Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 31st, 2013 What More Could He Do?

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 5 – 8 (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 – Luke 17 – 18; Psalms 146 – 150; Proverbs 31)

Scripture Memorization for June – Great Commission Verses

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

Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “Rest for the Busiest People“

Read the “0731 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this morning’s reading – “Help Wanted“

“What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? … For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.” (Isaiah 5:4, 7)

Our church has a lot of property, most of which is undeveloped. Earlier this year, Kelly and Gail, a couple from our church asked if they could use a small patch of that land to plant a community garden. At first I was a little hesitant, but I agreed to let these folks plant their little garden as long as it didn’t cost the church too much money, and as long as it didn’t require any extra work from me. I have to admit, I have been fascinated watching the whole process, from the cultivation of the ground to the actual planting. In recent weeks, we have begun to reap some of the harvest. Personally, I am a big fan of the little cherry tomatoes, and so is my grandson, Jaxon. Whenever he is at the church, we always walk back to the garden to eat a few. Yesterday, I was out in the garden with Brother Kelly, and he noticed a rather large green caterpillar on one of the tomato plants, very similar to the one pictured above. After careful inspection, Kelly discovered another one on another plant. If left unchecked these pests will completely consume all vigrx pills of the plants, and our little garden will be ruined.

In our text today, we read about God’s vineyard, the Nation of Israel. God found his vineyard in ruins, and He asked the question: “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” That is a good question. What more could God have done? He gave them everything that they needed to thrive as a nation, and for a while, they did just that; but eventually sin, like those nasty caterpillars, crept in and destroyed the vineyard.

Though this passage is written for and about Israel, I believe that there are some great principles here that we can apply today. I believe applications can be made to our individual Christian lives, and also to our families, and even to the local churches. Each one of these areas are a type of vineyard that belongs to the Lord. What can we do with all that God has given us in order to thrive and produce the fruit that God wants to produce through us?

1  We must use good seed. God has given us the Word of God. Why would we want to use the corruptible seed of man’s philosophies. Years ago, I made the decision that my life was going to be established with and directed by the Bible.

2  We must weed. Weeds and pests will overtake the gardens of our lives if we allow them to. In our Christian walk, many distraction can creep in, along with sinful things and false doctrines that will steal all of our  energy and redirect our focus so that we cannot produce healthy fruit.

3  We must feed. Good nutrients and plenty of water will cause a garden to thrive. As Christians, we must feed daily on the Word of God, and in our churches, we must make sure that we are providing plenyt of opportunities for church members to come and dine on a healthy diet of Bible doctrine.

If God’s vineyard fails today, it will not be His fault. He has given us all that we need to thrive and produce abundant, healthy fruit.

Aug 13th, 2012 There Is Coming A Day, But It’s Not Here Yet

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 63 – 66 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 19 – 20; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall bethe serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.”(Isaiah 65:25)

There is coming soon a wonderful period of time when Christ shall rule and reign on the earth, and when that time comes there will be complete peace and harmony among all of the inhabitants of the earth, including the animals. This Book of Isaiah speaks much about this future time where we will not have to fear lions, wolves, snakes, or each other. However that time is “not yet” Right now, we still live on an earth that is plagued with sin of the worst kind. Every creature on earth seems to be out for itself. Animals will do whatever is necessary to survive, and so will man; often at the expense of others.

There are a lot of wolves out there today and we’d better beware of them. They want to come into our homes, and into our churches. They will often disguise themselves as sheep in order to infiltrate the flock and destroy it from within. These wolves may try to pray on the innocence of our children; they may try to bring in false doctrine; or they may try to cause us to stray away from the will of the Shepherd. We need to be sober and vigilant to anything or anybody that will try to move us away from the will of God.

I can’t wait for the Millennium; but for now, if I see a wolf, I am not going to pet it or play with it; I am going to do my best to get rid of it.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” – (Matthew 7:15 KJV)

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” – (Matthew 10:16 KJV)

“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” – (Acts 20:29 KJV)

Aug 12th, 2012 Open Your Big, Fat Mouth, and Praise God!

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 58 – 62 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 17 – 18; Psalms 56 – 60; Proverbs 12)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

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

“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem,which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,”(Isaiah 62:6)

Years ago, I attended a Thursday evening service at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Berlin, NJ. As Pastor Clark was leading the singing, he noticed that a few of the young people were not singing. He told them that if they were glad that they were saved, and happy to be in church they should, “open [their] big, fat mouth[s], and praise God.

The context of this chapter and many of the concluding chapters of  the Book of Isaiah is the Millennial Reign of Christ on the earth. Things will be radically different in Jerusalem and on the entire planet during this period. There will be a new sheriff in town: one that will reign in righteousness and holiness. The people of God will no longer be a persecuted and oppressed people; and the land itself will be completely safe from any kind of danger.

The above verse tells us that the watchmen that God has placed upon the walls should keep not silence concerning the Lord. Verse 7 says, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The day is coming when the earth will be devoid of evil and filled with the presence and holiness of the Lord; but until that day comes God’s watchmen are to be shouting His praises and His principles from the walls.

I don’t think that I am doing the Scripture injustice by stating that today we ought also to be telling everyone that we can about the Lord until He comes back to bring His bride (the Church) up to Heaven with Him. We need to be proclaiming the gospel to the lost world around us. We are often guilty of keeping silent when God wants us to speak. We should not be ashamed of our Lord. This lost world needs to hear about our wonderful Saviour. The Scripture admonishes us,”Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”. Let’s open up our mouths boldly and proclaim the goodness of the Lord to the world around us.

This principle not only applies to our declaration of the Lord to the world around us, but also means that we are to not keep silent in our praise to the Lord in the church. Christians are often way too reserved in their praise for the Lord. The Lord has done so many awesome and wonderful things in our lives and we need to be very vocal about it. Keep not silent.

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” – (Psalm 100:1-5 KJV)

One last thought. We not only need to be vocal in our proclamation of the Lord to the lost world around us, and in our praise to God in the church; but we also need to encourage our preachers and teachers to “keep not silent” in their preaching and teaching of the Word of God. By this I mean that we should make it easy for them to tell us exactly what the Word of God says without holding anything back. Preachers need to have the liberty to preach the unpopular passages with boldness, and to give us the “whole counsel” of the Word of God. Preach the Word. Keep not silent!

Oh Oh! I just got another thought about this subject. I just can’t keep silent about it. We need to “keep not silent” in our prayers to God. God wants to hear us open up our big, fat mouths, and talk to Him.

Aug 10th, 2012 Bullheaded

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 48 – 52 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 13 – 14; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

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

Read a previous post from this passage – “Determination”

Read “Five Graces of Servant Leadership” by Pastor Chappell

“Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;” – (Isaiah 48:4)

“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” – (Isaiah 48:10)

We have a man in our church, named Gerald, who often tells me stories about his childhood, and his relationship with his dad growing up. His dad was a great man who had the uncommon ability to demonstrate love and tenderness, but could also be very strong, and was not afraid to correct his children when necessary. When Gerald was a teenager, he and his dad would sometimes butt heads. His dad would say to him, “Son, you have a pretty hard head, but that’s OK because I am going to soften it up for you.” I think this is exactly the idea found in our text today. God was telling Israel that they were “bull headed”, but He knew how to take care of that problem.

Stubborn, stiff-necked, bull headed: these are all words that are synonymous to the words that God used to describe Israel in Isaiah 48:4. They are also words that could be used to describe most of us. We are a stubborn lot by nature. We are very slow to learn, yet quick to declare that we are right. We are not very teachable, because we think that we know everything that there is to know. God oftentimes is forced to soften us up through the vehicle of affliction. Isn’t it amazing that we tend to learn much better while enduring a trial than we do when we are on the mountaintop. If fact, many people come to Christ at times in their life when they are going through a tough time. God often has to break us before He can teach us. If you find yourself going through an unusually difficult season in your life, it may just be that God is working “in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. (Phillippians 2:13) He may be trying to get you to see something that you could not see otherwise. God loves you, but whom He loves, He corrects; and correction is good; it helps us yield to a God who knows much better about what is good for us.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” – (James 1:2-4)

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” – (Hosea 10:12)

Aug 9th, 2012 The One and Only

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 44 – 47 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

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

Read a previous post from this passage – “Custom Design”

“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” – (Isaiah 44:8)

“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:” – (Isaiah 45:5)

“That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:6)

“Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.” – (Isaiah 45:14)

“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:18)

“Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.” – (Isaiah 45:21)

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:22)

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,” – (Isaiah 46:9)

Did you notice all of the times in Isaiah 44 – 46 that God declares that He is the only God. I really like what God said in Isaiah 44:8 – “I know not any”. If God who is omniscient doesn’t know of any other God, then there isn’t any. If God is the only God, then why are so many people worshipping other “gods”, and even other things. Most people worship themselves, but some worship their children; some their careers; some even worship other people. Their are a myriad of things out there that people bow to, but God is the only One that is worthy of worship, because He is the only true God.

And if He is the only true God, then:

1  His Word is the only truth.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – (John 17:17)

2  His Way for man’s salvation is the only way to Heaven (see Why Jesus?)

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – (John 14:6)

3  His Work can only be organized through His Church

Aug 8th, 2012 Tired of God?

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 41 – 43 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 9 – 10 ; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8)

“But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.” (Isaiah 43:22)

“Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.” (Isaiah 43:24)

I often use the phrase, “sick and tired”. I frequently say that I am sick and tired about this, or sick and tired about that. We read the phrase in Isaiah 43:22, “thou hast been weary of me”; and then again in v 24, “thou hast wearied me”. It sounds to me like the people were saying that they were sick and tired of God; and then God was saying that He was sick and tired of their sin.

This passage was written referring to Israel. I am not quite sure if in this particular reference the term Israel is used for just the northern kingdom, or if it refers corporately to the entire 12 tribes. At any case, the first several verses imply that God had an unconditional love for this people even though they had rebelled against Him over and over again in their history. There were times when they loved and served God; and then there were times when they were “sick and tired”.

Can you identify with the people of Israel? I know we don’t like to think that we could be rebellious like them; but did you ever get sick and tired of God? I don’t know if you would admit to being tired of God, but how about being tired of the things of God? Did you ever get sick and tired of going to all of the church services? Did you ever get sick and tired of reading your Bible, or listening to the same preacher preach the same message over and over again, or praying, or perhaps all of the standards; etc. I have. But then I remember that though God gets sick and tired of my sin, He never gets sick and tired of me. I am reminded that God loves me unconditionally, and that causes me to be refreshed and revived in my love and devotion for Him. It’s normal to go through some periods of time where the Christian life gets a lttle “blah”, but don’t allow yourself to get to the point where you just dread serving God. Get out of the rut, and get back to where you were when the Christian life was exciting and fresh. Perhaps you just need to encourage yourself in the Lord, as David did; but whatever you do, don’t quit, because if you do, your “sick and tired” condition will only get worse. Pray about it; stay in the Book until you get a nugget of truth from God; make a difference in someone else’s life; listen to some motivational and encouraging preaching; get counsel from a spiritual friend; do whatever it takes to get yourself back up again. We all need to be revived at times in our spiritual walk.

Aug 6th, 2012 Streams in the Desert

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 33 – 36 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” (Isaiah 35:2)

“Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:6)

In Lancaster, California, on the campus of West Coast Baptist College near the Sisk Dormitory, there is a fountain with Isaiah 35:6 inscribed on it. It sits there as a testimony to the goodness and blessing of God. 25 years ago in that same location there was nothing but desert. Some would have called it a “dust bowl” back then; but now it is a beautiful campus with beautiful green landscaping and gorgeous buildings. More importantly, it is a place where God’s Spirit is moving in a great way; and many people are being saved and trained to serve the Lord.

Isaiah 35 tells us about the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ where He will rule and reign on the earth. There will be a lot of changes during that time period; but it is safe to say that it will be a glorious time to live on the earth. The desert will literally blossom as the rose. Isaiah encourages the people of Israel often by reminding them of this future period of peace and prosperity. The saved of today will rule and reign with Christ during this time. What a wonderful God we serve!

We don’t have to wait until the Millennium to experience this bliss, however. We can have it right now. When Jesus taught us the model prayer, He said, thy kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. I believe that we can have a little slice of the Millenial Kingdom in our lives right now:

“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

The life of the Christian who is yielded to the will of God, and filled with the Spirit of God is an oasis in the midst of a dry and barren land. Jesus said that He would fill those that are thirsting for Him. Perhaps the reason why so many of God’s people do not experience this type of spiritual refreshing is because they are hungering and thirsting after the things of this world rather than the things that are eternal. Christian, our lives ought to be overflowing with the fruits of the Spirit and the water of life. Perhaps if we were, we just might cause the arid world around us to be thirsty for God.

Aug 5th, 2012 Trust in the Lord

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 29 – 32 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 3 – 4; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Matthew 6:33

Read a previous post from this passage – “All Talk”

Read “Baptists and the Holy Spirit” by Paul Chappell

“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!” – (Isaiah 31:1)

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

In our passage today, God is warning the people of Judah not to place their trust in the nation of Egypt for protection, but rather to place their trust in Him. The context of this passage was most likely during the reign of King Hezekiah. During his time as king, Judah was threatened by the Assyrian army; and apparently Isaiah was tempted to hire the Egyptians to come and help him. God warned Hezekiah to put his trust in Him, and not look to Egypt for help.

Throughout the Bible, Egypt is a picture or type of the world. God is very clear hat we as Christians are not to place our trust, nor our affections, in the world:

“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)

“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)

It has always amazed me that so many Christians will seek the world’s help when they are in trouble, and will also follow the world’s advice when faced with making decisions. A good example of this is in the area of child-rearing. The Bible is filled with principles regarding what we should do when raising children, yet we will often listen to the advice of the secular “wise men” even though their advice is totally contrary to what God told us in His Word. The world says that we shouldn’t spank our children, yet God is clear that we ought to lovingly use corporal punishment when training our kids. This is just one area where we often trust what the world says rather than what God commands. There are many other examples that I could cite, but I think you get the idea.

Whose advice do you listen to? Do you believe what God says, or not? We need to place our trust in God, and His Word. He knows what is best for us:

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” – (Psalm 100:3)

Aug 3rd, 2012 A House Divided

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 19 – 23 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 23 – 24; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Micah 6:8

“And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Isaiah 19:2)

“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3;25)

As we read through this portion of the Book of Isaiah, we see that God is pronouncing judgment on all of the nations that have been enemies to God and His people Israel. In chapter 19, we see that God is dealing specifically with the Egyptians. The Egyptians had been an enemy to the people of God throughout much of their history. Perhaps, they were not as bad as some; yet still God states here that some judgment is coming.

My thought for this morning surrounds verse 2. Part of the judgment that was going to come to Egypt was a battle from within its own borders; a fight among its own inhabitants; a civil war. Our nation faced this same type of conflict 150 years ago. It was perhaps the ugliest battle America would ever face: neighbor against neighbor; brother against brother. We found that it was impossible for the nation to move forward until its inner struggle was settled.

I have noticed that we oftentimes face a similar type of judgment in our families and in our church: a division on the inside; a battle, not with an invading army, but with an injured brother. When a church moves away from fighting the external battle against the world and the devil, it then begins to fight amongst itself. It seems that by nature we are fighters; and to some degree we ought to be. We ought to fight against the sin and darkness of this world; we ought to hate the devil; and we ought to be striving together in order to bring the gospel to the people around us. Oftentimes we forget who the real enemy is and we take up arms against each other. Satan is very wise and understands that if he can get us to destroy each other, he won’t have to destroy us himself.

We see that this problem is also prevalent inside the home. Parents are not always in one accord, but are often at odds with one another. They fight about finances, about child-rearing, and about alot of other things. All of this division is rooted in pride, with each individual insisting on getting his and her own way. Shame on us.

The cure for this problem is simply to recognize the battle is not within, but without. When we get busy fighting for the Lord, we will not have time nor desire to fight each other.

Aug 2nd, 2012 Do You Need An “I” Exam?

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 14 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 21 – 22; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

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

Read “10 Ways To Prepare Your Children For A Great School Year” by Pastor Chappell