Week 9
The Lords Day, week 9!
Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 1&2:
- 1 Cor. 1- Corinth was a Church in trouble. People are taking sides behind key preachers and teachers but Paul writes pointing them back to the only power that saves and the only power that unites. The word of the Cross, the Gospel! The Gospel, while uniting the church will also separate the church out from the world.
- 1 Cor. 2- this is more of an exposition of where he started. Paul preached Christ and Him crucified, a simple message but a powerful one. He wasn’t concerned with how he presented but that he presented. Many of us are more worried about making sure we use the right words, but Paul says, just preach the right message! Christ died for your sins, repent, believe!!! Now!!! Only the Spirit can open a persons eyes and lead them to truth. Trust in the Spirit of God, He is always successful.
I post much shorter posts on a Sunday because I’m more focused on preaching myself in a few hours, but today speaks to me. Just preach! Tell everyone who God is, tell them why Christ died and tell them how to respond... all the while trusting Him to do what He alone can do. God bless!
Monday, week 9!
Thoughts on Genesis 32-35:
· Genesis 32 - Jacob is fearful of his brother Esau, and rightfully so. He not only took his birthright but also stole his brothers blessing. But God has been with Jacob and continues to be with Jacob as evidenced by the angels of the Lord who meet him. But then Jacob wrestles with "a man". Jacob apparently had tremendous strength, but even then could not seem to out do the man, when the man touches his hip and dislocates it forever leaving Jacob with a reminder of this divine encounter. This encounter is known as a theophany, a visible manifestation of God. Most believe this is the preincarnate Son, as He is the only one who has ever made God seen. From this day forward Jacob walks with a limp that will remind him of his total dependence on God.
· Genesis 33 - Esau meets Jacob and loves his brother. Esau shows himself at this point to be a much better person than his brother, and Jacobs guilt continues to keep him from being able to fully embrace his own brother.
· Genesis 34 - Jacobs daughter is raped and the sons of Jacob take revenge. They kill all of the men of the city of Hamor, and they do so rather deceptively. Jacob is more concerned though with how this will look for him than he is his own daughter it seems. It's important to note that Gods justice would not call for such drastic retribution. But Gods justice does call for the execution of the rapist.
· Genesis 35 - Here we have the Covenant confirmed through Jacob, who is now called Israel. Rachel dies giving birth to her youngest son Benjamin, the final of the 12 Sons which will become the 12 tribes and then Isaac passes at 180 years old. There's also this weird mention of Reuben sleeping with His fathers mistress, and the people of Israel hearing it. This is likely to show that Reuben has lost his rights as firstborn for doing such a wicked thing and instead those rights will pass down to Joseph.
A lot of history here, but still some great things for us to consider. I hope you all have a wonderful week! God bless.
Tuesday, Week 9!
Thoughts on Judges 17-21:
· I really wish I had more on this but the theme is pretty clear, in those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did right in his own eyes. This is the point of these chapters, God was meant to rule over Israel, they would be His people and He their God. Yet they continuously rebel. They have abandoned the commandments of Moses, they worship other gods, and they no longer even love or respect each other.
· If there's one lesson I think it's this, man needs an authority. We reject Gods authority and so we need to fill it with something else. But when left to our own authority chaos in-sews. We turn on each other, and rightfully so because if we are all our own authority then we will fight to assert that authority. We do what's right in our own eyes. This is why government is necessary, but it's also why governments are doomed to fail. It's necessary because we ultimately need to have a system in place that all people will submit to, laws that govern and promote the common good. It fails because governments are ran by men who will still do what is right in their own eyes. When governments are not governed by God, His word, His law, then it will always be insufficient. God alone can rule His creation and people well, God alone will protect, provide, comfort and guide His people well. Every other system is ultimately a fight for man to do what's right in his own eyes. Some hold back chaos longer than others, but as our government proves, even the best of them are men at best and eventually too crumble...
Hope you have a great day everyone, and don't despair, Jesus is King, He sits on the throne over His creation and He is making all of HIs enemies His footstool! No matter your perception, things are going exactly the way they are supposed to be.
Wednesday, Week 9!
Thoughts on Psalms 24-26:
· First, I am so refreshed by the Psalms being right in the middle of the week, I hope you are too!
· Psalm 24 - A Psalm about the King of Glory, Jesus! Will you seek Him, and walk in His ways with clean hands and a pure heart. He is the only one able to give you clean hands and a pure heart. You can not accomplish this without faith in the Son, the God of our Salvation. Notice that The Lord and the God of His Salvation here are two distinct people, more evidence pointing towards the trinity! This is such a victorious Psalm, in fact we used it this past weekend for our Call to Worship, meditate on it often!
· Psalm 25 - Pray this today, teach me your ways oh Lord, Remember your mercy and steadfast love, instruct me, a sinner, in your way that I would keep your covenant, pardon my guilt, be gracious and guard my soul and deliver me that in you alone I would have my refuge, on you alone I will wait. Do all of this Lord for your namesake, for your honor and glory... Yesterday in bible study we looked at how all the Lord does is for His glory, and how we try to put ourselves in the middle of it, we desperately want to be the main character, but we aren't. God saves and does everything for His glory, His namesake, and the more we can understand that, the better off we are.
· Psalm 26 - This is a difficult one, because though I want this to be the cry of my heart, it's not me. I haven't walked in integrity and trusted the Lord without wavering... As for sitting with men of falsehood or hypocrites, if I stopped doing that, I'd have no more friends! There seems to be a level of self-righteousness in these words that just doesn't exist in me, I'm not worthy of this... But Jesus is, He is the innocent one, He is the one who walked in integrity and because of Him we can cry out these things because His righteousness covers us and makes us perfectly clean. Because of Him our feet stand on level ground, and so in the great assembly, let us bless the Lord... Just consider who is writing this Psalm, David, and consider all we know of his life. Could he truly speak these words of himself, unless he too knew of what God would do to redeem him?
Have a great day everyone, we are halfway through, only a few more days till we gather with the saints and rest in our Lord. God bless.
Thursday, week 9!
Thoughts on Job 17&18:
· Job 17 - Job has reached the point of despair, his spirit is broken and he is ready for death. Job was a righteous man, meaning he knew the Lord and trusted in Him for everything including salvation. That's always been what it means to be righteous, no human being has ever had a righteousness of his own. But Jobs life should remind us that all of us are prone to despair. Even if we know God, we have a breaking point. Granted Job went through a lot more than most of us will experience but this was obviously a very special circumstance. His only hope now is death, and life itself has lost its meaning for him. You may at times feel this way, but if God has not let you go yet its because He isn't finished with you yet. I met with a lady yesterday who was such an encouragement, she's been through so much and yet in all of it she has been prepared to bless the Lord. You and I will not likely be called to lose absolutely everything, but even so, don't lose hope, I know we are prone to despair, but we are on the other side of the cross, and we know of the victory that Job only saw by faith. Let us cling to that, and in all circumstances bless the Lord.
· Job 18 - Bildad speaks and has nothing nice to say! His words end ultimately accusing Job of not even knowing God. When we, or those we know and love end up in despair, we shouldn't doubt their profession unless they have completely renounced God. But instead encourage them with scripture and point them to people like Job... Because often pain and suffering is the place of him or her who does know God.
I hope you all have a wonderful day today, may the Lord bless you and keep you! God bless.
Friday, week 9!
Thoughts on Isaiah 45-50:
· Isaiah 45 - God is Sovereign, at times perhaps I sound like a broken record, but if I do, I hope it's only because I'm just trying to show you what scripture is telling us. He is the Lord who formed everything and there is no other, He chose Israel, He makes well and makes calamity, and forms us for His purpose. Turn to Him and Him alone and by saved!!! Every knee will bow and tongue will confess!
· Isaiah 46 - We rather worship the creation than the creator, we rather fasten idols with our hands. Idols are things we can control, we get to give them attributes and dictate to them what we want from them. But they are impotent, without any power and unable to save. Idols will only lead you to hell.
· Isaiah 47 - God uses a people (Babylon) to punish Israel, but God will punish these people for what they have done to Israel. This is the great paradox of sovereignty and responsibility. Both are present, God has Babylon punish Israel for their disobedience. But then God holds Babylon responsible because there actions were done willingly, they wanted to be wicked, they wanted to humiliate Israel and they are held accountable for that.
· Isaiah 48 - God is doing something through Israel, bigger than their punishment, and all that God does is for His glory, for His namesake. Verses 9-11 here are so important. Read them over and over and realize this is the God we serve. He is the first and the last and besides Him there is no other.
· Isaiah 49 - Jesus!!!! He is the Redeemer and He is the true Israel...
· Isaiah 50 - The nation of Israel disobeys, but the servant of God obeys, He does all that is required and because of His obedience salvation comes to all who believe.
Without Jesus we wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of most of this, but because of Him it all comes together! Have a wonderful day and God bless!
Saturday, Week 9!
Thoughts on Matthew 23-25:
· Matthew 23 - Jesus curses the Pharisees... There is a hypocrisy that can easily over take any of us but even mores those of us who teach. We are all, at some level hypocrites, that's the first thing. We all know that there are things that we should do, but don't do them. But for this who teach, it's easier for us to become judgmental as if we have arrived. One thing that pastoring has taught me, is how far from actually arriving I am. The Pharisees acted as if they had arrived, and Jesus calls them white washed tombs. They look pretty on the outside, but dead on the inside... None of us have arrived, but the Spirit of God is working in us, focus on the IN us...
· Matthew 24 - this section is usually understood as apocalyptic, and that certainly is one way of understanding it and in fact some of it undoubtedly is. But focus on 36-51... No one knows the hour... Many people will read this section and determine, they know the day and the hour, but Jesus is clear, no one knows.
· Matthew 25 - The focus is on what are you doing now while we wait? Are you and I being good stewards of what God has given us? Are we preparing ourselves for our groom, Jesus? Are we seeking to multiply all he has given us for His kingdom and purpose, or do we just think once you are saved it's all just a waiting game? It's not... So let's get to work, for His honor and glory that our Savior would find us ready for Him.