Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Feb 7th Unclean, Unclean! by Paul Meyer

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 7 – 8; Proverbs 7; Psalms 36 – 40)

Read a previous post from this morning’s reading – Unclean

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 19

Read the “0207 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Over the last few years I have had the privilege of studying and teaching the Pentateuch in our Berean Bible Institute Adult Bible class. Through this study I’ve come to the conclusion that Leviticus is my favorite book in the Old Testament. Leviticus shows us the deep and meticulous care God has for our everyday life. The passage we will study today has wide application, as much of Leviticus does. 

First, and foremost, the passage seeks to keep Israel physically pure. History teaches us that some of the greatest destroyers of nations do not carry a sword and shield but come as diseases that spread from person to person. Secondly, the passage seeks to keep Israel ritually pure. It may seem unfair but God is not running a charitable organization, he wants the best to serve him. The priests couldn’t be blemished (Leviticus 21:17-21), the penance couldn’t be blemished (Leviticus 4:3) and here the parishioner could not be blemished. Thirdly, this passage seeks to see all of Gods people spiritually pure. 

Leprosy is a filthy, grotesque, repulsive disease; it starts innocently in the body but over time leaves it’s host dismembered, marred, and scarred. The way the priest approaches leprosy should be mirrored in our approach to sin – no quarter given, no mercy, complete and utter annihilation. I’d like to give some passing thoughts on the subject of leprosy.  

1. Sin affects more than the host 

“And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.” (Leviticus 13:6)

It’s easy to become so self focused with sin that we believe it isn’t a communicable disease. Sin is congenital (Romans 5:12), sin is hereditary (1 Kings 15:3), perhaps sin even affects the clothes we wear (Jude 1:23). 

2. Sin wholly infects its host

“And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest lookers; Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean. But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.” (Leviticus 13:12-14)

What better way to view sin as “raw flesh”. The connotation here gives us a picture of the body in its natural state, in its natural element the flesh is the perfect environment for the procurement of sin. It need not be taught to our youth, the desire and inclination abides naturally. Where sin can naturally exist, naturally it will infect. (Romans 7:24-25) 

3. The treatment for hidden sin is the same for visible sin

“If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;… He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: … Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.” (Leviticus 13:29,33,36)

The lepers here are far more honorable than the sinner. The leper sees a fellow leper in worse estate but knows their condition remain the same. The diagnosis is death, what does it matter if one dies before the other – the outcome remains the same – death. How easy is it for us to compare our sin to others? The Bible shows us that the ultimate conclusion of sin is death (James 1:15) 

4. Sin leaves its host embarrassed and lonely

“And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.” (Leviticus 13:45-46)

Imagine finding yourself in a 3 Michelin starred restaurant in the middle of Paris. The men all dressed in tuxedos and the women in gowns. The expectations of the food are just as high as the expectations for the guests. Imagine walking in in tattered clothes, covered head to toe in mud. As all of the eyes in the restaurant turn to you, the staff exits the kitchen into the dining room, you cry out at the top of your lungs “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN”. You are absolutely humiliated, understandably so! Is this not the way we would walk the streets of gold if sin could abide in the presence of God? The angels wouldn’t look at you! The saints couldn’t stomach your existence! And God? Well He wouldn’t make himself even remotely accessible. A destitute and hopeless position to be in if you were a leper, but there is hope! Jesus, the friend of sinners, finds himself outside the camp (Hebrews 13:13) 

5. Sin is hopeless except for supernatural healing 

“And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (Matthew 8:2 – 3)

What a thought that when we were hopeless, when sin had taken hold of us, when we had no right to help. Jesus stepped in. Its made all the difference in my life, and I know you will all say the same. This victory is not conceived by our own power or our own will but by the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. I hope this thought is a blessing to you as much as it has been to me. God, help me to detest sin, to shun sin, to give no quarter to sin. God, when I inevitably fail; forgive me, cleanse me, help me to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. 

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55 – 57)

Feb 4th This Is The Law Of The… – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 5 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 1 – 2; Proverbs 4; Psalms 21 – 25

Read the “0204 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.” (Leviticus 6:9)

“And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.” (Leviticus 6:14)

“Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy.” (Leviticus 6:25)

“Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy.” (Leviticus 7:1)

“And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.” (Leviticus 7:11)

“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight…” (Colossians 1:19-22)

Good morning. Leviticus chapters 6 and 7 show the Laws concerning the various offerings to the Lord. Colossians chapter 1, verses 19-22, concludes that our peace with God is only due to the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we are holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight. What about the sight of others? Maybe it’s a good thing that the unsaved don’t know this verse? Do they see that we are unreproveable, unblameable, and holy? Or do they see that we are reprove-able, blamable, and unholy? There is a simple, 2-part check you can make. You see…

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Jesus is your best friend. He will never leave you nor forsake you: He is always with you. Your best friend. Now… part 1… How is your prayer life? You always want to talk to your friends, right? Prayer is how we talk to Jesus, our best friend. Sometimes, if we do wrong to a friend, we try to avoid talking with them. So once again, how is your prayer life? Part 2 is a simple question also.

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)

How is your Bible reading? If there is something wrong in your relationship with your friend, you may not want to hear from them. A true friend will tell you like it is, and you may not want to hear that. But something can be done…

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)

The problem is with us. God sees us as unreproveable, unblameable, and holy. We see ourselves from the mess we just made, and can’t face the reality of sin in our lives. But God did everything for us…

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:1-25)

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)

Peace.

Jan 28th A Sanctuary For The Lord – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Exodus 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Proverbs 28; Psalms 136 – 140

Read the “0128 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:1-8)

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1Corinthians 6:19)

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2Corinthians 13:5)

Good morning. In our passage this morning, the Lord wants a sanctuary, a tabernacle, a temple, so He can dwell with His people. God gave Moses specific instructions on how to build it and what material to use, even the quantity. How is your temple?

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1Corinthians 3:16)

It all starts with Jesus. God said in Exodus 25, verse 2, “…bring Me an offering…”

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:2)

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18)

Also in Exodus 25, verse 2, God said, “…of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.”

When you realized you were a sinner and on your way to Hell, you brought the only offering you could with a willing heart… yourself. And Jesus received you as His own.

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

He did all that for us. He sacrificed Himself for our sins. He took the punishment that we deserved. And all because He loved us. And yet, we don’t obey Him. We do what we want to do. We drag Him through all the muck and mire of all the ungodly places we frequent. What do you think of the following verses?

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

“Quench not the Spirit.” (1Thesselonians 5:19)

We grieve the Holy Spirit by doing the things we should not be doing. We quench the Holy Spirit by not doing the things we should be doing. So let me ask again, how is your temple? Is it what it should be? Is it a sanctuary for the Lord? Jesus said…

“…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world…” (Matthew 28:20)

Peace.

Jan 26th Grown-Up and Disrespectful Children by Ashley Acosta

Today’s Passage – Exodus 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 7 – 8; Proverbs 26; Psalms 126 – 130)

Read the “0126 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Come As You Are,“ and “Sound Advice“

“1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:1-12)

“13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” (Exodus 20:13-17)

Here we see where God meets with Moses on Mount Sinai and gives the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel. We see the process that goes into them even receiving these words, so we understand the importance of God speaking them. This is such a pivotal moment in the Old Testament. These were the fundamental principles that God sent for them to follow.

For us today the ten commandments are a reminder of the standards of Holy living required by God. Obviously, things are different in the New Testament, and we are under grace and not the Law; but God definitely puts a huge importance on them throughout the New Testament and refers to them often. There are so many nuggets of truth to go through here, but one that God has really been convicting me about is the extreme importance God puts on honoring your parents. Sometimes as an adult we tend to think that this commandment is just for children or teenagers, and we are somehow exempt from this commandment. God has been tugging on my heart recently that I am not honoring my parents today. It’s really sad when you see the older generations being treated so poorly by their children. Once we become adults we suddenly think we really know so much and almost look at our parents as less than, or we have a condescending tone to any of their remarks. Maybe we have been hurt by our parents, or maybe they aren’t walking with the Lord. God doesn’t give us a list of exceptions for not honoring them, He says, “Honor your parents.”

As our parents get older it’s even more important to take care of them and honor them. My husband has parents that are now my parents. I think God wants me to honor and respect them too, and not discourage my husband with any negative thoughts I have. Sometimes, I don’t always agree with things my parents do, but the absolute last thing I need to be doing is talk poorly about them or bash them to other people, even if it’s my siblings. It’s also extremely prideful of me to think that I am perfect and my parents just don’t have it together like me. God put this in the Ten commandments for a reason; it’s important to Him. Let’s stop rolling our eyes or acting like our parents are less than. If we were little children we would be extremely disrespectful in doing that, but as adults we feel no remorse. Maybe, someone is hurting today and your relationship with your parents is not good. Perhaps you hurt them or they hurt you. You need to restore your relationship with your parents before it’s too late. There is also a promise here that God is telling us: IF we honor our parents our days will be long on the earth. He is equating this commandment to Life and Death; that’s how serious it is. Let’s honor our parents in every stage of our life.

Jan 25th Remember Sunday?

Today’s Passage – Exodus 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4

Read a previous post from this passage – “Sound Advice.”

Read the “0125 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.” – (Exodus 16:29-30)

I remember when I was a young boy just about everything was shut down on Sunday. The supermarkets were closed, the department stores were closed, the home improvement stores were closed; it seemed like everything was closed. I remember when the first supermarket in our area opened up on Sunday. It was big news. Soon, all of the other supermarkets started opening. At first, Sunday was the worst sales day of the week for the retailers. I remember the managers telling me that it was a waste of time to even open because they didn’t do enough business to justify it. Fast forward to today and Sunday is the best sales day of the week. How did we ever get away from Sunday being a day when just about everyone had the day off, and most people went to church? I bet those businessmen that started it all thought that it would be a way for them to get a little ahead of their competitors. I wonder if they would look back on their decision and consider it a good thing? Come to think of it, the particular company that started it in our area is bankrupt today. What a shame.

In our passage today, God says that He would supply the Israelites with enough manna on the sixth day so that they would not have to gather it on the seventh. Now, before you fuss at me: I am well aware that the Sabbath for the nation Israel was Saturday, not Sunday. However, for Christians, the day that we set apart for worship and rest has traditionally been Sunday, the day of the resurrection. I think America was a much better place when she observed a day of rest on Sunday. Just about everybody went to church, with very few people who absolutely had to work.

The devil and the world have made it very difficult for Christians to be faithful to the Lord in setting aside Sunday as the Lord’s day. It has always been my conviction to keep Sunday as the day that our family worships the Lord. We have always made it a practice to attend both the morning and the evening services at our church. It is the Lord’s day, not just the Lord’s morning, and we are supposed to gather together “so much the more as we see the day approaching.” God has always been faithful. He has always met all of my family’s needs. We haven’t lost a thing by keeping Sunday as a day set apart from the rest of the week for the purpose of rest and worship. However, if you are like me, you may not be getting much rest on Sunday because you spend much of the day in the work of the ministry. I actually kept track of my hours on a recent Sunday. My day started at 4 AM and I finished just after 9:30 PM, with only about a half an hour lunch break. Therefore, if I am going to be in obedience to Lord’s principle of resting one day out of seven, I must choose another day.

Christian, if I can offer you one piece of advice from this passage, it would be this: set aside Sunday as the Lord’s day. Do everything in your power to get the day off from work. It may take a while to arrange your affairs so that this can be done, but work toward it. Go to church and then spend time together as a family. Eat a meal together on Sunday afternoon. Take a nap, or maybe have a little fellowship with some family and friends.  Make Sunday a special day; a day that you look forward to all the week long. Don’t worry about how you will be able to meet all of your obligations due to the fact that you have eliminated a day of earning income. Remember God is able to give you enough in six days to cover the seventh. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” and He will take care of everything else.

I hope to see you this Sunday at church!

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Jan 24th When I Came Forth Out of Egypt by Issan Acosta

Today’s Passage – Exodus 13 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 3 – 4; Proverbs 24; Psalms 116 – 120)

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

Read the “0124 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “He Brought Us This Far” and “Quit Griping!“

“And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.” (Exodus 13:8-10)

One of my favorite moments that I see repeated through out the Old Testament is the importance placed on memorials.

We see this with the Passover, Altars Built, Rainbows, the 12 Stones taken from the Jordan River and we even see it with names given. In this passage of scripture we see Moses preparing the children of Israel for the crossing of the Red Sea out of Egypt. We see the beautiful picture here of the believer being called out of the world(Egypt) and identifying with Christ through believers baptism(crossing of the Red Sea). Moses used this critical moment in the lives of the Israelites to remind them about the importance of keeping this memorial from generation to generation.

Some Christians are blessed to have a godly Christian heritage. Others may be a first generation Christian. Whatever category you may fall in, it is important that you pass down the “Faith of our Fathers” to future generations. There are three key areas that we can all use to influence our children

Your Salvation Testimony

Sharing your testimony with your children is such an effective way of sharing the gospel with them. We all have a unique and personal way on how we came to Christ. Being able to hear how someones life was changed in a moment in time is something that has always been eye opening for me. It is such a powerful moment, especially when you are able to to tie it to the individual you are sharing it with. Never get over the joy of your salvation!

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. (Psalm 51:12 – 14)

Your Bible(s)

Being able to pass on your Bible(s) to your loved ones Is something so special. There is something very special about your children seeing your spiritual development through notes written on the margins of your Bible or favorite verses underlined. Teaching our children the word of God is so important in preserving our Christian heritage. 

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

Your Church Involvement

Worshiping God in church together as a family is one the best built in memory makers we can provide our children. Encourage your children to engage in every part of the service. There are so many teaching moments that we can share with our children that involve the church. Look for them and you will find them! 

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)

Jan 21st A Dry Thirsty Land – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Exodus 4 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105

Read the “0121 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.” (Exodus 4:9)

Good morning. Did you know that in Philadelphia – the city of brotherly love – in 2022, crime in the city ranked 162% higher than the national average? Violent crime was 420% higher. I had read that about 10 years ago, a Vietnam War veteran had his jaw broken and his skull fractured by a youth gang. What happened? America has gone dry: it’s a dry land. And it’s because people’s hearts have gotten harder.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2Timothy 3:1-7)

Many of us are to blame. We are afraid to stand on what the Word of God says. We are afraid to speak out and say that any Jew, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Atheist, Agnostic, Unbeliever, Charismatic, Evolutionist, Secular Humanist, self-proclaimed Christian, or anybody else not mentioned in these groups are going to Hell if they have not received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This is not being hateful to any group. This is not a hate crime. This is what God’s Word says in 1John chapter 5…

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1John 5:11-12)

Do you know what a real hate crime is? Allowing souls to slip into hell without giving them the Gospel: telling them about Jesus. Even if you are shy, you can still leave a Gospel tract. Leave one with a tip when you dine out. Give one to the gas station attendant when you get gas in your car or truck. You could even mail some out to addresses in the phone book. Can you afford 60 cents a week? That’s 52 people you could reach with God’s plan for salvation in one year.

Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission [of sins]. We need to pour out the water of God’s Word on this dry land, and let the people know that the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin.

“And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.” (Exodus 4:9)

“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; (20) And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1:19-20)

Peace.

Jan 19th God Wants To Use You – By Camille Stahl

Today’s Passage – Genesis 48 – 50 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 9 – 10; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95)

Read the “0119 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Genesis 49:33  And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Genesis 50:1-3  And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.  (2)  And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.  (3)  And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

When we read about people in the Bible, we believe they lived perfect lives. Sometimes we think what we read are just stories, but they’re not. They were real people who had real problems like us who God greatly used. So lets look at the family of Abraham to Joseph.

When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden, everything was perfect until the fall. Then we get to the Tower of Babel were God scatters the rebellious world. In the second half of Genesis, we read about one family who God made a promise to. God is going to use this family to restore humanity back to the Garden and His original plan. So Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob and Jacob had twelve sons. In each of these generations God assured them of His blessing of making them a great nation. So because of this great family, one would think they would be a great example to follow to become a great Christian. But lets look at how dysfunctional this family really was.

Abraham – Gave his wife Sarah, away to other men, so he could save his own life.

Sarah – Got impatient and tells Abraham to have a child with her servant. This caused problems in the family that are still going on today.

Isaac- Then had Esau and Jacob and things seem to be going well until Jacob deceives Isaac and receives the Blessing which belonged to Esau.

Jacob – He had twelve sons and loved his eleventh son more then the others. This caused problems for the brothers, in so much that they wanted to kill him. So instead of killing him, Joseph, the eleventh son, was sold into slavery.

And to shorten the story, we know that God elevated Joseph over the land of Egypt under Pharaoh.

Jacob, Israel, had a funeral like no other besides Pharaoh. The people mourned for him seventy day and they mourned for Pharaoh seventy-two days.

But Jacob was a liar and deceiver until we get to Genesis 50:1-3, a man who was greatly used of God and loved by the people.

Not a perfect family, but God still used them all and kept His promise.

When man keeps turning to evil, God directs man back to HIM.

So how about us. To many times we convince ourselves that we’re not worthy to be use of God because of what we did in the past. There is nothing we’ve done that could stop us from being used of God. It’s important to remember who we are in Christ. We are a child of the King of Kings and He loves us more than we can ever imagine.

What is God calling you to do that seems unattainable?

Remember this

Philipians 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:

TRUST GOD!