Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Mar 6th, 2012 Writing Scripture

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 15 – 18

(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 1 – 4; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30)

Scripture Memory for March – Psalm 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46

“And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.” – (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)

A few years back, our church began using a one-on-one discipleship program called “Daily in the Word”, which is a tremendous tool for teaching new believers the foundational truths of Christianity. One of the things that I like about this training is that it emphasizes the practice of writing Scripture. I had read the Bible many times, and had memorized and studied portions of the Scripture prior to taking this course, but I must confess that I had never made it a practice to write out portions of Scripture; and to be honest, I was skeptical about the benefit that I would receive by it. However, I have been amazed at how writing the Scripture has helped me to see some things that I had never seen before, and has also helped me to retain much more than just reading alone. I have actually filled up whole notebooks with the Books of the Bible that I have now written. Recently, I purchased an expensive leather journal, and I am writing the Book of Psalms in it. I intend to pass this along to one of my children when I am finished.

Our passage this morning tells us in Deuteronomy 17:18 – 20 that the kings of Israel were required to write out a copy of the law for themselves, and they were to keep that copy with them so that they would know what to do. I don’t believe that all of the kings actually did this because many of them certainly did not follow the precepts contained in the law, and as a result were not very successful at ruling the people of God. However, some of the kings, like David, Hezekiah, Josiah, and others did know the Word, and followed it closely as they ruled over the people. During their reigns the kingdom had the blessing of God evidenced by His abundant provision as well as His protection from enemies. God’s Word certainly made a big difference in the nation when it was revered and obeyed.

We need to place a high priority on the Scripture today. I believe we ought to set aside a special time when we read, listen to and write the Word of God. I believe the more Scripture we absorb into our hearts and minds, the more our faith will be increased (Romans 10:17), and the better we will be able to fulfil the will of God for our lives; not to mention the fact that we will enjoy more prosperity and less problems in life simply because we will know what we should do.

Have you ever thought about writing the Bible? If the Lord tarries, I would love to eventually write out a complete copy of the Word of God. I know the time and effort that I put into it will reap a far greater return.

Mar 5th, 2012 Biblical Separation

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 12 – 14

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 13 – 16 (1 Corinthians 13 – 14, 1 Corinthians 15 – 16); Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25)

Scripture Memorization for March – Psalm 1

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

“If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.” – (Deuteronomy 13:6-11)

You will notice from the passage above that God was very serious about this matter of separation. He didn’t want any hint of the false gods of the heathen inhabitants of the land of Canaan to enter into the lives of the people of Israel. God was so adamant about this that He demanded the death penalty for anyone (even a close friend or family member) that attempted to lure an Israelite into worshipping other gods. It goes on to say later on in the chapter that whole cities should be completely destroyed if the people of that city begin to worship Belial. They weren’t allowed to take any of the spoil from these cities: everything and everybody was to be destroyed. I will reiterate: God is very serious about separation.

Separation was not just a doctrine for the Old Testament Jew, either. God expects the New Testament Christian to be separated from sin and the world, unto the gospel (Romans 1). Consider the following verses:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – (Romans 12:2)

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” – (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” – (1 John 2:15-17)

In these latter days, separation has almost become extinct. Even Christians who believe in separation are not really very separated. If we were to be completely truthful, we would have to admit that this world of pleasure and possessions has cast quite a spell upon the church. I believe the only way to break the spell is to intentionally limit the influencing media that the world uses to pull us in, and then draw closer to the Truth of God’s Word. Some day, very soon, the Lord will come and take those who belong to Him home to Heaven. Nothing from this world will matter to us then. We might as well get used to eternity now. Let us draw closer to the Lord, and let all of the ungodly distractions of this world to be moved far away from our lives.

By the way. I am not suggesting isolation. There is a vast difference between isolation and separation. Jesus said that we are to “in” the world, just not “of” the world. God loves the people of this world, and wants us to influence them and reach them with the gospel of Christ. He just doesn’t want us to get caught up at all in the sinful pleasures of this world system, or too caught up in amoral things (things that are not necessarily wrong, but may be weights) that are not eternal.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” – (Colossians 3:1)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” – (Philippians 4:8)

There are a lot of beautiful things, people, and places on this earth that are not wrong for us to be around; but there is also a lot of evil out there; a lot of distractions, and God wants us to be separated from them, so that we will be able to see Him clearly, and do His will more effectively. Christians are to be different from the rest of the world out there because we are supposed to be shining the light of the gospel to them. Our lights have become very dim as the world has gotten darker, when we really should be shining more brightly than ever before. Just a thought.

Mar 4th, 2012 Paving The Way

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 9 – 11

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 9, 1 Corinthians 10 – 12; Proverbs 4; Psalms 16 – 20)

Read – “One Simple Way To Encourage the Heart of Your Pastor” by Pastor Paul Chappell

Scripture Memory for March – Psalm 1

“Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.” – (Deuteronomy 9:3)

I get a lot of comfort from verses of Scripture like this one. You see, I hate to admit it, but I am basically a very fearful person by nature. I am afraid to try new things; I am afraid to to meet new people; and I am very afraid of rejection and failure. In Deuteronomy chapter 9, God is encouraging another group of fearful people. The people of Israel were about to enter into the land of promise, and though the land was a wonderful place, it was also inhabited by some pretty big and mean dudes who were not too pleased about this new nation moving in. But God reminded them here that they need not be afraid, because he was going to go before them and pave the way for them. He was going to clear the land first, so that the Israelites would basically be able to move right in.

The reason why verses like this one comfort me is because I am also often afraid to do the Lord’s will in my life. God sometimes asks me to do things that I am not naturally comfortable with. I remember the first time that I was asked to do a devotion. Even though the group that I was addressing was only a small group of junior aged boys, I was scared to death; but I knew it was something that God wanted me to do, so I did it. It turned out well, too. God went before me, and He went with me. Soul winning is another activity that causes me great consternation. I am scared to death of rejection. The thought of somebody slamming the door in my face is almost enough to keep me from going. But, again, I know God wants me to “preach the gospel to every creature”; and He always goes before me and provides me with wonderful opportunities to share Christ with the lost, or to encourage the saved.

What has God been asking you to do that you are afraid to do? Remember, He will not ask you to do something that He will not equip you and empower you to do. God will go before you. He will pave the way, and after the road is clear, He will go in with you to help you along the way. You know, every time I overcome my fears and do the thing that the Lord has called me to do – without exception – He blesses; and I walk away with a joy and a fulfillment that is beyond description. I bet that He will do the same thing for you!

Mar 2nd, 2012 Not Another Word!

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 3 – 5

Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4; Proverbs 2; Psalms 6 – 10

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1

Scripture memory for March – Psalm 1

Read “Remember to Replenish” by Pastor Chappell

“But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.” – (Deuteronomy 3:26)

Mar 1st, 2012 Just One Thing

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 1 – 2

(Second Milers also read – Romans 13 – 16; Proverbs 1; Psalms 1 – 5)

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

Scripture Memory for March – Psalm 1

“Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,” – (Deuteronomy 1:32)

The context of the above verse involves Moses reminiscing with the nation of Israel as they were near the end of their wandering in the Wilderness for 40 years. He reminds them of the reason that they had to delay their entrance into the Promised Land, which was their inability to trust God to deliver the “giant” inhabitants of the land of Canaan into their hand. They were afraid, and their fear caused them to doubt that God was powerful enough to give them victory. This was after they had seen first hand the power of God as He delivered them from the Egyptians; as He parted the Red Sea; and as He miraculously provided for their needs in their journey. Notice what Moses said in verse 31:

God had certainly never given them a reason not to trust Him. They had seen Him do the impossible, yet they could not trust Him to give them victory in the battle with the people of Canaan.

My thought this morning is in the phrase, “yet in this thing”. Though the people had seen God do great things in the past, and were trusting Him to do many things in the present, there was one thing that they could not trust Him to do. They were “picking and choosing” the specific areas of trust. Do you find yourself doing that? I guess it is something we are all guilty of, if you think about it. There are some specific areas where we choose not to trust God. So what do we do instead? We do what seems right to us. Let’s consider some verses that should challenge that course of action:

Mar 11th, 2011 Well Done

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 32-34; Proverbs 11

(Second Milers also read – Philippians 1 – 4; memorize John 1:1)

“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. … And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,” – (Deuteronomy 34:5, 10)

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” – (Hebrews 9:27)

“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:” – (Acts 13:36)

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” – (2 Timothy 4:7)

In Deuteronomy 34 we see the death of one of God’s choicest servants, Moses. Moses had served in the will of God for forty years, leading a stiffnecked and rebellious group of people through the wilderness, finally delivering them to the border of the land that God had given them. Moses had finished with what God had called him to do. God was well pleased with the service of Moses, and I am sure that he heard the Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” – (Matthew 25:21)

I think if we look back on Moses’ life, we can certainly see that he had a fulfilling life. Most people never find that kind of fulfillment. They live their lives trying to accumulate toys, and experience all of the pleasures of this world; but in them they never find the fulfillment which fills that empty cavern in the center of their souls. Too often, people die today with many regrets, many unrealized dreams. They often wish that had a chance to do it over again, or at least were granted a little more time to make things right. I don’t think that Moses had many regrets. I am sure there are some things that he would like to have redone. I bet he wished that he had kept better control of his temper at Kadesh; but for the most part, I believe that Moses was ready to go home to the Lord.

Moses found the will of God for his life, and he fulfilled it. I think that statement really sums up the secret to living a life that ends without regret. By the way, he also poured his life into others before he left so that they could carry on the work when he was gone. What are you living for? I think most of who know the Lord really have a desire built in us to accomplish great things for the Lord, but we often put God’s will on the back burner so that we can do our own thing for a little while. The devil tricks us into thinking that there will always be time later on in life to get busy serving the Lord; but all too often the days just race by, and before we realize it, our lives are at the end. Time flies by, doesn’t it? Let me encourage you to not wait another minute to start the process of finging God’s will for your life, and then fulfilling it. What does God want you to do? Get busy! You will someday be on top of Mt. Nebo yourself, and then you will realize that your time is up. Like Moses, you will be able to see from that vantage point, not only what had been accomplished, but also what could have been accomplished. We will all have some regrets, but if we get busy now, we can die with the joy of knowng that we fulfilled God’s purpose for our lives.

Mar 10th, 2011 I Will Be With Thee

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 29-31; Proverbs 10

(Second Milers also read – Ephesians 1 – 6; memorize John 1:1)

“And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. … And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.” – (Deuteronomy 31:7-8, 23)

Perhaps no greater source of encouragement can be found for the Christian today than the words contained in these verses. In our passage today we see Moses in his final days upon the earth. He has fulfilled God’s will for his life by leading the people of Israel out of bondage, and has brought them to the border of the Land of Promise. He is passing the baton over to Joshua, who had faithfully served Moses for the forty years of Moses ministry. Joshua has an extremely difficult task in front of him. He is following behind one of the greatest leaders in the history of mankind, and he has been places in charge of a people that have demonstrated on numerous occasions that they can be very rebellious. In fact, on the very day that Joshua is appointed his new position God tells him that the people are going to rebel. How would you like to be given the job of leading people who you already know are going to eventually stop following. If I were Joshua I would not only be fearful of the task ahea, but perhaps even a little discouraged. However, twice in this passage Joshua is reminded that it’s going to be OK, because God will be with him.

What a blessing it is to know that as we serve God today in the center of His will, that He promises to go with us as well.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – (Hebrews 13:5)

Sometimes it can be very difficult living for the Lord in the world that we live in. It is not easy being a good, godly parent; a witness on the job; a servant in the church’ a light to the community: all of which God calls us to be. But God is with us. He goes before us, and then helps us as we strive to be His ambassador in this dark world. Sometimes, we may feel like we are all alone, but we are never alone, because God is always with us.

Did you recognize His presence in your life today? Did you talk to Hm yet this morning? He desires to have intimate fellowship with you, and to use you to fulfil His purpose in your world. What a wonderful and awesome priveledge it is to know and serve the King of the Universe! Lif your head up high. You’ve got connections. You know the right Person. You are personally acquainted with God, and you represent Him to those who don’t know Him.

Mar 9th, 2011 What Do They See?

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 27 – 28; Proverbs 9

Second Milers also read – Galatians 1 – 6; memorize John 1:1

“And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.” – (Deuteronomy 28:10)

I was captivated by the verse above. Notice that it says that people will see that the Israelites were called by the name of the Lord. It does not say that the people will hear mere words. The people were not to just talk about their relationship with God, they were to live it; and live it so powerfully that the surrounding nations would fear them.

It is rare today that the world looks into the life of a Christian and sees the hand of God working so evidently and powerfully in them that they are actually feared. For the most part Christians today are mocked and made fun of, but not feared. Why are we the laughingstock of the world today? There are many reasons, but I believe the main one is that our lives do not demonstrate the power and abundance of the life of faith. We dabble in God, but we don’t let Him get all of us, and unless He has all of us He cannot demonstrate His power in our lives.

Christians should be walking billboards illustrating the power and blessing of an omnipotent God. People should be able to take one look at us and tell that there is something radically different about us; something almost intimidating. The story is told of the great preacher, Charles Finney, who visited a factory one day in New York, and after merely making eye contact with a woman in the factory, she began to weep uncontrollably. That is pretty powerful. Our lives should declare loudly and boldly that we are the children of an awesome and all powerful God. People may not agree with us, but if our lives are fully surrendered to the Lord, they should respect us. Do the people around you fear you because of the presence of God in your life, or do they mock you? Sobering thought.

Mar 8th, 2011 Have You Forgotten?

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 23-26; Proverbs 8

(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13; memorize John 1:1)

“And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: … Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:” – (Deuteronomy 26:5, 13)

My thought this morning comes from Deuteronomy chapter 26. In this chapter God reminds the people of Israel that when they get into the land that He had promised them, and they begin to receive of the goodness of the land, they were not to forget to bring back to God the tithe of their increase. People do not like to hear much about tithing nowadays; but the real purpose of tithing is not for God (or the church) to get their money, but rather for people to express in a tangible way the fact that they remember that God has blessed them. The people of Israel were encouraged to bring their tithe basket to the priest, and then they were to publicly state their appreciation to the Lord by rehearsing the fact that God had brought them out of cruel bondage, and delivered them into a land of incredible bounty. The tithe was just a small expression of appreciation for what God had done for them.

Today, we are just as quick to forget about the goodness of God. We can see that fact demonstrated in the way people give today. Most Christians don’t tithe; and many don’t give anything at all. We sometimes try to justify this lack of faith by blaming it on rough economic circumstances, etc., which I am sure certainly plays a partial factor; but the real issue is a matter of the heart. When people do not give back to God, they are not remembering and appreciating what He has done for them. However, I don’t want the focus of this morning’s devotion to be on tithing principles. Our giving habits are but one indicator of our remembering. My challenge this morning is get you to think about the ways you express your appreciation to the Lord for what He has done in your life. Don’t forget to remember God. And don’t forget to remember the good things that  people have done for you either. We tend to forget very easily,especially when a difficult circumstance arises in our life. Because our focus is on the new problem, we forget about (and lose appreciation for) all of the previous solutions and blessings that have been given us. We are no different from the little child who screams for a new toy, forgetting about all of the other toys he already has.

Do you remember the goodness of God in your life? Do you express your appreciation in words, and in other more tangible ways? We must be careful not to forget God. If we do, then we will gradually slip further and further away from the center of His will for our lives, and eventually He will be forced to correct us, which is never pleasant.

By the way, the picture on the top is of the Twin Towers. We vowed on 9/11 that we would never forget what happened that day. We said that we would not forget what was done to us, nor would we forget those who died. Yet, it seems like our nation is quickly breaking that vow, just as she has forgotten Pearl Harbor. We need to be careful to remember, and reflect on all of these things. Let’s not get so busy in the present, or so worried about the future, that we forget the lessons and the blessings of the past.

Mar 7th, 2011 Put Your Game Face On

Today’s Passsage – Deuteronomy 19-22; Proverbs 7

(Second Milers also read 2 Corinthians 5 – 8; memorize John 1:1)

“And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.” – (Deuteronomy 20:8)

In Deuteronomy chapter twenty, God gives instructions to the people of Israel regarding going into battle. Before going into the fight, God weeded out anybody whose hearts and minds would not be in the fight(vv 5 – 8). If these soldiers were not not fully committed and focussed on the battle ahead, they may be a danger to the other men. If they were consumed with fear, God knew that their fear may spread to the others and discourage them as well. God wants those who fight for him to be “in the fight”.

These verses bring several thoughts to mind, but the one I will share with you is one that I have given quite a bit of consideration to lately. In Christianity today, there is an awful lot of “half-hearted” effort in the battle to fulfill the Great Commission. So many are distracted, and so many more just do not seem to care at all. We need men and woman who are willing to give their all to and for the Lord. Consider these verses:

“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” – (Revelation 3:16)

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – (Luke 9:62)

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – (1 Corinthians 10:31)

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” – (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

We are in a battle today: against the devil; against the evil of this world. We are fighting for the souls of men, and God needs us to be focussed and determined as we fight. We need to decide whether or not we want to be in the battle or not, because turning back is not an option. We need to get in all the way or get out of the way. By the way, I understand that there will be times when we need to break from the battle temporarily for rest and restoration, but that does not mean we give up altogether. Sometimes we will have to fight on even when we are weary, but we must keep fighting. The time of eternal rest will come soon enough, but right now we have something to fight for. Christian, put your game face on!