1 Peter 4:7 (ESV Strong's)
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
Subject: Conduct in the end of times
Peter has been speaking to the believers in regard to the tremendous suffering they are going through. They are suffering because of their faith in Christ. He is telling them that this is the ultimate way to defeat sin, since their suffering lead to death and death is the ultimate victory over sin (1 Peter 4:1). He is telling them that the end is at hand. The final days are upon us and we will more and more be suffering for claiming the Deity and Supremacy of Christ in our lives and in our world. What conduct should we have? Peter tells us to be self-controlled and sober minded. The mind that is upon Christ is focused on the same purpose of Christ in regard to suffering: Glorifying God and ushering in His plan and His will. The mind that is out of control and thinks about indulging their own flesh, can't find a purpose for suffering. Therefore they can't glorify Christ. Setting our mind on the things of God will enable us to have communion with Christ. This is why Peter gives us the motivation to be sober and self-controlled to assure our prayer life is fit. Prayer is communion with God. Having a mind focused on the right purpose of suffering is to have a mind of Christ. That is the ultimate communion. When we allow our mind to run away into worldly things we no longer can commune with God in prayer. Our mind is on the flesh. Prayers are hindered by minds adrift.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Subject: Sacrifice for Service/Evangelism - Acts 15-16
Acts 16:3-4 (ESV Strong's)
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.
Subject: Sacrifice for Service/Evangelism
In the above passage we see how Paul handles difficult situations in the world of a missionary. Paul wants to impact others for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). He is willing to become what he needs to become to reach them for Christ and he does not want a stumbling block in the way. Because Timothy had a Greek father, he was undoubtably not circumcised. Paul had just argued, in Acts 15, to keep faith in Christ away from the requirement of circumcision. If Paul thought it not necessary to circumcise Timothy, most would not argue and understand why. It was NOT a requirement for our relationship with Christ. However, if Paul wanted to go into synagogues and open up the Old Testament to explain Christ's gift of grace, Timothy would not be allowed to do so, without being circumcised. Paul has Timothy go through the pain of circumcision so that he could have the delight of evangelism. This act was not legalism (doing some to earn God's grace) but an act of sacrifice (in order to convey God's grace). Note what John MacArthur writes in his commentary about this passage:
(MacArthur NT) With Timothy’s father likely dead, and having been a Gentile in any case, Paul assumed the role of a father and took Timothy and circumcised him. Some have sharply criticized Paul for doing so, accusing him of falling into the same heresy he fought at the Jerusalem Council. But such criticism could not be further from the truth. Nowhere is it stated or implied that Paul circumcised Timothy so that he could be saved. The text clearly says that Paul circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Circumcision was the sine qua non of Judaism. Had Timothy not been circumcised, the Jews would have assumed he was renouncing his Jewish heritage and choosing to live as a Gentile. Paul’s circumcision of Timothy had nothing to do with salvation; he did it for expediency’s sake, to avoid placing an unnecessary stumbling block in the way of Jewish evangelism. Timothy’s circumcision granted him full access to the synagogues he would visit with Paul and Silas.
Far from lapsing into legalism, Paul was being consistent with a principle he would later express in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22:
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
Significantly, Paul refused to circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3). Titus, unlike Timothy, was a full-blooded Gentile. To have circumcised him would have been to capitulate to legalism.
From Paul’s actions concerning his two companions an important principle becomes evident. Missionaries must be sensitive to the unique characteristics of the cultures in which they work. As Paul did in circumcising Timothy, they should avoid giving any unnecessary offense. But like Paul in refusing to circumcise Titus, they must not compromise any of the timeless truths of Scripture.
We all have the obligation to do what we can to reach the loss. Sacrifice is part of that reaching.
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.
Subject: Sacrifice for Service/Evangelism
In the above passage we see how Paul handles difficult situations in the world of a missionary. Paul wants to impact others for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). He is willing to become what he needs to become to reach them for Christ and he does not want a stumbling block in the way. Because Timothy had a Greek father, he was undoubtably not circumcised. Paul had just argued, in Acts 15, to keep faith in Christ away from the requirement of circumcision. If Paul thought it not necessary to circumcise Timothy, most would not argue and understand why. It was NOT a requirement for our relationship with Christ. However, if Paul wanted to go into synagogues and open up the Old Testament to explain Christ's gift of grace, Timothy would not be allowed to do so, without being circumcised. Paul has Timothy go through the pain of circumcision so that he could have the delight of evangelism. This act was not legalism (doing some to earn God's grace) but an act of sacrifice (in order to convey God's grace). Note what John MacArthur writes in his commentary about this passage:
(MacArthur NT) With Timothy’s father likely dead, and having been a Gentile in any case, Paul assumed the role of a father and took Timothy and circumcised him. Some have sharply criticized Paul for doing so, accusing him of falling into the same heresy he fought at the Jerusalem Council. But such criticism could not be further from the truth. Nowhere is it stated or implied that Paul circumcised Timothy so that he could be saved. The text clearly says that Paul circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Circumcision was the sine qua non of Judaism. Had Timothy not been circumcised, the Jews would have assumed he was renouncing his Jewish heritage and choosing to live as a Gentile. Paul’s circumcision of Timothy had nothing to do with salvation; he did it for expediency’s sake, to avoid placing an unnecessary stumbling block in the way of Jewish evangelism. Timothy’s circumcision granted him full access to the synagogues he would visit with Paul and Silas.
Far from lapsing into legalism, Paul was being consistent with a principle he would later express in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22:
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
Significantly, Paul refused to circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3). Titus, unlike Timothy, was a full-blooded Gentile. To have circumcised him would have been to capitulate to legalism.
From Paul’s actions concerning his two companions an important principle becomes evident. Missionaries must be sensitive to the unique characteristics of the cultures in which they work. As Paul did in circumcising Timothy, they should avoid giving any unnecessary offense. But like Paul in refusing to circumcise Titus, they must not compromise any of the timeless truths of Scripture.
We all have the obligation to do what we can to reach the loss. Sacrifice is part of that reaching.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Subject: God's Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness - Zechariah 8-14
Zechariah 10:6 (ESV Strong's)
“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
Subject: God's Grace and Mercy and Forgiveness
Zechariah is the Minor Prophet who tells us the most about the Messiah. There are many references to the Messiah and His ministry in this powerful prophetic book. The above prophecy is the core of those prophecies. In the restoration of Judah and Israel, the Messiah is going to strengthen and save the house of Joseph and the house of Judah. The key phrase (that typifies the New Testament) is, "I will bring them back because I have compassion on them." Are there any words greater or better in any language than those words? God has compassion on us because His compassion is forever and eternal. This is the core of God's grace, mercy and forgiveness. God is gracious. He is always extending His grace. His salvation is about His reaching out to those who don't deserve it and giving them His grace. God will "bring us back".
“I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
Subject: God's Grace and Mercy and Forgiveness
Zechariah is the Minor Prophet who tells us the most about the Messiah. There are many references to the Messiah and His ministry in this powerful prophetic book. The above prophecy is the core of those prophecies. In the restoration of Judah and Israel, the Messiah is going to strengthen and save the house of Joseph and the house of Judah. The key phrase (that typifies the New Testament) is, "I will bring them back because I have compassion on them." Are there any words greater or better in any language than those words? God has compassion on us because His compassion is forever and eternal. This is the core of God's grace, mercy and forgiveness. God is gracious. He is always extending His grace. His salvation is about His reaching out to those who don't deserve it and giving them His grace. God will "bring us back".
Subject: Knowing God's Word and God's Will - Zechariah 1-7
Zechariah 1:9 (ESV Strong's)
Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’
Subject: Knowing God's Word and Will
Zechariah is, probably, the hardest of all the minor prophets to understand. It is the longest of all the minor prophets. It is filled with imagery and mystic. It might typify what Paul calls the "mystery of Christ." Zechariah is called upon to deliver this enigma. At a first reading the book can be overwhelming and confusing. Yet, even when the prophecy was delivered to Zechariah, he, too, was overwhelmed and confused. In the above verse we see his response to the first of many visions in the book. Like us, he asks, "What are these, My Lord?" Through the book the prophet asks the same question. When presented with a new vision he asks again, "What does this mean?" The book is a conversation between the prophet and God, more than a delivery of a message. The lesson here is that even God's faithful messengers can be confused with the vision. John, in The Revelation, is meet with similar scenes from heaven. He, too, ask for meaning. God is not opposed to our asking Him for clarity and meaning of the Word. In John we read the following words of Jesus in regard to knowing God's will and God's Word:
John 16:13 (ESV Strong's)
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
God does not want to hide things from us. He does, however, want us to rely on Him, via the Spirit, to seek the truth and to ask, "What are these Lord?" God favors our pursuit of His Word and our desire to want Him to teach us. That is the act of faith that pleases God. We don't have to know all of God's Word, but we have to be willing to have the Spirit, through Faith, teach us God's Word.
Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’
Subject: Knowing God's Word and Will
Zechariah is, probably, the hardest of all the minor prophets to understand. It is the longest of all the minor prophets. It is filled with imagery and mystic. It might typify what Paul calls the "mystery of Christ." Zechariah is called upon to deliver this enigma. At a first reading the book can be overwhelming and confusing. Yet, even when the prophecy was delivered to Zechariah, he, too, was overwhelmed and confused. In the above verse we see his response to the first of many visions in the book. Like us, he asks, "What are these, My Lord?" Through the book the prophet asks the same question. When presented with a new vision he asks again, "What does this mean?" The book is a conversation between the prophet and God, more than a delivery of a message. The lesson here is that even God's faithful messengers can be confused with the vision. John, in The Revelation, is meet with similar scenes from heaven. He, too, ask for meaning. God is not opposed to our asking Him for clarity and meaning of the Word. In John we read the following words of Jesus in regard to knowing God's will and God's Word:
John 16:13 (ESV Strong's)
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
God does not want to hide things from us. He does, however, want us to rely on Him, via the Spirit, to seek the truth and to ask, "What are these Lord?" God favors our pursuit of His Word and our desire to want Him to teach us. That is the act of faith that pleases God. We don't have to know all of God's Word, but we have to be willing to have the Spirit, through Faith, teach us God's Word.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Subject: Hope and Patience - Ecclesiastes 7-8
Ecclesiastes 7:8 (ESV Strong's)
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Subject: Hope and Patience
This section of Ecclesiastes is known as the "better than" section. He starts out in the first verse of the chapter saying a "good name is better than precious ointment." He will add in another verse "it is better" to hear rebuke than "the song of fools." So, the writer is telling us that there are truths in the world that are competing for our loyalty and our faith. In the above verse the truth is that what we see in the beginning is not necessarily the best. It is the end that brings blessing. Being patient and waiting for the end result is better than being proud in the moment. The moment has no context. In the moment we might find joy but it might not be lasting. The wicked rejoice in the moment. The righteous should rejoice in the moment, but only as it has context in the future of God's omnipotent plan. We can really get caught up in the world of the immediate for our pleasure. God takes a longer view. He has a plan. Job is a good example. God had a bigger plan. The friends of Job were caught up in the moment. The first verse in this chapter is a great example of this truth:
Ecclesiastes 7:1 (ESV Strong's)
A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
Solomon is telling us that a good name is better than wealth (precious ointment). He tells us the same thing in Proverbs 22:1. However, the second line is the truth of our above verse. A good name is only good once we die. Hence, the day of death better than the day of birth. Solomon is telling us that a good name can change and be damaged. But, if we die with a good name, the end is better than the beginning. We need to realize that circumstances are God's way of shaping us to the final image of His son. The end is better than the beginning. 2 Corinthians 3:18 sums it up for us:
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV Strong's)
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Subject: Hope and Patience
This section of Ecclesiastes is known as the "better than" section. He starts out in the first verse of the chapter saying a "good name is better than precious ointment." He will add in another verse "it is better" to hear rebuke than "the song of fools." So, the writer is telling us that there are truths in the world that are competing for our loyalty and our faith. In the above verse the truth is that what we see in the beginning is not necessarily the best. It is the end that brings blessing. Being patient and waiting for the end result is better than being proud in the moment. The moment has no context. In the moment we might find joy but it might not be lasting. The wicked rejoice in the moment. The righteous should rejoice in the moment, but only as it has context in the future of God's omnipotent plan. We can really get caught up in the world of the immediate for our pleasure. God takes a longer view. He has a plan. Job is a good example. God had a bigger plan. The friends of Job were caught up in the moment. The first verse in this chapter is a great example of this truth:
Ecclesiastes 7:1 (ESV Strong's)
A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
Solomon is telling us that a good name is better than wealth (precious ointment). He tells us the same thing in Proverbs 22:1. However, the second line is the truth of our above verse. A good name is only good once we die. Hence, the day of death better than the day of birth. Solomon is telling us that a good name can change and be damaged. But, if we die with a good name, the end is better than the beginning. We need to realize that circumstances are God's way of shaping us to the final image of His son. The end is better than the beginning. 2 Corinthians 3:18 sums it up for us:
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV Strong's)
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Subject: Daily Focus - Psalm 131-133
Psalms 132:1-5 (ESV Strong's)
Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
all the hardships he endured,
how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Subject: Focus on God
There is much in this life for us to be focus upon. We can certainly focus on sports. Our country is obsessed with sport ... at every level. We could focus on the political world around us ... depressing, but certainly a main focus of our world, today. We could focus on our families. That is almost a religion to some. There is much in this world to catch our focus. In King David's day much of the same existed. David could have had a number of areas of interest and focus. In fact, his sin with Bathsheba shows his focus on sex. That, too, is a main focus or our society. With all these life distractions we have our choice each day were our focus will center. In the above passage, King David gives us the ultimate focus. David is concerned about where God will reside in his midst. He actually endured "hardships" in his pursuit of a place for God to dwell on earth. Jerusalem will be the place where God dwell. David swears to give no sleep to his eyes until he makes this happen. Imagine that type of focus on a daily basis. Our focus ought to be such that we have God at the center of our lives in the same way as David. We get so distracted in life. God at the center of our lives is the reason we were created. Giving God our full attention, fully throughout our day, every day is how we are designed to live. All the rest is just noise.
Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
all the hardships he endured,
how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Subject: Focus on God
There is much in this life for us to be focus upon. We can certainly focus on sports. Our country is obsessed with sport ... at every level. We could focus on the political world around us ... depressing, but certainly a main focus of our world, today. We could focus on our families. That is almost a religion to some. There is much in this world to catch our focus. In King David's day much of the same existed. David could have had a number of areas of interest and focus. In fact, his sin with Bathsheba shows his focus on sex. That, too, is a main focus or our society. With all these life distractions we have our choice each day were our focus will center. In the above passage, King David gives us the ultimate focus. David is concerned about where God will reside in his midst. He actually endured "hardships" in his pursuit of a place for God to dwell on earth. Jerusalem will be the place where God dwell. David swears to give no sleep to his eyes until he makes this happen. Imagine that type of focus on a daily basis. Our focus ought to be such that we have God at the center of our lives in the same way as David. We get so distracted in life. God at the center of our lives is the reason we were created. Giving God our full attention, fully throughout our day, every day is how we are designed to live. All the rest is just noise.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Subject: Transition from Old to New - Ezra 1-5
Ezra 3:11-13 (ESV Strong's)
And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”
And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.
Subject: Transition from Old to New
When you get older your memory fails you. At least your short term memory does. However, your long term memory haunts you. You can't remember the name of the person you just met, but you swear he looks likes you fifth grade teacher, whose name and face you remember vividly. When we are older we remember the old days. We don't recognize the new ones. In the above passage this is what is happening to the older generation who has returned to the land to rebuild the Temple. Whereas the younger generation rejoiced in the fact that the foundation was laid and saw a reason to rejoice, the older generation only had the haunting comparison of "what used to be." It is, in most cases, as curse. The older generation couldn't rejoice in the same manner as to what God was doing because their memories of the past still seized them. They lost a great opportunity to rejoice, praise and worship with focus on the "new" for God because they were stuck in their time-warp of the "old." God has called us to remember the past, but not to cling to the past. God wants us to learn from the past (1 Corinthians 10:11, but not be held by the past. When we are tempted to say, "This is not how it was!", we ought to instead rejoice and say, "This is how God now wants it!!"
And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”
And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.
Subject: Transition from Old to New
When you get older your memory fails you. At least your short term memory does. However, your long term memory haunts you. You can't remember the name of the person you just met, but you swear he looks likes you fifth grade teacher, whose name and face you remember vividly. When we are older we remember the old days. We don't recognize the new ones. In the above passage this is what is happening to the older generation who has returned to the land to rebuild the Temple. Whereas the younger generation rejoiced in the fact that the foundation was laid and saw a reason to rejoice, the older generation only had the haunting comparison of "what used to be." It is, in most cases, as curse. The older generation couldn't rejoice in the same manner as to what God was doing because their memories of the past still seized them. They lost a great opportunity to rejoice, praise and worship with focus on the "new" for God because they were stuck in their time-warp of the "old." God has called us to remember the past, but not to cling to the past. God wants us to learn from the past (1 Corinthians 10:11, but not be held by the past. When we are tempted to say, "This is not how it was!", we ought to instead rejoice and say, "This is how God now wants it!!"
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