour, and performing the duties belonging to every one in their various positions and relationships as superiors (Eph. 5:21-22; Eph. 6:1, 5; Rom. 13:1), inferiors (Eph. 6:9), or equals (Rom. 12:10).

Devotional Thoughts
We know that if we are to stand against the schemes of the devil and succeed at living the Christian life to the glory of God then we must put on the whole armor of God. As we progress in this study we will examine the various pieces that make up the whole armor of God, but before we get there we need to see that we are expected to put this armor on.

Paul tells us, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God." Finally. At the end of all we have learned from Ephesians, as a conclusion to the great truths Paul has been writing about, and as part of the application for the doctrinal points he has upheld, we are to use what we have learned by being strong in the Lord.

How can we do this? Put the armor on. This is how we are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. It sounds rather elementary, but let us think about this. Would we think it was necessary to tell a soldier to dress for battle? Of course not, because he is a soldier. He knows when he goes to fight that he must be prepared. He must be wearing his battle armor and have his weapons and wits at the ready.

But there is the problem. We forget that we who are believers in Jesus Christ are soldiers! We are engaged in a conflict with eternal implications. There is the war between the spirit and the flesh (Gal 5:17). There is the battle for our will - doing what we want to do or instead doing what God would have us do. There is conflict, division, and casualties. We are at war.

Further we are in conflict with the rulers of darkness (as we will learn tomorrow). We are in a fight with the devil. He, as a roaring lion, is seeking those whom he may devour and we are to resist him. He tempts us, just as He did our Lord. He seeks to lure us away from the truth and to deceive us with his lies.

Our verse for the day tells us that with the armor of God we can stand against the wiles of the devil. The word translated "wiles" is the Greek word methodia, better known as methods. These are cunning, deceptive methods that the devil uses to attack us, discourage us, confuse us, and accuse us. In fact, as we mentioned him as a roaring lion, he is stalking his prey - hoping they will not pray!

The methods of our enemy include appealing to our fallen flesh through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He plays and preys upon our desires, fueling them into areas where they do not belong, tempting us to depend upon ourselves instead of walking by faith. He also deceives by spreading false doctrine and giving false hope. And yet his demonic wisdom leads to destruction. He uses counterfeits. This is part of his deception. He lies about what is good, and substitutes what is evil.

These schemes involve using the works of the flesh to entice us into pursuing our own selfish wants and needs. Where God gives us as a fruit of the Spirit love, the devil offers adultery and fornication. Where God provides joy we find that the devil substitutes uncleanness and lewdness. These are literally a lack of restraint when it comes to attempting to satisfy self. We also find that as God gives us peace, the devil deceives us by leading us to believe that true peace is found in idolatry and sorcery, terms which are used to describe the worship of a false god and the use of drugs and other substances to alter our mind and our mood. With each fruit of the Spirit there is a counterfeit work of the flesh, yet these counterfeits never deliver what they promise. Sin in the end does not give us true or lasting fulfillment. In the end, sin kills us.

So how do we stand against these schemes of the devil? By taking advantage of God's power through putting on the armor He provides us. We must put on the whole armor, all of it.

Let us think back to the Old Testament where Israel was confronted again and again by the Philistines. Surely we all remember the account of David taking food to the front lines for his older brothers and there hearing the blaspheming of the giant Goliath. And as David responded in faith he wanted to stand for the Lord and His people. Before he did King Saul had this young shepherd boy adorned in his royal armor. And yet it did not fit. David found his defense in the power and might of the Lord, and the armor that was not his and did not fit would only serve to hinder him in the fight. As a result he rejected Saul's armor and went to fight and win the battle armed only with a sling and 5 smooth stones (1 Samuel 17).

Our application of course is that we must be ready to stand in the fight but we must not wear the armor of another man. We must put on the whole armor of God. It is His power, His might, and His armor. He has made it for us. And it fits! We cannot rely on the faith, doctrine, works, or life of a friend, teacher, parent, mentor, pastor, or spouse. We must stand before God and stand against the devil armed with what God gives us - not with what He gives others around us.

Perhaps the most important point to be made here is the most often overlooked. How often have we heard teachers and preachers tell us that we must get up every day and put on the spiritual armor? As if we take it off each night before we go to bed and so must put it back on every day. Now, I will say that it is not a wrong intention on the part of those who say this. We do need to be aware of the armor we have been given. We need to USE it. But as we look at this text it does not say that we are to keep putting the armor on, over and over. It says, "Put on the whole armor of God."

Now listen this - we do need to remember every day that we have been provided this armor so that we might stand against the wiles of the devil, but we do not need to put the armor on over and over. The phrase "put on" is permanent. It means, put it on once for all. This is the last suit of armor you will ever need!

As John MacArthur states in his commentary on Ephesians (p. 338):

It is not a uniform to wear only while playing a game and then to remove when the game is over. The armor of God is to be the Christian's lifelong companion.

The truth is we have been given this armor, but the question is, are we using it? As Paul taught us earlier in this epistle we are to put off the life we lived when we were alienated from God and dead in sin because when we were saved we put on a new man - we became a new creation in Christ (Eph 4:20-24). And as a new creation we have been given the whole armor of God so that we might stand firm in the fight that rages around us.

The sad truth is that there are so many Christians who are in the midst of battle and have no idea how to fight and no clue about the armor that God has given them. They flee the field of battle time after time in defeat because they fail to see what God has given them. And they have been deceived into believing that the difference between victory and defeat is a matter of their own faith. They have heard over and over that if they will just have enough faith then everything will be okay.

But the Bible tells us that the battle does not depend on our faith, our ability, our might, our cunning, or our intellect. The battle is the Lords. "'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord." (Zech 4:6). We have been given the whole armor of God so that we might stand against the schemes of the devil. Let us understand then what it means to put it on once for all. For when we are armed by the Lord we have nothing in this world, or in the world to come, to fear.

Tomorrow we will learn just who it is we are fighting. Until then, have you put on the whole armor of God? If so, you are ready for battle, and you will be able to stand!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Recovering a Right View of Sin by pastorway
Elements of a Strong Spiritual Life by John MacArthur

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

The Power of His Might

2007-04-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Daily Scripture Reading - Isaiah 40

Puritan Catechism
Question #53 - What is required in the fifth commandment?

Answer - The fifth commandment requires the preserving the honour, and performing the duties belonging to every one in their various positions and relationships as superiors (Eph. 5:21-22; Eph. 6:1, 5; Rom. 13:1), inferiors (Eph. 6:9), or equals (Rom. 12:10).

Devotional Thoughts
The Bible tells us that if we are in Christ we are more than conquerors. Think about that phrase for a moment. We hear it quoted often. It seems we think of being more than conquerors in emotional terms. When we see tough times, we are facing a struggle, and we are feeling down we are reminded by well intentioned friends that we should rejoice because we are more than conquerors and as a result should be able easily to overcome these bad feelings. We just need to have a little faith, make positive confessions, and remind ourselves of this truth about who we are in Christ.

However, this verse, Romans 8:37, is seated in an immediate context that tells us that we are more than conquerors when facing death for our faith. Not struggles. Not trials. Not hard times. Death! And frankly, death makes a lot of things that happen in this life seem insignificant by comparison.

We must be reminded that Jesus conquered death and sin. His life of righteousness, imputed to us, and His obedient death, paying the penalty for our sin, has freed us. We know the Truth and the Truth indeed has made us free. Free from death. Free from the curse of the law. Free from the power of Satan. Free to overcome temptation. And free from the power of sin.

The Bible tells us that if we resist the devil he will flee from us (James 4:7), that if we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal 5:16), and that have been given the Armor of God so that we might stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph 6:11).

But wait a minute - if all this is true, why do we struggle so much with sin? Why are we tempted? Why do we fall so often and fail to overcome?

It is true that we are still living in fallen bodies and that this flesh is driven by lust (James 1:14). But it is also true that we are being redeemed and that we have been given the power, desire, and ability to stand firmly against temptation and sin. We are in fact more than conquerors. So why do we feel more like cowards than the conquerors that we are?

We find our answer in Ephesians 6:10. Here at the start of a study of The Whole Armor of God we begin by seeing that we are told to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” How? By believing what God has said in His Word - we are more than conquerors through Christ (Rom 8:37).

This little preposition is the key to answering our questions. We are more than conquerors through Christ. We can do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13). Our consolation abounds through Christ (2 Cor 1:5). We are heirs of God through Christ (Gal 4:7). And if we look closely we see in the Word of God this simple truth – Jesus says, “without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

It is not that we do these things with Christ or for Christ. We do them through Christ. That means that it is not our ability, our power, or our accomplishment. It is Christ’s ability. It is His power. It is what He accomplishes through us. This is why we are told to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

How powerful is God? How mighty is He? He is all-powerful. Nothing for Him is impossible (Luke 18:27). He is all-mighty, in fact we shorten that to refer to Him by His attribute as a name, the Almighty God. There is nothing too hard for Him. Jesus lived a sinless life. He conquered sin and death. He has defeated Satan. And we, if we are to stand, must stand in His power and by His might.

If we depend upon ourselves what can we accomplish? On our own, our righteousness is worthless and filthy before God. But His righteousness and power are clean and right and pure. Without Him we can do nothing, but through Him we can do all things. If we need strength to stand against temptation and sin where will that strength come from? Let us not look at our own hearts, our own ability, or our own intellect. No. Let us look to Christ. Through Him we are more than conquerors.

Remember, we have been crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20). We died with Him and we live through Him. We are a new creation created in holiness and righteousness (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:24). And just as we were crucified with Him yet we are still very much alive. As Paul puts it:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

If we are to stand against the wiles of the devil then we must stand in His might and by His power. It must be His ability – and He will provide for us so that through Him we can stand firm, resisting the devil and every desire to rebel against the Word of God. He will not put on us more than we can bear and He will provide for us a way of escape in every trial. That way of escape is through Christ.

As John MacArthur writes in his New Testament Commentary on Ephesians (p. 337):

The unprepared believer becomes the defeated believer who seeks to serve the Lord in his own wisdom and power. The strength of the Christian life is dependence on God, being strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Any other strength proves impotent.

When we lose our way, when we believe a lie, when we feel as though our lives are meaningless we hear His Words - "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6). And it is through His power, His ability, and His might that we are enabled to live every day as more than conquerors.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Discourse on the Power of God by Stephen Charnock
The Question of Fear and the Answer of Faith by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

The Whole Armor of God - Eph 6:10-20

2007-04-23T21:00:00.005-05:00

NOTE: THIS SERIES WILL BE CONTINUED AT MY NEW SITE
http://timeintheword.wordpress.com

Weekly Devotional Recap Page

Ephesians 6:10 - The Power of His Might
Ephesians 6:11 - The Wiles of the Devil
Ephesians 6:12 - The Rulers of Darkness
Ephesians 6:13 - To Stand
Ephesians 6:14 - The Belt of Truth
Ephesians 6:14 - The Breastplate of Righteousness
Ephesians 6:15 - The Shoes of the Readiness of the Gospel
Ephesians 6:16 - The Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:17 - The Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:17 - The Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:18 - Praying Always
Ephesians 6:19-20 - Preaching Boldly

April 20, 1996

2007-04-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

THE CAMBRIDGE DECLARATION
of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
April 20, 1996

Evangelical churches today are increasingly dominated by the spirit of this age rather than by the Spirit of Christ. As evangelicals, we call ourselves to repent of this sin and to recover the historic Christian faith.

In the course of history words change. In our day this has happened to the word "evangelical." In the past it served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Historic evangelicalism was confessional. It embraced the essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church. In addition, evangelicals also shared a common heritage in the "solas" of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation.

Today the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed. The consequence is that the word "evangelical" has become so inclusive as to have lost its meaning. We face the peril of losing the unity it has taken centuries to achieve. Because of this crisis and because of our love of Christ, his gospel and his church, we endeavor to assert anew our commitment to the central truths of the Reformation and of historic evangelicalism. These truths we affirm not because of their role in our traditions, but because we believe that they are central to the Bible.

Sola Scriptura: The Erosion of Authority

Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.

Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.

Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliche's, promises. and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preachers opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.

The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.

Thesis One: Sola Scriptura

We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.

We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.

Solus Christus: The Erosion of Christ-Centered Faith

As evangelical faith becomes secularized, its interests have been blurred with those of the culture. The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism, and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Christ and his cross have moved from the center of our vision.

Thesis Two: Solus Christus

We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.

We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ's substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.

Sola Gratia: The Erosion of the Gospel

Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches.

God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.

Thesis Three: Sola Gratia

We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.

We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.

Sola Fide: The Erosion of the Chief Article

Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. This is the article by which the church stands or falls. Today this article is often ignored, distorted or sometimes even denied by leaders, scholars and pastors who claim to be evangelical. Although fallen human nature has always recoiled from recognizing its need for Christ's imputed righteousness, modernity greatly fuels the fires of this discontent with the biblical Gospel. We have allowed this discontent to dictate the nature of our ministry and what it is we are preaching.

Many in the church growth movement believe that sociological understanding of those in the pew is as important to the success of the gospel as is the biblical truth which is proclaimed. As a result, theological convictions are frequently divorced from the work of the ministry. The marketing orientation in many churches takes this even further, erasing the distinction between the biblical Word and the world, robbing Christ's cross of its offense, and reducing Christian faith to the principles and methods which bring success to secular corporations.

While the theology of the cross may be believed, these movements are actually emptying it of its meaning. There is no gospel except that of Christ's substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God's children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ's saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him.

Thesis Four: Sola Fide

We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice.

We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.

Soli Deo Gloria: The Erosion of God-Centered Worship

Wherever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God's and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God's centrality in the life of today's church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.

God does not exist to satisfy human ambitions, cravings, the appetite for consumption, or our own private spiritual interests. We must focus on God in our worship, rather than the satisfaction of our personal needs. God is sovereign in worship; we are not. Our concern must be for God's kingdom, not our own empires, popularity or success.

Thesis Five: Soli Deo Gloria

We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone.

We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self- fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.

Call to Repentance and Reformation

The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ's kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.

We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure adequately to tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.

We also earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God's Word in the matters discussed in this Declaration. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ, who claim that those who reject Christ in this life will be annihilated rather than endure the just judgment of God through eternal suffering, or who claim that evangelicals and Roman Catholics are one in Jesus Christ even where the biblical doctrine of justification is not believed.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church's worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism. For Christ's sake. Amen.

Faced with Certain Death

2007-04-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today we have paused to remember the Oklahoma City Bombing and the death of 168 people including dozens of children. Another anniversary this week finds us remembering the Columbine shooting. These anniversaries are compounded this week as we have seen a college student go on a killing spree in Virginia, killing 32 or more people and then himself.

In the past few years we have seen hurricanes that have killed hundreds, earthquakes that have killed thousands, and tsunamis that have taken innumerable multitudes of people from this earth. If we continue to think back we can all remember exactly where we were when we heard the news about the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

Think about it - our lives are defined by death! It is these events, these "acts of God", these terrorist murders, these "natural disasters" that burn themselves into our memory and mark the passing of time.

So how are we supposed to respond? How are we to think about these things? How do we cope with death, whether natural or unnatural? How do we deal with the truth that we are all faced with certain death?

The only hope we have when facing the certainty of death is knowing the certainty of our salvation as we trust Jesus Christ to save and keep us! Is He able to save? Is He in control? If so, then how should we view the certainty of death?

I preached a message relevent to these thoughts in October of 2005 following the devastating earthquakes in Kashmir. Listen to this timely message to learn more about our view of death, and our only hope for life:

Faced with Certain Death (from 2 Samuel 22 and 1 Cor 15:50-58).

~pastorway

In Those Days

2007-04-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Examining the last chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the morning and continuing in his series on Genesis this evening, Jonathan was able to preach the truth this Sunday about the inevitability of aging and death and the need for the grace of God. From the wisest man, Solomon, we learn about remembering our Creator while we are young, and from Genesis we learn about the world in which Noah lived.

So whether we are looking back in those days when we were young, in those days before Noah, or in those days in which we now live, we see the testimony of Scripture - men of all ages are sinful creatures who must be blessed with the grace of God if there is to be any hope!

The evangelistic message from Ecclesiastes 12 is titled "Remember Your Creator...NOW!" The great King Solomon urges us to remember our Creator while we are young, and paints a graphic picture of the inevitable ravages of old age. These things teach us the inevitability of death and judgment. How can we avoid the tragedy of growing old, and even dying, without God?

Listen or download this message here:
Remember Your Creator...NOW!

The next message from Genesis, taken from chapter 4:16 through 6:13, titled "Noah Found Grace" helps us in surveying the notable events between the account of Cain and Abel and the account of the Flood, and considering Noah, the world he lived in, and the grace God showed him. How does this all apply to us?

Listen or download this message here:
Noah Found Grace

As we look back at life in those days, let us not forget the ways that God expects and equips us to live in THESE days!

A New Award

2007-04-14T16:15:00.000-05:00

As if it were not honor enough to have been King for a Week, now I have been listed as a blog wherein The Thirsty Theologian has been edified!! Those of us who blog fairly consistently are often pleased just to know people actually read what we write. But this is an honor indeed. So THANKS DAVID! Keep up the good work of keeping us all updated about the latest and greatest resources available out there on the net. And thanks for the honor. I am humbled.

Thanks again!
~pastorway

One Way

2007-04-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 7:14
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Daily Scripture Reading - John 14-15

Puritan Catechism
Question #52 - Which is the fifth commandment?

Answer - The Fifth Commandment is, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).

Devotional Thoughts
Jesus tells us plainly that there are two ways to eternal life! It's true. There are two paths, two roads, two ways to the everlasting. As we studied the week before Easter, there is the Broad Way, and as we see in today's verse for study, there is the Narrow Way. Lest we forget, both ways do end in eternal life. The Broad Way, the wrong way, the easy way, the way centered on self fulfillment - that way leads to eternal life suffering the wrath of God for our sin. In fact, it is eternal death, the second death, always dying but never finally dead. There is no relief, no rest, no respite. Only suffering for our sin. The other way, the Narrow Way, leads as we will see today to life eternal, full of abundant blessing in the presence of God, forgiven of our sins and afforded the great opportunity to praise and worship and serve Him forever.

What is it that makes the narrow way narrow? Why does Jesus refer to it as such?

It is different than the Broad Way. It is not easy. It is not a walk in the park. It is trying, there are tests, suffering, and trials. We will be forsaken and persecuted, abandoned and ridiculed. All because the world hates Jesus Christ, and as we walk with Him and live for Him they will come to hate us too.

It is hard to find! Indeed, unless God through His Spirit draws us we would never find the Way (John 6:44). Left on our own we are dead in sin, blinded to the truth, and incapable on our own to even desire to come to Christ (1 Cor 2:14).

It is difficult to follow! This Narrow Way gives us no room for error. That is correct - for we cannot look to the right or the left (Deut 5:32) and we have nowhere to go other than forward or back. We are either pressing on (Phil 3:12, 14) or we are backsliding (Jer 3:22; 14:7).

It is found by few. You have heard the verse "Many are called but few chosen" (Matt 22:14). What does that mean? It is explained here. There are few who find the Narrow Way. Many are called in that the gospel call goes out to all men everywhere to repent of their sin and turn to Christ in faith. But few are chosen. Few are those who find the Narrow Way.

But wait, we might point out that Jesus says to us, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Further, we have heard in the verses that follow, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt 11:29-30). See - His yoke is easy. The burden is light.

Let us check our perspective. Left on our own all we have to offer, all our own righteousness is a filthy rag in God's holy sight. So how can this Narrow, Difficult Way be the same as the easy yoke and light burden? Jesus tells us in John 15:4-5, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." Get that? It is easy and light because we can do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13). Without Him it says we can do nothing. Not some things. Not a few things. No, without Christ we can do nothing! So the yoke is easy and the burden light because the life we now live He lives through us (Gal 2:20).

The call to walk this Narrow Way is a call to self denial (Luke 9:23), self abandonment (Matt 10:39), indeed self sacrifice (Rom 12:1-2)! It is hard. It is impossible without Christ. For He is the Only Way to the Father.

Get that? There are not two ways to God. There are not many ways to God. There is One Way Only and that Way is Jesus Christ. It is not as though God will allow any to enter in who are not coming through His Son.

As Jesus explained to His disciples, a rich man, who has all his needs provided for and sees no lack, finds salvation hard! How hard? It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle! (Matt 19:24). Upon hearing this the disciples immediately asked, "Who then can be saved?"

You see, it was not as if they believed everyone was going to heaven. Nor was it that most people were going to heaven. No. When Jesus explained the difficulty of the Way to salvation their response was one of seeing it as impossible for anyone to be saved! "Who then can be saved?" (Matt 19:25).

And the reply was that "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26)

We have an impossible salvation. Not one we can buy, earn, attain, merit, or that we will ever deserve. It is, from a human standpoint an Impossible Way. That is the degree of narrowness to the gospel. Few find it indeed.

Have you found it? Have you found the One and Only Way to salvation? His name is Jesus, and He is the Living Way. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Following Him will cost you your life. But He has given you His life in return!!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Christ, the Believer's Life by Archibald Alexander
How Shall I Go to God? by Horatius Bonar

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Living in Light of the Resurrection

2007-04-08T18:30:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Hunt was able to preach 2 messages today that set our focus upon the resurrection of Christ. We learn from these sermons that He is alive and that His resurrection does matter. In fact, it matters to the point that His resurrection life should influence the way we live our lives here and now.

This mornings evangelistic message is taken from 1 Corinthians 15:17 and is titled:

"Does it really matter whether Jesus rose from the dead?"

The film 'The Jesus Family Tomb' has got some surprising responses from leading Christians. Some have said that it doesn't matter if we find Jesus' bones - because his Resurrection is just a 'metaphor'. Is this true? Does it really matter whether Jesus rose from the dead?

This evenings message, part of Jonathan's Teaching series, is taken from 2 Corinthians 5:15 and is titled:

"How should we live in the light of the resurrection?"

Jesus Christ has risen. How should we, as Christians, live in the light of this? In this message we look at three aspects of living for, and to Jesus Christ - i) Living for Christ means self-denial, ii) Living for Christ means living with joy, iii) Living for Christ means living for the future.

Click on the sermon titles to download or listen for free!

He is Risen

2007-04-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly pastor that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection in A.D. 30. Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Sunday, 16th Day of Nisan, AD 30:

Matt. 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-11; John 20:1-8

As we celebrate today the resurrection of Christ our Lord and His victory over sin, death, and the grave, I would like to present you with a sermon from Charles Spurgeon that addresses His resurrection. Listen to the Prince of Preachers as he tells us about the Risen Christ!

The Rent Veil

And here is a devotional I wrote that asks and answers the question "Was Jesus Resurrected from the Dead?"

One last thought for the day:
Have you repented of your sin and believed on the risen Lord Jesus Christ? That after all is what "Easter" is all about. Click here to find out more - One Way to Heaven.

Low in the Grave He Lay

2007-04-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly pastor that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus' crucifixion in A.D. 30.

So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Saturday, the 15th of Nisan, AD 30:

Matt.27:62-66; Luke 23:56

Charles Spurgeon on The Tomb of Jesus

Crucify Him!

2007-04-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a detailed chronological examination that deals with the text that addresses the events that take place on the day Jesus was crucified in A.D. 30.

Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Friday, the 14th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30
Matt. 27:1-61; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 22:66 - 23:55; John 18:28 - 19:42

This day was the Passover for Pharisees and Sadducees from Jerusalem, in Judea to the south. Jesus was tried before Pilate, sent to be tried before Herod, returned to Pilate for the final judgment, sent to be scourged and was then offered to be released to the crowd. A political prisoner Barabbas released to the crowd instead by the crowds demands and Jesus was sent to be put to death.

At the Crucifixion, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3 PM) which was the exact hour the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in Jerusalem for the Passover meal. He was buried in a borrowed tomb.

A Chronological Examination from the Gospels:
From the Garden of Gethsemane to the Resurrection

The Garden of Gethsemane

Time - approximately 11:30 PM to 1:00 AM
Matt. 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-52; Luke 22:39-53; John 18:1-11

Jesus departed with His disciples from the observance of the Passover meal, during which He showed the fulfillment of the Passover by instituting the Lord's Supper. As they left, singing a hymn, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was going to pray. He left all the disciples except for Peter, James, and John - those that were the closest to Him - and went to find a place to pray.

As He prayed, Jesus knew what He was facing! He knew the death that awaited Him in order that the Divine plan of salvation might be accomplished. He had been born to die and now death was near at hand. Jesus was fully God (the spirit is willing) and knew what He had to do. He was also fully man (the flesh is weak), and He did not want to die! What a fearful thing to be facing the torment of bearing the full wrath of God toward sin.

He prayed specifically, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." Then He came and found the disciples asleep! He awoke them and asked them to watch and pray with Him, and He went back to fall on His face before the Father. He prayed again, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." He knew that drinking this cup meant to do what He had come to do, to be humbled as a man and crucified on a cross. And the disciples fell aspleep again, so He left them there and returned to pray a third time, saying the same thing.

The weight of bearing the wrath of God had already begun and while Jesus prayed the blood vessels in His face began to burst due to the stress, and He began to sweat great drops of blood. His face was bruised from the weight of the cross, and He had not yet even been arrested!

Judas and the chief priests and temple guards arrived to arrest Jesus and turn Him over the Romans. The Jews had no authority to put a man to death, though they could bring him before the Romans and they would carry out the sentence. Judas kissed Jesus, a pre-arranged signal to identify the one to be arrested so that there was no mistake. Jesus asked who they were seeking, they replied, "Jesus of Nazareth." He answered, "I Am He." With that statement the Book of John records that all there were struck with the power and glory of God - the whole mob fell back away from Jesus as He was revealed as "I AM."

Then as they got up and moved to arrest Him, Peter stepped up to defend Jesus even if it meant his own life. He drew his sword and tried to strike one of the men approaching. It was Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. As Peter swung the sword and Malchus ducked out of the way the sword missed lopping his head off but did take his ear off! Jesus instructed Peter to put the sword away, for "all who live by the sword will die by the sword." This was not a statement of pacifism, as Jesus had even told His disciples to buy and carry swords for defense against wild animals and robbers. He meant in this instance that if Peter killed Malchus, Peter himself would be put to death. With that Jesus healed Malchus' ear completely! And He went to be tried as His disciples and a young man named John Mark fled and ran for their lives.

The Trial before the High Priest

Time - 3:00 AM
Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:63-71; John 18:12-27

Jesus was taken and brought before Annas and Caiphas, the High Priest, and charged with blasphemy. These men would decide the crimes to be charged against Jesus when He would stand trial before the Sanhedrin. Here they were accusing Him, complete with a list of witnesses who lied, of a crime punishable by death. They were set on killing Him.

Jesus was struck and spit upon, and at one point even blindfolded and hit in the face as those striking Him cried out, "Tell us who hit you." He was mocked and condemned.

Peter Denies Christ

Time - During the Trial before the High Priest
Matt. 26:69-74; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62

While Jesus was being questioned by the High Priest, Peter stood with John out in the courtyard. Here Peter was accused by a servant girl in the crowd of being a follower of Jesus. He denied he knew Jesus. A little while later another girl saw him and said that she had seen him with Jesus. He swore an oath that he did not know Jesus and had no idea what this girl was talking about. Then again after a time someone accused him of knowing and being with Jesus, saying he talked like he was from Galilee. At this point, the third time Peter denied Jesus, he cursed and said that he did not know the Man.

Immediately after this, the Bible records for us that Jesus saw Peter through a window. They made eye contact. And Peter remembered the prediction he had refused to believe, that he would deny Christ 3 times before dawn. And he had. He fled the courtyard and went out a wept bitterly at having denied His Lord.

The Trial before the Sanhedrin

Time - Dawn
Matt. 27:1; Luke 22:66-71

At dawn, Jesus was taken with the charges against Him from the High Priest and tried before the Sanhedrin, the highest court in Israel. They quickly found Him guilty of blasphemy, and sent Him to Pilate so that He might be put to death.

The Trials before Pilate and Herod

Time 6:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Matt. 27:2-28; Mark 15:1-20; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:15

Pilate, the Roman Governor of Palestine, representing Caesar and acting as the highest ranking military and civil officer in that area, had to approve all cases demanding the death penalty. He interviewed Jesus and declared that He was innocent! In fact, while questioning Him, Pilate determined that this was not a case for death and so the local officials, namely King Herod, could rule on the case. So Pilate sent Jesus to Herod.

King Herod Antipas, powerful but nothing more than a puppet for Rome, was the son of Herod the Great, who of course had met with the Wise Men after the birth of Christ and had ordered all the male children 2 and under to be slaughtered in an attempt to prevent the birth of a new king! He died before Joseph and Mary and Jesus returned from their flight to Egypt. Herod Antipas though was more interested in Jesus and His miracles. He was not interested in trying Jesus. He just asked Jesus to perform "tricks" for him! Herod heard the accusations against Jesus from the Jewish leaders, placed a flowing velvet robe on Him mocking Him, and sent Him back to Pilate.

Pilate still insisted He was innocent but in order to pacify the crowd and the Jewish leaders said that Jesus was to be beaten. He thought that perhaps if He was beaten and released that this would satisfy the crowd. The crowd instead cried out for Barabbas to be released - an assassin, a terrorist if you will. The elders of Israel wanted him released instead of Jesus. When Pilate asked then what to do with Jesus the crowd cried out, "Crucify Him!"

So the Roman guards took Jesus and scourged Him. They likely used a cat-of-nine-tails. It was a rod with 9 strips of leather tied to the end, and at the end of these leather strips where embedded pieces of bone, sharp rocks, and metal. This whip was used to lash prisoners. A skilled punisher could use the whip to lodge these sharp pieces into the chest of the criminal and then yank it all loose stripping off pieces of flesh from the chest and stomach all the way around to the back.

The guards crowned Jesus with a crown of thorns after this. They did not use a crown like what we see in most artwork. It was like a ball cap without a bill, a hat woven out of the branches of a short thorn bush that produces thorns an inch and a half to two inches long. This was beaten into Christ's head with a rod.

They took the robe Herod had given Him and pressed it into His bleeding back and mocked Him as a "king." As the blood from the wounds in His back dried into the thick purple robe, they ripped the robe off again, opening the wounds afresh. They spit on Jesus, ripped His beard out, and continued to hit His head with the reed.

The Place of the Skull

Time - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Matt. 27:29-66; Mark 15:21-47; Luke 23:26-56; John 19:16-42

At this time, Jesus was already weak from the loss of blood. His face was bruised from both sweating drops of blood in the Garden and from being hit, beaten, slapped, and His beard pulled out. He was bleeding from His face, back and sides, and His head. And they took Him to the place of the skull. It was a small hill outside the city gates where people were put to death for their crimes. This hill was called "Golgotha" which means "place of the skull". It was so named because it looked like it had a skull protruding from its side with caves forming cavities.

He was forced to carry the cross beam that He would be nailed to as He was crucified. He dropped it on the way, and the most amazing thing happened. A man named Simon from Cyrene was pulled from the crowd and forced to carry the cross for Jesus. (Simon's son Rufus is later mentioned as part of the church in Rome - Rom 16:13.) Look at what is happening here. Jesus is bearing the weight of our sin and even in the midst of the full wrath of God, grace and mercy is shown in that someone else carried the cross!!

Arriving at the place to be crucified Jesus was offered pain killer but refused. He would not find any loss of His senses as He bore the pain of death for our sin. He was stripped of all clothing and nailed to the cross - His hands (through the wrist) and His feet, one over the other with the nail piercing through the top of both feet and exiting the heel into the cross.

The charge against Him was nailed to the top of the cross, identifying in 3 languages that "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." At noon, as He hung on the cross, the sun was hidden and everything was dark until 3:00 PM. During this time, in order to take a breathe on the cross, Jesus had to push up on the nail in His feet and pull up on the nails in His wrists, scraping His already sliced back up and down on that wooden cross. Those who died on a cross usually died of suffocation - not being able to have the continued strength to pull up and take a breath.

While hanging there between heaven and earth, bearing the penalty for our sin, Jesus spoke and said the following things:

1. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

2. "Woman, behold your son." (Spoken to Mary His mother, identifying the Apostle John as the one who would take care of her in His absence).

3. "Behold your mother." (Spoken to John about Mary).

4. "Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Spoken to the theif who believed in Him and would join Him in heaven that very day).

5. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabacthani - a scream of such pain in being separated from the Father as He bore the full brunt of the wrath of God for our sin that the people who heard Him did not even understand what He said. They thought He was calling to Elijah to save Him. He was in fact uttering the most hideous cry ever uttered by a man.)

6. "I thirst."

7. Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit." (He knew He would go to be with the Father upon His death).

8. "It is finished." (Tetelestai - PAID IN FULL - He had paid the debt we could not pay).

And He died. When He died the veil of the Temple was rent in two - now man had access through the blood of Christ directly into the presence of God. No other High Priest or sacrifices or rituals. He was the High Priest and the sacrifice, once for all.

When He died, He did not die from suffocation, or blood loss, or the beating, or the crucifixion. He willingly gave up His life. He chose the moment He would die! He died not due to the physical torments of the crucifixion. He died willingly as a result of bearing the wrath of God for our sin upon Himself. He tells us He gave up His life willingly so that He could take it up again - referring to the resurrection. He was always God! He was always in control. He chose when to die, and when to be raised from the dead. All to pay for our sin!

A guard standing by would usually break a criminals legs in order to hasten death - he could then not push up and keep breathing. But when they came to do this to Jesus He was already dead. They stuck a spear in His side to check and pierced His heart and both blood and water came out of the wound, a clear sign that He was dead.

Upon seeing Him die, the Centurion in charge of the execution believed that He was the Son of God - fulfilling the prayer, "Father, forgive them." Surely this man was the Son of God. And He gave His life willingly to pay for our sin and save us. He made of Himself a substitute.

Hebrews 12 tells us that through the pain, the torment, the abandonement, the shame, and all that He did to pay for our sin, through all of that He had one thing in mind!! Joy! Yes, joy!

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This is how Jesus died.

He had come to seek and save that which was lost, and just as the angel told Mary before He was born, He would save His people from their sin. He had come to do this. He was born to die. And He died to save His people from their sin.

The Upper Room

2007-04-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly pastor that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus' crucifixion in A.D. 30.

So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Thursday, the 13th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30
Matt. 26:17-75; Mark 14:12-72; Luke 22:7-62; John. 13:21 - 18:27

The Upper Room

Jesus washed His disciples feet, observed the Passover with them and during the meal instituted the Lord's Supper, left for the Garden of Gethsemane, was betrayed and arrested, and went through the first of three trials, this one by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious court.

An Exposition by Charles Spurgeon on Matt 26:26-30 and 1 Cor 11:20-34: A Question for Communicants

Additional Sermon from 1 Cor 11:17-34 by pastorway:
Instructions for the Observance of Communion

Jesus' Last Parable

2007-04-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly theologian that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus' crucifixion in A.D. 30.

So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Wednesday, the 12th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30
Matt. 21:18 - 26:16; Mark 11:11 - 14:11; Luke 20:1 - 22:6

NOTE: Jesus was NOT crucified on Wednesday.

John Gill's Exposition on Matthew 22 and Matthew 25

Cleansing the Temple

2007-04-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly theologian that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus' crucifixion in A.D. 30.

So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Tuesday, the 11th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30
Matt. 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46

John Calvin's Examination of the Harmony of the Gospels
Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19

Triumphal Entry

2007-04-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a sermon from a godly preacher that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus' crucifixion in A.D. 30.

So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Monday, the 10th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30:

Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-38; John 12:12-15

Triumphal Entry

Yes it happened on Monday, not Sunday, but we celebrate it on Sunday as we gather for worship. This was the very day that the Passover Lamb was chosen by Jewish families and brought into the house. Jesus entered Jerusalem and was proclaimed by the people to be their King. They cried out “Hosanna” which means “Save Now”, and was a fulfillment of Psalm 118.

The Triumphal Entry happened TO THE DAY that it was prophesied to happen according to Zech. 9:9; Daniel 9:25; and Neh. 2:6.

Technical Note: Jews who lived in the northern part of the country, Galilee, kept time a little differently than those in the south region of Judea. As a result, in Jesus' day they celebrated the Passover a day early, on Thursday. Those to the south would celebrate on Friday. Jesus was from the north, remember that He was from Nazareth in Galilee, so He and His disciples celebrated according to the northern calendar on Thursday. But the rest of Jerusalem would be celebrating on Friday.

The Triumphal Entry by Charles Spurgeon, preached from Matthew 21:5.

The King Approaches and Approaching the King

2007-04-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Hunt's messages today continue on in his series of evangelistic messages and his series from Genesis.

This morning's message, The King Leads the Way, was taken from Luke 19:28-40. A message that considers the events of the day known as 'Palm Sunday', we see the Lord Jesus Christ fulfill prophecy as He enters Jerusalem, and the crowds hail Him as King. He is facing an agonizing death, and He knows it - yet He leads the way - because He has a grand and glorious purpose to fulfill. Have we recognized Jesus Christ as our King?

This evening's message, Two Approaches to God: Cain and Abel, was taken from Genesis 4:1-16. Cain and Abel were the first children born into this world, and their different characters were illustrated when they brought offerings to God - Abel and his offering were accepted, Cain and his offering were rejected. Enraged, Cain kills Abel and is banished by God. Do we give God the very best, as Abel did? Do we heed God's warnings to Cain about the power and defeat of sin?

Listen online or download these messages for FREE by clicking on the sermon title.

Bible Reading Plan - Palm Sunday to Easter

2007-04-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bible Readings for the Week before Resurrection Sunday

When we think of celebrating Easter each year, we usually begin with the observance of Palm Sunday, a remembrance of the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem fulfilling Old Testament prophecy to the very day as He was lauded as the King and Messiah by those who lined the road. But in order to understand the true significance of these events we need a clear picture of the actual time line. A careful examination of the Gospel accounts of this last week give us a picture of what Jesus was doing and where He was each day of the week before He was crucified to redeem His people.

So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples.

Background: The First Passover - Israel and the Exodus
Ex 12; Lev 23:4-5; Num 28:16-25; Deut 16:1-8

The month of Abib, which means "green" or "tender", was renamed Nisan, which means "first month", after the Exile in Babylon. See Nehemiah 2:1; Ezra 3:7

Abib (or Nisan) was the first month in the Jewish year and falls in March/April on our current calendar. On the Tenth Day the families selected the Passover Lamb which was brought into the home as a pet and cared for until the time of preparing the Passover meal. On the Fourteenth Day the sacrifice the lamb occurred between 3-5 pm, followed by the Passover meal where the lamb was cooked and eaten according to the regulations given in Exodus and Leviticus. On the Fifteenth to Twenty-first Days the Jews celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Eight Days
Selected Scriptures arranged chronologically from the Four Gospels with Extra Reading Material for each day of the Week

1. Sunday, Nisan 9 - Matt. 20:17-34; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31-43

2. Monday, Nisan 10 - Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-38; John 12:12-15

3. Tuesday, Nisan 11 - Matt. 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46

4. Wednesday, Nisan 12 - Matt. 21:18 - 26:16; Mark 11:11 - 14:11; Luke 20:1 - 22:6

5. Thursday, Nisan 13 - Matt. 26:17-75; Mark 14:12-72; Luke 22:7-62; John. 13:21 - 18:27

6. Friday, Nisan 14 - Matt. 27:1-61; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 22:66 - 23:55; John 18:28 - 19:42

7. Saturday, Nisan 15 - Matt.27:62-66; Luke 23:56

8. Sunday, Nisan 16 - Matt. 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-11; John 20:1-8

Related Sermon: Passover: An Everlasting Ordinance

Saved

2007-03-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

John 10:9
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd, He is also the only door to enter God's kingdom. He serves as the Way to the Father so that we might "be saved."

We use that term a lot in the church but how often do we really stop and think about what it means. If we have "entered Christ" then we are saved! Saved from what? Saved to what? Saved, why? Saved, how? Those are the questions we will answer today.

We are saved from a number of things when we believe in Christ. First we are saved from sin. Because Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and He imputes His righteousness to us now God is able to declare us righteous (justified) and we are right with God. He has taken away our sin and imputed to us His rightness with God. He saved us by taking our sin upon Himself on the cross – the death He died was OUR death - the one we should have died as a result of our sin. (Rom. 6:23) So now we are saved from (freed from) sin (Romans 6).

Secondly we are saved from death. The wages of sin is still death, but because the price for our sin has been paid we never have to fear death! We may die physically, but that is simply a transformation as we step into life in the spiritual realm face to face with Christ. But we will never die spiritually – we will not die the eternal death in hell that the lost will. The death we are saved from is referred to in Scripture as the Second Death. To be separated from the goodness and grace of God and to suffer the agony of dying forever! (This could also be termed being saved from judgment or wrath!) In examining this closely we see that since we are saved from the wrath of God, we are literally saved from God's justice. We are given mercy and favor (grace) instead of justice and wrath.

Thirdly we are saved from self! We now have the power from the Holy Spirit to be self-controlled or better said, Spirit-controlled, so that we can overcome temptation and sin and truly live a victorious life! We are saved from everything wicked and awful that we were without Christ.

Fourth we are saved from bondage. Before we entered Christ we were bound in sin. Another term is to be dead in sin. There was no spiritual life in us at all. We were dead to God and would never have even thought to come to Him unless He had called us by His Spirit to salvation. (1 Cor 2:14; John 6:39, 44). In essence to be saved is to be free! Truly free. In reality our freedom is nothing more than slavery to Jesus! Now we are bought at a price and belong to Him for all eternity.

If we are indeed saved, we now know what we are saved from – but what are we saved TO? We are saved to His glory for His good pleasure. He saved us because He wanted to save us! It glorifies Him to show His love and mercy through our salvation. Actually, the Old Testament talks about it being HIS salvation.

We are also saved to eternal life - now we can live forever in the presence of God because our sin debt has been paid and we are counted righteous in His sight! The thing that separated us from the Heavenly Father has been removed and we have been reconciled to Him just as He wanted.

Our eternal life is secure from before we are even born. While all of us will live forever somewhere because of Jesus now we can be sure that our eternal life is lived in His presence, with Him in the new heaven and earth instead of separated from Him in the lake of fire!

Jesus saved us to good works as well! We have the power daily to do what is right because He has given us freedom to chose obedience to His Word and His will whereas before we were bound to sin. He produces through us the works that glorify Him! He lives through us on a daily basis to help us BE right with God moment by moment.

We have been saved to fellowship. Our ability to fellowship carries us through trials and hardships and gives us reason to rejoice with one another at all that God has done for us! You cannot enjoy true fellowship unless you are serving God with brothers and sisters in Christ. The lost offer no fellowship and no godly counsel. They provide no encouragement of help in true times of need, because they do not know our Father - and even if they are blood related, they still aren't family as much as other believers are and can be! There is a friend closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

To continue our list, we are also saved to carry out a mission - and that mission is to spread the good news of the Gospel to as many people as we possibly can. We have purpose in our lives, not the least of which is proclaiming the salvation that has been secured by the sacrifice of our Savior!

I know there is much more, but today I will let you finish the list - what else can you think of that we have been saved TO?

Now let us answer the final two questions: why are we saved and how are we saved? We are saved because God loved us so much that He created us to have fellowship with Him - and when Adam and Eve sinned and broke that fellowship, God's plan to redeem us was simple - He would send His Son to die in our place, to pay the penalty for our sin and to give us His rightness with God.

His desire for fellowship saw Him plan this out long before He even created us. He knew we would fall, and He knew what it would cost Him to redeem us and He still created us and loved us enough to carry out His eternal plan!

The how is as simple as can be. We are saved when we are regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:1, 5-6; Ezek. 11:19) and then converted, justified, and adopted. All of this happens as we answer His call and turn from our sin (repent) to Christ (believe) in faith. We are called by grace through the Spirit of God and respond with the faith He has given us. He saves us, we don't save ourselves - and He continues to save us! We are saved, we are being saved as we grow to be more like Him day by day, and we will be saved. Eventually our bodies will be redeemed as well as our spirit! (see also Eph 1:3-4; 1 Peter 3:18; Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 5:30-31; Acts 11:18; Gal. 1:1-9, 11; Rom. 8:15; and 1 John 3:1).

Jesus tells us that we will be saved if we "enter" the proper door, namely, Him! He is the Way, Truth, and Life, and none of us can hope to ever come to the Father unless we come through Christ. And once we are saved and part of His sheep fold, then we can come and go and find pasture!

The implication here is that we are now free! We can come and go as we please, whereas before we were dead and bound to sin and to sin alone. Now we have been given our freedom to "roam" the Kingdom and go wherever we want! Indeed, finding God's will is not nearly as difficult as we make it - if we are walking by faith in obedience to the Word of God and following the direction of the Holy Spirit, then we can do whatever we desire, for to delight in Him is to find Him giving us the very desires of our heart! (Not the object of desire, the desire itself!)

He also tells us that as we go and come we will find pasture. He is talking here about being spiritually fed and growing in grace. I want to look at several ways that we are fed as we "go in and out to find pasture." We are fed spiritually by the Word, by pastors and teachers, and by fellowship with others.

The first on our list is obvious. We are fed by the Word of God. It is to be to us like food as we must have it to survive. From it comes our faith and our desire to do His will. From it comes the instruction as to what His will is and will continue to be. The Word tells us how to be safe, be saved, and be fruitful. In it we find His blueprints for our life, day to day. The Bible serves as an owner's manual (written by our Creator and given to us so that we can "run" the most efficiently and as long as possible!).

Secondly we are fed by pastors and teachers. The Church is the Body of Christ to which has been given leaders to “plant and water” , to grow us and equip us to live our lives by faith and in a manner that serves as salt and light in a tasteless and dark world! The job of a pastor is to feed (equip, teach, instruct, encourage, counsel, motivate, care for, rebuke, etc.) the flock of God. As a matter of fact the Bible is plain in telling us that the pastor of your church is actually God's gift to that church! (see Eph. 4:11-16). And we are also fed by others who teach us, whether through tv or radio, or by books or tapes - there are many good teachers out there who can give us a steady diet of truth! (see our links for some of the best on-line teachers).

Thirdly, we are fed and nourished by fellowship with others. There is a great need in our day for believers to realize that the Spirit of God has gifted them to minister to others in the body of Christ! (boy, there's a whole other study on spiritual gifts!) Many times we fail to see that the trials we have faced and endured or have fallen to are there for us to share with others to "save" them from the same mistakes or to sympathize with them as they face the same kind of hardships that we have had to endure! There is great encouragement and strength in sharing our Christian walk with others - that is precisely why we are COMMANDED not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together for worship regularly (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Because of Christ, we are free to go in and out and are promised that we will find pasture. We will be fed many times and many ways, most of all we are fed by His love for us as He walks side by side with us and often even carries us through this life! Today, be thankful to God for the things He saved you from when He accepted you in His Son. Today - BE SAVED!

Wrong Way

2007-03-29T22:15:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 7:13
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Daily Scripture Reading - Isaiah 32

Puritan Catechism
Question #52 - Which is the fifth commandment?

Answer - The Fifth Commandment is, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).

Devotional Thoughts
It seems these days that everyone wants to take the easy way. There are diet programs that claim that you can lose a lot of weight in no time with no effort - just pop a pill. Who needs to exercise when you can pay a plastic surgeon? Who has to watch what they eat when a doctor can simply remove most of your stomach? Why work when you can win the lottery? Why put forth the effort when you can sit back and get what you want through deception and fraud? Who wants to work hard? We all want it easy! The easier the better.

Think about it. We have fast food and get impatient with microwave ovens. Nothing really takes much time or effort any more. We can get the best now for less. We can buy now and pay later. We can have it all right now. Why delay gratification?

No wonder then there are those who want to make going to heaven easy! Of course, that means easy from a fleshly and fallen standpoint. While we may understand that the gospel is truly simple, we tend to make it much more difficult than it has to be and in doing so we find people leaning toward taking the easy way out. Whether it is universalism, or the false notion that we are all basically good, or a myriad of other demonic doctrine, we seem to think that lies are easier to trust than the truth.

We should not be surprised though because Jesus did tell us that the easy road, the broad way, the wide path leads to destruction. And many find it, walk it, and follow it to its end. Taking it easy all the while going the wrong way.

Nothing that is worth anything is ever easy! As Spurgeon stated, "All that befalls us on our road to heaven is meant to fit us for our journey's end. Our way through the wilderness is meant to try us, and to prove us, that our evils may be discovered, repented of, and overcome and that thus we may be without fault before the throne at the last. We are being educated for the skies and for the assembly of the perfect. What we shall be does not yet appear because we are struggling up towards it. The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction."

But still, we long for peace, for comfort, for ease. We think we deserve heaven. We believe that we are owed a good life. But the easy road is a one way street to destruction.

It is very interesting to think that so many people around us believe that they are going to heaven when they die. Sure there are the diehard (no pun intended) atheists, agnostics, and pagans. But when asked in a poll recently, 89% of people responding stated that they believe in heaven and 75% think they will go to heaven when they die. Heaven after all should be easy, right?

And there is also evidence that suggests to us that we all believe in heaven but surely hell is a myth made up to scare people into submission. After all, other polling data tells us that many more people believe in heaven than in hell. What a tactic! What propaganda! The devil will work overtime to make people believe they are going to heaven no matter what they believe or do and at the same time he will convince them that there is no such place as hell and no punishment for sins. Politicians would sell their souls to have such gifted spinners.

Let us look at these lights along the broad way. What do we see along the sides of the road? Signs that tell us "This Way" for a good time! "Turn Here" for health, wealth, and happiness. Only a few more miles and then we can retire in ease without a care in the world. Sin matters not. God never said anyone would go to hell. There is no hell. Sin is not sin, it does not displease God. No, what many call sin is really just a disease, an addiction, a mistake, a failure, a character flaw, a weakness. It is not your fault. You are good. You are right. You know the truth. You are okay.

But lest we are lulled into a false sense of security this is what we know for a FACT - to take the easy way out is to walk straight into doom. For all the jokes and misconceptions about hell and the devil what we often miss is that it is the easy, flesh pleasing, sin nature pampering life ends in torment, in fire and darkness, in solitude, suffering forever under the wrath of God.

And remember, some would say that hell is being separated from God, but that is not true. Destruction in the lake of fire is suffering from the absence of God's mercy. But He is there, pouring out His wrath on sinners. And all that keeps one from this easy way out is the sinless life and atoning death of Jesus Christ - where it was He who bore the wrath upon Himself for us. Repentance and faith in Him secures the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. And to follow Christ is to shun the easy way for a better way.

So remember that the easy way, the "natural" choice often leads quickly to destruction. That which is worth dying for is all that is truly worth living for. And while living a life of obedience may be hard, it is not impossible for we have His grace given freely to us so that we might endure. May we continue to reject the broad way. May we press on through the narrow gate. As we will learn tomorrow, the narrow gate leads to life! But there are few that find it for too many would rather take it easy. In light of eternity, which is actually more easy? Serving self as a slave of sin, or serving God as a slave of Christ? That which is truly easy runs contrary to our fallen nature. Don't allow your flesh and emotions to confuse you - it is by taking the hard way that we grow in grace and grow closer to our Savior. The easy path only serves to take us away from Him and toward our own undoing.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Three Important Precepts by Charles Spurgeon
Hell - The Furnace of Fire by John MacArthur

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

The Golden Suggestion

2007-03-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 7:12
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Daily Scripture Reading - 1 John 3

Puritan Catechism
Question #52 - Which is the fifth commandment?

Answer - The Fifth Commandment is, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).

Devotional Thoughts
Jesus has given us instruction about our relationships with others, specifically regarding the command not to judge one another, and He has illustrated His point in verses 3-5 of Matthew 7, addressing the speck and plank and the dangers of hypocrisy. As He teaches about relating to others He also includes verse 7-11 which we have examined the last few days. There we have seen Him tell us how to relate to God in faith, asking, seeking, and knocking - praying without ceasing. Then in verse 12 we begin with the word, "Therefore."

Of course I have said before that when we come to a therefore in the text we need to stop and ask what the therefore is there for. Here it points to what we have just been learning. Because we are to turn away from hypocrisy and because we are not to judge one another, and because we are to live a life of dependence upon God in prayer - because of all these things we are given the Golden Rule.

This command existed before Christ taught it. This was not a new truth. It appears in rabbinical writing and other writings that predate Christ. However, it was usually given as a negative command, that is, as Rabbi Hillel's version read, "What is hateful to yourself do not do to someone else." So it is negative in the aspect that it is not a command to do, but to not do. Jesus here though gives this as a positive command. As it is often restated, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

The actual command, the rule, states, "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them." And we must take notice, this is a Rule, not a Suggestion. Jesus does not give us the Golden Suggestion here. Today we often hear this as a Suggestion, don't we? It is quoted, misquoted, twisted, and even mocked. Some say that the golden rule is that those who have the gold make the rules. Others present it as a moralism that we should attempt to live out though someone always has exceptions to the rule.

Looking at it though, Jesus presents this Rule, this Law, as a summary of the Law and Prophets. That means that just like the First and Second Great commandments - love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself - this goes beyond a goal for happy living. This is a summary statement of the will of God for us in our daily lives and relationships. This is God's Word to us. We MUST do unto others as we would have them do to us.

This is a radical teaching. There is no exception clause. There is no way out. Treat people like we would want to be treated. This is contrary to human nature. It goes against pride and the feeling that we have rights that are to be defended at all costs. It puts us in a very awkward position - for without the help of the Holy Spirit we cannot obey this Rule.

And lest we think otherwise, this is a Rule that applies to every relationship that we have - no matter how shallow or how deep. No matter how we know or relate to someone else, we are always to treat everyone else as we would want to be treated. This is truly what it means to esteem all others as better than ourselves. It is condescension, but not in a prideful way. It is humility. It is thinking the best of others no matter what they do or say toward us.

In relating this back to prayer Matthew Henry notes, "We cannot expect to receive good things from God, if we do not fair things, and that which is honest, and lovely, and of good report among men. We must not only be devout, but honest, else our devotion is but hypocrisy." How we relate to others tells us a great deal about how we relate to God.

The Apostle John makes this case for us in his first epistle. He writes there:

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1:6).

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (2:3-6)

He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (2:9-11)

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (3:16-18)

There are more examples but I think this will suffice. The lesson we are learning is that the way in which we relate to others is a direct evidence of how we relate to God. And if we follow the Golden Rule we most likely are walking with God. Those who see the Rule as only a Suggestion, those who hate others and despise others and judge and condemn - if they claim to be a Christian they are actually a hypocrite. They claim to be something that their life, their fruit, declares that they are not!

For we see that this Rule is not given only to instruct us in how to relate to others. It is given to point us to the need for grace in every relationship. It is given to hold up the standard of holy and righteous living as we express our love to God through obedience.

The final lesson for today then is a reminder - if we are not right with others then we cannot be right with God. No one's relationship with God is good and healthy if they do not get along with other people around them! Those who do not live by the Golden Rule, striving to be at peace with all men, as much as depends upon them, those demonstrate for us the futility of working to live the Christian life by the power of the flesh instead of dependence upon the Spirit.

Today, keep the Rule!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Loving Our Neighbor by Richard Baxter
The Content of Kingdom Love by John MacArthur

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Good Gifts

2007-03-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 7:9-11
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Daily Scripture Reading - James 1

Puritan Catechism
Question #52 - Which is the fifth commandment?

Answer - The Fifth Commandment is, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).

Devotional Thoughts
Jesus, the Master Teacher that He is, takes a hold of our imaginations here in order to instruct us about the very nature of God. This is an important and needed lesson for us today lest we forget Who God is and what He has done. Indeed, most that we can say is wrong with the church and our families today is rooted directly in a wrong view of God. How do we get a wrong view of God? We misread, misunderstand, or misapply the Word of God, for it is the written Word of God that reveals Him to us. That is why it is so crucial in the church that we have teachers who know the Word and even more importantly know the Author of the Word!

False teaching often introduces fleshly doctrines, not that they appear obviously carnal, but they are man-centered. What we see in the Scripture is a God centered world view and lifestyle. If we focus on self, on our needs and wants, then our eyes are fixed on the wrong subject. The hard truth is that this life is not about us! It is about God - about glorifying and worshipping and pleasing and obeying and loving Him.

Part of what is wrong in our view of God is evidenced in how we pray and in what we expect from our prayers. Jesus has been teaching us to ask, seek, and knock. He has shown us the need to persevere and the Scriptures teach us to ask in faith, to expect an answer. But then, when we focus on self, God becomes nothing more than an Almighty ATM, dispensing whatever we need as soon as we need it as long as we know the right PIN number. If not, if our needs seem to go unmet, that usually drives us in search of a new formula, a new phrase, a new method of praying - like all the books in the bookstore that promise us results NOW if we just do it the way they do it. What a scam! Teaching prayer for profit instead of learning from the prophets how to pray (sorry, couldn’t resist that one).

Listen - prayer is not about getting needs met. Prayer is about fellowship. It is about building that relationship of trust and dependence upon God. A benefit of that relationship is then that we are privileged to take our needs before God so that He can meet them and be glorified in doing so. But if the focus is only on the needs then we are missing the purpose behind prayer.

To make the point, Jesus points us to earthly parents. We know that we are fallen and sinful beings. We know that we struggle with sin. It does not take more than a few minutes of watching the evening news to understand depravity. But for the most part even sinners know how to answer a request from their child.

What father is there, everything being "normal", that will respond to a request from a child for food by giving him something that will not feed him but will instead hurt him? What moron would answer a child's request for bread by giving him a rock? "Here, son. I know you wanted some bread, but I have a better idea. Eat this rock! Yum – good with the peanut butter, isn’t it? Or even better, I know you asked for some fish, but I'd rather you eat this SNAKE!" Yikes! Of course that is not what a father does. Not even a dim-wit-poor-excuse-for-a-man father as portrayed on the latest sit-com. We know how to give our kids what they need, for the most part.

So why then do we have such a difficult time trusting God to give us what we need? There it is – Jesus’ point jumps off the page at us. If in our depravity we know how to meet the needs of those dependent upon us then how much more will an Omnipotent, All Holy God be able to give us good gifts? If we who are sinful know how to give good gifts then how much better at gift giving is God? He gives good things to those who ask.

We need not simply presume that God gives good gifts, for if we take the time to look at Scripture we see that the only kinds of gifts that God gives are good gifts! It is not just that He gives good gifts, all His gifts are good by virtue of the fact that it is HE who gives them.

We might need a moment to wrap our heads around this one, because the usual complaint about that which motivates us to become prayerless is often based in the idea that we asked God for what we needed and He did not come through for us. He did not give us that for which we asked, begged, and pleaded. Even when we offered to do whatever He asked if He would just answer this one little request!

But look, James 1:17 tells us, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Again, this does not only mean that God gives good gifts - it means every gift He gives is good. All that we have from His hand to provide for our needs, protect us, convict us, discipline us, stretch us, and grow us - it is all good.

Some ask why bad things happen to good people. This assumes that there is such a thing as a good person (Rom 3:12; Matt 19:17). It also assumes that trials, tribulations, and other various circumstances sent directly from the hand of God to us are bad! God does not give bad gifts. He alone is good and He knows what is best, and everything that happens to us is working for His glory and our good (Rom 8:28).

It is the selfish, fleshly attitude that cries out when our rights are violated and our needs go unmet. The truth is that we have no rights because we are blood bought slaves of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:23). Further, if our needs are unmet then there are several possibilities. First, they are not needs - because God promises to meet every need (Phil 4:19). Second, perhaps we are asking amiss, asking selfishly (James 4:3). Third, it is not that God will not answer it is only that He has not answered yet (Ps 27:14; 37:7). Fourth, perhaps the answer was "No" and we are just being stubborn! And the list could go on.

Whatever the case may be we must regain a right view of God. He is able to answer, willing to answer, and He answers giving us every good gift. Are we asking correctly? Are we asking in faith, without doubting? Are we asking all the while knowing that the gifts God will give us are always good, even if they do not look so good to us at first?

We must ask, why is it that hindsight is 20/20? If we are asking in faith, truly knowing Who God is and what He can do, then why can't foresight be 20/20?? Look through the eyes of faith - then we will see how gracious, merciful, and giving our God really is. When we see all the answers He has given us, and when we recognize how good His gifts really are, we cannot help but praise and glorify Him. And that is the reason we pray in the first place - we pray so that God might be glorified!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

How We Ought to Think about God's Providence by Thomas Boston
Delight in Prayer by Stephen Charnock

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

What Day Was Jesus Crucified?

2007-03-25T18:00:00.000-05:00

Three Days and Three Nights

This really should not be a controversial question, but it tends to be based upon one verse of Scripture.

Matthew 12:40:

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Some take this verse to mean that Jesus had to be crucified on Wednesday. In order to be in the grave a full three days and three nights Jesus could nt have been crucified on Friday, which is the day traditionally remembered as the day of the week Jesus died.

If He was crucified on Wednesday, then here is how He was in the grave "three days and three nights":

Night 1 - Wednesday night
Day 1 - Thursday
Night 2 - Thursday night
Day 2 - Friday
Night 3 - Friday night
Day 3 - Saturday

Resurrected after sunset Saturday, which would have been considered Sunday morning.

However, when you understand that the phrase "three days and three nights" is idiomatic, that is, that it means simply 3 days and can be taken as whole days or even a part of 3 separate days, then it makes sense that He was crucified on Friday.

Further, other than this one verse in Matthew where the phrase is used, every other reference to 3 days says that Jesus will be raised ON the third day, not after three days and nights. Look at the other verses that speak to this:

Matt 16:21
From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Matt 27:64
Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, "He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first."

Mark 9:31
For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."

Mark 10:34
and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."

Luke 9:22
saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Luke 24:7
saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."'

Acts 10:40
Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly

So then when we understand that "three days and three nights" means any part of three days, we see that Jesus was crucified on Friday and put in the tomb before sundown. That means we have:

Day 1 - Friday
Day 2 - Saturday
Day 3 - Sunday

And He was raised, according to all of these other verses, ON the third day, on Sunday. To say otherwise is to allow an idiomatic phrase used in one verse to obscure all the other verses that are clear as to the fact of the resurrection being on the third day, not after three days and nights.

Fellowship: Our Duty to One Another in the Church

2007-03-25T00:05:00.000-05:00

I wanted to provide a link here for a series of articles I am posting on The Spurgeon Underground Blog that deals with the topic of fellowship. You can check them out here:

Fellowship: Our Duty to One Another in the Church

The First Foundation of Fellowship: One Body, Many Members

The Second Foundation of Fellowship: Do Not Be Unequally Yoked Together with Unbelievers

The Third Foundation of Fellowship: Fellowship in the Gospel

Stay Tuned, more articles will follow.

~pastorway

Knock

2007-03-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Daily Scripture Reading - Acts 12

Puritan Catechism
Question #51 - How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

Answer - The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days (Lev. 23:3), and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship (Ps. 92:1-2; Isa. 58:13-14), except so much as is taken up in the works of necessity and mercy (Matt. 12:11-12).

Devotional Thoughts
We have seen that prayer is defined as asking so that we might receive that which we need from God, and it is seeking Him so that we might trust Him to provide those things for which we have asked. In asking and seeking we know that the focus is on God, not on us or our needs. As we depend upon Him and ask Him and seek from Him what we need, we are reminded that He is our Provider and that He is in control of every aspect of our lives.

Today we see that prayer is likened to knocking so that the door might be opened to us. What door? The door to communion. Jesus is telling us here that we are able through prayer to ask of God and seek from God, but it all starts with the knock – opening the time of communion with God.

We must never think of prayer as a chore, and if we view it as a duty it must be a duty of love for God. We must also never take prayer lightly, as if communion with the Almighty is a little thing or an easy thing! Throughout Scripture we see examples of men and women who struggled in prayer. Hannah prayed with such focus and lack of self awareness that Eli thought she was drunk. Daniel prayed for 21 days before he received an answer brought by an angel who had to fight his way there. Jesus agonized in the garden, facing the cross and pleading for the will of the Father to be accomplished, and when the disciples were asked to pray with Him and for Him during this time they grew weary while praying and fell asleep.

Prayer is never easy. It is never cheap. And we should never think that we have the right to burst in on God and make demands. We approach Him with faith and with boldness, but we must do so humbly and reverently. We are after all speaking with God.

As we look at what it means to knock we need to remember that the thing which most often hinders our prayer is sin. Whether it is pride, apathy, greed, or an attitude of legalistic obedience, these things hinder our communion with God. To knock then is to do what is necessary to gain entrance into this time of communion with God. It is to prepare our hearts and minds by confessing sin and meditating on the truth about who God is.

Do we desire to pray? Do we want to spend time with God? Do we long for that “sweet hour of prayer”? Or is it more like a fast food drive through where we place our order and drive around and wait for the answer to be delivered so we can get on with our day?

Interestingly, when we as a church allow sin and impurity to harden our hearts, Jesus comes and does the knocking. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” This is not a verse that speaks of Jesus knocking on the door of the heart of a lost man seeking to gain entrance – no, this is Jesus standing outside the door of the lukewarm church! This is the church that has become so dependent upon themselves, their self-righteousness, and their programs that they feel that they have no need of the power of the Holy Spirit. Even when the church is in this hardened state, Jesus desires fellowship with us, though He must deal with our sin. He does so by knocking – by letting us know He needs to be let in – that our sin needs to be confessed and the door opened.

Just as He seeks communion and fellowship, to “dine” with us, so we too must come to God desiring to commune, to be fed by His Word through His Spirit. We must knock. The things of God are not easily opened. We must be diligent to seek after God, to ask, even if the answer takes some time. We must be ready to commune with God, never expecting an automatic hearing from Him. He is holy. And while we are told to approach Him with boldness, we must do so with humility knowing that it is only by the blood of Christ that we have this access.

We cannot rush into prayer. We must remember that we are talking to God. And we must prepare to enter His presence. Jesus taught us about this when He gave us the model prayer and began by saying to our Father, “Hallowed be Your Name.” Above all else in prayer, whether we are asking, seeking, thanking, pleading, interceding, or praising, our focus must be on the holiness of God – we cannot forget that He is holy!

In the Scriptures there are examples of those who forgot that God was holy. In one instance recorded in 2 Samuel 6:6-7, the ark was being carried in a manner contrary to God’s instructions. It was put on a cart instead of being carried by the priests. The priests carried the ark before the people in a way that reminded them all of God’s holiness. But this time, transporting it on the cart, the cart started to tip and Uzzah reached up to steady it – no doubt a good intention, but again, contrary to God’s specific commands. When Uzzah touched the ark, he died. He handled that which was holy in an unholy manner.

Does this mean that God will kill us if we pray without preparation, or if we dare enter His presence without giving thought to His holiness? Well, think about it. To fail to be holy, or prepared, or reverent, or humble when we approach God is to sin, is it not? And what are the wages of sin? Death (Rom 6:23). Our reaction to this proves that we have a low view of God, a high view of self, and a wrong view of sin. We think of God as one of us. We think God owes us. And we think sin is nothing more than a failure or mistake.

We learn then that when we pray we must first knock – we must be prepared to enter the presence of God. We can be humble and bold at the same time when that boldness is founded upon the truth about the atoning death of Christ. He died so that we could come boldly in faith. His life and death and resurrection makes the Way for us to come to God in prayer, knowing that we will be heard and that our prayers will be answered. Not because we have needs, but because God is faithful to provide for us!

The underlying truth in these words shows us that when we ask, seek, and knock we are coming to God on His terms, focused on Him instead of ourselves and our needs, and we are expecting Him to answer because of the work that Christ has done on our behalf. How precious the truth then that we do not pray alone, for Christ Himself makes intercession (Heb 7:25) for us and the Holy Spirit takes the things that we cannot even express with words (Rom 8:26-27) and utters them to the Father!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Motives for Prayer by Thomas Boston
True Prayer - True Power! by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Seek

2007-03-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Daily Scripture Reading - Isaiah 51

Puritan Catechism
Question #51 - How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

Answer - The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days (Lev. 23:3), and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship (Ps. 92:1-2; Isa. 58:13-14), except so much as is taken up in the works of necessity and mercy (Matt. 12:11-12).

Devotional Thoughts
In our text this week we see that Jesus is teaching us how to pray. He uses the terms ask, seek, and knock, but we see that He is using the terminology in order to make a point about how to pray. Matthew Henry says of these terms, "Ask, Seek, Knock (v. 7); that is, in one word, 'Pray; pray often; pray with sincerity and seriousness; pray, and pray again; make conscience of prayer, and be constant in it; make a business of prayer, and be earnest in it.'" Yesterday we saw how it was that we are to pray, asking according to God's will, in Jesus name, led by the Holy Spirit, in faith without doubting or fear. Today we will learn how prayer is typified in seeking.

How are we to seek God? How are we to pray as if we are seeking? We seek with earnestness, with determination, with faith, and with the assurance that we will find that for which we are seeking. And we seek God - not the answers! This is important. We often think that we are to seek the answer to our prayers, but what we learn is that we seek God. We seek to know Him. We seek to please Him. We seek His face, not His hands.

Many seek to get things from God, but that is a wrong view of God and of prayer. Yes, we ask and we seek, but the goal is not ultimately so that we get what we want - the joy of asking and seeking is in taking the time to get to know God better as we talk, listen, discern, wait, expect, and trust Him for the answer. The answer then is not the goal, as the needs we have are simply a means of growing in grace as we walk with God.

Del Fehsenfeld, Jr., used to say that our needs were like a "grace ambulance". We have needs and God by His grace meets those needs. The need is not the focus - God is as He meets the need. Think about how often the Scriptures tell us to seek God. In the dozens of verses that tell us to seek God we are not told to seek the answer - we are told to seek Him, to seek His face, to seek to know Him and see Him in the need!

As we seek God we also see that the term teaches us the nature of prayer - we seek as if we had indeed lost something valuable. We depend upon God to help us when that which is valuable to us has been lost or misplaced. Jesus tells us in several parables that the gospel is something that is valuable, to be sought and sacrificed for so that we might possess it and be possessed by it.

Calvin says of Matt 7:7, “Nothing is better adapted to excite us to prayer than a full conviction that we shall be heard. Those who doubt can only pray in an indifferent manner; and prayer, unaccompanied by faith, is an idle and unmeaning ceremony. Accordingly, Christ, in order to excite us powerfully to this part of our duty, not only enjoins what we ought to do, but promises that our prayers shall not be fruitless.” We seek then because we trust that we will find that for which we seek – we seek with determination, believing that God will provide for us what we need.

So we start by seeking the gospel, the forgiveness of sins. This we will not do on our own, as the Holy Spirit must first convict us and draw us. But then as we are saved we learn to seek God daily. To seek to please Him, to seek to have our sins forgiven as we walk in the grace He has freely supplied.

We seek next God's glory. Everything we do should be done for His glory, not our own. We seek for God to be exalted and magnified. We see then that using the term seek in the place of prayer shows us how our prayer life is to be focused on God, not self. We have needs but we go to God, trusting Him to meet them.

We should also seek to edify and encourage other believers. Our motive then is not selfish, but selfless, so that even in our need others might be blessed. Paul praised the church in Philippi for this very thing - they had great needs and yet in the midst of their lack they supplied gifts for the needs of the church at Jerusalem.

The key today for us to remember is that we seek with our whole heart. God is not impressed with half-hearted prayers, prayers offered for the benefit of those listening instead of prayers of worship as we adore God for all He is and has done. In fact, in Jeremiah 29:13 we read, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Where is your heart? Is it divided? Are we seeking to please self and hoping that we can please God at the same time? Or are we loving God with all our heart? This is the first and greatest command - love God with our whole heart. And yet if our hearts are full of doubt and worry then we are missing the great privilege of seeking God. We miss the time that we could be spending in fellowship exercising faith all because we are preoccupied with the need instead of with the One who can meet the need.

What do you seek? What do you spend your time pursuing? Is it God? Do you seek Him? Today, when you see a need, thank God for giving you an opportunity to seek Him!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Seeking Richly Rewarded by Charles Spurgeon
Prayer by Leonard Ravenhill

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Recovering a Right Perspective

2007-03-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Weekly Devotional Recap Page

Proverbs 4:7 - Introduction for the Week
Ephesians 5:1-7 - Recovering a Right View of God
1 Kings 18:20-40 - Recovering a Right View of Worship
Ephesians 5:8-14 - Recovering a Right View of Self
Ephesians 5:15-21 - Recovering a Right View of Sin
Matthew 13:1-9 - Recovering a Right View of Others

Articles

2007-03-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Articles by Pastor Way:

Myth Busters

Fruit or Fluff?

The Death of a Church

How Many More (on abortion)

The Duty and Importance of Family Worship (compilation of quotes)

Liturgy - Our Order of Worship

The Wedding

pastorway and the Puritan Board

The Assault on the Family

The Difference Between Discipleship and Debate
A Shocking Truth about the Making of Disciples

The First Foundation of Fellowship
The Second Foundation of Fellowship
The Third Foundation of Fellowship

Does Your Worship Please God?

Saved!

Reformation Day, Oct 31, 1517

Texas Independence Day

Remembering Rev. Del A. Fehsenfeld, Sr.
Remembering Agnes Kathryn Cox (my grandmother)

Articles by Others:

Worldly Minded and Non-Attending Members - by Elder E.C. Mahurin

Eat, Don't Argue - by Charles Spurgeon

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards #1-24
The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards #25-48
The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards #49-70

Ask

2007-03-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

We need discernment. We need wisdom. In order to do what He has just told us to do in verses 1-6 we must have the right perspective. And yet so often we do not. Our eyes are blinded by the things of this world and our minds are confused by our emotions and our desires. So often we are quick to judge. So what can we do about that? What remedy do we find in the Scriptures?

Jesus says, "Ask."

Is it that simple? Well, yes, it is. He tells us here to start with that if there is something we need then we should ask. This is so simple that I wonder how we mess these verses up so often. But there it is, simple enough. Ask.

Now a test to use when we are studying the Scripture is to seek to keep in mind the whole counsel of the Word of God. The Bible does not contradict itself. If we think we have found a contradiction in reality we have just found a passage we do not understand. So if we are to understand what Jesus means when He tells us to ask, and it will be given to us, then we need to see what else the Bible says about asking.

Can this be the magical formula that the health and wealth prosperity preachers proclaim to us? Is this the spell that opens the windows of heaven? Can we COMMAND God and DEMAND of God and EXPECT God to respond to our every whim, if we only ask with enough faith (and send $1000 to the toothy grin looking at us from inside the TV)? Do we have the authority to go to God and ask for anything we want and do we then have the right to expect that God will do whatever we ask, on the spot? ABRACADABRA. HOCUS POCUS. And all that cloaked in the terms of faith and trust?

The Word of God tells us that if we ask in prayer believing then we will be given that for which we ask. But are there qualifications? John Gill summarized the way in which we should seek to pray by writing that we should ask, "according to the will of God, in the name of Christ, and under the direction, guidance, and influence of the Spirit, in faith, and with submission to the divine will." Let us look at these Scriptural qualifiers.

Ask in According to the Will of God

Gill starts and finishes here, with the will of God. In telling us that we should ask with "submission to the Divine will" we see that he is telling us to pray as Christ did in the Garden the night He was betrayed. Jesus prayed, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

We see that He prayed for what He wanted, but also prayed that God's will would be done. His flesh, being fully human, was distraught at the thought of the cross. In this regard His flesh was weak, yet His spirit was willing. He prayed specifically that the Father's will be done.

This is asking in submission. It is admitting that God knows best and that we are to desire His will above all else. So even as we take the things we want before Him we do so admitting that we truly want His will to be done.

But how do we know the will of God? How can we ask according to His will? We must be attentive to the Scriptures. We are told that it is God's will for us to be sanctified (1 Thess 4:3), have wisdom (James 1:5), love Him with all we are (Mark 12:30), and love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27). If we can just strive to do these then we will be walking in His will.

Luke 9:23 sums this up as we are instructed to deny self, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. We do this as we ask according to the will of God.

Ask in the Name of Christ

This attribute of praying is most often applied by closing the prayer by saying, "In Jesus' name." However, that is not what this means, and in fact, to use a catch phrase without knowing what it means actually demeans the name of Christ. This is not praying and adding to the end "Jesus name."

John MacArthur puts it this way, "Jesus’ name signifies all that He is and all that He would want. Praying in His name means praying in accordance with His character and His will." So it is praying not just with the words "in Jesus name", but with the while mindset that we are able to come and pray only through the atoning death and resurrected life of our Lord. It is coming to the Father through Christ, by virtue of His name, of which we are heirs!

Ask under the Direction of the Holy Spirit

Are we influenced and led by the Holy Spirit? We are if He indwells us, that is, if we are saved. The Holy Spirit points us to Christ. He convicts us of sin. He illumines the Word of God to our minds and hearts. He teaches us truth. He seals us for the day of redemption, guaranteeing our salvation.

Too often we pray with a view toward the will of God and according to the nature and attributes of Christ, but we neglect the Holy Spirit. We do not rely on Him as we should. We pray and live under our own power so to speak, all the while He is there and He is able to teach us to pray as we ought.

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us power and even the desire to pray as we should. He leads us as we seek to understand the Word of God and the will of God. Another way to say it is that we should pray as we are instructed in the Scriptures, for the Holy Spirit inspired the written Word of God. So to pray under His guidance is to pray in ways that we are taught to pray in the Bible.

Ask in Faith

Finally, we see that for our prayers to be answered we must pray in faith. We must believe that God hears and is able to answer. We must trust Him for the answer. And we must not doubt.

To doubt really is to have a lack of faith, so doubt is the enemy of prayer. James tells us that when we ask, we should ask without doubting, for "he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

God expects us to believe Him when we ask. Why would we ask if we did not believe He could and would answer in the first place? Then again, we are rebuked in James 4 for the times that we ask amiss, that is, we ask for things only to "spend" on our own pleasures, with no regard for the will of God.

We see then that we are expected to ask God for the things that we need. By doing so we are able to grow in our relationship with Him through the conversation of prayer. We are also able to see Him provide. Asking shows dependence and humility, as well as faith and hope. And as He hears and answers, giving us that for which we have asked, we learn to trust Him even more.

Jesus begins the lesson on prayer here with this word. Ask. It denotes dependence, expectation, need, and faith. It tells us about ourselves and our God. When we have a need, we need to ask. When we ask, we will receive.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

How the Spirit enables Us to Pray by Thomas Boston
What Sinners Should Plead with God by Ralph Erskine

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Phillip's Phunnies - St Patrick's Day

2007-03-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Q: Why do people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day?
A: Regular rocks are too heavy.

Q. What do you get when you cross poison Ivy with a four-leaf clover?
A. A rash of good luck!

Q: What's Irish and sits outside all year?
A: Paddy O'Furniture!

Q: How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time?
A: He's Dublin over with laughter!

Q. Did you hear about the Irish water polo team?
A. Four horses drowned.

Q. Have you heard about the Irish boomerang?
A. It doesn't come back,
it just sings songs about how much it wants to.

He Died Laughing

Paddy was found dead in his back yard, and as the weather was a bit on the warm side, the wake was held down to only two days, so his mortal remains wouldn't take a bad turn. At last his friends laid him in the box, nailed it shut & started down the hill into the churchyard. As it was a long, sloping path one fellow lurched into the gatepost as they entered the graveyard. Suddenly a loud knocking came from in the box. Paddy was alive! They opened the box up and he sat up, wide eyed, and they all said, “It's a miracle!” All rejoiced & they went back and celebrated late into the night, but just before morning the poor lad died. Really died. Stone cold dead. They bundled him back into his box, and as they huffed and puffed down the hill the next morning, the minister said, "Careful now, boys; mind ye don't bump the gatepost again."

Wishful Thinking

Murphy, O'Brien & Cassey were dicussing the words they would like to hear spoken over their coffins at their wakes.

Casey says, "I would like them to say 'He was a wonderful family man- he always supported his wife and kids, and they never wanted for anything'".

O' Brien says, "That's lovely Casey. But I would like to hear them say, 'He was a great man in the community - he undertook a lot of projects to make his community a better place.'"

Murphy says, "Thats's very nice, O'Brien. But I would like to hear them say, 'Look! He's moving!'"

Extreme Sports

An Irishman went to a pet shop and asked how many budgies were in stock. "We have 99" replied the shop owner "Give me the lot" he said. He went to a tailors shop next door and had 99 pockets sewn into a jacket, put a budgie in each pocket, went up to the Post Office Tower and jumped off. He hit the ground with a smack and lay there groaning until a passer-by came and asked him what had happened. "I don't know sir" he replied "but that's the last time I try that budgie jumping."

What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate

"Well, Mrs. O'Connor, so you want marital counseling?" the minister questioned his congregant. "Tell me about it. Do you have a grudge?"

"Oh, no," replied Mrs. O'Connor. "Shure now, we have a carport."

The minister tried again. "Well, does he beat you up?"

"No, no," said Mrs. O'Connor, looking puzzled. "Oi'm always first out of bed."

Pushing on, the minister said, "What I'm trying to find out are what grounds you have for complaint."

"Bless ye, sir. We live in a flat -- not even a window box, let alone grounds."

"Mrs. O'Connor," the minister said in considerable exasperation, "What is the reason for you seeking this counseling?"

"Ah, well now, it is so we can communicate better" said the lady, "because the man just can't hold an intelligent conversation."

Every Head Bowed and Every Eye Closed

At the end of his sermon the pastor said: "Now, instead of asking you all to bow your heads and close your eyes, I will instead ask, which of you thinks truly he is bound for Heaven? Would you please stand?"

He was pleased to note that nearly all of his congregation stood up.

"That's good," he exclaimed. "But now, let me ask you, which of you thinks he is bound for Hell? Would you stand?"

After a few seconds, Jock slowly got to his feet, and remained standing as the pastor eyed him with sadness.

Afterwards, as the worshippers filed out, Pastor O'Brien pulled Jock aside and asked him, "Now, Jock, what is it that makes you fear you're bound for Hell?"

He responded, "O, I have no fear for my own outcome, but I did feel sorry for you standing up there all by yourself."

Seriously Now:

The Truth About Saint Patrick

Reflections on the Impact of the Life of "Holy Patrick"
by Michael Haykin

The Good Shepherd - John 10:1-15

2007-03-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

Weekly Devotional Recap Page

The Sheepfold - John 10:1-4

Introduction for the Week
John 10:1 - Thieves
John 10:2 - By the Door
John 10:3 - His Voice
John 10:3 - By Name
John 10:4 - His Own Sheep

The Door - John 10:5-10

Introduction for the Week
John 10:5-6 - Missing the Point
John 10:7 - I Am the Door
John 10:8 - Thieves and Robbers
John 10:9 - Be Saved
John 10:10 - Life

The Good Shepherd - John 10:11-15

Introduction for the Week
John 10:11 - I Am the Good Shepherd
John 10:12-13 - The Hireling
John 10:14 - Know and Known (part 1)
John 10:14 - Know and Known (part 2)
John 10:15 - The Father Knows

Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7

2007-03-17T20:00:00.000-05:00

Weekly Devotional Recap Page

Giving - Matthew 6:1-6

Matthew 6:1-6 - Introduction for the Week
Matthew 6:1 - The Fear of Man
Matthew 6:2 - Hypocrites
Matthew 6:3-4 - A Secret
Matthew 6:5 - To Whom Do You Pray?
Matthew 6:6 - Shutting the Door on Self-Righteousness

Praying - Matthew 6:7-11

Matthew 6:7-11 - Introduction for the Week
Matthew 6:7-8 - Vain Repetitions
Matthew 6:9 - Pray Like This
Matthew 6:9 - Our Father
Matthew 6:10 - Your Kingdom and Will
Matthew 6:11 - Daily Bread

Forgiveness - Matthew 6:12-15

Matthew 6:12-15 - Introduction for the Week
Matthew 6:12 - Forgive
Matthew 6:13 - Temptation
Matthew 6:13 - Amen
Matthew 6:14 - If You Forgive
Matthew 6:15 - If You Do Not Forgive

Fasting - Matthew 6:16-21

Matthew 6:16-21 - Introduction for the Week
Matthew 6:16 - When You Fast
Matthew 6:17-18 - When You Fast (part 2)
Matthew 6:19 - True Value
Matthew 6:20 - Heavenly Treasures
Matthew 6:21 - Where is Your Heart?

Good Eye - Matthew 6:22-24

Matthew 6:22-23 - The Eyes Have It
Matthew 6:22-23 - Getting An Eye Full
Matthew 6:22-23 - Who Turned Out the Lights?
Matthew 6:22-23 - Just Me and My Shadow
Matthew 6:24 - Cross Eyed

Worry - Matthew 6:25-34

Matthew 6:25 - Don't Worry
Matthew 6:26-29 - Why Worry?
Matthew 6:30 - At the Heart of Worry
Matthew 6:31-32 - He Knows
Matthew 6:33-34 - Seeking First

Judge Not - Matthew 7:1-6

Matthew 7:1 - Judge Not
Matthew 7:2 - Measured
Matthew 7:3-4 - Speck and Plank (part 1)
Matthew 7:5 - Speck and Plank (part 2)
Matthew 7:6 - Pearls before Swine

Ask, Seek, Knock - Matthew 7:7-14

Matthew 7:7-8 - Ask
Matthew 7:7-8 - Seek
Matthew 7:7-8 - Knock
Matthew 7:9-11 - Good Gifts
Matthew 7:12 - The Golden Suggestion
Matthew 7:13 - Wrong Way
Matthew 7:14 - One Way

Fruit - Matthew 7:15-20

Matthew 7:15-20 - Introduction for the Week
Matthew 7:15 - Beware of False Prophets
Matthew 7:16 - By Their Fruit
Matthew 7:17-18 - Good or Bad
Matthew 7:19 - Fire!
Matthew 7:20 - You Will Know

On The Rock - Matthew 7:21-29

Matthew 7:21-29 - Introduction for the Week
Matthew 7:21-22 - Lord, Lord
Matthew 7:23 - I Never Knew You
Matthew 7:24-25 - The Final Parable (part 1)
Matthew 7:26-27 - The Final Parable (part 2)
Matthew 7:28-29 - Astonishment and Authority

Daily Devotional Index

2007-03-17T19:30:00.008-05:00

TIME in the Word Ministries
(Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement)

Current Devotional Series:

The Whole Armor of God - Ephesians 6:10-20

Devotions in this series include:

Ephesians 6:10 - The Power of His Might
Ephesians 6:11 - The Wiles of the Devil
Ephesians 6:12 - The Rulers of Darkness
Ephesians 6:13 - To Stand
Ephesians 6:14 - The Belt of Truth
Ephesians 6:14 - The Breastplate of Righteousness
Ephesians 6:15 - The Shoes of the Readiness of the Gospel
Ephesians 6:16 - The Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:17 - The Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:17 - The Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:18 - Praying Always
Ephesians 6:19-20 - Preaching Boldly

Exegetical Series:

Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7
Devotions in this series include:

Matthew 6:1-6 - Giving
Matthew 6:7-11 - Praying
Matthew 6:12-15 - Forgiveness
Matthew 6:16-21 - Fasting
Matthew 6:22-24 - Good Eye
Matthew 6:25-34 - Worry
Matthew 7:1-6 - Judge Not
Matthew 7:7-14 - Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7:15-20 - Fruit
Matthew 7:21-29 - On the Rock

Learning to Walk - Ephesians 4-5
Devotions in this series include:

Ephesians 4:1-16 - Walk in Unity
Ephesians 4:17-32 - Walk in Truth
Ephesians 5:1-7 - Walk in Love
1 Thess. 5:14-22 - Five Keys to a Grateful Heart
Ephesians 5:8-14 - Walk in Light
Ephesians 5:15-21 - Walk in Wisdom
Ephesians 5:22-33 - Walking in Married Life

The Good Shepherd - John 10:1-15
Devotions in this series include:

John 10:1-4 - The Sheepfold
John 10:5-10 - The Door
John 10:11-15 - The Good Shepherd

Faith - Hebrews 11
Devotions in this series include:

Hebrews 11:1-12 - Faith
Hebrews 11:3 - Worldviews
Selected Scriptures - Trusting Jesus
Selected Scriptures - Where Does Faith Come From?
Hebrews 11:13-22 - The Patriarch’s Faith
Hebrews 11:23-29 - Moses’ Faith
Hebrews 11:30-40 - Overcomers’ Faith

Learn to Discern - Selected Scriptures
Devotions in this series include:

1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 - Abstain From Every Form of Evil
Selected Scriptures - Overcoming Obstacles to Discernment
Selected Scriptures - Practice Makes Perfect
Matthew 15:1-20 - Discernment or Defilement

Topical Series:

Always Reforming - Selected Scriptures
Devotions in this series include:

The Protestant Reformation – Where Is It Today?
Sola Scriptura
Sola Gratia
Sola Fide
Solus Christus
Soli Deo Gloria

Seven Marks of a Healthy Church - Selected Scriptures
Devotions in this series include:

Introduction
The First Mark: Worship in spirit and truth.
The Second Mark: Prayer is central.
The Third Mark: Love for Christ and the Brethren is demonstrated.
The Fourth Mark: Preaching the Word of God.
The Fifth Mark: The Ordinances of Baptism and Communion.
The Sixth Mark: Church Discipline.
The Seventh Mark: Church leadership.
Summary of the Purposes of a Sound Church
The Role and Duties of Pastors – Part 1
The Role and Duty of Pastors – Part 2

Recovering a Right Perspective - Selected Scriptures
Devotions in this series include:

Introduction
Recovering a Right View of God
Recovering a Right View of Worship
Recovering a Right View of Self
Recovering a Right View of Sin
Recovering a Right View of Others

Resurrection Week - Selected Scriptures
Devotions in this series include:

Introduction: Bible Reading Plan
The Triumphal Entry
Cleansing the Temple
Jesus’ Last Parable
The Last Supper
Behold the Joy – The Crucifixion
The Risen Christ

Worldliness - Selected Scriptures
Devotions in this series include:

Is the World Smiling at You?
Worldliness
Do Not Think Like the World
Do Not Talk Like the World
Do Not Act Like the World
Do Not Look Like the World
Do Not Worship Like the World

Cross Eyed

2007-03-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Daily Scripture Reading - Matthew 25

Puritan Catechism
Question #50 - What is required in the fourth commandment?

Answer - The fourth commandment requires the keeping holy to God such set times as he has appointed in his Word, expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself (Lev. 19:30; Deut. 5:12).

Devotional Thoughts
It is often the simplest principles we find in the Scripture that are the most helpful to us in living the Christian life from day to day. These are things that should truly be obvious but we seem to miss them. Whether it is our being busy, our days being so positively full, our being overwhelmed by the stress that surrounds us, or our lack of faith, we seem very prone to miss the simple truths that God has for us.

One of those truths is the principle of stewardship. If we could only learn and if we would only remember that we are nothing more and nothing less than stewards. It is not a matter of stewards over what. We are just stewards. Nothing really belongs to us, but everything we “have” and everything we are is given as a trust - given to us to use as good stewards.

In these verses from Matthew 6 we have seen principles dealing with things from wealth to worry, and in the middle of it all we have seen the importance of having a good eye, an eye that is focused on Christ and on things eternal. As the title of today's devotional notes, we really should be focused upon Christ and His life and work, His sinless life, His substitutionary atoning death on the cross, and His resurrection. Above all of that too there is the matter of His Lordship.

And as we move through these verses we find in the middle that the real lesson here is not about things, it is about us. And it is about Lordship and Mastery. We are stewards of the grace of God. We are stewards of all that He gives us. And we must give an account to Him for the way in which we handle His provisions.

As I mention the term Lordship we need to understand that Jesus is Lord. We do not make Him Lord. Who do we think that we are, as if we could appoint Him to a position of sovereign ownership and control? He IS Lord. The question then is only a matter of stewardship. Are we obedient stewards, or rebellious stewards? He IS Lord. Do we obey Him?

The term Lord means Master. One who is in control. The authority belongs to the Master. The servant, the steward, the slave would never think to dictate to the Master or offer criticism to the Lord. No. Remembering their place they would simply bow to the Master and hope to be able to do His will for His pleasure.

Interestingly then we come to a verse that tells us, "No one can serve two masters." It is another simple principle. We can only serve one master at a time. We will be loyal to that master, and if another master vies for control, for loyalty, or for authority, then we will either love one and hate the other, or we will be loyal to one and forsake the other. There cannot be two masters!

As a side note, it is interesting then that the Church has One Lord, and in modeling His rule He has established that in the home their is one head - the husband. Not two in charge. One. One Lord. One Master. We cannot serve more than one at a time, plainly and simply. And in this context the choices are God or mammon. Mammon is a term for the things of this world, often used to denote money. Did you get that? It is impossible to serve God and anything else, especially the temporary things of this fallen world.

Why is that? Psalm 123:2 tells us:

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He has mercy on us.

We look to our Master. So where are we looking? As we have talked about the eyes, are we looking to others? To self? To sin? Or are we cross eyed? And now we see another simple truth. As we look to see who we serve, we must look at how we think, talk, and live. How do we make decisions? Does the way we live really say that Jesus is our Master and we are His obedient steward? Or are we ruled by the things of this world?

There are those who serve themselves. They think that they are their own lord. As it is put, some believe that they are the master of their own destiny. But then we must look back at previous lessons, where we have learned that we are never in charge. We are never the lord. We are not our own masters. Think about this. Jesus is Lord and so we either serve Him or we rebel against His rule. If we rebel, are we really in charge? Are we? Of course not. We are either slaves of righteousness or we are slaves of sin.

Who or what is in control? Who is the one master we serve? Are we controlled by our lust? By other people? Or by the Holy Spirit? We are learning that either the Spirit is in control, or sin is in control. One truth we must understand is that we are never in control! Self is never in charge, for we are living as a slave of unrighteousness and sin, or we are living as a slave of righteousness and of Christ.

As we live this life of stewardship, are we being good stewards? Are we loyal and loving and faithful to our Master, the Lord Jesus? Are we cross eyed? Because it is only as we fix our eyes firmly upon Him that we can run a good race, finish the course, and find the faith to overcome daily those things that would push us off course.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Heb 12:1-2

We do only have One Master. As faithful stewards then, are we serving Him?

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

The Sunday School Teacher - A Steward by Charles Spurgeon
Seeing the Authority of Jesus by John Stevenson

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Just Me and My Shadow

2007-03-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Psalm 39:6
Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.

Daily Scripture Reading - Psalm 39

Puritan Catechism
Question #50 - What is required in the fourth commandment?

Answer - The fourth commandment requires the keeping holy to God such set times as he has appointed in his Word, expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself (Lev. 19:30; Deut. 5:12).

Devotional Thoughts
Remember that our context this week has been Matthew 6 and the Sermon on the Mount. As we have looked at Matt 6:22-23 we have seen how Jesus in teaching about wealth and worry has introduced the contrast of good eyes and bad eyes, of light and darkness. Our application has been to examine our eyes, to see what we look at both physically and in our "mind's eye" as we imagine and think.

In the teaching we have covered we have seen that the light is always there. The question is whether or not we are seeing it and letting it shine. Good eyes, physically and spiritually, are used to discern, to understand, and to learn. Good eyes let the light in so that our bodies and indeed our lives are full of light. Bad eyes keep the light hidden, obscured, and literally out of sight. The body and our lives then are full of darkness.

In looking back at our immediate context and the discussion about laying up treasures in heaven we are learning that often we are looking at the wrong things because we want the wrong things. Instead of being eternally minded and seeing things from God's perspective we find that we are driven by our own desire, being consumed with lust and never satisfied. How true is this today? How many of us run ourselves ragged just to make another dollar or two? How many sacrifice the things that are truly important for the sake of temporal comfort, luxury, or indulgence?

Jesus asked what profit it was for a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul. There is an honest comparison between the light and the darkness. The light, having the right perspective, knowing and loving Jesus, and walking in the light as He is in the light are things that we should desire and by which we should be motivated. The darkness on the other hand is that ever discontented pursuit of self.

Psalm 39 sheds a little more light on the topic. In this chapter we find David confronting the realities of the frailty of life, the cost and consequence of sin, and the truth about forgiveness. He shines light on the hideous nature of sin. He loathes sin. He wants to flee sin and to be delivered from sin. He knows he is a mere man and that one day he will give an account for the things he has looked upon - the things he has desired and pursued to the neglect of the Word and Ways of God.

In the middle of the chapter we find verse 6, "Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them." He has already declared that all life at its best is a vapor, here one minute and gone the next. And yet in the face of this frailty we see men rushing about to collect and consume, to fill storehouses and hoard riches. As if these earthly treasures could give us eternal life.

They busy themselves in vain. Vanity. It is a useless endeavor. It is a task that will have no good reward. And there will never be fulfillment. For men who are consumed with the desire for more, who love the world and the things in the world, who willingly sell their souls and are possessed by their possessions - these men walk around like a shadow.

In this pursuit, in this rat race, we find men and women who indeed are walking around like shadows. For all they are and all they do and all they have, all that is really there is a shadow where their lives are deflecting the light.

The light shines on them as it does on every man. But they are blind. They cannot see the light. They cannot feel the light. They only manage to block the light out so that all that is left is a shadow. An image that signifies only the absence of the light. They cast great darkness all around them.

Have you ever watched two people talking in the distance and you cannot hear them but you see in the course of the conversation that one says something to anger or hurt the other and the reaction is a shadow that falls over their face? A disappointment. A let down.

If we close our eyes to the light and walk in darkness then not only do we hurt those around us, but we also cast a shadow over everything around us. Who wants to live like that? And yet every time we put the pursuit of self before the praise of God, we walk around like a shadow. Every time we chase desire to the neglect of the church we isolate ourselves and set ourselves up for certain failure.

Are the riches of this world worth our soul? If so, in the end, for all the riches and wealth and fame, all that we will have is our shadow.......a reminder of all the times we obscured the light. Interesting then, is it not, that the place of final torment for the lost is a place full of utter darkness.

Today, have you seen the Light of the World? Do you know Jesus? Is He all that you desire? If so, let your light shine! Stay out of the shadows and walk in the light.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

An Exhortation to Serve the Lord by Edward Griffin
Faith and Sight by John Owen

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Who Turned Out the Lights?

2007-03-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement

Verse of the Day - Matthew 6:22-23
The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Daily Scripture Reading - 1 John 1

Puritan Catechism
Question #50 - What is required in the fourth commandment?

Answer - The fourth commandment requires the keeping holy to God such set times as he has appointed in his Word, expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself (Lev. 19:30; Deut. 5:12).

Devotional Thoughts
We have all heard the idea that in each person is a divine spark, an internal inherent goodness. I believe that while people know (but fail to understand) that we are made in the image of God, they often want to believe that at heart we are all basically good. You know, those to whom everyone is a "good ol' boy". Beside, we have been taught by movies and books that there is no such thing as a bad boy.

But are we good? Really deep down in our human nature, are we good?

In our text this week we have seen that the eye is the lamp of the body. If the eye is good we are full of light, we see, we perceive correctly and can respond and act accordingly. But if our eye is bad then we cannot get the light in - we are left full of darkness. And now, this last phrase tells us:

If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

In other words, if our eyes are bad and we are only full of darkness, then how bad is the situation, really? Think about it - especially if we look at darkness all the time. If all we fill ourselves with is darkness then how bad a situation is it in our hearts and minds? All the light, all that supposed spark of divine light and human goodness that is there in each of us is really just vast and utter darkness!

In the physical realm it is like saying that if we lose our eyesight through disease or damage, then what light do we have? What can we see? It is only darkness, and a great darkness at that - darkness that cannot be corrected outside of healing. Spiritually speaking, what we put in our minds and hearts will affect our "sight." Those things we dwell on, think about, and look at - the imaginations of our hearts - these things can either enlighten us (Psalm 19:8) or they can lead us further and further into darkness and moral decay.

But, some would still insist that there is a little light in all of us. How delusional! The only spark that all of us have is found in the fires of our tongues! (James 3:5).

This darkness is not a lack of light, mind you. The light is there. In fact, the Bible tells us that the light shines on every man (John 1:9). But if our eyes are bad, if our heart depraved, if our spirits bound in sin, then we will not, we cannot see that light. It is as if someone turned out all the lights.

So who did turn out the lights? Remember, this is a trick question. The light never goes out. God began His creation by saying, "Let there be light." And there has always ever since been light. Further evidence is seen in the truth that Jesus is the light of the world and He never changes. His Word is a lamp and light (Ps 119:105). And even we His people are told that we are the light of the world and should let our light so shine before men. We were darkness but now we are light (Matt 5:16; Eph 5:8). The light is always on.

So no one turned the lights out. But we are all still born in darkness. Our nature depraved (Rom 3:23), our minds darkened (Eph 4:17), our hearts desperately wicked (Jer 17:9). We are from conception sinners (Ps 51:5). Our eyes are bad due to sin and the fall (Rom 5:12). And we are not in the dark, we are darkness (Eph 5:8).

We know then from the testimony of Scripture that men are not basically good, that there is no divine spark, and that instead we are depraved, dead in sin, and full of darkness - until our eyes are opened by the Holy Spirit and we see for the first time the Light of the World (John 8:12).

And there is the message of hope - there is the light! God can and does open our eyes to the light of His Son! By grace, according to His good pleasure, not because of anything He sees in us, He gives us freely of salvation, adopting us as sons and daughters so that we might now walk in the light (Eph 2:8-9).

Since this is true, since we are so dependent upon Him for light and for life, let us spend a moment today meditating on 1 John 1. This our Scripture reading for the day will remind us how great and awesome our God is and how we are in such need of His grace, and His light, day to day.

1 John 1

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Obstacles in Coming to Christ by AW Pink
A True Map of Man's Miserable Estate by Nature by Christopher Love

Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship