The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage: 1Corinthians 15 & 16.
The Victory Is No Mystery – 1Cor. 15:51-58
Good morning. Another week has passed. Black Friday, Small Store Saturday, and Cyber Monday are all behind us. Did you get all your Christmas shopping done? Good! You had a victory. That’s what today’s blog is about: VICTORY! We already have the victory, but we don’t realize it. When we don’t realize it, we lose.
I was reminded of an Abbott and Costello skit. They go into an illegal gambling establishment to bet on the horses. This was where they got the idea for off-track betting. Just remember that legal gambling is just as bad as illegal gambling – only someone else gets to keep your money! Costello places the bet, and a voice comes over the radio…
“And they’re off…”
“The race is over…”
“You lose!”
That was a comedy, so you already knew that Costello was going to lose. Do you know you already have the victory: you are not a loser? 1Corinthians 15 tells us…
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of deathis sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (vs 54-57)
We have the victory! It was given to us by God through our Lord Jesus Christ! Death has no more sting: death cannot hurt us. Death is swallowed up in victory!
How can we know this victory now?
Well, you could… die. And at the rapture of the church, when your corruptible has put on incorruption, and your mortal has put on immortality, you will be with Jesus. That’s victory!
Or (and I prefer this way better) by faith. 1John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Verse 58 of 1Corinthians 15 tells us the result of this victory through faith: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
We will be stedfast. Immovable, standing firm in our faith. God said it; that settles it.
We will be unmoveable. Nothing, and nobody in this world, or any situation for that matter should shake and shatter our faith. We have the victory and greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
And we will be always abounding in the work of the Lord. Soul winning, tithing (supporting our pastor, the church, and it’s ministries), and what ever the Lord has asked us as individuals to do (teach, edify, be a friend), are some of the works we should be abounding in.
And at the end of verse 58 there is victory: “…forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
That’s victory. Keep on going for the Lord.
Peace (John 14:47).
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Romans 8-10.
Romans 8:37 – Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Good morning. I know it’s early, but the question I want to pose today is this: are you a conqueror, or more than a conqueror? What or who do you think about when you here the word conqueror? Do you think of Communist leaders like Lenin, or chairman Mao, who murdered people to gain power? Chairman Mao’s policies are credited to the deaths of 77 million people. Do you think of the Faciests like Hitler, who took a massive army and conquered most of Europe. Do you think about the Catholic church which sent out an army of Crusaders to force people to convert over to their form of religion? Do you think about the Muslims who butchered 50,000 Christians in the city of Fez, in Moroco? What about Nero, who dipped Christians in wax, mounted them on a pole, and then set them on fire to light his palace? But we are more than conquerors! We are more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ!
We are more than conquerors MENTALLY
Philippians 2: 5-11 says: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And God is conforming us to the image of His Son. We can have the mind of Christ. We are more than conquerors!
We are more than conquerors PHYSICALLY.
We can do all things – Philippians 4:13; We can endure all things – 2Timothy 2:1-10: because we are more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ! Think about Stephen who saw heaven opened revealing the Lord standing, and waiting for his arrival in heaven. Think about the multitude of Christians who went to their deaths and onto eternal life because of their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!
And we are more than conquerors SPIRITUALLY.
Romans 8:2 tells us: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Read the rest of chapter 8 about the working of the Holy Spirit. You will come to the same conclusion that in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”
Peace (John 14:27)
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: John 17-19
That The Scripture Might Be Fulfilled
Good morning. What a great way to start the morning with my favorite chapter from the Bible: John chapter 17. Jesus is praying to His Father before going to the cross. Jesus prayed for His disciples, and us: those who would believe through their testimony: their word. And there was only one who was lost: the son of perdition: Judas. And the explanation is given as to why: that the Scripture might be fulfilled (vs12). The Scripture, God’s Word, should be one of the most cherished possessions in our lives. Chapter 17 is all God’s Word (yes, even the 13 words printed black in verse 1). Because God’s will is being done no matter what, we can trust the promises from the Scripture will come to pass: that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
1) The Father would be glorified through Jesus, that the Lord’s glory would be restored as it was before creation, and that we would glorify Jesus (vs 1-10).
Revelation 19:11-16 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
That the Scripture might be fulfilled.
2) Safety for believers (vs 11-16).
John 10:27-30 tells us this also, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”
We are protected so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
3) Jesus also prayed that we would be sanctified (made holy) through the Scriptures (verses 17-19). And in Hebrews 10:10 the Scriptures tell us that, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Because of His sacrifice the Scriptures say we are sanctified.
I’m getting excited about this. Isn’t it great to know you’re saved and on your way to Heaven!
4) In verses 20 through 23, Jesus prays for the unity of those who believe, and that the world would believe. Revelation 7:9-12 gives us a glimpse into the future. John said, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
And that’s only the tribulation saints, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
5) And I especially like verse 24 which tells us that one day we will see Jesus. Stephen saw Jesus just before he was stoned to death, Acts chapter 7:55-56 tell us, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Face to face we shall behold Him that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.
6) And that brings us to verses 25 and 26. Jesus prayed that we would have the same love of the Father that He had. This is the sacrificial love, the agape’ love. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This was Jesus going to the cross, paying the price for our sins, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. We are supposed to have the same love in us. We need to die too: die to self. If we can be a little bit humble, maybe bury our pride, we can easily forgive our brothers and sisters when they sin against us, or hurt us. We should be demonstrating the love of God to others so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
Peace (John 14:27).
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: John 1-3
The Good Wine
Good morning. I hope this week has been a blessing and not a curse. This is a day that the Lord made: rejoice and be glad in it! I guess it depends on our attitude. Even the worst of times has no hold on us when we realize that in the end we get to see Jesus face to face in all His glory. The Good Wine is coming. John chapter 2, verses 1 through 11, give the account of Jesus’ first recorded miracle: turning the water into wine. What I want to focus on is what the governor of the feast said to the bridegroom: “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”
“…and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse…”
Every man sets forth good wine, and later the bad. Are we really like that? Do we take a good, long, hard look in the mirror and notice the things we are doing? Or are we like the man in James chapter 1 who beheld his natural face in a glass, and then went on his way forgetting what manner of man he was. When someone tells me I’m getting old, I tell them I’m aging like fine wine: I’m kept in the dark, I get dusty, and eventually I’ll turn sour. And that is how we get if we forget what manner of men (and ladies) we were. Have you cracked an off-color joke lately, talked bad about someone, or did something that you did before you got saved? Have you hurt anybody lately with harsh words? Proverbs 25: 11 tells us that, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Are you angry at everybody because they will not be your friend? Proverbs 18:24 says that you must show yourself friendly. Have we become “that which is worse?” Who is your Bridegroom? He is the one that the governor of the feast went to. What do you want the governor to say: this is sour, or this is the best? Think of the governor being other believers. What are they telling the Bridegroom about you? Maybe it’s time to edify the brethren. Treat others with the kind of respect you would like (even if they do not return that respect). Also, in that vein, when somebody hurts you, be forgiving. Pray for that person. Do you really want to see God’s wrath come down on them. God hates what they did even more than you do. The good wine is coming; the question is, how worse will “that which is worse” get before the good wine is put forth? That choice is up to you.
Peace (John 14;27)
Posted in Guest Posts, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Guest Post by Sara Scates
Today’s Passage – Psalm 119:89 – Psalm 124
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)
To walk an unlit path after dark without a source of light to illuminate the course ahead would be unwise. Chances are, without a flashlight or lantern, you are eventually going to stumble. Even when walking a well traveled area, it’s easy to trip on a root or for a fallen tree to go unnoticed until it painfully meets your shin. Navigating in darkness is dangerous.
This verse, found in Psalm 119, describes God’s Word as a ‘lamp.’ It is the light needed to illuminate the darkness on the path we travel. Keeping the light of God’s Word shining along the way lessens our chances of falling. The light of His Word allows us to anticipate and prepare for what kind of obstacles and dangers lie ahead of us.
Notice that it doesn’t ELIMINATE them, it simply ILLUMINATES them.
Using a flashlight when walking in the woods does not rid your walkway of hazards or things that may hurt you, it simply allows you to see them more clearly so that you can be ready for them when they do come upon you. The same with God’s Word. Spending time in communion with God and in His Word does not eliminate trials and tribulations from coming your way. But, it does help you to either take steps to avoid them or be prepared and deal with these things when they do arrive. What a blessing!
While meditating on this verse and these thoughts, it also made me think of this…
Think of what happens at night if you spend time reading before bed. You finish your book and get up to turn off the light. The room had been very well lit but now once you’ve cut off the light source so abruptly, your eyes have difficulty adjusting to the darkness and you cannot see ANYTHING! The room is dark, but because your eyes grew accustomed to the brightness, it is very hard for them to get used to the lack of light now. If you are anything like me, you WILL stub your toe as you feel your way to your bed.
Can we agree that this is what the Christian experiences when he forsakes God and His Word? A Christian that spends time studying their Bible has God’s wisdom and direction guiding their path. Their path is lit by the word. Being daily in the word, they have learned the skills needed to deal with certain issues. They have learned what paths to avoid and how to deal with unexpected detours. They have developed and strengthened a personal relationship with the Lord that will give them peace when encountering difficult situations. Our salvation cannot be taken away but God can remove the hedge of protection and cut off the flow of blessings to those that turn from Him and His Word. This leaves us wide open for destruction. We’ve all heard the stories of those that have gotten away from the word of God and the will of God and quickly found their lives filled with heartache, struggles, and turmoil and void of blessings, peace, and joy.
Christian, I encourage you to keep God’s Word as a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path.
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Guest Post by Sami Erickson
Todays Passage Psalm 26 – 30
“Wait I say, on the Lord”
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:Wait, I say, on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
In this day and age we have gotten used to getting anything we want immediately. If we have to wait five minutes in line we are in an uproar. We have become a very impatient people. I fear that we expect the same kind of service from our Heavenly Father as well. How many times have you prayed and asked God for something and since it wasn’t answered immediately you just gave up? I know im guilty! Sorry to say, the Lord doesn’t work like this. The Lord doesn’t do things on our time lines, He does them on His.
Wait on the Lord! No matter what the situation is, no matter how scary it may be . “The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) I know at times you may think you need an answer right away and circumstances surrounding you are saying there is no hope but “Wait, I say, on the Lord”
I have gone through times when I wondered “does God even hear me?” “Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me:” (psalm 28:1) God is not a God of confusion. If you Wait on Him he WILL answer your prayer, or reveal His will to you. The worst thing you can do is act on what YOU think is the right thing to do, simply because you cant wait for God to show you. There is nothing better then to know 100% that its all God and zero you. “Wait , I say, on the Lord.” Gerald always says “Let go and Let God” Give it up to the Lord…. Whatever it is! And WAIT on Him.
Have a Great day!!!!
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Guest Post by Katelyn Erickson
Today’s Passage – Psalms 6 – 10
” What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” Psalm 8:4
We just finished reading the book of Job where we learned of humble man, who saw God for Who He is and chose to obey Him rather than man. Last Wednesday night Pastor preached from Matthew 15 where we read of a woman who, though she was a Gentile, humbly came to Christ for healing.
“When you come to the place that you see yourself for the sinner that you are, that is when you will finally see God for Who He truly is.”
In Psalm chapter 8, David gives us a beautiful picture of the handiwork of God. It is evident that he saw God as the Almighty Creator, and it obviously humbled him.
Job, the Gentile woman, and David all had something in common…they all saw God high and lifted up and saw themselves as lowly man, in need of their Savior.
Christian, when is the last time you looked at the creation of God, and praised His excellent name? We live our lives so full of ourselves that we forget Who holds our life in His hands. Sure, we do the “work” of God, but where is the “love” for God. When we finally get to the point where we see God as the Creator and we as the lowly creation, that is when He will start working His mighty hand in us.
So as you go through the day today, stop and notice the handiwork of your Savior. Determine, through His strength, that you will lift up His name rather than your own, and that you serve Him because you love Him…after all, it is your reasonable service.
Psalm 9:1, 2 “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”
Psalm 10:4 “The wicked through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Guest Post by Melissa Clayton
Todays passage Job37-39
Good morning everyone!!!!!! As I continue my reading in Job I have become more and more amazed of the wonderous works of the Lord that are shown in these passages. It seems like every verse points to the power and magesty of our Creator.
I read these chapters over and over again trying to decide what to write about and every time I read, a certain section of verses seemed to stick out to me. Take notice of chapter 39:13-16. These verses talk about the ostrich, and the one phrase that stuck out the most was v16″ her labour is in vain without fear; ” As i began to study more about the ostrich i realized that the ostrich is a very prideful and careless bird. The bible says that the the ostrich “leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust” she forgetteth that the foot may crush them,or the wild beast may break them”. It also talks about how she is hardened against her own young as though they were not even hers and after everything her labour is in vain because she has no fear.
I realized something VERY important as i read this. We as christians are a lot like an ostrich!! We are proud and careless and just like an ostrich is hardened against her young, so are we hardened against our christian walk with God. We make no provision and no safety for our own souls often time leaving them exposed to Satan and worldly temptations. Most of all we are boastful and prideful and we just dont care. When we have no fear we are basically telling God that “we got this” we can live life on our own and we dont really need him. Well guess what? We cant make it on our own. We might slide by without God for awhile and things might seem ok, but pride always cometh before destruction.
Christian lets not be like the ostrich. Lets not leave ourselves exposed to Satan and the things of this world ,but most of all lets lose the prideful “me,me,me” attitude and lets get Gods fear back into our lives!!!! Remember our labour is in vain without fear!!!
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Guest Post by Sara Scates
Today’s Passage – Job 25-27.
In this passage, we first see in chapter 25 Bildad’s lame attempt at praising God and his last effort to convince Job that he is somehow deserving of the trials he has experienced. By chapter 26, Job is feeling like ‘enough is enough’ with dealing with his ‘friends.’ They have been no help to him in this valley time of his life and he offers his final response to them. He then goes on once more to praise God despite the storm he’s been living in. I find Job’s faith and trust in the Lord so admirable. In the first few verses of chapter 27, we see Job admitting that he’s grown weary of the many afflictions God has allowed to touch him but he states in verses 3 and 4: All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. He is vowing not to speak negatively about his heavenly Father no matter what he faces as long as he lives.
As Christians, we need to determine like Job that when God allows sickness or the loss of a loved one, or financial ruin in our lives that we would remember His Word, that all things work together for good to them that love God. (Romans 8:28) There are too many Bildads, Eliphazes, and Zophars out there. There are too many people like Job’s wife who, when the goin’ gets tough, they say curse God, and die. (Job 2:9)
When reading this passage, I picture Job now speaking to a captive audience of his ‘friends.’ The last few chapters, they had been engaging in a back and forth dialogue, but to me, it seems Job has left them speechless at this point. He continues to claim his innocence and tells them how God deals with the wicked. Speaking of the wicked and the hypocrite, he then asks in verses 9 and 10, Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? Wow! I’m glad those questions weren’t posed to me! How about you? When trouble heads your way, is God going to hear your pleadings? Will the Almighty be waiting, with His hand to His ear, for that first little cry for help? Or, when He hears you calling out to Him, will He say ‘Oh. Are you talking to me?’ When it seems your whole world is turned upside-down, will you have faith, praise the Lord anyway, and count it all joy? Will you ALWAYS call upon God? Or, will you give God a shot, but when He doesn’t answer like you wanted Him to, you move on and try something else? Something to think about.
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Guest Post by Phil Erickson Jr.
Today’s Passage – Job 16-18
The story of Job in the Bible has always fascinated me. I have always loved hearing messages preached about his life. For those of you who attend our church, the “Hast thou retained thine integrity?” message is one of the all-time greats. To think that a man could go from being “the greatest of all the men of the east” as the Bible calls him, to having nothing in just a matter of hours, and still praise God through all of it just boggles my mind. I have often wondered what it was that made Job such a “perfect and upright” man. Was it the fact that he gave his tithes and offerings faithfully? Maybe. Was it the fact that he cared so much about his family and their spiritual condition? Could be. Or maybe did God just like him better than anyone else at the time? God is not a respecter of persons, but who knows? Maybe He did favor him. He obviously blessed him with a lot. But as I read these few chapters a thought jumped out at me. Job is right smack in the middle of the absolute worst time in his life, and here come his “friends.” They go on and on about why they think this is all happening to Job. And right in the middle of it, I noticed verses 19-20 of chapter 16. And, I may be wrong, but I think these couple verses may be the secret to Job’s “success” as a man of God. The verses say – “And now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.” Job cared about what God thought, and ONLY about what God thought. He said ‘my witness is in heaven’ , and ‘ my record is on high.’ He knew that God knew everything that was going on. He knew that God knew his heart and his intentions with everything he did in his life. He knew that God knew that his tithes and offerings, his service to God, and his love for his family was out of his love and devotion to God. It had nothing to do with ANYONE else. So, when the chips were down, and everything went down the drain, he didn’t go running to his friends or anyone else. He went to God. He brought his tears to God. He knew that when things were good, it was God. When things were bad, it was God. And he praised God through it all.
As Christians we need to see that everything that happens to us, good or bad, comes from the Lord. He loves us more than we can ever know. He has a plan for our lives, and we need to trust Him and Him alone. When the chips are down, our friends won’t be there. Sometimes even our family won’t be there. But God is always there. He never turns His back on us…who are we to turn our backs on Him?
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 6 comments.