Week 12
The Lords Day, Week 12!
Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 7 & 8:
· 1 Cor. 7 - Paul here spends quite some time on marriage verses singleness. In Corinth, sexual immorality was pretty rampant, and it had infiltrated the church. The only place that our sexuality can be properly expressed, is between husband and wife. Paul though himself was not married, and as such His only concern was to please the Lord. But the one who is married, must be concerned also with how to please their spouse. Though it would be better for us not to marry that we would all be devoted to pleasing God, Paul also recognizes the impossibility of this for the majority of mankind, so get married. Marriage is the fundamental building block of community, and it is the most important relationship outside of our relationship with Christ. Paul is not here downplaying that, but instead pointing out some things that are obvious. Husbands and wives belong to each other, you are not free to as you wish once you are married. In a sense there is a loss of some freedoms. This should serve as wake up call to the Christian who destroys his marriage for the sake of ministry. I get the temptation, God is still working in me to find the right balance, but when your marriage suffers you have lost sight of your priorities. God is not glorified by our marriages suffering, He is not honored in that and so no matter how great your ministry is, if your home is not in order, you have missed the point. It may be better to be single and serve the Lord, but most of us are not able to be single, I'm not that strong, so get married, love your spouse and glorify God there!
· 1 Cor. 8 - Food and idols... These verses, along with Romans 14 often get used, and I'd say twisted to argue for why you can't do anything that may cause a brother to stumble. But the context in both of these passages is often ignored. Here the context is clearly within food offered to idols, and the point Paul is making is that if your eating causes a person who is struggling with idolatry, they can't see yet that the idol is false (4-7) then don't eat it. They have not yet abandoned those idols, and they need to be encouraged in love and led away from those idols to see the truth, that they don't exist and so eating the food is fine. What's the issue then? Idolatry, and though they have responded to the Gospel they still struggle, but the more mature Christian knows these idols don't exist, however don't use what you know to beat up on those who don't know, but instead be guided by your love for God! Notice here also, God is the one we love, love is not here used in the context of loving the other person, which people also twist, yes love builds up, but it's love for God that builds up (1-3). So, the principal is this, when you have a new, immature believer, and they still have struggles from their former life, things that are not sinful but God has not freed their conscious yet, probably because when they were in the world it was idol for them, then the one who is mature, the one who has greater knowledge and recognizes the truth, that its not sinful, out of their love for God, should abstain from that act in the presence of the immature brother or sister. Here's what it's not saying, I (the "mature" Christian) don't like that you wear jeans to church, when I see you in jeans it makes me stumble, therefore, out of love for me you need to stop wearing jeans to church! Absolutely not, that is twisting this passage to suit your own desires and that is sinful. I recently had to deal with this and can tell you how much people will refuse to see the truth because they have a tradition that they themselves have made an idol as a Christian. In those cases we rebuke in love, they have become pharisees, and Jesus rebukes Pharisees He doesn't call us to give in to them.
I hope this was helpful. Do all you can to worship with others today. If you can do so virtually, then do so, if you can do so with family, do that, whatever you can do, do! Remember the sabbath and keep it Holy! God bless.
Monday, Week 12!
Thoughts on Genesis 44-47:
· Genesis 44 & 45 - Josephs brothers return for assistance and Joseph sets them up. I'm not sure what he had in mind here, perhaps he just wanted more time with Benjamin, perhaps he wanted to punish his brothers a bit and he knew keeping the younger brother would do this, either way scripture doesn't really tell us so we shouldn't make much of it. The point is he did it, and his brother Judah seeks mercy on behalf of their father Israel (Jacob). Whereas before these brothers conspired to sell Joseph into slavery, now they plead for their youngest brothers life, going as far as being willing to trade their own lives for his. In chapter 45 we see Joseph breakdown emotionally, finally confessing who he is. Notice how he acknowledges the sovereignty of God in all of this. It was God who sent him there that he would be able to save them when the time came. Because of this he is able to forgive and not hold any hatred against them. The sovereignty of God is the answer to resentment and bitterness. When we deny it, we find greater fault with human beings and it becomes all the more difficult to forgive. But to know that Gods plans are bigger than us, and He is working all things together, then even when someone does us wrong we can look and say, God put me here, He knows what He is doing, I will trust Him.
· Genesis 46 & 47 - Joseph and his family are reunited, Israel comes to Egypt! Gods plans are coming to pass, the promise from Genesis 3, Genesis 12 and so on is taking shape, all of it being worked together. The people of Israel live in Egypt with power, but we know it won't be that way for long...
Praise God for how He has worked throughout history! It's so amazing and wonderful, I hope you are encouraged by all of this and that you were able to worship with your families yesterday. I know that I am missing the gathered body of Christ and can't wait to be able to worship together again. God bless you all!
Tuesday, Week 12!
Thoughts on 1 Samuel 6-10:
· 1 Sam. 6 - God judges the Philistines and they find themselves now wanting to return the Ark back to the Israelites as a way of seeking peace with God. God uses their own wicked priests to devise a way to return it with an offering that would sow to them without a doubt it was the God of Israel who was the cause of their troubles. But the Lord also judges the Israelites when the Ark is returned because they looked upon the Ark. Why would God do this? Because, He is holy, He set up rules in place for who could handle the Ark. We should consider this when it comes to our worship, do we worship God according to what He has said, or are we free to do what we want as long as He hasn't forbid it? When we take into account the holiness of God, I would argue that we are not free to worship how we want. That God takes seriously His own holiness means that we too need to take it as serious.God tells us how to worship, we worship according to His word.
· 1 Sam. 7 & 8- Samuel is now Judge over Israel, and we don't have a whole lot of information about his time as judge. We can assume the he was a good Judge because of the way the Lord continues to use him. But that makes chapter 8 all the more difficult, the sons of Samuel were wicked, they did not Judge Israel well, and the people see this and want instead a king to rule over them. With the sons of Samuel it's important to notice, that though he was faithful, his sons still departed. Parents, train up your children in the way they should and when he is old he will not depart, is not a guarantee that your child will believe. Proverbs are not promises, they are wisdom for life, general principles. We can talk more on that another time, but God controls who believes, we are called to be faithful, which we have every reason to believe Samuel was. In addition to this we see that in the people desiring a king, they were ultimately refusing to be ruled by God.
· 1 Sam. 9 & 10 - Saul chosen as king, notice that though God is the one who identifies Saul, what are the grounds on which he's chosen? It's all superficial, he was handsome and tall... That's really it, Saul was not meant to be Israels savior, but rather another source of Gods judgement on Israel, and this will be played out over the course of his time as king. For now, it seems that things are well. In the end, some men love Saul and others despise him, as is the case with most leaders.
I don't know how you guys are all doing, but I'm going a bit crazy! All the kids are home, they started online classes yesterday which means my homework has been put on hold! lol So please pray for us, and let me know how we can be praying for you. God bless!
Wednesday, Week 12!
Thoughts on Psalms 33-35:
· Psalm 33 - A good friend, Bryce, recently brought up the fact that throughout the scriptures, when it talks of the Love of God it is usually preceded with the adjective "steadfast". Here it is, in just one Psalm being described for us. This Psalm is all about His steadfast love, it is telling us exactly what it means. In verses 4 & 5 we see it is directly tied to His word and His work, and directed towards righteousness and justice! Verses 6 & 7 then expound on His word and work. Verses 8 & 9 our response. Verses 10 - 22 then focus on His righteousness and justice, who are the ones that are righteous, only those who trust in the Lord, who Hope in Him and in His steadfast love, who are those who are just, only those fear the Lord, and who wait for Him and have Him as their help and shield.
· Psalm 34 - verse 4 is one of my life verses, "I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." (the other one is Romans 8:1-2) The Lord used this verse to guide me to the Gospel, I was in a bad place, stripped of everything that my identity was wrapped up in and God used a priest of all things, to guide me to this Psalm and as I read His word and got to this verse He broke me over my sin and I cried out to Him, Lord I want to be delivered, Lord I want to seek you... that was a Saturday morning, on Sunday morning a friend invited me to a non-denominational church, they preached on Romans 8:1, and He set me free as the Gospel was preached and I was brought to trued repentance, a turning away from my entire way of life, seeing His ways as good, His righteousness as my only hope, and clinging, trusting, in Jesus as my Savior, my Lord, my God.
· Psalm 35 - I would categorize this as a precatory Psalm, it is a prayer of destruction over the enemies of God. Here's what sticks out to me, vengeance belongs to the Lord... This is a lesson I still wrestle with today. I want to leave vengeance in His hands, I want to trust that He will not be silent, that He will vindicate me... But my flesh gets in the way, I sometimes speak harsh words in return, I at times plot vengeful schemes and let my mind rejoice in my vengeance instead of trusting God for His. I hate that I do, I want to be cleansed of this, it is so much better to be able to tell of His righteousness and give praise to the one who delights in the welfare of His servants. My justice is sad and pathetic, it's not real justice, my vengeance has me at the center, not God, and that makes it sinful and of that I repent and seek better accountability.
May the Lord bless you this day, another week half way over and yet it seems like in such a short amount of time life has been turned upside down. Isn't it great to know, and to trust in the Steadfast Love of God? He doesn't change, and if you are His, then that won't change either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfW2mkkMTAg
Thursday, Week 12!
Thoughts on Job 23 & 24:
· Job 23 - Job continues to proclaim his innocence in all of this. He believes that if only he could plead his own case before God, then God would listen and release him of his current torture. But God is nowhere to be found, he can't find Him, he can't see Him. But God knows and when Job is tried before Him, he believes all will be well and all will see that Job has not departed the ways of God. In verse 13, I see a change in tone, what God has started, He will finish, whatever God has in store for Job, He will complete, and that strikes fear in Job. Then verses 16 and 17, though God has done this, and God has stuck this fear in Him, Job is not giving into the darkness, He has not succumbed to it, he continues to trust in God... There does appear to be some self-righteousness in Jobs words toward the beginning of the chapter, but by the end it seems much more balanced. Often we too feel like God is nowhere to be found, can you to like Job, look at your circumstances and say, God does as He wills, have your way Lord.
· Job 24 - This is all about the wicked prospering again, Job continues to come back to this idea. We've said before, there's truth here, the wicked, in a sinful and fallen world do often prosper. They often succeed at taking advantage of others, and oppressing the weak. But this world isn't all there is, and we don't look to here to determine who is good and who is evil. For all have fallen short of the glory of God, and of course the wicked prosper, for all of us, in our natural, state are wicked. So let's take our eyes off of them, and keep them on Christ. Trust that in the end, God will judge rightly, and justice will always be served. Preach to everyone that they would repent and believe in Jesus.
The sun is out today, and I hope to spend some time with my family feeling its rays on my skin in the backyard... even if it is cold out, being locked up in doors gets to us! lol I hope you all manage to get out for a little bit today, while also staying safe. God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday, Week 12!
Thoughts on Isaiah 62-66:
· Isaiah 62 - For Isaiah, he looked ahead to a day where God would redeem a people for Himself, a Holy people, chosen and sought out. For us, we look at the church and are grateful that God has set us apart, He has sought us out, redeemed us through the blood of Christ and the Lord rejoices over us!
· Isaiah 63 - 66 - There are a few themes that are repetitive in these chapters, and actually I could have included 62 here to. They are Judgement, mercy, and salvation. God will judge the wicked and it will be much more horrible than anything anyone experiences on this side of it. This judgement will be eternal, notice that the imagery is of fire and violence. In the church today we are used to speaking of our love or passion for the Lord as being on fire for Him. But the scriptures don't usually speak of fire in this way, God is described as a consuming fire, this image isn't meant to bring peace but rather instill fear. This past weekend as I spoke on death I mentioned that hell isn't a separation from God, it's being thrown in the presence of God with all of our sin being exposed. Now, let's add this all up, God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12), we are told in Isaiah of those who have rebelled, their fire shall not be quenched, do you see the connection? To be in the presence of God, without a mediator for sin, is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20), the all-consuming fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, and there will be no escape. Here according to Isaiah, the people of God will see this, and look upon their dead bodies. Keep in mind, dead doesn't mean physically, but it does mean completely separated from the provision, purpose and protection of God, from His mercy and Love... We are living in crazy times, death is on the minds of everyone with this virus, but death isn't any more present now than it was before... Don't waste these days, tell people of this second death, the one they need to be saved from, and tell them about the salvation that can be had through Jesus Christ! God is patient with us, not wanting any to perish but for all to turn to Him in repentance and faith.
Saturday, Week 12!
Thoughts on Mark 3 & 4:
· Mark 3 - Jesus is already into His ministry the sick are being healed and the crowds are following Him everywhere He goes. This also brings with it jealousy on behalf of the religious leaders and they begin to plot against Him. If you preach the Gospel, don't be surprised when others plot against you. For Jesus it was His power and popularity that caused it, but for Gospel preachers its Jesus and His message that will bring it. The plot isn't ultimately against any human being, it's still always against Him, so count it all joy! In verses 31-35 we have some very hard words from Jesus. His mother, Mary, the woman who gave Him birth, the woman whom many people place under their trees at Christmas time, comes to visit her Son and here is His response, "who are my mother and my brothers?". Ugh... right in the gut! Seriously, if you don't feel this, then you don't get it. But here's the thing, He means it. Where are our brothers and sisters? the Church, those are our brothers and sisters, that's our family. We don't disrespect those who raised us, no, of course not, that would go against the 5th Commandment, but we must put our church family first! The Spirit is thicker than blood. For those who have family in the church this is easier than for those who don't, because those who don't, or have family that belong to other religions, this means recognizing that you exist in two different kingdoms, two different worlds. As hard as the is, it's true, and we need to see it the way Jesus does!
· Mark 4 - Parables, parables, parables, oh my!!! I spoke a bit on parables in Matthew's Gospel. They serve a purpose that honestly most churches today are attempting to overcome rather than adhere too. Look at Jesus words in verse 12, "that they may indeed see but NOT perceive, and may indeed hear but NOY understand..." Today it's all about making things as easy as possible, dumbing it down to the lowest common denominator... The only problem with that, is that's not how Jesus does it. Notice, it's not that Jesus won't explain it either, but it's that He is only explaining it to the disciples, those who are following Him, sitting at His feet and looking to understand Him. Contextually, that may look different for different churches, but at the least none of us should be looking to dumb down the sermon! Then there's the storm, and I can't help but think of the storm we are all in right now. How many of His disciples are in a panic, saying but Jesus, don't you care that many are perishing? Can't you see what's going on? Why are you asleep at the wheel? Friends, He is not asleep at the wheel... Don't be as the disciples in the boat, of so little faith, or no faith. Even when it seems like Jesus is sleeping, He is still in full control! For even the wind and the seas obey Him.
We have made it through another week. I'm not sure what tomorrow will look like for many of you, I don't even know what it will look like for me, but I do know it's His day. So let's all worship Him, sing praises, read His word, study His word, teach His word, and rest in Him, for it is yet another day that the Lord has made for us to rejoice and be glad in! God bless!