The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Deut. 12-14, 1Cor. 13-16, and Prov. 5
Memorize: John 1:1
Today’s Passage: 1Corinthians 14
Good morning. I know it’s still early, but have you edified anyone yet today? Paul said in verse 12: “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”
One thing that I took with me to Texas Baptist College was the understanding that someone was watching me. Would I cause them to quit because I quit? Would our pastor have still gone there if I dropped out in my first year? Would I cause someone to stumble because I stumbled. For the sake of others I had to keep going, and still do. If I quit, what will happen to others? The same principle of caring about others extends throughout the Bible. We are to build people up, edify them, edify the church.
If I gossip, or say something bad about someone, will the person I’m talking to think it’s okay to gossip? By the way, if someone tells you something bad about another, what are they saying about you when you’re not around? If I don’t tithe, will others risk the devourer from Malachi 3:11 by not tithing also? What affect will my sin have on others? If I then tell others not to do it either, I become a hypocrite. Lets start going in the direction we should be going; let’s start edifying those around us. Let’s start being the kind of Christian that God wants us to be.
Peace. (2Theselonians 3:16)
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Remember Who Butters Your Bread
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 6 – 8; Proverbs 3
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 5 – 8; memorize Revelation 22:17)
“And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” – (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)
In the passage of Scripture referenced above, God is admonishing the children of Israel not to forget the Source of all of their wealth. He was about to give them a land with houses and vineyards and farms; none of which they would have to build or work for. The Israelites would be waliking into a great situation. It would be like you or I inheriting a beautiful home, fully furnished, with two cars in the driveway; and then we were given a profitable business to further add to our wealth. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it. The problem with all of this was that somewhere along the way the people would slowly begin to forget about where all of this blessing came from. At first they would appreciate it; but then they would begin to think that they deserved it and were entitled to it; and finally, they would come to a conclusion that they had earned through their own efforts. At the end of the cycle, they have bitten the hand that fed them; and they have completely forgotten Who butters their bread.
I have observed this attitude in many Christians today. People often come to Christ when their lives are in a mess. They are often in financial distress, or their marriages are falling apart; or both. They come to Christ, and He begins to turn things around for them. At first, they greatly appreciate what God has done for them; but slowly and gradually they begn to forget Who it is that is blessing their lives. They stop attending; they stop tithing; and they stop serving. Somewhere along the line they think that they fixed their problems all by themselves. What happens next is not good. God has to stop blessing them; and they often end up right back where they started.
America is doing the same thing. We are the wealthiest and most powerful nation on planet earth. Why? Because God has blessed us. It is not because we are smarter or better than other nations. We are just blessed. But we are quickly forgetting the Source of our blessing. Unless we get it turned around, it cannot end well for America. Just a thought.
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Enough is Enough
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 3 – 5; Proverbs 2
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4; memorize Revelation 22:17)
“But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.” – (Deuteronomy 3:26)
“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
When we were kids, we used to drive our parents crazy asking for things. We would keep asking over and over again until they finally acquiesced to our request; or until they got angry and said, “enough is enough!” In our passage today we have Moses asking the Lord to change His mind about letting Moses enter into the land. Moses had been leading the nation for over 40 years, delivering them up to the border of the Promised Land. He had put up with all of their problems and complaints. You would think that God would have cut Moses some slack, and let him see what he had been working toward for a good portion of his life. But God had already told Moses “no”. God is not like us, either: when He says “no” He means no. God told Moses, “Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.” He basically told Moses to quit asking. He wanted Moses to be content with God’s will, whether or not it seemed fair.
Paul had a similar situation in the New Testament. He had a thorn in the flesh that He wanted God to take away from him. He asked God three times to remove it. God finally told Paul to stop asking. He wanted Paul to be content with the thorn, which for some reason was the will of God. He told Him that He would give him grace to go with the thorn, and that He should be content with that, because it is sufficient.
I think it is just human nature for us to keep asking for things. By the way, there is nothing wrong with asking; and God even wants us to keep asking over and over again for the same thing. But eventually there will come a point when He will answer. He will either grant you the desire; or He will tell you “no”. When He tells you “no”, quit asking; and be content with His will coupled with His grace. If you really needed what you were asking for, he would have given it to you. Be satisfied with what you do get, and know that God knows what is best. Perhaps someday we will understand a little better why God answered the way He did; but for now, just trust Him.
Note – The picture above is of Mt. Pisgah, which is the name of the mountain from which God showed Moses the Promised Land. Unfortunately, the Mt. Pisgah pictured above is in North Carolina, near Asheville. Oh well, it is a beautiful picture anyway.
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In This Thing
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 1 – 2; Proverbs 1
(Second Milers also read Romans 13 – 16; memorize Revelation 22:17)
“Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,” – (Deuteronomy 1:32)
The context of the above verse involves Moses reminiscing with the nation of Israel as they were near the end of their wandering in the Wilderness for 40 years. He reminds them of the reason that they had to delay their entrance into the Promised Land, which was their inability to trust God to deliver the “giant” inhabitants of the land of Canaan into their hand. They were afraid, and they didn’t believe that God was powerful enough to give them the victory. One of the problems with this was that they had already seen first hand the power of God as He delivered them from the Egyptians; as He parted the Red Sea; and as He miraculously provided for their needs in their journey. Notice what Moses said in verse 31:
“And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.” – (Deuteronomy 1:31)
God had certainly never given them a reason not to trust Him. They had seen Him do the impossible, yet they could not trust Him to give them victory in the battle with the people of Canaan.
My thought this morning is in the phrase, “yet in this thing”. Though the people had seen God do great things in the past, and were stilling trusting Him to do many things in the present, there was one thing that they could not trust Him to do. They were “picking and choosing” the specific areas of trust. Do you find yourself doing that? I guess it is something we are all guilty of, if you think about it. There are some specific areas where we choose not to trust God. So what do we do instead? We do what seems right to us. Let’s consider some verses that should challenge that course of action:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” – (Proverbs 12:15)
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” – (Proverbs 14:12)
We need to trust God completely. We need to surrender to Him completely. Either He is the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God, or He is not. We need to trust in His provision, protection, and His purpose for our lives. We need to take our hands off the wheel, and allow God to steer our course, and control our direction. I know that this is a very difficult thing for us to do; but it is still what God demands. Let His have His way in your life. You can trust Him in all things, not just most things. God did bring the Israelites into the land, just 38 years later than He could have. As a nation, they did eventually receive all of the blessing that the land had to offer, but many individuals missed out. What blessings and abundance are you missing out on because of your refusal to believe God “in this thing”.
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Christ – Our City of Refuge
Today’s Passage – Numbers 34 – 36; Proverbs 28
(Second Milers also read – Romans 9 – 12; Revelation 22:17)
“Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.” – (Numbers 35:11)
I must confess, I was not sure if I was going to post anything this week on this website. Our church started a week long “media fast” this week. We have been fasting for the past several weeks: each week the type of fast was different. However, this week, many of us at Jersey Shore Baptist Church are giving up some of our media entertainments for the week. Included are “Facebook”, television, videos and DVD’s, video games, unimportant phone calls and texting, and unnecessary internet usage. I wasn’t sure if this blog qualified as “unnecessary” or not. After some prayer, I have decided that because this is spiritual activity on my part, as well as yours, God would not be displeased with my writing it, and your reading it. You have to decide whether or not it is right for you. By the way, the reason for the fast is that we are praying for God to do a great work in our church in a new series we are starting this Sunday. We are sending out 2500 invitations, and we are expecting God to something big. We have already seen Him work. This past Sunday, we saw 18 first-time visitors come to the church. Praise the Lord. You pray with us that God will continue bless, and if you want to, you can join us as we fast this week.
In our passage this morning in Numbers 35, we read about the Cities of Refuge. These were six cities of the 48 Levitical cities that were strategically placed throughout the land of Israel. I believe there were three on one side of the Jordan River, and three on the other. Anyway, these cities were places that a person could flee to if he were “on the run”. Let’s say that a two men got into a fight, and one of the men unintentionally kills the other man. Even though in this case, this was not considered to be murder, the family of the man killed could legally exact vengeance upon the “slayer”, unless the slayer escaped into one of the six cities of refuge. Inside the city, the man could not be touched.
There is a great example of this in 2 Samuel 3. It is a long story, but in it a man named Joab kills a man named Abner because Abner had killed Joab’s brother in a battle. But in order to to kill him, Joab has to lure him out of the city, because they were in Hebron, which was one of the six cities of refuge. It really is a fascinating story and a great example of how this system worked.
We have a city of refuge today in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, we also have an avenger and an accuser coming after us. The devil is seeking our souls, and if he can’t get that he wants to sift our lives like wheat. But Christ offers us refuge. As far as our eternal destiny is concerned, Christ is our city of refuge, and even as far as our earthly lives are concerned, the will of Christ is our place of protection. We are all guilty. We could all be destroyed by the avenger of blood, but praise God, we have a Place to run to, a Person to run to, who not only wants to save us, but also wants to protect and provide for us, and give us a purpose in this life.
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Today’s Passage – Numbers 32 – 33; Proverbs 27
(Second Milers also read – Romans 6 – 8; memorize Revelation 22:17)
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The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Numbers 30-31, Romans 3-5, and Proverbs 26.
Today’s Passage: Romans 3:20
What is your perceived definition of legalism? Some may think that it would be keeping the law instead of faith alone for salvation. On the other extreme it is something to avoid: I can do anything I want because I am under grace, and not the law. The first group looks down their Pharisaical noses at the second group. The second group looks back and cries out, “Legalist!” whenever they are criticized for doing their liberal thing. Me? I like what the Bible says…
To both groups: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20).
You cannot work your way to heaven. Going to church, eating a cookie, being baptized, being good, will not get you into heaven. Faith alone, in Christ will. The ‘good works’ will follow. Once you receive Jesus, and you are no longer under the law, but grace, does that give you license to sin? No. You need the law to show you when you’re sinning.
Let’s say you are over in Germany driving on the Autobahn. You’re cruising along nice at 70mph. All of a sudden someone blasts past you doing 95mph. Who is speeding? Neither of you: there is no speed limit on the Autobahn. Now you come home to New Jersey. You’re driving on the Garden State Parkway. All of a sudden someone blasts past you doing 95mph. Who is speeding? Both of you. The GSP has a 65mph speed limit. “Yeah, but at least I’m not going as fat as he was.” It doesn’t matter, you need the law to show you what you should be doing. One law, 65 mph. One law to show you when you are breaking that law (sinning), and the same law to set the standard (our teacher).
Right here in chapter 3 are the two verses we start the Romans Road with…
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one…” (Romans 3:10).
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)
Everybody has broken the law: we all have sinned. And because of the sin nature that is still in us, there is no way we can keep the law. But Jesus died for your sins, my sins, and the sins of the world. That’s what really matters.
Peace (Romans 5:1)
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Bring Your Cause Before The Lord
Today’s Passage – Numbers 27 – 29; Proverbs 25
(Second Milers also read Acts 28 – Romans 2; memorize Romans 10:9 – 10; 13)
“And Moses brought their cause before the LORD.” – (Numbers 27:5)
In Numbers chapter 27, we have the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. The land of Canaan was about to be divided among all of the tribes of Israel; and within each of the tribes portion, the land would be divided among the families of that tribe. Zelophehad’s family was entitled to a portion of the land, but because he had no sons, there was nobody to give the land to. The five daughters of Zelophehad boldly come to Moses and ask him to authorize that Zelophehad’s portion of land be given them, because their was no son to receive the inheritance. Moses didn’t know what to do. The law up until this point read that only a son could receive the inheritance. There was no previous case to use for precedence in this matter. Moses then goes to God, and asks Him what they should do. God settles the question in favor of the daughters, and establishes new law that would cover unique cases like this.
The point of my thought this morning is not about land distribution, and inheritances, however. I wanted to point out that Moses did not take matters into his own hands: he went to God when he wasn’t sure what to do. This question wasn’t clearly covered in the Bible up until this point; and Moses wanted to be sure that he would give the right answer, God’s answer, to these ladies.
I think there is an important lesson that we can all learn from this. There are many situations in life that will come up today that are not clearly dealt with in the Scripture. There may be Bible principle that deals with it generally, or partially; but often questions arise that are not specifically covered by God in His Word. That’s when we need to do two things: First we need to go to God in prayer, just like Moses did. Second, we need to seek some godly counsel from others who may have dealt with this situation before. Parents can find out from other more experienced Christian parents about what to do in certain situations regarding their children. Young pastors can go to the older pastors. We can benefit from the godly wisdom of others.
Now I want to emphasize again that most of our questions can be answered from the principles found in the Bible; but in those unique situations where there seems to be no Scriptural answer, seek God through prayer; and seek counsel from some godly influences in your life. Remember, in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
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Look and Live
Today’s Passage – Numbers 19 – 21; Proverbs 22
(Second Milers also read – Acts 19 – 21; Romans 10:9 – 10; 13)
- I’ve a message from the Lord, hallelujah!
The message unto you I’ll give,
’Tis recorded in His word, hallelujah!
It is only that you “look and live.”
Look and live, my brother, live!
Look to Jesus now, and live;
’Tis recorded in His word, hallelujah!
It is only that you “look and live.”
In today’s passage we read the very wonderful story of the brazen serpent. The people of Israel were tired: tired of travelling, tired of the mannah; and frankly they were tired of Moses. The Bible tells us that they began to speak against Moses, and against God. Bad move. God sent fiery serpents among them, and many were bitten, and some died. The people quickly realized their sin, and they confessed it to God, and asked Moses to pray for God to do something. The last part of verse 7 is one of the sweetest sentences in the Bible. It reads: “And Moses prayed for the people”. How wonderful it is to know that someone is praying for you. Anyway, God tells Moses to make a serpant out of brass and attach it to a pole. Moses was then to lift up the pole and cause the people to look upon it, and whoever looked upon the brasen serpent was healed of the sickness caused by the snake bite.
There is a wonderful parallel to this passage in the New Testament that references this story:
“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.” – (John 3:14-15)
Jesus tells us there that all we have to do in order to be saved is to look to Him. There is nobody else to look to.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – (Acts 4:12 )
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – (John 14:6)
Faith is simply looking away from everything else, and looking toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is simple. You must first recognize your need. You are a hell-deserving sinner, and you are helpless to save yourelf. Then you must turn to the one who was lifted up on the cross of Calvary for your sin. He offers salvation to you as a free gift. Receive Him today. Look and Live!
For more information on salvation, read the “Are You Saved?” page on this website.
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The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Numbers 11-13, Acts 10-12, and Proverbs 19
Today’s Passage: Numbers 11
What Are You Lusting After?
See that car behind me? It is a 1968 Shelby Mustang convertible, complete with padded roll bar. I have loved this car since I first saw a picture of it in a Hot Rod magazine over 40 years ago. With a price tag today of $175,000; I don’t think I will get one. It is a nice car, but I could get a restored show-winning 1972 AMC Gremlin for around $7,000. I owned 2 Gremlins and 2 Mustangs. There is no real comparison. One day both will become ash as this world and everything in it will pass away in fervent heat (2Pet 3:10).
What are you lusting after?
In our passage we find the results of Israel’s lusting. They were not satisfied with what the Lord had given them. They began to complain about the manna God was feeding them with. Manna was miracle. God sent it down from heaven especially for the children of Israel. I’m sure that, coming from God, the manna had all the nutrients they needed to sustain them. But they wanted more. In verses 4-6 of Numbers chapter 11, they start lusting.
“And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” Numbers 11: 4-6.
They remembered the fish, but did they remember their taskmaster’s whip? They remembered the fruits and vegetables of Egypt, but did they remember the mighty hand that God used to get them out of bondage? They wanted what the world had to offer. And God, who is able to supply us with anything we need, gave the nation of Israel quail. And you know what happened next…
“And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.” (vs 33-34)
It’s the same story of lust found in James 1:13-15, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
What are you lusting after? The simple solution to lust is found in 1John 2:15-17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Don’t fall in love with the things of this world, you may not be able to get them. If you can get them, the results may not be what you expect as those who lusted after the quail found out. Be satisfied with what God has given you, and obey God. If you are going to lust after anything, lust after God. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6, verses 24 thru 33, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Peace. (John 14:27)
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