ISAIAH 28
Samaria falls because of wine verse 1- 4
Woe to the crown of pride – to the drunkards of Ephraim
whose glorious beauty is a fading flower
which are on the head of the fat valleys of them
that are overcome with wine
Behold – the Lord has a mighty and strong one
which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm
as a flood of mighty waters overflowing
shall cast down to the earth with the hand
The crown of pride – the drunkard of Ephraim
shall be trodden under feet and the glorious beauty
which is on the head of the fat valley
shall be a fading flower
and as the hasty fruit before the summer
which when he that looks upon it sees
while it is yet in his hand he eats it up
Messiah will reign over the remnant verse 5- 6
IN THAT DAY shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory
and for a diadem of beauty
to the residue of HIS people
And for a spirit of judgment to him that sits in judgment
and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate
Arrogance of those who drink wine verse 7- 11
BUT they also have erred through wine
and through strong drink are out of the way
The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink
they are swallowed up of wine
they are out of the way through strong drink
they err in vision – they stumble in judgment
FOR all tables are full of vomit and filthiness
so that there is no place clean
Whom shall HE teach knowledge?
and whom shall HE make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk
and drawn from the breasts
FOR precept must be upon precept – precept upon precept
line upon line – line upon line – here a little and there a little
for with stammering lips and another tongue will HE
speak to this people
Lack of listening causes judgment verse 12- 13
To whom HE said
This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest
AND this is the refreshing – yet they would not hear
BUT the word of the LORD was to them precept upon precept
precept upon precept – line upon line – line upon line
here a little, and there a little
that they might go and fall backward
and be broken – and be snared – and taken
Command to listen to LORD verse 14- 15
Wherefore hear the word of the LORD – you scornful men
that rule this people which is in Jerusalem
Because you have said
We have made a covenant with death
and with hell are we at agreement
When the overflowing scourge shall pass through
it shall not come unto us
for we have made lies our refuge
and under falsehood have
we hid ourselves
Message of the LORD: Believe in Messiah verse 16
THEREFORE thus says the Lord GOD
Behold – I lay in Zion for a foundation as stone
a tried stone a precious corner stone
a sure foundation
he that believes shall not make haste
Message of the LORD: Judgment is real verse 17- 22
Judgment also will I lay to the line
and righteousness to the plummet
and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies
and the waters shall overflow the hiding place
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled
and your agreement with hell shall not stand
when the overflowing scourge shall pass through
THEN ye shall be trodden down by it
From the time that it goes forth it shall take you
for the morning by morning shall it pass over
by day and by night
and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report
For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it
and the covering narrower
than that he can wrap himself in it
For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim
HE shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon
that HE may do HIS work – HIS strange work
and bring to pass HIS act – HIS strange act
Now therefore be ye not mockers
lest your bands be made strong
for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts
a consumption even determined
upon the whole earth
LORD is a great counselor verse 23- 29
Give you ear – and hear MY voice
hearken – and hear MY speech
Does the plowman plow all day to sow?
does he open and break the clods of his ground?
When he has made plain the face thereof
does he not cast abroad the fitches – and scatter the cumin
and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed
barley and the rye in their place?
For his God doth instruct him to discretion
and does teach him
For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument
neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cumin
BUT the fitches are beaten out with a staff
and the cumin with a rod
Bread corn is bruised
because HE will not ever be threshing it
nor break it with the wheel of his cart
nor bruise it with his horsemen
This also comes forth from the LORD of hosts
which is wonderful in counsel – and excellent in working
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. (
DEVOTION: Here we find a warning from the LORD that the Assyrians are going to come to invade Samaria. The nation of Israel is going to fall to an enemy because of their lack of obedience to the LORD.
The LORD is warning Israel because of their departure from HIM. HE wants them to return before the enemy comes but they are unwilling to repent and in fact they were enjoying their sin because they never thought the LORD would do anything like this to HIS OWN people,
We need to realize that the LORD is a holy God and HE will judge HIS people in any generation, including ours, because of our wandering from HIM and thinking that we are going to get away with it.
God has used heathen people throughout the history of Israel to get the attention of HIS people to repent and sometimes they will be in captivity for many years because they are unwilling to repent.
We can be stubborn in our relationship to the LORD and HE will get our attention one way or another to help us understand that sin is going to be judged even before the end times.
Our responsibility to the LORD is to be obedient and to keep short accounts with HIM. We need to daily confess our sin and ask the LORD for help to live a life that is pleasing to HIM. Is this something that we are doing in our personal life and encouraging in the lives of those we love?
CHALLENGE: There are enough warnings throughout the Bible that we need to take God seriously and keep short accounts with HIM. Are you keeping short accounts with the LORD? Judgment is coming to those who are disobedient.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. (7686 “err” [shagah] means reel, misleading, wander, go astray, deceived, to swerve, to be unable to walk straight, go wrong, or disobey)
DEVOTION: Most of us have watched a person who is under the influence of strong drink. Their actions are different than when they were not drinking. There are police waiting outside of bars to catch those who drink too much because they can’t drive straight. They can’t think straight. They hurt themselves and others by some of their comments while they are drunk. There are many organizations that have been created to help those who drink too much.
One organization bases their teaching on the fact that there is a high being. They want people to recognize that they will have to answer for what they are doing sometime. They want those in their organization to stop drinking and assign them someone to call when they think they might go off the wagon. Most don’t beat the addictions. They like it too much.
The leaders of the children of Israel were in the same boat as the ones in our society. They were under the control of strong drink. What did it do to them? Well, to start with they couldn’t walk straight in the ways of the LORD. For those leaders who were called Spiritual leaders like priests and prophet they didn’t see what the LORD was trying to teach them but strange visions. Their visions were ones that had nothing to do with obedience to the LORD.
If the leaders couldn’t find their way what was happening to the rest of the people. They were causing them to stumble. Jesus talked about the Pharisees leading people while HE was here on the earth. HE called them blind. HE stated that they were the blind leading the blind.
Our world is full of people who are spiritually blind. Every human born is born blind to the things of the LORD. They have to be taught what it means to be a follower of the LORD. If parents don’t teach their children with words and example, many of their children will have a form of religion but not a real belief system based on the Word of God.
Many leaders are having a problem following the way just like those in Isaiah’s day. These leaders were teaching the people how to go astray rather than living on the right path.
CHALLENGE: The habit of drinking too much strong drink leads in the wrong direction. If you are a leader and encourage those following you to drink strong drink – you will have to answer for your leadership.
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:13 But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Bullying is a major problem in many schools and neighborhoods today. It seems that many individuals are being confronted and do not know how to handle the insensitive and nasty remarks directed toward them. Isaiah understood that reality as the leaders of Israel confronted and ridiculed him about the message God commanded him to speak. Sometimes the bully is mean and hurtful because they do not understand the perspective being presented. Other times it is a matter of racial, sexual or age discrimination. Regardless the bully is seeking to hurt in order to silence or embarrass an individual. Like Isaiah, when that occurs be prepared with the truth and even when rejected you will be able to move forward.
Isaiah continued to warn the leadership of Israel and so we can pray for those who persecute and mistreat you. Don’t despair and become silent but know who has the final say in every matter!
CHALLENGE: Bullying is a horrible event and one that can be stopped if people will unite and refuse to have their voices silenced. If you see someone being bullied rally around them and support them. Next time it might be you that needs that help!
(Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. (6381 “wonderful” [pala] means astound, cause amazement, to be marvelous, be surpassing, be extraordinary, or separate by distinguishing action)
DEVOTION: God had revealed HIMSELF through HIS prophets. HE gave Moses, instructions in writing. The children of Israel at this time had all of the writings of Moses: Genesis thru Deuteronomy. They had the writings of Joshua. They had some of the other books of history. They had the poetical books of Job thru Song of Solomon. There were enough instructions and examples of how to follow the LORD in all of these books.
In of the books that were written by the time of Isaiah there was also plenty of warning regarding what the LORD would do to those who were disobedient. HE was not a God who didn’t care to give them instruction. They saw what happened to all those who disobeyed from Adam to the time of Isaiah.
God had predicted the fall of both divisions of Israel. They were warned and still they did not listen. HE is longsuffering. HE is a loving God. HE is just. The justice of God has to be honored. HIS love will not overcome HIS justice.
Isaiah continues to instruct the tribes of Israel that captivity is coming. First, he starts with the ten tribes. There capital is Samaria. They thought they were safe. However, there was a storm of judgment coming. The LORD was judging them for their pride. They were under the influence of strong drink.
Second, the tribe of Judah was going to be judged. Both Northern and Southern Kingdoms were given to strong drink. Even their leaders were too drunk to hear the word of the LORD.
The LORD tries to talk with HIS people in short sentences. HE tries to use simple language to reach them but they will not listen. They don’t want to learn about HIM. They don’t want to learn about doctrine. They don’t want to understand how HE works and WHO HE is.
Does this sound familiar to the local churches of today? Many that attend church don’t want to learn doctrine. They just want to be entertained or have their children entertained. They can change churches no matter what their doctrinal beliefs if the programs are better for their children or more entertaining than their last church. People leave a church they have attended for many years over little things. Doctrine is not usually the issue. It seems like people have not changed.
God is still trying to communicate but very few want to listen to HIS Word. They only want to listen to someone that tickles their ears. The milk and meat of the Word of God means nothing to them.
Finally, Isaiah informs both tribes that God is a good farmer. HE knows when to plow up the soil. HE knows went to plant. HE knows how to harvest. HE is acting as a farmer with HIS people. HE uses discipline to plow up their lives to get them to understand who HE is. HE knows when to teach them more about HIM. HE knows when they are ready to spread HIS word to others. What stage are we at now?
The Bible is a love letter from God to HIS people. It is also a book of warning regarding HIS actions toward those who disobey. Check your doctrines or beliefs to see if you hold to them with any kind of authority over your life.
CHALLENGE: Doctrine or the teaching of the Word of God does matter. Listen to HIS instructions. You will be glad you did.
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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)
Priest verse 7
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Precept verse 10, 13
Line verse 10, 13
Here a little and there a little verse 13
Word of the LORD verse 13, 14
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 2, 16, 22
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 5, 13, 14, 21, 29
LORD of hosts verse 5, 29
crown of glory and for a diadem of beauty
Word of the LORD verse 13
GOD – Jehovah verse 16, 22
Lord GOD verse 16
Judgment verse 17
Overflowing scourge through land verse 18
HE shall be wroth in the valley of Gibeon verse 21
HIS strange work verse 21
Lord GOD of hosts verse 22
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 26
Wonderful in counsel verse 29
Excellent in working verse 29
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Crown of glory verse 5
Diadem of beauty verse 5
Spirit of judgment verse 6
Cornerstone verse 16
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
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)
Pride verse 1, 3
Drunkard (overcome with mine) verse 1, 3, 7
Wine verse 7
Strong drink verse 7
Out of the way verse 7
Err in vision verse 7
Stumble in judgment verse 7
Tables are full of vomit and filthiness verse 8
No clean place verse 8
Not hear the LORD verse 12
Fall backwards verse 13
Snared verse 13
Scornful verse 14
Lies verse 15, 17
Falsehood verse 15
Mockers verse 22
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Knowledge verse 9
Understand doctrine verse 9
Rest verse 12
Refreshing verse 12
Listen to the LORD verse 14, 23
Believe verse 16
Righteousness verse 17
Give ear verse 23
Hear HIS voice verse 23
Instruction from the LORD verse 26
Discretion verse 26
Taught verse 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Ephraim verse 1, 3
glorious beauty is a fading flower
HIS people verse 5
Prophet -erred verse 7
Priest – erred verse 7
Stammering lips and another tongue
to speak to HIS people verse 11
Taken verse 13
Jerusalem verse 14
Zion verse 16
Foundation stone
Tried stone
Precious corner stone
Sure foundation
Trodden down verse 18
Mount Perazim verse 21
Valley of Gibeon verse 21
Consumption verse 22
Hear my voice (Isaiah) verse 23
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
In that day verse 5
Covenant with death verse 15, 18
Hell verse 15, 18
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QUOTES regarding passage
27–29. Isaiah draws no conclusion from his observation that the purposeful ways of the farmer have been taught him by God, but the ‘For’ with which verse 27 should begin indicates that the point made in his parable of sowing is explained in the parable of reaping. The sledge, cartwheel, rod and stick were methods of gathering different crops. The sledge was a heavy wooden platform, studded underneath with sharp stones or metal and weighted on top, dragged to and fro to break up corn ready for winnowing. Grain, of course, must be ground. That is unavoidable, brutal though it seems, for otherwise there is no harvest, but the process is not for ever. Done to excess it would destroy the grain. This also comes from the Lord, but it goes beyond merely showing how agriculturists work. It reveals that the Lord is wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. Wonderful (6:6) means what is beyond the human, supernatural. Wisdom (tûšîyyâ; Job 5:12; 6:13; Prov. 8:14; Mic. 6:9) is foresight to plan ahead, therefore the wisdom that achieves results.
It is with this thought, then, that we move from the first woe (28:1–29) to the second (29:1–14). Jerusalem (like Samaria) will be ploughed and crushed. The Lord’s wheels and horses will go over it. But it is all purposeful; the crushing will be restricted within the limits essential to the crop the Lord envisages. (Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, pp. 212–213). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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Verses 27–29 take the illustration further. When it comes to harvest time, threshing takes different forms, each form dictated by the type of crop harvested (v.27). More than this, threshing time comes to an end, for the ultimate aim of all this activity is to produce edible food (v.28). Plowing, sowing, threshing, and grinding are all means to this end. So God has his purposes in history, and through a sequence of events he brings them to pass (v.29). God’s power (“the Lord Almighty”) and wisdom, united in his nature, bring forth a pattern of events in the story of man. Most of the agricultural processes here can suggest pain, perhaps implying therefore that it is possible to find oneself on the wrong side of God’s purposes in history and so to experience his judgment. In fact, some such lesson seems to be required by the context. (Grogan, G. W. (1986). Isaiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 184). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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28:23–29. Isaiah then inserted a word of comfort into this message of woe and judgment. The judgment would last for only a short while as it was designed to purge the people. A farmer must crush his crops to get the desired results. For example, caraway and cummin, aromatic herbs, are beaten out with a rod or stick, not threshed, because their seeds are so small. Grain is ground by millstone, after the wheat stalks are threshed. Various crops must be treated differently so no one step (plowing, harrowing, planting, or threshing) is done continuously.
Similarly God would bring about judgment but not forever. He is the Master “Farmer,” who knows how to handle each “crop.” Therefore the Southern Kingdom should submit to Him because He is wonderful in counsel (cf. 9:6) and magnificent in wisdom (cf. 11:2). (Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1078). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Isaiah’s final announcement was that their confidence that God would not judge them was a delusion (Isa. 28:21–29). “But God defended His people in the past!” they argued. “What about David’s victory over the Philistines at Mount Perazim [2 Sam. 5:17–21], or Joshua’s victory over the Amorites at Gibeon [Josh. 10]?” But Joshua and David were godly leaders who trusted Jehovah and obeyed His Word. What Isaiah’s scoffing opponents did not realize was that God would do a “strange work”: He would use the enemy to fight against His own people! Just as a farmer has different tasks to perform and must adapt himself to each task, whether plowing or threshing, so God must do the work that is necessary to bring about His eternal purposes. He knows just what tool to use and when to use it.
Jerusalem watched the Northern Kingdom fall to the Assyrians, but this judgment did not bring them to repentance. When we start saying to ourselves, “It can never happen to me!”—it is sure to happen! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (p. 73). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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28:29 counsel wonderful. If God’s way in the physical realm of farming is best, why did Jerusalem persist in refusing to accept His spiritual guidance? (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 28:29). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 28:29). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Precious and important lessons are here drawn from the cultivation of herbs and cereals. First, the ground must be well prepared by plowing and then the soil further broken up by harrowing; after that the seed is cast in; and then when the herbs or grains are ready for harvest each one is dealt with in accordance with its own nature. So God seeks to break up the hard soil of man’s opposition to Himself by the plowshare of His truth, and by careful instruction as to the way of life. If, when the seed has been cast into the ground of a good and honest heart, it brings forth abundantly, He has different methods of dealing with those who have responded to His truth according as they are able to bear. He does not deal with all in the same way, even as the careful farmer does not thresh the softer herbs in the way that he deals with the harder grains. Those who go forth in the name of the Lord, sowing the seed, need to have these principles in mind in order that they may deal wisely with those whom they endeavor to help. (Ironside, H. A. (1952). Expository notes on the prophet Isaiah. (pp. 174–175). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 29. This also cometh from the Lord of hosts, &c.] All this wisdom the husbandman has, in manuring his ground, in sowing it with proper seed, and in threshing it out in a manner suitable to it. Agriculture or husbandry, even among the Heathens, is always ascribed to God, as an invention of his, and it was the first work which God put man to, and instructed him in, Gen. 3:23 and 4:2 and as this, so all other arts, and sciences, and manufactures, come from God, even all things in nature, providence, and grace, and the knowledge of them; wherefore he himself must be infinitely wise and knowing; see Psal. 94:9, 10 and be as he is next described: which is wonderful in counsel; in giving counsel to man, both with respect to things temporal and spiritual; and whose counsel is always wise and good, and for the best; and, when taken, infallibly succeeds. See an instance of his wonderful counsel, Rev. 3:18 and also he is wonderful in forming wise plans and schemes of operation; the wise plan of his works of creation and providence was formed in his vast and infinite mind from eternity; the wise scheme of our redemption and salvation by Christ was concerted by him, wherein he has abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence; and the manner, means, time, and place, of his gathering and effectual vocation of his people, are all wisely fixed by him; and he does all things after the counsel of his will, Ephes. 1:11 and therefore it follows: and excellent in working; both as to the matter or things wrought by him, which are the most excellent things in nature, providence, and grace, wrought out either by the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit; and as to manner of working, all being done well and wisely; and likewise with respect to the end, his own glory, and the good of his people. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, pp. 162–163). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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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!!)
Nathan Wagner writes: 10 QUESTIONS that require more wisdom than we often assume, particularly in the face of animosity and vitriol. Prayerfully seeking that wisdom and choosing to limit my responses in the mean time.
-What does it actually mean to be FOR others?
-How do we really love our neighbor as ourself? REALLY?
-What does love require of us? Now?
-How should we lovingly respond to those who vehemently disagree with us?
-How do we speak in a way that is gracious, winsome, and respectful when we don’t receive the same treatment?
-How do we offer perspective and speak truth in a manner that influences without unnecessarily alienating and/or further infuriating?
-When should we speak up and when should we choose to remain quiet? How do we decide?
-Do we really understand the nature of the battle we are called to fight? Specifically the distinction between the who and the what?
-How do we celebrate, empathize, advocate, declare, and offer hope all at the same time?
-What does it practically look like to speak in a way that builds others up according to their needs?
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God promises David that He will propagate David’s lineage forever.
INSIGHT
David is described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). It is difficult for us to accept that statement when David is guilty of lying, adultery, murder, and other indiscretions. However, to be a man after God’s own heart means that David wants the same things God wants. His noble desires and intentions are overruled several times by his passions; but when David’s senses are restored and he repents of his sin, again his heart beats after God’s desires. We may not be as bad as David in his bad moments, but are we as good as David in his good moments? Do our hearts beat after God?
(Quiet Walk)
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THE SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP OF REVIVAL
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another…” Galatians 1:6-7
Now this is the kind of thing that is being said at the present time: It does not matter what people may teach. Though they may deny the very essence of Christianity, if I like them, if I am attracted to them, if I can talk easily to them, then that is what counts. It is what they are that is important and thus they make an appeal to you. So what do we say about this modern tendency?
That is not the danger today! The danger today is that we are so afraid of legalism that we have become utterly nondescript. We have knocked down all the barriers and the signposts; anything is all right. “We are a happy lot together and we have a wonderful spirit. Roman Catholics are suddenly now changing. Everything is marvelous. We are going to have a great universal church and there will be no more trouble.”
But that is the very opposite of the New Testament teaching. No, I am not arguing for a legalistic precision. All I am arguing for is what the Apostle Paul is putting before us here in Romans 10:3. These Jews, he says, are outside because they have not got this exact knowledge that saves! There are implications and aspects of this great truth about which we cannot and must not speak dogmatically. But about the thing that saves us we must be as dogmatic as we can be This is absolutely essential to salvation.
The Apostle’s case was always this: there is only one gospel. It had been committed to him and he preached it. Any departure from it was a lie, and whoever preached a lie deserved to be “accursed” (Galatians 1:8).
A Thought to Ponder
“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
(From Saving Faith, a sermon on Romans 10:3 by Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
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The Arm of the Lord
“The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” (Isaiah 52:10)
The human arm is often used in the Bible to symbolize spiritual strength or power. The word is first used in Jacob’s dying prophecy concerning his beloved son Joseph: “But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24).
The source of all true strength is in the mighty God, so it is not surprising to find at least 40 biblical references to the Lord’s powerful “arm” or “arms.” One of the most striking is our text, promising that when God “bares his arm” for His great work of delivering the lost world from its bondage to Satan and sin and death, then the whole world will see His salvation (literally His “Jesus”).
In a real sense, therefore, “the arm of the Lord” is none other than Jesus Christ. When He came into His world, however, the world refused Him. Just a few verses later, introducing the incomparable 53rd chapter of Isaiah, appears this tragic question: “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1).
Nevertheless, some believed, and the first was His own mother. In her “Magnificat,” spoken in faith before Jesus was born, Mary said, “God my Saviour…hath shewed strength with his arm” (Luke 1:47, 51). This confession of faith is the first use of “arm” in the New Testament and again refers to the saving arm of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, His arm is not only mighty to save, but also secure to hold: “His arm shall rule for him….He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom” (Isaiah 40:10-11).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Franklin Graham writes: Congratulations
to Coach Joe Kennedy—this is a win for the free exercise of religion and free speech, so it’s a win for all Americans! Coach Kennedy lost his job when the school district tried to stop him from praying on the field after football games. He would kneel in prayer after every game—whether he won or lost—to give thanks to God. Today the Supreme Court underscored that expressions of our religious beliefs should not be singled out or suppressed by the government. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote, “Here, a government entity sought to punish an individual for engaging in a brief, quiet, personal religious observance doubly protected by the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment…The Constitution neither mandates nor tolerates that kind of discrimination.”
This isn’t a time for Christians to roll over—it is a time to defend our religious freedoms so that they are not lost for our children and grandchildren. Thank you Coach Kennedy for going through this difficult battle that took many years and a toll on your life and your family
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He is so keenly interested in our spiritual growth and progress that He stands by in faithfulness to teach and instruct and discipline us as His dear children! (p. 141)
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Where there is a lifetime of rebellion, hardened unbelief, love of sin and flagrant refusal of His love and grace, judgment will fall. But with His dear children, God watches over us for spiritual growth and maturity, trying to teach us how necessary it is for us to trust in Him completely and to come to a complete distrust of ourselves. (p. 142)
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My reply is this: It is possible to be a confirmed believer in total depravity and still be as proud as Lucifer. It is possible to believe in depravity and still trust in yourself in such a way that the face of God is hidden and you are kept from victory. (p. 143)
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None of us can really tell how weak and useless we are until God has exposed us – and no one wants to be exposed! But God knows so much better than we do that He must expose us for our own good. (p. 147, I Talk Back to the Devil by A. W. Tozer)
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The Gods Shall Perish
“Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.” (Jeremiah 10:11)
This is a unique verse. Jeremiah, the second-longest book in the Bible, is written in Hebrew except for this one verse! Why would Jeremiah make this remarkable exception here?
This verse was written in Aramaic, which was the official language of the great Babylonian empire—the world’s chief nation at that time. The Babylonians, as prophesied by Jeremiah, were soon to be used as a weapon in God’s hand to punish His chosen people, carrying them into exile and captivity, and the main reason for such punishment was apostasy. God’s people had corrupted the worship of the true Creator God with the teachings and idols of the Babylonians and all the other nations around them who had rejected God.
Jeremiah had repeatedly condemned this apostasy, showing that God’s people were to be punished by the very nations whose religious philosophies had so attracted them.
But those nations needed also to understand that this was not because of their own strength nor the merits of their own gods. Thus, Jeremiah appropriately inserted a special word to be conveyed to the Babylonians, in their own official tongue. Only the true God, who made the heavens and the earth, is in control of the heavens and the earth.
The same type of warning, delivered in the “official” language of the modern world (“science?”), is needed even more today than it was in Jeremiah’s day. Today’s “gods”—Marx, Darwin, etc.—are even less deserving of trust than Zeus or Baal, and yet professing Christians have gone after them in droves. It is urgent that we call them back to the true Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ, urging them—before God’s judgment falls once again—to repudiate every vestige of evolutionary humanism. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Joseph resists the advances of Potiphar’s wife.
INSIGHT
Mark Twain once wrote: “Always do right. It will gratify some and astonish the rest.” While we smile at that, there are greater reasons for doing right.
Joseph is a good example. When he resisted the advances of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph set himself on the road to the throne of Egypt. Had he given in, Joseph would have set himself on the road to ruin.
Always do right. There is more at stake than you might think. (Quiet Walk)
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