Archive for January, 2011

  • 31 Jan

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    GOD LISTENS FOR OUR CONFESSION

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    “Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? Shall he turn away and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.”

    Jeremiah 8:4-6

    The Lord’s people were guilty of “perpetual backsliding.” Though the word backsliding is not found in the New Testament, the tendency to slide back in our devotion and obedience continues to be a problem. From this passage, God provides language that vividly describes the condition of backsliding. They had fallen, turned away, and slidden back.

    While they were in this state of spiritual backsliding and willful compromise, God told Jeremiah that He was listening to hear some evidence of repentance or confession, but heard none. “I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done?” They “refuse to return” or repent. When His children stray from Him, God desires and requires sincere repentance and acknowledgment of transgressions. He will not ignore sin that is not dealt with properly. Sin that is covered up or hidden will result in God’s correction. The greatest problem in our text was not that the people of God had fallen. Of course that is serious, but the larger problem was that there was no attempt to arise, or correct their error. When we fall, God wants us to confess our sins and accept His forgiveness. When we sin, God wants to hear us say, “What have I done?”

    How wonderful it is that the Lord desires our repentance! He wants to give mercy and forgiveness. He was waiting and listening for them to repent, to confess. It is clearly seen in this lesson that when we fall, we can arise. The enemy has convinced many that their sin is too great to be forgiven. Satan wants to make people feel that because they have fallen, there is no hope. These people had turned away, but God was inviting them to return.

    God does not want us to sin; but when we do sin, we can repent and find mercy. God is just, and sin must be dealt with. But thank the Lord Jesus, He paid for our sins on the cross, and there is mercy and grace for those who confess and return to Him.

  • 31 Jan

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    GOD LISTENS FOR OUR CONFESSION

    0

    “Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? Shall he turn away and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.”

    Jeremiah 8:4-6

    The Lord’s people were guilty of “perpetual backsliding.” Though the word backsliding is not found in the New Testament, the tendency to slide back in our devotion and obedience continues to be a problem. From this passage, God provides language that vividly describes the condition of backsliding. They had fallen, turned away, and slidden back.

    While they were in this state of spiritual backsliding and willful compromise, God told Jeremiah that He was listening to hear some evidence of repentance or confession, but heard none. “I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done?” They “refuse to return” or repent. When His children stray from Him, God desires and requires sincere repentance and acknowledgment of transgressions. He will not ignore sin that is not dealt with properly. Sin that is covered up or hidden will result in God’s correction. The greatest problem in our text was not that the people of God had fallen. Of course that is serious, but the larger problem was that there was no attempt to arise, or correct their error. When we fall, God wants us to confess our sins and accept His forgiveness. When we sin, God wants to hear us say, “What have I done?”

    How wonderful it is that the Lord desires our repentance! He wants to give mercy and forgiveness. He was waiting and listening for them to repent, to confess. It is clearly seen in this lesson that when we fall, we can arise. The enemy has convinced many that their sin is too great to be forgiven. Satan wants to make people feel that because they have fallen, there is no hope. These people had turned away, but God was inviting them to return.

    God does not want us to sin; but when we do sin, we can repent and find mercy. God is just, and sin must be dealt with. But thank the Lord Jesus, He paid for our sins on the cross, and there is mercy and grace for those who confess and return to Him.

  • 30 Jan

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    IT IS GOOD FOR US TO BE HERE

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    “Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.”

    Matthew 17:4

    What a glorious experience that Peter, James, and John were privileged to share, as Jesus was transfigured before them. His face shined as the sun and His clothing was white as the light. Moses and Elijah appeared, conversing with Jesus. God audibly spoke to them out of Heaven. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to be there? Peter felt the same way.

    We can only imagine all that Peter must have been thinking in his statement, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” It was good for them to see and hear what occurred on that mountain. There was no place they would rather have been than where they were at that moment of time. Though, in this life, we will never know exactly what it was like for Peter and the others, we have seen enough of the blessings of God and known the sweetness of His presence to say many times in our hearts, “it is good for us to be here.”

    The things that made this a most memorable occasion, are just as much a part of our spiritual journey, though to a lesser degree. It was glorious that day because Jesus was there. Those of us who know Him personally through our abiding relationship, can give thanks that He is not only with us, but has promised to never leave us. On that magnificent day, the Lord was not only with the disciples, He manifested His glory in their presence.

    We can also thank God for the times along our way that Jesus has made His presence known to us in a special way. Peter, James, and John heard the words of the Old Testament prophets and the voice of God speaking to them from Heaven. Though we have never heard His audible voice, we can rejoice and give God glory for the times the prophets have spoken to us through the pages of Scripture and we have heard the small, still voice of God bear witness with the truth in our hearts.

    How blessed they were to be with Jesus on the mount, but how truly blessed we are to be able to walk with Him by faith. When we are aware that we are in the presence of Jesus and He is manifesting more of His glory to us, and the Spirit of God is writing His Truth on the pages of our hearts, it would certainly be appropriate for us to say, “it is good for us to be here.”

  • 29 Jan

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    THE REPAIRERS OF THE BREACH

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    “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”

    Isaiah 58:12

    This passage is a part of a larger context which includes a number of promises to God’s people, specifically associated with their sincere repentance with prayer and fasting. A careful reading of the passage reveals promises having do with our children, and their influence on future generations. Of special interest is the phrase, “thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach.”

    A breach is “a break or a gap in a fence, hedge, or wall.” Walls or fences were constructed for protection and preservation. Boundaries were hedged to preserve property lines, and towns were walled to protect from enemies. When these walls were broken, eroded, or allowed to deteriorate, it caused breaches or gaps, and a break down of protection. Someone would have to repair the breaches or the occupants would be in great jeopardy.

    In every generation, “repairers of the breach” have been greatly needed, and they are certainly needed today. Walls of protection and separation have suffered great damage. Compromise and disobedience have eroded the hedges that ought to protect. We have witnessed an all out assault on the protective walls of our homes, our churches, and our nation. Moral walls have been greatly damaged.

    Attacks on traditional marriage, opposition to public references to God, and legalized abortion are examples. The hedges around the Lord’s churches have been weakened by worldliness, ecumenism, and rejection of Biblical truth. The safe haven of families have been breached through similar matters of compromise and disobedience. The spiritual protection of individual lives can be removed by willful sin and giving ground to the enemy.

    To restore the protection, the breaches must be repaired. How can we rebuild the walls around our lives and ministries? Through repentance, obedience, and intercession, we can see these hedges rebuilt. The number of those who are determined to see the old landmarks removed continues to grow. We must be just as committed to the cause of following the old paths of obedience and godliness. And as such, we too can be called “repairers of the breach.”

  • 28 Jan

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    THE PROCESS AND THE PRODUCT

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    “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

    Romans 8:28, 29

    This is one of the most familiar and often quoted verses in the Bible. It has frequently comforted us in our times of tribulation or sorrow. We have been given confidence that there is a reason for the things we go through as followers of Jesus Christ. When God permits things to come into our lives, He promises that they will “work together for good.” We are then taught that the ultimate objective God has for us, is that we might be “conformed to the image of his Son.”

    The finished product has to do with our taking on the likeness of Jesus Christ. The product is of great interest to every sincere follower of Jesus. We want to be more like Jesus. We want to sin less. We want to be more holy. We want to love God more and love this world less. We want to care for others as our Savior does. We want to serve others in the spirit of our Lord. We want to please the Father in all that we do.

    Again, we want to be more like Jesus. However, in order to have the product, we must accept the process. How is God going to make us more like His Son? He has chosen to use the things that often appear to be intrusions, invasions, and inconveniences to help conform us to the image of Jesus. If we are going to have the product, we must be willing to accept the process. God is going to use the events and situations of our lives to make us less like ourselves, and more like Himself.

    We all have “rough edges” that need to be removed. We all have attitudes that are in need of being overhauled. We sometimes have priorities that are out of line. God uses the things He allows to come into our lives to expose areas that need to be corrected. For instance, problems may reveal a lack of trust in the Lord. Opposition may manifest bitterness. Hardships may expose unrealistic expectations. Success may cause pride to surface.

    It is through the refiner’s fire that impurities surface. Do not be discouraged. The process may be painful, but the product will be rewarding. God is using our circumstances to bring about the product He desires.

  • 27 Jan

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    KEEPING A RIGHT ATTITUDE

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    “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto then, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?”

    Numbers 20:10

    Because of the lack of water, the children of Israel rebelled against Moses, complaining that they would have been better off in their Egyptian bondage. The Lord instructed Moses to speak to the rock, and it would bring forth water. Instead of obeying the Lord, Moses, provoked by their bickering, spoke angrily to the people: “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” He then smote the rock. The result of Moses’ bad attitude and resulting action was devastating. He would not be able to lead the people he so cared for into the Promised Land. One of the greatest men of God of all time would not complete the assignment given to him by His Maker.

    As much as any experience in the Bible, we see the extreme importance of keeping a right attitude. How serious is a bad attitude? When we think of horrible and damaging sins, we generally think of such things as acts of immorality, dishonesty, idolatry, etc. Obviously these things are serious, but sins of the attitude can be equally costly and harmful. Examples of sinful attitudes would be anger, lust, pride, covetousness, bitterness, hypocrisy, stubbornness, impatience, and a host of others. It would be wise for us to treat attitude sins as being just as wicked as fleshly sins.

    There is much in the account of Moses and his outburst that we can relate to. Most, if not all of us, struggle with attitudes that we know are not pleasing to God or benefiting to others. Sometimes we blame those attitudes on others. The continual carnal complaining of those Moses was trying to lead provoked his bad attitude. Their negativism and criticism was inexcusable.

    In a similar way, our poor attitudes often manifest themselves because of the actions, or attitudes, of others. However, in spite of the behavior of others, we must accept responsibility for our responses. We cannot excuse our poor reactions or blame our sin on the actions or attitudes of others. It would do us good to contemplate the damaging effect our complaining and murmuring could have on others, including those who are leading us. By God’s grace, we want to daily walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to influence our attitudes, to honor Him and edify others.