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II Kings 2

Elijah tries to leave Elisha behindverses 1-6

And it came to pass

when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven

by a whirlwind that Elijah went

with Elisha from Gilgal

And Elijah said to Elisha

Tarry here – I pray you

for the LORD has sent me to Beth-el

And Elisha said to him

As the LORD lives – and as your soul lives

I will not leave you

So they went down to Beth-el

and the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el

came forth to Elisha and said unto him

Know you that the LORD will take away your master

      from your head today?

And he said

      Yes I know it – hold you your peace

And Elijah said to him

Elisha – tarry here – I pray you

for the LORD has sent me to Jericho

And he said

As the LORD lives – and as your soul lives

I will not leave you

So they came to Jericho

and the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho

came to Elisha and said to him

Know you that the LORD will take away your master

from your head today?

And he answered

            Yes I know it – hold you your peace

And Elijah

said to him

Tarry – I pray you – here for the LORD

has sent me to Jordan

And he

said

As the LORD lives – and as your soul lives

I will not leave you

And they two went on

Elijah parts the Jordan Riververses 7-8

And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went

and stood to view afar off

                        and they two stood by Jordan

And Elijah took his mantle – and wrapped it together

and smote the waters

and they divided hither and thither

so that they two went over

on dry ground

Elisha asks for a double portion of powerverses 9-10

And it came to pass – when they were gone over

that Elijah said to Elisha

Elisha – Ask what I shall do for you

before I be taken away from you

And Elisha said

            I pray you – let a double portion of your spirit be on me

And he

said

You have asked a hard thing – nevertheless

            IF you see me when I am taken from you

it shall be so to you

            BUT IF not – it shall not be so

Chariot of fire takes Elijahverses 11-12

And it came to pass – as they still went on – and talked

that – behold there appeared a chariot of fire

and horses of fire

                                    and parted them both asunder

                        and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven

And Elisha saw it – and he cried

            My father – my father – the chariot of Israel

and the horsemen thereof

And he saw him no more

            and he took hold of his own clothes

and rent them in two pieces

Elisha divides the Jordan Riververses 13-14

He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him

and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan

and took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him

                                    and smote the waters

and said

                        Where is the LORD God of Elijah

And when he also had smitten the waters

            they parted hither and thither – and Elisha went over

Group of prophets search for Elijahverses 15-18

And when the sons of the prophets which were to view

at Jericho saw him they said

The spirit of Elijah does rest on Elisha

And they came to meet him

and bowed themselves to the ground before him

And they

said to him

BEHOLD now – there be with your servants fifty strong men

            Let us go – we pray you – and seek your master

                        lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD

has taken him up – and cast him on

some mountain or into some valley

And he said

            You shall not send

And when they urged him till he was ashamed – he said

            Send

They sent therefore – fifty men

            and they sought three days but found him not

                        and when they came again to him

(for he tarried at Jericho)

            he said

                        Did I not say to you – Go not?

Elisha purifies water of Jerichoverses 19-22

And the men of the city

said to Elisha

BEHOLD – I pray you – the situation of this city is pleasant

as my lord see – but the water is naught

and the ground barren

And he said

Bring me a new cruse – and put salt therein

And they brought it to him

and he went forth unto the spring of the waters

and cast the salt in there

and said

Thus says the LORD

      I have healed these waters

                  there shall not be from thence

any more death or barren land

So the waters were healed to this day

according to the saying of Elisha which he spoke

Elisha curses mockersverses 23-25

And he went up from thence unto Beth-el

and as he was going up by the way

there came forth little children out of the city

and mocked him

and said to him

      Go up – you bald head

      Go up – you bald head

And he turned back – and looked on them

and cursed them in the name of the LORD

      and there came forth two she bears out of the wood

                  and tore forty and two children of them

And he went from thence to Mount Carmel

and from thence he returned to Samaria

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 3        And the sons of prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Know you that the LORD will take away your master from your head today? And he said, Yes, I know it; hold you your peace. (3947 “take away” [laqach] means fetch, carry away, lay hold of, procure, seize, remove from a certain place, or grasp)

DEVOTION:  Here is something unique that is going to happen to Elijah and it seems that the Holy Spirit has told all the prophets it going to happen. Elijah is trying to leave Elisha behind at one of the schools of the prophets with the thought that if he doesn’t really want to be the next leader of the prophets he will stay behind.

God had told Elisha what was going to happen and told the other prophets to not speak up but just let it all happen. He wants to follow Elijah to the spot where the LORD is going to remove him from the earth to take him to heaven.

I don’t know if he knew it was going to be in a fiery chariot but he knew it was going to happen. Isn’t it great that the LORD communicated a truth to these men that seemed impossible but they believed it would happen? We should be able to watch the LORD work the impossible in our lives and in our world without doubting HIS ability to do it.

Some believers seem to be saying with their actions “that can’t happen today.” The LORD can still do the impossible today as HE did in the past. HE doesn’t act the same on the same number of occasions in our country because we don’t think it is possible. We are doubters too often when it comes to HIS ability to work the impossible today.

Do we KNOW that the LORD can do the impossible? Do we ask for the impossible on occasions when we think it will bring glory to HIS name? This should be a common practice within the church regarding the salvation of someone that everyone seems to think impossible.

I have been praying for four men for the last number of years. Two have become believers. Two are still on the list. Their names are Tony and Darwin. They are impossible according to some people but the LORD can work the impossible. You can pray with me for these two men believing that the LORD can work the miracle of salvation in their life. Thank you.

CHALLENGE: Pray for someone who you think is impossible. Put them on a list and pray every day for their salvation.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 8        And Elijah too his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. (155 “mantle” [‘addereth] means garment, robe, cloak, prophet’s garment, or a loose outer garment)

DEVOTION:  Power is something that everyone seems to want. They want power over their own lives and the lives of others at times.
Here we have a prophet of God that used his outer garment to strike the water and they divided because this was to show the power of God in his life. It was a simple thing but it was a necessary thing for them to get across the water.

This helps us understand that the LORD can do anything that is according to HIS will in our lives. We need to remember this truth because each day we meet circumstances that seem to be against us but we have to turn them over to the LORD and then watch HIM work in our lives.

Elijah was teaching Elisha what the LORD was like. Elisha wanted the same relationship with the LORD that Elijah had. This can only happen when he and us are willing to follow the example of someone who has a close walk with the LORD.

Our relationship with the LORD is very important each day because each day we have to ask HIM for help in our circumstances. HE is willing to do it if we are willing to step out in faith believing HE wants what is best for us.

We are not to do it just to show people that we are more spiritual then they are. That is the wrong motive. Too many people want this power to show themselves off instead of showing off the LORD.

God wants us to keep our relationship to HIM close and to not think that we are better than others but to think that we are trying to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD. This will give us the power to face each day with it’s challenges.

CHALLENGE: Trust in the LORD for HIM to demonstrate HIS power in our lives as we yield more and more to HIM.


: 11      And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (5591 “whirlwind” [ce‘arah] means hurricane, windstorm, gale or tempest)

DEVOTION:  Let us think about a little history here. Elijah had a good ministry. He challenged the prophets of Baal to a test. He showed the power of God on that occasion. Then he ran away from Jezebel and wanted to die. The LORD took him into the wilderness to give him rest and a new vision. He left the wilderness with a mission.

Now we find him with Elisha just before the LORD takes him up to heaven. He wants Elisha to leave him but he will not. He knew that the LORD was going to take him and he wanted to be present for the occasion.

Elijah, the servant of God, taken up to heaven in a wind storm in the presence of Elisha. He never died. This man who wanted to die was taken alive to heaven. Only one other person was taken by the LORD to heaven and that was Enoch. It is thought that the two witnesses in Jerusalem during the Tribulation might be Elijah and Enoch.

This is quite a description of Elijah’s trip to heaven. Elijah tried to test Elisha as to whether he would stay with him. He told him three times to stay in different locations. He didn’t stay in any of them. The sons of the prophets knew that the LORD was going to take Elijah that day. Here we have a time when God spoke to a group of men. The LORD revealed future events to them.

Elijah went from service to discouragement or depression to service to heaven. Some Christian thought that no Christian should be or can be depressed. The problem with this thought is that many in the past have gone through times of depression. Once we become a Christian doesn’t mean we don’t have normal human emotions. Yes, we can turn our emotions over to the LORD but that doesn’t mean we don’t have them. Many Christians need encouragement to continue the daily battle of serving the LORD. The LORD encouraged Elijah and look what happened.

Today the LORD uses the leaders of the church to discern what the LORD desires the church to do in their area. IF the leaders are listening to the LORD and agree, the LORD can bless the church. Too often leaders and members are listening to the wrong voice. Elisha didn’t listen to the wrong voice and the LORD blessed him. Here we have a prophet of God who never dies but is taken to heaven.

This man had like passions as we have but the LORD still took him before death.  If we are still here, God has some work for us to do. We can have depressing things happen to us but we need to look to the LORD for guidance. We need to cast our cares on HIM!!! We never retire and we never go to heaven before our work on earth is done. Praise HIS name. What is the LORD’S plan for us???

Remember the New Testament tells us that the dead in Christ will rise first but then we which are alive will meet them in the air. There is a Rapture coming for those who are followers of Christ.

CHALLENGE: Accept that there is a reason the LORD has you where you are at this present time. HE knows what HE is doing with us. Our earthly life is a training period for our life in heaven with HIM.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 16      And they said to him, Behold, now, there be with your servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray you, and seek your master: lest peradventure the spirit of the LORD has taken him up, and cast him on some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, “You shall not send” (4984 “taken him up” [mithnasse] means to carry, to lift, to raise, to transport something or someone somewhere else, conceived of as lifting them up, or exalted)

DEVOTIONS: I went to Buffalo Bible Institute back in the ‘60’s which was a small Biblical training school that had an agreement with Houghton College. It was located outside of Buffalo, New York.

I met students who were training to be in ministry of some sort. The education was good. The teachers cared. The one problem we had was that sometimes we doubted the LORD’S provision for our education. HE always came through for me when others thought it was impossible.

Here we have some students in prophetic school who thought that maybe God was not able to carry Elijah to heaven. They thought HE might have dropped him along the way. They wanted to go out and search for him. This was a group of doubters in the ability of the LORD.

At first, Elisha said NO but then he gave up and let them go search knowing that they would not find him. Sometimes those who have faith need to allow those who have little faith to see what the LORD can do.

If we are genuine students of the Word of God, we need to see that God can do the impossible without doubting that HE can still do it today. We need to ask HIM for the impossible in our world. If it is according to HIS will,HE will do it and show us to increase our faith.

Remember this is not a health and wealth statement because most of the time this group is only looking for their own personal benefit rather than the benefit to the kingdom of God.

The message of hope, means that we trust the LORD, to do what HE thinks is best and allow it to be against what we think is best. The fifty prophets thought it was best to search when they doubted the LORD. Elisha didn’t doubt!!

CHALLENGE: Doubting is a sin. Our responsibility is to trust the LORD even when circumstances seem to be against us.


: 23      And he went up from thence to Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him and said to him, Go up, you bald head; you bald head. (7046 “mocked” [qalac] means to spurn, to make fun of, to treat with contempt, scoff, disdain, deride, or to verbally ridicule another)

DEVOTION:  Respect is what should be shown to those who are genuine servants of the LORD. There was a day when this was true in our society but that is not true today like it was in the past regarding those who serve the LORD. This is not something new but it is sad that it is happening. When I started in ministry there were many people who respected the office of pastor. The ones who respected it the most it seemed were those with Catholic backgrounds. They would always greet me with respect when they found out who I was. Some of those from Protestant churches would do the same but not as often as the others.

Here we find young men who were teasing the prophet Elisha and would not respond to his warning that if they continued the LORD would deal with them. They would call him names regarding the lack of hair on his head. They would mock him while he was traveling to the point that he spoke to the LORD regarding the matter.

The LORD sent judgment right away to these young men. Two she bears came out of the woods and killed the forty two young men who were taunting him. They tore them apart. Judgment was swift.

It was an example that at times the LORD was not longsuffering with those who were hurting HIS servants. We need to respect those who are genuinely serving the LORD on a regular basis. We need to teach our children to respect the office of pastor. We need to teach our children to respect the church that is faithful in serving the LORD.

Most of the time we know that the LORD is longsuffering toward those who mistreat HIS servants but there are times when this is not true and this was one of those times.

CHALLENGE: Remember that the LORD knows what is best for us all of our lives. HE only sends hard times when we need them to help us grow.


DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)


DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1-6, 14, 16, 21, 24

God – Elohim (Creator)verse 14

LORD God of Elijahverse 14

Name of the LORDverse 24

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Spirit of the LORDverse 16

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Mockersverse 23

Called Elisha a bald head

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Consistent studentverse 2

Hold your peaceverses 3, 5

Powerverses 8, 9, 14, 21, 24

Double portion of Holy Spirit: hard thing verse 9

Miracle of healing landverses 19-22

Miracle of judgmentverses 23-24

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Elijahverses 1-11, 13, 14

Would be taken up in whirlwind to heaven

Gilgal

Bethel

Smote waters of Jordon: they divided

Chariot of fire took him to heaven

Elishaverse 1-25

Told Elijah he would not leave him

Wanted double portion of Spirit

Saw Elijah taken to heaven

Took mantle of Elijah

Tarried in Jericho

Healed the waters of springs

Cursed children that mocked him

Schools of the prophetsverses 1-7, 15, 23

Gilgal

Bethel

Jericho

Wanted to look for Elijah

Sons of the prophetsverses 3, 15-18

Bethel told Elisha that Elijah would be taken

Same in Jericho

Wanted to search for Elijah

Fifty men of the sons of the prophetsverse 7

Jordan River – splitverses 8, 13-14

Chariot of fireverse 11

Children out of the city of Bethelverses 23-24

Two she bears tare 42 children up

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Heavenverse 1


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QUOTES regarding passage

    24    Montgomery (p. 366) notes that bears were common enough in ancient Israel. The Ursus Syriacus was noted for its ferocity. The awfulness of the sentence has caused many to brand the account as unhistorical and incompatible with genuine piety. But the identification of the number of youths (forty-two) and the crucial nature of the challenge the youth’s taunting “Go on up” was doubtless a mocking caricature of Elijah’s own “going up” into heaven—argue for its factualness Accounts such as this and the execution of the Canaanites, while difficult to understand from the purely human ethical standpoint, must be left ultimately with the divine sovereignty and to the justice of an all-righteous God who does not act capriciously. Certainly, in each case the vileness and corruption of the Canaanite religion and its danger to Israel are to be underscored. Moreover D. Bailey (God and History in the Old Testament [New York: Harper and Row, 1976], p. 94) remarks that God’s messengers were “to be approached with reverence and circumspection, and without mockery or abuse, because that which had expressed itself through them is not to be mocked or abused.” (Patterson, R. D., & Austel, H. J. (1988). 1, 2 Kings. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 178). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)


2:24. Elisha then called down a curse on the villains. This cursing stemmed not from Elisha’s pride but from their disrespect for the Lord as reflected in their treatment of His spokesman (cf. 1:9–14). Again God used wild animals to execute His judgment (cf., e.g., 1 Kings 13:24). That 42 men were mauled by the two bears suggests that a mass demonstration had been organized against God and Elisha. (Constable, T. L. (1985). 2 Kings. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 542). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)


Judging the mockers (vv. 23–25). This event took place at Bethel, one of the centers for idol worship in the land (1 Kings 12:28–33; Amos 7:13). The Hebrew word translated “little children” in the kjv really means “youths” or “young men.” It refers to people from twelve to thirty years old who were able to discern right from wrong and make their own decisions. This was not a group of playful children making a clever joke but a gang of smart-aleck youths maliciously ridiculing God and God’s servant.

“Go up” refers to the recent ascension of Elijah to heaven. Fifty men saw Elijah vanish from the earth in an instant, and certainly they reported what had happened and the event was discussed widely. The youths were saying, “If you are a man of God, why don’t you get out of here and go to heaven the way Elijah did? We’re glad he’s gone and we wish you would follow him!” For a young person to call any grown man “bald head” would be a gross affront, and to repeat the nickname would make the offense even worse. Gray hair was a “crown of glory” (Prov. 16:31) among the Jews, but baldness was a rare thing among them and by some people was considered a disgrace (Isa. 3:24).

What we have here is a gang of irreverent and disrespectful ruffians mocking God’s servant and repeating words they probably heard at home or in the marketplace. Because he knew the Word of God, Elisha understood that what they were doing was a violation of God’s covenant, so he called down a curse upon them. (One of the covenant warnings was that God would send wild beasts to attack the people. See Lev. 26:21–22.) These young men were not showing respect to the Lord God of Israel, to Elijah or to Elisha, so they had to be judged. The two bears mauled the youths but didn’t kill them, and for the rest of their days, their scars reminded everybody that they couldn’t trifle with the Lord and get away with it.

You frequently find the Lord sending special judgments at the beginning of a new period in Bible history, as though God were issuing a warning to His people that the new beginning doesn’t mean that the old rules have been changed. After the tabernacle ministry began, God killed Nadab and Abihu for offering “strange fire” before the Lord (Lev. 10). After Israel’s first victory in the Promised Land, God ordered Achan to be slain because he took treasures from the spoils of war that were wholly dedicated to God (Josh. 7). At the outset of David’s reign in Jerusalem, he had the Ark of the Covenant brought to the city, and Uzzah was killed for touching it (2 Sam. 6:1–7). When Ananias and Sapphira lied to the leaders in the early church, God took their lives (Acts 5). Now, at the beginning of Elisha’s ministry, the mauling of the youths gave fair warning that the Lord God of Elijah was still reigning and still took His covenant seriously.

The attitude displayed by these youths, as it spread through the land, is what eventually led to the fall of both Samaria and Judah. “And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers.… But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy” (2 Chron. 36:15–16, nkjv).

Elisha had been with Elijah at Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho, and had crossed the Jordan with him, but now he went to Mount Carmel, the scene of Elijah’s greatest triumph. As far as we know, Elisha wasn’t there when Elijah called down fire from heaven. Perhaps as Elisha visited the place where the altar had stood, he meditated on what the Lord had done and he was renewed in his spirit. No doubt he gave thanks to God that he was part of such a wonderful heritage. But you can’t live in the past, so he left that sacred place and headed for Samaria, capital city of the Northern Kingdom and home of King Joram, son of Ahab. There he would be involved in a war involving Israel, Judah, and Moab against Edom, and Elisha would provide the weapon that would win the battle for the three kings. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2002). Be distinct (pp. 20–22). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor.)


2:24 cursed. Because these young people of about 20 years of age or older (the same term is used of Solomon in 1Ki 3:7) so despised the prophet of the Lord, Elisha called upon the Lord to deal with the rebels as He saw fit. The Lord’s punishment was the mauling of 42 youths by two female bears. The penalty was clearly justified, for to ridicule Elisha was to ridicule the Lord Himself. The gravity of the penalty mirrored the gravity of the crime. The appalling judgment was God’s warning to any and all who attempted to interfere with the newly invested prophet’s ministry. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Ki 2:24). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)


Ver. 24. And he turned back, and looked on them, &c.] With a stern countenance, thereby reproving them, and in order to intimidate them, and make them ashamed, and cause them to leave off, but to no purpose; they repeated their mockeries with great vehemence: and cursed them in the name of the Lord; moved thereunto, not from passion and a spirit of revenge, but by an impulse of the spirit of God: and there came forth two she-hears out of the wood; which are fiercest, and especially when bereaved of their whelps, as these might be; the wood seems to be near to Beth-el, perhaps in the wilderness of Beth-el, of which see Josh. 8:15 and 18:12 and Reland thinks it is the same with the wood of Ephraim, 2 Sam. 18:6. though the Jews, to increase the miracle, say, there was no wood at all, and, if there was, that there were no bears in it; but though those creatures are mostly in northern countries, yet there were of them in Judea, see 1 Sam. 17:34. and tare 42 children of them; it seems there were more than these; but such a number of them they tore to pieces and destroyed; which was very extraordinary, and was an awful punishment for their wickedness, which they knowingly and willingly committed, and of their parents in them, who had trained them up in such impiety, and put them upon it, and sent them out to do it. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 776). London: Mathews and Leigh.)


FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)


The Bible is an enormous book that is difficult to master. It contains nearly 1,000 pages of information, none of which is insignificant. While it is true that new Christians can read and study the Scriptures on their own and gain spiritual truths through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is highly unlikely that anyone can grow to a mature understanding of the Bible without relying on teachers who know more about the Bible than they do. Herein lies a danger: We may not know enough about the Bible to determine if what is being taught to us is accurate. Therefore, it is important to align ourselves with a church that believes and teaches the Bible. This type of setting will help safeguard us from being led into error. (Quiet Time)


GOD WORKING IN YOU

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13
Are you aware of the fact that God is working in you? “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” says Paul, “for it is God which worketh in you.” This is a marvelous, wonderful thing. It is one of the great tests of the possession of the Holy Spirit. It means something like this: We are aware of the fact that we are being dealt with; it is not that we decide to do things. You see, moralists and religious conformists are doing it all themselves, and that is why they are so proud of themselves. They get up on Sunday morning instead of spending the morning in bed, and they go to church. They do it because they have decided to do it, not because they have been moved. They are in control the whole time; and having done it, they preen themselves with their wonderful, ennobling ideals. How marvelous they are!
But that is not what the Bible talks about. “It is God which works in you both to will and to do.” In other words, you are aware of the power of God dealing with you, surging and rising within you, and you are amazed and astonished. Far from being proud you say, “It is not I. This is not the sort of person I am. It is God doing something; it is Christ dwelling within me; it is the Holy Spirit who is in me. I am taken up beyond myself, and I thank God for it.” Is God working in you? Are you aware of a wonder-working power active in you, moving, disturbing, leading, persuading, drawing you ever onward? If you are, it is because you have received from God the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A Thought to Ponder: You are aware of the power of God dealing with you, surging and rising within you, and you are amazed and astonished. (From The Love of God, p. 99 by Marytn Lloyd-Jones)


Jesus teaches that a personal relationship with Him, and others, is central to His design.

INSIGHT

There are times when our prayers are answered and we seem “in tune” with God. At other times, our prayers seem not to be answered, and we seem far from God.

Jesus gives us two directives to keep in mind as we ponder our prayer. First, we are to abide in Him. This abiding, among other things, includes fostering a conscious awareness of His presence at all times and bringing all thoughts, attitudes, and actions in line with what we understand of His teachings. Second, “and My words abide in you” must involve studying, memorizing, and meditating upon the Word so that we pray intelligently, knowing God’s will ahead of time on some things. As we grow in these two areas, more and more of our prayers will be answered.  (Quiet Walk)


A NEW CREATURE

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14
A Christian can have an entirely new birth, a new start, a new nature, a new life. He dies with Christ; he rises with Christ. He is in Christ. And so he becomes a new man.

Now, this is, of course, the very thing that had happened to the apostle Paul. In his old life he was a self-satisfied, proud Pharisee, a religious and highly moral man—a very good man and a very nationalistic Jew, despising everybody else and proud of himself. That is what he was, and yet he was miserable and wretched and unhappy and disturbed. But once he realized the meaning of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, he made an absolutely new start. Saul of Tarsus died, and the apostle Paul began to live. He says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

He is a man in a new universe. He is delivered from that old Adamic state and nature, and he is in Christ, alive unto God. It is the cross that does that. There is nothing that will get rid of the old man that we all are by nature except Christ’s death on the cross. But if you believe in Him and in the purpose of that death and what that death accomplished, you are truly dead to your old Adamic nature. You know that your old man was crucified with Christ and that he is gone forever. And as a result of this, our whole position and status is entirely changed. The apostle expressed that in this great statement: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

A Thought to Ponder: There is nothing that will get rid of the old man that we all are by nature except Christ’s death on the cross.

                     (From The Cross, pp. 186-187, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)


He Knows
“I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” (Revelation 2:19)
Seven times in the letters to His seven representative churches in Revelation 2 and 3, the Lord Jesus says: “I know thy works” (Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15). Whatever we are doing—or not doing—He knows!
Sometimes such knowledge can bring—or at least should bring—great consternation. He knows, for example, all our hypocrisies: “I know…that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1). He also knows when our outward display of religious activity masks a real heart-attitude of compromising self-interest. “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot” (Revelation 3:15).
Yet, He also knows when our service is genuine and our testimony is God-glorifying and faithful. “I know…thy labour, and thy patience….I know…thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith” (Revelation 2:2, 13).
Of these seven testimonies of His knowledge, the central one is in our text. He knows when we really love Him, for the “charity” mentioned is nothing less than agape, or unselfish love. He knows all about our sincere “service” and true “faith” in His Word, as well as our “patience” of hope.
Perhaps the most precious of His assurances, however, is that to the suffering church at Smyrna. “I know thy…tribulation, and poverty” (Revelation 2:9). When He says that He knows, the sense is that He understands, because He has been through it all Himself. Therefore, “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). (HMM. The Institute for Creation Research)


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