Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 6th, 2012 So Great Is His Mercy

Click on the Scripture references below to listen to the audio reading of the passage.

Today’s Passage – Psalms 103 – 105

Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

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

Jul 5th, 2012 Enduring To All Generations

Today’s Passage – Psalms 96 – 102

Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” – (Psalm 100:5)

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – (John 8:32)

What a glorious privilege it is to know that we have the Truth of the Word of God. Many people are out there searching for the truth that is already freely available to them, if they just knew where to look for it. Others believe, like Pilate, that there is no absolute truth available. But we who are saved know the truth, because the truth has indeed made us free.

Over 22 years ago, I was saved through the ministry of Christian radio. I knew that I would need a Bible if I were to grow spiritually, so I went to a local Christian book store and asked the owner which Bible I should purchase. She first showed me a variety of the modern versions, but finally she handed me a leather-bound King James Bible. She tried to talk me out of it at first because she felt the “archaic” language would be hard for me to understand; but then she told me that this was the version that most preachers and churches used. That sealed it for me. There was just something about that Bible that drew me to it. Somehow I knew that I had found the Truth. I have since learned that I had indeed chosen the inspired Word of God for English speaking people. I have owned many other Bibles since that time, but each of them were King James Bibles; and I have passed down this truth to my children and now grandchildren. Praise God for a Truth that endures through every generation.

For many of us the “which Bible” question has been settled for a long time. We know we have the Truth, and cannot be convinced otherwise. Our problem is not where to find the truth as much as it is what to do with the truth we already possess. Do we examine the truth regularly, and then obey what it tells us? The truth will only free us if we apply it to our lives. If you are reading this blog you most likely have already spent some time today in the Word of God, and that is great. Make sure, however, that you apply what you learn to your life. Let God take that “quick and powerful” truth and use it to purge out some of the dross from your life; and then let him light your path so that you will be able to clearly see His will.

Jul 2nd, 2012 Visit This Vine

Today’s Passage – Psalms 80 – 85

Second Milers also read – Matthew 3 – 4; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11

Read – “What Your Children Will Never Forget” by Pastor R. B. Ouellette

“Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.” (Psalm 80:14 & 15)

The context of this passage of Scripture involves a time period in the history of Israel (the vine) when the people of God were under judgment due to their falling away from Him.  Most people believe that it specifically involves the time of the Babylonian captivity. You will remember that God raised up the nation of Babylon to come and judge the northern kingdom of Judah in 586 BC because God’s people had turned away from Him and had fallen deeply into idolatry and immorality. The psalmist was pleading with God to return His favor to the vine (Israel), and to allow her to be restored to a place of God’s blessing; a place of provision and protection.

As a child of God today, I desire the same thing for my home, my church, and my nation.  I so desperately want to see God move in my family and in my church.  I want to see the evidence of God’s hand in the place where He has called me to live and to minister.  I want God to visit the vine called Jersey Shore Baptist Church. I want God to use this place as a bright light in a dark world.  I want to see multitudes of souls saved here; and I want to see the wayward saints return to the vineyard.

I believe this can happen.  I believe we can see a great revival, even in these last days.  But how is it going to happen.  The answer to that question is found in vv 3, 7, & 19.  Three times the psalmist pleads with God to:

“Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Notice that it begins with a movement of God.  The Psalmist asks God to move in the hearts of the people and cause them to desire to be turned toward the things of God.  I guess that’s kind of what God has called me to do as a preacher.  My job, in part, is to plead with the people and exhort them to turn away from the world and their sin; and turn back toward God. There can not be a salvation without a turning.  Don’t misunderstand, I do not believe that this Psalm is specifically dealing with the salvation of a soul from Hell, but the principle can be applied.  In order for a person to be saved they obviously have to turn to God; and in order to be moving in the direction of God, one must be moving away from their sin.

The same is true for the revival of our worldly, cold and indifferent hearts in the local church.  We need to turn away from our sin and all of the trifles that this world has to offer; and turn back to God with all of our hearts.  We are living here for a purpose; but merely living here is not that purpose.  We are here to glorify our Lord in this dark world by shining the light of His glorious gospel.

God, please visit the vine of my life, my family, and my church; and cause me to turn away from all of those things that are hindering me from fulfilling your perfect will for my life.  Help me to glorify you in everything that I do and say; and help me to wet the appetite of the people around me  for the things of God.

Jul 1st, 2012 Where Is Their God

Today’s Passage – Psalms 78 – 79

Second Milers also read – 45 Proverbs 1; Psalm 1 – 5; Mathew 1 – 2

Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31

Jun 29th, 2012 Time is Running Out

Click on the Scripture references below to listen to the audio of the Scripture reading or song; or to view the Scripture Memory page.

Today’s Passage – Psalms 69 – 72

Second Milers also read –  Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29 (Note – we will start back again reading the New Testament on Sunday, July 1)

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15

Read a previous post from this passage – “Who Are You Magnifying?”

“Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” – (Psalm 71:18)

A few years ago, the verse referenced above would have meant little to me. I would have probably glance right over it, quickly, without giving it much thought. However, the older I get, the more I realize that there is still a great deal more that I would like to see accomplished through the ministry the Lord has entrusted me with; yet I am quickly running out of both the time and energy that I need to do it. You may think based upon what you’ve just read that I am in my 70’s. Though I feel that old at times, I am only 47; but I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that my time on this earth is very limited.

I want my life to count for something. I want to be used of God to help “shew” my generation the strength and power of God. I need to get busy, and I need to become more proficient at what I am doing so as to make the best use of the time that I have left. I am not all that pleased with what has been accomplished so far in the twenty-two years that I have been saved; or even in the ten years that I have been a pastor. I know that God could have helped a lot more people through a more yielded vessel. But, He is not through with me yet. This morning, I have made a choice to not dwell in the failures (or even the successes) of the past, but instead look to the future. God has given me life today; and today I can give that life back to Him, for His use, and for His glory. So can you. What are you living your life for? What are you accomplishing today that will be used of God to make a difference in eternity. The Psalmist prayer was to remain here on the earth until he was able to fulfil his ministry of telling everybody about God. That’s a great request, and it should be the prayer and goal of each of us who are saved today. Time is running out; your appointment with death is approaching.

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” – (Ephesians 5:16)

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

Jun 28th, 2012 Make His Praise Glorious

Click on the references below to hear the Scripture passages and song, and to view the memory passage.

Today’s Passage – Psalms 65 – 68

Second Milers also read – Revelation 20 – 22; Psalm 136 – 140; Proverbs 28

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Read an earlier post from this passage – “What Are You Thinking About?”

“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.” – (Psalm 66:1-2)

Our God is an awesome, and wonderful, and great, and powerful God. The English language really does not contain enough adjectives to describe how glorious our God is. Yet, we who have been saved through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ are encouraged to learn about the greatness of God from His Word, and then communicate our appreciation and admiration to Him first, and then to the people around us. In order to do this, we must first study God. One of the reasons why many Christians hava a tough time praising Him is because they don’t know Him; and there are others who are praising Him, but not according to knowledge. We are commanded to study God through the Scriptures. If the God you serve seems vague or small to you, it is because you do not know Him very well. Open the Bible and read about His awesome power, as well as His infinite wisdom, and loving compassion. He is wonderful. Get to know Him.

Once we know some things about God, we are to sing about Him. These Psalms were all originally songs, and many of them are songs of praise. I sometimes get a kick out of watching the song service at our church. I often see people going through the motions, thoughtlessly and half-heartedly mouthing the words of the hymns. Every once in a while I have to shake myself, and remember what I am singing, and to whom I am doing it. Singing is a form of praise and worship. When we sing the songs of God, we are worshipping Him, and praising Him. If there is one part of our church service that I have really been trying to work on, it is the song service.

Notice also Psalm 66:3:

“Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.” – (Psalm 66:3)

We are to speak our praise to God, and for God continuously. The Scripture says that the redeemed of the Lord are supposed to “say so” (Psam 107:2). We have an awful lot to be thankful for; and an awful lot to praise Him for. My preacher in Texas used to say, “if you’re not going to Hell, you ain’t got no problems; and you ought to be shouting.” He is right. I once heard Pastor Charlie Clark say, “Open your big, fat mouth, and praise God.” Perhaps if we started praising the Lord as we ought to, more people would be attracted to our God. Jus a thought.

Jun 25th, 2012 You Can’t Take It With You

Today’s Passage – Psalms 46 – 50

Second Milers also read – Revelation 8 – 11; Psalms 121 – 125; Proverbs 25

Scripture memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4

Read a previous guest post from this passage by Sarah Becker – “A Very Present Help”

“For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.” – (Psalm 49:17)

You have heard it said that you will never see a U-haul behind a hearse, except, of course, in comical pictures like the one above. The bottom line from Psalm 49 is, however, that your accumulated wealth and status in this life will do you no good in eternity, unless your life and wealth have been invested in the cause of Christ, and in the lives of others. This Psalm admonishes us to not envy the lifestyles of the rich and famous among us. First of all, we don’t see the whole picture. While they may seem to be enjoying life on the surface, we know that lives that are lived outside of the will of God are not really happy on the inside. There is a lack of inner peace, and a void that cannot be filled with the things that this world offers.

I want to be clear to point out, however, that wealth or possessions are not evil in themselves. God blesses His children with some of the non-sinful pleasures in this life. The key, however, is found in v. 20:

“Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” – (Psalm 49:20)

Notice that only the man that understandeth not is like the beasts that perish. Honor and wealth, and possessions, etc. are wonderful gifts given by the Lord to the person that “understands” Him, and His will. So, go ahead and enjoy the possessions that this life contains, but do not let them possess you; and remember to thank the Lord who gave them to you.

Jun 22nd, 2012 Forgiven

Today’s Passage – Psalms 32 – 35

Second Milers also read – 1 John 4 – 3 John; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1

The Book of Hebrews admonishes us to grow up in our faith and move beyond the foundational truths of the Christian life. That’s good advice: we cannot stay babies forever.  However, it is wonderful to be reminded often about the simple truths of the forgiveness that God offers to all those who are willing to put their faith in Him. In this passage, there is a reminder to all of us who are saved.  The verse above simply reminds us of the fact those who have their sins forgiven are a blessed people.  To think that an omniscient God, who knows every sinful act of my past as well as every evil thought, would be willing to forgive me, and even look at me and treat as if I had never done or thought any of those horrible things.

It gets even better.  Notice verse 2:

“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”(Psalm 32:2)

It is one thing to choose to forgive the acts of the past; but to also forgive ahead of time all of our future transgressions is beyond comprehension.  God loves us unconditionally.  He says he will not “impute” our sin.  The word impute means to assign to or credit to.  God says that he will not assign or credit our debts or sins to our account.  Why?  Because 2000 years ago he laid all of the debt of my sin upon the His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus paid my sin debt for me.  What a wonderful thought. Notice how that happened to David:

“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)

He acknowledged his sin.  He did not deny them or hide them.  He then confessed them to God and asked the Lord for forgiveness.  God could only forgive him because the debt would be paid by Christ. Have you confessed your sin to God, and asked Him for forgiveness?  Have you come to the foot of the cross and called upon the name of the Lord for salvation. If you haven’t done so yet, please call upon Him today.

To those of us who have received the forgiveness of God through the remission of our sins, how are we at forgiving each other?  God has forgiven everything that I have ever done or will do.  What right do I have to withhold forgiveness from others?  Just a thought.

Jun 20th, 2012 Are You Teachable?

Today’s Passage – Psalms 21 – 25

Second Milers also read – 1 Peter 4 – 2 Peter 2; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17

Read a previous post from this passage – “Mountaintop or Valley?”

“Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” – (Psalm 25:4-5)

It’s really a very simple question, isn’t it? Are you teachable? Can God shew you  and lead you as He did David, and countless other men and women in the Bible? I would like to pull some thoughts out of this Psalm that I believe will help us identify some of the problems that most of us have in learning from God. In order for God to teach us, there are some attributes that must be present in our lives:

1  We must first be saved

God will instruct a lost man regarding salvation, but in order for a man to really get to know God, he must first have trusted Christ as his Saviour.

“What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. … The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” – (Psalm 25:12, 14)

2  We must be submissive

By this, I mean that we must be humble. Most people cannot learn, because their pride causes them to think that they already have all of the answers. God cannot teach the man that is full of himself. None of us knows all that God wants to teach us. We must keep our hearts open to new truths constantly, from the mouth of God and from the instruction of people that God places in our lives. Someone once said, “Every man is my teacher”. That is a true statement. We can learn something from everybody.

“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” – (Psalm 25:9)

As you read through this Psalm, you will notice that David recognizes that he is nothing without God. Notice how often he asks for forgiveness. Keep in mind that David is seen as a king in the eyes of men, but he knows that the only true king is God.

3  We must be starving for God

God will not instruct those that do not desire to be instructed. As you read through this Psalm, and others penned by David, you can easily see his hunger for God. He wanted all that God would give him.

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;” – (Psalm 63:1)

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – (Matthew 5:6)

One of the characteristics of true spirituality is that a person will remain teachable throughout his life. We never arrive. In fact, the closer we get to God, the more we realize that we are still very far away; and the more we become like God, the more we recognize that we have fallen short in so many ways. Stay teachable: always growing, learning, and drawing closer to Him.

Jun 18th, 2012 Does God See?

Listen to yesterday morning’s message by Evangelist Taylor Gillespie. There is 15 minutes of singing by Vessels of Honor, a tour group out of West Coast Baptist College before the message.

Today’s Passage – Psalms 9 – 16

Second Milers also read – James 1 – 4; Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18

Scripture Memory for June – Psalm 139

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

“He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.” – (Psalm 10:11)”

The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” – (Psalm 11:4)

“For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” – (Psalm 11:7)