Just sharing.

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“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.”

Isaiah 44:22

Attentively observe the instructive similitude : our sins are like a cloud. As clouds are of many shapes and shades, so are our transgressions. As clouds obscure the light of the sun, and darken the landscape beneath, so do our sins hide from us the light of Jehovah's face, and cause us to sit in the shadow of death. They are earth-born things, and rise from the miry places of our nature; and when so collected that their measure is full, they threaten us with storm and tempest. Alas! that, unlike clouds, our sins yield us no genial showers, but rather threaten to deluge us with a fiery flood of destruction. O ye black clouds of sin, how can it be fair weather with our souls while ye remain?

Let our joyful eye dwell upon the notable act of divine mercy — “blotting out.” God himself appears upon the scene, and in divine benignity, instead of manifesting his anger, reveals his grace: he at once and for ever effectually removes the mischief, not by blowing away the cloud, but by blotting it out from existence once for all. Against the justified man no sin remains, the great transaction of the cross has eternally removed his transgressions from him. On Calvary's summit the great deed, by which the sin of all the chosen was for ever put away, was completely and effectually performed.

Practically let us obey the gracious command , “return unto me.” Why should pardoned sinners live at a distance from their God? If we have been forgiven all our sins, let no legal fear withhold us from the boldest access to our Lord. Let backslidings be bemoaned, but let us not persevere in them. To the greatest possible nearness of communion with the Lord, let us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, strive mightily to return. O Lord, this night restore us!

 

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4 Things Your Worship Service Needs to Better Help People Know God





This has nothing to do with style of music, the translation of the Bible you use or whether or not you employ a fog machine to enhance the light show. People worship in many different styles, and many forms can be successful, whether you have ancient pews or the newest stadium seating. Transcending personal preferences, I believe there are four things every worship service needs to better help people know God, and these four things aren’t as simple or as easy as you might think.

1). Authentic – People crave authenticity in a world of plastic fakeness. Everything is pre packaged and slick today to better help marketing, and churches are not immune. Worship services can become a cauldron of fakeness, where worshippers show only the side they think other people want to see and those on stage show only a photoshopped illusion of what Christianity should be. Authenticity transcends style of music or translation of the Bible. It’s a heart issue, starting with the pastor and working its way down to every volunteer serving as an usher. Has your church discovered its unique DNA? Are you comfortable being yourself, or do you feel the need to copy the megachurch down the road or blindly follow the prescribed rituals of your denomination? If your services feel inauthentic, people won’t engage on a heart level. (And by the way, authentic doesn’t mean lazy. Excellence provides a level of comfort for attenders, but it has to be done with authenticity).


2). Enjoyable– This doesn’t seem very spiritual at first but trust me it has a huge impact on helping people know God through your worship service. I recently visited a new church that my family had never been to before. After picking the kids up from their kids environments, the very first words out of my mouth as a father were “Did you have a good time?” Why? As a dad I instinctively know that if my kids enjoy church they’ll want to come back. If you go a restaurant with bad seating, horrible service and lukewarm food, what are the chances you’ll ever frequent that establishment again? From the friendliness of the greeters to the aesthetics in the room to the quality of the music to the relatability of the preacher, are your church services enjoyable? If they are, people will show back up, and the more people show up, the better chance they’ll have to know God through your services.

3). Helpful – You can go to a comedy show or watch a movie and have an enjoyable experience. But those experiences don’t help you throughout the week. What should mark a worship service as different is that it helps people throughout the week, not just entertaining them for an hour on Sundays. A lot of this comes down to the sermon itself. I recently had a guest come up to me and share how strange and different (in a good way) our worship service was. He understood us and he felt like I was talking directly to him when I preached. His background? Greek Orthodox. Half of his services were literally in Greek and form and ritual reigned over practical application. Are you giving people truth that is practically helpful in their everyday lives? People flock to helpful services.

4). Powerful – You have to have this or you don’t have a service at all. The hard part is, you can’t force or manipulate this. If you want your services to help people better know God, then God needs to show up. It’s as simple as that. You can’t manipulate it. The Holy Spirit has to do his work. Our part is to pray like crazy, get our hearts right and remove every distraction we can think of that keeps people from encountering God. But when God shows up in power, watch out! Lives start changing and your church will never be the same.

 

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Regarding Marriage Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church. Ephesians 5:25-29 NASB __________________ May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer-- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? Proverbs 5:18-20 NIV __________________ Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:18,19 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Thou hast left thy first love.”

Revelation 2:4

Ever to be remembered is that best and brightest of hours, when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden, received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in peace. It was spring time in the soul; the winter was past; the mutterings of Sinai's thunders were hushed; the flashings of its lightnings were no more perceived; God was beheld as reconciled; the law threatened no vengeance, justice demanded no punishment.

Then the flowers appeared in our heart; hope, love, peace, and patience sprung from the sod; the hyacinth of repentance, the snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden faith, the daffodil of early love, all decked the garden of the soul. The time of the singing of birds was come, and we rejoiced with thanksgiving; we magnified the holy name of our forgiving God, and our resolve was, “Lord, I am thine, wholly thine; all I am, and all I have, I would devote to thee. Thou hast bought me with thy blood — let me spend myself and be spent in thy service. In life and in death let me be consecrated to thee.”

How have we kept this resolve? Our espousal love burned with a holy flame of devoutedness to Jesus — is it the same now? Might not Jesus well say to us, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love”? Alas! it is but little we have done for our Master's glory. Our winter has lasted all too long. We are as cold as ice when we should feel a summer's glow and bloom with sacred flowers. We give to God pence when he deserveth pounds, nay, deserveth our heart's blood to be coined in the service of his church and of his truth.

But shall we continue thus? O Lord, after thou hast so richly blessed us, shall we be ungrateful and become indifferent to thy good cause and work? O quicken us that we may return to our first love, and do our first works! Send us a genial spring, O Sun of Righteousness.

 

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What the Bible Says About Love and Relationships



The Bible speaks about the love of God, but also about human love, so here’s what Scripture says about love and relationships.
The Love of a Spouse
Jacob and Rachel is one of the greatest love stories in the Bible. In fact, Jacob was so consumed by Rachel, that “Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her” (Gen 29:20). Much earlier, after Isaac’s mother died, “Isaac brought [Rebekah] into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death” (Gen 24:67). Those who love us can comfort us like no others, which is why we believe that “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up” (Eccl 4:9-10), and “if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:11-12). Therefore, the admonition is, “Above all things “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25), so husbands, “ let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph 5:33). When a woman feels loved, she feels respected; when a man feels respected, he feels love.

The Love of a Friend
A friend’s love is like no other. In many cases, our friends can be closer to us than our blood brothers or sisters. We might be able talk to them and tell them things we wouldn’t tell anyone else. Jesus said one way that friends display their love is to lay down their lives for them. Laying down their lives may not mean giving dying for our friends, but we give them our time, and in this life, that’s a precious commodity. Jesus reminds us, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus Himself displayed the greatest of love by laying down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters in this life (1 John 3:16).

Proverbs 17:17 states that “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” meaning friends stick with you, through good times and bad, meaning, they stay with their friends and love them “at all times,” good and bad, but also God has sovereignly placed friends in our lives for just such a purpose. David saw his share of bad times, and yet Jonathan’s friendship helped him endure, as David says, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women” (2 Sam 1:26). Prior to this, “Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul” (1 Sam 20:17), so this was one of the greatest friendships in the Bible.

The Love of Brothers and Sisters
We are to love one another, including our brothers and sisters. The author of Hebrews states “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:1-2). The Apostle Peter admonished us to “have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Pet 3:8), so we ought to “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12:10). Otherwise, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). Believers have no excuse not to love their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul told the church at Thessalonica, “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more” (1 Thess 4:9-10). Since we are all still very much human, we’re going to irritate people, however, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7), so “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32).

The Love of God
Want a quick glance at the love of God? The Apostle John wrote that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The sinless Lamb of God is the good shepherd who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). One reason why the love of God seems so radical to the world is that “one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:7-8). That godly love should compel us to “be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph 5:1-2). The very reason Jesus came was “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). God loved us first; we who were wicked, ungodly enemies of His (Rom 5:6-10), so Jesus commands us to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28).

Conclusion
One of the most powerful ways we can attract people to God is by loving others. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). This kind of love generally “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7). If we love people on a consistent basis, then “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14). Then, we can have confidence we’re a child of God, for every child of God keeps “loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8).

 

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He is our Protector! The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10 NIV __________________ The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalm 121:5-8 KJV __________________ Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-3 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”

John 14:16

Great Father revealed himself to believers of old before the coming of his Son, and was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the God Almighty. Then Jesus came, and the ever-blessed Son in his own proper person, was the delight of his people's eyes. At the time of the Redeemer's ascension, the Holy Spirit became the head of the present dispensation, and his power was gloriously manifested in and after Pentecost. He remains at this hour the present Immanuel — God with us, dwelling in and with his people, quickening, guiding, and ruling in their midst.

Is his presence recognized as it ought to be? We cannot control his working; he is most sovereign in all his operations, but are we sufficiently anxious to obtain his help, or sufficiently watchful lest we provoke him to withdraw his aid? Without him we can do nothing, but by his almighty energy the most extraordinary results can be produced: everything depends upon his manifesting or concealing his power. Do we always look up to him both for our inner life and our outward service with the respectful dependence which is fitting? Do we not too often run before his call and act independently of his aid?

Let us humble ourselves this evening for past neglects, and now entreat the heavenly dew to rest upon us, the sacred oil to anoint us, the celestial flame to burn within us. The Holy Ghost is no temporary gift, he abides with the saints. We have but to seek him aright, and he will be found of us. He is jealous, but he is pitiful; if he leaves in anger, he returns in mercy. Condescending and tender, he does not weary of us, but awaits to be gracious still.

Sin has been hammering my heart
Unto a hardness, void of love,
Let supplying grace to cross his art
Drop from above.

 

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What the Bible Says About Loving Our Neighbor



The Bible commands us to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves, so what does that look like?
Loving God
Jesus tells us the very two greatest commands in all the Bible and they are found in Matthew 22:37-40 where Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” If you do not love God, then you will have difficulty loving your neighbor. The Old Testament had laws preventing someone from taking revenge or bearing a grudge against their neighbor. The law stated, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Lev 19:18). If someone wrongs us, we must remember to “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom 12:19), so first of all, we are to love God and then, “love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31).


Loving Neighbors
Romans 13:8-10 shows us what loving our neighbors looks like, and it includes the fact that we “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Just as Jesus said, all the law and the prophets pointed to loving God and loving our neighbor.

This sums up the law as loving your neighbor “does no wrong to a neighbor.” Loving God and loving our neighbor fulfills what the law required. We could put it this way: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12). It is sin to hate or despise our neighbor, as Solomon wrote, “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor” (Prov 14:21). Despising people is sin, so “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me” (Rom 15:2-3). We have a direct, imperative command from Jesus “that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). That kind of love is a time-consuming, self-sacrifice. James wrote that “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well” (James 2:8).

Loving Enemies
It’s easy to love those who love us and to love God, but what about loving those who hate us? I think we’ll need God’s help with this, but even so, Jesus still tells us to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). Sadly, our neighbors can sometimes become our enemies, but we are still told, “Do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end” (Prov 25:8-10). God loved us first…while still wicked, ungodly enemies of His (Rom 5:6-10), so we must love them first…even if they hate us.

Just as God didn’t give us what we deserved (His wrath), and gave us what we needed (His grace), so too must we give people what they need, not what we think they deserve. This is how “we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16), and this would mean that we “Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 19:19). Loving our neighbor is commanded, and it doesn’t have a clause that says, “Only if.” Jesus didn’t seem to leave any exceptions for loving others (Luke 6:27-28).

Conclusion
Just as we have read, and Paul again explains, “the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal 5:14). As a matter of fact, “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Prov 12:26). Love does no harm to a neighbor. Love believes the best in people (1 Cor 13:7). Love shows who Jesus’ disciples really are (John 13:34-35). If you enjoyed this article about loving our neighbors, why not share them with your neighbor right now, and in the meantime, let us live lives of obedience toward the command to love God and to love our neighbors, and fulfill what Jesus commanded, and that is, you are to “love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). It will be by our love for one another that “all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

 

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Concerning Self Denial Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26 NIV __________________ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11-13 KJV __________________ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:24,25 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“There is therefore now no condemnation.”

Romans 8:1

Come, my soul, think thou of this. Believing in Jesus, thou art actually and effectually cleared from guilt; thou art led out of thy prison. Thou art no more in fetters as a bond-slave; thou art delivered now from the bondage of the law; thou art freed from sin, and canst walk at large as a freeman, thy Saviour's blood has procured thy full discharge. Thou hast a right now to approach thy Father's throne.

No flames of vengeance are there to scare thee now; no fiery sword; justice cannot smite the innocent. Thy disabilities are taken away: thou wast once unable to see thy Father's face: thou canst see it now. Thou couldst not speak with him: but now thou hast access with boldness. Once there was a fear of hell upon thee; but thou hast no fear of it now, for how can there be punishment for the guiltless?

He who believeth is not condemned, and cannot be punished. And more than all, the privileges thou mightst have enjoyed, if thou hadst never sinned, are thine now that thou art justified. All the blessings which thou wouldst have had if thou hadst kept the law, and more, are thine, because Christ has kept it for thee. All the love and the acceptance which perfect obedience could have obtained of God, belong to thee, because Christ was perfectly obedient on thy behalf, and hath imputed all his merits to thy account, that thou mightst be exceeding rich through him, who for thy sake became exceeding poor. Oh! how great the debt of love and gratitude thou owest to thy Saviour!

“A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear with thy righteousness on,
My person and offerings to bring:
The terrors of law and of God,
With me can have nothing to do;
My Saviour's obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.”

 

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How Christians Look at Death



Death is not an easy subject to discuss, but for believers, there is hope after the grave, and here is Scripture to show that.

No Separation
Nearing the end of his ministry, the Apostle Paul knew that his time was drawing near, and so he wrote to Timothy, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim 4:6). Paul could rightfully say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). Paul knew that his death was coming, but he also knew that death was not the end. He understood that “there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim 4:8). There was no doubt in Paul’s mind “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).

Many of the first century believers faced the threat of death for their faith, but Paul wanted the church at Corinth to be of “good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:6-8), so even after we pass from this life to the next, we will be at home with the Lord. There is no mention of an “in-between” or soul-sleep, but just as Jesus told the thief on the cross, that very day, he would be with Him in Paradise (Luke 23:43).

Death’s Not Final
Somehow, even Job knew enough about God to know that He was a redeeming God. For example, he wrote, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me” (Job 19:25-27)! There is confidence in Job’s statement. It’s not only a hope or desire, but a fact. It’s not a hope-so but a know-so. He knew that His redeemer “will stand upon the earth” someday, after his body has been destroyed. He knew that he would see God, in his flesh, so it’s not surprising that Job said “My heart faints within me.” He longed for that day, but so too do the saints. After Lazarus had died, Martha was troubled by Jesus not preventing it, but “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:23-26)? I ask you, “Do you believe this?”

Death of Death
Imagine that death itself will end someday. After we die or if Christ returns, we can have the assurance of living again and being in His presence. After David’s infant had died, he had confidence that he’d see the infant again, writing, “But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sam 12:23). Of course, was David speaking of his infant son who died. Paul also knew the day was coming “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:54-57). Even further, on the day that the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven, God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4). Death will be no more! Let that sink in for a moment.

No Fear of Death
King David, who for many years had to run for his life, wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). A shadow of death is not as fearful as death itself, but the way believers can look at death is that “if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8). John records a voice from heaven saying, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them” (Rev 14:13)! When a saint dies, it is a precious thing in our sight.

We mourn and grieve, but that’s mostly for our own loss, but our loss is heaven’s gain, and if you could ask them, they most certainly wouldn’t want to come back to this world. God also sees our grieving, and wants us to know that “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). As we know, “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Eccl 12:7), but that’s good news “since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thess 4:14).

Conclusion
One of the greatest chapters about the resurrection is 1st Corinthians 15. Here Paul writes that “in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor 15:20-23). The promise of God, from Jesus Himself, says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16), so “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)? Again I ask, “Do you believe this?”

 

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Long Life The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29 NIV __________________ LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Psalm 39:4,5 KJV __________________ Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Titus 2:2-5 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“She was healed immediately.”

Luke 8:47

One of the most touching and teaching of the Saviour's miracles is before us to-night. The woman was very ignorant. She imagined that virtue came out of Christ by a law of necessity, without his knowledge or direct will. Moreover, she was a stranger to the generosity of Jesus’ character, or she would not have gone behind to steal the cure which he was so ready to bestow. Misery should always place itself right in the face of mercy.

Had she known the love of Jesus’ heart, she would have said, “I have but to put myself where he can see me — his omniscience will teach him my case, and his love at once will work my cure.” We admire her faith, but we marvel at her ignorance. After she had obtained the cure, she rejoiced with trembling: glad was she that the divine virtue had wrought a marvel in her; but she feared lest Christ should retract the blessing, and put a negative upon the grant of his grace: little did she comprehend the fulness of his love!

We have not so clear a view of him as we could wish; we know not the heights and depths of his love; but we know of a surety that he is too good to withdraw from a trembling soul the gift which it has been able to obtain. But here is the marvel of it: little as was her knowledge, her faith, because it was real faith, saved her, and saved her at once. There was no tedious delay — faith's miracle was instantaneous.

If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, salvation is our present and eternal possession. If in the list of the Lord's children we are written as the feeblest of the family, yet, being heirs through faith, no power, human or devilish, can eject us from salvation. If we dare not lean our heads upon his bosom with John, yet if we can venture in the press behind him, and touch the hem of his garment, we are made whole. Courage, timid one! thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.”

 

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4 Characteristics of a Good and Faithful Servant



What does Jesus mean by calling some, “Good and faithful servant?” Who is a faithful servant?

Faithful
What believer doesn’t long for the day when Jesus will say to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:23). This is opposed to those who wouldn’t even invest in what God had entrusted to them (Matt 25:24-27), but what does it mean to be a faithful servant. Jesus doesn’t say “good and gifted servant,” or “good and skilled servant.” It is being faithful where He puts the emphasis, so what does it mean to be faithful, particularly a faithful servant of Christ? You don’t have to look far to find out what we are commanded do (Matt 25:35-36; James 1:27). In fact, God has preordained good works for you do to, if you and I would only walk in (or do) them (Eph 2:10).

Being faithful is going where and when one’s needed. Ninety-percent of serving is just showing up, so being faithful means being available. One person that doesn’t show up is one person who won’t serve. That means more for someone else to do, so just showing up is essential to being a faithful servant. If you think what you are doing is insignificant, don’t miss the fact that Jesus said that if “You have been faithful over a little,” He “will set you over much,” so you might “Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:23). Your faithfulness doesn’t depend on how little or how much you have, but what you do with it. Are you faithful in showing up and in using what you have been given by God?

Available
If we make ourselves available, we’ll be more faithful, but the world competes with our time and resources. It’s a battle of the flesh verses the Spirit. It is just as the Apostle Paul wrote, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Rom 7:15), and as a result, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Rom 7:19). God often places opportunities to serve or share Christ, but sometimes we are thinking of ourselves too much and fear rejection. Let’s face it. We all like to be liked, but that’s not what we’re called to. We are called to share Christ, and serve Christ by doing unto others, which Jesus’ takes personally (Matt 25:40). The day will come when “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:12).

For some that will be a day of rejoicing, but apparently, for some, it will be a day of shame, as they knew they were negligent in their calling, doing little or nothing for Christ. The Apostle John wrote in that context, saying, “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28). If you are abiding in Christ, you will be available for Christ. Abiding in Christ produces fruits of the Spirit, and Jesus said that it is “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). It’s not so much ability as it is availability. I believe 90% of being a faithful servant is simply being available!

Teachable
One way to look at being faithful is to be abiding in Jesus’ words, and those words are found in Scripture. The more we read the Bible, the more it reads us, and shows us where we come up short, but it also shows us ways we can be more faithful, and that’s our desire; to be good and faithful servant. One aspect of being a faithful servant is sitting at the Master’s feet and learning from Him, and that means reading His book, the Bible. This book helps us to yield to the Spirit more easily. The Bible helps us grow in holiness (sanctification), teaches us how to witness, and it reveals who are Jesus’ disciples (John 13:34-35). A faithful servant learns from the Master, so more time spent with the Master and His Word, the more you will naturally want to serve Christ (Matt 25:35-36, 40). A person who has their portion of His daily Bread will recognize serving opportunities when they see them, having seen dozens in Scripture.

Flexible
Your best friends, relatives, or spouse are generally the only ones you’d wouldn’t worry about calling at three in the mourning if their car broke down. There’s probably on a handful of people that most of us could call at that hour and ask for help, but that’s what separates the faithful ones from those who are only friends when it’s smooth sailing. When the waters get rough, many will bail out on us, but the faithful ones will not. It seems that the hardest times reveal who is and who is not closest to us. Scripture teaches us that “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov 17:17), even if that adversity comes at three in the morning. One thing about helping out was in a case where a nursery worker called in sick and so they asked the congregation if someone would be willing to lend a hand to the nursery worker assistant. I realize that there is no gift for emptying diaper pails, changing diapers, and feeding babies, but not one person offered to help, even though they only needed them for half an hour. That is until my wife stepped up. She was faithful, making herself available, and was flexible in serving where she could.

Conclusion
Today is closer than yesterday to the day when Jesus will say to some, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:23)? Notice that Jesus doesn’t emphasize what is being done, or how much a person has, but what they’ve done with what they’ve been given. The widow’s mite was the greatest of all giving that day. I believe that Jesus will say well done, good and faithful servant for being faithful in the things that He command us to do, and those things are revealed in Scripture (i.e. Matt 25:35-36, 28:19-20;James 1:27, etc.). He will see this being done to others, by in reality, it is being done unto Him (Matt 25:40). Having done nothing for Him is a serious problem (Matt 25:40), but that’s the point. We do it for Him, and we do it to Him, and we do it for His glory (Psalm 115:1; John 15:8).

Jesus is looking for those who will be faithful; who will make themselves available, those who will be open and remain teachable, and to be flexible in whatever situation God has placed them in. I worked as a janitor for seven years, and nothing is below our dignity if we do it as unto the Lord. There is no trivial servant who has so little that he or she could still not be faithful. Perhaps someday, maybe soon (?), you and I will hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:23).

 

[septuagint]

 

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Accepting Criticism Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:9,10 NIV __________________ A wise son accepts his father's discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs 13:1 NASB __________________ Consider Jesus' example: "and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" 1 Peter 2:23 NASB __________________ And remember... A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. Proverbs 15:1,2 KJV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Whereby they have made thee glad.”

Psalm 45:8

And who are thus privileged to make the Saviour glad? His church—his people. But is it possible? He makes us glad, but how can we make him glad? By our love. Ah! we think it so cold, so faint; and so, indeed, we must sorrowfully confess it to be, but it is very sweet to Christ. Hear his own eulogy of that love in the golden Canticle: “How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine!” See, loving heart, how he delights in you. When you lean your head on his bosom, you not only receive, but you give him joy; when you gaze with love upon his all-glorious face, you not only obtain comfort, but impart delight.

Our praise, too, gives him joy — not the song of the lips alone, but the melody of the heart's deep gratitude. Our gifts, too, are very pleasant to him; he loves to see us lay our time, our talents, our substance upon the altar, not for the value of what we give, but for the sake of the motive from which the gift springs. To him the lowly offerings of his saints are more acceptable than the thousands of gold and silver. Holiness is like frankincense and myrrh to him.

Forgive your enemy, and you make Christ glad; distribute of your substance to the poor, and he rejoices; be the means of saving souls, and you give him to see of the travail of his soul; proclaim his gospel, and you are a sweet savour unto him; go among the ignorant and lift up the cross, and you have given him honour. It is in your power even now to break the alabaster box, and pour the precious oil of joy upon his head, as did the woman of old, whose memorial is to this day set forth wherever the gospel is preached. Will you be backward then? Will you not perfume your beloved Lord with the myrrh and aloes, and cassia, of your heart's praise? Yes, ye ivory palaces, ye shall hear the songs of the saints!

 

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Are We Making Disciples? In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:12-14 NIV __________________ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19,20 KJV __________________ So the word of the LORD to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there," That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive. Isaiah 28:13 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Thy good Spirit.”

Nehemiah 9:20

Common, too common is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. He deserves well at our hands, for he is good, supremely good. As God, he is good essentially. He shares in the threefold ascription of Holy, holy, holy, which ascends to the Triune Jehovah. Unmixed purity and truth, and grace is he. He is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness, striving with our rebellious wills; quickening us from our death in sin, and then training us for the skies as a loving nurse fosters her child. How generous, forgiving, and tender is this patient Spirit of God.

He is good operatively. All his works are good in the most eminent degree: he suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in all the world of which he is not the author and sustainer, and heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to his work. He is good officially; whether as Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, Quickener, or Intercessor, he fulfils his office well, and each work is fraught with the highest good to the church of God.

They who yield to his influences become good, they who obey his impulses do good, they who live under his power receive good. Let us then act towards so good a person according to the dictates of gratitude. Let us revere his person, and adore him as God over all, blessed for ever; let us own his power, and our need of him by waiting upon him in all our holy enterprises; let us hourly seek his aid, and never grieve him; and let us speak to his praise whenever occasion occurs. The church will never prosper until more reverently it believes in the Holy Ghost. He is so good and kind, that it is sad indeed that he should be grieved by slights and negligences.

 

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Can Unbelievers Seek God? And What is the Best Reason for Them to Go to Church?

“I am the Lord your God…” “You belong to me…” Bad news or good news?

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First question: “Can unbelievers seek God?”
Udo Middlemann, in his book The Innocence of God, says that many Christians give this impression to unbelievers: “their search [for God] is hopeless, they are unable even to seek; it is all a matter of predestination from God alone.” (63).
Is Middlemann correct?
After all, the Lord’s Apostles do say:

• For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (I Cor. 1:18).
• The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness… (I Cor. 2:14).
• That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).
• All of us [Christians] also lived among [the unbelievers] at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath (Eph. 2:3).
• No one understands; no one seeks for God (Rom. 3:11).

How can one change one’s very nature or essence? How can one even seek to changes one’s very nature or essence? Evidently, there is only so much those captive to the devil’s will (see 2 Tim. 2: 24-26) can do here!
Even if I am “dead in sin”? (Eph. 2:1)
That said, given that elsewhere the Apostle Paul encourages non-Christians to seek God (Acts 17:27), the real point is this: unbelievers do seek wrongly, but even wrong seeking can nevertheless be beneficial when it leads to hearing God’s Word!

Second question: “What is the best reason for them to go to church?”
To start to address this second question, let’s begin by asking the following:
“Is attending a worship service, for example, where the Scriptures are read and preached, better than not attending at all?”
The answer to this question is definitely yes! Strive to enter God’s Kingdom by the narrow gate – with all your wrong reasons in tow!
So, who, for example, attends a Christian worship service for the wrong reasons? Well, a number of persons do.

Remember from our first question above that the Lord’s apostles give the impression that unbelievers can’t even begin to read the Word of God or attend Christian worship for the right reasons – even if they want to do these things!https://www.patheos.com/blogs/justa...utm_campaign=Evangelical&utm_content=46#_edn1
“…whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away…” — the Apostle Paul
So what in the world is happening here? Well, all of the following—which is by no means an extensive list—might be one’s overriding reasons for reading the Bible or attending worship, and none of them should ever be the main reason:

• To please a family member
• Because you live in “Christendom,” and that is what the baptized citizen does (oops – wrong century!)
• To be seen as a person who upholds traditional values (wrong century again?)
• To get connected with the Big Sugar Daddy in the clouds
• To get on the Big Man’s good side.
• Assuming “knowledge is power,” to become a more well-informed and intelligent person
• To make connections with those in a community
• To join in acts of social justice with others from a community
• To learn more about the topic ; to get information (for whatever reason)
• Simple curiosity!
• To confirm one’s biases against the faith and its followers
• That one may boast of one’s extensive knowledge of the Scriptures ; to satisfy one’s own pride
• To be a better person than my neighbor
• To find support for one’s sectarian or heretical opinions
• Because one likes to listen to the preacher, like Herod did John the Baptist, or St. Augustine did St. Ambrose
• To find meaning, direction, and growth in life
• The idea that one ought to do something like this in order to be a good person
• Guilt, underlying fear of judgment and punishment
• Terror of the possibility of the God who just might judge the world, as evidenced from His raising Jesus from the dead (see Acts 17:30-31)

“For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead….” — The Apostle Paul
A couple comments.
First of all, some of those reasons given above are not just about unbelievers but common to Christians as well! The fact of the matter is that while we are new creations we will struggle our whole life long with what the Bible calls our “old Adam” or nature (see Romans 7). This church thing is often not easy for Christians either!
Second, some of you may be wondering what is particularly wrong with those last four options?
It is because they have nothing to do with Christian faith per se.

Christians attend worship services because they have been incorporated into God’s people by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light!” (I Pet. 2:9) This in turn has caused in them a desire to trust, love, and revere and honor the Triune God. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ which gives them forgiveness, life, and salvation, they are those who now give God their primary attention.
They, along with their brethren, come to sit at His feet and be blessed.[ii]
OK – but let’s get back to the person who comes for all the wrong reasons. If they come for those last three reasons in particular, might that be better than coming for the other reasons?
Yes.
In fact, if a person is an unbeliever, there is only one thing they can do in regards to God internally that is “salutary”… beneficial (its only “good” — note the quotes — in a fallen world)…
Be terrified.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10


Why?
Because then such a person might find himself in His Presence and really care to hear what He has to say to him.
And how can we hear what God has to say to us?
In these last days, by listening to His Son (Heb. 1:2), whom He not only raised from the dead to demand our attention, but that we might have new life.
Yes, 3 Trinity Baptist Church signs in a row. Nice work guys!
You’ll hear about Him in a faithful church — one that takes the Bible seriously. And, one hopes, where there is a great concern that His Word and Sacraments are administered in their truth and purity.

Go – and listen attentively. Seek the Lord while He may be found![iii]
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation! — The Apostle Paul
If this doesn’t describe your current situation, I hope this link might prove helpful to you.
See you there!
Amen! “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin…”
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And, by the way, if you are a Christian reading this, I should add one more key reason people darken the door of a church: because you, their friend, their neighbor, their co-worker, invite them!