A shameless, bold-faced harlot, isn’t that sad? ~ Kay Arthur

You’re shameless. You’re a bold-faced harlot.

You say,  “Who would say that to another person?”

God Almighty is saying that to the land of Israel. And when you and I study Jeremiah you can see that if God were to speak from heaven today, He would say the same thing to the United States of America. “You are a bold-faced harlot. And if you don’t change, I’m going to have to judge you.”


 A shameless, bold-faced harlot, isn’t that sad? It’s so sad, Beloved, because when you understand Israel’s relationship to God, Israel was the wife of God, even as the church is the bride of Jesus Christ.

He was talking to His wife. He was talking to the one who He was engaged to, the one that followed Him through the wilderness, the one who He protected, the one that He took care of. And now He calls them a harlot. And yet, in the midst of this harlotry, comes the theme of this week, Precious one.

And the theme of this week is, ―‗Return, O faithless [one and] I will heal your faithlessness….‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:22) She’s committed harlotry. She’s had many, many lovers as Ezekiel says, [“She’s lifted up her skirts to every passerby.”] (PARAPHRASE, Ezekiel 16:15)

And yet, what does the husband say to the wife?

He says, “Return to Me. Return to Me.”

His arms are open wide, and He is saying the same thing to you today.

If you’ve played the harlot with God, if you’ve turned away from God, if you’ve done your own thing, if you’ve gone after the things of the world, if you are ensnared in those things, what He is saying to you, Precious One, is this, ―‗Return, O faithless [one and] I will heal your faithlessness [I will heal it]….‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:22) You say, “But I’ve got to get it all straightened out first. And when I’m out there, and I get it straightened out, then I’ll come home.” And He is saying, “Oh, no. Oh, no. Come home.”

I just got a wonderful, wonderful e-mail.

And I can’t go into too many details, but it was an e-mail from a woman that has done Precept for a number of years. Her husband is active in the church and everything. And yet, he came to her the other day, and he said, “I have to tell you this because I feel that God is not blessing us in our marriage because I’m holding this sin in.” And then he told her of how he had been unfaithful to her. It stunned her. It shook her up. It shook her to the core.

But I will tell you this, she knows the Word of God.

And because she knows the Word of God, and because she knows the character of God, and because she knows that God did not cast off Israel because of Israel’s harlotry, and because this man is repentant, because this man is returning, as we saw in last lesson, because he is returning, because he is repentant, the faithlessness will be healed. They’re on their way.

O Precious One, this is God’s Word to you and to me all this week, and I don’t want you to forget it. It is, ―‗Return, O faithless [one and] I will heal your faithlessness….‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:22)

You say where is that? Well it’s in Jeremiah chapter 3, verse 22. ―‗Return, O faithless sons, [and] I will heal your faithlessness….‘‖

And then it says, ―‗…Behold, we come to You; for You are the LORD our God.‘‖(Jeremiah 3:22) I want us to go back and I want us to look, remember I asked you to read through Jeremiah chapter 3 and chapter 4?

And my usual thing is to start, and to go verse-by-verse, and I’m going to do that in a few minutes. But first of all, what I want to do is, I want to take what we can learn from these two chapters.

And I want you to understand, Precious One, what harlotry does.

I want you to get the impact of it. And so I’m going to show you the results of harlotry. What does it bring? And there’s seven things that I want you to see. Chapter 3, verse 1, let’s look at it, ―God says, ‗If a husband divorces his wife and she goes from him and belongs to another man, will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted...?‘‖ It says, ―‗…But you are a harlot with many lovers;…‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:1)

The first thing that I want you to see is this, that harlotry pollutes the land. He is using the illustration of sleeping around to illustrate, to make His point, to show us that He is our God. He is the lover of our souls, and we are to, ―‗…Love [Him] with all of [our] heart…all of [our] soul…all [of our] mind, and…all of our strength.‘‖ (Mark 12:30) [And we love Him by keeping His commandments.] (PARAPHRASE, John 14:15) And you see over and over, and you see it in verse 13. ―‗…You have not obeyed My voice,‘ declares the LORD.‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:13)

Look at verse 2, ―‗Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see; where have you…been violated? By the roads you have sat for them like an Arab in the desert….‘‖(Jeremiah 3:2) You even see this in in Judah’s case when his daughter Tamar is trying to get his attention. (See Genesis 38:14)

And so they would go and sit by the road, and anybody passing by could stop and have sex with that woman. And so what he is saying is you have gone and you have sat by the road. ―‗…Like an Arab in the desert…,‘‖ He says, ―‗…And you have polluted a land with your harlotry and with your wickedness.‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:2)

I want you to know that America is polluted so much that the stench of its immorality, its infidelity, its perversion, has come up in the nostrils of God.

As I said before, never has America been in such a sad moral state as America is in right now. We do not know how to blush. We flaunt our immorality. We don’t hide it anymore. We try to legislate it and make it legal. And in all of this, what we don’t realize is that we are polluting the land. And when you pollute the land, then God has to deal with you.

So we see this, ―‗…You have polluted [the] land with your harlotry and with your wickedness.‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:2) And I want you to see this is wicked. What you are doing is wicked. And if you were being immoral, I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what your profession. I don’t care what your status or your lack of status. I don’t care if you say, “Well, this is just our society, this is just what we do. This is accepted.”

It is unacceptable with God, and you are polluting the land.

You are destroying a nation through your immorality. Look at verse 9 because I want you to see it again. He says, ―‗Because of the lightness of [your] harlotry….‘‖ The lightness of your harlotry is that you just do it, and you don’t think anything about it. He says, ―‗…she polluted the land and [she] committed adultery with stones and [with] trees.‘‖(Jeremiah 3:9) What they would do is they would cut trees in the shape of phallic symbols, sexual symbols. And then they would go to these groves, and there they would worship these false gods.

Now why are we in that condition?

We are in that condition, Beloved, because we have turned our back on God. You see it in Romans chapter 1, and we’ll go into it later. But when men know God, and they turn away from that knowledge, they are going to turn to something. And so what they do is they turn away from the truth about God. And when you turn away from the truth, the absolute truth of the Word of God, then what happens is it affects your life.

Then you become immoral, you become eventually amoral, no morals whatsoever. And this is where we are. It has polluted the land. The second thing that harlotry does to a land, hang on to this one is, it brings judgment through nature. It brings judgment through nature. I want you to look at verse 3.

He says, ―‗Therefore….‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:3) When you see a “therefore,” it’s a term of conclusion. Now I want you to learn how to study the Bible. I want you to learn how to discover truth for yourself. And that’s why I want you to go to preceptsforlife.com. I want you to download our study guide. And get connected with us. We want to take you deeper. One of the ways I mark “terms of conclusion” is with three red dots in the shape of a triangle.

So when He says, ―‗Therefore [because of your harlotry because of your wickedness, therefore] the showers have been withheld, and there has been no spring rain. [And] Yet you had a harlot‘s forehead; [and] you refused to be ashamed.‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:3) I’ve been dealing with you, and I have not seen you respond at all. How is He dealing with them? ―‗Therefore [because of you] the showers have been withheld….‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:3)

Now He told them that in Deuteronomy when He gave them the blessing and the cursings, the blessings for obedience, the cursings for disobedience.

In Deuteronomy, when they got into the land, He made it very clear that one of the curses would be that the heavens would be as bronze. That it would just be dirt that would fall from the heaven. (See Deuteronomy 28:23-24) O Beloved, do you think God is trying to speak to America through the weather? We’ll talk about it more in just a minute.

PART TWO

Welcome back, Beloved.

We are looking at what harlotry does to a nation.
What it does to a people.

Now remember, and I told you this before, that Romans chapter 15 tells us that [the things that were written beforehand were written in the Old Testament were written for our instruction.] (PARAPHRASE, Romans 15:4) So as we look at Jeremiah we’ve got to know, yes, this is what God is saying to Israel. And we’ve got to see that, but also it’s written for our instruction. And you and I can take the principles and precepts that we see in Jeremiah, and we can apply them to us today because God does not change. (See Malachi 3:6)

God hates sin.
God is against injustice.
God is against unrighteousness.
God is against disobedience,
and God always has to judge it.

His character commands it. So we are looking at what does harlotry brings to a land. When God looks at Israel and calls her you are shameless bold-faced harlot. (See Ezekiel 16:30)

And He says that to her.

What does that harlot bring upon the land? Well, we saw it pollutes the land. Number two, we see that it brings judgment through nature. We saw that in verse 3, ―‗Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there [is no] spring rain….‘‖ (Jeremiah 3:3) Alright, so what I want us to do is, I want us to have an understanding that this is not an accidental thing. No, this is Almighty God. This is Father God. And if you go to Job with me, go to Job chapter 37. And you might want to get these verses down.

Now what I use, Beloved, is I use a pencil in my Bible. I’ve started doing that in the past year and it’s made a big difference because sometimes you hesitate to write it down in ink ’cause it does not erase. But the pencil erases, and if you get the right kind of a pencil it does not smudge. So Job chapter 37, and Job is the most incredible, incredible book. I can’t wait to teach it sometime. But in Job chapter 37 this is what it says in verse 10, and I’m going to lead into verse 11, ―‗From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen.‘‖

And that’s from the breath of God.

God makes the ice. He freezes what’s up there. Verse 11, ―‗Also with moisture He [God] loads the thick cloud….‘‖ I mean, He comes and injects this moisture into this cloud. It says, ―‗…He disperses the cloud of His lightning. It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, that it may do whatever He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth. Whether for correction, or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.‘‖(Job 37:10-12) And this is what you need to see and you need to understand. [Nothing is too difficult for God.]

(PARAPHRASE, Jeremiah 32:17) He is over the elements, and therefore He uses the elements as a judge. Look at Job chapter 38. In Job chapter 38, He says in verse 22, ―‗Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,‘‖ He says, ―‗which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle?‘‖ (Job 38:22-23)

Do you realize, Precious One, that God in the future, it’s when ah Iran, and Russian, and others come down against Israel. It’s Ezekiel 38. Do you know how God is going to defeat them? He’s going to defeat them not through an army; He’s going to defeat them through nature. He’s going to call the elements, and He’s going to wipe them out. (See Ezekiel 38:19-23)

Well, let’s go on.

The third thing that harlotry does is found in chapter 3, verse 24. It consumes the labor of others. It consumes our children. Listen to what He says in chapter 3, verse 24, ―‗But the shameful thing…,‘‖ and He is talking about what they’ve done, ―‗…has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.‘‖(Jeremiah 3:24)

In other words, it destroys. You build, and you build, and you build. Look at what happened to the economy in the year 2008, 2009. What happened all of a sudden, here was the labor of the fathers, and they had put all this money into houses that they were then losing.

Do you think that this is just an anomaly?

No. God is trying to get to get the attention of America because America has played the harlot.

I know that you may not like to hear that. I know that you may prefer [the false prophets who prophecy falsely. Who say peace, peace when there is no peace?] (PARAPHRASE, Jeremiah 6:13-14) Do you want truth, or do you want a lie? Do you want truth, or do you want to be diluted? Do you want to be deceived? Well, the fourth thing that I want you to see is found in chapter 4, verse 11 and verse 12.

And what it does is brings the judgment of God. In chapter 4, in verse 11, it says, ―In that time it will be said to [those] people and to Jerusalem, ‗A scorching wind from the bare heights [of] the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, a wind to strong for this—will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.‘‖(Jeremiah 4:11-12)

It’s going to come. The judgment is going to come on the United States of America. Look at verse 16. It says, ―‗Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim over Jerusalem, ―Besiegers come from a far country, and lift their voices against the cities of Judah.‖‘‖(Jeremiah 4:16)

When 9-11 happened, what happened? Besiegers came from a far country and it forever changed America. All of a sudden, we realized that an invader could come into our land. You see this in verse 17, ―‗―Like watchmen [on] a field they are against her round about, because she has rebelled against Me‖….‘‖ (Jeremiah 4:17) She has rebelled against Me.

The fifth thing that I want you to see is in chapter 4, verse 18, [Evil touches the heart. Your harlotry brings an evil that touches the heart.] (PARAPHRASE, Jeremiah 4:18) ―‗Your ways and your deeds [you] have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!‘‖ (Jeremiah 4:18)

And see the heart is the command center of a man’s being. If the heart is off then this is where adultery, and fornication, and stealing, and gossip, and this is where evil comes from. If you study Solomon, what caused the kingdom to divide in the first place? It was because Solomon allowed evil to touch his heart. And because he was enticed by the idols of his wives the whole kingdom divided. (See 1 Kings 11:1-13)

O Beloved, harlotry is an awful, awful thing. It destroys the land. We are going to talk about it in the next program. And then what we are going to do is we are going to go through Jeremiah chapter 3 and 4, verse by verse.

And I’m going to show you eight things that you can do that will cause you to return to Him, and to be healed of your faithlessness.

The LORD was angry ~ Charles Swindoll

God’s Attitude toward Defiance
by Charles R. Swindoll 
1 Kings 11:6, 9-13

Solomon planted seeds of willfulness and independence that reaped a harvest of age-old rebellion in his heart. Let's see what God did in response to Solomon's defiance. Read 1 Kings 11:9–11. His very first reaction was a strong statement of divine anger. Right off the bat: "Now the LORD was angry with Solomon" (v. 9).


What a refreshing balance, what a clean breath of air! Of course God was angry! Week after week we hear of the love of God. We are told of the compassion and the mercy and the grace of God, and we surely should be. But to the exclusion of His anger? I think not. How easy to forget that He is holy. How seldom we hear teaching of the wrath and the anger of God, of the jealousy God has for the purity of His people.


Mark it down in bold print: Defiance still makes God angry.


Not too long ago, I did a scriptural study on divine anger. To tell you the truth, I was amazed at how often the word anger appears in the Bible in relation to God. Usually, the word kindled accompanies the term. His anger is often kindled. Our English word has in mind the idea of arousing or stirring something up or starting embers to glow. It's usually related to the kindling of a fire. The Hebrew word translated kindled comes from the root verb that suggests "to be heated to the point of vexation." It vexes God when He sees His children walk against His plan. I repeat, it still makes Him angry.


I have several old Puritan books. Every time I read them, I find myself reminded of the holiness of God. God stands ready to deal with His people, modern-day teaching notwithstanding. We need the reminder that He is still jealous for our hearts, and when we walk against His way, He deals with us. The Bible is replete with illustrations such as these.


Is He patient? Yes. Loving? Of course. Merciful? Always. But holy? And jealous? Absolutely. Never, ever forget that when we serve the idols of our own lives, the Lord becomes angry because our hearts are turned off to Him. Even His longsuffering has a limit; His patience reaches an end.

It's like what my folks used to say when I finally went too far. In a tone clearly reserved for finality, they would say: "Charles, THAT'S IT!" Oh—those awful two words! "That's it!" How I would long for a place to hide . . . or the coming of the Lord for His own! At times God says to His children, "That's it! No more!" And He moves right in. Defiance, I find more often than any other attitude, is the thing that kindles God's anger. Let us never forget that our defiance gives Him every right to be angry. We've broken His holy plan for us. He wants us to walk in the light, in fellowship with Him, just as He is in the light.


Did you notice how God said He would remove Solomon's kingdom? According to verse 11, He would "tear" the kingdom from him. T-E-A-R. That, my friends, is a serious stress fracture. When we exhibit defiance, forcing the Lord to step in and deal with us, it's a tearing experience. It's a ripping away of things that are very important to us. Our peace and calm are disturbed. Our diplomatic relationships with people are stirred up. We don't get along with our parents. We don't get along with our kids. We don't get along with our peers as we once did. All of that is a tearing away of kingdoms that were built in defiance.
Let's not overlook the Lord's mercy here. He says in verses 12 and 13:

"Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

Those are hard, strong words. Frankly, defiant people only hear hard, strong words. They are not listening to the whisperings or the quiet movements of God.

You must forgive others ~ Greg Laurie

Oxymorons

September 21st, 2009 Posted in Pastor's corner, encouragement, essentials, sermons | No Comments »
We have all heard of various oxymorons that are commonly used. For instance . . .

• Freezer burn
• Jumbo shrimp
• “Found missing”
• Deafening silence
• Genuine imitation

These are all self-contradicting terms. I have a new one to add to the list . . .

Unforgiving Christian

If you are a true Christian, then you must forgive others. Forgiven people must be forgiving people.
That’s because, as fatally flawed people, we are going to sin. We are going to hurt one another, whether it be intentional or unintentional.

Husbands will offend wives, and wives will offend husbands. Parents will hurt their children, and children will hurt their parents. Family members will offend one another.

Why should we forgive?
We might ask, “What if the person who has hurt does not deserve forgiveness?”
My response would be, did you deserve to be forgiven by God?

The answer is no.

Therefore, since God has so graciously forgiven you, you should in turn forgive others. The Bible tells us, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

A real-life example

You may have heard of Corrie Ten Boom. She tells her amazing story in the book, The Hiding Place.
During World War II, Corrie, along with her elderly father and sister Betsy, were sent to concentration camps by the Nazis for hiding Jewish people in their home. Corrie’s father rightly believed that the Jews were God’s chosen people and that, as a Christian family, they should do what they could to help them as the extermination of Jews began throughout Germany.

The Gestapo became aware of the Ten Boom family’s activities and told them to turn over the Jews they were hiding and stop offering sanctutary to them or else risk being sent to the concentration camps. The Ten Booms refused, and they were all arrested.

Corrie’s father and sister both died while incarcerated. But Corrie was released because of a “clerical error,” which was really God’s providence. She went on to live a long life traveling the world as a self-described “tramp for the Lord,” telling people that there was no pit so deep that God was not deeper still.
She also spoke on the topic of forgiveness, for she had to forgive the cruel men who took the lives of her father and sister.

Tomorrow, I will share with you an amazing story about the time when Corrie came face-to-face with one of her Nazi captors who extended his hand to her in friendship
.
What would you do if you were in her shoes? What she did was an example of what we all ought to be–forgiving Christians.

Abraham rose early in the morning ~ Bob Coy

Worship?s place in our lives

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son . . . . And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." -Genesis 22:3-5 (NKJV)

The first time that the word worship shows up in Scripture is here in Genesis 22:5. What I find amazing is that it comes in the context of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Understand that for decades Abraham had cried out and pleaded to God for a son. It was when Abraham was 100 years old that Isaac was finally born to him! If there was anything near and dear to Abraham's heart, it was his long-awaited and much-beloved son. And yet, God calls Abraham to offer him up as a sacrifice, which is what he sets out to do
.


Notice how the Bible describes Abraham's attitude at this point; it says that he went forward with an attitude of worship. This is amazing because at this point Abraham doesn't know how the story ends. He doesn't know that the angel of the Lord will come at the last minute and tell him to put down his knife. In this moment of the unknown, Abraham makes the decision to worship his God.



This shows us something very powerful about worship-it can happen (and even thrive) during unknown and scary moments in our lives. We can still worship, even when we don't know how the story ends. And it's in these times of worship that we hear God's divine direction and guidance.


But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." (Genesis 22:11-12 NKJV)

Discuss, Dig, Decide

Discuss with your group the value and power of worship. How can a time of worship change your perspective on your trials and challenges?

Dig into Genesis Chapter 22. What do we learn from Abraham’s decision to worship?

What do you think you would have done in this situation?

Decide as a group to celebrate in a time of worship together. Plan your own time, or attend a service at a local church. Enjoy the blessings and benefits of expressing your love to God out loud!

The Lord speaks to us ~ Charles Stanley

Comprehending God's Truth


2 Corinthians 2:10-16

The Lord speaks to us so that we may fully understand His truth. He has a specific message, and He wants us to grasp it carefully and completely. God doesn't speak in riddles; He speaks in a way that we can comprehend.


Now, we may not always understand everything He says to us. All of us struggle to interpret His message at times. However, we must realize that this difficulty is not because the message is foggy. Rather, it is because something in our own lives is blocking our ears or getting in the way of His truth.

Unforgiveness may prevent us from hearing God correctly. Fear, anxiety, doubt, and prayerlessness can also create spiritual "static" that clogs our ears. At times, though, the biggest distraction is our own minds?that is, our human tendency to figure things out for ourselves. That attitude can create a wall between our ears and God's voice, and it is a wall we must tear down.


Remember, the reason we can hear the Lord is because He put His own Holy Spirit in our hearts. You see, nonbelievers are not able to understand the things of God because they have only their human minds to use in interpreting. As Christians, however, we have the Holy Spirit, who works to make the Lord's communication clear to us.

Do you struggle to comprehend God's message? If you approach every challenge with determination to understand and master all aspects of the situation, the answer may be yes. Slow down. Surrender your anxious thoughts to Him, letting His wisdom fill your spirit?and your mind.

I must have Him to get through ~ Joyce Meyers

If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promise) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
—1 John 1:9
 
I often wonder how any human being can get through one day without God. If I feel that I am missing God's intimate presence for a day, I can hardly stand it. I'm like a little kid who has lost his mother in a store; all I can do is spend my time trying to get back to my parent. I don't want to be out of fellowship with the Lord. I must have Him to get through every single day of my life.

Through my conscience the Holy Spirit lets me know if I'm doing something wrong that grieves Him or that interferes with our fellowship. He shows me if I've done something wrong and helps me get back to the place I need to be. He convicts and convinces me, but He never, never condemns me.

If condemnation is filling our conscience it is not from God. He sent Jesus to die for us, to pay the price for our sins. Jesus bore our sin and condemnation (See Isaiah 53). We should get rid of the sin, but not keep the guilt. Once God breaks the yoke of sin from us, He removes the guilt too. He is faithful and just to forgive all of our sins and to continuously cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Every single day of our lives we need forgiveness. The Holy Spirit sets off the alarm in our conscience to recognize sin, and He gives us the power of the blood of Jesus to continuously cleanse us from sin and keep us right before Him.

How do you deal with stress? (87-2) ~ Barry Werner

How do you deal with stress? (87-2)

I have no scientific evidence but it is my opinion that more leaders have their health fail or they die from the effects of stress in their life than any other cause.

It is proven that stress causes our blood pressure to go up, our heart rate to increase and our muscles to tighten. Dr. Rodney L. Copper in his book Shoulder to Shoulder defines stress as “The response of the sympathetic nervous system to a perceived or actual threat…The technical definition (of stress) won’t mean much to you.

Basically it says that stress is the way our body responds to perceived or actual danger…Stress isn’t the cause (of the bodily changes i.e. blood pressure, etc.) but the effect.” Read 1 Samuel 17:24-40 and 18:1-6.

Stress certainly describes what happened to Saul before and after the Goliath incident.” Saul cowered in fear with his men each day when Goliath issued his challenge. Goliath was real and the fear of death at Goliath’s hand was real and that would be enough to cause stress, but Saul felt the extra pressure of being the leader who let fear paralyze him. Later, after David had killed Goliath and the people reacted to David, Saul felt the perceived fear that the people would put David on the throne or that David would forcefully take the throne.


It appears Saul felt the effects of fear i.e. his blood pressure skyrocketing, heart rate increasing, muscles tightening and the nervous system responding when he became overcome with rage and threw a spear at David. One of Saul’s shortcomings as a leader was his inability to deal constructively with “perceived” danger. This weakness undermined Saul’s mental health as well as the stability of his throne. Saul repeatedly made bad decisions and took ungodly actions in response to stress created by his fear. Effective leaders learn how to manage stress – both their own and that of the team which they lead.

Write a single paragraph that describes a more constructive way Saul could have dealt with the perceived danger of David taking his throne. How do you deal with stress? Write a short paragraph with one idea you could use to help you deal with stress.

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Tags: Fear, Stress

« What is your operating style when a “Goliath” sized problem develops? (87-1)

Do you rejoice when a teammate you empowered is promoted beyond you? (87-3)

“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls” ~ Raul Ries

Loving People into the Kingdom

“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls…”

2 Corinthians 12:15 

One day while the famous English preacher George Whitefield was preaching, he was overcome by his emotions, and he began to weep quietly. Then lifting up his hands, he exclaimed, “O my hearers, think of the wrath to come! Think of the wrath to come!

Flee to Jesus for refuge and salvation right now while there is still time.” One who heard him said, “His earnestness brought tears to my eyes, and for weeks afterward I couldn’t get the picture of that concerned soul winner out of my mind. My own heart was warmed by his zeal. Eventually, the Gospel he preached with such conviction resulted in my conversation.”

Thought for the Day:
Compassion is your pain in my heart.

The LORD is high above all nations ~ Bob Hoekstra

More on God Dwelling with the Humble and Contrite

The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth? He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap. (Psalm 113:4-7)

In our previous meditation, we considered the Lord's loftiness, coupled with His interest in man's lowliness. "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit" (Isaiah 57:15). In our present verses, we again see the Lord's desire to dwell with the humble and contrite.

Our great God dwells in the heaven of heavens, ruling over all the nations of the world. "The LORD is high above all nations." His glory is even more majestic than the galaxies which He hung throughout the stellar heavens: "His glory above the heavens." There is no one in all the universe who could be likened unto Him. "Who is like the LORD our God?" Nevertheless, though He rightly inhabits the highest realms of existence, He is willing to consider our lowly estate and become involved in the affairs of humanity: "who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth."

From His high and lofty position, the Lord observes the family of man. He is not looking for the boastful and the arrogant. He is looking for the humble and the contrite. "Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar" (Psalm 138:6). Although our God is the creator of all the universe, He is looking for the spiritually bankrupt and those whose hearts are crushed.  

"'For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,' says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word'" (Isaiah 66:2). This last phrase gives a key characteristic of those who are truly humble and contrite. They respond with reverence when hearing God's word.

What does the Lord desire to do for the humble and contrite? He wants to bring spiritual restoration: "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me" (Psalm 138:7). Our great God is a God of compassion. He wants to restore the crushed heart. "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit…He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 34:18 and 147:3). Our mighty, compassionate Lord "raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap."

Creator of heaven and earth, I am amazed that You are interested in me. I want to be numbered among the humble and contrite. I have nothing by which to commend myself to You. I only bring a heart that is broken by a multitude of agonies and impossibilities. Please revive me by Your grace, through Jesus Christ, my Lord, Amen.

Do you like being encouraged? ~ David McGee

Acts 9:27

27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
NKJV
Acts 4:36

36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,
NKJV
Life Lesson

We should encourage one another in our faith.
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Barnabas was used by God to encourage Saul. He could have turned away from Saul in disbelief, but instead he encouraged Saul. Encouraging another person is one of the easiest and most effective ways to influence someone's walk with the Lord. We should pray for one another, but often times the person may not know we are praying for them. It is only when we encourage them that they know.

Do you like being encouraged?

We all like to be encouraged. In fact, we need encouragement. It only takes a few moments of time to encourage someone. A small amount of effort can make all the difference in the world. The next time you need encouragement, look for the opportunity to give encouragement to someone else.

Dear Jesus,
Please use me to encourage someone today. Help me to look for someone that is down or hurting. Give me the strength to encourage them in the things of the Lord. For some people, this may be pointing to the fact their sins could be forgiven. For others it may point to the fact that their sins have been forgiven. Give me the strength to encourage others in the same way that I would want to be encouraged. Thanks Lord, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Obey you rather than God ~ Mark Balmer

Spreading Like Wildfire

Posted:

Based on “Under HIS Influence – Cowards No More”

by Pastor Mark Balmer; 9/19-20/09,

Message #MB389; 

Daily Devotional #1 - 

“Spreading Like Wildfire”

Preparing the Soil (Introduction):  “But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:17- 20)

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth):  My 5th grade students just finished reading a book entitled, Frindle, by Andrew Clements. The book is about a little boy who realizes that all the words in the dictionary were there because someone created that word and it stuck. So as any 5th grade boy would do, he created a new word for pen: frindle.

After a couple of test experiments to determine if people would start to use the word if he used it, he decided to launch his new word at school. Soon, it caught on like wildfire, and all the kids in the school used the word frindle instead of pen, to the dismay of his 5th grade teacher, Ms. Granger.

She so despised the word that if you were caught saying frindle, you received an automatic detention after school where you would have to write, “I am writing this punishment with a pen,” 100 times. But did it stop the kids?  No. They kept on, regardless of the punishment. Soon the word spread locally, then nationally, and eventually the 5th grade student was on the late night show. Nothing was stopping this new word from becoming a regular household word. Ten years later, the word became official and was placed in the newest edition of the Webster dictionary.

Just as the Jewish leaders were trying to stop the name of Jesus from spreading, Ms. Granger tried to stop this word, frindle, from spreading.  But it couldn’t be stopped. Why? Because there was an excitement, a passion, and regardless of the punishment, it had to be told, it had to be said. I think about my own life and question, is my excitement and zeal so overflowing that I have to go and share with other people about my Jesus, regardless of the punishment? What really is our punishment? Being talked about, laughed at, looked upon as a fool or a religious Bible-thumper?

Oh, how little this is in comparison to the many that have and are suffering greatly for the name of Christ. In the last days, people’s hearts will be hardened and will refuse to hear the truths of God’s Word. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Sadly, I have to say that the world we are living in is falling more and more into this place. People don’t want to hear that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. They prefer to believe a myth that if you believe in God and are a good person you will get to heaven. And because the father of lies, Satan, deceives them, they don’t think they need a Savior. It should be our desire to go and tell people the truth of God’s Word, so it spreads like wildfire and nothing can stop the name of Jesus from spreading forth into the entire world – just as Jesus commanded. We need to walk each day under the influence in boldness and truth about the Word of God.

There are many times when opportunities arise for me to share, and I simply don’t see it, become fearful, or flat out ignore the opportunity. My prayer is that my spiritual eyes would be open at all times, my heart would be softened towards those who don’t know Jesus, and that, regardless of the punishment, I will open my mouth with boldness.

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response):  Is that your prayer today? I hope it is. Pastor Mark gave us homework this week to meditate and pray:  “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)

Remember the little 5th grader in the book? It only took one determined person to start a chain reaction for his little word to spread all over the nation. We are just one person proclaiming something so much more important than a new word for the word pen. We are spreading a life changing, powerful name. A name above all names, the name of Jesus.

Cultivating (Additional Reading):  Ephesians 6:18-20

When a person becomes a Christian ~ Greg Laurie

A Walk of Faith


Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
--Romans 5:1 

The Bible tells the story of a man who had everything this world says one should have to feel happy and fulfilled: power, wealth, influence, and fame. But along with that came an emptiness that sent him on a search for God. As secretary of the treasury for a powerful nation, he was second only to the queen. But there was a hole in his heart, so it led him on a search to the spiritual capital of the world, Jerusalem. He did not find what he was looking for, but as he was returning home, he unexpectedly found the answer to his questions. He had an appointment with God that resulted in his conversion and complete transformation.


His story shows what happens when a person becomes a Christian. When someone truly believes in Jesus Christ, his or her life changes dramatically. This man went from emptiness and misery to overflowing joy. His story ends with the statement, "He went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:39)

. It is no exaggeration when the Bible says that we pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God, when we believe in Jesus Christ. It is describing what takes place in our lives.


But we also need to recognize that not every case is identical. There are different types of people who come to faith in different ways. Some have a tremendous emotional response, while others have no emotional experience at all.


An emotional experience has little to do with the reality of a person's conversion. When I prayed and asked Christ to come into my life, I felt nothing. And because of this, I falsely concluded that God had rejected me. Thankfully, I discovered later that Christianity is a walk of faith and not of feeling.

Proverbial Tweets from Rick Warren

1. 
   
   
   
         http://twitpic.com/io93j - You'll ALWAYS need mentors.I have 6 who help me.JohnStott,birdwatcher,sent this Saddleback Bird painting!about 9 hours ago from TwitPic
   
2. "This is the day the Lord has made!"=Simple "Have a nice day!"=Superficial & Shallow. Not the same. Be simple,not shallow.about 13 hours ago from web
   
       
   
   
   
3. Jesus taught profound truth in simple ways.We do the opposite. Many "deep" teachers are actually just muddy!It's arrogance.about 13 hours ago from web
4. U dont fully understand a thing til u can explain it in a simple way. Confusing people is easy.U must THINK 2 be simple!about 13 hours ago from web
5. You'll never do anything creative,innovative or worldchanging if u FEAR criticism.Pioneers r easy targets 4 arrows!Mt10:28about 16 hours ago from web
6. Gallup:Stil only 39% of America accept evolution theory.Why?Spontanous generation by chance requires far more faith than IDabout 16 hours ago from web
7. Growing churches require growing leaders.The moment you stop growing,so does the church.Read to lead.about 17 hours ago from web
8. You can give without loving,but you cannot love without giving."God so loved the world that he GAVE his only son." Jn.3:16about 17 hours ago from web
9. http://tiny.cc/DRVpw USA Today interview:"Warren on Compassion,Politics& Church Health" 1st print interview in 9 monthsabout 21 hours ago from web
10. If u serve on a church staff & i'm not following u back yet,TELL me!"The godly in the land are my true heroes!"Ps16:3NLTabout 22 hours ago from web
11. @paul_hewson Love the song!12:45 AM Sep 21st from web in reply to paul_hewson
12. "When you speak of heaven,let your face light up! When you speak of hell,your everyday face will do." Charles Spurgeon18588:12 PM Sep 20th from web
13. http://twitpic.com/ij5r3 - The SHARPEST WIT alive is friend Stephen Colbert.I can get him laughing but cant ever top him!6:50 PM Sep 20th from TwitPic
14. Sermons must climax with 2words:WILL YOU?Dont be timid in drawing the net! I'm prayingEph6:19 for my guys so preach boldly!11:56 PM Sep 19th from web
15. It takes SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY,not just preaching,4 a STRONG church.Last wk 38,530 studied God'sWord in our 4,000+groups.5:02 PM Sep 19th from web
16. A Crowd is not a Church! Attendance isnt discipleship.Listening isnt doing. Weekends r just the funnel.Must have a process!5:02 PM Sep 19th from web
17. Jesus backed grassroots people;the powerless not powerful; everyman not elites;overlooked widows not moneychangers.Mt5:3-133:49 PM Sep 19th from web
18. "Some pastors talk like the church is just an enterprise with prayers added.I ask Where's the Holy Spirit?”- PDChurch pg5910:15 AM Sep 19th from web
19. FEEDBACK is the breakfast of champions!Visit http://bit.ly/12tsTv&tweet me the cover# ulike! Add #THYN 2ur tweet.Thx!9:43 AM Sep 19th from web
20. A great staff team isnt an orchestra led by a conductor but a jazz emsemble with each member taking the lead at dif times9:22 PM Sep 18th from web

The marvel of God's love ~ Bob Caldwell

The Result of Being a Child of God  3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Sadly, the marvel of God's love revealed in calling us to be His children doesn't mean much to a vast number of those who claim to be Christians. This is made more tragic in light of the fact that we live in a time when so many people seem to be forever searching to find value and meaning for their lives. What greater value could a created being have than to be given a second birth that infuses their inner being with the divine life of God, a life that at its completion in the presence of Christ will be as Christ Himself (v. 1-2). It is this new and divine life within us that restores our capacity for intimacy with God that was lost at the fall. This new life restores our spiritual senses and enables us to enjoy spiritual fellowship with God who is Spirit. This capacity for communion is so full of riches because, above all else, it enables us to receive God's love and give love in return. This is the greatest of all the wonders of being born again by God through His Spirit. It is love, a love that is as rich and deep as God's infinite being. Personally experiencing the love within the fatherhood of God enriches our soul as nothing else can ever do. The result of becoming children of God resolves two of the most perplexing issues of humanity throughout the ages. First, it resolves our ever-present struggle with personal wrongdoing—sin—through forgiveness and inner transformation. Secondly, it resolves that reoccurring, though often masked, inability to genuinely love others, as we ourselves need to be loved. What is so amazing is that the love from God as our Father that has been birthed within us is able to overcome sin and our selfish disregard to love others. To keep the will of God and be free from sin's control is the natural by-product of a heart that has been loved by God and now in return loves God. Those born of God have the seed of God's life within them. This is a life that is spiritually "rewired" to do the right thing, to live a righteous life, and to genuinely love people (v. 3-9). This love is the most obvious proof that we have actually been born of God. "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren" (3:14). It is this result of a genuine Father-child relationship with God that can become the brightest light of all to a world enslaved to darkness, sin, and death.
1 John 3:1-24  1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Sin and the Child of God 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. The Imperative of Love 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. The Outworking of Love 16 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. 17 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? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
1 John 3:1-24 v. 1 What Manner of Love – Central to the Christian faith is the relationship of love between God and believers. Of all the major religions of the world, only in Christianity is God portrayed as a loving Father. John not only emphasizes that God loves us, but he exhorts his readers to take note of what manner of love He loves us with. Children of God – This categorization defines the manner of love God has for us. Those who come to God through faith in Christ literally become Children of God (John 1:12). And God loves us as His very own children. There is no deeper, more committed love than the love a parent has for his or her child (2 Cor. 6:18). Because it Did Not Know Him – People who do not know and respect the Heavenly Father will not know or respect the children of God either. This is the reason we cannot expect to be treated with love or respect by the unbelievers of this world. v. 2 Now – nun (Gk.) at this time, the present, now. When a person receives Jesus as Lord and Savior they are born again at that very moment (Rom. 10:9-13, Eph. 1:13). They don't have to go through an initiation or trial period or a training program. Salvation happens now when a person puts their faith in Christ for salvation (Rom. 8:16). it Has Not Yet Been Revealed What We Shall Be – As great as it is to be a child of God, the best is yet to come. It has not yet been revealed to us all the wonderful things in store for the child of God in eternity (1 Cor. 2:9). When He is Revealed – The Greek word for revealed here is, phaneroo, which means to make known, to make visible what was hidden, expose to view, to show one's self, appear. This phrase is specifically referring to our future hope of when Christ visibly and physically returns (Mal. 3:2, Col. 3:4, Heb. 9:28). We Shall Be Like Him – God's ultimate objective for every child of God. This is what will happen to every believer when Jesus Christ returns (2 Tim. 4:1, 8) At Jesus' appearing we will all be changed in a twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52) We will be transformed into the likeness of Jesus when we see Him. This is God's ultimate plan for His children (Rom. 8:29). We Shall See Him as He is – The power of spiritual transformation for the believer is in seeing and experiencing Jesus in His glory (2 Cor. 3:18, 1 Cor. 13:12). v. 3 Hope – elpis (Gk.) joyful expectation or confidence Purifies – hagnizo (Gk.) to make morally pure, cleanse He is Pure – hagnos (Gk.) immaculate, perfect, and innocent Hope in Him Purifies – The person who has set his hope on the return of Christ will desire to be pure as Christ is pure. In addition to this, the happy expectation of being with Jesus at His return has a special purifying effect on the believing heart. v. 4 Sin – hamartia (Gk.) that which is done wrong, to miss the mark, err, an offence, a violation of God's divine law in thought or in act Lawlessness – anomia (Gk.) contempt and violation of law; the condition of being without law Sin is lawlessness – To commit lawlessness is to rebel against the lawgiver. Sin is not merely a falling short of perfection. Sin is a transgression against God's law. v. 5 Manifested – phaneroo (Gk.) to expose to view, to show one's self, appear. This is the same Greek word found in verse 2, but specifically refers here to His first appearance on earth as recorded in the Gospel accounts. Take away – airo (Gk.) to remove; to cause to cease He was Manifested to Take Away Our Sins – The objective of Jesus' mission on earth was to bring about both forgiveness and deliverance from sin. Therefore, to claim to embrace faith in Jesus and at the same time embrace sin is a major inconsistency and contradiction of spiritual life. in Him There is No Sin – Jesus has a sinless nature. As He is God incarnate, there is no sin in Him. Peter reaffirms this truth in 1 Peter 2:22. v. 6 Abides – meno (Gk.) continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand. Jesus commanded His disciples, abide in Me (John 15:4). This implies an effort and cooperation on the part of the believer to resist sin and pursue righteousness. Does Not Sin – The word sin here in the Greek is stated in the present, active indicative, which means a continuous ongoing condition. John is saying here that the one who abides in Christ does not abide in sin. There has been a change in his nature and practice. This does not mean that a true Christian will never sin (1 John 2:1). Whoever Sins – Again, as stated in the explanation above, the Greek word for sin here carries with it the sense of an ongoing lifestyle and disposition of the heart. v. 7 Deceive – planao (Gk.) to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way; to lead away from the truth, to lead into error Practices – poieo (Gk.) to make, to do Righteous – dikaios (Gk.) innocent, faultless, guiltless Practices Righteousness – One who lives in an intentional and active state of doing right in God's eyes. v. 8 He Who Sins is of the Devil – Sin is the domain of the devil. The one who lives in sin is living under the devil's power and authority. Devil – diabolos (Gk.) specially applied to Satan; false accuser, slanderer Son of God – This phrase always refers to Jesus Christ. Though believers are called children of God (John 1:12, 11:52; Rom. 8:16, 21; 9:8; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 3:1), or even, sons of God (Matt. 5:9, Luke 20:36, Rom. 8:14,19, Gal. 3:26) there is only one Son of God. Destroy – luo (Gk.) to loose, to release, to dissolve. The works of the devil are sin. And the purpose of Jesus' coming is to utterly destroy sin and all sin's power and consequences. v. 9 Born of God – A term referring to those who have been given a new nature through faith in Jesus (John 1:13, 3:3-18; 1 John 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). His Seed – The seed John is speaking of here is the new life of God implanted in the believer by the Spirit of God, which provided spiritual life. This seed of spiritual life implanted in a person causes him to be born of God and spiritually alive (Luke 8:11-15). The context of this phrase is declaring that the seed of God's life will not allow the believer to continue comfortably in sin. v. 10 Children of God – The new identity of those who have been born again (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23) by God's Spirit through faith in Christ (Matt. 5:9; Luke 20:36; John 11:52; Rom. 8:16, 21; 9:8; Gal. 3:26; 1 John 3:10; 5:2). Children of the Devil – All who are not children of God. There are really only two kinds of people, children of God and children of the devil. Manifest – phaneros (Gk.) apparent, visible, evident, known Practice – poieo (Gk.) To act, to do or perform. Notice in this context John is dealing with the practice of one's life. One who does not practice righteousness (right living before God) reveals that he is not born of God (Matt. 7:16-20). He Who Does not Love His Brother – John reveals another very important distinction of a child of God. He loves his brother. A person who does not love the children of God is not a child of God himself. Again, keep in mind that we are speaking of practice and habit of life. There may be a time when a true Christian may find it difficult to love another Christian for some reason and thus must work though it in obedience to God. But the rule of thumb is, we will know they are Christians by their love one for another (John 13:35). v. 11 Message…from the Beginning – God's message to mankind has always been the message of love (Lev. 19:34). Love One Another – John now elaborates on what he has already said in 2:7-11. The message God has sent us through His Son and through His apostles is a message to love others (John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5). v. 12 Cain Who was of the Wicked – Cain and his brother Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve (Gen. 4:1-16). Cain murdered his own brother because he was jealous. God had accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's. God had even forewarned Cain that he was heading for trouble. But Cain refused to heed God's warnings. This was the first case of sibling rivalry and the first murder. The story of Cain is an example of the extent of wickedness hate can produce in a person. v. 13 Do Not Marvel…if the World Hates – We should not be surprised when those who do not know God hate us. Jesus taught us to expect this in Luke 21:17, John 7:7, and John 15:18, 19. But we should be surprised when those who claim to be Christians hate. v. 14 We Know that We Have Passed from Death to Life, Because We Love the Brethren – The most powerful evidence that a person is truly born again is the presence of love in their lives. We find this teaching throughout the scriptures (John 13:35, 15:12, 17; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 John 2:10, 3:23, 4:7, 8, 12, 21, 5:2). He Who Does Not Love His Brother Abides in Death – The one who does not love stays in that dark place of spiritual death (1 John 2:9, 11; 4:20). v. 15 Whoever Hates His Brother is a Murderer – This is a very strong statement. But remember that John has just used the example of Cain who murdered his brother. The path of hate leads to murder and death. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 5:21-22. Eternal Life – Jesus defined eternal life as much more than merely existing eternally. Eternal life is a quality of life as much as it is a quantity of life (John 17:3). v. 16 By This We Know Love – Jesus is the ultimate example of what love is. Love is more than just a feeling; love is an action word (John 15:12-14, Rom. 5:8, 1 John 4:9-10). We Also Ought to – Jesus is given as an example for us to follow. It is not just a nice thing that He did for us. He set a pattern that we should follow in His footsteps (John 13:34, 15:12; Eph. 5:2, 25; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6; 4:11). v. 17 Goods – bios (Gk.) that by which life is sustained, resources, wealth Sees His Brother in Need, and Shuts up His Heart from Him – John is defining love in a very practical way, saying here, The love of God is a love that gives. So how can God's love dwell in you if you refuse to give to those in need? v. 18 Love…in Deed and in Truth – Real love is seen in action and costs something from the lover. v. 19 Truth – aletheia (Gk.) The truth taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the implementation of His purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man. Assure Our Hearts Before Him – Many Christians struggle with assurance of their salvation. Here, John gives us one cure for the doubt of our standing with God. If you can look at your life and see that you really love people in a tangible way, then you can assure your heart before God. David gave his own heart encouragement in Psalm 43:5. v. 20 if Our Heart Condemns Us…God is Greater than our Heart – John is telling us here that it is possible for our hearts to condemn us even if we are actually in good standing with God after all. Just as there is such a thing as false confidence (thinking that you are okay when you are not), so there is also a false condemnation (thinking you are condemned when in fact you are not). You cannot trust the feelings of your heart (Jer. 17:9). v. 21 Beloved – agapetos (Gk.) esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love Confidence – parrhesia (Gk.) free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance; freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech. This is the state of mind every believer desires, a place of confidence before God. Confidence is boldness to stand before Him without fear or shame. This is a picture of a healthy, believing heart in right relationship with God (Heb. 4:16). v. 22 Whatever We Ask We Receive – These verses promise that God hears and answers the prayers of the one who is walking right with God. And the one who is walking right with God prays, Not my will, but Yours be done. He delights in answering those prayers that are according to His will (1 John 5:14). His Commandments – Jesus reduced all the commandments of God down to two: love God and love your neighbor (Matt. 22:36-40, John 6:29, 2 John 6). v. 23 Believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ – God's commandment is that we trust in, rely upon, and cling to His Son, Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord (John 6:29). Love One Another – God's commandment mentioned in this verse has two parts. First, believe in Jesus Christ. Second, love one another. This sums up the entirety of the commandments of God. Commandment – entole (Gk.) an order, command, charge, precept, requirement. We are commanded to believe in the name of Jesus. But we are also commanded to love one another. v. 24 He Who keeps His commandments Abides in Him – To obey God's commandments is to abide in Jesus. To disobey God's commandments is to not abide. Jesus stressed the importance of abiding in Him in John 15:4-6. by the Spirit Whom – Note that Spirit is a whom, not an it. Jesus abides in us through the third person of the Godhead dwelling in us. He Has Given Us – The Holy Spirit is given to every believer in Christ (John 7:38, 39; Eph. 4:30; Rom. 4:11; 2 Cor. 1:22). The Holy Spirit is the determining factor of whether a person is born again or not (Rom. 8:9, 15; 1 John 3:24, 4:13).
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. –1 John 3:1 As we read today, Jesus, we have a new seed implanted in us that gives us Your divine life. We can taste a bit of eternity within that seed. We pray to continually tend to our new life, so that we may grow in knowledge and love for You.
Office Staff It has been wonderful getting to know the volunteers we have at the front desk. It's fun to see their fresh, smiling faces there, serving the Lord by taking care of the many questions that come to the front desk. Prayer Points for those who are volunteering, that the Spirit would fill them with joy in their service to the Lord for divine appointments with those the Lord wishes them to meet, and for the right words for those who come to the church looking for answers and help