Wednesday, December 30, 2015

HAVE YOU HAD A "JERICHO" EXPERIENCE?

Today's promise: God will fight for you
Have you had a "Jericho" experience?
Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. 
Joshua 1:9 NLT

Taking Jericho

Imagine this scene for a minute. You're a captain in Joshua's army camped a few miles outside the city of Jericho. You've seen the thick, double-layered stone walls surrounding the city and armed soldiers guarding every entrance. You've heard tales of the fierce Canaanite army and their ability to hold their ground in battle.
In the midst of all of this, an edict comes down from the upper ranks. Israel is planning to take Jericho. Actually, what the message says is that Israel has already taken Jericho, but Jericho just doesn't know it yet. The battle plan is really no plan at all. You're supposed to get your troops together and conduct a victory march around the city. Just once — for six days in a row. Then on the seventh day you're to march seven times around the city. That's when your soldiers can march in and take possession.
The next day you're marching around the city, and you can't help but hear the taunts coming from inside the walls. You know how silly this all looks, but you keep marching just the same. Because you know that God is on your side, and you've seen what he can do.
This is why God reminded Joshua time and again to "be strong and courageous." God has a way of working that tends to fall outside the norm, and he needs people who trust him enough to go the distance, no matter how bizarre the game plan. Courage is important to God because courage is a natural byproduct of trust. And the greater we trust, the braver we become. As long as God leads the battle, we can march in confidence, knowing that we've already won. God gave Jericho to Israel on the seventh day, just as he said he would. So,…what wall does he have you marching around?
from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins and Frank M. Martin, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), p 76


Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

PREACHING GRACE ALONGSIDE OF THE LAW AND OBEDIENCE

PREACHING GRACE ALONGSIDE OF THE LAW AND OBEDIENCE

For more great blogs as this one go to Daniel’s blog site at:  www.mannsword.blogspot.com

What should a good sermon look and feel like? One Christian scholar and Reformed brother answered the question this way:
       Sermons and Bible studies that focus on “law” (the demands of Scripture for our obedience), no matter how accurately biblical in context, tend simply to add to the burden of guilt felt by the average Christian. A friend of mine calls these sermons “another brick in the backpack” – you arrive at church knowing five ways in which you are falling short of God’s standards for your life, and you leave knowing ten ways, doubly burdened. In my experience such teaching yields little by way of life transformation, especially in terms of the joy and peace that are supposed to mark the Christian life.

There is truth in this. To understand the Bible is to perceive its Christo- grace- and Gospel-centricity. It’s all about Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross. Because of this, all the promises of God are fulfilled in Christ:
       For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Cor. 1:20)

Jesus also repeatedly pointed back to show how Scripture is about Him (John 5:39; Luke 24: 25-27; 44-48). Peter (1 Peter 1:10-11) and Paul did likewise (Acts 26:22-23).

Understandably, the above scholar warns against the do-better-try-harder sermon as unbiblically burdensome, tending “simply to add to the burden of guilt.” After all, since He is the One who has secured our grace and forgiveness through the cross, shouldn’t our teachings be Christ-centered, focusing on His mercy and not the moralistic, death-dealing requirements of the law? Yes! However, I think that this assessment requires some modification.

Christ is not only the mercy of God; He is also the righteousness of God. He is the all-in- all, embodying the fullness of God (Col. 2:9-10):

       But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (Romans 3:21-22)

       It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.(1 Cor. 1:30)

However, the gift of Christ’s holiness does not let us off the moral hook. Instead, we too must be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Jesus taught the very same message:
       Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

Paul claimed that we must follow God’s unchanging moral dictates, even though no longer under the law:

       Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:31)

Having been freed from the Covenant of the Law doesn’t mean that we are now free to murder and steal. Instead, we are now freed so that we can live under Christ and bear moral fruit by the Spirit:

       So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code [the Covenant of the Law]. (Romans 7:4-6)

Under the headship of our Savior, we have been reconciled to God, have received the Spirit, and He has His laws upon our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34). And these laws are there for a purpose. They not only instruct us but they also guide us into moral obedience, and our teaching should reflect the Spirit’s plan.

Consequently, although Paul’s Pastoral Epistles are Christ-centered, they also law-centered. They require that our teaching and preaching demand moral holiness. In line with this, Paul insisted that all Scripture “is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16), not just the parts that emphasized God’s mercy.

He instructed Timothy to ”Teach these things” (1 Tim. 4:11). Which things did Paul think that Timothy should teach? Just things of grace? No:
       For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Tim. 4:8)

Paul taught about how servants and masters should treat one another. Then he instructed Timothy to teach “these… things”:

       These are the things you are to teach and insist on…If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. (1 Tim. 6:2-4)

Understandably, it would have been difficult for servants to obey a harsh master, and so this command would have provoked feelings of guilt and possibly disdain. However, this should not be the last word for a Christian. Instead, the guilt should continue to lead us to Christ, forgiveness, and restoration.

Paul then instructed Timothy:
       Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Timothy 6:17-18)

These commands were not to simply be expressed on a personal level but also through teaching and preaching. It is unthinkable that these moral teachings could not be expressed in sermons or Bible studies.

In his next letter to the young pastor Timothy, Paul instructed:

       And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Tim. 2:2)

Paul didn’t simply teach Timothy about grace, but also the need for grace in the face of ubiquitous moral failures. Teaching adherence to the requirements of the law was central to Paul’s message to Timothy:
       Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen… Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly… Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:14, 16, 22)

Paul then instructed Timothy about the lawlessness in the last days when people would no longer be interested in hearing moral teachings. What was the answer? Teaching a message consisting only of “God loves you?” No! Preaching Scripture in its fullness would be required:

       Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Tim. 4:2)

This would be a message that would not only embody encouragement but also moral correction and rebuke!

Paul’s instruction to Titus about the substance of his teaching was similar – it had to include moralizing:

       You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. (Titus 2:1-3)

It is the teaching of the law – the commandments of God – that serves to highlight grace. Moralizing and preaching obedience must not be isolated from grace. They should work inseparably:

       For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2:11-12)

“Grace… teaches!” What does grace teach? “It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness!” The law should not be taught without the hope of grace; nor should grace be taught without the requirements of the law and our failures in light of them.

In light of this, theologian Iain M. Duguid wrote:
       To put it simply, he [Paul] never preached Ephesians 4-6 (the ethical imperatives) without connecting them to Ephesians 1-3 (the Gospel indicative.) (Is Jesus in the Old Testament? 12)

Law (requirements) and grace (the gift) should not be separated in our teaching and preaching. They are partners that complement each other. The law highlights the exceeding beauty and necessity of grace, while grace is the necessary answer to our ubiquitous failures in light of the teachings of our Savior.

Paul observed that the law was instrumental in leading us to Christ (Galatians 3:22-24). I think that the convicting and humbling power of the law continues to show us the relevance of Christ:
       Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

God continues to humble us so that He might also exalt us:
       Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:9-10)

Good preaching should grieve us, but it must also lift us! Okay, we are no longer under the law. We are under Christ, but even His teachings still humble and provoke guilt. However, these difficult teachings serve to lead us back to the mercy of Christ where we again grasp what He accomplished for us on the cross.  It is when I am overcome with the sight of my own sins that the cross appears in its glorious splendor.

Without this, the God-loves-you message can become insipid and uninspiring. Instead, we need constant reminders of how much we need His love and forgiveness. Without these reminders, our preaching might be casting God’s precious seeds upon hardened ground unprepared to receive them.

I therefore think that the law still leads us humbly to the cross, while the cross gratefully and confidently leads us back to the law – a functional and growth-producing marriage.


New York School of the Bible: http://www.nysb.nyc/


DO YOU SENSE THAT GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE?

Today's promise: God will fight for you
Do you sense that God is on your side?

On the very day I call to you for help, my enemies will retreat. This I know: God is on my side.
O God, I praise your word. Yes, Lord, I praise your word.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.
For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.
Psalm 56:9-13 NLT



Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House




HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED GOD'S VICTORY?

Today's promise: God will fight for you
Have you experienced God's victory?

O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me.
So many are saying, "God will never rescue him!"
…Victory comes from you, O Lord. May your blessings rest on your people. 
Psalm 3:1-8 NLT

The Lord our shield

In the sixteenth century the Huguenots of France were known for their psalm singing. They sang when they ate, they sang when they worked, they sang when they worshiped. They even sang when they were persecuted or when they were going into battle. In battle, psalms were chanted whenever sentries took their posts. The chanting of certain psalms signified certain things. Chanting Psalm 3 signaled danger. Whenever a Huguenot heard this psalm, he knew an attack was imminent.
That must have been the way David felt when he wrote Psalm 3. His son Absalom was trying to usurp the throne, enemy armies were pursuing him, and he didn't know which friends he could count on. David and his contingent of soldiers had hastily crossed the Jordan River during the night, not knowing what would happen in the hours of darkness (see 2 Samuel 17:22). The situation seemed hopeless. Despite the anxiety, however, David continued to trust in the Lord as his shield, his glory, and the one who lifted his head.
When danger seems imminent, will you trust God as David did? Will you look to the Lord as your shield, your glory, and the one who lifts your head?
I cried and from his holy hill
He bowed a listening ear.
I called my Father and my God
And he subdued my fear.
ISAAC WATTS
from The One Year® Book of Psalms by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers (1999), entry for January 4

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

ARE YOU IN NEED OF RENEWAL?

Today's promise: God will fight for you
Are you in need of renewal?
For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat him. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be careful to love the Lord your God. 
Joshua 23:9-11 NLT

About this week's promise

When strength fails and we grow weary, we need someone to come alongside us, show understanding, cheer us up, and inspire us to have the strength and commitment to move on. When bills pile up and money runs short, we need an encourager. When we become single parents and the world seems against us, we need an encourager. When friends and family turn against us, we need an encourager. Our strength and resolve weaken. Oh, for someone to come beside us and lift us up and comfort us. Encouragers help us stir renewed commitment, renewed resolve. They inspire us with courage and hope. Encouragers bring a beautiful gift, often a spiritual gift, when they bring renewal through encouragement.
adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1188
Digging Deeper
For more on God's blessing of courage and encouragement, try Out of Harm's Way by Jack Thompson, Tyndale House Publishers (2005).

Jack, an outraged father and activist lawyer, is on a mission to protect children from the violent and obscene video games, music lyrics, shock jock radio shows, and television programs he says are creating a culture of violence and degradation. Going beyond outrage, Thompson chronicles his own spiritual journey from bystander to activist and offers the sociological, medical, scientific, and legal evidence that will motivate all Americans—especially parents—to get involved.


Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

CAN YOU EVER BE BEYOND GOD'S MERCY?

Today's promise: God is merciful
Can you ever be beyond God's mercy?
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.
Psalm 23:6 NLT

From poolroom to pulpit

By the age of thirteen, Johnny Hunt was already heavily abusing alcohol. His mother worked two jobs to provide for her family, and Johnny capitalized on the lack of adult supervision by getting into all kinds of trouble. When he was fourteen, he found a fake ID and gained entrance to the local poolroom, where he began playing pool five to eight hours a day. Johnny dropped out of school at sixteen and was hired as the manager of the poolroom.
When he married, his wife, Jan, soon began to talk about going to church, but that was not part of his plan. Then a man named Mr. Pridgen began coming into the hardware store where Johnny had taken a part-time job. As Mr. Pridgen paid for his purchases each week, he would tell Johnny how Jesus had changed yet another life and invite him to church. He finally gave in.
After a few weeks Johnny was surprised to feel the Lord working in his heart. Each week, during the invitation hymn, he began to weep. During the morning service of January 7, 1973, Jan noticed his tears. At the evening service that night, Johnny went forward and put his trust in Jesus.
From that moment on, Johnny Hunt was a changed young man. He went to all his old hangouts, sharing with his old friends what Jesus had done for him. When a skeptic asked him, "What are you going to do now that you're saved and going to heaven?" His answer came easily, "Take as many people with me as I can." To achieve that goal, Johnny decided to finish school and become a pastor.
from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Ruten, Tyndale House Publishers (2003) pp 14-15


Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

Friday, December 25, 2015

HAVE YOU RECEIVED GOD'S MERCY?

Today's promise: God is merciful
Have You Received God's Mercy?
Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.
Psalm 103:1-4 NLT

Having chosen [his people], he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.
Romans 8:30 NLT

Pardoned

The essential act of mercy was to pardon; and pardon in its very essence involves the recognition of guilt and ill-desert in the recipient. If crime is only a disease which needs cure, not sin which deserves punishment, it cannot be pardoned. How can you pardon a man for having a gumboil or a club foot? But the Humanitarian theory wants simply to abolish Justice and substitute Mercy for it. This means that you start being "kind" to people before you have considered their rights, and then force upon them supposed kindnesses which no one but you will recognize as kindnesses and which the recipient will feel as abominable cruelties. You have overshot the mark. Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful. That is the important paradox. As there are plants which will flourish only in mountain s oil, so it appears that Mercy will flower only when it grows in the crannies of the rock of Justice: transplanted to the marshlands of mere Humanitarianism, it becomes a man-eating weed, all the more dangerous because it is still called by the same name as the mountain variety.
C. S. LEWIS in God in the Dock
Quoted in The Quotable Lewis edited by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root (Tyndale House) p 426

Not what thou art, nor what thou hast been, doth God regard with his merciful eyes, but what thou wouldst be.
JULIAN OF NORWICH


Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

BLESSED QUIETNESS

Today's promise: God will give you peace
Blessed Quietness
Joys are flowing like a river
Since the Comforter has come.
He abides with us forever,
Makes the trusting heart his home.

Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
What assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea He speaks peace to me,
How the billows cease to roll!
Blessed Quietness
Manie Payne Ferguson (1850-?)

But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative — and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit — he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you. I am leaving you a gift — peace of mind and heart.…
John 14:26-27 NLT

Finding peace
On the stormy sea of Galilee, Jesus commanded the winds and waves, "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39), and immediately there was calm. And later in the upper room, as Jesus told His disciples that He would leave them, He promised them the Holy Spirit and peace.

Manie Payne, born in Carlow, Ireland, was a Christian, but she did not know peace. She struggled with her sinful nature until she began to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This is the "blessed quietness" that she wrote about. Once that occurred, she was so happy she could hardly contain herself. Indeed, joy was flowing like a river in her life.

Later she married T.P. Ferguson and founded Peniel Missions, with branches in Egypt, China, and the west coast of the United States.

from the The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown (Tyndale) entry for May 21

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

JOHN DESCRIBES AN ASTOUNDING VISION OF THE THRONE OF GOD IN HEAVEN.

WALK THRU THE BIBLE
John describes an astounding vision of the throne of God in heaven.
Revelation 4
INSIGHT
At Christmas our thoughts are on Jesus' birth, focusing on His humanity. By radical contrast, this Christmas Day we see the throne room of heaven and the surroundings which magnify His deity. In the center is a throne - behind which an emerald-colored rainbow arises. Dignitaries dressed in white robes and gold crowns are seated around the throne. The floor of the massive room is like crystal. Unusual looking creatures constantly give verbal praise to God and the dignitaries form a celestial choir, worshiping and praising God. This is the normal abode of God's Son. Yet we usually think of Jesus as a child in Bethlehem, a teacher on a hillside, or the One who bore our sins alone on a cross. Revelation balances that picture with a glimpse of Jesus' majesty and grandeur.
PRAYER
Praise the Lord that He was willing to become what we are - that we may inherit eternal salvation:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. . . .
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God . . .
The Lord shall reign forever –
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 146:1-2, 5, 10).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
"Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You." . . .
O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up . . .
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen (Psalm 41:4, 10, 13).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You" (Psalm 39:7).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
Faithfulness in sharing Christ
The Lord's work in world and national affairs
Your activities for the day
Close with this prayer to the Lord:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen
(2 Corinthians 13:14)


WHERE DO YOU FIND PEACE?

Today's promise: God will give you peace
Where do you find peace?
"A child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this!"
Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Isaiah 26:3 NLT

I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give you isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27 NLT


Peace is a person
"His peace of mind came not from building on the future but from resting in what he called "the holy Present."
C.S. Lewis on George Macdonald1

If you were navigating in strange waters or tracking through the wilderness, you would feel at peace with a competent navigator. As we move through spiritual territory that's frightening, new to us, or full of trouble, what a comfort and support to have the Lord God, creator of peace, walking with us. He knows the way!2

1from The Quotable Lewis edited by Jerry Root and Wayne Martindale (Tyndale) p 416
2from the TouchPoint Bible with commentaries by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 535


Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

A CHRISTMAS MEDITATION


A CHRISTMAS MEDITATION

Where do we find true happiness? By rejoicing in God’s truth:

       “True happiness is to rejoice in the truth, for to rejoice in the truth is to rejoice in you, O God, who are the truth… Man’s love of truth is such that when he loves something which is not the truth, he pretends to himself that what he loves is the truth, and because he hates to be proved wrong, he will not allow himself to be convinced that he is deceiving himself. So he hates the real truth for the sake of what he takes to his heart in its place.” (Augustine’s Confessions, Book 10:23)

How do we love God? We can’t cook for Him, clean His house, or launder His cloths.
Some believe that it is strictly about experiencing God by shutting down the mind. For Augustine, a relationship with God is a matter of abiding in His Word, His unalterable truth:

       “Only a master who really teaches us really speaks to us: if he does not teach us, even though he may be speaking, it is not to us that he speaks. But who is our teacher except the Truth that never changes? Even when we learn from created things, which are subject to change, we are led to the Truth that does not change.” (Confessions, Book 11:8)

Is it proper then that we limit such a relationship to feelings and experiences without understanding? According to Augustine, the lack of wisdom is both darkness and a punishment:

       “I am aglow with its fire. It is the light of Wisdom, Wisdom itself, which at times shines upon me, parting my clouds. But when I weakly fall away from its light, those clouds envelop me again in the dense mantle of darkness which I bear for my punishment.” (Confessions, Book 11:9)

Well, what does this have to do with Christmas? A friend called me today to say that he had been reprimanded for speaking out against a visiting pastor. At the end of her sermon, she called the youth of the church to come to the altar to commit themselves to the Babe in the manger, “whatever you might think about Him.”

Well, what we think about Him is all important and shouldn’t be designated as a “whatever.” Paul had insisted:
       I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel… But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-9)

Strong words, but these are Gospel words. My friend yelled out that who that Babe is does matter and was later reprimanded!

His conduct hadn’t been “nice,” but perhaps it glorified God. The children of Israel had sinned against God, having been tempted into sin by the Moabite women. Consequently, a plague broke out and was consuming Israel. Nevertheless, the Israelites continued in their sin, even to the point of bringing Moabite women to their tents, even in front of Moses. However, the priest Phinehas drove a spare through a couple in their sinful embrace and the plague ceased. What did the Lord think about such “un-nice” behavior?

       The LORD said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them.” (Numbers 25:10-11)

My friend had also been zealous about the Lord! But Phinehas had been a relic of Old Testament morality, right? Well it seems that confronting anti-Gospel messages is also a part of the NT. Peter had denied the Gospel when he withdrew from Gentile believers when the legalistic Jewish believers arrived from Jerusalem. However, Paul was convinced that his behavior actually denied the Gospel and our oneness in Christ. Therefore, he publicly opposed Peter in the midst of his hypocrisy (Gal. 2:11-14).

Perhaps we have become too “nice,” and perhaps Paul’s example should be a model for us? Perhaps we aren’t loving the Lord as we ought by failing to stand up for His truth? I suspect that Augustine wouldn’t have reprimanded my friend but would have honored him as the Lord had done for Phinehas, by honoring him with an enduring priesthood.


Here are the courses I will be teaching for the Spring 1 term. Please let me know if you are interested in taking any of these, and I will email you the course notes, free of charge!

Please call NYSB (212) 975-0170 x123 about our Winterim courses.



PEACE IN RELATIONSHIPS

Today's promise: God will give you peace
Peace in Relationships
"Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must take allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace."
Colossians 3:12-15 NLT


Attaining peace
[Jon Farrar addresses marriages, but his comments apply to other relationships as well.] Maintaining peace in any relationship is very difficult. Each one of us is a unique individual who interprets and views things differently. Whether in relationships in the church, among family and friends, or in our marriages, conflict is natural. When conflict comes, we need to follow Christ's example by showing love and forgiveness in difficult situations. God loved us when we were still sinners in rebellion against him (Romans 5:9). We need to show that same type of love to others by being kind, merciful, and patient.

Do you long for peace in your marriage? Ask Jesus to point out times when you have not been forgiving, areas where you need to be patient, and ways you can express genuine love to each other. That is how we have peace in our marriages — when we look for ways to love and forgive each other.

from Praying God's Promises for My Marriage by Jon Farrar (Tyndale) pp 42-43

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

Monday, December 21, 2015

AMAZING LOVE

AMAZING LOVE
READ:  John 6:32-40
I have come down from heaven
not to do my will but to do the will
of Him who sent Me. - John 6:38
Approaching the first Christmas after her husband died, our friend Davidene wrote a remarkable letter in which she pictured what it might have been like in heaven when Jesus was born on earth.  “It was what God always knew would happen,” she wrote.  “The three were one, and He had agreed to allow the fracturing of His precious unity for our sake.  Heaven was left empty of God the Son.”
As Jesus taught and healed people on earth, He said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent Me…For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:38, 40).
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it was the beginning of His mission on earth to demonstrate God’s love and give His life on the cross to free us from the penalty and power of sin.
“I cannot imagine actually choosing to let go of the one I loved, with whom I was one, for the sake of anyone else,”  Davidene concluded.  “But God did.  He faced a house much emptier than mine, so that I could live in His house with Him forever.”
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16).                                        DAVID MCCASLAND
Father in heaven, we are in awe of Your amazing love for us.  Thank You for giving Your only Son to save us from our sins.
The birth of Christ brought God to man;
the cross of Christ brings man to God.
INSIGHT

The 40-year experience of the Israelites in the wilderness where God sustained them by manna (Exodus 16) provides the backdrop for this passage in John 6.  The miraculous feeding of 5,000 men (vv.1-13) caused the Jews to compare Moses with Jesus.  Jesus corrected them, saying that it was God, not Moses, who had fed the Israelites (v.32).  Jesus then gave them one of the greatest revelations of Himself:  He said He was the new manna-sent down from heaven to sustain them.  “I am the bread of life” (v35) is the first of seven “I am” sayings in this gospel where Jesus provides a clear picture of who He is (John 8:12; 10:9; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1).                                                                       SIM KAY TEE
Have a blessed night.
God Our Creator's Love Always.
Unity & Peace

JUDE

Jude

Jude is challenged to earnestly contend for the faith against false teachers.
INSIGHT
False teachers were a major problem in the early church, and many of the epistles deal with them. Jude offers scathing rebukes and warnings to false teachers, but in addition he offers insights on how we can protect ourselves from them. In verses 20-21, Jude uses four phrases which are instructive: "building yourselves up" (studying and doing things to encourage your spiritual growth); "praying in the Holy Spirit" (cultivating a healthy prayer life); "keeping yourselves in the love of God" (monitoring your lifestyle and guarding against sin); and "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (cultivating an eternal perspective).
PRAYER
Thank the Lord that He is truth and praise Him that He leads the willing heart to know truth:
Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalm 145:6-9).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning(Psalm 30:4-5).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Hebrews 11:1)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
Greater desire to be like Christ
Local churches across the nation
Whatever else is on your heart
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore (Psalm 121:7-8).
WALK THRU THE BIBLE