Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

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 quality. 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 21st Don’t Rock The Boat – 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 they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” (Exodus 5:20-23)

Good morning. Most of us have heard the saying: Don’t Rock The Boat. Usually at work, when something good is happening. Don’t rock the boat: you don’t want to spoil the good thing happening. And truthfully, the only one who has time to rock the boat is the one who is not paddling. Moses was just carrying out God’s orders. In the eyes of Israel, he was rocking the boat. They said that it was Moses’ fault that there was a riff between God’s people and Pharaoh with his people. This riff would continue even as they left Egypt…

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:10-12)

But if Moses did not rock the boat, Israel would still be working as slaves down in Egypt. God was answering their cries for help by sending Moses. And Moses rocked the boat. The problem appears to be a lack of belief. God was answering their prayers and they did not know it. God sent plagues to force Egypt to let Israel go. When they thought it was all over, either Pharaoh’s wrath or drowning in the Red Sea, God supplied a third option. Israel watched as the Lord parted the sea, and caused Israel to pass through the midst of the sea on dry ground. They followed God for a while, but when there was no water they complained. When there was no meat, they complained. When Jesus came, they didn’t even recognize their Messiah. They thought that Jesus would defeat the Romans and set up the Kingdom. But Jesus rocked the boat in revealing their sins, and their need for a Saviour.

Are you a boat rocker? There are people all over who are walking through life oblivious to their coming destruction. Are you going to rock their boats and wake them up? Are you going to let them row over the waterfall that leads to the lake of fire? God is rocking your boat. Jesus said…

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” (John15:1-2)

Jesus also commanded…

“…Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

You need to get the Gospel out. Whatever you do… DO rock their boat.

Peace.

Jan 14th The Plot – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Genesis 36 – 37 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

“And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they strip Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.” (Genesis 37:12-36)

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Good morning. We start off with a plot: a plot to kill Joseph. Jealousy, or envy is a breading ground for hatred. And Joseph was hated by his brothers. They were going to kill Joseph, and throw him in a pit. Then Reuben intervened: God was beginning to make a bad situation good. Reuben told his other brothers that Joseph should not be killed because of him being their brother. So they stripped Joseph of his coat of many colors, and threw him in the pit. Reuben would recover Joseph later and return him to his father safely. But the plot thickens. The other brothers sell Joseph to a caravan going down to Egypt. They rip and tear Joseph’s coat of many colors, and soak it with goat’s blood. This is what they presented to Jacob when they returned home. It appeared that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. But “…we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

And God had Joseph right where He wanted him. God would use Joseph to save a nation from starvation. Later, Joseph would be reunited with his family. His brothers beg Joseph for forgiveness, and Joseph explains Romans 8:28 to them…

“And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” (Genesis 50:18-21)

Now here is the lesson: Jesus said…

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Tribulation is going to come. When it does, how will you handle it? Will it be a pity-party? Or will it be something that drives you to the Lord: what do I need to learn? How can I use this to help others? Yes, to help others…

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.” (2Corinthians 1:3-7)

If you look at yourself for the answer to the plot that is plotted against you, you will not find the answer. But if you look to the Lord, He will give you the answer and show you who to help.

Peace!