Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 8th Visit This Vine

Today’s Passage – Psalm 80 – 88

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 for the things of God.

Jul 7th Where Is Your God?

Today’s Passage – Psalm 75 – 79

Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed. (Psalm 79:10)

Have you ever asked the question, “where is God?”  I have often heard the people of this world ask this question when bad things happen on the earth. They will say that if there was a loving God, He would not allow all of this evil in the world. I have also hear some of the people of God pose the same thought when they or somebody they care about are experiencing hardship in life. However, the context of the verse written above is a little bit different. It seems that the psalmist here has penned these words at a time in Israel’s history when they have suffered a horrible defeat to the Babylonians (around 586 BC) which included the complete destruction of Jerusalem along with the people of Israel being taken into captivity.  Here the psalmist is pleading with God to avenge them of their adversaries. He tells God that their enemies are mocking them, saying that their God must either not care or must be absent altogether. The irony of the whole situation is that God actually “raised up” these Babylonian attackers for the express purpose of getting the attention of His people who had seriously departed from following Him.

My thought for this morning, however, is that I wonder how many of of the people around us: our neighbors, our co-workers, our family members, etc. can see God in our lives.  Can they see the reality of our faith working throughout our day to day living. Maybe they are tolerant and even polite to us regarding what we say about our faith; but I wonder sometimes if they aren’t secretly thinking, “where is their God?” Can they see the reality of God in our lives?  No wonder we are having a difficult time reaching the people around us. If God isn’t real to us, how can he reveal Himself to others through us. I believe we have a tremendous responsibility and an awesome opportunity to show people our God through our lives.

1  Show them God by living out your faith.  If you really believe God, then live according to the principles found in His Word.  Walk with Him daily.  Yield to His Spirit and His will.  Separate from the things that are not apart of His perfect plan for your life.

2  Show them God by loving the people around you.  God loves people, unlovable people just like you.  Demonstrate the reality of God by demonstrating God’s love to people.  Look for ways to express the love of God to the lost world around you.  Don’t take separation beyond where God intended it to be.  He wants us to impact their world; not only with the truth, but also with compassion.

The greatest compliment a person could give me would be for them to say that they saw the reality of God in my life.

Jul 6th Who Are You Magnifying?

Today’s Passage – Psalm 69 – 74

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. (Psalm 70:4)

As I was reading the passage this morning, my attention was drawn to the phrase, “let God be magnified”.  The word magnify or magnified is used a couple of dozen times in the Bible, but I was interested to discover that most of the occasions for its use was to record men who have attempted to magnify themselves over God.  We are certainly prideful creatures by nature.  We do an awful lot in order to make ourselves bigger in the eyes of our peers.  I was forced to do a little self-examination about myself while pondering this thought.  How much do I do in order to enlarge myself.  Even this daily blog that I do: is it all about God, or is it all about the magnification of me?  Sobering thought.  Am I trying to keep up with the spiritual Jones’ (the “big preachers” who all use this type of format)? Don’t misunderstand, I think this is a great tool for communication, but what is the motivation behind it?  How about the church?  Do I want to see it grow so that God will be glorified, or is there hidden down deep in my soul a secret, prideful agenda of self-elevation?  I am just trying to be honest. How about you?  Is your life’s pursuit the magnification of self; or are you trying to magnify the Lord?

The Bible is clear, we are to magnify God!  Now that does not mean that we make God bigger.  We can’t possibly do that.  God already is infinite in everything that He is.  What God is, He is infinitely and completely.  All of His attributes are who He is.  He does not just possess love, He IS love.  No, we can’t make God bigger, but we can see Him bigger.  A magnifying glass does not make the words on the page bigger, but it does allow us to see them bigger.  How big is your God?  Perhaps you cannot see God as big as He really is because you have magnified yourself.  The bigger you are, the smaller God is.  Make yourself smaller in your sight, and God may just get bigger to you.

Two more thoughts.  God does not just want us to magnify Him, He also wants us to magnify:

1  His Name

And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel:… (2 Samuel 7:26)

Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: (1 Chronicles 17:24)

2  His Word

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. (Psalm 138:2)

Let us all try to minimize ourselves and exalt the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jul 5th Can’t Sleep?

Today’s Passage – Psalm 61 – 68

When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. (Psalm 63:6)

Have you ever had trouble sleeping at night?  It is a huge problem for many people.  They toss and turn all night, thinking and worrying about all sorts of things.  Thankfully, since my time in Bible college, I can honestly say that it is a very rare occasion when I don’t go right to sleep after hitting the pillow; and usually I sleep like a rock all through the night.  However, every once in a while I do have some pressing issue in my mind that keeps sleep from me.  I have discovered that prayer is a wonderful help during those difficult nights.  I have learned that praying about these rest-robbing problems will cause me to feel more at ease about them, and will allow me to have enough peace to get some rest.

Recently I have taken this a step further.  Now when I go to sleep I start praising God for who He is, and for all of the wonderful blessings He has given to me and my family.  It is usually not long before I am sleeping peacefully with the last thought of the day being about our wonderful Lord.  As a preacher, I often tell our people to give the first part of the day to God; but how glorious it is to finish the day with my last conscious thoughts about Him.

Tonight when you go to bed, why not try to spend those last moments praising the Lord for His goodness.  I bet it will help you sleep better.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. (Psalm 127:2)

Jul 4th Happy Birthday America!

Today’s Passage – Psalm 51 – 60

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:32; 36

Praise the Lord for America!  This is the greatest nation on the face of the earth.  When I think about Independence Day, I am filled with praise and gratitude to our God for three specific things:

1  I thank the Lord for Jesus who died on the cross for my sins, giving me liberty from the Law and from the bondage of sin.  To think that Christ would love someone like me is really beyond my comprehension.

2  I also thank the Lord for the men and women of God throughout the centuries who have given their lives delivering the message of salvation.  I could not be saved today if it weren’t for people who sacrificed greatly communicating the truth of God’s Word.

3  Finally, I am filled with gratitude for the men and women who have given their lives for the cause of freedom here in America.  With all of her faults, America is by far the best place in the world to live.  I can carry my Bible here; I can open it on any street corner and proclaim the glorious name of Christ.  I have the freedom to worship God here according to the convictions that God has given me through His Word.  I do a lot of complaining about the direction our country is heading sometimes; but today I am going to lay aside  all of the negatives, and be thankful for the blessing of America!

One more thing.  I am going to think today about what sacrifice I can make to send the message of Christ to not just America, but to every living, breathing soul on this earth.

Thank you Jesus for setting me free from sin.  Thank you America for giving me the freedom to thank and serve Jesus.

Jul 3rd Guest Post by Sarah Becker

Todays Passage – Psalm 44 – 50

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

(Psalm 46:1)

I love how this verse says that he is “very present”. For a long time, I didn’t think “very” fit here, but I knew that God’s word was perfect and that He had it there for a reason. As trials come and go, I see how fitting “very” is in this verse. God is emphasizing his omnipresence. I may have had knowledge that He is with me, but is it real in my life? God is not just present in my day He is very present.

So many times I think I need a person right then and there to help me with a problem because I thought they would understand, but they weren’t there or they really didn’t understand. I thought I needed them; I thought that they would solve the problem. Thinking it was the end of the world because no one could help me, I finally think of God. Ashamed of myself because He was my last resort, I find the Lord has been waiting for me to come to Him. When I do finally run to Him, I remember, through different circumstances throughout the day, Him calling my name. I am humbled at the fact that He still loves me and still helps me, even when I ignore His “very present help”.

If you find yourself in the same predicament in your life, let this verse and any other verse about God’s omnipresence help you. I’m so glad that I’m saved and I have Someone to turn to in times of trouble. This makes me want to be faithful to show and tell others how awesome and amazing He is to me. I hope it makes you want to do the same.

Jul 2nd Thirsty?

Today’s Passage Psalm 37  – 43

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalm 42:1

I remember when I was a boy, the neighborhood that I grew up in was involved in an unorganized baseball league and we would challenge other neighborhoods in our town to play us. I remember one very hot, summer afternoon we were playing Lake Riviera, our arch rivals.  The temperature was in the 90’s with high humidity.  It was a real scorcher.  I don’t remember who won or lost that game, but I do remember that out of all of the dozen or so guys on our team only one had enough sense to bring water.  I recall he had one of those Coleman jugs that contained about a half gallon or so of water.  At first he did not want to share; but under the threat of death from his teammates, he finally yielded and shared his treasure.  It was as close as I ever came to identifying with the rich man in Luke 16, who desired just a drop of cool water.

In the passage referenced above the Psalmist tells us that he had that kind of a thirst, not for water, but for the things of God.  Jesus said, “…if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37), and “blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).  Amos referred to a thirst for the “hearing of the words of the Lord”. (Amos 8:11)

We tend to get thirsty when we have been without hydration for a while.  America is dehydrated spiritually, and I bet there are a lot of folks out there who are thirsting for God; and they may not even realize what they are thirsting for.  They have been drinking from the wells of this world for a long time, but have not found satisfaction.  The people of God are not helping the situation because they too have abandoned the well of the Word of God and have been sipping at the fountains of the devil.

Are you thirsty?  As God’s people, our desire should be for God’s will and God’s Word.  We should thirst after it.  How long has it been since you took a good, long, satisfying drink from God’s well?  How long has it been since you offered a cup of God’s Spirit to the thirsty people of the world around you?

Jul 1st How Wonderful It Is To Be Forgiven

Check the Schedule page for the Bible reading schedule for July.

Today’s Passage – Psalm 31 – 36

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 29th Are You In the Valley or On the Mountain Today?

Today’s Passage – Psalm 21 – 25

Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. (Psalm 21:2)

Jun 28th Acceptable in thy Sight

Today’s Passage – Psalm 16 – 20

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)

I love the Word of God.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Book of Job; but I am also having a wonderful time each morning in the Psalms.  As I read this morning, I was captured by the beauty of Psalm 19.  Verses 1-6 are expressions of David’s worship of God.  Verses 7 – 11 are remarks that lift up the Word of God, and the reader is admonished to place a higher value on the Word of God than gold.  Great Advice!

However, the verses that really caught my attention were verses 12 – 14 where David prays to God regarding God’s help in keeping him from sin.  In verses 12 and 13, he speaks of secret sins and presumptuous sins.  The presumptuous sins are those that we do blatantly, proudly, and in public view.  David begs God’s help in the removal of these things.

Verse 14 is the prayer that all of us should have on our lips and in our hearts the moment that we awake from sleep.  How often do we violate our relationship with God by allowing evil thoughts to take hold of our meditations.  we muse on things that are clearly outside of the will of God.  Ask God to control your thought life.  The minute the devil causes you to think about something that is wrong, take it to God.  Ask Him to help you.  Purposely divert your thoughts to things that are true, honest, just, and pure, etc.  Our sin begins with the musings of our heart.

Notice also the petition regarding his words.  Oh how I wish that I could take back some of my words.  The tongue can be a consuming fire, a deadly poison.  Why not ask God to help you get your tongue under control.

I wonder how many mistakes we could have avoided in the past had we made this our prayer?  We don’t have to make the same mistake in the future.  Let God control your thought life and your tongue!