Week 2
The Lords Day, Week 2
Thoughts on Romans 3&4:
- have to keep it super short, heading to SI to preach.
- Romans 3: All have sinned, none does good.
- Romans 4: justification is only by grace through faith in Christ and it’s available to all
Share your deeper thoughts here! God bless.
Monday, Week 2
Thoughts on Genesis 4-7:
· Genesis is part of the Law, but it's also historical and so I do believe that all that is in it actually happened and that it's not allegorical but the history of mankind. I say that because out of the chapters we read today come many objections to the historicity of Genesis, and I'm not going to deal with those objections but I will send you to https://answersingenesis.org/for answers! So feel free to go there and look up questions such as, where did Cain get a wife and so on! lol
· Genesis 4 - From the beginning the only acceptable sacrifice was a blood sacrifice, this is a foreshadowing of Jesus and the coming sacrificial system that will be given later in the levitical code. But the point is, you and I don't get to decide what we want to give to God, He is in charge not us. In Jesus the final sacrifice was given, and now we can come to God cleansed by Christ's blood...
· Genesis 5 - I know, 900 years? It sounds crazy, but there are reasons for this. You can check out the website I put here for some answers. Enoch is fascinating, there is Jewish literature out there on Enoch, but it's extra biblical and we can't treat it like scripture.
· Genesis 6 and 7 - This is another place that raises so many questions, who were the Nephilim? Did Noah have other children who died in the flood? Was it worldwide? and on the questions can go. But here is the big picture, the world was full of sin and needed to be cleansed. New Testament refers to this as a picture of Baptism. You and I are full of sin, and Baptism is a picture of us being cleansed and made new. I believe God allowed evil to go a bit more unrestrained to reveal the wickedness of man and the destruction of it all was ultimately for our good because man left to himself for too long is a horrible thing. But consider as wicked as the world is today, it's not close to what it was in Noah's day.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts... Please share your thoughts on yesterday too!!! God bless, and I'll be posting my sermon from yesterday soon! God bless.
Tuesday, Week 2
Thoughts on Joshua 6-10:
· The theme is the conquering of the promised land, God fights for Israel and commands that nothing that breathes is allowed to live. God allowed the evil of the people of Canaan to reach a level of wickedness that needed to be wiped out. Israel becomes His weapon of wrath against their wickedness, and God fulfills His promise to Abraham made over 400 years prior.
· Chapter 6 - Jericho falls, consider the faith of Joshua, march around 7 times for 7 days and watch what I do... Compared to Moses who often had questions and didn't always do what he was told. It wasn't that Joshua was a better leader but that Joshua had learned and seen more by this time.
· Chapter 7 - God takes His commands seriously, the sin of of Achan must be a warning for us all. He did something that any one of us might have done in his situation. He even confessed, but still had to be punished. God has the right to execute immediate judgement on anyone he desires. If God would strike anyone of us dead today, it would be deserved.
· Chapter 8 - When the Lord is with them, and the people do as they are commanded, they are unstoppable. God will fight for them and they will reap the rewards.
· Chapter 9 - The verse that sticks out is verse 14, they did not ask counsel from the Lord. You and I are easily deceived, we often even want to believe the best in people when they don't deserve it. We must always seek counsel from the Lord and in our case it's not an audible word we will receive but it's His written word that guides us. As a living temple there is also wisdom in godly counsel.
· Chapter 10 - books have been written about Joshua making the "Sun stand still" that isn't what this chapter is about. Yes, God heard Joshua's prayer, but it was about Gods glory and justice. I've always wondered, we spend that much time talking about verses 12-15, what about 16-28... Joshua prayed, yes, and he also had his chiefs put their feet on the necks of the kings and then ordered them hanged in public leaving them for an entire day for all to see. Why? all of it was about showing the power and holiness of God. A God who is over even the kings of the land, who are powerless against the Mighty God. He rules over the sun and the kings both...
Hope you are sticking with us in this reading. I look forward to reading your comments today, and pray that you have a blessed day. The Lord your God is with you, and fights for you! God bless.
Wednesday, Week 2
Thoughts on Psalms 3-5:
· In Psalms 3&4 we see David crying out for relief, there are those who want him dead, taunting him and speaking evil of him. But his trust remains in the Lord. Psalm 5 is a cry for righteousness, the Lord hates evil and David knows that only through the love of God can he enter his rest and only through His righteousness is there any hope.
· Psalm 3 - Verse 5 really gave me pause this morning, "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me." How much do we take for granted? Perhaps we need our enemies to want us dead also before we can truly take to heart this verse... Thank you Lord for sustaining me.
· Psalm 4 - Verse 7 "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Lord, help my only joy be from you, that I may rejoice in You always, and in your safety and peace, rest.
· Psalm 5 - Verses 5&6 "The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man." We often only want to talk about god hating evil, as if evil is something that lives apart from man. It doesn't, it is part of man, and Gods hate is against the one who does evil because there is no way of separating the action from the one doing it. That's why the idea that God hates the sin, but loves the sinner is so troubling. It's not a biblical concept at all. No, Gods wrath is on the sinner, His heart is turned away from them, and the only hope is to be washed and made new in the blood of Jesus. So, sinners, repent and trust in Jesus that we would be led in His righteousness, because we have no righteousness of our own.
Please pray for our family today, we have a lot going on and desire to be faithful to God through all of it. Eva is just getting over the flu and she worked the last two nights, we are hoping it doesn't cause her to relapse. We have a very important meeting coming up that we need wisdom and compassion for. Let us know how we can be praying for you this week. God bless and hope you all have a wonderful day.
Thursday, week 2!
Thoughts on Job 3 & 4:
· First I have to remind myself what this man has just been through. We aren't talking about someone who has a bad day. He's lost his family, his wealth, and now his health to the point where he is hard to even look at and his own wife has told him to curse God and die! All this to a man who lived as obedient a life as a man could, who honored God and feared Him. That's what's going on when we get to chapter 3.
· Job 3 - Job curses the day of his birth and the night of his conception and mourns his life. Notice how he is asking many questions, why did I not perish? why is light given to to those in misery? and so on... this is important because of what comes later. In all of this Job is proclaiming his innocence at the same time, he doesn't feel he deserves what is happening to him. When he asks the question why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? He's saying he doesn't get why God has done these things to him. For him it is God, and the truth is though God did not do this directly, He did allow it to happen. But ultimately Job is at a loss, he doesn't understand. Yet, at this point he still isn't cursing God... We often sympathize with Job, but we are not Job.
· Job 4 - His first friend Eliphaz begins to respond to Job, and tries to do so respectfully while still trying to call Job to repentance. He points out that yes Job was a wise and generous man who helped many through difficult circumstances, and yet if he was truly blameless shouldn't he continue to have hope? There is some wisdom in what his friend is saying, there is none more righteous than God. But his underlying assumption is that Job is guilty of something, and that this is the only reason this is happening. As the conversation goes on it becomes more direct. The truth is, we are more like the friends than we are Job. They want to fix it, and think they know the answer, but they don't, they are even more confused than Job is. Gods ways are not ours. We often do more damage pretending to know what we don't.
I hope you all have a wonderful day today! God bless, and thank you for your prayers, they are felt.
Friday, week 2!
Thoughts on Isaiah 7-11:
· I only have two observations without opening up a commentary or a study bible to look at some other stuff. If you are doing that, that's fine, and I'd love to hear more from you on these chapters!
· We see a lot of Jesus in chapters 7-9, in the midst of the judgement which God is declaring, He is also declaring the one who will bring relief and forgiveness. We see His mercy in protecting a remnant of His people though they have all turned away. God is the same yesterday today and forever, He has always been full of mercy and grace.
· We see in chapters 10 and 11 that God uses the Assyrians to be HIs rod, His weapon of judgement over the people of Judah. But then God also declares His judgement over the Assyrians and tells the people it is His right. We see the tension which has caused Christians trouble throughout the ages in this text. That God is Sovereign over all the creation, and man is responsible for all our actions. Gods sovereignty isn't an excuse that works as a get out of jail free card. But both are true, He is in control, He has planned everything and yet we are responsible and He can hold us accountable... even though He has foreordained all things. Don't fall in the trap of having to deny one for the other, it's not all of man's free will or all of Gods sovereignty. But all of Gods sovereignty and all of our responsibility. Hard to understand, Yes... but I'm not God and therefore shouldn't expect that I would understand!
God bless and hope you all have a wonderful day!
Saturday, Week 2!
Thoughts on Matthew 3&4:
· This is often referred to as Jesus time of preparation. He is preparing for His ministry and there are several important lessons one can learn from just the fact that He is preparing. For one, if Jesus prepared, than how much more do we need to prepare for ministry. The idea that you are saved so now get out there is not a biblical one. A new Christian is not ready to get out there regardless of how on fire they might be for the Lord. We all need time developing the fruit of the Spirit. The disciples spent over 3 years, Paul spent several years preparing, and here is Jesus, preparing.
· Matthew 3 - John's message began with repent, and there was an expectation that repentance led to an actual change in behavior. Also notice that we have here the mention of another baptism, that his baptism by immersion was only to point to a greater baptism. This is still the case, our water baptism is a picture of what has happened inwardly, that we have been given the Holy Spirit and brought from death to life. This is the baptism that's necessary, that of the Holy Spirit. But everyone should be baptized as a symbol that points to the greater spiritual reality. Hoping to do some baptisms soon!
· Matthew 4 - The temptation of Christ, I'm going to putting out a blog soon on the difference between Jesus being tempted and you and I being tempted very soon. But here's what we see in the text, each temptation is circumstantial, He is put in different circumstances but we never see that He actually has any inward desire towards these circumstances. It's not there, so don't read it in. Yes, as a man, Jesus was likely physically weak, thirsty, hungry, but as God He was without sin which also means the thought of surrendering to the devil never crept into His head. Upon coming out of the desert, He begins with the same message, "Repent" if this isn't part of the message your church preaches then it may be time to find a new church. The gospel begins with repent, there is not faith apart from repentance, it is fundamental to the message.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts! Be encouraged, we are about to start week 3 of this study, do not give in to the temptation to quit. It may not get any easier, so what, this is about growing closer to the Lord who saved us by getting to know Him in His Word. Let's grow closer, together! God bless!