PSALM 40
David is given a new song to sing verse 1- 3
I waited patiently for the LORD
and HE inclined to me – and heard my cry
HE brought me up also out of a horrible pit – out of the miry clay
and set my feet upon a rock – and established my goings
HE has put a NEW SONG in my mouth – even praise to our God
many shall see it – and fear – and shall trust in the LORD
David praises the LORD for HIS works verse 4- 5
Blessed is that man that makes the LORD his trust
and respect not the proud nor such as turn aside to lies
Many – O LORD my God – are YOUR wonderful works which YOU
has done and YOUR thoughts which are to us-ward
they cannot be reckoned up in order to YOU
IF I would declare and speak of them
they are more than can be numbered
David understands that obedience pleases the LORD verse 6- 8
Sacrifice and offering YOU did not desire
mine ears hast YOU opened
burnt offering and sin offering hast YOU not required
Then said I – I – lo I come – in the volume of the book it is written of me
I delight to do YOUR will – O my God
yea – YOUR law is within my heart
David tells all of God’s unfailing love verse 9- 10
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation
lo – I have not refrained my lips – O LORD – YOU know
I have not hid YOUR righteousness
within my heart
I have declared YOUR
faithfulness and YOUR salvation
I have not concealed YOUR loving-kindness and YOUR truth
from the great congregation
David confesses his sin verse 11- 12
Withhold not YOU YOUR tender mercies from me – O LORD
let YOUR loving-kindness and YOUR truth continually preserve me
for innumerable evils have compassed me about
mine iniquities have taken hold on me
so that I am not able to look up
they are more than the hairs of mine head
THEREFORE, my heart fails me
David wants his enemies dealt with by LORD verse 13- 15
Be pleased – O LORD – to deliver me
O LORD – make hast to help me
Let them be ashamed and confounded together
that seek after my soul to destroy it
Let them be driven backward and put to shame
that wish me evil
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame
that say unto me Aha – aha
David desires that all who seek the LORD find HIM verse 16- 17
Let all those that seek YOU rejoice and be glad in YOU
let such as love YOUR salvation say continually
The LORD be magnified
But I am poor and needy – yet the Lord thinks on me
YOU are my help and my deliverer
make no tarrying – O my God
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 I waited patiently for the LORD, and HE inclined to me, and heard my cry. (5186 “inclined” [natah] means to stretch, spread, to bend or turn (one’s ear) towards a speaker in order to listen well, to turn aside, stretch out, or lengthen)
DEVOTION: There are two thoughts here at least. It is the thought that we have to wait patiently for the LORD to answer our cry for help. This is not easy as we would like the LORD to answer us immediately and give us the answer that we want to hear. This is not going to happen most of the time in our lives. HE is patient and HE wants us to be patient and wait for HIM with an attitude of prayer.
The second part of it is that we need to realize that HE wants to hear from us because we are HIS children and HE wants to give us good gifts but HE also wants us to realize that HE does everything in HIS time and not in our time, but HE is listening to our every prayer.
HE loves us and knows what is best for us and that means for ALL of our lives. HE is not in a hurry to give us what we want all the time but HE knows that the timing has to be right when HE answers.
Most of the time we don’t want to wait because what we want is important to us but we need to realize our growth in grace and knowledge is important to HIM and HE does what HE thinks is best in HIS timing for our good!
CHALLENGE: David was not a patient man at times and neither are we. Waiting on the LORD is a lifetime of willingness to wait for HIM to give us HIS answer to our requests.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:3 He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Praise – 8416 תְּהִלָּה [tâhillah /teh·hil·law/] n f. From 1984; TWOT 500c; GK 9335; 57 occurrences; AV translates as “praise” 57 times. 1 praise, song or hymn of praise. 1A praise, adoration, thanksgiving (paid to God). 1B act of general or public praise. 1C praise-song (as title). 1D praise (demanded by qualities or deeds or attributes of God). 1E renown, fame, glory. 1E1 of Damascus, God. 1E2 object of praise, possessor of renown (fig). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: It is a good thing to give praise unto the Lord! Every believer should be able to raise their voice and give praise for what God has done for them. As you proceed through your day have you stopped to consider that which God has done for you? The psalmist proclaimed how the Lord had delivered and kept him. How the Lord had heard his cry and brought him out of a miry pit. We may not live in muddy, miry places but we are capable of placing ourselves in slippery, sticky situations. As you read this today why not take a moment and thank the Lord for the ways that He has worked in your life today? The Lord is waiting for a word of praise to escape from your lips and song of rejoicing to be lifted to the heavens. He is worthy and greatly to be praised so go ahead and sing the little melody; “This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it! This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made!”
CHALLENGE: Rejoice in the Lord today! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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:8 “I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart.” (“Delight,” 2654 חָפֵץ, [chaphets], 1 to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with. 1a. 1a1 of men. 1a1a to take pleasure in, delight in. 1a1b to delight, desire, be pleased to do. 1a2 of God. 1a2a to delight in, have pleasure in. 1a2b to be pleased to do. [Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.])
DEVOTION: This verb is repeated in verses 6 and 8 when talking about what it is that God delights in and what man then is to delight in. The goal of man then is to please or delight God by delighting to do His will.
What is interesting about these verses is that the author of Hebrews adapts them in chapter 10 as a quotation to show that the sacrifices offered under the Law were totally inadequate to satisfy God’s demands for perfection, notwithstanding the fact that they were offered repetitively throughout the Old Testament. The point that is made is Hebrews 10 is that Jesus Christ was one who made the perfect sacrifice for sin, simply because He was the one who truly delighted in doing God’s will. So this psalm contains a messianic prophecy that is fulfilled in Jesus.
Should we still obey even when we do not delight in doing so? The answer is obviously yes, but how much better would it be if we asked God to give us the right attitude in order to fully please Him? The key to this is the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). What is remarkable about this psalm is that it stresses the fact that we can actually delight God by our actions and obedience. This is much more than the sacrifices that we try to make in order to please Him.
CHALLENGE: Will you ask God to help you delight Him today? Are you fully trusting in the one true sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your salvation? (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, YOU know. (3607 “refrained” [kala’] means to restrain, shut up, to withhold, to imprison, prevented, to kee under control, keep in check or be confined)
DEVOTION: This is David saying that he has done some preaching to the children of Israel. He has done it as a king not as a preacher. He has given them instructions from the LORD that the LORD has given him throughout his life.
He has tried to live a righteous life but has failed at times but that didn’t stop him from repenting and turning back to the LORD and serve HIM faithfully.
He knows that the LORD knows everything that has happened to him in his lifetime. There is nothing that the LORD didn’t know about him. HE was not surprised by the actions of David and HE is not surprised by our actions.
None of us are perfect. There was only one PERSON who came to this earth and lived a perfect life and that was Jesus. And as you know they crucified HIM.
God knows what is going on in our life and HE is willing to use us for HIS glory if we continually confess our sins and listen to HIM regarding what HE wants us to do with our lives.
HE doesn’t give up on us once we become HIS child. HE wants us to preach righteousness like David even though our lips are not perfect. HE wanst us to use our lips in HIS service to help others know who HE is and what HE will do with those who are willing to submit to HIM. HE is not looking for perfect people but people who are willing to admit their sins and move in a direction of HIS leading in service to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Are you preaching righteousness in your home, work and world? Our congregation might not be in a church but they are in our life. It might be ONLY in our own family.
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: 12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore, my heart faileth me. (5800 “faileth” [‘azab] means to leave, loose, forsake, abandon, neglect, or left behind)
DEVOTION: We are born with a sin nature. We sin from the time we are born until the time we die. All are sinners. Only those who trust in the LORD will have eternity in heaven. All others will spend eternity in hell. There is only one of two places to go after judgment. Judgment begins at the point of death.
David confesses his sins. He says that they are more than the hairs on his head. Each sin is an offense to God. Each sin is enough to send us to hell for eternity. Only the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross changes that position. We are headed to heaven after we die because of HIS sacrifice. The sacrifices of the Old Testament looked forward to the time of Christ’s death for our sins.
David starts the psalm with the fact that the LORD had delivered him out of the horrible pit and gave him a new song. He praised the LORD for many wonderful works. They were more than he could number. He realized that the LORD didn’t want just physical offerings but his heart. Many people offered sacrifices with their hands but their hearts were far from the LORD. They thought they were OK with God because of givin HIM something. That is not true. HE wants us not our possessions. Our possessions can be a gift but they are not us.
He had told everyone that the LORD was righteous, faithful, loving and provided salvation. The truth was that the LORD never failed him. David realized that he had more sins than he could handle. He knew that the LORD could handle them. He turned them over to HIM because he didn’t have the heart to carry them.
We don’t have a heart that is big enough to carry all our sins. GOD does!! Do we ever feel that our sins are closing in on us? Do we ever think that our sins have us in their grip and we can’t get loose? The answer to both questions is “yes.”
David felt the same way and knew that his God was big enough to handle them. Are we giving all our sins to the LORD or are we trying to handle them on our own? David had enemies that wanted him to fail. We have enemies that want us to fail. The LORD is the only one who can help us through our failures to succeed for HIM.
CHALLENGE: Our life might be surrounded with our sins but the blood of Christ covers them all. We need to get our mind and heart around these truths.
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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)
God inclined and heard David’s prayer verse 1
Prayer regarding wonderful works of God verse 5, 6
Prayer for help verse 11- 17
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sacrifice verse 6
Offerings verse 6
Burnt offerings verse 6
Sin offerings verse 6
Declare truth verse 10
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Volume of the book it is written verse 7
Law verse 8
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3- 5, 9, 11,
13, 16
Inclined to prayer of David verse 1
Brought David out of horrible pit verse 2
Put new song in David’s mouth verse 3
Trust in the LORD verse 3
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 3, 5, 8, 17
LORD my God verse 5
Wonderful works verse 5
LORD knows our testimony verse 9
Righteous verse 10
Faithfulness verse 10
Lovingkindness verse 10, 11
Truth verse 10, 11
Tender mercies verse 11
Helps sinners verse 13
LORD be magnified verse 16
Lord – Adonai (master, owner) verse 17
Help verse 17
Deliverer verse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Christ said to the Father verse 7, 8
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)
Proud people verse 4
Lies verse 4
Evil (innumerable) verse 12, 14
Iniquities verse 12
Wish others evil verse 14
Shame verse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Wait patiently verse 1
Cry [prayer] verse 1
New song verse 3
Praise verse 3
Trust verse 3, 4
Blessed verse 4
Respect not the proud verse 4
Open ears verse 6
Delight to do God’s will verse 8
Law written on heart verse 8
Preached righteousness verse 9, 10
Faithfulness of the LORD
Salvation of the LORD
Loving-kindness
Truth
Tender mercies
Preserved verse 11
Deliverance verse 13, 17
Help verse 13, 17
Rejoice verse 16
Glad verse 16
Love salvation verse 16
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David says verse 1- 17
I waited patiently
LORD brought out of horrible pit
Set him on a rock
Established his goings
God’s thoughts toward him
Law in my heart
Preached righteousness
Not hid LORD’S righteousness within heart
Declared LORD’S faithfulness
Declared LORD’S salvation
Declared lovingkindness of LORD
Declared God’s truth to the great congregation
Preserved
Innumerable evils
Iniquities have taken hold
Not able to look up
More sins than the hairs of my head
Heart fails
Wants LORD to deliver him
Doesn’t want to be ashamed or confounded
I am poor and needy
Lord thinks about him
Doesn’t want the LORD to tarry
Great congregation verse 10
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
4, 5. Reflection. Trust is taken up from verse 3, as David draws out for the rest of us this lesson from his experience, first by rejecting other claimants to our trust (for the proud he uses the term that became the nickname for Egypt, the empty blusterer, Isa. 30:7), and then by enlarging on the incomparable claims of God. The past is full of his miracles (wondrous deeds), the future full of his plans—this is the force of the word thoughts. Cf. these two themes again in 139:13–18. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 177). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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40:5. David expressed appreciation for the Lord’s innumerable and wonderful acts of deliverance (wonders). If he tried to speak of all the things God had planned for His own, they would be too numerous to tell. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 824). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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No matter what our trouble or trial, it’s always good to look back and recall the goodness of the Lord. David remembered how long he had waited before the Lord delivered him from his enemies and from Saul, but the day came when God inclined His ear (31:3), heard his cries, and lifted him up from the pit. If David learned anything from his exile years, it was that ultimate success depends on faith in the Lord and patience during His providential working (5:3; 33:20; 37:34; 38:15; Heb. 6:12). We are not to take the description of the pit literally (slime, mud, mire), but figuratively, as a picture of those difficult years David endured. “The pit” is also a term for sheol, the realm of the dead, and David’s life was certainly in danger. A quaint country preacher used verses 2–3 for a sermon text, and his “points” were: God brought him up, God stood him up, and God tuned him up! David had a new beginning with a new song of praise in his mouth (18:49; 22:22; 33:3). God helped David because he trusted the Lord, did not show respect to the arrogant who opposed God, and remained true to the God of Israel. “Lies” in verse 4 refers to idols. Unlike David, King Saul was a proud man who trusted in himself and made himself more important than God. In looking back on those years as an exile and a hunted man, David saw the greatness of God’s works (wonders) and the wisdom of His plans (v. 5). This is his version of Romans 8:28. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 153–154). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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40:4, 5 The proud refers to idolaters who will not bow in humility before the Lord (147:6). Lies refers to idols. Not only are the works of God directed toward the people of faith, but so are His thoughts. He is thinking about us. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 675). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
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5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. The Chaldee has the first clause thus: Many signs hast thou given, O Lord our God. Several other versions: Many admirable things hast thou done. Many, also great, see Ps. 3:1; 19:13; 25:11. Wonderful works, wonders, marvels, miracles, marvellous works, wondrous works, wondrous things, great wonders. See on Ps. 9:1. There is nothing gained by separating many and wonderful works. For reckoned up in order Hammond prefers I cannot set in order, meaning I cannot recount, or enumerate. The Septuagint reads: There is none, that shall be likened unto thee; Hengstenberg: Nothing is to be compared to thee. The word does sometimes refer to comparing, likening, but even then we should include the idea of arranging or setting in order for the purpose of comparison. The common version is best. The last clause is variously given. Calvin: They are more than can be told; Hengstenberg: They are not to be numbered. All teach the same thing. There is nothing to justify us in exclusively applying the term wonderful works to the signs and wonders wrought by the hand of Moses and Aaron in Egypt, at the Red sea and in the wilderness; nor in exclusively applying the term thoughts to God’s secret decrees on the one hand, or to his revealed will on the other. We should not causelessly limit Scriptural terms.
In the next three verses the Psalmist uses language, all of which is eminently applicable to Christ, and a part of which is applicable to none else. It is so applied by Paul in Heb. 10:5–9. When men are not inspired, we may subject all they say to free and fair criticism without any blame. But when men, moved by the Holy Ghost, announce heavenly doctrines, or expound the sacred writings, it is wicked to cavil. To the pious soul it is a source of unspeakable consolation to find a divinely authorized exposition of this Scripture. Paul quotes the Septuagint version, with slight alterations. For the purpose, which he had in view, the Septuagint rendering was as good as any. It had the advantage of being familiarly known. The great point, on which the Apostle was laying out his strength, was that all the sacrifices and offerings in preceding ages, were powerless, while Christ’s offering was truly efficacious. (Plumer, W. S. (1872). Studies in the Book of Psalms: Being a Critical and Expository Commentary, with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks on the Entire Psalter (p. 479). Philadelphia; Edinburgh: J. B. Lippincott Company; A & C Black)
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Ver. 5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, &c.] This is the new song, as Aben Ezra rightly observes, which is said in ver. 3 to be put in the mouth of the Messiah; who sometimes speaks in the plural number, being the representative of his people, and sometimes in the singular; for it is the same person that speaks here who is continued speaking in the next verse, and following; and which are applied to Christ, Hab. 1:5. the works here said to be done, and to be many and wonderful, are not the creation of the world, the dividing of the sea, and feeding the people of Israel forty years in the wilderness, as Jarchi interprets them; but the incarnation of Christ, redemption by him, the resurrection of him from the dead; regeneration and conversion, and the preservation of the saints from the evil of the world, safe to the kingdom and glory of God; all which, as they are many and various, and display the manifold wisdom and grace of God, so they are marvellous, and will be the subject of the wonder of saints to all eternity. And thy thoughts which are to us-ward; that is, the decrees of God, as Aben Ezra truly explains them; the purposes, counsels, and intentions of God; which, though mentioned last, are before his works, and are the spring of them: these were in the mind of God from everlasting, were unknown till revealed, were thoughts of peace, and not of evil, and are unfrustrable, and ever fulfilled, and are manifold, precious, and amazing, Psal. 139:17 and these were concerning all the elect of God as considered in Christ, and members of his; and therefore he says to us-ward; and all the works before mentioned were done to them, or for them, and on their account; and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret the phrase, because of us, or for our sakes; even the incarnation, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the thoughts of them, were for them. They cannot be reckoned up in order to thee; or there is none can order them unto thee; there is no power in man to do it, as Aben Ezra observes; or there is none like unto thee, as Jarchi and the Oriental versions; see Exod. 15:11; Psal. 89:7; Isa. 40:18, 25. though this sense seems to break in upon the account of the wonderful works and thoughts of God, which are still designed in the following clause. If I could declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered; that is, by men: from this general account of the many and wonderful works and thoughts of God, the Messiah passes on to take notice of one particular design and work of the Lord, the redemption of his people by the sacrifice of himself. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 695–696). 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!!)
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For almost ten years now, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the State of Washington have targeted an elderly, small-town florist named Barronelle Stutzman.
The case began when Barronelle declined to serve a long-time customer’s gay wedding. A few months ago, Barronelle, now 77, filed a request for a final rehearing of her religious liberty case with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of her business, Arlene’s Flowers. This week, the ACLU offered, and Barronelle accepted, a five-thousand-dollar settlement. It’s a surprisingly small amount, given how long Barronelle has lived under the threat of losing her business, assets, and life savings due to exorbitant legal fees and penalties.
Maybe the ACLU has finally seen their case for what it is: petty bullying. Or, maybe they think the optics of bullying a grandmother are just bad. Either way, Barronelle has wisely, I believe, accepted the settlement. Here’s a review of the important facts of the case.
In 2014, Barronelle told a long-time customer and friend that she couldn’t create a floral arrangement for his wedding to another man. Throughout their many years of friendship, Barronelle had served this customer with her creative talents. However, due to her Christian beliefs about marriage, she couldn’t, in good conscience, create an arrangement for this occasion.
The friend said he understood the decision and asked for referrals for other florists. She recommended three. The two embraced, and then said goodbye.
All was quiet until the Attorney General for the state of Washington saw a social media post about the incident and decided to sue Barronelle for discrimination. In 2015, a trial court found her guilty of violating Washington’s anti-discrimination law. The Court also ordered her to pay a $1,000 fine and the ACLU’s legal fees, and to no longer accept wedding business unless she also agreed to serve gay weddings.
Her appeal to the state Supreme Court drew so much interest that oral arguments were held in a local college auditorium. The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Stutzman, citing Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Obergefell language and even claiming that to not service a same-sex wedding is to “disrespect and subordinate” gays and lesbians. The court also ruled that floral arrangements weren’t “speech” but instead “conduct,” and that even if the state had violated Barronelle’s right to free exercise, it was fair and legal to do so because they’d do it to everyone. In other words, they weren’t just singling out Barronelle.
From the beginning, Barronelle has been represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
In 2018, ADF appealed the Washington state court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. After finding the State of Colorado guilty of animus toward the religious beliefs of baker Jack Phillips in a similar case, the Supreme Court vacated the Washington State Court decision and ordered them to re-examine Barronelle’s case. Not about to admit it had done anything wrong, the Washington State Court upheld their ruling against Barronelle.
(Break Point)
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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 worketh 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 Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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From The Love of God, p. 99.
God begins to have weight in our lives only when we begin to hear his summons from outside ourselves. He summons us to stand before him, to hear his Word, to know him as he is in his holy-love. When we begin to do so, reality enters our soul. It begins to replace our wishful thinking, our illusions, our dreaming, our many futile and fumbling attempts at remaking our private world. (p. 127, GOD in the Whirlwind by David F. Wells)
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With respect to Christ’s death, we see how this declaration of that sinner’s innocence works from Paul’s statement that, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). How was Christ “made sin”?
Clearly, he did not become a sinner. On the cross, he did not become morally guilty of sin, for he was, and remained, sinless. Rather, he bore the penalty of our sin as if it were his own. (p. 142, GOD in the Whirlwind by David F. Wells)
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REVIVAL OFTEN STARTS WITH ONE PERSON
And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation…which was without the camp.
Exodus 33:7
Here is profound teaching. This Tabernacle was a kind of tent that Moses set up in the middle of the congregation, in the middle of the camp of Israel, where he and others would pray, a “tent of meeting” where people might go together to meet with God. The tent of meeting; it is such a significant and such a wonderful term. The Nonconformist fathers generally referred to their places of worship as meeting houses, and it is a good old term. You see, it is a place not so much where people meet with one another, though that is included, but the essential meaning is this the place where they meet with God.
It is important that we should understand that Moses was clearly led to take this peculiar action. He took this Tabernacle out of the center of the camp and put it outside, far off from the camp. This was an action taken by Moses himself. And I must pause with that, because you will always find as you read the history of these movements of the Spirit in the long story of the Christian church that generally the very first thing that happens, and which eventually leads to a great revival, is that one man, or a group of men, suddenly begin to feel this burden, and they feel the burden so much that they are led to do something about it.
Martin Luther, a very ordinary kind of monk, suddenly became aware of this burden. And it so burdened him that he was led to do something about it. Just one man, and through that one man, God sent that mighty movement to the church.
A Thought to Ponder: Generally, one man suddenly begins to feel this burden, and he feels the burden so much that he is led to do something about it. (From Revival, pp. 162-163, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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What to Put On
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)
People give much attention to what material clothes they should put on, but the New Testament tells us what spiritual clothes to put on. First, we are to be “endued with” power from on high. This Greek word (enduo) is normally rendered “put on.” That is, we are to put on power, and this is imparted only by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), according to Christ’s departing promise.
“Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armour of light. . . put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:12, 14). “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).
Along with this, we are to “put off concerning the former conversation the old man,” and then to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22, 24). Then we must “put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
These items of spiritual clothing—the power of the Holy Spirit, the light of God’s presence, the new man in Christ, the resurrection life of the indwelling Christ, His imputed righteousness and holiness and all our spiritual armor—provide the foundation clothing for beautiful spiritual jewels and accessories. “Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: . . . Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; . . . And above all these things put on charity [love]” (Colossians 3:9-10, 12, 14). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Robert Watts shared (GA): Rest tonight knowing that whatever is on your mind is in God’s hands! AMEN
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