Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Aug 1st A House Divided

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 18 – 22

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.

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.

Jul 31st Guest Post by Gary Geiger

Today’s Reading – Isaiah 13 – 17

Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof,” saith the LORD God of Israel. (Isaiah 17:6)

Those two or three berries which cling to the uppermost bough could be compared to the Christian who lives his life through the eyes of the Lord always looking on things above.  Despite fierce shaking by the world his fruit has withstood the harvest of the world, yet he still is not convinced of the truth.

Those four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof could be compared to the Christian who has spent his entire life amongst the fruitful branches thereof.  He has clung onto the promises of God.  His bough has become a fruitful branch. He has remained because of his connections to the gods of this world.

Soon God will shake the olive tree one last time and even then gleaning grapes shall be left in it. He knows the hearts of his children, those that are not yet convinced and those that have a form of godliness.    Some say that this verse refers to the end of the ten battles by the Assyrians.  I have studied to the best of my ability the olive tree and I’m not convinced.  I love the unconditional love of God in this verse; God doesn’t wish that any should perish but that all shall come to repentance. I think God loves us so much that even after the rapture he has a plan for the gleaning grapes to offer one last opportunity to those young berries in the bough and to those in the fruitful branches.

I also did an exhaustive study of the Olive tree.  Read the verses, study and enjoy God’s word:
The Olive-tree

• Often grew wild. Romans 11:17

CULTIVATED

• In olive yards. 1 Samuel 8:14, Nehemiah 5:11

Among rocks. Deuteronomy 32:13

On the sides of mountains. Matthew 21:1

Canaan abounded in. Deuteronomy 6:1, Deuteronomy 8:8

• Assyria abounded in. 2 Kings 18:32

Kings of Israel largely cultivated. 1 Chronicles 27:28

DESCRIBED AS

• Green. Jeremiah 11:16

Fair and beautiful. Jeremiah 11:16, Hosea 14:6

Fat and unctuous. Judges 9:9, Romans 11:17

Bearing goodly fruit. Jeremiah 11:16, James 3:12

Grafting of, alluded to. Romans 11:24

Pruning of, alluded to. Romans 11:18-19

Often cast its flowers. Job 15:33

Often cast its fruit. Deuteronomy 28:40

Often suffered from caterpillars. Amos 4:9

Good for the service of God and man. Judges 9:9

Oil procured from. Exodus 27:20, Deuteronomy 8:8

USED FOR MAKING

• The cherubim in the temple. 1 Kings 6:23

The doors and posts of the temple. 1 Kings 6:31-33

Booths at feast of tabernacles. Nehemiah 8:15

Beaten to remove the fruit. Deuteronomy 24:20

Shaken when fully ripe. Isaiah 17:6

Gleaning of, left for the poor. Deuteronomy 24:20

Fruit of, during sabbatical year left for the poor, Exodus 23:11

• The fruit of, trodden in presses. Micah 6:15, Haggai 2:16

Failure of, a great calamity. Habakkuk 3:17-18

ILLUSTRATIVE

• Of Christ. Romans 11:17, Romans 11:24

Of the Jewish church. Jeremiah 11:16

Of the righteous. Psalms 52:8, Hosea 14:6

Of children of pious parents. Psalms 128:3

Of the two witnesses. Revelation 11:3-4

(When wild,) of the Gentiles. Romans 11:17, Romans 11:24

(Gleaning of,) of the remnant of grace.

Isaiah 17:6 Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.

The emblem of peace. Genesis 8:11

Jul 30th Who Turned Out the Light?

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 9 – 12

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

The verse of Scripture referenced above deals with the birth of Christ. When Christ was born in the earth, he poked a huge hole in the darkness of a world that had been without light for a long time. Christ is light, and light equals righteousness and holiness; and it is also synonymous with spiritual understanding. The Bible says of God:

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: (Psalm 104:2)

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Light is not something that God has or something that God can produce; it is what He is. Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of this light on the Mount of Transfiguration. John saw it again when he was on the Isle of Patmos and given the Revelation. Paul saw this light on the road to Damascus when the Lord gloriously saved him. All of these examples were actual physical manifestations of the light of God. However, when He came, He revealed to the world more than just Physical light: he delivered to the world a spiritual brightness that many had seen and received; and many more continue to receive to this day.

My thought for the day is: if Christ came and delivered this light to us 2000 years ago, and many millions have received this light from Him via the Holy Spirit; then why is this world still very dark. Jesus told us to shine the light to the dark world around us:

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

You would think with all of the millions of lights out there that should be shining, the world would be pretty bright; yet it continues to dwell in darkness. Why? Because God’s people are not allowing the light of Christ to radiate and reflect through them to the world around them. They are covering their candles with a bushel instead of elevating it on a candlestick. Three thoughts regarding the failure of the Christian to shine the light of Christ:

1  We fail to shine the light when we fail to separate from the darkness. Instead of increasing our light, we often participate in things that are very dark: things that are inconsistent with light. Light repels darkness; they cannot dwell together. So in order for the Christian to dwell in darkness, He has to douse His light. He has to quench the Spirit of God that dwells within Him.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

By the way, unfortunately, the verse above oftentimes applies to the Christian as well as to the world.

2   We fail to shine the light when we fail to saturate ourselves in the light of the Word of God.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple (Psalm 119:130)

3  We fail to shine the light when we shield the light from reaching those around us. This has more to do with fear than anything else. We have the light, and we desire to shine it; but we are so intimidated by the world around us that we conceal it. It is time that we decide to take a stand, and decide once and for all whose side we are on. We belong to God. We owe this world nothing but the light of Christ. Get out of the way, and let His light shine through you.

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; (Philippians 2:15)

Jul 29th Help Wanted

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 5 – 8

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

Last night at the Northeast Vision Summit, held at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Berlin, NJ, a great giant of the faith was honored. Pastor Rick Wedemeyer is the under-shepherd of The Christian Bible Baptist Church in Berkley Township. Pastor Rick answered God’s call to preach many years ago. He and his wife Kim packed up their two kids and all of their possessions and headed off to Bible college in order to be trained to minister the glorious gospel of grace. After college God called him to serve as the youth pastor of Ocean County Baptist Temple in Toms River, NJ. It was there that I first met Pastor Rick. I had recently been saved, had long hair; no Christian friends or even acquaintances. Pastor Rick befriended me; he mentored me; he opened up his home to me. I would come to him often and at all hours with my questions and problems and he never turned me away. I don’t know how the world would measure the impact of Pastor Rick’s ministry, but to me and many others, he really made a difference. I know that I would not be a pastor today had it not been for the influence of Pastor Rick.

Consider some of the other people that his life has touched:

Pastor and Mrs. Ted Stahl  – Assistant pastor at Jersey Shore Baptist Church in Galloway, NJ

Pastor and Mrs. Brian Phalon – Faith Baptist Church in Sparta, NJ

Pastor and Mrs. Dan Bell – Cornerstone Baptist in Browns Mills, NJ

Mrs. Susan Barnes – Pastor’s wife in Illinois

Pastor Mike Sanzone – Ardmore, Oklahoma

Bob and Amy Crease – faithful servants in various ministries at Solid Rock Baptist in Berlin

Sal Valencia – usher at Solid Rock

There are others also. These are just the ones that popped into my head. Pastor Rick answered God’s call. He has been faithful to the Lord and to the Lord’s people for all of these years. Here on earth, he won’t receive much compensation, at least not what he deserves; but he has a pile of rewards waiting for him in Heaven.

How about you? Are you interested in a job? The Lord has a help wanted sign out; and He wants you to answer His call. What will you do in service for Him? You can choose to live your life for the riches of this world; or you can choose instead to sacrifice what this world may offer and serve the Creator of the Universe. He truly has the greatest benefit package available.

Jul 28th Where are the Men?

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 1 – 4

As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. (Isaiah 3:12)

Isaiah is writing at a time when the people of Israel and Judah were in economic prosperity but spiritual and moral depravity. The end of chapter 3 records that the people were very proud, they were full with possessions and pleasure; but they were far away from God. God warns them through the writing of Isaiah that judgment will come. It is important to keep in mind as we read this Book of Isaiah that we understand that God is often dealing with the present condition of Israel and Judah 800 years or so before the time of Christ; but he also deals prophetically with Israel and others in the last days: he speaks much about the future Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Here in chapter 3 he is specifically speaking of Israel; but the application can be made to us today.

The condition of our nation is very similar to Israel and Judah prior to the judgment that came through the nation of Assyria and later Babylon. We are a very proud and prosperous people. This prideful attitude permeates our society. We scream out with our lives that we don’t need God; and we certainly aren’t going to submit to Him. Notice in the verse above that the women are ruling. I don’t think that this is a slap against women as much as it is a statement that the men were not fulfilling their God given roles as leaders. We have the same problems in our society today. The men are abdicating their responsibility as the leaders in the homes, and in the nation. Our churches are full of women that will volunteer for anything; but where are the men? Why are their so few men who will take on the responsibility of leadership?

We need men that will lead their families. We need some strong men who will be leaders in our communities and in this nation. We need men who will teach and mentor and lead in our churches. I praise the Lord for the woman have stood in the gap and taken on some leadership positions. Many of these ladies are doing a great job; but we need men to step up to the plate and assume the responsibilities intended to them by God.

Jul 27th Flawless

Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 1 – 8

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. (song of Solomon 4:7)

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2)

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)

The Song of Solomon is a beautiful song written through the pen of Solomon. On the surface it would seem that this song represents a dialogue between Solomon and his wife; but considering he had 1000 wives and concubines, we would certainly be left wondering which wife this song refers to. This song then must go much deeper than any earthly relationship. I believe that the intimate relationship so beautifully detailed here is the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. Keeping that in mind, consider the little phrase in chapter 4 where the bridegroom says of the bride, there is no spot in thee. This is an amazing statement, because in reality there certainly are many flaws in any person; but the amazing thing is that this Man sees no flaw at all in His bride.

When I think about the unconditional love that Christ has for His church (the Bride), and me in particular, I am blown away. How can he possibly love me? When I think about how spotted and flawed I am, I recognize my complete and total unworthiness. The only thing that I deserve is judgment: yet He loves me; and more than that: He does not see any flaw in me at all. Mind boggling! I guess that is what Romans 3:22 meant when it said that believers receive the righteousness of God. He sees me as completely righteous; flawless. Amazing!

God has given me two practical thoughts this morning while I contemplated this passage:

1 Do I appreciate Him – I know I am totally undeserving, yet He treats as if I am. This should cause me to live my life in surrender to whatever He wants from me. This should completely humble me.

2 Do I appreciate others – If I am undeserving, yet accepted unconditionally; why then do I have such a hard time unconditionally accepting others? Why do I see everyone else’s flaws. Should not I try to see others as Christ sees me?

Jul 25th Emptiness

Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 1 – 6

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

Just a quick thought from the Word this morning. It is sad when you consider the life of some folks: they pursue everything that this life has to offer; but never find fulfillment; never find true happiness. Solomon discovered that all the wealth, wisdom, and pleasure that this world can give you will still leave you empty if you do not have a relationship with God. Fulfilling God’s will for your life is the only way that you can live your life with meaning and purpose. It is the only way that you can finish the game with something that you can keep. Everything else is vanity, emptiness.

Is your life empty of purpose, meaning? Then go to God and find out how you can have a purpose; something that will truly satisfy your desire to have your life mean something.

Jul 23rd Feeling A Little Lazy?

Today’s Passage – Proverbs 23 – 26

I am sitting outside of our local Starbucks writing this devotion because of the internet trouble we are having at the church. I apologize for not writing yesterday; I tried on two separate occasions, but the internet went out on me both times. We might have to switch to Comcast.

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man. (Proverbs 24:33 – 34)

As I have read through the Book of Proverbs, I have noticed that there are certain themes that reappear again and again. One of these is the subject of laziness (the Bible uses the terms slothful; and will also call a lazy person a sluggard). The above passage speaks of a man who, because of his laziness, has neglected his field to the point where it was overgrown with with weeds. I feel that way in my life sometimes. I notice that there are times when I lose focus, and allow things to fall into neglect. It happens in all areas of my life as well. Sometimes, I may neglect the spiritual priorities, and at other times I may become lazy in one of my responsibilities as a father or husband. I get lazy. Laziness seems to be a bigger problem for me in the summertime.

God expects us to be fruitful. God expects us to be busy and productive. Here are some things that will help me stay on track to fulfill the things that God expects from my life:

1  Have a schedule – determine what time you need to get up, and how much time is needed to do what you have to do. Go to bed early, and get up early. Avoid the time wasters like the internet and television.

2  Set Goals – what do you want to accomplish this year; this summer; this week; tomorrow? Attempt to get a lot of things done. You may not get to them all; but you will accomplish a lot more than if you don’t set goals. “he who aims at nothing hits it every time”. Set spiritual goals; goals for tasks around the house; etc.

3  Be accountable to someone. This is the problem that many preachers have. They have no earthly boss standing over them with expectations. If I am not careful, I will let this lack of accountability cause me to get lazy; get up later; leave earlier, etc.

4  Stay motivated. I listen to preaching and leadership lessons from Godly pastors around the country to stay challenged. What motivates you?

We will have to give an account of our live to God someday. What did we do with our time? Were we productive? Did we fulfill God’s will for our lives? Or did we sleep in? Don’t be lazy. Get up and do what God has called you to do.

Jul 21st Oh Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say!

Today’s Passage – Proverbs 15 – 18

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and aword spoken in due season, how good is it! (Proverbs 15:23)

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince. (Proverbs 17:7)

He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. (Proverbs 17:9)

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (Proverbs 17:28)

Isn’t it amazing how much the Bible has to say regarding our tongues. The verses listed above are just a few of the references from today’s passage that deal with the words that we say. God is very concerned about the things that we allow to escape our lips. A good passage to read that also teaches along this line is found in James 3. In it, God gives a scathing rebuke to the tongue that is used to destroy.  As God’s people we must strive to allow the Holy Spirit of God to control our words. As God’s ambassadors we have no right saying the things that we want to say, but rather we must speak the things that will glorify God and edify others. One of the reasons that I sometimes prefer to write (text, e-mail) to people rather than talk to them is because I can carefully choose the words that I use. I find myself re-writing, looking for just the right thing to say. Often when conversing with someone face to face I find myself being quick to speak, when God wants me to be slow to speak.

I think that I could be much more affective as a minister of God if I would employ the following principles in my life regarding my speech:

1 I should pray before I speak. David prayed,

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

2  I should pause before I speak. The Bible says a lot about refraining from speaking. Will what I am going to say edify the listener? Will it glorify God? Will it tear down somebody else? These are all thing to consider.

3  I should pastor (minister, edify, teach) with my speech.

It would certainly be a quieter world, if we would all put these principles into practice; but it would also be a lot more peaceful.

Jul 20th Pride

Today’s Passage – Proverbs 11 – 14

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. (Proverbs 8:13)

When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. (Proverbs 13:10)

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them. (Proverbs 14:3)

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. (Proverbs 29:23)

He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. (Proverbs 28:25)

There are six more verses in Proverbs using the word proud. It is used a total of 47 times in the Bible. The word pride is used a total of 46 times in the Bible. The word haughty is used 10 times.  That makes a total of 103 verses in the Bible (at least) that deal with one of man’s biggest problems -pride. As I was reading this morning, the Holy Spirit of God drew my attention to three of the verses.  I thought at first that they caught my attention because of the frequency of their use, but after reflecting a little bit, I realized that God was trying to show me that pride is not just an issue for everyone else, but for me as well. How does pride affect me? Let me be a little transparent and publicly reveal some of the things that the Spirit of God brought to my attention:

1  I want to be successful. Now don’t misunderstand, success in the ministry is a good thing. It is wonderful when people are reached with the gospel, and trained to serve God. It is great when lots of people come to hear the Word of God being preached. But it’s my motivation that is the concern. In my heart I want to think that it is all for God’s glory; but I know that sometimes I want to steal a little bit of that glory for me. Now, I am going to keep trying to be successful, but I am also going to ask God to throughly examine my heart and my motives; and when I sense the root of pride growing within, I will try to bring it to Him for removal.

2  I want to be right all of the time. I have noticed that some of the folks around me have this problem as well. I like to win arguments. I even get angry easily, when someone is in disagreement with me.

3  I don’t like to be criticized. This goes along with the point 2. I find myself desiring to defend myself, justify myself and I really don’t need to.

4  I find that I am concerned more with the opinion and approval of men, more that the approval of God.

These are just a few of my sins. I feel better: confession is very therapeutic. I probably could have gone on and made the list larger; but I think you get the idea. Now, how about you? How is pride affecting your life? Maybe you ought to come up with your own list. Ask God to point out some ways that pride is affecting your relationship with Him and with others. You might have too much pride to even consider the thought.