Monday, September 17, 2018

The Word Is Near You


What will you do with it?
Bow, believe, repent and be forgiven?
Ignore, scoff, rebel and be doomed to eternal despair?  
Jesus died for you!
Shout hallelujah!!!


8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." 
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry." 
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me." 
21 But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." - Romans 10:8-21

14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
15 "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. - Deuteronomy 30:14-15

26 "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:
27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today,
28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. - Deuteronomy 11:26-28

1 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that was not called by my name. 
2 I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; 
3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;  - Isaiah 65:1-3

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:12-22

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 
7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" 
8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law),
9 then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second.
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. - Hebrews 10:4-10

Awaken souls to everlasting life through Christ!

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," 
17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." 
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. - Hebrews 10:11-18

Worship in a Lightning Storm



For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” (Luke 17:24)

I was flying at night from Chicago to Minneapolis, almost alone on the plane. The pilot announced that there was a thunderstorm over Lake Michigan and into Wisconsin. He would skirt it to the west to avoid turbulence.

As I sat there staring out into the total blackness on the east side of the plane, suddenly the whole sky was brilliant with light, and a cavern of white clouds fell away four miles beneath the plane and then vanished.

A second later, a mammoth white tunnel of light exploded from north to south across the horizon, and again vanished into blackness. Soon the lightning was almost constant, and volcanoes of light burst up out of cloud ravines and from behind distant white mountains of clouds.

I sat there shaking my head almost in unbelief. O Lord, if these are but the sparks from the sharpening of your sword, what will be the day of your appearing! And I remembered the words of Christ: “As the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day” (Luke 17:24).

Even now as I recollect that sight, the word glory is full of feeling for me. I thank God that again and again he has awakened my heart to desire him, to see him, and to sit down to the feast of Christian Hedonism and worship the King of Glory. The banquet hall is very large. Come.


John Piper

Do you need some excitement in your life?



BIBLE MEDITATION:
Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Revelation 7:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I heard about a man who got a little excited in church and kept shouting, “Praise the Lord!”

One day, some of the brethren called on him while he was plowing his fields. When they were finished talking, he hung his head and said, “I know it’s the truth. I have disturbed the services, but you know, I sit there and think what the Lord has done for me…how He died in agony and blood for me upon the cross…how He’s forgiven all of my sins…how He’s filled me with the Spirit… and…and… Here—hold this mule while I shout!”

If being a Christian and going to heaven doesn’t excite you, then you have calluses on your soul. It’s exciting to know the Lord Jesus Christ!

ACTION POINT:
When was the last time you raised your hands and shouted “Praise the Lord!” Maybe right now is a good time!


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Sunday, September 16, 2018

What Does God Expect of Me part 3


He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?  - Micah 6:8

Act justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly.

1. Walk humbly.

Humble - not weak but strength under control

Jesus was a mans man, strong, humble, willing to take a stand for what is right.

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
18 So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"
19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. - John 2:13-22

Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD. - Jeremiah 7:11

saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers." - Luke 19:46

Humble, being gracious, thoughtful and kind.
Pride will ruin you but humility will elevate you.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.  - Proverbs 11:2

Ways to Walk humbly:
Do not draw attention to yourself.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. - Philippians 2:3

Encourage others!
Bless others because God has blessed you.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.  - Proverbs 3:27

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." - 1 Peter 5:5

Humility comes from within but it is expressed on the outside.

Worship is us wanting God, for His glory.

There is no God but God.
King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Draw attention to God not yourself!

likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, - 1 Timothy 2:9

Focus on God.

2. Take the high road.
Avoid conflict.

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. - Titus 3:1-2

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. - Romans 12:17-18

Troublemaker or peacemaker?

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. - Matthew 5:9

Honor others.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, - 1 Peter 1:22

Love deeply.
Reach out to others.

Faith, family and friends.
These are the important things.
In these we glorify God.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. - Romans 12:10

Honor those who will give you nothing in return.



Thanks Pastor Kevin!!










The Soul’s Final Feast

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

God is not unresponsive to the contrite longing of the soul. He comes and lifts the load of sin and fills our heart with gladness and gratitude. “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (Psalm 30:11–12).

But our joy does not just rise from the backward glance in gratitude. It also rises from the forward glance in hope: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:5–6).

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:5).

In the end, the heart longs not for any of God’s good gifts, but for God himself. To see him and know him and be in his presence is the soul’s final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight. But these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience:

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

“Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4).


John Piper 

Is your name is on this invitation list?



BIBLE MEDITATION:
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let him that heareth say, “Come.” And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
God chose the analogy of a wedding to describe the moment when we, His followers, His church, become one with the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity. We’ll know Him in a more intimate way than we know Him now, and God calls that “the marriage of the Lamb.” Being swept up to meet the Lord in Glory face to face is so fulfilling, the Bible likens it to the consummation of a marriage. I don’t mind telling you, that really excites me!

All of history points to Jesus. At the wedding of the Lamb, everyone will worship Him. He is the groom, and He is to be glorified. He is faithful — the things He said He would do, He has done. The things He said would be true have proved true. Instead of worrying about dates and the time of His coming, we fall on our knees and praise Him for the fact that it will happen. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

We say with the hymn writer,
“Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll.
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.”

ACTION POINT:
Examine your heart. Does the Lord’s Second Coming make your heart pound with excitement? Do you long for His return and reign?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Calling the Generations from the Beginning


Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.  - Isaiah 41:4

22 Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. 
23 Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. 
24 Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you. 
25 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. 
26 Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, "He is right"? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words.  - Isaiah 41:22-26

7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." 
8 Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! 
9 All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. 
10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 
11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. 
12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and I am God. 
13 Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?"  - Isaiah 43:7-13

6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 
8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any."  - Isaiah 44:6-8

12 "Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. 
13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.  - Isaiah 48:12-13

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 
5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 
6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 1:4-8

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last,
18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. - Revelation 1:17-18

11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy."
12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." - Revelation 22:11-13