Tuesday, April 14, 2020

August 14

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD after Ehud died.
2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
3 Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, "Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, 'Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.
7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand'?"
8 Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go."
9 And she said, "I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
13 Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.
14 And Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the LORD go out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.
15 And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot.
16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
17 But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid." So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.
19 And he said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty." So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.
20 And he said to her, "Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say, 'No.'"
21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.
22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking." So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.
23 So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel.
24 And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. - Judges 4

1 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:
2 "That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the LORD! 
3 "Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the LORD I will sing; I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel. 
4 "LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens dropped, yes, the clouds dropped water. 
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, even Sinai before the LORD, the God of Israel. 
6 "In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways. 
7 The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel. 
8 When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel? 
9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the LORD. 
10 "Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets and you who walk by the way. 
11 To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the LORD, the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel. "Then down to the gates marched the people of the LORD. 
12 "Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, break out in a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam. 
13 Then down marched the remnant of the noble; the people of the LORD marched down for me against the mighty. 
14 From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley, following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen; from Machir marched down the commanders, and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant's staff; 
15 the princes of Issachar came with Deborah, and Issachar faithful to Barak; into the valley they rushed at his heels. Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. 
16 Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. 
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, staying by his landings. 
18 Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field. 
19 "The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they got no spoils of silver. 
20 From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. 
21 The torrent Kishon swept them away, the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on, my soul, with might! 
22 "Then loud beat the horses' hoofs with the galloping, galloping of his steeds. 
23 "Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD, curse its inhabitants thoroughly, because they did not come to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. 
24 "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed. 
25 He asked for water and she gave him milk; she brought him curds in a noble's bowl. 
26 She sent her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen's mallet; she struck Sisera; she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple. 
27 Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; between her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell-dead. 
28 "Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice: 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?' 
29 Her wisest princesses answer, indeed, she answers herself, 
30 'Have they not found and divided the spoil?- A womb or two for every man; spoil of dyed materials for Sisera, spoil of dyed materials embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?' 
31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might." And the land had rest for forty years.  - Judges 5

1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! 
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. 
3 They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. 
4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!" 
5 For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant- 
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, 
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 
8 Asshur also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah 
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 
10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground. 
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 
12 who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God." 
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. 
14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, 
15 so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane! 
16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD. 
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, 
18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.  - Psalms 83

13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?
14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.
16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.
18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. - 1 Corinthians 9:13-27

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.
22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet
23 and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live."
24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 
25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.
27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.
28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well."
29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"
31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'"
32 And he looked around to see who had done it.
33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"
36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."
37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping."
40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.
41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."
42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.
43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. - Mark 5:21-43

Monday, April 13, 2020

There Is No Sinking Boat In Christ Jesus


He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" - Luke 8:25

38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"
41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" - Mark 4:38-41

Storms of life!
Sorrows, deaths, illness, job loss, marriages breaking apart and I could go on and on!
Real weather related storms!
Tornadoes, hurricanes, straight line winds, earthquakes, floods, fires, and I could go on and on.
Such is life, they come to all, regardless of who you are.
In Christ or lost, trials come!
But in Christ there is no sinking.
He commands all things.
You will suffer.
You will not be defeated.
In Christ there is no sinking!!
Are you trusting Christ for salvation?

32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:32-33

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. - 1 John 4:2-6

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? - 1 John 5:3-5

Talk to Your Tears


Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5–6)

There is nothing sad about sowing seed. It takes no more work than reaping. The days can be beautiful. There can be great hope of harvest.

Yet the psalm speaks of sowing “in tears.” It says that someone “goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing.” So, why are they weeping?

I think the reason is not that sowing is sad, or that sowing is hard. I think the reason has nothing to do with sowing. Sowing is simply the work that has to be done, even when there are things in life that make us cry.

The crops won’t wait while we finish our grief or solve all our problems. If we are going to eat next winter, we must get out in the field and sow the seed, whether we are crying or not.

If you do that, the promise of the psalm is that you will “reap with shouts of joy.” You will “come home with shouts of joy, bringing [your] sheaves with [you].” Not because the tears of sowing produce the joy of reaping, but because the sheer sowing produces the reaping, and you need to remember this even when your tears tempt you to give up sowing.

So, here’s the lesson: When there are simple, straightforward jobs to be done, and you are full of sadness, and tears are flowing easily, go ahead and do the jobs with tears. Be realistic. Say to your tears, “Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But there is a field to be sown (dishes to be washed, car to be fixed, sermon to be written).”

Then say, on the basis of God’s word, “Tears, I know that you will not stay forever. The very fact that I just do my work (tears and all) will in the end bring a harvest of blessing. So, go ahead and flow if you must. But I believe — though I do not yet see it or feel it fully — I believe that the simple work of my sowing will bring sheaves of harvest. And my tears will be turned to joy.”


John Piper 

Were Jesus’ Followers Liars?



BIBLE MEDITATION

“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”
(1 Corinthians 15:13-17)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Paul isn’t saying, “If Jesus is still in the grave, then we’re mistaken.” He’s saying, “If Jesus is still in the grave, we’re all liars.”

It’s one thing to be mistaken; it’s another to be a false witness. Were the disciples liars when they said Christ was risen? If so, why would they lie? If Jesus was still in the grave, what did they have to gain?

Among the 12, all but the Apostle John died as martyrs. They were tortured, persecuted, stoned, crushed, humiliated, burned at the stake. They reddened the mouths of lions. Hypocrites and martyrs are not made of the same stuff. People tell lies to get out of trouble, not get into trouble. A man may live for a lie, but few if any will willingly die for a lie.

The disciples said, “Listen! We’ve seen Him! We’ve touched Him! We’ve handled Him!” Are you going to tell me Simon Peter, who tradition says was crucified upside down, was a con man? That John the apostle was a crook? That the Apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament was a known perjurer, deceiver, and false witness? These men would die for a lie?

Of course not. Jesus Christ has indeed risen, as they said!

ACTION POINT

If someone were to ask you, “What proof do you have that Jesus Christ really rose from the dead?”—what would you answer them? Are you prepared with a well-thought-out, logical answer?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

April 13

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD after Ehud died.
2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
3 Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, "Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, 'Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.
7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand'?"
8 Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go."
9 And she said, "I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
13 Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.
14 And Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the LORD go out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.
15 And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot.
16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
17 But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid." So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.
19 And he said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty." So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.
20 And he said to her, "Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say, 'No.'"
21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.
22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking." So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.
23 So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel.
24 And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. - Judges 4

1 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:
2 "That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the LORD! 
3 "Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the LORD I will sing; I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel. 
4 "LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens dropped, yes, the clouds dropped water. 
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, even Sinai before the LORD, the God of Israel. 
6 "In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways. 
7 The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel. 
8 When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel? 
9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the LORD. 
10 "Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets and you who walk by the way. 
11 To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the LORD, the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel. "Then down to the gates marched the people of the LORD. 
12 "Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, break out in a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam. 
13 Then down marched the remnant of the noble; the people of the LORD marched down for me against the mighty. 
14 From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley, following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen; from Machir marched down the commanders, and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant's staff; 
15 the princes of Issachar came with Deborah, and Issachar faithful to Barak; into the valley they rushed at his heels. Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. 
16 Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. 
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, staying by his landings. 
18 Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field. 
19 "The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they got no spoils of silver. 
20 From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. 
21 The torrent Kishon swept them away, the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on, my soul, with might! 
22 "Then loud beat the horses' hoofs with the galloping, galloping of his steeds. 
23 "Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD, curse its inhabitants thoroughly, because they did not come to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. 
24 "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed. 
25 He asked for water and she gave him milk; she brought him curds in a noble's bowl. 
26 She sent her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen's mallet; she struck Sisera; she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple. 
27 Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; between her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell-dead. 
28 "Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice: 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?' 
29 Her wisest princesses answer, indeed, she answers herself, 
30 'Have they not found and divided the spoil?- A womb or two for every man; spoil of dyed materials for Sisera, spoil of dyed materials embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?' 
31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might." And the land had rest for forty years.  - Judges 5

1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! 
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. 
3 They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. 
4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!" 
5 For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant- 
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, 
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 
8 Asshur also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah 
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 
10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground. 
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 
12 who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God." 
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. 
14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, 
15 so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane! 
16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD. 
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, 
18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.  - Psalms 83

13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?
14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.
16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.
18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. - 1 Corinthians 9:13-27

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.
22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet
23 and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live."
24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 
25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.
27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.
28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well."
29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"
31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'"
32 And he looked around to see who had done it.
33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"
36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."
37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping."
40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.
41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."
42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.
43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. - Mark 5:21-43

Sunday, April 12, 2020

The Conquest: Standing in Holy Boldness

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard’”... Acts 4:19-20

 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The religious leaders told Peter and John “you can’t preach a risen Lord.” They didn’t want this message out because of the power of the message. A story is told that one demon said to another: “If those liberal theologians ever really let Jesus out of the grave, Hell help us because all Heaven will break loose!” That’s true! You might as well have told the sun not to shine as to tell Peter and John they could not preach a risen Christ. They had seen Him! They knew He was alive. You could not shut them up. They had no church building and yet they turned their world upside down and inside out for Jesus. You know what we need today? We need an epidemic of Holy Boldness. It’s not arrogance, self-confidence, human courage or presumption. It’s a boldness that comes from spending time in the presence of the living Lord Jesus Christ. His presence compels us. We cannot but speak.

ACTION POINT:

Have you met the risen Christ? If not, He is ready to make all Heaven break loose in your life! If you know Him, are you infected with Holy Boldness; do you need to spend more time in His presence to catch the fever?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

You Cannot Lose in the End


“You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” (Matthew 27:65)

When Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, the Pharisees came to Pilate and asked for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb.

They gave it their best shot — in vain.

It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless. Try as they may, people can’t keep Jesus down. They can’t keep him buried.

It’s not hard to figure out: He can break out because he wasn’t forced in. He let himself be libeled and harassed and blackballed and scorned and shoved around and killed.

I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18)

No one can keep him down because no one ever knocked him down. He lay down when he was ready.

When it looks like he is buried for good, Jesus is doing something awesome in the dark. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:26–27).

The world thinks Jesus is done for — out of the way — but Jesus is at work in the dark places. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He let himself be buried — “no one takes [my life] from me” — and he will come out in power when and where he pleases — “I have authority to take it up again.”

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Jesus has his priesthood today “by the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16).

For twenty centuries, the world has given it their best shot — in vain. They can’t bury him. They can’t hold him in. They can’t silence him or limit him. Jesus is alive and utterly free to go and come wherever he pleases.

Trust him and go with him, no matter what. You cannot lose in the end.


John Piper