The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Genesis 1-3
New And Improved
Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2Corinthias 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ…
“Let us renew our trust in God and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.” – Abraham Lincoln.
Good morning. Happy New Year! As I look out over the melting snow, Genesis 1:1 came to mind. How many snow flakes make up all the snow that fell? One drop of water yields six snow flakes. Not only are the crystal patterns in those six snow flakes different from each other, they are also different from all the other snow flakes that fell. God created that. The billions of people in the world do not have the same finger prints: God created each and every one of them that way.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
And if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. We are His creation. Each one of us have good works to walk in. God has ordained it. God created it that way.
Now, let me ask you, if the God of Creation: the God who created you and everything else: the God who loved you enough to leave heaven and be humbled as a man, dieing on a cross, and shedding His precious blood to pay for our sins; do you think He wants the very best for you?
Yes He does.
Will you trust Him more in 2011? Will you seek Him more this year. Do you know that as we draw close to God, the devil flees. The best place you can be is in the center of God’s will. Will you allow God to direct your path? Will you put your life in His hands this year? If you do, do you realize that God is responsible for the results? And do you understand that those results will bring gory to Him? You can be the new creature that God intended this new year. So, as Abraham Lincoln said, “Let us renew our trust in God and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.”
Peace. (John 14:27)
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from Genesis by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Even So, Come, Lord Jesus
Today’s Reading – Revelation 20 – 22
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)
First of all, I want to congratulate those of you who have journeyed with us this year through the Bible. Reading the Bible through each year is quite an accomplishment, but it is also very rewarding. Some who are reading this post have not been completely faithful in your reading; maybe you were hit and miss. I have often been there myself. Don’t be discouraged! Try again this year. Our new journey begins January 1st in the Book of Genesis. I am excited also to offer a “Second Milers” program this year for those who desire to take their walk with God to a higher level. You will find more information on this program on the new page entitled “Second Milers”
Just a quick though from our reading today that is similar to what was posted a couple of days ago regarding invitations. Here at the very end of the Bible is another invitation for people to come to Christ. Have you received Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Have you received that new birth that Jesus spoke of in John chapter 3? Jesus loves you very much, and desires for you to come to Him. He won’t force anybody to come; but as you can clearly see from the verse above, He invites you to come. All throughout the Bible, God has always offered an opportunity for people to turn from their sin unto Him. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, He still desires a relationship with you. Mind boggling, isn’t it. Why would God desire us? Maybe you’re a Christian, and you have strayed away from God’s will. God invites you too to come back to Him. He never stopped loving you either, no matter how far away you’ve wandered.
A final note to those of you who are doing well spiritually: God wants you to come in a little closer. John tells us in his gospel that God wants us to have “life more abundantly”. Very day our life ought to be more abundant than the day before. Why? Because every day we ought to be drawing closer to Him. Make 2011 the year that God gets all of you, the year that you surrender more fully to the will of God; the year that you are wholly yielded to the Spirit of God. Who knows, this may be year that Christ comes to take us home to Heaven. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. What a blessing it is to be a child of the King!
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Revelation by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Supper Is Almost Ready
Today’s Reading – Revelation 16 – 19
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Revelation 19:9
I must confess that I really don’t understand all that is going to take place during that period of time called the Great Tribulation. I know that it will be a horrible time for those living on the earth for both the saved and the lost. I know also that it will be a time of rejoicing and receiving in Heaven. You might think that those words are not exactly adequate to describe what will take place there in that day, but maybe after I explain, you will understand what I mean.
The rejoicing part is rather self-evident. We will do a lot of rejoicing in Heaven. In chapter 19, we see the words, Alleluia, Amen, and Praise used repeatedly. The angels will be rejoicing, as well as the Saints. We will probably get a little glimpse as to what is going on in the earth while we are in Heaven awaiting the end of the Tribulation. We will see the destruction of God’s enemies. We will watch the destruction of Babylon, with all of the political power and false worship that it represented. God will win. We know that now through faith in his Word. I remember hearing a song years ago entitled, “I Read The Back of the Book and We Win”. That’s the truth! We are reading about it prophetically now, but someday soon we will see it. We should probably learn to rejoice now, shouldn’t we?
The Tribulation period will also be a time of receiving for those who are experiencing the events from Heaven. What will we receive? Well, for one, we will receive rewards for the works that we did for the Lord while we were on earth. The Bible calls those rewards crowns. I don’t know if I will receive any rewards or not, but one thing I know – I really don’t deserve any. Jesus deserves all the glory. Anything I did for His Kingdom that was of any value, He did through me anyway. I guess that is why the Bible says that we will cast those rewards back at the feet of Jesus.
What else will we receive? Well, I believe that all throughout the Tribulation Period we will be receiving new saints in Heaven. Saints that have made their robes white in the blood of the lamb through martyrdom. I believe that many will be saved during this period, but I also believe that most of those that get saved, will be martyred. We don’t know much about persecution in the time that we are living in today, especially in America; but most of these Tribulation saints will be faithful unto death. Every day, more will arrive. Heroes of the faith that chose death rather than live in allegiance to Satan.
Then, we will receive some supper. It is called a supper isn’t it? I wonder what we will eat? Can you imagine sitting at a table with the Lord and all of the saints? As I said before, I couldn’t possibly know all that will happen, but I do know that it will be wonderful, because everything He does is wonderful.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Revelation by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Time Is Running Out – Keep Inviting
Today’s Passage – Revelation 11 – 15
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelation 14:6 & 7)
I have always been fascinated with the Book of Revelation. In it, we see the final destruction of the earth, and the judgment of all of those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. However, in the midst of all of the judgment and destruction are many invitations for people to come to Christ. Chapter 14 in particular reveals this truth. The last verse in the chapter is traditionally understood to be about the final battle between in the Tribulation Period known as the Battle of Armageddon. Not much of a battle really. Christ is going to return and completely destroy all that oppose Him. Notice, though, that prior to this great battle, even right before the final destruction, God was inviting people to come to Christ. The chapter begins with a discussion about the 144,000 who are evangelists covering the earth with the gospel of Christ. Next, we read about three angels that are flying around the skies warning people about the impending judgment, and inviting them to trust Christ. You see, God is not willing that any should perish. Even at the very end, He is inviting people to turn to Him.
I am no history expert, but I think I remember hearing that before we dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki we warned the people of the coming destruction by dropping leaflets from planes. I may have my facts mixed up a little, but I have heard that our government is known to warn the innocent, so that they can be saved. It kind of reminds me of what God is doing here in these passages. Yes, the judgment is certainly coming, but God is willing to save any and all that will come to Him before that day comes.
How about you? Have you heeded the warning from God regarding the coming judgment? You see, my friend, the wages of our sin is eternal death; but God in His mercy and grace is willing to save anybody who is willing to turn from their sin unto the Saviour. If you haven’t yet trusted Christ, I encourage you to read the “Are You Saved?” page on this blog.
Now to those of you who are saved, don’t ever give up on your unsaved loved ones. Keep praying for them, and preaching to them. As we have seen in this passage, God is going to keep giving them opportunities to repent, even at the very end. We should have the same attitude. Keep trying to win them, keep inviting them, keep reaching out to them, keep loving them, even until the end of our earthly lives. It may be that last try that convinces them that Christ is their only hope.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Snowed In
Sorry about not posting today. We do not have internet at the house, and I could not get out to the church (or anywhere else) where there is wifi. As the day progressed, I got busy digging out, and enjoying the snow.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Let’s Speak About the Unspeakable Gift
Today’s Reading – Jude 1, Revelation 1 – 3
I have decided this morning to break from tradition by not writing a devotion on the day’s reading. Instead, I will be giving you the outline from this morning’s message that will be preached (the Lord willing) at Jersey Shore Baptist Church. I am doing this because of the snow storm that has already started, and is supposed to blanket our area with more than a foot of snow. We will still hold church services this morning for the hearty souls who will make it out; but for those of you who could not travel to the church in this weather, you can still participate in the service and message.
Text – 2 Corinthians 9; Text Verses – 2 Corinthians 8:9; 9:7 & 8; 9:15
Today is the day after Christmas. This is the day when we often think about the presents we received yesterday. This is also the day that some of us will begin to write a note of thanks to those who gave us the gifts. In our text this morning, Paul is speaking to this Corinthian Church about giving, but he is careful to remind them that giving begins and ends with the “unspeakable” gift, which is the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction – Review 2 Corinthians 9
God gave us His Son. He is the “unspeakable” gift mentioned in verse 15. (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8 & 9)
I Reflect Upon the Gift
A His Person – this is Who He Is – His Attributes – omniscience, omnipotence, infinite love, etc.
As I said before, Christ is the gift, but with the gift comes many extras. Have you ever gotten any Christmas presents that came with extras? Did you ever open the extras first, perhaps by mistake? I remember one time I opened an 8-track tape of “The Platters”. It was a gift from my dad. (I often wondered if he got it for me or for himself.)However, I thought it was strange because I did not own an 8 track tape player. Guess what was the next gift I opened?
B His Propitiation – His Blood Atonement for our sins which provided both grace and mercy.
C His Presence – “[He] will never leave thee nor forsake thee…” (Hebrews 13:5); “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20); “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18)
D His Presents – The Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5); The Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12)
E His Provision – 2 Corinthians 9:8; Matthew 6:33
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19)
“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalms 37:4)
F His Purpose – He has a plan for my life and yours too?
II Rehearse the Gift to God and to Others
Reflection begins with thinking and begets thanksgiving (Psalm 100). Tell others about the “unspeakable” gift. Speak about the indescribable gift.
A Thank God – Spend some time in prayer worshipping Him for who He is, and praising Him for what He has done.
B Thank the People that God has used. (Luke 6:38) – God uses people to be a blessing. Luke 6:38 says that men shall give into your bosom. God works in the hearts of people (even unsaved people) to be a blessing to you. Be sure, though, to tell them that you not only thank them, but that you thank God for them.
III Reciprocate the Gift
Give back to God and to others. Learn to be a giving person.
I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)
A Give to God’s Purpose – The Great Commission through the local church
B Give to God’s People – Look for ways to give back to God by helping to meet the needs of His children. Remember, God loveth a cheerful giver!
Well, What did you get for Christmas yesterday? If you are saved, you got Jesus, and with Jesus you got it all.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
T
oday’s Reading – 1John 3-5; 2John; 3John
1John 4:9-11 On Earth Peace, Good Will Toward Men
Merry Christmas and good morning. I hope you slept well. Did the kids bust in your room at 1:00 AM exclaiming that Santa came? But we’re not here to chat about Satan Claws. December 25th is the day we celebrate Emmanuel: Jesus coming in the flesh: God with us! And the reason for the season is told in 1John…
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1John 4:9-11)
On earth peace, good will towards men Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. This is the Christmas story. The key bringing glad tidings, edifying the breathren, having peace on earth, and good will towards everybody is Jesus: our Emmanuel. Mathhew 1:23 quotes Isaiah: ” Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Emmanuel means God with us. God is with us. He is right here, and everywhere. If we would only realize that God is always with us: He hears and sees what we do. Knowing and believing this may help us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Maybe then we will love others as ourselves. We would not be texting messages across the church about someone who doesn’t meet your standards, or dress as well as you do. Jesus sees every where you place your thumbs, or index finger, on the keyboard. And He already knew the message you would type before creation. That may be something to think about before hitting send. Gossip is bad for everyone. Not just texting it, but speaking it also. Here is something else to think about when someone gossips to you: think about this – what are they saying about you when you are not around? What makes you think that someone is not speaking or texting the same things about you? Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you paranoid. Gossip hurts others, so maybe it’s time to put the cellphones away and concentrate on what the Preacher is preaching. Listen as the choir proclaims glory to God in song. You can proclaim God’s glory too during the congregationals. As for me, when I find out that someone has said something derogatory about me, I pray for that person. I know God hates that stuff. To me, I’m not worth God advenging me, and I would feel bad if your thumbs fell off, or you lost your voice. Let’s strive together in the new year to be more like Jesus: loving and edifying the breathren. Then maybe we can have individually peace on earth and good will to all men.
Peace (Luke 2:14)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
He Already Came!
Today’s Reading – 1 Peter 1 – 3; 1 John 1, 2
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Peter 3:3 & 4)
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;” (2 Peter 3:15)
I was a little anxious this morning as I approached the daily Bible reading and the task of expressing a thought from it for today’s post. Frankly, I wanted to write some thoughts regarding Christmas, but I also want to keep to the format that we have started with, which is to share thoughts that come from the daily reading. I must confess that I actually prayed that God would give me something from this passage that I could connect with the celebration of Christmas, and I believe He has answered that prayer.
Our text deals with the second coming of Christ which involves Christ first returning to remove His Bride (the Church from the earth. The passage reveals that in Peter’s day, and in ours, there are scoffers that doubt that Christ will ever return. There are even Christians that have a hard time believing that Christ’s return is imminent. I strongly disagree with their assessment. I believe that Christ could return at any moment; and frankly, it concerns me greatly. Don’t misunderstand, I am certainly looking forward to spending eternity with my Lord and with loved ones who are saved; but my problem is that I have many friends and loved ones who do not yet know Christ. It is my prayer and hope that the longer He delays His coming, the more people will be saved. I have some folks that I love dearly, that I am not sure about. I want to see them trust Christ.
Christian, this Christmas season is a wonderful time to be a witness to our friends and family members. It just may be that this year at Christmas they will see the real importance of Christ’s first coming, which was to ultimately die for the sins of the world. We talk a lot about the the second coming, and we should; but we also need to remember that it is Christ’s first coming to Bethlehem’s manger that brought about the blood atonement and our forgiveness. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if somebody you love was to see a manger scene, or hear a Christmas song, and somehow get ahold of the true meaning of Christ’s first coming; and thereby be prepared for His second.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Suffering for Jesus
Today’s Passage – 1 Peter 1 – 5
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
As I was reading today this entire first letter from Peter, I could not help but notice all of the references to suffering. It seems that the Christians in the first-century, Roman Empire were indeed put to the test often due to their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Look back in the text and notice the following verses:
But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; (1 Peter 3:14)
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: (1 Peter 4:12)
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)
In fact, the word “suffer” appears 11 times in 1 Peter. These folks certainly knew what it was like to bear the cross of the Lord Jesus. There are people today in other parts of the world who also are well acquainted with suffering for the Lord. They know what it is like to be persecuted, and in some cases prosecuted, simply for living their Christian faith.
In America, however, there is very little suffering being experienced by believers. We live in a land of freedom. We can still worship the Lord without fear of reprisal. We know little of “counting the cost” in our relationship with God. We are well fed; we are warm in the winter and cool in the summer; we sit on cushioned seats; we have it made. Yet, if you were to carefully examine the hearts and attitudes of many believers today, you would find that they really do not fully appreciate the freedom and luxury that they have. They don’t recognize the wonderful place of liberty that God has given us here in the good ole U.S. of A. This is not to say that they haven’t experienced other forms of suffering, such as illnesses, etc.; but I am merely trying to point out that they are not suffering at the hands of their neighbors, or the government for worshipping Christ. Maybe, its because we are very carnal here in America. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3 that all that live godly shall suffer persecution. Maybe we are not as godly as those first century Christians.
There is something that Peter wrote in this epistle that I think we can all identify with, however:
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11)
Though I do not know any Christians here in our land that are being tortured for their faith, I do know of many that are in torment because of the battle going on in their flesh. I know that my flesh is my number one enemy. I can certainly identify with the Apostle Paul when he said that the things that he does not want to do, he does, and vice versa. Maybe that is why Satan isn’t attacking us with the frontal assault of persecution. He doesn’t have to because we are still losing the battle in our flesh and our lusts are keeping us from having the effectiveness and impact in the world that we could be having. See the list of the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19 – 21 if you don’t know what I am referring to. But maybe, if we really started walking in the Spirit, and putting to death the lusts that are reeking havoc in our lives, then we just might get the wicked one’s attention. Don’t misunderstand, I am not inviting, nor looking forward to suffering at the hands of the devil or the world; but I am looking forward to living a “Spirit-filled life” that is worthy of their attention.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Peter by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Don’t Budge
Today’s Passage – James 2 – 5
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)
As I was reading this morning, my attention was drawn to the word “stablish” in verse 8. The context of this verse regards the believer enduring persecution and suffering seemingly at the hands of unbelievers. Verses 1 – 6 of chapter 5 are written to the rich oppressors of the world, but then, beginning in verse 6, the focus of the discussion is changed from the oppressor to the oppressed. James encourages these first century believers to be patient; to stay with it. I did a little study on the word “stablish”. The word means to establish, to strengthen, or to fix resolutely. It means not to budge, not even a little bit. James is admonishing these struggling believers to be resolute in their faith; to strengthen their resolve, so that they will not turn back.
Too many believers today are turning back. Too many are quitting. Recently, I have observed many that have thrown in the towel on their faith. In some cases, it was the allure of the world that pulled them away; but I have also seen many who became discouraged because of a trial that they were going through. It seems that they were not “stablished” in their faith. I like what Isaiah said regarding our Lord Jesus: “For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Jesus was resolute; unmovable, and unwavering in his fulfillment of God’s will. As His followers, we need to be just as resolute; just as fixed in our faith. It is easy to have strength on the mountaintop; but we often waver when we get into the valley.
James admonished the believers to stablish their hearts. God would not command us to do it, unless it were something that we could actually do. But how? What can we do to strengthen our faith? I believe that there are three steps that we can take that will help us to remain fixed in our service and devotion to Him:
1 Stay in His Book – “Faith cometh by hearing” The Bible will strengthen our faith. Read it, study it, memorize it, hear it preached.
2 Stay in His House – Get around a group of people that are “stablished” themselves. Stay away from the negativity and naysayers. Run with people in your church that are fixed in the right direction.
3 Stay in His Service – What I mean by this is be actively involved in serving others. If you have people that are depending on you, you will not be as tempted to get off track. If you know that people need you, and are following you as you follow the Lord, you will not want to let them down.
We need a whole lot more solid Christians in these last days who are stablished, fixed, resolute in their faith and devotion to the Lord. Why not ask God to help you be one of them.
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. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from James by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.