Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Sep 9th, 2023 Leading The Sheep – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Ezekiel 32 – 34 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Colossians 1 – 4; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)

Read the “ 0909 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-6)

Good morning. During the time of Ezekiel, God was having trouble with His shepherds. They were not taking care of His flocks. The sheep have needs, and they trust the shepherd. The shepherds were not doing anything to relieve their pain, heal their wounds, or to strengthen the sheep. Now shepherds are human: there is none righteous, no not one; and for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10 and 23). Even David, a man after God’s own heart, failed the sheep and the sheep suffered. 1Chronicles 21 says…

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.” (1Chronicles 21:1)

“And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.” (1Chronicles 21:7)

“So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.” (1Chronicles 21:14)

1) A Leader’s Sin Can Be Costly.

“And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.” (1Chronicles 21:17)

2) A Leader Should Take Responsibility For His Actions.

“Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (1Chronicles 21:18)

“And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.” (1Chronicles 21:24-25)

3) A Leader’s Sin Should Cost Him: It Is Called Chastening.

And…

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:6)

Now here is the lesson. No matter how low you are on the totem pole, there is somebody watching and learning from you. If you are saved you are a shepherd representing the Lord Jesus Christ. The only Good Shepherd that others may see is Jesus in us.

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2Corinthians 3:18-21)

Before I attended Texas Baptist College in Longview Texas, we were at one of their Soul Winning Clinics. While sitting there in the auditorium, a young boy came up to me and asked me to sign his Bible. I told him I was nobody. He said, “Nobodies can be somebody someday.”

I signed his Bible. I still consider myself a nobody, but it got me through college. I knew that little kid would be watching me. I knew people back home would be watching me. Being the oldest student, at 41, I knew the other students would be watching me. It took 5 years, but praise the Lord I graduated. What kind of influence I had on others, if any, is known only by God. But if it wasn’t for the others, I have no idea where I would be. Thank you. When we care about others, we’ll care about the sheep. Somebody is watching you, be a good shepherd.

Peace.

Sep 5th, 2023 Conviction

Today’s Passage – Ezekiel 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Galatians 4 – 6; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2

Read the “0905 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.” – (Ezekiel 20:43)

“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” – (Romans 7:24)

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” – (John 16:7-8)

Just a quick thought from the Scripture this morning. Here in chapter 20 & 21, God is delivering a stern rebuke upon the people of Israel for their rebellion against Him. However, there is one place in these two chapters where I see hope for the children of Israel, and it comes here in v 43. This is the place where the people finally recognize their sin against God, and actually feel what would be to us the convicting power of the Holy Spirit of God. I cannot say that I enjoy the feeling of being pronounced guilty from within my own spirit; but I am very glad that God loves me enough to let me know when I am guilty. Incidentally, one of the best assurances that you are a child of God is the presence of the Holy Spirit of God within you.

Notice an important truth about this loathing that people of Israel would feel about themselves. It comes after God gathers them back into the land of Israel, and after He begins to bless them again. He says in verse 44 that the people would realize that God did not deal with them according to their wickedness; He blessed them inspite of the fact that they had turned against Him. They deserved judgment, yet God dealt with them in mercy and grace. The New Testament tells us that it is the love of Christ that constrains us. That verse is referring to His love for us, not our love for Him. When we realize the unmerited and unconditional love that God has for us, it causes us to realize how undeserving of that love we really are, and it brings about the conviction, the self-loathing that Ezekiel speaks about in this passage.

Paul felt the same way about himself in the Book of Romans. He called himself a wretched man. He recognized the sin that was within him. The Holy Spirit of God pointed it out to him, and he didn’t attempt to cover it, hide it, or defend it. He came clean with God. We need to do the same thing. When our Heavenly Father points out to us the things in our lives that displease Him, the best thing that we can do is agree with Him, confess them, and then forsake them. The whole process starts, however, with conviction.

Sep 2nd, 2023 Rebellion: As The Sin Of Witchcraft – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Ezekiel 10 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 5 – 8; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)

Read the “0902 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

(Ezekiel 12:1-2) “The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.”

Good morning. When Obama was president, he announced that the United States was no longer a Christian nation, I laughed and said wanna bet? The Alliance For Religious Freedom said…

“On April 30th, 1789, America had a Constitution and a newly formed government. On that day, the government, the House, and the Senate gathered for the Inauguration of our first president, George Washington. In his Inauguration Address, Washington gave a prophetic warning: “We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and the right which heaven itself has ordained.” Washington’s warning was, if we would begin to depart from God, He would remove His blessings, His prosperity and His protection from our nation.”

And now take a look at America. Just like Israel, America has become a rebellious house. You can see the rebellion in the youth, brought up to believe that there is no God. You can see the rebellion in the laws that allow you to kill unborn babies. You can mention any little ‘g’ god, but don’t mention God or Jesus Christ: the only true living God. (Just a thought: the world would probably forgive you for saying their names if you stub your toe, or hit a finger with a hammer. That’s the way the world is – they want nothing to do with God.)

(Revelation 16:7-21) “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. (8) And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. (9} And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. (10) And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, (11) And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. (12) And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (13) And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (14) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (15) Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (16) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (17) And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. (18) And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (19) And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. (20) And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (21) And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

As we see in the passage above, they blasphemed God because they would not give Him the glory He deserves. And they also blasphemed God because they repented not of their deeds. What’s going to happen to them.

(Revelation 20:10-15) “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Can you see them shaking their fists, and blaspheming the only one that can save them? And now they have to stand before Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, and be judged. This is the direction that America is heading. The people have eyes, but will not see. They have ears, but will not hear. WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! Or maybe it is.

Peace.

Sep 1st, 2023 God Was Broken?

Today’s Passage – Ezekiel 5 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 1 – 4; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25

Read the “0901 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s reading – What Do You Do in the Dark?

“And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.” (Ezekiel 6:9)

The prophet Ezekiel was also a priest (Ezekiel 1:3), and was part of the group that was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC, which was the second of three deportations from Judah into Babylon. The first deportation took place in 605 BC where Daniel, Hannaniah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) were taken. The final deportation took place in 586 BC when the Temple and the entire City of Jerusalem was destroyed. Chapters one through twenty-four of Ezekiel were written prior to the final destruction of Jerusalem, but Ezekiel was already in captivity and was settled at a place called Tel-abib near the Brook Chebar (Ezekiel 3:15). Chebar was likely an irrigation canal that came out of the Euphrates River (and flowed back into the Euphrates) and provided water for an area near the City of Babylon. Throughout our reading today, Ezekiel is prophesying about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. Though, Ezekiel and Daniel were already taken captive, the final act of Nubuchadnezzar against Jerusalem was still in Ezekiel’s future.

My thought for today comes from Ezekiel 6:9. God states through Ezekiel that He was broken because of the idolatry of His people. What does that mean? Well, I do not think it means that God was limited in any way, otherwise He would have been less than God. What it means is that God was hurt, His heart was broken because of the sin of His people. The idolatry and immorality that was rampant and unrepented of in Judah, even after many warnings for decade after decade. The people just did not care what their sin was doing to God. But, what about us? Do we care about how are sin affects God.

I recently did a study on what caused Jesus to weep. There are at least three places in the gospels that reference Jesus being moved to tears:

• The Sheep Without a Shepherd

“36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38)

• The Suffering of the Saints

“33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!” (John 11:33-36)

• The Sin Upon His Shoulders

“And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” – (Mark 14:32-36)

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” – (Luke 22:44)

I do not believe Jesus was not crying because of the physical pain that He would endure on the Cross, but He was moved to tears because of the sins of the world that were about to be put upon Him. He knew what was coming. His Father would have to turn His eyes away from Him because of that sin because He is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:3). Jesus would cry out from the Cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).

My sin did that. Yours as well. God is still broken by our sin. Let’s keep that in mind and let’s also consider how much He loves us and what He was willing to do to atone for that sin. The love that Christ has for us ought to constrain us to want to stop sinning.

Aug 28th, 2023 I Will Pardon Them Whom I Reserve

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 51 – 52 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read the “0828 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Are You Still in Prison”

“18 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.” (Jeremiah 50:18-20)

Beginning in chapter 47, God is pronouncing judgment through the prophet Jeremiah on all the nations that had been an enemy to God’s people: Philistia (ch. 47), Moab (ch. 48), Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Cedar, Hamon, and Elam (ch. 49). In chapters 50 – 51, the focus of God’s judgment is on Babylon. Again, the judgment described in these chapters seems to surpass the conquering of the Babylonians by the Medes and Persians, which seemed to have happened without much of a fight (see Daniel 5). The description given in these chapters depict the future destruction of Antichrist’s kingdom in Revelation 17 and 18.

Interestingly, chapter 52 goes back in time and discusses the Babylonian siege against Jerusalem, which culminated in 586 BC. It is another historic interlude similar to one we saw in chapter 39. This one reads almost identically to 2 Kings 24:18 – 25:30.

My thought this morning is that though God used Babylon as an instrument of judgment against Israel, which is what the majority of this Book of Jeremiah has been focused on, He will still judge Babylon for what she did to God’s people. God allows and even uses evil people to accomplish His will in the lives of those that belong to Him, but we must not ever make the mistake of confusing God’s chastisement of His own with His ultimate wrath upon those who do not belong to Him.

I remember when I was a boy, my brothers and I used to fight like cats and dogs, but there was never a time when anybody outside of my family could ever attack me without experiencing the wrath of my older brothers. My brothers felt like they could whip up on me all they wanted, but they were not about to let anybody else touch me. That may be a weak illustration but it somewhat pictures God’s dealings with Israel. God would allow a certain measure of punishment to come Israel’s way but He would never allow them to be completely destroyed. However, the nations, like those listed above and in chapters 47 – 51, had no such guarantee. God ultimately destroyed (or will destroy) these nations that had oppressed Israel.

What is the application for us today? If you belong to God, you are in His hands and no-one can pluck you out of God’s hands. Absolutely nothing bad can happen to you unless God for some very good reason wills it to happen. Nothing gets past the desk of God. He sees everything that is happening in your life. I am reminded of what Satan told God in the Book of Job: “10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land” (Job 1:10). How did Satan know that God had hedged Job in on every side? He must have been trying to get in, but God wouldn’t let him. It is the same way with us. Satan can only do what God permits him to do to us, and the same principle applies to all our enemies. Israel had to be chastised for their rebellion against God, but God never forsook them, and He still has a wonderful plan for them. He has a wonderful plan for you as well. Notice Jeremiah 50:20 above. God sees Israel without iniquity and completely pardoned; and if you belong to God, that is how He sees you as well.

Notice what Spurgeon said about v. 20: “Those sins were of no common order. The Israelites were always a stiff-necked and rebellious race. Israel’s sins were of the most heinous character because of the greatness of their privileges and the peculiar and special love the Lord had lavished on them. They were positively unmatched in guilt by any nation under heaven. For all of that, the Israelites cast away their God. They who had worshiped the Lord turned aside from him and bowed down before Baal and went after other gods and worshiped idols. But their provocations, their idolatries, their lusts were all to be swept away and to be forgotten.” (Spurgeon. 2017. The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers).

We all deserve the judgment and destruction that Babylon received (and will receive in the future), but God in His marvelous grace has pardoned those who have placed their faith in Him. What an awesome God we serve!

Aug 27th, 2023 Heartache, Failure, and Disappointments by Pastor Matthew Swiatkowski

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 49 – 50 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

Read a previous post from today’s passage – “A Word to the Shepherds.”

(Second Milers also read – Romans 13 – 16; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)

Read the “0827 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

This article was originally published in the Gospel Light Baptist Church Newsletter (08/19/2023).

For this story, we will refer to the young man as Paul. And at this point in his high school years, he is deeply in love with a girl we will call Linda. To everybody who could see from the outside, they made a perfect couple. He was a good-looking young man with a great sense of humor, a slim, muscular physique, and instead of attending a regular high school, he opted to enroll in a technical school. This decision allowed him to receive an education and gain a trade that he could utilize after graduation. She was a pretty girl with brown hair parted in the middle, feathered in the style of the day, and pretty, blue eyes. This much I can say is true–that Paul loved her with all his heart. His brothers knew how he felt about her, and they were glad that he was happy and maybe even a little jealous.

Everyone has a best friend, and his closest friend, whom we will call Tom, was always there to support him, or so it seemed. Tom was a good-looking young man. You might even say he was Hollywood handsome. Tom always seemed to attract a crowd of girls wherever he went. By now, you might guess where this is going, and yes, Tom and Linda began to have a fling behind Paul’s back. One day, Paul’s youngest brother walked in on Linda and Tom as they were embraced in each other’s arms in the clubhouse in the backyard of Paul’s home. Sadly, his youngest brother was too young to understand what was taking place, and maybe that’s a good thing. Knowing his younger brother as I do and his anger issues at the time, if he were older, there would be bloodshed. Eventually, the ugly truth was revealed. To say Paul was hurt would be an understatement; he was devastated. He lost the first girl he truly loved and lost his best friend. This is not the first time this has occurred to someone in history, and it wouldn’t be the last. Five years later, it happened to two friends of mine. I told the one he shouldn’t do that behind his friend’s back. He didn’t listen, and it got ugly. By the way, God gave Ten Commandments, and #9 is not to covet thy neighbor’s wife. The whole idea is not to covet what belongs to someone else.

Back to Paul. Losing the one you love, or a best friend is often difficult, but losing both in this manner can be a challenging hurdle to overcome. It would take Paul a long time to restore his emotions. To complicate matters, his father was of no support. His dad was the type of man who would constantly criticize and put you down. Paul’s confidence was shattered on every level, as infidelity often destroys a person’s self-worth and self-value. If nobody is there trying to help you put the pieces back together, the healing process will be very long. 

Fast forward 30 years, Paul and I talked, and he told me how he had come across Linda one day. He said they had a pleasant conversation. I stood there listening as he spoke. He said, “Well, I’m finally over her”. Puzzled and with a halfway smile, I asked why. He said, “Well, I’ve met her many times since we broke up, and this is the first time my heart didn’t hurt.” That first cut goes deep and often takes a long time to heal. 

Many people have suffered heartache from others. Infidelity, divorce, and constantly being put down or ignored affect an individual’s self-worth. The sad reality is that when one suffers this type of pain, it usually leads to a misstep that causes another heartache. 

The question often asked is how you overcome painful hurts and bad episodes in your life. The answer is, dealing with our pain with scripture. The above story with Paul. Linda and Tom have been played out untold times in the course of history. Books, poems, songs, and movies have told its ugly story. When I think of it from time to time, I am reminded that everyone involved lost something and nobody gained a thing. The fling between Tom and Linda did not last long. Remember for everything you win there is something lost. 

Any counseling that does not involve God and His Word is useless. Dealing with emotional pain and mental anguish with medication will never bring healing, never. 

I have several historical events in the gospels that I love and never grow tired of reading and studying. 

The first is the woman at the well (John 4:1-42). The second we will discuss next week.

The woman at the well presents us with a worst-case scenario—a very immoral individual. In the story of the demoniac, we have another worst-case scenario, it’s bad on every level, with Peter denying the Lord another worst-case scenario and Saul of Tarsus the same thing. God tells us these stories to remind us he is in the saving business. The next time you think you are too rotten for help, remember your bible.

In our story above, it would be effortless to say that if Paul had been in church and serving the Lord, he would not have had this heartache and emotional damage. That’s a cheap answer, and when we study the life of our Saviour, it’s something He never said to anybody.

Imagine Him meeting with the woman at the well, and He said something like this: “You know, if you had just followed what I said in the Bible, you wouldn’t have those five loser husbands, and you wouldn’t be shacking up with this individual right now!” The conversation would have gone nowhere, and there would have been no conversion and no city coming to faith. Telling someone they should not have done it after the heartache is idiotic. So, how did the Master deal with this woman?

First, He treated her like a human. The day’s culture was to think of her as inferior because of her gender; She was also of mixed race, which was another strike. She had five failed marriages and no doubt lived in an immoral way between marriages. Christ came to her knowing all this, yet He still talked with her and was there to help her.

Second, He brought up her relationships, but He didn’t dwell on them and beat her up. The point of it was to expose her need and to reveal Himself. If you miss that last one, you miss the whole story.

Third, the conversation turns spiritual from here, and the Master tells her He is the Messiah. This, of course, leads to her salvation.

Human nature never changes; how people feel now is how they felt 2000 years ago. This dear lady was lonely and hurt by all the wrong choices and pain others inflicted upon her. There is no doubt that she had been hurt by someone in her life, and she, in turn, probably hurt others. There is something inherent in our sinful nature that when we are emotionally damaged by someone, we seek to hurt them back. In the case of adultery, too often, the victim will go out and commit the same sin to get back at the one they love. Sadly, too often, people will afflict themselves and often blame themselves for why the one they love did what they did. 

Nowhere in this does the Saviour tell her, you need to move on, you need to go forward, you have great worth, you are awesome. He does something better. He saves her soul, and that will lead to a changed life. She did have worth, and it was in her changed life. She had to choose where she wanted to live: in the past, where all her defeats and pains were, or to walk in the newness of life and the value Christ had placed upon her; thus, she could look at herself in her mirror or see herself through the lens of scripture, where she is a justified, blood-bought child of God.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

I do not doubt that this lady told her live-in boyfriend about Christ, and if he did not believe, he was looking for a new place to stay that night.

The Apostle Paul, who was once Saul of Tarsus, the killer of Christians, wrote through the Holy Spirit this way:

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (Philippians 3:12-15)

Aug 26th, 2023 A Full End? – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 46 – 48 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Romans 9 – 12; Psalms 120 – 125; Proverbs 26)

Read the “0826 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

(Jeremiah 46:27-28) “But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. (28) Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

Good morning. Did you know there are over 5 million Jews living in the United States, driven here by God where they could be free for a while. In the verses above, God says He will make a full end of all the nations whither He has driven His people. America too? It would be nice to see all of America shoot for the sky at the rapture of the church, but after seeing all the rioting in places across our country, I just think that there are many unsaved living here. There is nothing about the United States in the end times: after the rapture. However, when Russia and it’s allies invade Israel, Ezekiel 38:13 tells us that Sheba, and Dedan (Saudi Arabia), and the merchants of Tarshish (Europe), with all the young lions (nations that came out of England: Australia, Canada, the United States?) thereof, are going to protest the invasion. In a weakened state, that may be all we can do. After the rapture, all hell will break loose. Tearing down a statue is not going to change history. A bunch of idiotic white supremacists are not going to erase the memory of the six-million Jews murdered by trying to re-institute the Nazi Party. Unfortunately, it is all part of the end times…

2Ti 3:1-13 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; (5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (6) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, (7) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (8) Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. (9) But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. (10) But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, (11) Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. (12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (13) But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

My friend Nick went home to be with the Lord on Aug. 12, 2017. His family and church had a memorial service for him on Aug. 17. I met his parents for the first time. His dad was black, and his mom was white. After seeing all the garbage in the news, it was great to see both blacks and whites gathered together to say goodbye to Nick. He influenced and affected many people because of the love of Jesus in him. And he showed, to all he met, that love. And that’s the way it should be…

(John 13:34-35) “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

People need the LORD before a full end.

Peace.

Aug 25th, 2023 Seekest Thou Great Things for Thyself?

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 41 – 45 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Romans 5 – 8; Psalm 119; Proverbs 25)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – *James 4:10*

Read the “0825 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – The Safest Place on Earth

“Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.” (Jeremiah 45:4-5)

Baruch was Jeremiah’s assistant. We find him assisting Jeremiah in the purchasing of land in chapter thirty-two, and again in chapter thirty-six we see Baruch performing the role of an amanuensis, recording the words of Jeremiah, which he then read before the king to warn him of the judgment that God had pronounced upon Judah. Baruch was a faithful servant of the Lord and helper to Jeremiah, but in chapter forty-five, Baruch is complaining about the hardships that he is facing in life because of all of the bad stuff that is happening in the kingdom:

“Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.” (Jeremiah 45:3)

God tells him through the prophet Jeremiah that a lot of horrible stuff is about to happen to the people of God and a great number of people are going to die, and this is not the time for Baruch to be looking for some great reward or a life of ease. God tells him to just be thankful that he was going to escape the judgment with his life intact. Baruch should have been more concerned about how much his nation had fallen from God and how their sin grieved the Lord. Baruch was looking for an “attaboy” because he was still holding the line and being faithful, but it was not a time for pleasure and rejoicing; it was a time of great calamity for his nation. Baruch was going to get to live and he should be content with that.

Here’s an application that I think can made from this passage. We all have certain expectations about how life could (and maybe should) be. We have this idea that if we do right we can expect to live an easy life, be blessed with a loving family and good friends, have a house with a white picket fence, enjoy good health, and live a long time on the earth. However, as God’s people, our purpose for living here does not surround us and our desires, it surrounds the will of God. We are here on this earth to glorify Him, communicate the gospel to the lost world around us, and to serve other people. God may and will bless us with many good things, and if we are faithful, we will certainly receive many rewards in Heaven. However, we need to learn to be content with whatever God wills and allows for us in this life, and sometimes God permits some “bad” stuff to happen to His children.

The apostle Paul was one of the greatest servants of God in the first century, but he didn’t enjoy here on earth many of the things that the average American Christian expects today. He was beaten often for his faith and put in prison countless times, but he was content with whatever the Lord allowed in His life:

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

As Christians, we do not live for ourselves, we live for the Lord. We serve Him. Will He take care of us and supply our needs? Yes. Will he even bless us with many good things that we will be able to enjoy while we are here on earth? Yes. But, he may also allow, or even ordain, some hardship that we must endure according to His will, and we must be content with that. Really, we must learn to be content with Him and with whatever He puts into our lives.

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (1 Timothy 6:6-9)

Aug 24th, 2023 Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 37 – 40 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Romans 1 – 4; Psalms 116 – 118; Proverbs 24)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – *1 Timothy 1:17*

Read the “0824 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “The Truth Sometimes Hurts,” and “God Remembers.“

“14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me. 15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me? 16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life. 17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: 18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. 19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. 20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.” (Jeremiah 38:14-20)

“5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I really enjoy reading the Book of Jeremiah! It has some of the characteristics and action of the historical books of the Bible, along with the prophecies that teach about the future of God’s people. I greatly admire Jeremiah’s faithfulness to the Lord to deliver this unpopular messages to God’s people, even when it resulted in his being put into jail. Once, the princes of Judah even placed him in a prison dungeon filled with mire where they attempted to starve him to death. God always brought him out of these unpleasant situations. He did not deliver him from them completely, but He always delivered him from them eventually. In the end we see Jeremiah being rewarded by the King of Babylon and also granted the freedom to go where he pleases, while all of the men of Judah that oppressed Jeremiah were either dragged into captivity or worse, put to death.

In chapter thirty-eight, King Zedekiah sends for Jeremiah to see if there is any word from the Lord, and there is; but what God has to say to Zedekiah was not what he wanted to hear. God was basically telling the king to surrender to the Babylonians and submit to them. God promises that if Zedekiah obeyed him, it would go well with the king’s family, and the city of Jerusalem would be spared. Zedekiah was more afraid of what his peers thought, however, and refused to listen to the counsel given through Jeremiah. He resists Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, which resulted in an 18 month siege and ultimate destruction of the city. Zedekiah’s sons were also slain, and the king’s eyes were plucked out immediately following the slaughter of his sons. Can you imagine the last thing you are able to see in life is the execution of your family? How tragic! And it did not have to happen. Zedekiah should have trusted the words of God given through the prophet Jeremiah and all of the death and destruction would have been avoided.

We are often no different than King Zedekiah. We often ignore the clear commands of God because we think we know better, or because doing so will result in the loss of friends. We need to learn to always choose God over everything and everybody else. God knows what is best for us, even if our finite minds cannot comprehend what He is doing. Acknowledge Him, and lean not unto your own understanding. Like Jeremiah, you will eventually reap the rewards of following Him.

Aug 23rd, 2023 The Rechabites – Faithful to the Lord and Their Family Heritage

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 33 – 36 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 25 – 28; Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32

Read the “0823 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Bible Burning.”

Before I jump into my main thought for this morning’s devotion, take a look at Jeremiah 33:1 – 3:

“1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; 3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:1-3)

Jeremiah was “shut up in the prison” but he was still communing with the Lord. He was not pouting about his living conditions and complaining about how unfairly he was being treated. He was praying to and receiving word back from the Lord. Notice that the Lord invites Jeremiah to keep calling to Him and God promises that he will shew him “great and mighty things” that he could then encourage the nation with. The remainder of the chapter reveals some wonderful things that God has in store for his people in the future. The description of blessing and prosperity given goes beyond just the return of the people from Babylonian captivity, it reveals a glimpse of what life will be like for Israel in the Millennial Kingdom when the “Branch,” the Lord Jesus Christ will be reigning from Jerusalem, the city which will also be called “the Lord our righteousness” at that time.

Now for my main thought:

As you read through chapter thirty-five, you learn about the Rechabite Family. This clan was actually descended from Moses’ father-in-law and was not part of one of the tribes of Israel (1 Chronicles 1:16). In the Book of Judges, we read about these people dwelling among the tribe of Judah (Judges 1:16). One of the heads of this family in previous generations was Jonadab (Jeremiah 35:6, 14). He is also mentioned in association with Jehu in 2 Kings 10:15 & 23 where he is called Jehonadab. According to our text in Jeremiah 35, he was the one who commanded his family to abstain from wine and live a very simple and separated life. Their obedience to refrain from wine is reminiscent of the Nazarite vow, but it appears that the descendants of Jonadab were not choosing on their own to enter into a vow of separation, they were just obeying the commandment of their forefather. God commands Jeremiah to offer them wine, which they refuse because of their obedience to the command of Jonadab, which was made over two hundred years prior to Jeremiah’s day. It is important to point out that the commandment of Jonadab was in no way in disagreement with any command of the Lord; it actually exceeded God’s basic requirements.

The Lord uses this story of the Rechabite family as an illustration to Israel. He states that these Rechabites have been faithfully following the commandments of their father, Jonadab, but in contrast, Israel was unable to be faithful to the commandments of their Father, God. God commends the Rechabites for their faithfulness to their father, and states that they “shall never want a man to stand before [God] forever,” meaning that there would always be somebody from Jonadab’s family that would be serving the Lord in some capacity. Israel, on the other hand, would be punished for their unfaithfulness to God.

God’s prophecy regarding the Rechabites was proven to be fulfilled later in the Scripture. We read of a Rechabite serving the Lord with Nehemiah some 150 years later (Nehemiah 3:14), and according to the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Psalm 71 “was addressed for use by the sons of Jonadab and the earliest captives.”^[1]

What is the application for us today? We can be faithful to the Lord, and also to our family name, even in the midst of perilous times when everyone else seems to be forsaking them.

^[1] MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. 1997. The MacArthur Study Bible. Electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub.