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9/04/2023     Yesterday     Tomorrow


Ezekiel  18 - 20



Ezekiel 18

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

Ezekiel 18:1     The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

5 “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— 6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, 7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 8 does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, 9 walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.

10 “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11 (though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, 13 lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.

14 “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: 15 he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 16 does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 17 withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

Ezekiel 19

A Lament for the Princes of Israel

Ezekiel 19:1     And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2 and say:

What was your mother? A lioness!
Among lions she crouched;
in the midst of young lions
she reared her cubs.
3  And she brought up one of her cubs;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured men.
4  The nations heard about him;
he was caught in their pit,
and they brought him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
5  When she saw that she waited in vain,
that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.
6  He prowled among the lions;
he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
he devoured men,
7  and seized their widows.
He laid waste their cities,
and the land was appalled and all who were in it
at the sound of his roaring.
8  Then the nations set against him
from provinces on every side;
they spread their net over him;
he was taken in their pit.
9  With hooks they put him in a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon;
they brought him into custody,
that his voice should no more be heard
on the mountains of Israel.

10  Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard
planted by the water,
fruitful and full of branches
by reason of abundant water.
11  Its strong stems became
rulers’ scepters;
it towered aloft
among the thick boughs;
it was seen in its height
with the mass of its branches.
12  But the vine was plucked up in fury,
cast down to the ground;
the east wind dried up its fruit;
they were stripped off and withered.
As for its strong stem,
fire consumed it.
13  Now it is planted in the wilderness,
in a dry and thirsty land.
14  And fire has gone out from the stem of its shoots,
has consumed its fruit,
so that there remains in it no strong stem,
no scepter for ruling.

This is a lamentation and has become a lamentation.

Ezekiel 20

Israel’s Continuing Rebellion

Ezekiel 20:1     In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me. 2 And the word of the LORD came to me: 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you. 4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Let them know the abominations of their fathers, 5 and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God. 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. 7 And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.’ 8 But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. 14 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands, 16 because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless, my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or make a full end of them in the wilderness.

18 “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’ 21 But the children rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, 24 because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were set on their fathers’ idols. 25 Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, 26 and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know that I am the LORD.

27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by dealing treacherously with me. 28 For when I had brought them into the land that I swore to give them, then wherever they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 (I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.)

30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? 31 When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 “What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.’

The LORD Will Restore Israel

33 “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD. 37 I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

39 “As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord GOD: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.

40 “For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”

45  And the word of the LORD came to me: 46 “Son of man, set your face toward the southland; preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb. 47 Say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it. 48 All flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” 49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not a maker of parables?’ ”

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What I'm Reading

The Trinity is Not A Problem, It’s A Solution

By J. Warner Wallace 5/4/2016

     Some would say that the Bible presents an irreconcilable dilemma. Both the New and Old Testament declare that there is only one God. Verses like Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Isaiah 43:10, James 2:19, 1 Corinthians 8:4, 6 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6 make it rather clear; the writers of Jewish and Christian scripture proclaimed the existence of a single, solitary God. While this is the consistent message of the Bible, another thorny truth is also proclaimed: the Bible teaches that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all God:

(Dt 6:4–r) 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. NRSV

(Is 43:10) 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. NRSV

(Jas 2:19) 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! NRSV

(1 Co 8:4–6) 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. NRSV

(1 Ti 2:5–6) 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. NRSV

     All Three Are the All-Powerful Creator (Omnipotent)

(Is 64:8) 8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. NRSV

(Jn 1:3) 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. NRSV

(Job 33:4) 4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. NRSV

     All Three Are All-Present (Omnipresent)

(1 Ki 8:27) 27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! NRSV

(Mt 28:20) 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” NRSV

(Ps 139:7–10) 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. NRSV

     All Three Are All-Loving (Omnibenevolent)

(Jn 3:16) 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. NRSV

(Eph 5:25) 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, NRSV

(Ro 15:30–31) 30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, NRSV

     All Three Are Called “God”

(Php 1:2) 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. NRSV

(Jn 1:1) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. NRSV

(Ac 5:3–4) 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” NRSV

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J. Warner Wallace is a Cold-Case Detective, a Christian Case Maker, and the author of:

In Awe of Her God Joni’s Fifty Years of Counting Quadriplegia Joy

By Vaneetha Rendall Risner 7/30/2017

     This weekend marks fifty years since the diving accident that left Joni Eareckson Tada with quadriplegia. Fifty years of relying on others to meet her physical needs. Fifty years of pressing on in the midst of weakness, fatigue, and pain. Fifty years of trusting God to provide.

     On July 30, 1967, when she was seventeen years old, Joni was paralyzed from the neck down after she dove into deceptively shallow water in the Chesapeake Bay. The early weeks and months were excruciating, and she despaired of even smiling again. But by God’s grace, fifty years later, she is full of grace and laughter, praising Jesus and counting it all joy.

     In her latest devotional, A Spectacle of Glory: God's Light Shining through Me Every Day, Joni shares, “I happened to hear recently the old Beatles classic ‘Here Comes the Sun’ — a song I listened to when I was first injured. It reminded me of the dark, depressing days in the hospital when I thought I would never smile again, would never see the sunlight of hope. And now, nearly fifty years later, I still find myself thinking, how in the world did I ever make it?

     “But here I am, living in joyful hope as though it were sunshine. How did that happen? Here’s how: day after day, month after month, year after year, I simply cast myself on Jesus. I clung to his name, crying out constantly, ‘O Jesus!’”

     The Worst Part | This week I had the privilege of speaking with Ama Cruz, who helps serve Joni and her husband Ken in their home. Every morning someone arrives from her wake-up crew, affectionately known as her “Get-Up Girls.” They get her ready regardless of whether Joni has slept well or not, whether she’s in agony or not, whether she wants to get up or not. Because she relies on helpers who are scheduled in advance, Joni doesn’t have the luxury of changing her mind at the last minute. Joni can’t hit the snooze alarm and decide she wants a little more sleep.

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     Vaneetha Rendall Risner is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to Desiring God. She blogs at danceintherain.com, although she doesn’t like rain and has no sense of rhythm. Vaneetha is married to Joel and has two daughters, Katie and Kristi. She and Joel live in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Vaneetha Rendall Risner Books

The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering

By John Walvoord

The Law’s Requirement of Reconciliation Before Sacrifice

     Matthew 5:21–26. The law was clear that one should not murder another, but the full application of the law indicated that one should be careful even about speaking foolishly, such as calling a person a fool (v.  22 ). If one was offering a sacrifice but had not settled things with his brother, one should settle things first with him and then bring one’s sacrifice (vv.  23–26 ).

The Law Applied to Adultery and Divorce

     Matthew 5:27–32. Though divorce was easily accomplished in the Old Testament, looking at a woman in lust is adultery, and divorce should be granted only for marital unfaithfulness (vv.  28, 32 ).

The Application of the Law to Oaths, Resisting Evil People, and Generous Giving as a Fulfillment of the Spiritual Character of the Law

     Matthew 5:33–42. Careless oaths will bring trouble both in time and eternity (vv.  33–36 ). Retaliation of evil for evil is also forbidden (vv.  38–39 ). Likewise, one should not resist if another wants to rob him or take his cloak or borrow money (vv.  40–42 ). These commands are illustrative of the ultimate character of the law, which, in these instances, will not be able to achieve full application until the millennial kingdom.

Loving One’s Enemies

     Matthew 5:43–48; Luke 6:27–36. Though the law instructed to love your neighbor, the highest application of the law would be loving one’s enemies ( Matt. 5:43–45 ). Even worldly tax collectors loved those who rewarded them (vv.  46–47 ). The perfect standard, of course, is God’s love to us embodied in the exhortation to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v.  48 ).

     The gospel of  Luke, which also records this portion of the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizes the need to love your neighbor ( Luke 6:27–36 ). Likewise, we should not judge others but forgive them (v.  37 ). The law provided that Jews should be generous; they would be blessed in proportion as they were generous to others (v.  38 ). Luke also expanded on the need not to judge by using an illustration of a person who has a large obstacle in his own eye and attempts to take the speck out of his brother’s eye. Instead, such a person should clear up his own eyesight first ( Luke 6:41–42 ).

The Life of Faith Forbids Hypocrisy

     Matthew 6:1–8. When acting righteously, an individual should not display his act to be seen by men, for this will prohibit his getting a reward in heaven (v.  1 ). Our giving of our substance should be in secret lest we lose our eternal reward (vv.  2–3 ). Prayer should be devoid of hypocrisy and not be given in public in order to be heard by men (v.  5 ). Instead, the ideal is to pray in secret, avoiding vain repetition, recognizing that God knows our request before we give it (vv.  6–8 ).

The Model Prayer

     Matthew 6:9–15; Luke 11:1–4. This prayer, offered as a model by Christ to His disciples, has present application as well as future fulfillment. It anticipates the future kingdom (v.  10 ). It exhorts to forgive now those who sin against us in view of God’s future forgiveness of us (v.  12 ). The promise was reiterated that if we forgive men, God will forgive us. This forgiveness is on the family level rather than on the judicial level as, obviously, Christians are justified by faith and do not need forgiveness in the judicial sense.

Hypocrisy Again Denounced

     Matthew 6:16–18. When the disciples fasted, they were instructed not to disfigure themselves or make it obvious that they were fasting. Rather, God should be considered as the witness to what they were doing, and reward was promised (vv.  17–18 ). Treasure in heaven is contrasted to treasure on earth.

Treasures in Heaven

     Matthew 6:19–34. Jesus reminded them that earthly treasures can be stolen or spoiled. Those who have their treasure in heaven have it in a safe place (vv.  19–21 ). Coveting money is also contrary to God’s will (vv.  22–23 ). One cannot serve money and serve God at the same time (v.  24 ).

     Proper understanding that earthly treasure is temporary does much to take away worry about this life (v.  25 ). Jesus used the illustration of birds that were fed by their heavenly Father. If God feeds them, He also will take care of us (v.  26 ). After all, worry does not add anything to life (v.  27 ). This was illustrated by the lilies of the field and the grass of the field, which are only temporary in their value (vv.  28–32 ). The basic law is stated, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (v.  33 ). In these exhortations, as many others in the Sermon on the Mount, the present is linked to future reward and future riches. The life of faith, as illustrated in  Matthew 6, is impossible without realization of the real riches that are stored in heaven.

Unjust Criticism Condemned

     Matthew 7:1–6; Luke 6:37–45. Keeping the spiritual principles of the kingdom involves not being involved in judging others when we should be considering our own shortcoming ( Matt. 7:1–5 ).

Jesus’ Encouraging His Disciples to Pray

     Matthew 7:7–11; cf. Luke 11:5–13. Jesus again encouraged the disciples to pray for present blessings as well as future reward. Just as a father would not give his son a stone instead of bread ( Matt. 7:9 ) or a snake instead of a fish (v.  10 ), like a good earthly father, God can give good gifts to His children.

The Golden Rule

     Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31. The basic law of serving others well, as we would expect them to serve us, is the essence of the Law and the Prophets ( Matt. 7:12 ), and what we do will have eternal reward.

The Two Ways

     Matthew 7:13–27; Luke 6:43–49. The Sermon on the Mount closed with emphasis on the fact that men constantly have to choose between two ways. The way to salvation is narrow, and only a few find it, often because they are not seeking it ( Matt. 7:13–14 ). False prophets can be contrasted to true prophets and are recognized by their fruit (vv.  15–20 ). Their fruit also will be a basis for judgment in eternity.

     The contrast between true faith and false profession also will have its ultimate revelation (vv.  21–23 ).

     The ultimate illustration of the two ways was presented as a contrast between true foundations and false foundations. A house constructed by a wise man will be built upon a rock (v.  24 ). The foolish man will build his house upon the sand (v.  26 ). When tested by the rain and the storm, the house on the rock endures; the house on the sand crumbles (vv.  25, 27 ). Even a life built on ethical principles will not survive unless it is built on true faith in God and reliance on His grace for salvation. Though some other exhortations will have their complete fulfillment in the millennial kingdom, many of the truths revealed here apply to the present life as well as to the future.

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Every Prophecy of the Bible: Clear Explanations for Uncertain Times

Regeneration Is Monergistic

By Steven J. Lawson 5/24/2017

     There may be no truth in the Bible more deeply loved and greatly cherished than the subject of the new birth. Here is the grace-centered message of a new beginning for those whose lives have been ruined by sin. Here is the life-changing truth that sinful men can be made new. When the new birth is caused by God, old things pass away—old practices, old cravings, old habits, old addictions, and old associations. Behold, new things come—new desires, new pursuits, and new passions. An entirely new life begins. Nothing could be more positive than this. It is no wonder that the truth of the new birth is so beloved.

     Yet despite its great appeal, the new birth may be the most misunderstood doctrine in Scripture. Most people naively imagine that there is something they can do to cause themselves to be born again. They hear a well-meaning person say, “Believe and be born again,” and suppose that they can. So they try to effect their own regeneration. But this they cannot do. In attempting it, they are like someone who imagines he caused himself to be born physically. Did he meet with his parents and ask to be born? Did he initiate his own birth? Of course not. The truth is, the initiative in birth lies outside of the one being born. He is merely part of a process that started long before he came into being. His parents acted, then God acted. And as a result, that individual was brought into the world. He did not cause his own birth to happen.

     The same is true regarding spiritual birth. If you have experienced the new birth, it is not because you initiated it. Rather, it was an event that God brought about in you. More specifically, you were not born again because you exercised faith. In truth, the new birth preceded your faith and produced it. Saving faith is the fruit of regeneration, not the root of it. The biblically correct order of salvation—known in theological language as the ordo salutis—is not “Believe and be born again,” but the very opposite: “Be born again and believe.” The living God must act upon the spiritually dead soul and cause it to be born again. The new birth is by divine choice and sovereign initiative. God’s will affects the human will, not vice versa. Scripture intentionally uses the imagery of birth to underscore this essential truth of the sovereignty of God in regeneration.

     John Murray, one of the foremost theologians of the twentieth century, affirmed the divine initiative in the new birth when he wrote:

     “For entrance into the kingdom of God we are wholly dependent upon the action of the Holy Spirit, an action … which is compared to that on the part of our parents by which we were born into the world. We are as dependent upon the Holy Spirit as we are upon the action of our parents in connection with our natural birth. We were not begotten by our father because we decided to be. And we were not born of our mother because we decided to be. We were simply begotten and we were born. We did not decide to be born…. If this privilege is ours it is because the Holy Spirit willed it and here all rests upon the Holy Spirit’s decision and action. He begets or bears when and where He pleases.”

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     Steven J. Lawson is president of OnePassion Ministries, a ministry designed to bring about biblical reformation in the church today, as well as the Professor of Preaching in the masters and doctoral programs at The Master's Seminary, Sun Valley, California.

     Steven J. Lawson | Go to Books Page

The Music of Praise (Prayer)

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

     O THOU blessed God, we must be helped of Thy Spirit or we cannot worship Thee aright. Behold the holy angels adore Thee, and the hosts redeemed by blood bring everlasting Hallelujahs to Thy feet. What are we, the creatures of a day, polluted with sin, that we should think that we can praise thee ? And yet the music of praise were not complete if Thy children did not join in it, even those of them who are still in this world below. Help us, then ; enable us to tune our harps and to fetch forth music from our spirit.

     Verily, Lord, if there are any creatures in the world that can praise Thee we ought to do so. Each one among us feels that he has some special reason for gratitude. Lord, it is an unspeakable mercy to know Thee—to know Thee as our reconciled God, to know Thee as our Father in Christ Jesus, who has forgiven us all our trespasses. Oh ! it is unspeakably sweet to come and rest in Thee, and to know that there is now no cause of quarrel between us and Thee ; on the contrary, that we are bound to one another by a covenant which in infinite tenderness and mercy Thou hast made, that Thy people might have strong consolation, and might boldly take hold on Thee.

     Oh! the joy of knowing that we are Thine for ever, thine in the trials of life, and thine in the last dread trial of death, and then Thine in resurrection, thine throughout eternity. We do therefore worship Thee, O God, not as a constraining nor under terror or pressure, but cheerfully and gladly, ascribing unto Thee praise, and power, and dominion, and glory, and honour, world without end.

     We wish we knew how to do something for Thee. We pray that we may be helped to do so ere we die ; yea, that every flying hour may confess that we have brought Thy Gospel some renown ; that we may so live as to extend the Redeemer's kingdom at least in some little measure ; that ours may not be a fruitless, wasted life ; that no faculty of ours may lay by and rust ; but to the utmost of our capacity may we be helped of the Divine Spirit to spend our whole life in real adoration.

     We know that he prays that serves, he praises that gives, he adores that obeys, and the life is the best music. Oh! set it to good music, we pray Thee, and help us all through to keep to each note, and may there be no false note in all the singing of our life, but all be according to that sacred score which is written out so fully in the life music of our Lord.

     We beseech Thee to look down upon Thy children, and cheer us. Lord, lift us up. Come, Holy Spirit, like a fresh, bracing wind, and let our spirit, through Thy Spirit, rise upward toward God.

     We would with much shame-facedness acknowledge our transgressions and sins. There are some that never felt the burden of sin at all. Lord, lay it on them ; press them with it. Almighty God, vex their souls ; let them find no rest till they find rest in Thee. May they never be content to live and die in sin, but of Thine infinite mercy come to them, and make them sorry for their sin.

     As for Thy people we are grieved to think that we do not live better than we do. Blessed be Thy name for every fruit of holiness, for every work of faith, but oh! for more. Thou hast changed the tree ; it is no longer a bramble ; it can bring forth figs, but now we want to bring forth more of these sweet fruits.

     The Lord make us to love Christ intensely, to love the souls of men most heartily, to love Thy truth with earnestness, to love the name of Jesus above everything. May we be ravished with the sound of it. The Lord give us to have every grace, not only love, but faith, and hope, and holy gentleness, meekness, patience, brotherly love. Build us up, we pray Thee, Lord, in all knowledge, and in all experience, and give us with this submission to Thy will, holy resignation, great watchfulness, much carefulness in our speech, that we may rule the tongue, and so rule the whole body.

     The Lord pour out His Spirit upon us that every chamber of our nature may be sweetened and perfumed with the indwelling of God, till our imagination shall only delight in things chaste and pure ; till our memory shall cast out the vile stuff from the dark chambers ; till we shall expect and long for heavenly things, and our treasure shall all be in heaven and our heart be there. Take our highest manhood, Lord, and saturate it in Thy love, till like Gideon's fleece it is filled with dew, every lock and every single fleck of it, not a single portion of it left unmoistened by the dew from heaven.

     How we do bless Thee for many that are striving to walk as Christ walked, and who are also trying to bring others to Christ. O Lord help us in this struggle after holiness and usefulness ; and as Thou hast given to many the desire of their hearts in this respect up to a certain measure ; now enlarge their hearts, and give them more both of holiness and usefulness. Oh ! give us to be like trees planted by the rivers of water, that we ourselves may be vigorous, and then give us to bring forth abundant fruit according to our season, to the praise and glory of God.

     Our desire is that we may be quickened in our progress toward the celestial life. Visit us with Thy salvation. Lord, let us not only have life, but let us have it more abundantly. May we every one of us quicken His pace, and may we run more earnestly than ever toward the mark that is set before us.

     O God, send us better days than these, we pray Thee. We thank Thee for all the light there is, but send us more light. We thank Thee for what life there is among Christians, but send more of it. Bind the churches together in unity, and then give them such speed, such force, such power that they shall break into the ranks of the adversary, and the victory shall be unto Christ and to His people.

     Remember our dear country. Bless the Sovereign. Remember all those that lead our legislature. Be gracious unto all ranks and conditions of men. Have mercy upon all that are poor and needy, all that are sick and sorrowing, and that are tossed upon the sea. Remember the prisoners and such as have no helper. Be gracious to such as are in the article of death ; and, finally, let the day come when the Sun shall shine forth in all His brightness, even Christ Jesus shall be manifested, to be admired in them that believe, and to make glad the whole creation. Make no tarrying, O Thou Sun of Righteousness, but come forth speedily. We ask it for Thy name's sake. Amen.

The Prayers You Need Most Are Not Your Own

By Bart Byl 7/21/2017

     You will not endure as a Christian without powerful, effective prayer.

     That might be a frightening thought at first blush. If you’re like me, your prayer life feels inadequate. You feel more like the faltering father of the demon-possessed boy (Mark 9:24) than a faith-filled Elijah (James 5:17–18).

     But that does not mean powerful, effective prayer for your needs does not exist. Because of our weakness in this period between Jesus’s first and second comings, the Father has sent us another Helper. Now, when we have no idea what to pray for, he steps in:

     Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)

     The way the Spirit helps us is surprising. If we don’t know what to pray for, you’d expect the Holy Spirit would help by, you know, telling us what to pray for. If not that, perhaps he would help us understand God’s plans in Scripture better, or give us prophetic words about what he’s doing. But instead, “the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The Holy Spirit constantly intercedes for us.

Click here to go to source

     Bart Byl is an entrepreneur and an MA student at Regent College. He lives in the former Soviet republic of Georgia with his wife and children, where he is involved in international student outreach.

Does My Sex Life Affect My Prayer Life?

By John Piper 7/17/2017

     Here’s the whole verse: “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer.” That’s where he stops. Here’s the rest of it: “But then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7:5).

     The Paradox | Now what’s paradoxical about this is that, on the one hand, Paul sees the suspension of sexual relations as a means of intensified devotion to prayer, presumably because the couple wants a breakthrough and some answer to prayer because the devil is doing something they don’t want him to do.

     They want to resist the devil — resist unrighteousness that he’s promoting. Abstaining from sexual relations for prayer is a way of making war on Satan.

     But then, on the other hand, Paul says the married couple should come back together and continue to have sexual relations so that Satan may not tempt you. This means that regular relations in marriage is a weapon against satanic triumphs. So abstaining from sexual relations for prayer is a weapon against Satan, and carrying on regular sexual relations is a weapon against Satan. That’s the paradox.

     Maintaining Balance | I think this is really important to see because it means that, in God’s design of the world and of human life, his pattern for ordinary things like sleeping, exercising, eating, and sexual relations in marriage all have their place in maintaining appropriate spiritual equilibrium that keeps us from being knocked off balance by Satan.

Click here to go to source

     John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books.

John Piper Books:

     John Piper | Go to Books Page

Read The Psalms In "1" Year

Psalm 97

The LORD Reigns
97

8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

ESV Study Bible

The Coming of the Kingdom part 14

By Dr. Andrew Woods 04/14/2013

Evangelical Confusion

Because today's evangelical world believes that the church is experiencing the Messianic kingdom, we began a study chronicling what the Bible teaches about the kingdom. This earthly kingdom is anticipated in the office of Theocratic Administrator that was lost in Eden, in the biblical covenants, in the predictions of the Old Testament prophets, and in the earthly theocracy governing Israel from the time of Moses to Zedekiah. This theocratic arrangement terminated with the initiation of the "Times of the Gentiles" when the nation had no king reigning on David's Throne as Judah was trampled by various Gentile powers. Against that backdrop entered Jesus Christ, the rightful Heir to David's Throne. Had first-century Israel enthroned Christ, the earthly kingdom would have become a reality. Despite this unprecedented opportunity, Israel rejected the kingdom offer leading to the kingdom's postponement.

Due to this postponement, Christ explained the spiritual conditions that would prevail during the kingdom's absence. This interim program includes His revelation of the kingdom mysteries and the church ( Matt. 13; 16:18). Because neither the kingdom mysteries nor the church represent the fulfillment of God's Old Testament kingdom promises, the kingdom will remain in a state of abeyance as long as God's present work in the world continues through His interim program. However, one day the church's mission on the earth will be completed resulting in the church's removal from the earth through the rapture. Then God, who is not forgetful of His prior unconditional covenants with Israel, will re-extend the offer of the kingdom to national Israel in the midst of the coming Great Tribulation. Unlike at the First Advent, this time the offer will be accepted leading to Christ's return and subsequent earthly kingdom.  Revelation therefore explains how the world will eventually transition from the rule that Satan has had over the world ever since the Fall in Eden ( Luke 4:5-8 ) to the future time in history when God and His people "will reign upon the earth" ( Rev. 5:10b; 11:15b ). The Apocalypse also furnishes the important detail of the Messianic kingdom's duration, namely one-thousand years ( Rev. 20:1-10 ).

Revelation 20:1–10 (NASB95) 1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a  thousand years;  3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the  thousand years  were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. 4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a  thousand years.  5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the  thousand years  were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a  thousand years.  7 When the  thousand years  are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Kingdom And The Eternal State

A chronological approach to the Book of  Revelation reveals that the Millennial kingdom will be followed by the Eternal State. Thus, it becomes necessary to trace God's kingdom program beyond Christ's one-thousand year earthly reign. Chafer observes that the transition from the Messianic kingdom to the Eternal kingdom ( Rev. 21-22 ) will be marked by seven events. They include:

1. the release of Satan from the abyss, 2. the revolt on earth with judgments upon Satan and his armies, 3. the passing of the old heaven and old earth, 4. the great white throne judgment, 5. creation of a new heaven and new earth, 6. the descent of the bridal city from God out of heaven, and 7. the surrender of the mediatorial aspect of Christ's reign and adjustment to the eternal state immediately following. [1]

Although much ink could be spilled discussing each of the items, only four points will be highlighted.

First, only after the defeat of Satan ( Rev. 20:10 ) will God destroy the present earth and replace it with the new heaven and earth ( Rev 21:1 ). Why such a precise chronology? This order relates to a point that was brought out early on in this series. According to Ryrie,   "Because He must be triumphant in the same arena where He was seemingly defeated. His rejection by the rulers of this world was on this earth...His exaltation must also be on this earth."  [2] In other words, because the office of Theocratic Administrator was lost to this world it must be restored to this world. Yet, with the accomplishment of the earthly, one-thousand-year reign of Christ, this divine prerogative has been fulfilled. Thus, God is now free to start anew. He does so with the destruction of the present heavens and earth and the creation of the new heaven and earth.

Second, while some today argue the new heaven and earth are simply a renovation of the present heavens and earth, it is better to see them as a new creation entirely. In other words, the new heaven and earth will be an ex nihilo (something out of nothing) creation. Therefore, the new heaven and earth will be similar to God's creation of the original heavens and earth as recorded in  Genesis 1. Several reasons make this contention tenable. [3] Unlike the present creation which is contaminated by sin ( Rom. 8:20-22 ) that even extends into the Messianic kingdom ( Zech. 14:16-18; Isa. 65:20; Rev. 20:7-10 ), the new creation will be completely free of sin and its influence ( Rev. 21:4 ). Moreover, Peter's description of the final destruction of the present heavens and earth by fire ( 2 Pet. 3:7, 10-11, 13 ) seems incompatible with a renovation perspective. Many other areas of Scripture similarly speak of the complete destruction of the present world ( Matt. 24:35; 1 Cor. 7:31; Heb. 1:10-12; 1 John 2:17 ). Also, the topography and geography of the coming new heaven and earth is described differently than the present heavens and earth. While the seas ( Gen. 1:9-10 ) constitute close to seventy-five percent of the earth's surface, no sea will be present in the new world ( Rev. 21:1b ). Although the luminaries such as the sun, moon and stars are a part of our world ( Gen. 1:14-19 ), such luminaries will be absent from the new world ( Rev. 21:23; 22:5 ). Although the notion of a renovated earth may fit the transition from the present world into the earthly Messianic kingdom, it seems incompatible with the transition from the Messianic kingdom into the Eternal State.

Some maintain that the verb translated "passed away" (aperchomai) in  John's description of the passing away of the present world does not convey total eradication.  Revelation 21:1 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away..." However, this identical Greek word is used a few verses later in  Revelation 21:4 in a context that speaks of complete elimination.  Revelation 21:4 says, "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." "Passed away" in  Revelation 21:4 means total elimination since it is speaking of sin and its consequences (tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain). If "passed away" means total elimination in  Revelation 21:4, then why shouldn't John's use of the identical word a few verses earlier also not convey this same meaning. [4]

Others note that Peter exemplifies the destruction of the world through Noah's flood as a paradigm for how God will destroy the present earth ( 2 Pet. 3:6, 10-13 ). Thus, they argue that just as the transition from the prediluvian to the post-flood world involved a renovated earth, then the transition from the Millennial kingdom into the Eternal State will also involve a renovated rather than a completely new earth. They base their argument on  2 Peter 3:6, "through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water." If such terminology does not mean eradication of the earth, then neither should it carry this meaning in  Revelation 21:1a. However, Peter was not speaking of the flood's impact upon the earth. Rather, he was explaining that the flood destroyed all of humanity (except the eight on the Ark). The Greek word kosmos translated "world" can sometimes refer to humanity ( John 3:16 ) rather than to the physical earth. In sum, while the Messianic kingdom will take place on the present earth, the Eternal kingdom will involve a completely new earth.

Third, the literal nature of the Eternal State must not escape notice. In  Revelation 21-22 while describing the Eternal kingdom, John uses several terms which are typically assigned a literal significance when used elsewhere in Scripture. A few such terms include the words "city," "Jerusalem" ( 21:2 ), "gold," "jasper," "glass," "wall" ( 21:18 ), "square," "miles" ( 21:16 ), "high" ( 21:12 ), "seventy-two yards" ( 21:17 ), "gates" ( 21:12 ), "pearls" ( 21:21 ), "tribes" ( 21:12 ), "foundations," "apostles" ( 21:14 ), "street" ( 21:21 ), "river" ( 22:1 ), "tree of life" ( 22:2 ), "fruit," "month," "nations," and "leaves." Although many more terms could be cited, these alone are sufficient to convey the literal nature of the Eternal kingdom. Just as the Messianic kingdom will be an earthly, literal, physical experience, the Eternal kingdom will have this same literal aspect.

Fourth, because of the Davidic Covenant's ( 2 Sam. 7:12-16 ) eternal nature, the reign of Christ on David's Throne will continue indefinitely even into the Eternal kingdom.  Second Samuel 7:13 says, "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."  2 Samuel 7:16 similarly says, "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever". Other verses which speak of the eternality of the Davidic Throne and Kingdom include  Ps. 89:3-4, 34-37; 45:6; 72:5, 17; Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 33:14-17, 20-21; Ezek. 37:24-28; Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14; Luke 1:30-33; 1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 11:15. Chafer explains the eternal Davidic kingdom and its "adjustment to the eternal state" as follows:

The delivery to God of a now unmarred kingdom does not imply the release of authority on the part of the Son...The distinction to be noted lies between the presentation to the Father of a restored authority and the supposed abrogation of a throne on the part of the Son. The latter is neither required in the text nor even intimated. The picture presented in  Revelation 22:3 is of the new Jerusalem in the eternal state, and it is declared that "the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it." [5]

Thus, the rule of the Father through the last Adam, God the Son, over creation will continue eternally in the New Heavens and Earth. John summarizes, "They will reign forever and ever" ( Rev. 22:5 ).

Continue Reading (Part 15 on Sept 5 web page)

ENDNOTES
[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 8 vols. (Dallas: Dallas Seminary, 1948), 5:359.
[2] Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology (Wheaton: Victor, 1986), 511.
[3] Thomas L. Constable, "Revelation," online: www.soniclight.com, accessed 22 January 2013, 199-200.
[4] Mark Hitchcock, 101 Answers to Questions About the Book of Revelation (Eugene: Harvest, 2012), 233.
[5] Chafer, Systematic Theology, 5:360, 373-74.

     Dr. Andrew Woods Books

Note I copied this article from The Bible Prophecy Blog.

Dr. Andrew Woods Ministry Page, YouTube Channel, and Church.

The Continual Burnt Offering (Acts 12:5)

By H.A. Ironside - 1941

September 4
Acts 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. 6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.    ESV


     God is better than our faith. While it is true that He has said He will do for us “according to your faith,” nevertheless He is not restricted in the exercise of His loving kindness by our failure to lay hold on His promises. The church in Jerusalem prayed for Peter’s deliverance, but they had a very faulty understanding both of God’s power and His readiness to hear and answer. At best perhaps, they hoped grace might be given the apostle to endure a long imprisonment with eventual deliverance, or to triumph in the hour of death. But while they prayed God answered and did exceeding abundantly above their asking or thinking. And so it often is today. Our faith at best is a poor feeble thing. His grace is an all-sufficient dynamic energy that refuses to be restrained by the feebleness of our understanding or the poverty of our expectation.

There is an eye that never sleeps beneath the wing of night;
There is an ear that never shuts when sink the beams of light.
There is an arm that never tires when human strength gives way;
There is a love that never fails, when earthly loves decay.
But there’s a power which man can wield when mortal aid is vain.
That eye, that arm, that love to reach, that listening ear to gain.
That power is prayer, which soars on high through Jesus to the throne;
And moves the Hand which moves the world, to bring salvation down.

The Continual Burnt Offering: Daily Meditations on the Word of God


  • Defeating
    Discontentment
  • Five Ways of
    St Thomas Aquinas
  • Why Study
    Jewish Philosophy

#1 11-08-2021 | John MacArthur

 

#2 Discussion | University of Nottingham

 

#3 Discussion | University of Nottingham

 


     Devotionals, notes, poetry and more

American Minute
     by Bill Federer

     In the dead of winter, 1842, clad in buckskin breeches, fur leggings and moccasins, he trekked 4000 miles, in a race against time, from his mission in the Oregon wilderness to Washington, DC to plead with President Tyler not to give the land to Britain. He then led the first wagon trains across the Oregon Trail. This was Dr. Marcus Whitman, born this day, September 4, 1802. President Harding described: “Never… has there been a finer example of civilization following Christianity… Missionaries led under… the cross and… settlers… close behind under the star-spangled symbol.”

American Minute
Lean Into God
     Compiled by Richard S. Adams


The quest for the eternal,
all-beautiful, all-true and all-pure,
and the quest to be close to the poor
and the most broken people appear to be so contradictory.
And yet, in the broken heart of Christ,
these two quests are united.
--- Jean Vanier


The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground, and we must be on our guard at all times.
--- Warren Wiersbe”
The Bumps Are What You Climb On: Encouragement for Difficult Days

The essence of Christian obedience is not do’s and don’ts but personal allegiance to Jesus.
--- Timothy Keller

Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee, can rid me of this dark unrest, and set my spirit free.
--- Horatius Bonar

... from here, there and everywhere

History of the Destruction of Jerusalem
     Thanks to Meir Yona

     4. Thus spake Jesus; yet did not the multitude of the Idumeans give any attention to what he said, but were in a rage, because they did not meet with a ready entrance into the city. The generals also had indignation at the offer of laying down their arms, and looked upon it as equal to a captivity, to throw them away at any man's injunction whomsoever. But Simon, the son of Cathlas, one of their commanders, with much ado quieted the tumult of his own men, and stood so that the high priests might hear him, and said as follows: "I can no longer wonder that the patrons of liberty are under custody in the temple, since there are those that shut the gates of our common city 8 to their own nation, and at the same time are prepared to admit the Romans into it; nay, perhaps are disposed to crown the gates with garlands at their coming, while they speak to the Idumeans from their own towers, and enjoin them to throw down their arms which they have taken up for the preservation of its liberty. And while they will not intrust the guard of our metropolis to their kindred, profess to make them judges of the differences that are among them; nay, while they accuse some men of having slain others without a legal trial, they do themselves condemn a whole nation after an ignominious manner, and have now walled up that city from their own nation, which used to be open to even all foreigners that came to worship there. We have indeed come in great haste to you, and to a war against our own countrymen; and the reason why we have made such haste is this, that we may preserve that freedom which you are so unhappy as to betray. You have probably been guilty of the like crimes against those whom you keep in custody, and have, I suppose, collected together the like plausible pretenses against them also that you make use of against us; after which you have gotten the mastery of those within the temple, and keep them in custody, while they are only taking care of the public affairs. You have also shut the gates of the city in general against nations that are the most nearly related to you; and while you give such injurious commands to others, you complain that you have been tyrannized over by them, and fix the name of unjust governors upon such as are tyrannized over by yourselves. Who can bear this your abuse of words, while they have a regard to the contrariety of your actions, unless you mean this, that those Idumeans do now exclude you out of your metropolis, whom you exclude from the sacred offices of your own country? One may indeed justly complain of those that are besieged in the temple, that when they had courage enough to punish those tyrants whom you call eminent men, and free from any accusations, because of their being your companions in wickedness, they did not begin with you, and thereby cut off beforehand the most dangerous parts of this treason. But if these men have been more merciful than the public necessity required, we that are Idumeans will preserve this house of God, and will fight for our common country, and will oppose by war as well those that attack them from abroad, as those that betray them from within. Here will we abide before the walls in our armor, until either the Romans grow weary in waiting for you, or you become friends to liberty, and repent of what you have done against it."

     5. And now did the Idumeans make an acclamation to what Simon had said; but Jesus went away sorrowful, as seeing that the Idumeans were against all moderate counsels, and that the city was besieged on both sides. Nor indeed were the minds of the Idumeans at rest; for they were in a rage at the injury that had been offered them by their exclusion out of the city; and when they thought the zealots had been strong, but saw nothing of theirs to support them, they were in doubt about the matter, and many of them repented that they had come thither. But the shame that would attend them in case they returned without doing any thing at all, so far overcame that their repentance, that they lay all night before the wall, though in a very bad encampment; for there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with continued lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder; and any one would guess that these wonders foreshowed some grand calamities that were coming.

     The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, by Flavius Josephus Translator: William Whiston

The War of the Jews: The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem (complete edition, 7 books)
Proverbs 24:7
     by D.H. Stern

7     Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
he keeps his mouth shut at the city gate.


Complete Jewish Bible : An English Version of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and B'Rit Hadashah (New Testament)
My Utmost For The Highest
     A Daily Devotional by Oswald Chambers


                His

     Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me. --- John 17:6.

     The missionary is one in whom the Holy Ghost has wrought this realization—
“Ye are not your own.” To say ‘I am not my own,’ is to have reached a great point in spiritual nobility. The true nature of the life in the actual whirl is the deliberate giving up of myself to another in sovereign preference, and that other is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit expounds the nature of Jesus to me in order to make me one with my Lord, not that I might go off as a showroom exhibit. Our Lord never sent any of the disciples out on the ground of what He had done for them. It was not until after the Resurrection, when the disciples had perceived by the power of the Holy Spirit Whom He was, that Jesus said ‘Go.’

     “If any man come to Me and hate not …, he cannot be My disciple,” not — he cannot be good and upright, but—he cannot be one over whom Jesus writes the word ‘Mine.’ Any one of the relationships Our Lord mentions may be a competitive relationship. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself; then says Jesus, you cannot be My disciple. This does not mean I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be ‘His.’

     Our Lord makes a disciple His own possession, He becomes responsible for him.
“Ye shall be witnesses unto Me.” The spirit that comes in is not that of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The secret of the missionary is—I am His, and He is carrying out His enterprises through me.

     Be entirely His.

My Utmost for His Highest
The Cry (Poetry for Supper)
     the Poetry of RS Thomas


                The Cry (Poetry for Supper)

Don't think it was all hate
  That grew there; love grew there, too,
  Climbing by small tendrils where
  The warmth fell from the eyes' blue

Flame. Don't think even the dirt
  And the brute ugliness reigned
  Unchallenged. Among the fields
  Sometimes the spirit, enchained

So long by the gross flesh, raised
  Suddenly there its wild note of praise.

Selected poems, 1946-1968
Searching For Meaning In Midrash
     Numbers 12:5–8


     One says [only] partial praise of a person in his presence.

     BIBLE TEXT /
Numbers 12:5–8 / The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, stopped at the entrance of the Tent, and called out, “Aaron and Miriam!” The two of them came forward; and He said, “Hear these My words: When a prophet of the Lord arises among you, I make Myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is trusted throughout My household. With him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of the Lord.”

     MIDRASH TEXT / Sifrei Be-ha’alotekha 102 / [He] called out “Aaron and Miriam!” The two of them came forward. Why didn’t Moses go out with them? So that Israel would not say that Moses, too, was included with them in [God’s] anger.

     Another interpretation: The text comes to teach you manners, for whenever a person wants to speak to his friend, he shouldn’t say “Come here”; rather, let him draw him in concerning what he wants to speak to him about.

     Another interpretation: So that he [Moses] would not hear negative things about Aaron.

     Another interpretation: One doesn’t speak a person’s praise in his presence. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says, “We learn that one says [only] partial praise of a person in his presence. Thus we learned with Noah: ‘for you alone have I found righteous before Me in this generation’ (
Genesis 7:1). But when not in his presence. He [God] says, ‘This is the line of Noah.—Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age’ ” (Genesis 6:9).

     Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yosé ha-G’lili says, “We learn that one says [only] partial praise of He-Who-Spoke-and the-World-Came Into-Being, as it says, ‘Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds” ’ (
Psalm 66:3). If one says [only] partial praise of He-Who-Spoke-and the-World-Came Into-Being, how much more so [does one say only partial praise] of flesh and blood.”

     CONTEXT Miriam and Aaron, the older sister and brother of Moses, spoke out against their younger sibling on two accounts. They were upset both that his wife was a Cushite, and that God had not acknowledged speaking through them as well as through Moses. In response to this criticism of Moses, God summoned Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to the Tent of Meeting. But then God, as our verses show, addressed only Aaron and Miriam: [He] called out “Aaron and Miriam!” God told them angrily that Moses was a unique prophet, and God’s special relationship with him was justified. Apparently as a punishment, Miriam was then stricken with snow-white scales over her body.

     Our Midrash questions why—at first—all three were summoned, but subsequently only Miriam and Aaron were addressed. Four different explanations are offered. The first answer—So that Israel would not say that Moses, too, was included with them in [God’s] anger—and the third answer—So that he [Moses] would not hear negative things about Aaron—are attempts to understand God’s actions. The other two interpretations are the Rabbis’ attempts to learn practical or ethical lessons from the somewhat unusual way that God called on and then spoke to Aaron and Miriam. From the second response—The text comes to teach you manners—we see that God didn’t just summon the two siblings and then criticize them. Initially, all three were brought forward; only afterwards were Moses’ brother and sister called to task for their attacks.

     One doesn’t speak a person’s praise in his presence. The fourth interpretation brings a final bit of wisdom, derived from the different ways God spoke to Moses and Noah. The Rabbis note that God spoke one way in their presence and differently about them when they weren’t there. Thus, it is only when God is alone with Miriam and Aaron that Moses is described in such exemplary tones. The same is true of Noah: To his face, God tells Noah “for you alone have I found righteous.” But when the Torah describes him in the third person, the additional adjective “blameless” is added to Noah’s praise: “Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age.”

     Rabbi Elazar derives the same reason for the way God is addressed in the Bible. In Psalm 66, the only adjective used about God is “awesome,” when it is clear that the Psalmist could have gone on and on. The lesson learned comes from a logical inference, called in Hebrew קֹל וָחֹמֶר/kol va-ḥomer, “simple and severe.” If we are this restrained with praise of God (where there is no issue of “swelling God’s head”), how much more so must we be restrained with praise of human beings, flesh and blood, whose heads can most certainly be swelled!

Searching for Meaning in Midrash: Lessons for Everyday Living
Take Heart
     September 4

     In my Father’s house are many rooms. --- John 14:2.

     Let all be thus exhorted to seek admittance to a room in heaven. (Selected RS Thomas of Jonathan Edwards ) When the disciples perceived that Christ was going away, they expressed a desire to go with him. Peter asked him where he went, that he might follow. Christ told him that he could not follow him now, but that he would follow him afterwards. But Peter said, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?”
(John 13:37). If those enjoy a high privilege who have seats in kings’ courts or in apartments in kings’ palaces—especially those who have dwellings there equal in quality to the king’s children—then how great a privilege will it be to have a room assigned to us as God’s children in his heavenly palace! How great is their glory and honor that are admitted to the household of God!

     And seeing there are many rooms there, rooms enough for us all, our folly will be the greater if we neglect to seek a place in heaven, having our minds foolishly taken up about the worthless, fading things of this world.

     Consider how little a while you have any place of abode in this world. [Here] you have a dwelling amongst the living, a house or room of your own, or at least one that is at present for your use. But in a very little while, the place that now knows you in this world will know you no more. The residence you have here will be empty of you; you will be carried dead out of it or will die at a distance from it and never enter it anymore—or any other dwelling in this world. Your room or dwelling place in this world, however convenient or comfortable it may be, is only a tent that will soon be taken down. Your stay is as it were but for a night. Your body itself is only a house of clay that will quickly decay and tumble down, and you will have no other dwelling here in this world but the grave.

     Therefore, take warning, and don’t be such fools as to neglect seeking a place and room in heaven. Let it be your main care to secure an everlasting dwelling for hereafter.

     Consider that when you die, if you have no room in the house of God in heaven, you must have your place in the dwelling of devils. There is no middle place between them, and when you go from here, you must go to one or the other of these. Consider how miserable those must be who shall dwell with devils to all eternity. Devils are foul spirits, God’s great enemies. Their dwelling is a place of darkness, utmost filthiness, abomination, darkness, disgrace, and torment. O, how would you rather ten thousand times have no place of abode at all, have no being, than to have [such] a place!
--- Jonathan Edwards

Take Heart: Daily Devotions with the Church's Great Preachers
On This Day
     The Niger Expedition  September 4

     In 1840 three strands of purpose—missionary advance, humanitarian resolve, and slavery abolition—merged into the Niger Expedition, brainchild of Foxwell Buxton of the Church Missionary Society and of the Society for the Extinction of the Slave Trade. The British government funded the enterprise, and all England followed the course of the three new state-of-the-art steamships named Albert, Wilberforce, and Soudan. The iron vessels had a novel system of ventilation using chemical filters to “neutralize” the swamp gases thought to produce malaria.

     The fleet sailed in early 1841, loaded with sailors, scientists, agriculturists, philanthropists, liberated slaves (as interpreters) and missionaries, J. F. Schon and Samuel Adjai Crowther. They arrived in African waters in mid-August; but on September 4, 1841 the chief medical officer, Dr. McWilliams, logged that “fever of a most malignant character” had broken out and the whole expedition was paralyzed. The sick were loaded onto the Soudan to return to healthier harbors, and the Wilberforce followed her.

     The Albert forged up the Niger River alone, but soon the captain and crew were sick. Men threw themselves overboard in their deliriums. The dead were buried on the riverbanks by the missionaries. With no one left to navigate the ship, Dr. McWilliams did his best to control the reeling ship, using a textbook found in the captain’s cabin. But he had to repeatedly leave the bridge to attend the sick and dying. Of the 145 Europeans on board, 130 contracted malaria and many died.

     But the mission wasn’t a complete failure. The missionaries returned with valuable recommendations that led to establishing a missionary center in Fourah Bay for training liberated slaves to evangelize West Africa. Within four years its foundation stone was laid on the very spot where 40 years before a factory had stood that engaged in the slave trade. And the rafters of the new roof were made almost entirely from the masts of old slave ships.

  Tell the whole world to sing a new song to the LORD!
  Tell those who sail the ocean and those who live far away
  To join in the praise.
  Tell the tribes of the desert and everyone in the mountains
  To celebrate and sing.
  Let them announce his praises everywhere.
    --- Isaiah 42:10-12

On This Day 365 Amazing And Inspiring Stories About Saints, Martyrs And Heroes
Morning and Evening
     Daily Readings / CHARLES H. SPURGEON

          Morning - September 4

     “I will; be thou clean.” --- Mark 1:41.

     Primeval darkness heard the Almighty fiat, “light be,” and straightway light was, and the word of the Lord Jesus is equal in majesty to that ancient word of power. Redemption like Creation has its word of might. Jesus speaks and it is done. Leprosy yielded to no human remedies, but it fled at once at the Lord’s “I will.” The disease exhibited no hopeful signs or tokens of recovery, nature contributed nothing to its own healing, but the unaided word effected the entire work on the spot and for ever. The sinner is in a plight more miserable than the leper; let him imitate his example and go to Jesus, “beseeching him and kneeling down to him.” Let him exercise what little faith he has, even though it should go no further than “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean”; and there need be no doubt as to the result of the application. Jesus heals all who come, and casts out none. In reading the narrative in which our Morning’s text occurs, it is worthy of devout notice that Jesus touched the leper. This unclean person had broken through the regulations of the ceremonial law and pressed into the house, but Jesus so far from chiding him broke through the law himself in order to meet him. He made an interchange with the leper, for while he cleansed him, he contracted by that touch a Levitical defilement. Even so Jesus Christ was made sin for us, although in himself he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. O that poor sinners would go to Jesus, believing in the power of his blessed substitutionary work, and they would soon learn the power of his gracious touch. That hand which multiplied the loaves, which saved sinking Peter, which upholds afflicted saints, which crowns believers, that same hand will touch every seeking sinner, and in a moment make him clean. The love of Jesus is the source of salvation. He loves, he looks, he touches us, WE LIVE.


          Evening - September 4

     "Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have.”
--- Leviticus 19:36.

     Weights, and scales, and measures were to be all according to the standard of justice. Surely no Christian man will need to be reminded of this in his business, for if righteousness were banished from all the world beside, it should find a shelter in believing hearts. There are, however, other balances which weigh moral and spiritual things, and these often need examining. We will call in the officer to-night.

     The balances in which we weigh our own and other men’s characters, are they quite accurate? Do we not turn our own ounces of goodness into pounds, and other persons’ bushels of excellence into pecks? See to weights and measures here, Christian. The scales in which we measure our trials and troubles, are they according to standard? Paul, who had more to suffer than we have, called his afflictions light, and yet we often consider ours to be heavy—surely something must be amiss with the weights! We must see to this matter, lest we get reported to the court above for unjust dealing. Those weights with which we measure our doctrinal belief, are they quite fair? The doctrines of grace should have the same weight with us as the precepts of the word, no more and no less; but it is to be feared that with many one scale or the other is unfairly weighted. It is a grand matter to give just measure in truth. Christian, be careful here. Those measures in which we estimate our obligations and responsibilities look rather small. When a rich man gives no more to the cause of God than the poor contribute, is that a just ephah and a just hin? When ministers are half starved, is that honest dealing? When the poor are despised, while ungodly rich men are held in admiration, is that a just balance? Reader, we might lengthen the list, but we prefer to leave it as your Evening’s work to find out and destroy all unrighteous balances, weights, and measures.

Morning and Evening
Amazing Grace
     September 4

          O BREATH OF LIFE

     Bessie P. Head, 1850–1936

     I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known. Habakkuk 3:2

     Set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray— while the world perishes, we go our way
     Purposeless, passionless, day after day; set us afire, Lord, stir us, we pray!
--- Unknown


     When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost for the birth of the church, it was in response to the fervent prayers of God’s people. This is still the principle for an effective ministry of any church —determined, persistent prayer for the Holy Spirit’s enabling power to accomplish our mission for God.

     Vitality is essential to any Christian ministry; complacency is deadly. There must be the fervency of divine life infused into us by God the Holy Spirit. Just as a healthy vine manifests itself in producing foliage and fruit, so it is with a healthy Christian—he will bear evidence of an infectious enthusiasm for the furtherance of the Gospel and a life that produces the fruits of the Spirit.

     This song of pleading for Holy Spirit power was written by Mrs. Bessie Head, a member of the Church of England. She was the author of numerous hymn texts, several of which appeared in the 1937 Keswick Hymn Book, including this hymn.

     It would be helpful if each believer, as well as each local church, would use this musical prayer often as a theme song. We need God’s continual reviving, renewing, refreshing, comforting, and equipping power if we are to effectively “spread the light” and meet the needs of this hour.

     O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us. Revive Thy Church with life and pow’r; O Breath of life, come, cleanse, renew us, and fit Thy Church to meet this hour.
     O Wind of God, come bend us, break us, till humbly we confess our need; then in Thy tenderness remake us, revive, restore, for this we plead.
     O Breath of Love, come breathe within us, renewing thought and will and heart; Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us, revive Thy Church in ev’ry part.
     O Heart of Christ, once broken for us, ’tis there we find our strength and rest; our broken contrite hearts now solace, and let Thy waiting Church be blest.
     Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating while harvest fields are vast and white? Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting. Equip Thy Church to spread the light.


     For Today: Psalm 85:6; Jeremiah 20:9; Luke 11:13; Acts 3:19; Romans 5:5

     Why is it that we as individual believers and as a local church easily become complacent about the things of God? What steps can be taken to change this? Carry this musical prayer with you as you reflect on this serious matter ---

Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions
The Existence and Attributes of God
     Stephen Charnock

          DISCOURSE IV - ON SPIRITUAL WORSHIP

     2. Spiritual worship is done by the influence and with the assistance of the Spirit of God. A heart may be spiritual, when a particular act of worship may not be spiritual. The Spirit may dwell in the heart, when ha may suspend his influence on the act. Our worship is then spiritual, when the fire that kindles our affections comes from heaven, as that fire upon the altar wherewith the sacrifices were consumed. God tastes a sweetness in no service, but as it is dressed up by the hand of the Mediator, and hath the air of his own Spirit in it; they are but natural acts, without a supernatural assistance; without an actual influence, we cannot act from spiritual motives, nor for spiritual ends, nor in a spiritual manner. We cannot mortify a lust without the Spirit, nor quicken a service without the Spirit. Whatsoever corruption is killed, is slain by his power; whatsoever duty is spiritualiaed, is refined by his breath. He quickens our dead bodies in our resurrection; he renews our dead souls in our regeneration; he quickens our carnal services in our adorations; the choicest acts of worship are but infirmities without his auxiliary help. We are logs, unable to move ourselves, till he raise our faculties to a pitch agreeable to God; puts his hand to the duty, and lifts that up and us with it. Never any great act was preformed by the apostles to God, or for God; but they are said to filled with the Holy Ghost. Christ could not have been conceived immaculate as that “holy thing,” without the Spirit’s overshadowing the Virgin; nor any spiritual act conceived in our heart, without the Spirit’s moving upon us, to bring forth a living religion from us. The acts of worship are said to be in the Spirit, “suplacation in the Spirit;” not only with the strength and affection of our own spirits, but with the mighty operation of the Holy Ghost, if Jude may be the interpreter; the Holy Ghost exciting us, impelling us, and firing our souls by his divine flame; raising up the affections, and making the soul cry with a holy importunity, Abba, Father. To render our worship spiritual, we should, before every engagement in it, implore the actual presence of the Spirit, without which we are not able to send forth one spiritual breath or groan; but be wind-bound like a ship without a gale, and our worship be no better than carnal. How doth the spouse solicit the Spirit with an “Awake, O north wind, and come, thou south wind,”

     3. Spiritual worship is done with sincerity. When the heart stands right to God, and the soul performs what it pretends to perform; when we serve God with our spirits, as the apostle (Rom. 1:9), “God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son:” this is not meant of the Holy Ghost; for the apostle would never have called the Spirit of God his own spirit; but with my spirit, that is, a sincere frame of heart.  A carnal worship, whether under the law or gospel, is, when we are busied about external rites, without an inward compliance of soul. God demands the heart; “My son, give me thy heart;” not give me thy tongue, or thy lips, or thy hands; these may be given without the heart, but the heart can never be bestowed without these as its attendants. A heap of services can be no more welcome to God, without our spirits, than all Jacob’s sons could be to Joseph, without the Benjamin he desired to see.  God is not taken with the cabinet, but the jewel; he first respected Abel’s faith and sincerity, and then his sacrifice; he disrespected Cain’s infidelity and hypocrisy, and then his offering. For this cause he rejected the offerings of the Jews, the prayers of the Pharisees, and the alms of Ananias and Sapphira, because their hearts and their duties were at a distance from one another. In all spiritual sacrifices, our spirits are God’s portion. Under the law, the reins were to be consumed by the fire on the altar, because the secret intentions of the heart were signified by them (Psalm 7:9), “The Lord trieth the heart and the reins.” It was an ill omen among the heathen, if a victim wanted a heart. The widow’s mites, with her heart in them, were more esteemed than the richer offerings without it. Not the quantity of service, but the will in it, is of account with this infinite Spirit. All that was to be brought for the framing of the tabernacle was to be offered “willingly with the heart.” The more of will, the more of spirituality and acceptableness to God (Psalm 119:108), “Accept the free-will offering of my lips.”  Sincerity is the salt which seasons every sacrifice.  The heart is most like to the object of worship; the heart in the body is the spring of all vital actions; and a spiritual soul is the spring of all spiritual actions. How can we imagine God can delight in the mere service of the body, any more than we can delight in converse with a carcass? Without the heart it is no worship; it is a stage play; an acting a part without being that person really which is acted by us: a hypocrite, in the notion of the word, is a stage-player. We may as well say a man may believe with his body, as worship God only with his body. Faith is a great ingredient in worship; and it is “with the heart man believes unto righteousness.” We may be truly said to worship God, though we want perfection; but we cannot be said to worship him, if we want sincerity; a statue upon a tomb, with eyes and hands lifted up, offers as good and true a service; it wants only a voice, the gestures and postures are the same; nay, the service is better; it is not a mockery; it represents all that it can be framed to; but to worship without our spirits, is a presenting God with a picture, an echo, voice, and nothing else; a compliment; a mere lie; a “compassing him about with lies.” Without the heart the tongue is a liar; and the greatest zeal a dissembling with him. To present the spirit, is to present with that which can never naturally die; to present him only the body, is to present him that which is every day crumbling to dust, and will at last lie rotting in the grave; to offer him a few rags, easily torn; a skin for a sacrifice, a thing unworthy the majesty of God; a fixed eye and elevated hands, with a sleepy heart and earthly soul, are pitiful things for an ever-blessed and glorious Spirit: nay, it is so far from being spiritual, that it is biasphemy; to pretend to be a Jew outwardly, without being so inwardly, is, in the judgment of Christ, to blaspheme.  And is not the same title to be given with as much reason to those that pretend a worship and perform none? Such a one is not a spiritual worshipper, but a blaspheming devil in Samuel’s mantle.

     4. Spiritual worship is performed with an unitedness of heart. The heart is not only now and then with God, but “united to fear or worship his name.” A spiritual duty must have the engagement of the spirit, and the thoughts tied up to the spiritual object. The union of all the parts of the heart together with the body is the life of the body; and the moral union of our hearts is the life of any duty. A heart quickly flitting from God makes not God his treasure; he slights the worship, and therein affronts the object of worship. All our thoughts ought to be ravished with God; bound up in him as in a bundle of life; but when we start from him to gaze after every feather, and run after every bubble, we disown a full and affecting excellency, and a satisfying sweetness in him. When our thoughts run from God, it is a testimony we have no spiritual affection to God; affection would stake down the thoughts to the object affected; it is but a mouth love, as the prophet praiseth it; but their hearts go “after their covetousness;” covetous objects pipe, and the heart danceth after them; and thoughts of God are shifted oft to receive a multitude of other imaginations; the heart and the service staid awhile together, and then took leave of one another. The Psalmist still found his heart with God when he awaked; still with God in spiritual affections and fixed meditations. A carnal heart is seldom with God, either in or out of worship; if God should knock at the heart in any duty, it would be found not at home, but straying abroad. Our worship is spiritual when the door of the heart is shut against all intruders, as our Saviour commands in closet-duties. It was not his meaning to command the shutting the closet-door, and leave the heart-door open for every thought that would be apt to haunt us. Worldly affections are to be laid aside if we would have our worship spiritual; this was meant by the Jewish custom of wiping or washing off the dust of their feet before their entrance into the temple, and of not bringing move in their girdles. To be spiritual in worship, is to have our sons gathered and bound up wholly in themselves, and offered to God. Our loins must be girt, as the fashion was in the eastern countries, where they wore long garments, that they might not waver with the wind, and be blown between their legs, to obstruct them in their travel: our faculties must not hang loose about us. He is a carnal worshipper that gives God but a piece of his heart, as well as he that denies him the whole of it; that hath some thoughts pitched upon God in worship, and as many willingly upon the world. David sought God, not with a moiety of his heart, but with his “whole heart;” with his entire frame; he brought not half his heart, and left the other in the possession of another master. It was a good lesson Pythagoras gave his scholars, “Not to make the observance of God a work by the bye.” If those guests be invited, or entertained kindly, or if they come unexpected, the spirituality of that worship is lost; the soul kicks down what it wrought before: but if they be brow-beaten by us, and our grief rather than our pleasure, they divert our spiritual intention from the work in hand, but hinder not God’s acceptance of it as spiritual, because they are not the acts of our will, but offences to our wills.

     5. Spiritual worship is performed with a spiritual activity, and sensibleness of God; with an active understanding to meditate on his excellency, and an active will to embrace him when he drops upon the soul. If we understand the amiableness of God, our affections will be ravished; if we understand the immensity of his goodness, our spirits will be enlarged. We are to act with the highest intention suitable to the greatness of that God with whom we have to do (Psalm 150:2): “Praise him according to his excellent greatness;” not that we can worship him equally, but in some proportion the frame of the heart is to be suite to the excellency of the object; our spiritual strength is to be put out to the utmost, as creatures that act naturally do. The sun shines, and the fire burns to the utmost of their natural power. This is so necessary, that David, a spiritual worshipper, prays for it before he sets upon acts of adoration (Psalm 80:18): “Quicken us, that we may call upon thy name;” as he was loth to have a drowsy faculty, he was loth to have a drowsy instrument, and would willingly have them as lively as himself (Psalm 57:8): “Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp; I myself will awake early.” How would this divine soul screw himself up to God, and be turned into nothing but a holy flame! Our souls must be boiling hot when we serve the Lord. The heart doth no less burn when it spiritually comes to God, than when God doth spiritually approach to it; a Nabal’s heart, one as cold as a stone, cannot offer up a spiritual service. Whatsoever is enjoined us as our duty, ought to be performed with the greatest intenseness of our spirit. As it is our duty to pray, so it is our duty to pray with the most fervent importunity. It is our duty to love God, but with the purest and most sublime affections; every command of God requires the whole strength of the creature to be employed in it. That love to God wherein all our duty to God is summed up, is to be with all our strength, with all our might, &c. Though in the covenant of grace he hath mitigated the severity of the law, and requires not from us such an elevation of our affections as was possible in the state of innocence, yet God requires of us the utmost moral industry to raise our affections to a pitch, at least equal to what they are in other things. What strength of affection we naturally have, ought to be as much and more excited in acts of worship, than upon other occasions and our ordinary works. As there was an inactivity of soul in worship, and a quickness to sin, when sin had the dominion; so when the soul is spiritualized, the temper is changed; there is an in activity to sin, and an ardor in duty;  the more the soul is “dead to sin,” the more it is “alive to God,”  and the more lively too in all that concerns God and his honor; for grace being a new strength added to our natural, determines the affections to new objects, and excites them to a greater vigor. And as the hatred of sin is more sharp, the love to everything that destroys the dominion of it is more strong; and acts of worship may be reckoned as the chiefest batteries against the power of this inbred enemy. When the Spirit is in the soul, like the rivers of waters flowing out of the belly, the soul hath the activity of a river, and makes haste to be swallowed up in God, as the streams of the river in the sea. Christ makes his people “kings and priests to God;” first kings, then priests; gives first a royal, temper of heart, that they may offer spiritual sacrifices as priests, kings and priests to God, acting with a magnificent spirit in all their motions to him.  We cannot be spiritual priests, till we be spiritual kings.  The Spirit apgeared in the likeness of fire, and where he resides, communicates, like fire, purity and activity. Dulness is against the light of nature. I do not remember that the heathen ever offered a snail to any of their false deities, nor an ass, but to Priapus, their unclean idol; but the Persians sacrificed to the sun a horse, a swift and generous creature. God provided against those in the law, commanding an ass’ firstling, the offspring of a sluggish creature, to be redeemed, or his neck broke, but by no means to be offered to him. God is a Spirit infinitely active, and therefore frozen and benumbed frames are unsuitable to him; he “rides upon a cherub” and flies; he comes upon the “wings of the wind;” he rides upon a “swift cloud;” and therefore demands of us not a dull reason, but an active spirit. God is a living God, and therefore must have a lively service. Christ is life, and slothful adorations are not fit to be offered up in the name of life. The worship of God is called wrestling in Scripture; and Paul was a striver in the service of his Master, “in an agony.” Angels worshipped God spiritually with their wings on; and when God commands them to worship Christ, the next Scripture quoted is, that he makes them “flames of fire.” If it be thus, how may we charge ourselves? What Paul said of the sensual widow, that she is “dead while she lives,” we may say often of ourselves, we are dead while we worship. Our hearts are in duty as the Jews were in deliverances, as those “in a dream;” by which unexpectedness God showed the greatness of his care and mercy; and we attend him as men in a dream, whereby we discover our negligence and folly. This activity doth: not consist in outward acts; the body may be hot, and the heart may be faint, but in an inward stirring, meltings, flights. In the highest raptures the body is most insensible. Strong spiritual affections are abstracted from outward sense.

     6. Spiritual worship is performed with acting spiritual habits. When all the living springs of grace are opened, as the fountains of the deep were in the deluge, the soul and all that is within it, all the spiritual impresses of God upon it, erect themselves to “bless his holy name.” This is necessary to make a worship spiritual. As natural agents are determined to act suitable to their proper nature, so rational agents are to act conformable to a rational being. When there is a conformity between the act and the nature whence it flows, it is a good act in its kind; if it be rational, it is a good rational act, because suitable to its principle; as a man endowed, with reason must act suitable to that endowment, and exercise his reason in his acting; so a Christian endued with grace, must act suitable to that nature, and exercise his grace in his acting. Acts done by a natural inclination are no more human acts than the natural acts of a beast may be said to be human; though they are the acts of a man, as he is the efficient cause of them, yet they are not human acts, because they arise not from that principle of reason which denominates him a man. So acts of worship performed by a bare exercise of reason, are not christian and spiritual acts, because they come not from the principle which constitutes him a Christian; reason is not the principle, for then all rational creatures would be Christians. They ought, therefore, to be acts of a higher principle, exercises of that grace whereby Christians are what they are; not but that rational acts in worship are due to God, for worship is due from us as men, and we are settled in that rank of being by our reason. Grace doth not exclude reason, but ennobles it, and calls it up to another form; but we must not rest in a bare rational worship, but exert that principle whereby we are Christians. To worship God with our reason, is to worship him as men; to worship God with our grace is to worship him as Christians, and so spiritually; but to worship him only with our bodies, is no better than brutes. Our desires of the word are to issue from the regenerate principle (1 Pet. 2:2): “As new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word;” it seems to be not a comparison, but a restriction. All worship must have the same spring, and be the exercise of that principle, otherwise we can have no communion with God. Friends that have the same habitual dispositions, have a fundamental fitness for an agreeable converse with one another; but if the temper wherein their likeness consists be languishing, and the string out of tune, there is not an actual fitness; and the present indisposition breaks the converse, and renders the company troublesome. Though we may have the habitual graces which compose in us a resemblance to God, yet for want of acting those suitable dispositions, we render ourselves unfit for his converse, and make the worship, which is fundamentally spiritual, to become actually carnal. As the will cannot naturally; act to any object but by the exercise of its affections, so the heart cannot spiritually act towards God but by the exercise of graces. This is God’s music (Eph. 5:19): “Singing and making melody to God in your hearts.” Singing and all other acts of worship are outward, but the spiritual melody is “by grace in the heart” (Col. 3:16): this renders it a spiritual worship; for it is an effect of the fulness of the spirit in the soul, as (ver. 19), “But be filled with the Spirit.” The overflowing of the Spirit in the heart, setting the soul of a believer thus on work to make a spiritual melody to God, shows that something higher than bare reason is put in tune in the heart. Then is the fruit of the garden pleasant to Christ, when the Holy Spirit, “the north and south wind, blow upon the spices,” and strike out the fragrancy of them. Since God is the Author of graces, and bestows them to have a glory from them, they are best employed about him and his service. It is fit he should have the cream of his own gifts. Without the exercise of grace we perform but a work of nature, and offer him a few dry bones without marrow. The whole set of graces must be one way or other exercised. If any treble be wanting in a lute, there will be great defect, in the music. If any one spirital string be dull, the spiritual harmony of worship will be spoiled. And therefore;

     1. Faith must be acted in worship; a confidence in God. A natural worship cannot be performed without a natural confidence in the goodness of God; whosoever comes to him, must regard him as a rewarder, and a faithful Creator. A spiritual worship cannot be performed without an evangelical confidence in him as a gracious Redeemer. To think him a tyrant, meditating revenge, damps the soul; to regard him as a gracious king, full of tender bowels, spirits the affections to him. The mercy of God is the proper object of trust (Psalm 33:18): “The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” The worship of God in the Old Testament is most described by fear; in the New Testament by faith. Fear, or the worship of God, and hope in his mercy are lined together; when they go hand in hand, the accepting eye of God is upon us;  when we do not trust, we do not worship.  Those of Judah had the temple-worship among them, especially in Josiah’s tune (Zeph. 3:2), the time of that prophecy; yet it was accounted no worship, because no trust in the worshippers. Interest in God cannot be improved without an exercise of faith. The gospel-worship is prophesied of, to be a confidence in God, as in a husband more than in a lord (Hos. 2:16): “Thou shalt call me Ishi, and shalt call me no more Baali.” “Thou shalt call me;” that is, thou shalt worship me, worship being often comprehended under invocation. More confidence is to be exercised in a husband or father, than in a lord or master. If a man have not faith, he is without Christ; and though a man be in Christ by the habit of faith, he performs a duty out of Christ without an act of faith: without the habit of faith, our persons are out of Christ; and without the exercise of faith, the duties are out of Christ. As  the want of faith in a person is the death of the soul,  so the want of faith in a service is the death of the offering. Though a man were at the cost of an ox, yet to kill it without bringing it to the “door of the tabernacle,” was not a sacrifice, but a murder (Lev. 17:3, 4). The tabernacle was a type of Christ, and a look to him is necessary in every spiritual sacrifice. As there must be faith to make any act an act of obedience, so there must be faith to make any act of worship spiritual. That service is not spiritual that is not vital; and it cannot be vital without the exercise of a vital principle; all spiritual life is “hid in Christ,” and drawn from him by faith (Gal. 2:20). Faith, as it hath relation to Christ, makes every act of worship a living act, and, consequently, a spiritual act. Habitual unbelief cuts us off from the body of Christ (Rom. 11:20): “Because of unbelief they were broken off;” and a want of actuated belief breaks us off from a present communion with Christ in spirit. As unbelief in us hinders Christ from doing any mighty work, so unbelief in us hinders us from doing any mighty spiritual duty; so that the exercise of faith, and a confidence in God, is necessary to every duty.

The Existence and Attributes of God

The Bondage of the Will
     Martin Luther | (1483-1546)


      Sect. CXXXVIII. — SEE, moreover, whether Paul himself does not particularize the most exalted among the Greeks, where he saith, that the wisest among them “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened;” that “they became wise in their own conceits:” that is, by their subtle disputations. (Rom. i. 21).

     Does he not here, I pray you, touch that, which was the most exalted and most excellent in the Greeks, when he touches their “imaginations?” For these comprehend their most sublime and exalted thoughts and opinions; which they considered as solid wisdom. But he calls that their wisdom, as well in other places “foolishness,” as here “vain imagination;” which, by its endeavouring, only became worse; till at last they worshipped an idol in their own darkened hearts, and proceeded to the other enormities, which he afterwards enumerates.

     If therefore, the most exalted and devoted endeavours and works in the most exalted of the nations be evil and ungodly, what shall we think of the rest, who are, as it were, the commonalty, and the vilest of the nations? Nor does Paul here make any difference between those who are the most exalted, for he condemns all the devotedness of their wisdom, without any respect of persons. And if he condemn their very works and devoted endeavours, he condemns those who exert them, even though they strive with all the powers of “Free-will.” Their most exalted endeavour, I say, is declared to be evil — how much more then the persons themselves who exert it!

     So also, just afterwards, he rejects the Jews, without any difference, who are Jews “in the letter” and not “in the spirit.” “Thou (saith he) honourest God in the letter, and in the circumcision.” Again, “He is not a Jew which is one outwardly, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly.” Rom. i. 27-29.

     What can be more manifest than the division here made? The Jew outwardly, is a transgressor of the law! And how many Jews must we suppose there were, without the faith, who were men the most wise, the most religious, and the most honourable, who aspired unto righteousness and truth with all the devotion of endeavour? Of these the apostle continually bears testimony: — that they had “a zeal of God,” that they “followed after righteousness,” that they strove day and night to attain unto salvation, that they lived “blameless:” and yet they are transgressors of the law, because they are not Jews “in the spirit,” nay they determinately resist the righteousness of faith. What conclusion then remains to be drawn, but that, “Free-will” is then the worst when it is the best; and that, the more it endeavours, the worse it becomes, and the worse it is! The words are plain — the division is certain — nothing can be said against it.


The Bondage of the Will   or   Christian Classics Ethereal Library

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