Bible Study

Isaiah 42:1-9

The LORD’s Chosen Servant

    [1] Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

        my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

    I have put my Spirit upon him;

        he will bring forth justice to the nations. 

    [2] He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

        or make it heard in the street; 

    [3] a bruised reed he will not break,

        and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

        he will faithfully bring forth justice. 

    [4] He will not grow faint or be discouraged

        till he has established justice in the earth;

        and the coastlands wait for his law.

    [5] Thus says God, the LORD,

        who created the heavens and stretched them out,

        who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

    who gives breath to the people on it

        and spirit to those who walk in it: 

    [6] “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;

        I will take you by the hand and keep you;

    I will give you as a covenant for the people,

        a light for the nations, 

    [7]     to open the eyes that are blind,

    to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

        from the prison those who sit in darkness. 

    [8] I am the LORD; that is my name;

        my glory I give to no other,

        nor my praise to carved idols. 

    [9] Behold, the former things have come to pass,

        and new things I now declare;

    before they spring forth

        I tell you of them.”

    Philippians 2:6-11

[6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 11:2

    [2] And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,

        the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

        the Spirit of counsel and might,

        the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

Isaiah 61:1-2

The Year of the LORD’s Favor

    [1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

        because the LORD has anointed me

    to bring good news to the poor;

        he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim liberty to the captives,

        and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 

    [2] to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

        and the day of vengeance of our God;

        to comfort all who mourn;

You Won’t Always Get What You Want

PRAY OVER THIS

“And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” Matthew 11:2-3

 

PONDER THIS

At the beginning of Matthew 11, John was in prison and sent messengers to ask if Jesus was the promised One of God. Jesus knew John’s heart and did not mistake the moment for the man. Jesus knew John had an honest doubt—John asked an honest question, and he got an honest answer. And look at the tribute Jesus paid to John in verse 11, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.” And John the Baptist continued to serve the Lord up to the point of giving his head for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do you know what real faith is? Real faith is not receiving from God what you want; real faith is accepting from God what He gives. Learn that and you won’t get offended at God. If things don’t work out like you think they should—if you’re serving God but you end up in a dungeon—just remember that God is God. He is good, and He is in control.

How does today’s devotion remind you that you can bring your honest questions before Jesus?

What question do you need to bring before Him today?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time today to journal and write out questions you want to ask God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Church Growth God’s Way

It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:8)

Picture the Old Testament Abraham as a pastor. The Lord says, “I will bless you and prosper your ministry.” But the church is barren and bears no children.

What does Abraham do? He begins to despair of supernatural intervention. He is getting old. His wife remains barren. So he decides to bring about God’s promised son without supernatural intervention. He has sex with Hagar his wife’s handmaid (Genesis 16:4). However, the result is not a “child of the promise,” but a “child of the flesh,” Ishmael.

God stuns Abraham by saying, “I will give you a son by her [your wife Sarah]” (Genesis 17:16). So Abraham cries out to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” (Genesis 17:18). He wants the work of his own natural, human effort to be the fulfillment of God’s promise. But God says, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son” (Genesis 17:19).

But Sarah is 90 years old. She has been barren all her life, and she has already passed through menopause (Genesis 18:11). Abraham is 100. The only hope for a child of promise is stunning, supernatural intervention.

That is what it means to be a “child of the promise” — to be born “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). The only children that count for children of God in this world are supernaturally begotten children of promise. In Galatians 4:28 Paul says, “You [Christians], like Isaac, are children of promise.” You are “born according to the Spirit,” not according to the flesh (Galatians 4:29).

Think of Abraham as a pastor again. His church is not growing the way he believes God promised. He is weary of waiting for supernatural intervention. He turns to the “Hagar” of mere human devices, and decides he can “attract people” without the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

However, it will not be a church of Isaacs, but Ishmaelites — children of the flesh, not children of God. God save us from this kind of fatal success. By all means work. But always look to the Lord for the decisive, supernatural work. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31).

John Piper 

Bible Study

Proverbs 21:31

    [31] 

    The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

        but the victory belongs to the LORD.

Isaiah 31:1-2

Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt

    [1] Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help

        and rely on horses,

    who trust in chariots because they are many

        and in horsemen because they are very strong,

    but do not look to the Holy One of Israel

        or consult the LORD! 

    [2] And yet he is wise and brings disaster;

        he does not call back his words,

    but will arise against the house of the evildoers

        and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.

Psalm 20:7

    [7] Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

        but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 33:17-20

    [17] The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

        and by its great might it cannot rescue.

    [18] Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,

        on those who hope in his steadfast love, 

    [19] that he may deliver their soul from death

        and keep them alive in famine.

    [20] Our soul waits for the LORD;

        he is our help and our shield.

Desperate To Be Rescued

Lord Jesus Come!

Proverbs 24:11

    [11] 

    Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

        hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

While this verse refers to mortal danger, I can't help but relate it to the lost soul.

Those who have not put their faith in Christ as savior are surely in danger of their eternal soul in hell. 

Without Christ there is no hope!

Luke 16:22-31

[22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. [24] And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ [27] And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—[28] for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ [29] But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ [30] And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ [31] He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

These above verses show that as long as you have your being, you can repent and ask Christ to save you. 

At death, Your eternity is sealed.

Consider this carefully.

John 14:6

[6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Ephesians 2:18

[18] For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

John 1:14

[14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 11:25-26

[25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

1 Timothy 2:5-7

[5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. [7] For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Lord, I plead for the lost. Awaken their spirit to Your great mercy. Time is short, give urgency Lord. Amen

1 Corinthians 15:50-57

Mystery and Victory

[50] I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. [51] Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. [53] For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. [54] 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.” 

    [55] “O death, where is your victory?

        O death, where is your sting?”

    [56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

He Cared Enough to Act

PRAY OVER THIS

“Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” John 20:29

 

PONDER THIS

Suppose you’ve saved all your life for a vacation. The time for your trip has finally come, and you’re in Hawaii. You’re in the finest hotel. You and your spouse are celebrating without a care in the world. The weather is perfect. The food is sumptuous. You’re having a wonderful time. And let’s suppose that you’ve left your children home in the care of someone else, and one of your children is in an automobile accident while you’re in Hawaii. Would you want to know about it? Would you want somebody to get on the phone and call you and mess up your vacation? Or would you say, “Don’t bother me. We’re having a wonderful time. Yes, I understand that my child has been hurt, but I don’t want to know about it.” Every parent knows the answer, right? “Yes, I want to know. Forget the vacation.”

That’s why Jesus left Heaven. He could have said, “I just don’t want to know. I just don’t care.” But He’s a God of love. And He loved us so much that He stepped out of glory. He loved us so much that He walked the dusty shores and the streets of Nazareth and the sandy beach of Galilee. He loved us so much that He carried the cross to Golgotha and died in agony and blood. And those scars Thomas saw there in His hands say that He’s a saving God. He has paid for our sins with His own blood.

How do the actions and work of Jesus show you how much God loves you?

How does imagining the scenario of loving earthly parents help you see God’s love for you?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time to read John 18–20 to see how Jesus’ love for you caused Him to act.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Six Things It Means to Be in Christ Jesus

[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. (2 Timothy 1:9)

Being “in Christ Jesus” is a stupendous reality. It is breathtaking to be united to Christ. Bound to Christ.

If you are “in Christ” listen to what it means for you:

In Christ Jesus you were given grace before the world was created. Second Timothy 1:9, “He gave us grace in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”

In Christ Jesus you were chosen by God before creation. Ephesians 1:4, “[God] chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world.”

In Christ Jesus you are loved by God with an inseparable love. Romans 8:38–39, “I am sure 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.”

In Christ Jesus you were redeemed and forgiven for all your sins. Ephesians 1:7, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.”

In Christ Jesus you are justified before God and the righteousness of God in Christ is imputed to you. Second Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake [God] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In Christ Jesus you have become a new creation and a son of God. Second Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Galatians 3:26, “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

I pray that you will never grow weary of exploring and exulting in the inexhaustible privilege of being “in Christ Jesus.”

John Piper