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Post by Admin on Aug 9, 2024 12:34:21 GMT -5
David A. Mapes 4h · ********************************************************************** Fri-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” Psalm 35:22-25 ********************************************************************** Dying grace and strength (Maria Sandberg, 1880) Many, including genuine Christians, suffer much due to the fear of death. But let us meditate on this assurance of our Savior, and see if faith in His blessed words will not chase away some portion, at least, of that fear of death which is so natural to man: "I am the living one. I died, but look--I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave!" Revelation 1:18 Jesus your Savior has the keys of of death and the grave--that is, of the unseen world. Oh! believer, you have trusted your Savior often, and will you not trust Him yet again? You have trusted in Him, and have not feared coming trials--and will you not trust in Him for dying grace and strength? He died to take away sin--the sting of death. He lives, yes, He is alive for evermore, to be with His people in their last hour, and to give them the victory over their last enemy, death! How often does He give a visible triumph to His servants in a dying hour: Fears are taken away, joy abounds, and Jesus is present to conduct them over the river of death. Fear not, then, O timid soul. Do not be anxious about dying. Jesus will give dying grace, to His dying people. Jesus, your Savior, has the keys of death and the grave. Trust in Him who died for you, but is alive forever and ever! "The last enemy to be destroyed is death!" 1 Corinthians 15:26 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin… But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 "He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears!" Isaiah 25:8 " . . . our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Timothy 1:10 "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!" Revelation 14:13 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 09, 2024, | Don Carson Ruth 2 The narrator has already told us that when Naomi and Ruth arrive back in Bethlehem it was the time of barley harvest (Ruth 1:22). Now (Ruth 2) the significance of that bit of information is played out. It was long-standing tradition, stemming from Mosaic Law, that landowners would not be too scrupulous about picking up every bit of produce from their land. That left something for the poor to forage (cf. Deut. 24:19-22; see meditation for June 19). So Ruth goes out and works behind the proper reapers in a field not too far from Jerusalem. She could not know that this field belonged to a wealthy landowner called Boaz — a distant relative of Naomi’s and Ruth’s future husband. The story is touching, with decent people acting decently on all fronts. On the one hand, Ruth proves to be a hard worker, barely stopping for rest (Ruth 2:7). She is painfully aware of her alien status (Ruth 2:10), but treats the locals with respect and courtesy. When she brings her hoard back to Naomi and relates all that has happened, another small aside reminds us that for a single woman to engage in such work at this point in Israel’s history was almost to invite molestation (Ruth 2:22) — which attests her courage and stamina. Naomi sees the hand of God. From a merely pragmatic perspective of gaining enough to eat, she is grateful, but when she hears the name of the man who owns the field, she not only recognizes the safety that this will provide for Ruth, but she realizes that Boaz is one of their “kinsman-redeemers” (Ruth 2:20) — that is, one of those who under so-called levirate law could marry Ruth, with the result that their first son would carry on the legitimate rights and property entitlements of her original husband. But it is Boaz who is, perhaps, seen in the best light. Without a trace of romance at this stage, he shows himself to be not only concerned for the poor, but a man who is touched by the calamities of others, and who quietly wants to help. He has heard of Naomi’s return and of the persistent faithfulness of this young Moabitess. He instructs his own workers to provide for her needs, to ensure her safety, and even leave behind some extra bits of grain so that Ruth’s labor will be well rewarded. Above all, he is a man of faith as well as of integrity, a point we hear in his first conversation with the woman who would one day be his bride: “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (Ruth 2:12). Well said — for the Lord is no one’s debtor. ********************************************************************** August 9 The End of the Gospel Devotional by John Piper Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:9–11) What do we need to be saved from? Verse 9 states it clearly: the wrath of God. “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” But is that the highest, best, fullest, most satisfying prize of the gospel? No. Verse 10 says “much more . . . shall we be saved by his life.” Then verse 11 takes it all the way up to the ultimate end and goal of the gospel: “more than that, we also rejoice in God.” That is the final and highest good of the good news. There is not another “more than that” after that. There is only Paul’s saying how we got there, “through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” The end of the gospel is “we rejoice in God.” The highest, fullest, deepest, sweetest good of the gospel is God himself, enjoyed by his redeemed people. God in Christ became the price (Romans 5:6–8), and God in Christ became the prize (Romans 5:11). The gospel is the good news that God bought for us the everlasting enjoyment of God. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 10, 2024 8:39:14 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Satur-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! Psalm 35:26 ********************************************************************** The Sun of righteousness (Charles Spurgeon, "The Sun of Righteousness") "But for you who revere my name, the Sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings!" Malachi 4:2 The golden tressed sun is the most glorious object in creation; and in Jesus, the fullness of glory dwells. The sun is at the same time the most influential of existences, acting upon the whole world. Just so our Lord is, in the deepest sense--both eye and soul of this great world. He with benevolent ray--sheds beauty, life, and joy from above. The sun is, moreover, the most abiding of creatures; and therein it is also a type of Him who remains from generation to generation, and is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The 'king of day' is so vast and so bright that the human eye cannot bear to gaze upon him. We delight in his beams, but we would be blinded should we continue to peer into his face. Even yet more brilliant is our Lord by nature--for as God, He is a consuming fire. But He deigns to smile upon us with milder beams, as our brother and Redeemer. Jesus, like the sun, is…the center and soul of all things, the fullness of all good, the lamp that lights us, the fire that warms us, the magnet that guides and controls us. Jesus is the source and fountain of all…life, beauty, fruitfulness, and strength. Jesus is…the fosterer of tender herbs of penitence, the quickener of the vital sap of grace, the ripener of fruits of holiness, and the life of everything that grows within the garden of the Lord. Whereas to adore the sun would be idolatry--it is treason not to ardently worship the divine Sun of righteousness. As the sun is the center, so is Christ to His people. As the sun is the great source of power, so is Christ to His people. As the sun is the fountain from which light, life, and heat perpetually flow, so is the Savior to His people. As the sun is the fructifier by which fruits multiply and ripen, so is Christ to His people. Enthrone Jesus as the central sun of your hearts! Bask in his beams, and let Him rule your entire being…enlightening your understanding; warming your hearts; filling all your powers, passions, and faculties with the fullness of His presence. Come and lay your souls beneath His divine influence. Come, plunge into this sea of sweetness, dive deep into this abyss of happiness! ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 10, 2024, | Don Carson Ruth 3–4 Scholars disagree somewhat over the social significance of each action taken in Ruth 3–4, but the general line is clear enough. Almost certainly the levirate laws, which allowed or mandated men to marry widowed in-laws under certain circumstances to keep the family name alive, were not followed very consistently. Following Naomi’s instruction, Ruth takes a little initiative: she lies down at Boaz’s feet in a “men only” sleeping area. When he wakes up, she says, “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer” (Ruth 3:9). This was an invitation, but not a cheap one. It signaled her willingness to become his wife, if Boaz will discharge his duties as a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz takes this as a compliment: apparently there is enough difference between their ages (Ruth 3:10, plus his habit of referring to Ruth as “my daughter”) that he is touched by her willingness to marry him instead of one of the young men. The story plays out with romantic integrity. Hollywood would hate it: there is no blistering sex, certainly not of the premarital variety. But there is a seductive charm to the account, allied with a wholesome respect for tradition and procedure, and a knowing grasp of human nature. Hence, Naomi confidently predicts that Boaz “will not rest until the matter is settled today” (Ruth 3:18). She is right, of course. The town gate is the place for public agreements, and there Boaz marshals ten elders as witnesses and gently demands that the one person who is a closer relative to Naomi (and therefore with the right of “first refusal”) discharge the obligations of kinsman-redeemer or legally abandon the claim (Ruth 4:1-4). Apparently at this point the marriage rights are tied to ownership of the land of the deceased husband. This particular kinsman-redeemer would love to obtain the land, but does not want to marry Ruth. Her firstborn son in such a union would maintain the property and family heritage of the deceased husband; later sons would inherit from the natural father. But the situation is messy. Suppose Ruth bore only one son? So Boaz marries Ruth, and in due course she gives birth to a son, whom they call Obed. Naomi is provided not only with a grandson, but with a family eager and able to look after her. At one level, this is a simple story of God’s faithfulness in the little things of life, at a time of social malaise, religious declension, political confusion, and frequent anarchy. God still has his people — working hard, acting honorably, marrying, bearing children, looking after the elderly. They could not know that Obed’s was the line that would sire King David — and, according to the flesh, King Jesus. ********************************************************************** August 10 Have Mercy on Me, O God Devotional by John Piper Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. (Psalm 51:1) Three times: “Have mercy,” “according to your steadfast love,” and “according to your abundant mercy.” This is what God had promised in Exodus 34:6–7: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.” David knew that there were guilty who would not be forgiven. And there were guilty who by some mysterious work of redemption would not be counted as guilty, but would be forgiven. Psalm 51 is his way of laying hold on that mystery of mercy. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” We know more of the mystery of this redemption than David did. We know Christ. But we lay hold of the mercy in the same way he did. The decisive thing he does is turn, helpless, to the mercy and love of God. Today that means turning, helpless, to Christ, whose blood secures all the mercy we need. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 14, 2024 10:35:12 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Wednes-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Psalm 36:7-9 ********************************************************************** The Lamb's bride! (Henry Law, 1854) Revelation 19:7, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready!" Every true Christian is part of the redeemed Church--the Bride, the Lamb's wife! She was beloved by the Heavenly Bridegroom before time began, with an unfathomable and immutable love! She is endowed by Him with all that He has, and with all that He is. She has a priceless inheritance reserved in Heaven for her--pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay! He has placed all the precious...promises as a treasure in her hands. His providences guide and defend her path. His righteousness is her beauteous robe, rendering her fit to shine forever in the palace of the heavenly King. Her seat is prepared beside Him on His throne. It would exhaust all time to give a brief survey of the glories which adorn her! Jesus enriches His chosen bride with the best of gifts! He withholds nothing precious from her. All of His attributes are her grand inheritance! His wisdom is hers to guide her! His power is hers to uphold her! His love is as the sun to cheer her! His faithfulness and truth are her shield and support! His Spirit is hers, to comfort, to teach, to solace, and to bless her! His righteousness is hers, to be her spotless robe. His Heaven is hers, to be her home! His throne is hers, to be her seat! His glory is hers, to be her crown! His eternity is hers, that she may rejoice forever! "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" Revelation 19:9 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 14, 2024, | Don Carson Devotional: 1 Samuel 4 When people know little about the God who has actually disclosed himself, it is terribly easy for them to sink into some perverted view of this God, until the image held of him has very little to do with the reality. One can understand the Philistines’ ignorance (1 Sam. 4). In their polytheistic world, full of idols providing concrete representations of their gods, the arrival of the ark of the covenant in the Israelite camp is understood to be the arrival of the Israelite god (1 Sam. 4:6-7). But this god, even if he proved so powerful that he could at one point take on the Egyptians, is merely one more god, finite, limited, local. So the Philistines, having to choose between buckling under and courageous defiance, opt for the latter, and win. Implicit in their win are an assumption and a result: the assumption is that God is no longer laying on the hearts of the Canaanites the mortal dread of the Israelites that had accompanied the early Israelite victories (and this spells judgment for the Israelites); the result is that the Philistines will now have an even more diminished view of God. Knowing the God of the Bible, we can be certain that this is a situation that will not last long; God will take action to defend his own glory. The Israelites’ ignorance of God is wholly without excuse, but is of a piece with the horrible declension toward the end of the period of the judges. They are getting trounced by the Philistines. Their theological reasoning is so bad that they think they can reverse the fortunes of war by bringing the ark of the covenant into the military camp like an oversized good-luck charm. The writer hints at the sheer preposterousness of the notion; they bring “the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim” (1 Sam. 4:4). Sadly, Eli’s sons, the priests Hophni and Phinehas, are complicit in these arrangements. Is God’s favor so easily manipulated? Does he care as much about the location of a box as he does about the conduct and (in)fidelity of his image-bearers and covenant community? What kind of pared-down and domesticated image of God did the leaders of Israel hold at this juncture that they should utter such nonsense? Yesterday I received in the mail a letter from one of America’s premier television preachers, inviting me to send money and offering me in return a Christmas tree ornament of an “angel” with a trumpet, to remind me that God had commanded the angel looking after me to blow a trumpet to celebrate me. What kind of pared-down and domesticated image of God do such leaders hold that they should utter such nonsense? ********************************************************************** August 14 God Forgives and Is Still Just Devotional by John Piper Nathan the prophet comes to David after his adultery and murder and says, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” (2 Samuel 12:13–14) This is outrageous. Uriah is dead. Bathsheba is raped. The baby will die. And Nathan says, “The Lord has put away your sin.” Just like that? David committed adultery. He ordered murder. He lied. He “despised the word of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:9). He scorned God. And the Lord simply “put away [his] sin”?! What kind of a righteous Judge is God? You don’t just pass over rape and murder and lying. Righteous judges don’t do that. This was one of Paul’s greatest theological problems — very different from the ones people struggle with today: how can God forgive sin and still be righteous? Here is what Paul said in Romans 3:25–26: God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. In other words, the outrage that we feel when God seems to simply pass over David’s sin would be good outrage if God were simply sweeping David’s sin under the rug. He is not. God sees, from the time of David, down the centuries to the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, who would die in David’s place, so that David’s faith in God’s mercy and God’s future redeeming work unites David with Christ. And in God’s all-knowing mind, David’s sins are counted as Christ’s sins and Christ’s righteousness is counted as his righteousness, and God justly passes over David’s sin for Christ’s sake. The death of the Son of God is outrageous enough, and the glory of God that it upholds is great enough, that God is vindicated in passing over David’s adultery and murder and lying. And ours. And so God maintains his perfect righteousness and justice while atthe same time showing mercy to those who have faith in Jesus, no matter how many or how monstrous their sins. This is unspeakably good news.
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Post by Admin on Aug 15, 2024 9:36:05 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Thurs-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise. Psalm 36:10-12 ********************************************************************** The smallest viper in the nest of your heart! (Charles Spurgeon, "The Old Man Crucified!") Depend upon it, if ever your sins are to die, it must be with the power of Christ. You will find that you cannot kill the smallest viper in the nest of your heart, if you get away from the cross. There is no death for sin, except in the death of Christ. Stand and look up to His dear wounds, trust in the merit of His blood. If you love Jesus with a perfect heart, then sin killing will not be difficult. The killing of your sin is not in your power, but if Jesus goes with you, it will be done. I have known some people struggle against a horrible temper, and they never quite overcame it until they grew into closer communion with Christ. The mightiest gun to blow down the strongholds of sin within me, is to flee to the cross of Christ! I am persuaded that nothing but the blood of Jesus will kill sin. You must get to Christ, nearer to Christ--and you will overcome sin. Fight with your sins! Hack them in pieces, as Samuel did Agag. Let not one of them escape. Take them as Elijah took the prophets of Baal, and hew them in pieces before the Lord. Think more of Jesus' cross, spend more time in contemplation of His blessed person, drink in more of His life, and live more upon Him! If I had but one sentence that I might utter to you believers, I think I should make it this: live nearer to Christ! If you get away from your Master, you will be undone. All virtues flourish, in the atmosphere of the cross. All vices die, beneath the shade of the cross. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me!" Galatians 2:20 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 15, 2024, | Don Carson Devotional: 1 Samuel 5–6 God is never amused at being treated with contempt, nor by having his explicit instructions ignored or defied. For then he would not be God. God is well able to defend himself. In 1 Samuel 5–6, the unfolding account can be as restrained as it is precisely because it is as obvious to the reader as it was to the Philistines that God himself is behind the tragic illnesses and deaths they were suffering. The surprises began with the capsizing of their fish god, Dagon. It soon spread to a plague of rats, an epidemic of tumors, multiplying deaths — and not only in the city of Ashdod, to which the ark of the covenant was first taken, but in other cities to which it was transported — Gath and Ekron. Panic ensued. But at the end of the day, all the phenomena the Philistines were experiencing could have been natural. That’s not what they thought, of course; but still, it was difficult to be sure. So the Philistine priests concoct a test so much against nature that should the test succeed, the people will be convinced that what they are suffering comes from the hand of “Israel’s god” (1 Sam. 6:5, 7-9). The cows are separated from their calves and draw along the cart to Beth Shemesh, on the Israelite side: God himself plays along with their superstitions and their fears. While the Israelites rejoice at the return of the ark of the covenant, “God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the LORD” (1 Sam. 6:19). There is no reason to think this happened instantaneously. If one had peeked into it and been struck down immediately, others would have been pretty quickly discouraged from doing so. There is no hint that a blinding and consuming light swept out of the opened box and melted the flesh off people, like some sort of ancient Harrison Ford film. Rather, seventy men from Beth Shemesh looked into the ark (which of course was strictly forbidden under pain of death), and doubtless saw what was there: the tablets of stone (apparently the pot of old manna and Aaron’s rod that budded had disappeared, perhaps removed by the Philistines). Then the deaths started, all premature, by whatever means — and the only commonality was that they were occurring among men who had looked into the ark. “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?” the people ask (1 Sam. 6:20) — not intending to learn the ways of holiness, but to get rid of the ark — precisely the same pattern as in the pagan cities. God will not be treated with contempt, nor forever permit his covenant people to ignore his words. ********************************************************************** August 15 What We Were Made For Devotional by John Piper Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18) The greatest good of the good news — the gospel — is the enjoyment of fellowship with God himself. This is made explicit here in 1 Peter 3:18 in the phrase “that he might bring us to God.” That’s why Jesus died. All the other gifts of the gospel exist to make this one possible. We are forgiven so that our guilt does not keep us away from God. We are justified so that our condemnation does not keep us away from God. God is propitiated so that his wrath doesn’t stand between us and God as our Father. We are given eternal life now, with new bodies in the resurrection, so that we have the capacities for being with God forever and enjoying God to the fullest. Test your heart. Why do you want forgiveness? Why do you want to be justified? Why do you want the wrath of God to be propitiated? Why do you want eternal life? Is the decisive answer, “Because I want to enjoy God now and forever”? The gospel-love that God gives is ultimately the gift of himself. This is what we were made for. This is what we lost because of our sin. This is what Christ came to restore. “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 16, 2024 10:58:08 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Fri-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Psalm 37:1-2 ********************************************************************** Herod's birthday ball! (Horatius Bonar) "But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias's daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he promised with an oath to give her anything she wanted. At her mother's urging, the girl asked, 'I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!' So John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother." Matthew 14:6-11 Herod's birthday ball was a high and royal festival. Pomp, splendor, luxury, and lust were all gathered there. In the midst of the song, and the glitter, and the mirth, there was one troubled conscience, that of Herod—one trembling man, Herod. His soul was ill at ease, though surrounded with all that the world could give to banish care. His course of sin had been begun and persevered in. He was braving out his crimes; and like worldly men in such circumstances, he rushes into gaiety to drown his troubles and terrors. The pleasures of the feast and the ball-room, the song and the dance—these are welcomed to induce forgetfulness, and "minister to a diseased mind." In how many cases do men fly to the ball, the theater, the card-table, the tavern, the riotous party—not simply for pleasure's sake, and to "taste life's glad moments," but to drown care, to smother conscience, to efface convictions, to laugh away the impressions of the last sermon, to soothe an uneasy mind, to relieve the burden, to pluck out the sting of conscious guilt! O slaughter-houses of souls! O slaughter-houses, reeking with blood! O lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life—when will you cease to intoxicate, and lead men captive at your will? O God-forgetting gaiety! O dazzling worldliness! O glittering halls of midnight—when, when will you cease to be resorted to by men to "heal the hurt" of the human soul, to still its throb and heartache, and to soothe the unsoothable wound? It is a gay scene. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life are there! All that can minister to these are there. Herod is there, feeding on lust, drinking in pleasure, stupefying conscience. The fair daughter is there, in all the splendor of gay wantonness. And the vile mother is there, lascivious and revengeful. And the courtiers are there, in pomp and glitter. Music and mirth are there. The dance and the song are there. No note of gloom—no indication of trouble. What a scene of mirth and revelry! These scenes of royal vanity are instructive; for they present the world in its most fascinating aspects. All that regal state, and princely beauty, and wealth, and gold, and silver, and gems, and tapestry, and blazing lamps can do to make this world fair, is in such scenes and haunts. These balls are the most seductive specimens of pure worldliness that can be found. Surely the god of this world knows how to enchant both ear and eye. In an assembly like this, the natural man is at home. Here the unregenerate heart gets full delight. It was during that ball, that the murder of John was plotted and consummated—that a drunken, lustful king, urged on by two women, perpetrated that foul deed! Such are the haunts of pleasure! Such are the masquerades of time. Lust is let loose; revenge rises up; murder rages; conscience is smothered; the floor of the ball-room is spotted with blood; the dancers may slip their feet in it, but the dance goes on! Such was the coarse worldliness of old days. But is the 'refined worldliness' of modern times less fatal to the soul? The ball is finished, and John lies dead in prison. What a picture of gaiety! What a specimen of ball-room revelry! And this is pleasure! This is the world's joy! Of the chief actors in this ball-room murder, nothing more is said. They pass to the judgment-seat, there to receive sentence for lust, rage, revenge and murder. They have sent John before them to the presence of his Judge to receive his reward. The day of recompense is coming! O gaieties of earth! Feasts, and revelings, and banquetings—how often have you slain both body and soul! Men call you innocent amusements, harmless pleasures. But can you be harmless, can you be innocent, when you steal away the soul from God, when you nurse the worst lusts of humanity, when you smother conscience, when you shut out Jesus, when the floors on which your votaries dance off their immortal felicity, are red with the blood of souls! ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 16, 2024, | Don Carson 1 Samuel 5–6 God is never amused at being treated with contempt, nor by having his explicit instructions ignored or defied. For then he would not be God. God is well able to defend himself. In 1 Samuel 5–6, the unfolding account can be as restrained as it is precisely because it is as obvious to the reader as it was to the Philistines that God himself is behind the tragic illnesses and deaths they were suffering. The surprises began with the capsizing of their fish god, Dagon. It soon spread to a plague of rats, an epidemic of tumors, multiplying deaths — and not only in the city of Ashdod, to which the ark of the covenant was first taken, but in other cities to which it was transported — Gath and Ekron. Panic ensued. But at the end of the day, all the phenomena the Philistines were experiencing could have been natural. That’s not what they thought, of course; but still, it was difficult to be sure. So the Philistine priests concoct a test so much against nature that should the test succeed, the people will be convinced that what they are suffering comes from the hand of “Israel’s god” (1 Sam. 6:5, 7-9). The cows are separated from their calves and draw along the cart to Beth Shemesh, on the Israelite side: God himself plays along with their superstitions and their fears. While the Israelites rejoice at the return of the ark of the covenant, “God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the LORD” (1 Sam. 6:19). There is no reason to think this happened instantaneously. If one had peeked into it and been struck down immediately, others would have been pretty quickly discouraged from doing so. There is no hint that a blinding and consuming light swept out of the opened box and melted the flesh off people, like some sort of ancient Harrison Ford film. Rather, seventy men from Beth Shemesh looked into the ark (which of course was strictly forbidden under pain of death), and doubtless saw what was there: the tablets of stone (apparently the pot of old manna and Aaron’s rod that budded had disappeared, perhaps removed by the Philistines). Then the deaths started, all premature, by whatever means — and the only commonality was that they were occurring among men who had looked into the ark. “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?” the people ask (1 Sam. 6:20) — not intending to learn the ways of holiness, but to get rid of the ark — precisely the same pattern as in the pagan cities. God will not be treated with contempt, nor forever permit his covenant people to ignore his words. ********************************************************************** August 16 Why You Give In to Sexual Sin Devotional by John Piper Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:8, 12) Why isn’t David crying out for sexual restraint? Why isn’t he praying for men to hold him accountable? Why isn’t he praying for protected eyes and sex-free thoughts? In this psalm of confession and repentance after essentially raping Bathsheba, you would expect David to ask for something like that. The reason is that he knows that sexual sin is a symptom, not the disease. People give way to sexual sin because they don’t have fullness of joy and gladness in Christ. Their spirits are not steadfast and firm and established. They waver. They are enticed, and they give way because God does not have the supreme place in their feelings and thoughts that he should. David knew this about himself. It’s true about us too. David is showing us, by the way he prays, what the real need is for those who sin sexually: God! Joy in God. This is profound wisdom for us. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 19, 2024 21:19:29 GMT -5
Reformed Baptist Fellowship & Theology Forum David A. Mapes · · David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Mon-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:7 ********************************************************************** Even in the midst of life's trials, uncertainties, and sorrows (Anonymous) The doctrine of Divine Providence is a profound and comforting truth, that reminds us of God's sovereign control over all things. This principle assures us that our Heavenly Father is not a distant, unconcerned deity--but rather a loving, all-powerful Creator, who intimately governs all the affairs of His universe, and every detail of our individual lives. Nothing happens by luck, or chance, or accident--but rather by the wise, good, and purposeful hand of our Almighty Governor. Even in the midst of life's trials, uncertainties, and sorrows, we can take solace in the knowledge that our steps are ordered by the Lord, that He works all things together for the eternal good of those who love Him, and that His providential care extends to the most insignificant sparrow and the flowers of the field. Though His ways are incomprehensible, we can trust…that God's Providence is perfect, that His timing is impeccable, and that His plans for us are for our eternal good, and His glory! As we walk by faith and not by sight, let us continually praise the Lord for His sovereign and loving oversight--resting in the assurance that our lives are safely held in the palm of His almighty hand. Though the future may be uncertain from our limited perspective, we can be certain that our Heavenly Father's Providence will unfailingly come to pass! "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" Romans 11:33 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 19, 2024, | Don Carson Romans 9 One of the important questions that the first Christians had to answer, as they bore witness to Jesus the Messiah, went something like this: “If Jesus really is the promised Messiah, how come so many Jews reject the claim?” Inevitably, there were variations: e.g., “If you Christians are right, doesn’t this mean that God didn’t keep his promises to the Jews?” or: “Why do apostles like Paul spend so much time evangelizing Gentiles, as if they’ve walked away from their own group?” Many complementary answers are provided in the pages of the New Testament to respond to these and similar questions. Here we note components of Paul’s answer (Rom. 9). First, whatever the focus on Gentiles within Paul’s ministry, he has never written off those of his own race. Far from it: he could wish himself damned if by so doing he could save them (Rom. 9:3). It would be easy to dismiss such language as hyperbole grounded in a merely hypothetical possibility. But the fact that Paul can write in such terms discloses, not an apostle who is merely a cool and analytic expert in apologetics, but a man with passion and extraordinary love for his own people. The church today urgently needs evangelists with the same kind of heart. Second, Paul insists that even if many Jews do not believe, it is not because God’s word has failed (Rom. 9:6). Far from it: it has never been the case that all of Abraham’s children would be included in the covenant. God insisted that the line would be through Isaac, not Ishmael or the children of Keturah (Rom. 9:7). To put the matter differently, only the “children of the promise” are regarded as Abraham’s offspring, not all the natural children (Rom. 9:8). Moreover, Paul had already reminded his readers of the promise to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Rom. 4:16–17), not Jews only. Third, the defense of these propositions takes a dramatic turn. God arranged a selection among the children of Abraham—and not only in Abraham’s generation but also with respect to the children of Isaac (Rom. 9:8–13)—“in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls” (Rom. 9:11–12). Nothing makes clearer the ultimacy of grace than the doctrine of election. God did not have to save any. If he saved one, it would be a great act of grace. Here he saves a vast number of guilty people, out of his grace alone, having compassion on whom he will (Rom. 9:15), as is his right (Rom. 9:16–24). Fourth, Old Testament Scripture had foreseen that one day the people of God would not be restricted to the Jewish race (Rom. 9:25–26). ********************************************************************** August 19 What the Resurrection Means for Us Devotional by John Piper If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) What does it mean to “believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead”? Satan believes that God raised Jesus from the dead. He saw it happen. To answer this question, we need to ponder what the resurrection means for God’s people. The meaning of the resurrection is that God is for us. He aims to close ranks with us. He aims to overcome all our sense of abandonment and alienation. The resurrection of Jesus is God’s declaration to Israel and to the world that we cannot work our way to glory, but that he intends to do the impossible to get us there. The resurrection is the promise of God that all who trust Jesus will be the beneficiaries of God’s power to lead us in paths of righteousness and through the valley of death. Therefore, believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is much more than accepting a fact. It means being confident that God is for you, that he has closed ranks with you, that he is transforming your life, and that he will save you for eternal joy. Believing in the resurrection means trusting in all the promises of life and hope and righteousness for which it stands. It means being so confident of God’s power and love that no fear of worldly loss or greed for worldly gain will lure us to disobey his will. That’s the difference between Satan and the saints. Oh, might God circumcise our hearts to love him (Deuteronomy 30:6) and to rest in the resurrection of his Son. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 20, 2024 15:08:16 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Tues-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. Psalm 37:8-9 ********************************************************************** Your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ! (Anonymous) Dear brethren, "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ!" 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 "Nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith." 1 Timothy 1:4 "He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions" 1 Timothy 6:4 "Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen!" 2 Timothy 2:14 "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels!" 2 Timothy 2:23 "Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless!" Titus 3:9 I appeal to all, whether the attention given to useless controversies and disputes does not divert the mind from Christ, and indispose the soul for communion with Him. They tend to eat out the life and savor of piety, and to make the soul lean and dry. They lead us astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ! Have a higher regard for Christ than to run after foolish academic controversies, which only draw you away from Him. Value Him then, as you ought. Love Him as you ought. Follow Him as you ought. Let all hollow and deceptive human reasoning be as rubbish in your estimation, in comparison with Him! Endeavor now to keep your mind engaged, as it will to all eternity be occupied in Heaven, in praising and magnifying Him who "loved you, and washed you from your sins in His own blood!" Revelation 1:5-6 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 20, 2024, | Don Carson Romans 10 Here I wish to reflect on one small part of Romans 10. As part of his insistence that Jews and Gentiles alike must be saved by faith or not at all, the apostle Paul reviews the fundamental Christian “word of faith”: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). This is then slightly expanded: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Rom. 10:10). The additional verse does not lay out salvation in two discrete steps: step one, believe in your heart and be justified; step two, confess with your mouth and be saved. This would almost imply that justification can take place apart from salvation, and that faith is an inadequate means that must be supplemented by confession. It would be closer to the apostle’s thought to say that the two lines are parallel—not because each says exactly the same thing as the other (they don’t), but because each throws light on the other, clarifying the other, expounding a little what the other means. Faith in the heart without confession with the mouth thus becomes unbelievable; conversely, confession with the mouth that is merely formal and not generated by faith in the heart is not what the apostle has in mind either. He propounds the faith that generates confession; this confession is borne along by faith. Out of this faith/confession comes justification/salvation—again, overlapping categories, such that in Paul you can’t have one without the other. So Paul drives the point home: in this respect there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for the same Lord is Lord of all, and blesses all who call on him, as Scripture says: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13; Joel 2:32). That means that Christians need to send people with the good news, for otherwise how shall people call on him of whom they have not heard (Rom. 10:14–15)? The point to observe is that the same Paul who insists so strongly in Romans 8–9 that God is unconditionally sovereign insists no less strongly in Romans 10 that people must believe in their hearts and confess gospel truth with their mouths if they are to be saved, and lays on the conscience of believers the imperative to bring this good news to those who have not heard. Any theology that attempts to diminish God’s sovereignty by appealing to human freedom is as profoundly un-Pauline as any theology that somehow diminishes human responsibility and accountability by appealing to some crude, divine fatalism. ********************************************************************** August 20 Jesus Is Who You’re Looking For Devotional by John Piper “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20) The last chapter of Matthew is a window that opens onto the sunrise glory of the risen Christ. Through it you can see at least three massive peaks in the mountain range of Christ’s character: the peak of his power; the peak of his kindness; and the peak of his purposefulness. All authority is his — the right and the power to do his will. And he uses this power to pursue his unwavering purpose to make disciples from all the nations. And in the process he is personally kind to us, promising to be with us to the end. We all know in our hearts that if the risen Christ is going to satisfy our desire to admire greatness, that is the way he has to be. Great in power. Great in kindness. Great in purposefulness. People who are too weak to accomplish their purposes can’t satisfy our desire to admire greatness. We admire people even less who have no purpose in life. And still less those whose purposes are merely selfish and unkind. What we long to see and know is a Person whose power is unlimited, whose kindness is tender, and whose purpose is single and unflinching. Novelists and poets and movie-makers and TV writers now and then create a shadow of this Person. But they can no more fill our longing to worship than this month’s National Geographic can satisfy my longing for the Grand Canyon. We must have the real thing. We must see the Original of all power and kindness and purposefulness. We must see and worship the risen Christ. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 22, 2024 0:53:34 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Wednes-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. Psalm 37:8-9 ********************************************************************** Had a stranger come into one of our church services (Charles Simeon) Isaiah 29:13, "The Lord says: These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me!" In our church services, we go through all the external bodily motions; but as to the prostration of the soul, we are for the most part oblivious and unconcerned. We think that we have done our duty to God, if we have gone through the appointed external rituals, though our heart has not accorded with the body in any part of the service. In truth, our services have been hypocritical throughout. Had a stranger come into one of our church services, and overheard our glowing praises, and our solemn confessions, petitions, and thanksgivings--he would have supposed that we were the most humble, spiritual, and devout people in the universe! But had he been privy to the real state of our hearts--then how little would he have seen: of earnest ardor in our praises, or of honest humiliation in our confessions, or of sincere fervor in our petitions, or of genuine gratitude in our thanksgivings! He would see that the state of our hearts indicated that we felt nothing, and meant nothing--at the very time that we professed to mean so much and feel so much! For the most part, he would have seen that the whole of our service was only a solemn mockery; that instead of being genuine worshipers of our majestic and holy God--for the most part, we were but insincere hypocrites! Let me ask, in the name of God Himself: What reason you can have to think that God would accept such services as these? If, indeed, God were like ourselves, and could see only the outward appearance, then we might hope that, being deceived by us--He would be pleased with us. But when we bear in mind, that the omniscient God knows…our every secret thought, our every secret desire, our every secret motive, and that He perfectly searches our heart, and knows our thoughts--then we must be sure that our very services are an abomination in His sight! "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me! They worship Me in vain." Mark 7:6, 7 J.C. Ryle: In all our Christian duties, whether giving or praying, the great thing to be kept in mind, is that we have a heart-searching and all-knowing God! Everything like mere formal worship, is abominable and worthless in God's sight. The one thing which His all-seeing eye looks at, is the nature of our motives, and the state of our hearts! "Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts!" 1 Chronicles 28:9 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 21, 2024, | Don Carson Romans 11 Romans 11 has been understood in mutually contradictory ways. There is not space here to list them, let alone evaluate them. I shall simply lay out the flow of Paul’s argument as I see it. (1) Does Paul’s argument in Romans 9–10 mean that God has utterly abandoned “his people,” that is, the Israelites? Paul pens a hearty “No way!”—“By no means!” (Rom. 11:1). The first bit of counter-evidence (Rom. 11:1–6) is that Paul himself is a Jew, a Benjamite at that (one of the two tribes that did not break away from the Davidic dynasty after the death of Solomon). In other words, one cannot say that God has cast away the Israelites if Israelites are still being saved. Moreover, it never was the case that all Israelites demonstrated transforming grace. For instance, when Elijah, in a desperate depression, thought he was the only one left, the Lord informed him that he had reserved seven thousand loyal Israelites who had never succumbed to Baal worship (1 Kings 19:4, 10, 18; see also the October 16 meditation). So likewise in Paul’s time and in ours: God has preserved a “remnant” of Jews who have proved faithful to God’s ongoing self-disclosure. From God’s perspective, it is a remnant “chosen by grace,” and therefore not grounded in something as feeble as works (Rom. 11:5–6). (2) But if the nation as a whole, in line with scriptural prophecies, stumbled so badly (Rom. 11:7–10), does this mean there is no hope for them, that they are “beyond recovery? Not at all!” (Rom. 11:11). For in the sweep of God’s redeeming purposes, the substantial hardening of the Jews has been the trigger that has spread the Gospel to the Gentiles—and “if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles,” and “if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,” then “how much greater riches will their fullness bring,” and “what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:12, 15). This sounds very much as if Paul envisages a major swing still future to his own day. In the providence of God, the “rejection” of much of Israel has meant much grace for the Gentiles; the “acceptance” of much of Israel will mean even more grace for the world. Paul envisages a major turning to Jesus on the part of his fellow Jews, a turning that will issue in still greater gospel outreach worldwide. (3) Paul draws some practical lessons for his Gentile Christian readers, using an analogy of a tree with branches broken off and grafted on (Rom. 11:17–25). But the culminating high point of his argument is his acclamation of the unfathomable wisdom and knowledge of God in bringing about this spectacular result (Rom. 11:33–36). ********************************************************************** August 21 An Unshakably Happy God Devotional by John Piper “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) God is absolutely sovereign. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). Therefore, he is not frustrated. He rejoices in all his works when he contemplates them as colors of the magnificent mosaic of redemptive history. He is an unshakably happy God. His happiness is foundationally the delight he has in himself. Before creation, he rejoiced in the image of his glory in the person of his Son — his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Then the joy of God “went public” in the works of creation and redemption. These works delight the heart of God because they reflect his glory. The heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works” (Psalm 104:31). He does everything he does to preserve and display that glory, for in this his soul rejoices. All the works of God culminate in the praises of his redeemed people. “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” (Psalm 150:2). The climax of his happiness is the delight he takes in the echoes of his excellence in the praises of the saints. “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:10–11). But our praise is not only God’s delight, as an echo of his excellence; it is also the apex of our joy. Praise is the consummation of the joy we have in seeing and savoring the greatness of God. Therefore, God’s pursuit of praise from us and our pursuit of pleasure in him are the same pursuit. This is the great outcome of the gospel of the glory of the grace of God in Christ! **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 22, 2024 13:09:38 GMT -5
Reformed Baptist Fellowship & Theology Forum David A. Mapes · · David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Thurs-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. Psalm 37:10-11 ********************************************************************** Choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures! J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858) "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." Luke 8:14 The things of this life form one of the greatest dangers which beset a Christian's path. The money, the pleasures, the daily business of the world--these are so many traps to catch souls. Scandalous and loathsome sins are not the only thing that damn souls! Thousands of things, which in themselves are innocent--when followed to excess, become idols, and are little better than soul-poisons and helps to Hell! In the midst of our families, and in the pursuit of our lawful callings--we have need to be on our guard. Unless we watch and pray, these temporal things may rob us of Heaven, and choke out every sermon we hear. We may live and die, as thorny ground hearers. "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." Luke 8:14 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 22, 2024, | Don Carson Romans 12 Among the major points that Paul has been making in his letter to the Romans is the sheer gratuity of grace, the amazing measure of mercy that has won Jews and Gentiles alike. Alike we are guilty; alike we are justified, forgiven, renewed, owing to the measureless mercy of God. In view of such mercy, Paul urges his readers “to offer [their] bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Rom. 12:1). We are so familiar with this verse that its strangeness no longer strikes us. In the ancient world, a sacrifice must be living to begin with, of course, but what makes it a sacrifice is that it is put to death. But Paul wants us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, that is, as ongoing “sacrifices” that respond to God’s mercy by devoting ourselves, not least our bodies, to him. Such sacrifices are “holy and pleasing to him.” The idea is that in the light of the matchless mercy we have received, the least we will want to do is to be pleasing to him. Such sacrifices constitute our “spiritual worship.” The adjective rendered “spiritual” embraces both “spiritual” and “reasonable” or perhaps “rational.” These are not sacrifices offered in a temple, begun with a bloodletting, continued with a burning of the body, and completed in selective eating of the meat. New covenant worship is no longer bound up with the temple and the ritual demands of the Sinai covenant. The way we live, in response to the mercy of God, lies at the heart of Christian worship. If we want to know what this looks like, the second verse spells out the practicalities in principle, and the ensuing verses give them concrete form. To offer up our bodies in living sacrifice to God means conforming no longer to the pattern of this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). In other words, what is at issue is not merely external behavior, while inwardly we remain in the grip of carefully masked hate, lust, deceit, envy, greed, fear, bitterness, and arrogance. What is at issue is the transformation of the way we think, bringing our minds in line with the ways and Word of God. That will produce all the change in behavior that is necessary and wise—and that change will be radical. By this fundamental transformation, we shall be enabled to test and approve in our own experience what God’s will is—and find it “good, pleasing and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). In the light of Romans 8:9, doubtless the motivating power for this transformation is the Spirit of God. But that magnificent truth does not absolve us of resolve; it empowers it. ********************************************************************** August 22 Pleased to Praise Devotional by John Piper Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:3, 5) Why does God demand we must praise God? C.S. Lewis: Just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value. I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. There is the answer — the solution to the apparent egomania of God in demanding us to praise him! It is a demand for our greatest happiness. We praise what we enjoy because the delight is incomplete until it is expressed in praise. If we were not allowed to speak of what we value and celebrate what we love and praise what we admire, our joy would not be full. So, if God loves us enough to make our joy full, he must not only give us himself; he must also win from us the praise of our hearts — not because he needs to shore up some weakness in himself or compensate for some deficiency, but because he loves us and seeks the fullness of our joy that can be found only in knowing and praising him, the most magnificent of all beings. If he is truly for us, he must be for himself! God is the one Being in all the universe for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimately loving act. For him, self-exaltation is the highest virtue. When he does all things “to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12, 14), he preserves for us and offers to us the only thing in all the world that can satisfy our longings. God is for us! And the foundation of this love is that God has been, is now, and always will be for himself. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 23, 2024 11:31:34 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Fri-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. Psalm 37:12-13 ********************************************************************** The consolations of Jesus! (John MacDuff) Jeremiah 8:22, "Is there no Balm in Gilead? Is there no Physician there?" There is not a wounded bosom on earth for which there is not Balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. Christ is "the God of all consolation." He has…a remedy for every evil, an antidote for every sorrow, a cordial for every fainting heart, a hand of love to wipe every weeping eye, a heart of tenderness to sympathize with every sorrowful bosom, an arm of power to protect, a rod of love to chasten, immutable promises to encourage on earth, and an unfading crown of glory to bestow in Heaven! Jesus supplies…strength, in the hour of weakness; courage, in the hour of danger; faith, in the hour of darkness; comfort, in the hour of sorrow; and victory, in the hour of death! What are the world's consolations in comparison to this? Test them in the times when they are most needed, and they will be found to be the first to give way. They are nothing but broken reeds, and the sport of every tempest that desolates the heart. The consolations of Jesus are those alone which are independent of all times, and circumstances, and vicissitudes. They avail alike…in prosperity, and adversity, in joy, and sorrow, in health, and sickness, in life, and death! O tempest-tossed one, Jesus is your Balm! The drearier the desert, the sweeter and more refreshing are the streams of consolation of which He calls us to partake! "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light!" Matthew 11:28-30 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 23, 2024, | Don Carson 1 Samuel 15 Saul already has a checkered record. On the one hand, he courageously rescued the city of Jabesh from the Ammonites and displayed an admirable restraint in the early use of his royal power (1 Sam. 11). Nevertheless it was not long before he starts treating the Lord God as a talisman, and his word as the equivalent of a magical or astrological hint of what he should do, rather than something that is first of all to be reverenced and obeyed (1 Sam. 13). By chapter 14, only the intervention of his own men keeps him from killing his son Jonathan over a promise that should never have been made and should certainly not have been kept (compare the meditation for July 28). Here in 1 Samuel 15, several traits of character ensure that Saul will not head a dynasty. He will be replaced by another king. (1) Despite explicit instructions from the Lord regarding the Amalekites, Saul and his army spare the best sheep and cattle, and even the Amalekite King Agag, perhaps as a kind of trophy. Worse, Saul then lies about this to Samuel—as if God could be deceived. The lie betrays the fact that by this time Saul is thinking without reference to an all-knowing God; he is thinking like a mere politician, like a pagan or a secularist. (2) Samuel understands the heart of the problem to lie in Saul’s changed perceptions of himself (1 Sam. 15:17): at one time he was small in his own eyes, and could scarcely imagine being king. Now he is ready to lie to God’s prophet and never, never, truly repent. (3) Saul changes his tactics, and insists that the reason he kept the best sheep and cattle was to offer a great sacrifice to the Lord. There is nothing like a little religious patter to pull the wool over some people’s eyes. But not Samuel’s. “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?” he asks. “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry” (1 Sam. 15:22–23). Such reminders need to be enshrined in contemporary evangelicalism. (4) So Saul offers formal repentance—but makes the excuse that he was afraid of the people. He simply will not face his own responsibility—and Samuel sees this clearly (1 Sam. 15:24–26). (5) Saul tries formal repentance once more; but once again he betrays his own heart when he shows that he finds it more important to be honored before the elders of Israel than by the God of Israel (1 Sam. 15:30–31). We are lost when human opinion means more to us than God’s. ********************************************************************** August 23 God Is Not an Idolater Devotional by John Piper When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:10) Paul says that Christ is coming precisely to be glorified and to be marveled at. That is why he is coming. People stumble over the teaching that God exalts his own glory and seeks to be praised by his people because the Bible teaches us not to be like that. For example, the Bible says that love “does not seek its own” (1 Corinthians 13:5, NASB). How can God be loving and yet be utterly devoted to “seeking his own” glory and praise and joy? How can God be for us if he is so utterly for himself? The answer I propose is this: Because God is unique as an all-glorious, totally self-sufficient Being, he must be for himself if he is to be for us. The rules of humility that belong to a creature cannot apply in the same way to its Creator. If God should turn away from himself as the Source of infinite joy, he would cease to be God. He would deny the infinite worth of his own glory. He would imply that there is something more valuable outside himself. He would commit idolatry. This would be no gain for us. For where can we go when our God has become unrighteous? Where will we find a Rock of integrity in the universe when the heart of God has ceased to value supremely the supremely valuable? Where shall we turn with our adoration when God himself has forsaken the claims of infinite worth and beauty? No, we do not turn God’s self-exaltation into love by demanding that God cease to be God. Instead, we must come to see that God is love precisely because he relentlessly pursues the praises of his name in the hearts of his people. Our praise for his greatness is the capstone of our joy and his greatness. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 24, 2024 9:29:50 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Satur-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. Psalm 37:14-15 ********************************************************************** Worm Jacob! (John MacDuff, "Help for the Feeble") Isaiah 41:14, "Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob! O little Israel, for I Myself will help you! declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Worm Jacob! What weakness! What insignificance! What unworthiness! Yet it is this helpless, groveling "worm," that receives God's sympathy, and has the assurance of His almighty aid. Believer, beaten down it may be, with a great fight of affliction; or trembling under a sense of your unworthiness and guilt; mourning…the coldness of your faith, the lukewarmness of your love, the frequency of your backslidings, the fitfulness of your best purposes, and the feebleness of your best services--your God draws near to you. He remembers that though you are a worm, still you are "worm Jacob!" His own beloved one. "I Myself will help you!" Yes, poor, weak, trembling one; the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One, loves to draw near to His redeemed people in the extremity of their weakness. "I Myself will help you" is enough for all the emergencies of the present, and all the contingencies of an untried, and, it may be, a dark future! "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth!" Psalm 121:2 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 24, 2024, | Don Carson 1 Samuel 16 The anointing of David as King over Israel (1 Sam. 16:1–13), even though his enthronement is years away, is full of interest. (1) Sometimes prophets and preachers are slower to let go of a bad leader than God Almighty (1 Sam. 16:1). This is not because we are more compassionate than God, but because inertia or nostalgia or personal bonds of affection blind us to the sheer damage the leader is doing. For all his compassion, God is never blinded. (2) Saul was elevated to the throne by God’s sanction. Is he so foolish as to think that he can outwit God in order to keep it? It is terribly sad to find Samuel afraid to anoint the next king, because Saul will kill anyone, even a prophet of God, who threatens a dynasty that God himself has declared will never be established. (3) Saul had looked very promising when he was first elevated to the throne. Now Samuel thinks he can detect kingly material in the sons of Jesse—Eliab, for instance, the firstborn. But God says, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). This is a lesson that must be learned afresh, especially in our day, for our day loves images more than reality. Even some preachers devote more thought to how “to dress for success” and how to develop a compelling and authoritative voice than they do to maintaining a pure heart. (4) The most important factor in the life and service of David is that the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him “in power” (1 Sam. 16:13). This is the regular experience of those prophets, priests, kings, and a few other leaders, who were given special roles under the terms of the old covenant. However difficult it is to be discerning in such matters, one cannot say too often or too loudly that what the church needs are leaders with unction—a word favored by the Puritans. It simply means “anointing,” i.e., an anointing by the Spirit. Is that too much to ask, in an age when under the terms of the new covenant all of the covenant people of God receive the Spirit poured out at Pentecost? (5) Those who know their Bibles cannot help but feel a thrill of excitement at the simple words of 1 Samuel 16:12. There the Lord tells Samuel with respect to David, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” Indeed, David was the one. Here are the inauspicious beginnings of a major new step in the history of redemption, one that leads directly to David’s most eminent descendant—and his Lord. ********************************************************************** August 24 The Message of Creation Devotional by John Piper Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:22–23) It would be a great folly and a great tragedy if a man loved his wedding ring more than he loved his bride. But that is what this passage says has happened. Human beings have fallen in love with the echo of God’s excellence in creation, and lost the ability to hear the incomparable, original shout of love and power and glory. The message of creation is this: There is a great God of glory and power and generosity behind all this awesome universe; you belong to him because he made you. He is patient with you in sustaining your rebellious life. Turn and bank your hope on him and delight yourself in him, not merely his handiwork. According to Psalm 19:1–2, day pours forth the “speech” of that message to all who will listen in the day, speaking with blindingly bright sun and blue sky and clouds and untold shapes and colors and beautiful designs of all things visible. Night pours forth the “knowledge” of the same message to all who will listen at night, speaking with great dark voids and summer moons and countless stars and strange sounds and cool breezes and northern lights. Day and night are saying one thing: God is glorious! God is glorious! God is glorious! Turn away from the creation as your supreme satisfaction, and delight yourself in the Lord of glory. **********************************************************************
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Post by Admin on Aug 25, 2024 11:42:30 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Lord’s Day DAYSTAR-TERS: ********************************************************************** Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. Psalm 37:16-17 ********************************************************************** Pithy gems from John Flavel! LISTEN to Audio! ~ ~ ~ ~ The soul is of more value than ten thousand worlds! ~ ~ ~ ~ Whatever we have over-loved, idolized, and leaned upon, God has from time to time broken it, and made us to see the vanity of it. So that we find the readiest course to be rid of our comforts, is to set our hearts inordinately upon them! ~ ~ ~ ~ Brethren, it is easier to declaim against a thousand sins of others, than to mortify one sin in ourselves! ~ ~ ~ ~ Those who know God, will be humble. Those who know themselves, cannot be proud. ~ ~ ~ ~ Affliction is a bitter pill, which, being wrapped up in patience and quiet submission, may be easily swallowed. But discontent chews the pill, and so embitters the soul. ~ ~ ~ ~ When God gives you comforts, it is your great evil not to observe His hand in them. ~ ~ ~ ~ Jesus Christ is in every way sufficient to the vast desires of the soul! ~ ~ ~ ~ The Christian shall gain that which he cannot lose, by parting with that which he cannot keep. ~ ~ ~ ~ Jesus is the fountain, ocean, and center of all delights and joys! ~ ~ ~ ~ Out of Christ's condemnation, flows our justification. Out of His agony, comes our victory. Out of His pain, comes our ease. Out of His stripes, comes our healing. Out of His gall and vinegar, comes our honey. Out of His curse, comes our blessing. Out of His crown of thorns, comes our crown of glory. Out of His death, comes our life. O what a melting consideration is this! ~ ~ ~ ~ Christ is not sweet, until sin is made bitter to us! ~ ~ ~ ~ If God should damn you to all eternity, your eternal sufferings could not satisfy for the evil that is in one vain thought! O the depth of the evil of sin! ~ ~ ~ ~ ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 25, 2024, | Don Carson 1 Samuel 17 The names of David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17) conjure up a story many have known from their youth. Sometimes David is made into a very little boy, though in reality he is at least a young man who has bested both a lion and a bear. But today the pair of names becomes evocative of little people and organizations taking on the “Goliaths.” Doubtless there are lessons to be learned about courage and boldness, but the most important lessons lie on slightly different lines. (1) Perhaps one should first reflect on the slightly obscure chronology. At the end of 1 Samuel 16, David already appears in Saul’s court to play soothing music; yet after David’s fight with Goliath, Saul must still find out who the young man is (1 Sam. 17:55–58). Skeptical scholarship insists the problem cannot be resolved, and therefore infers that there is plenty of nonhistorical material here. Yet: (a) There is no particular reason why Saul should have made special inquiries into the background of just one more musician in the royal court, no matter how soothing he was. Saul may not have been motivated to find out until after the events in chapter 17. (b) More probably, the events in chapter 17 may have taken place before 15:14–23. Hebrew verbs do not convey time distinctions the way English verbs do, and it has been shown that there is no reason why we could not translate 17:1, “Now the Philistines had gathered …” etc., establishing important background for the relationship between Saul and David that occupies the attention of the succeeding chapters. (2) Although David’s words to army personnel (1 Sam. 17:26) could be taken as the impetuous arrogance of untested youth (and certainly David’s brother Eliab took them that way, 1 Sam. 17:28), behind the brashness is a transparent concern for the glory of God, a concern that drives him to answer Goliath without a hint of personal bravado but with an abundance of faith (1 Sam. 17:45–47). Of course, manipulators sometimes hide behind God-talk. But David is not of that ilk. At this stage of life he might be faulted for lacking the polish of self-restraint, but at least his heart is in the right place. (3) Above all, one must not read this chapter without remembering Samuel’s anointing of David: “from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power” (1 Sam. 16:13). There lies the source of the God-centeredness, the source of the courage, of the unerring aim, the great victory, and the elevation of the name and glory of God. The text calls us not to admire David the man and no more, but to ponder what the Spirit of God may do with one person. ********************************************************************** August 25 When God’s Love Is Sweetest Devotional by John Piper Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. (Ephesians 5:25–26) If you only hope for unconditional love from God, your hope is great, but too small. Unconditional love from God is not the sweetest experience of his love. The sweetest experience is when his love says, “I have made you so much like my Son that I delight to see you and be with you. You are a pleasure to me, because you are so radiant with my glory.” This sweetest experience is conditional on our transformation into the kind of people whose emotions and choices and actions please God. Unconditional love is the source and foundation of the human transformation that makes the sweetness of conditional love possible. If God did not love us unconditionally, he would not penetrate our unattractive lives, bring us to faith, unite us to Christ, give us his Spirit, and make us progressively like Jesus. But when he unconditionally chooses us, and sends Christ to die for us, and regenerates us, he puts in motion an unstoppable process of transformation that makes us glorious. He gives us a splendor to match his favorite kind: his own. We see this in Ephesians 5:25–27. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [unconditional love], that he might sanctify her . . . and present the church to himself in splendor” — the condition in which he delights. It is unspeakably wonderful that God would unconditionally set his favor on us while we are still unbelieving sinners. The ultimate reason this is wonderful is that this unconditional love brings us into the everlasting enjoyment of his glorious presence. But the apex of that enjoyment is that we not only see his glory, but also reflect it. “The name of our Lord Jesus [will] be glorified in you, and you in him” (2 Thessalonians 1:12).
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Post by Admin on Aug 26, 2024 10:18:07 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Mon-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. Psalm 37:18-19 ********************************************************************** Who sees us? Who will know? (Charles Simeon) "The fool says in his heart: There is no God!" Psalm 14:1 "Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?" Job 21:15 "Yet you say: What does God know? Does He judge through such darkness?" Job 22:13 "The wicked think: God is not watching us! He has closed His eyes and won't even see what we do! God will never call us to account!" Psalm 10:11, 13 "They say: How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?" Psalm 73:11 "They say: The Lord does not see. The God of Jacob does not pay attention!" Psalm 94:7 "They are saying: The Lord does not see us. The Lord has abandoned the land!" Ezekiel 8:12 "They think: The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad!" Zephaniah 1:12 "You have said: What is the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands?" Malachi 3:14 Most people suppose that God has no concern about what is happening on earth, and that He will neither punish the wicked, nor reward the godly. Therefore they imagine that it is both unnecessary and foolish to make Him an object either of our hope, or our fear. Yet God continually sends us warnings in His Word, that a time is coming when He will clearly make a separation between the wicked and the righteous, by the awful judgments which He will inflict on the one, and the unspeakable blessings which He will confer on the other! Yes, how different the states of God's friends and God's enemies will be in the eternal world! The day of judgment is called "The day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed!" Romans 2:5 Alas! alas! where shall the wicked, the objects of God's vengeance, flee? How shall they "dwell with everlasting burnings?" Who can conceive the anguish with which they will weep and wail and gnash their teeth for all eternity! Then they will call to the mountains and the rocks: "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" Revelation 6:16, 17 View, on the contrary, the godly…when God will wipe every tear from our eyes, when there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, when we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is, when we shall be in His presence, where there is fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore! Who can conceive the transcendent bliss of such a state? But though "we know not yet what we shall be," so far as respects the degrees of the misery of the godless, or the happiness of the godly, we know that the distance between the righteous and the wicked will be immeasurably great. O that we would ever contemplate it--that we might all fear the Lord, and walk in His fear to the last day of our lives! "Then the King will say to those on His right: Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world!" "Then He will say to those on His left: Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!" Matthew 25:34, 41 "Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think: Who sees us? Who will know?" Isaiah 29:15 ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 26, 2024, | Don Carson 1 Samuel 18 The kind of jealousy described in 1 Samuel 18 is a terrible thing. (1) It is grounded in an ugly self-focus, a self-focus without restraint. In his world, Saul must be number one. This means that peers must not best him or he becomes jealous. Not for an instant does he look at anything from the perspective of others—David’s perspective, for instance, or Jonathan’s. Ultimately, he cannot look at anything from God’s perspective either. His self-focus belongs to the genus of self-centeredness that lies at the heart of all human sinfulness, but in its degree and intensity it is so unrestrained that it simultaneously loses touch with reality and adopts the most elemental idolatry. (2) It is triggered by endless comparisons, endless assessments of who’s up and who’s down. Thus if David’s successes redound well on Saul, Saul is pleased; but if someone starts making comparisons between Saul and David that are in any way invidious to Saul, he is jealous (1 Sam. 18:7–8). Insofar as David’s successes are an index of the fact that “the LORD was with David” (18:12–28), Saul is jealous because he knows that the Lord is not with him. The tragedy is that this recognition does not breed repentance, but jealousy. Even the love Saul’s daughter Michal has for David exacerbates Saul’s jealousy (1 Sam. 18:28–29). Inevitably, this kind and degree of jealousy is very much bound up with fear; again and again we are told that Saul feared David (1 Sam. 18:12, 15, 29). David has become an unbearable threat. Jealousy of this order cannot tolerate competence in others. It has to be said that many leaders, not least Christian leaders, even when they do not succumb to this degree of malevolence, fill the positions around them with less competent people, thinking that they thereby preserve their own image or authority. They don’t, of course; they simply become masters of incompetent administrations. On the long haul, their own reputations are diminished. But jealousy is such a blinding sin that such obvious realities cannot be admitted. (3) In the worst cases, this sort of jealousy is progressively devouring. It nags at Saul’s mind and multiplies like a cancer. It erupts in uncontrolled violence (1 Sam. 18:10–11); it slips into twisted schemes enmeshing Saul’s own family (1 Sam. 18:20–27). In the chapters ahead it settles into something beyond rage—implacable hatred that deploys the armed forces against one innocent man who makes Saul feel insecure. A believer who above all wants the name of the Lord to be exalted, who genuinely desires the good of the people of God, and who is entirely content to entrust his or her reputation to God, will never succumb to the sin of jealousy. ********************************************************************** August 26 Shadows and Streams Devotional by John Piper May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. (Psalm 104:31–34) God rejoices in the works of creation because they point us beyond themselves to God himself. God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us to look at his creation and say: If the mere work of his fingers (just his fingers! Psalm 8:3) is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself! These are but the backside of his glory, as it were, darkly seen through a glass. What will it be to see the glory of the Creator himself! Not just his works! A billion galaxies will not satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul’s end. Jonathan Edwards expressed it like this: The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. . . . [These] are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the ocean. This is why Psalm 104 comes to a close in verses 31–34 with a focus on God himself. “I will sing praise to my God while I have being. . . . For Irejoice in the Lord.” In the end it will not be the seas or the mountains or the canyons or the water spiders or the clouds or the great galaxies that fill our hearts to breaking with wonder and fill our mouths with eternal praise. It will be God himself.
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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2024 19:10:04 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Tues-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. Psalm 37:20 ********************************************************************** Self-elevated little popes! (Arthur Pink, "Private Judgment" 1950) "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers." Matthew 23:8 In every generation there are those of an officious spirit who aspire to leadership, demanding deference from their fellows. Such men insist upon unqualified subjection from their followers. Their interpretation of the Scriptures must not be challenged, their dictates are final. Everyone must believe precisely what they teach, and order all the details of his life by the rules of conduct which they prescribe—or else be branded as a heretic. There have been, and still are, many such self-elevated little popes in Christendom, who deem themselves to be entitled to implicit credence and obedience, whose decisions must be accepted without question. They are nothing but arrogant usurpers, for Christ alone is the Master of Christians; and since all of His disciples are "brethren," they possess equal rights and privileges. "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father—He who is in Heaven." Matthew 23:9. This dehortation has ever been needed by God's people, for they are for the most part simple and unsophisticated, trustful and easily imposed upon. In those verses, the Lord Jesus was enforcing the duty of private judgment, bidding believers to allow none to be the dictators of their faith, or lords of their lives. No man is to be heeded in spiritual matters, any further than he can produce a plain and decisive, "Thus says the LORD!" as the foundation of his appeal. To be in subjection to any ecclesiastical authority which is not warranted by Holy Writ, or to comply with the whims of men—is to renounce your Christian freedom. Allow none to have dominion over your mind and conscience. Be regulated only by the teaching of God's Word, and firmly refuse to be brought into bondage to "the commandments and doctrines of men." Instead, "Stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free," yielding unreservedly to His authority alone. God does not require the minds and consciences of His children to be enslaved by any ecclesiastical dominion. Each one has the right to exercise his own judgment. "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care . . . not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." 1 Peter 5:2-3. Instead of lording it over God's heritage, preachers are to be "examples to the flock"— personal patterns of good works, holiness, and self-sacrifice; models of piety, humility, and charity. Love of power has been as common a sin in the pulpit, as love of money; and many of the worst evils which have befallen Christendom, have issued from a lusting after dominion and ecclesiastical honors. Such is poor human nature, that good men find it hard to keep from being puffed up and misusing any measure of authority when it is committed unto them, and from not doing more harm than good with the same. Pastors are to make self-abnegation, and not self-exaltation, their constant aim. The right of private judgment does not mean that each Christian may be a law unto himself, and still less lord over himself. We must beware of allowing liberty to degenerate into license! No, it means the right to form our own views from Scriptures, to be in bondage to no ecclesiastical authority, and to be subject unto God alone. Two extremes are to be guarded against: 1. Slavery to human authority and tradition, and 2. The spirit of self-will and pride. Private judgment does not mean private imagination, but a deliberate conviction based on Holy Writ! Though I must not resign my mind and conscience to others, or deliver my reason and faith over blindfold to any church—yet I ought to be very slow in rejecting the approved judgment of God's true servants. Self-conceit is to be rigidly restrained. Private judgment is to be exercised humbly, soberly, and impartially, with a willingness to receive light from any quarter. Ponder the Word for yourself; but mortify the spirit of haughty self-sufficiency, and be ready to avail yourself of anything likely to afford you a better understanding of God's truth. Above all, daily beg the Holy Spirit to be your teacher! And always accord your brethren the same right and privilege which you claim for yourself. ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 27, 2024, | Don Carson 1 Corinthians 1 Evangelicals regularly draw a line between justification and sanctification. Justification is God’s declaration that an individual sinner is just—a declaration grounded not in the fact that he or she is just, but in God’s accepting Christ’s death instead of the sinner’s, in God’s reckoning Christ’s righteousness to the sinner. It marks the beginning of the believer’s pilgrimage. From the believer’s vantage point, to be justified is a once-for-all experience bound up with God’s good purposes in Christ’s once-for-all death. By contrast, sanctification in the Protestant tradition has normally been understood to refer to the process by which believers progressively become more holy. (Holy and sanctified/sanctification have the same root in Greek.) This is not a once-for-all experience; it reflects a lifelong pilgrimage, a process that will not be finally complete until the onset of the new heaven and the new earth. It is not what God reckons to us; it is what he empowers us to become. Failure to distinguish between justification and sanctification frequently ends up with a blurring of justification. If justification takes on a shading of personal growth in righteousness, pretty soon the forensic, declarative nature of justification is lost to view, and we start reimporting some kind of works-righteousness through the back door. Historically, of course, the warning is well merited. One must always be vigilant to preserve Paul’s emphasis on justification. But the SANCTIFICATION word-group has not always been well-served by this analysis. Those who study Paul have long noted that sometimes people are said to be “sanctified” in a POSITIONAL or DEFINITIONAL sense—that is, they are set apart for God (POSITIONAL), and therefore they already are sanctified (DEFINITIONAL). In such passages the process of progressively becoming more holy is not in view. Most of the places where Paul talks about being “holy” or “sanctified” fall into this POSITIONAL or DEFINITIONAL camp. That is certainly the case in 1 Corinthians 1:2: Paul writes to “the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy.” The Corinthians already are sanctified; they have been set apart for God. Therefore, they have been called to be holy—that is, to live life in line with their calling (which, by and large, they have been failing to do, quite spectacularly, judging by the rest of the book). Of course, there are many passages that speak of growth and improvement that do not use SANCTIFICATION; for a start, meditate on Philippians 3:12–16. If we choose to use SANCTIFICATION as a term drawn from systematic theology to describe such growth, we do no wrong. But then we should not read this meaning back into Paul’s use where his focus is elsewhere. ********************************************************************** August 27 Jesus Will Trample All Our Enemies Devotional by John Piper Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24) How far does the reign of Christ extend? The next verse, 1 Corinthians 15:25 says, “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” The word all tells us the extent. So does the word every in verse 24: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.” There is no disease, no addiction, no demon, no bad habit, no fault, no vice, no weakness, no temper, no moodiness, no pride, no self-pity, no strife, no jealousy, no perversion, no greed, no laziness that Christ will not overcome as the enemy of his honor. And the encouragement in that promise is that when you set yourself to do battle with the enemies of your faith and your holiness, you will not fight alone. Jesus Christ is now, in this age, putting all his enemies under his feet. Every rule and every authority and every power will be conquered. So, remember that the extent of Christ’s reign reaches to the smallest and biggest enemy of his glory in your life, and in this universe. It will be defeated.
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Post by Admin on Aug 28, 2024 11:41:31 GMT -5
David A. Mapes · ********************************************************************** Wednes-DAYSTAR-ters: ********************************************************************** The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. Psalm 37:21-22 ********************************************************************** The hard couch of sorrow! (Henry Law, "Gleanings from the Book of Life") Exodus 3:7, "Then the Lord told Moses: You can be sure I have seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am concerned about their suffering." Exquisite tenderness melts in these words. Assurance of compassion is most sweetly stated. Let no believer faint in the hour of trial. His feet may travel in affliction's road. He may be called to lie on the hard couch of sorrow. Troubles may roll over him as wave upon wave. But the eye of divine love ever watches him, the heart of divine love ever throbs sympathetically for him, the ear of divine love ever listens to his cry, the hand of divine love will in due season be outstretched to help him. The patient sufferer will sing with David in Psalm 18:19, "He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me." ********************************************************************** Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited by them! ********************************************************************** For the Love of God August 28, 2024, | Don Carson 1 Samuel 20 There are not many chapters in the Bible that devote much space to the theme of friendship, but 1 Samuel 20 is one of them. Strictly speaking, of course, 1 Samuel 20 is not about friendship per se, in the way that friendship is a theme to be explored by a gifted novelist. The account fits into the larger narrative of the decline of Saul and the rise of David, a major turning point in redemptive history. Yet the way that account unfolds turns in important ways on the relationship between Jonathan and David. Jonathan turns out to be a wholly admirable young man. Earlier he had shown considerable physical courage when he and his armor-bearer routed a contingent of Philistines (1 Sam. 14). When David became part of the royal court, one might have expected Jonathan to display many malevolent emotions: jealousy at David’s rising popularity, competitiveness in the military arena, even fear that David would one day usurp his right to the throne. But “Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself” (1 Sam. 18:1). He entered into a “covenant” with David that made David, in effect, his own brother (1 Sam. 18:3–4)—an astonishing step for a royal to take with a commoner. By the time we arrive at chapter 20, Jonathan is aware that David will one day be king. How he acquired this knowledge we cannot be sure. Given their friendship, David may have confided in Jonathan the account of his anointing at the hands of Samuel. Not only does Jonathan not share his father’s malevolence, but, having once before effected a reconciliation between his father Saul and David (1 Sam. 19:4–7), he finds it hard to believe that his father is as implacably determined to kill David as David believes (1 Sam. 20:1–3). So the elaborate plan of this chapter is put into effect. Jonathan discovers that his own father is resolved on Jonathan’s best friend’s death. Indeed, his father is so enraged that Jonathan himself is in mortal danger (1 Sam. 20:33). David and Jonathan meet. They renew their covenant, as they will do once more (1 Sam. 23:17–18). David, for his part, vows to look after Jonathan’s family if and when Jonathan is no longer around—a harbinger of things to come, and rather different from the normal bloodletting that customarily took place when a new king sought to wipe out the potential heirs of a previous dynasty. But perhaps the most striking thing is that Jonathan stays in town with his father. For the fact of the matter is that we choose our friends, but we do not choose our family; yet our responsibilities to our families take a prior claim. Otherwise friendship itself becomes an excuse for a new form of selfishness. ********************************************************************** August 28 Forgiven for Jesus’s Sake Devotional by John Piper For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11) In knowing what is right, God does not consult any authority higher than himself. His own worth is the ultimate value in the universe. Therefore, for God to do what is right means acting in a way that accords with this ultimate value. The righteousness of God is the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in what is supremely valuable, namely, his own perfection and worth. And if he were ever to act contrary to this eternal passion for his own perfections, he would be unrighteous — he would be an idolater. How shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us who have scorned his perfections? But the wonder of the gospel is that in his divine righteousness lies also the very foundation of our salvation. The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father. Because of Christ, we can pray with new understanding the prayer of the psalmist, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great” (Psalm 25:11). The new understanding is that, because of Christ, instead of only praying, “For your name’s sake, pardon my guilt,” we now pray, “For Jesus’s name’s sake, O God, pardon my guilt.” First John 2:12 says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake,” referring to Jesus. Jesus has now atoned for sin and vindicated the Father’s honor so that our “sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.” God is righteous. He does not sweep sin under the rug. If a sinner goes free, someone dies to vindicate the infinite worth of God’s glory that the sinner defamed. That is what Christ did. Therefore, “For your name’s sake, O Lord” and “For Jesus’s name’s sake” are the same. And that is why we pray with confidence for forgiveness. **********************************************************************
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