PSALM 51
David asks for mercy verse 1- 2
Have MERCY on me – O God – according to YOUR loving-kindness
according to the multitude of YOUR tender mercies blot out
my transgressions
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin
David realizes he was totally depraved verse 3- 6
For I acknowledge my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me
against YOU – YOU only – have I sinned
and done this evil in YOUR sight
that YOU might be justified when YOU speak
and be clear when YOU judge
BEHOLD – I was shapen in iniquity
and in sin did my mother conceive me
BEHOLD – YOU desire truth in the inward parts
and in the hidden part YOU shall make me to know wisdom
David asks to be purified from sin verse 7- 9
Purge me with hyssop – and I will be clean
wash me – and I shall be whiter than snow
Make me to hear joy and gladness
that the bones which YOU have broken may rejoice
Hide YOUR face from my sins – and blot out all mine iniquities
David asks for a clean heart verse 10- 11
Create in me a clean heart – O God
and renew a right spirit within me
Cast me not away from YOUR presence
and take not YOUR Holy Spirit from me
David wants joy of salvation restored so he can sing verse 12- 15
Restore to me the joy of YOUR salvation
and uphold me with YOUR free spirit
THEN will I teach transgressors YOUR ways
and sinners shall be CONVERTED to YOU
Deliver me from blood guiltiness – O God – YOU God of my salvation
and my tongue shall sing aloud of YOUR righteousness
O Lord – open YOU my lips
and my mouth shall show forth YOUR praise
David wants a broken & contrite heart verse 16- 17
For YOU desire not sacrifice – else would I give it
YOU delight not in burnt offering
the sacrifice of God are a broken spirit
a broken and a contrite heart
O God – YOU will not despise
David wants to offer sacrifices of righteousness verse 18- 19
Do good in YOUR good pleasure to Zion
build YOU the walls of Jerusalem
THEN shall YOU be pleased
with the sacrifice of RIGHTEOUSNESS
with burnt offering and whole burnt offering
THEN shall they offer bullocks upon YOUR altar
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness;” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Mercy – 2603 חָנַן, חָנַן [chanan /khaw·nan/] v. A primitive root [compare 2583]; TWOT 694, 695; GK 2858 and 2859; 78 occurrences; AV translates as “mercy” 16 times, “gracious” 13 times, “merciful” 12 times, “supplication” 10 times, “favour” seven times, “besought” four times, “pity” four times, “fair” once, “favourable” once, “favoured” once, and translated miscellaneously nine times. 1 to be gracious, show favour, pity. 1A (Qal) to show favour, be gracious. 1B (Niphal) to be pitied. 1C (Piel) to make gracious, make favourable, be gracious. 1D (Poel) to direct favour to, have mercy on. 1E (Hophal) to be shown favour, be shown consideration. 1F (Hithpael) to seek favour, implore favour. 2 to be loathsome. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: Forgiveness is such a wonderful thing to experience. In spite of our vileness and dastardly acts of wickedness the Lord is willing to extend to us His mercy and lovingkindness. He is intent on blotting out our transgressions and washing us so that we are clean and then cleansing us within so we are completely restored to be in His presence. What a Savior!
As we come before the Lord in an attitude of confession and a readiness to seek Him, He has already prepared the necessary elements to restore and bring us back into fellowship. He is a step ahead of us as we recognize the sin we have committed. May He restore to us the JOY of our salvation as we confess the area that has caused separation between us today!
CHALLENGE: Don’t wait to confess your sin but come quickly knowing the Lord is waiting with all that is necessary to restore you to fellowship! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:1 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” (“Tender mercies,” 7356 [racham], compassion, to have compassion, to be compassionate)
DEVOTION: David starts out this psalm of penitential prayer asking God for His compassion. This is a psalm that David composed after he was confronted about his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah by the prophet Nathan. Despite David’s best attempts to cover up his sin, God reveals it to His prophet so that he will confront David. David responds by confessing his sin and asking for God’s forgiveness.
The tender mercies mentioned here are similar to the feelings that a mother feels for a child while he is still in the womb. David must have heard some of these feelings from Bathsheba during the time of her pregnancy and compares them to the feelings which God has for His children. That having been said, we all know that our children are not perfect, but that does not keep us from showing them compassion, especially when they come to us in humility.
God does promise to forgive our sins, no matter what they are. That is one amazing thing about God—how He can be perfectly holy and yet forgive sinful man. He encourages His children to come before Him and ask for His forgiveness. The only sin which He will not forgive is the sin of not believing in His Son as the one who died to pay the penalty for those sins.
CHALLENGE: Is there anything you struggle with in terms of unforgiven sin? God longs to be gracious to you if only you will ask His forgiveness. Be as quick to forgive others as God has been to forgive you! (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
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: 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (2342 “shapen” [chuwl] means to twist or whirl, bear, bring forth, calve, travail, or be wounded)
DEVOTION: When David was born he had sin in his heart. We are all born with a sin nature. His mother didn’t have him out of wedlock. He knew that every human being is a sinner at birth. David was confessing his sin with Bath-sheba.
He asked the LORD to cleanse him. He asked the LORD to purge him. He knew that the LORD wanted his inward nature changed. He wanted a clean heart again. He wanted a right relationship with the LORD again. He wanted the joy of his salvation back. He wanted to get back to praising the LORD rather than hiding his sin. He knew that God knew.
Each of us is born with a sin nature. We don’t have to teach our babies to do wrong – we have to teach them to do right. They do wrong naturally. We are totally depraved without Christ. David knew this. He knew that animal sacrifices were not enough. He knew that the Holy Spirit could come and go from an individual under the law.
We are under grace – PTL. We don’t sin to become a sinner; we sin because we are sinners from the womb. We inherited our sin nature from Adam. We can only be cleansed of sin by the blood of Christ. Praise the LORD. HE died on the cross for us. Are we concerned with confession of our sin to have a right relationship with the LORD? Are we trying to hide our sin from HIM? We need to go to HIM regularly with a broken and contrite heart.
One problem in the church today is the fact that some Christians believe that they have gotten to the point where they stop sinning while they are still on this earth. That is a lie from Satan. There are other believers who think that their sins are not as bad as other sins. They think that they have never murdered anyone or committed adultery with anyone but the LORD confronted the Pharisees in his day with the fact that they were committing these sins in their hearts. Today we call them hypocrites. Anyone who thinks they are better than another Christian is committing the sin of pride. Satan fell because of this sin.
David confessed his sins and asked the LORD to forgive him in HIS mercy. Every believer has to do that today. Every believer needs to keep close fellowship with the LORD or the Devil will get a foothold in his life. This Psalm could be read weekly by every Christian.
CHALLENGE: Watch out for the thoughts that Satan puts in your heart where he tells you that you are better than another believer. It is a lie. Don’t fall for this trap!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 6 Behold, YOU desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part YOU shall make me to know wisdom. (571 “truth” [‘emeth] means firmness, trustworthiness, constancy, conformity to reality or actuality, ofen with the implication of dependability, stability, faithfulness, or honesty)
DEVOTION: God wants us to be honest with HIM in all our dealings with HIM. HIS desire is that we know HIM in a genuine way as we can learn from the Word of God. HE wants us to have a working relationship with HIM that is honest.
Our desire should be that as we are honest with God, we will learn to be wise. This should be our goal as we mature in the faith. It doesn’t happen all at once. It is a growing process.
Too often we think that we know it all and in reality, we are always learning from the time we first become a believer until the day we die. The LORD wants us to grow in our knowledge because HE knows that we can’t learn it all at once. It takes a lifetime to understand and live by what the LORD expects of us.
Many believers settle for less. God wants us to have firmness in our stand for HIM. HE wants us to be consistent in our life that we live for HIM. HE wants us to be dependable. These are traits that we need if we are going to be a proper witness for the LORD to others.
People are watching us and our growth in the LORD. We need to make sure that we realize and make them realize that the LORD uses all of our life to help us learn to be good followers of HIM.
CHALLENGE: What are you learning this week that will help us grow in our walk with the LORD? We are commanded to study to show ourselves approved to the LORD!
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: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (2891 “clean” [taher] means pure, ceremonially clean, ethically clean, being free from moral impurity, unmixed, genuine, or flawless)
DEVOTION: Our prayer should be the same as David in this Psalm. He wanted the LORD to create in him a heart that was willing to try to be clean in the eyes of the LORD. That is not an easy task. It would take study and dedication to the LORD. He would have to listen to the LORD as HE taught him what would make a heart that was free from moral impurity.
We should have the same request of the LORD. It will take a lifetime to learn how to have a pure heart in the eyes of the LORD. We will never be sinless while we are alive but we can keep that as a goal for each day of our life.
David failed at times and confessed his sin and the LORD forgave him. This is true of us as well. We have to confess our sins and then HE can give us a clean heart. It is a daily task but there is maturity in our actions if we mean business with the LORD.
We will never be sinless but we can have a proper relationship with the LORD as we confess daily our sins and ask HIM to help us as we face a new day.
Remember each day is a new day with the LORD. If we learn the lessons of yesterday we might not repeat the same sins. HE is a forgiving God. HE forgave David and HE will forgive us as HE looks at our heart.
Is it our genuine desire to sin less each day of our life? If it is the LORD will continue to forgive. Will we ever be sinless? NO not in our lifetime. Recognizing this fact helps us to be keep short accounts with the LORD. HE knows our hearts
CHALLENGE: We should be able to pray this prayer with David. Each day is a new day of service to HIM.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
David wants to be purged with hyssop verse 7
David wants to be washed verse 7
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Broken spirit verse 17
Broken and contrite heart verse 17
Righteousness verse 19
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Against YOU, YOU only, have I sinned verse 4
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Restore the joy of YOUR salvation verse 12
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)
David’s confession of sin verse 1- 6
Against YOU, YOU only, have I sinned verse 4
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
David talking with God regarding forgiveness verse 1- 19
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
David will sing verse 14
David will praise verse 15
David will sacrifice verse 16- 19
Burnt offerings verse 16, 19
Sacrifices we need to offer God:
Broken spirit
Broken and contrite heart verse 17
Sacrifices of righteousness verse 19
Sacrifices on altar verse 19
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 10, 14, 17
Lovingkindness verse 1
Tender mercies verse 1
Can blot out our transgressions verse 1
Judge verse 4
Desires truth verse 6
HE can purge sinners and make them clean verse 7
Can create a clean heart verse 10
Can renew a right spirit in a believer verse 10
Provides salvation verse 12
Righteous verse 14
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 15
Not despise proper sacrifices verse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
David didn’t want the Holy Spirit taken away verse 11
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)
Transgressions verse 1, 3
Iniquity verse 2, 5, 9
Sin verse 2- 5, 9
Evil verse 4
Transgressors verse 13
Sinners verse 13
Blood guiltiness verse 14
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Mercy verse 1
Loving-kindness verse 1
Blot out transgressions verse 1, 9
Wash verse 2, 7
Cleanse verse 2
Acknowledge our transgressions verse 3
Justified verse 4
Truth in the inward parts verse 6
Wisdom verse 6
Purge verse 7
Clean verse 7
Joy – gladness – rejoice verse 8
Clean heart verse 10
Right spirit verse 10
Restoration verse 12
Joy of thy salvation verse 12
Teach verse 13
Converted verse 13
Deliverance verse 14
Salvation verse 14
Sing verse 14, 15
Praise verse 15
Broken and contrite heart verse 17
Sacrifices of righteousness verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David (author of Psalm) verse 1- 19
Nathan came to him because of
Bath-sheba
Wanted mercy
Wanted lovingkindness
Wanted tender mercies
Wanted transgressions blotted out
Wanted to be wash of iniquity
Wanted to be clean of sin
Willing to acknowledge his transgressions
Acknowledged that his sin was against God
Shapened in iniquity
Wants a clean heart
Wants a right spirit
Want joy in his salvation
Teach transgressors God’s ways
Wants deliverance from bloodguiltiness
Sing of God’s righteousness
Wants God to open his lips
Mother of David verse 5
Zion verse 18
Walls of Jerusalem verse 18
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
16, 17. The Old Testament has a way of saying ‘not that, but this’, where we should say, ‘this rather than that’ (cf. Hos. 6:6), or ‘not that without this’. Verses 18f. with their praise of sacrifices remind us that the early singers of this psalm understood these verses so. God is not rejecting his own appointed offerings, still less saying that we can be self-atoning. What he is emphasizing is that the best of gifts is hateful to him without a contrite heart. And the reference is not simply to atonement (for which only the blood of another can suffice: Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22) but to the whole range of worship, not in token but in personal reality, since the peace-offering (sacrifice, 16) expressed communion, and the burnt offering dedication. In all this, God is looking for the heart that knows how little it deserves, how much it owes. (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 211). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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51:16–17. Third, David promised that if God forgave his sins he would sacrifice to God. He knew that God did not desire simply an animal sacrifice from him (cf. 40:6). He needed to find forgiveness before he could sacrifice a peace offering to God. The sacrifice he had to bring was a broken and contrite (crushed) heart—a humbled spirit fully penitent for sin. That is what God desires and will receive.
In the Old Testament, anyone who sinned as David did had to receive a word from a priest or prophet indicating he was forgiven. Only then could the penitent person again take part in worship and make a peace offering. In the New Testament the word of forgiveness is forever written in God’s Word—the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from sin (1 John 1:7). Yet even in the New Testament a believer must have a spirit broken of all self-assertion; he must acknowledge his need before God to find spiritual renewal and cleansing (1 John 1:9). (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. 833). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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David was wealthy enough to bring many sacrifices to the Lord, but he knew that this would not please the Lord (50:8–15; see 1 Sam. 15:22) and that their blood could not wash away his sins. David wasn’t denying the importance or the validity of the Jewish sacrificial system; he was affirming the importance of a repentant heart and a spirit yielded to the Lord (Isa. 57:15). God could not receive broken animals as sacrifices (Mal. 1:6–8), but He would receive a broken heart! (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 189). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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15–17 He pursueth this fourth petition for remission of sin, with a request for enlarging his heart, and furnishing him with matter and ability for praising God; wherein he sincerely renounceth all confidence in external ceremonies of the law, or in any thing else which he could perform. Whence learn, 1. Howsoever proud spirits think that they can do any thing they please in God’s service, yet a humbled soul under exercise, knoweth that it is God who giveth both to will and to do of his good pleasure; such a man knoweth that the habit of grace is a gift, and the bringing of the habit into exercise is another gift; he knoweth that when one hath gotten grace to will to praise God, he must have grace to put this will to act effectually: this the psalmist acknowledgeth and prayeth, open thou my lips, and my tongue shall show forth thy praise. 2. Whatsoever holy ordinances and outward services God prescribeth to his church, are not required for satisfaction of his justice, nor are they the main thing he is pleased with, but they are means only to lead men to himself in Christ, in whom only justice findeth satisfaction, and man findeth strength to go about the worship, that so God himself may have all the praise of our services: therefore David giveth it for a reason of his former petition, for thou desirest not, or thou hast not pleasure in, sacrifice. 3. That which God aimeth at we should most desire, and what he is well pleased with we should most endeavour after: thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it. 4. The main design of the sacrifices under the law was, that a man under the sense of sin and deserved judgment, and inability to satisfy for his faults, should come and empty himself before God, and rely only on the one propitiatory sacrifice, represented in those external sacrifices: the sacrifices of God are broken spirit; that is, the right way of sacrificing is, that a man’s spirit be emptied of its own self-confidence when it cometh to offer unto God the external sacrifices which otherwise God regardeth not. 5. The man who most renounceth his own works, worth, or merits, and despiseth all his own doings, as a broken earthen vessel, is most acceptable in his approaches to God’s free grace in the Mediator: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise; and that not for any worth in the matter of contrition, but because by contrition is expelled all conceit of self-worth, and so the man is most fit for receiving grace and free pardon from God. (Dickson, D. (1834). A Brief Explication of the Psalms (Vol. 1, pp. 311–312). Glasgow; Edinburgh; London: John Dow; Waugh and Innes; R. Ogle; James Darling; Richard Baynes.)
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17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
If the sacrifice of animals even by the thousand could have washed away his guilt, or in any way appropriately met his case and the demands of infinite justice, how gladly would he have made the offering! But God had taught him better. The sacrifices that God desired and demanded were a broken heart and a contrite spirit—a heart humbled, consciously self-smitten for its sin, thoroughly contrite, justifying God, and utterly condemning himself. Such a state of heart, God would not despise; could not thrust away. (Cowles, H. (1879). The Psalms, With Notes, Critical, Explanatory, and Practical (p. 223). New York: D. Appleton & Company.)
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Ver. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, &c.] That is humbled under a sense of sin; has true repentance for it; is smitten, wounded, and broken with it, by the word of God in the hand of the Spirit, which is a hammer to break the rock in pieces; and that not merely in a legal, but in an evangelical way; grieving for sin as committed against a God of love; broken and melted down under a sense of it, in a view of pardoning grace; and mourning for it, whilst beholding a pierced and wounded Saviour: the sacrifices of such a broken heart and contrite spirit are the sacrifices God desires, approves, accepts of, and delights in. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise; but regard, and receive with pleasure; see Psal. 102:17. the Lord binds up and heals such broken hearts and spirits, Psal. 147:3; Isa. 61:1. he is nigh to such persons, looks upon them, has respect unto them, and comes and dwells among them, Psal. 34:18; Isa. 66:1, 2 and 57:15. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 743). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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17. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” All sacrifices are presented to thee in one, by the man whose broken heart presents the Saviour’s merit to thee. When the heart mourns for sin, thou art better pleased than when the bullock bleeds beneath the axe. “A broken heart” is an expression implying deep sorrow, embittering the very life; it carries in it the idea of all but killing anguish in that region which is so vital as to be the very source of life. So excellent is a spirit humbled and mourning for sin, that it is not only a sacrifice, but it has a plurality of excellencies, and is pre-eminently God’s “sacrifices.” “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” A heart crushed is a fragrant heart. Men contemn those who are contemptible in their own eyes, but the Lord seeth not as man seeth. He despises what men esteem, and values that which they despise. Never yet has God spurned a lowly, weeping penitent, and never will he while God is love, and while Jesus is called the man who receiveth sinners. Bullocks and rams he desires not, but contrite hearts he seeks after; yea, but one of them is better to him than all the varied offerings of the old Jewish sanctuary. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 27-57 (Vol. 2, p. 407). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers)
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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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Some trials come into a Christian’s life to bring that individual to spiritual maturity.
INSIGHT
When we read “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (v. 2), we can mentally assent to the wisdom of that. But in real life, when the duration and intensity of our trials goes beyond what we deem to be reasonable, we pass the point of caring. We begin to question the goodness of God. We question the rationality of the Christian life. We just want relief. By the grace of God we must accept that we are finally experiencing what James is talking about. Take courage. Be strong. God has not forgotten you. And as He is testing you, you will become spiritually mature – though you probably will perceive the growth only in retrospect. (Quiet Walk)
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WHAT MAKES US CHRISTIAN?
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 1 John 5:1
The New Testament at once shows us the total inadequacy of the common, current version of what constitutes a Christian. The New Testament terms are regeneration, a new creation, being born again. What makes men and women Christians is something that is done to them by God, not something they do themselves: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” And then, “Every one that loveth him that begat….” God, according to John, is the one who begets us; it is God’s action, not ours.
Now we need to take time in emphasizing the obvious contrast in each of these subdivisions. How ready we are to think of being a Christian as the result of something we do! I live a good life—therefore I am a Christian; I go to a place of worship—therefore I am a Christian; I do not do certain things—therefore I am a Christian; I believe—therefore I am a Christian. The whole emphasis is upon myself, upon what I do. Whereas here, at the very beginning of the New Testament definition of a Christian, the entire emphasis is not upon man and his activity, but upon God. He who begat, He who produced, He who generates, He who gives life and being. Thus we see we cannot be a Christian at all unless God has done something to us
But I go beyond that and say that what makes us a Christian is something that makes us like God. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” That “of” is an important word; it means “out of God”; this is one who has received something of God Himself.
A Thought to Ponder
We cannot be a Christian at all unless God has done something to us.
(From Life in God pp. 12-13, by Dr.Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Working Out Our Salvation
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)
We are not told here to work for our salvation, but to work it out—that is, to demonstrate its reality in our daily lives. Our salvation must be received entirely by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9), or else it is not true salvation. Works can no more keep our salvation than they can earn it for us in the first place. It is not faith plus works, but grace through faith.
Nevertheless, a Christian believer, if his salvation has been real, can testify that “I will show thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Good works—consisting of a righteous and gracious lifestyle, considerate of others and obedient to Christ’s commands—are the visible evidences of salvation. We have been “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
The context of our text, in fact, assures us, on the basis of Christ’s sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, and exaltation (Philippians 2:8-11), that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (v. 13). God is thereby enabling us to “work out” our salvation in visible practice, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.
Thus, it is beautifully appropriate that the life of a genuinely born-again Christian, possessing true salvation, should be “blameless and harmless, the sons of God, . . . as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life . . .” (vv. 15-16). We do need to “examine [ourselves], whether [we] be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5), and we are admonished that “we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Luke 3:23-38
Stories abound of my relatives who lived in Western New York. Both sides of my family came to the region to farm the land and raise cattle, sheep, and horses. My father’s side came from Germany and my mother’s family came much earlier from England. While we get our name from my father, we do not know a lot about that ancestry. Paperwork was lost at Ellis Island and therefore our ancestral origin in Germany is uncertain. As you examine this second genealogy of Christ’s background, you notice that there are some differences between Matthew and Luke’s accounts. Matthew begins with the royal lineage of David and then to the patriarch Abraham before proceeding forward to the birth of Christ by Mary, the wife of Joseph. Luke conversely begins with Joseph as the supposed father (v.24) and works backward through the genealogy until he reaches Adam. In Matthew, Joseph is stated as the son of Jacob (1:16) and in Luke, Joseph is named the son of Heli (v.24). A careful examination of the two accounts will also unveil that the genealogies are different and the lineage of Jesus in Luke’s account is attributed to a distinct son of David! Matthew spoke of the lineage coming through Solomon (Matthew 1:6), while Luke declares Christ’s lineage came through Nathan (Luke 3:31)
These variations speak to the fact that Luke’s account was writing the ancestry of Mary and not Joseph. Luke emphasizes Mary’s position as the key character in the early chapters of his gospel. Mary’s role in Luke’s writings help us see her heart and subservient nature to the Heavenly Father’s plan. Her willingness to accept the supernatural announcement of a virgin birth, continuing to the hill country to visit and sing a spirit led song to Elizabeth, and then traveling with Joseph to Bethlehem demonstrated her submissive nature. Luke 2:19 states, “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” She was a godly young woman who trusted God’s word and work regardless of misunderstanding, accusations, and threatened abandonment.
Believers are often asked to walk by faith and not by sight. Mary is an example of how to accomplish an impossible event against seemingly incredible odds. Her unshakable grip upon the promise of God’s messenger and the encouragement of godly individuals to persevere, enabled her feat to be accomplished. What is God asking you to trust about Him? Is it a relationship, finances, a step of faith that could bring ridicule or possible desertion? Take heart, God is in control down to the fourth, fifth or sixth generation and is preparing the path He wants you to take.
With an Expectant Hope,
Pastor Miller
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