Resource Manager Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 26 May 2015 Joshua 12Isaiah 162 Timothy 2 "IF WE ENDURE" We continue reading the very personal final letter of Paul to Timothy, his “beloved child” in the faith. He says to him (and can we imagine this being to us?) “my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." [2 Timothy 2:1-2] And we should be able to say, as a comparison, all that we have diligently read and prayerfully absorbed into our thinking - and heard faithful believers talk about has "strengthened" us "by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." As a result we are now "faithful" and ready and "able to teach others also." This first generation of believers had no gospels to read, they were not yet in circulation. Few would have been able to read anyway. If they could, it is very unlikely they had access to scrolls of Old Testament books in a Jewish synagogue. But they memorised 'trustworthy sayings' that were in circulation, Paul referred to 3 of them in his first epistle to Timothy – 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Timothy 3:1 and 1 Timothy 4:9. Paul includes a large one in todays' chapter [2 Timothy 2:11-13] "The saying is trustworthy, for: if we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself." Can you memorise that saying – and let it permeate your thinking? How significant that little word “if”! How awesome “if we have died with him” – can you imagine Tyndale, the first to translate the Bible into English, saying that to himself as they burnt him to death. Our world is creating situations in which we are challenged to "endure." This is especially true in certain countries, Iran is an awesome example. But it could well become true in most, even all countries, at the time when our Lord's "glory is revealed."? Look at the context of these words of Peter! 1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." [1 Peter 4:12-13] "If we endure" then we will also – wonderfully – beyond our present comprehension – "rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 27 May 2015 Joshua 13; Isaiah 17; 182 Timothy 3; 4 "HAVING THE APPEARANCE OF GODLINESS" Today we completed reading Paul's inspiring - and challenging - letters to Timothy: there are so many lessons we can (and should) take for ourselves from the advice Paul gave him. "Flee youthful passions" Paul told him - not just avoid them! The younger generation today are surrounded by "passions." They are tempted to experience so many things, but the majority of these hinder - and some destroy - any growth they have made in spiritual ways of thinking and living. Paul sees that "in the last days ... people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control..." [2 Timothy 3:1-2] What a catalogue of godlessness! Surely we are 'immune' from being affected by it! But are we? Let us not be overconfident, consider 2 Timothy 3:4-5, people will be "...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power ..." Note Paul's point - that some (many?) will have "the appearance of godliness"! I have worked with some who I have heard say that it is a pleasant ‘social’ occasion to go to church! Some, says Paul, as we come to 2 Timothy 3:7 are "always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth." Let's think about the word 'knowledge' it is the Gk word, 'epignosis.' Paul, in writing to the Romans said, the Jews "have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" [Romans 10:2] - the Greek word has the sense of 'discernment.' We encountered it yesterday in 2 Timothy 2 the need for Timothy (and us) to correct our "opponents with gentleness" and then "God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth" [2 Timothy 2:25] It is not intellectual knowledge - it is heart knowledge. Paul then warns Timothy that "evil people ...will go on from bad to worse" [2 Timothy 3:13]. We try to see the best in every one - but it is getting harder and harder. Let us take Paul's advice to Timothy from 2 Timothy 3:14 - fully to heart. "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed ... how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." How precious God's word should be to us, how foolish to neglect reading it - indeed we must read constantly - and meditate and become increasingly “wise”.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted May 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 28 May 2015 Joshua 14Isaiah 19Titus 1; 2; 3 "THEY PROFESS TO KNOW GOD, BUT ..." These days less and less people “know God” – and even many of those who claim to do so, fail to commit their lives to him. But this has always been the case. We see it in the history of God’s people: we are reading the book of Joshua and about the establishment of the nation after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. But after it was established and Joshua and that generation died, "They forgot God, their Saviour, who had done great things in Egypt" [Psalm 106:21] We will soon read of the highs and lows of the nation in the days of the Judges. Our world reached an inspiring high in many nations when the Bible was first translated and printed – but in the last century, and especially today, the whole world has descended to a terrible low. Today we read the short letter Paul wrote to Titus whom he had "left in Crete" [Titus 1:5]. What a challenge faced Titus to get the Cretans to live a Christ-like life: the situation he faced is quite comparable to today. "A prophet of their own," says Paul, "said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’" [Titus 1:12] This is also true of far too many today. Paul then makes this point to Titus, "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled." [Titus 1:15] How very difficult it is to be "pure" amid the impurities surrounding us in today's godless world. Paul then surprises us by adding, "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work." [Titus 1:16] Some still "profess to know God" today – but the old principle is always true, 'actions speak louder than words'. How vital that our actions 'speak' for what we really are in our hearts and as a result we "live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our ... Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." [Titus 2:12-14] May we all genuinely "profess to know God" and live lives which show we mean what we say, our actions demonstrating that we have committed our lives to him – and – we long for everlasting life in “the promised land,” becoming, for our Saviour, “a people for his own possession” to help him rule a renewed world. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted May 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 29 May 2015 Joshua 15Isaiah 20; 21Philemon 1 "SENDING MY VERY HEART" Paul is in prison, he is now "an old man" [Philemon 9] and writes a passionate letter to Philemon "a beloved fellow worker" [Philemon 2]. He writes about a believer called Onesimus, "whose father I became, in my imprisonment." [Philemon 10] How wonderful to have Paul as a "father". Remember what he told the Corinthians, "For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel." [1 Corinthians 4:15] Onesimus had become very useful to Paul, and that is what 'Onesimus' means; he had belonged to Philemon, but had run away. But he had then been converted and became a follower of Christ and Paul tells Philemon, “this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever" [Philemon 15] - now and in the kingdom. When Paul stated "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good”, adding, “for those who are called according to his purpose." [Romans 8:28] he primarily must mean - for the good of God's purpose in the outworking of their lives. In Romans 8:14 he had stated, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Paul was totally conscious he was "led by the Spirit." Paul saw himself as a "prisoner also for Jesus Christ." [Philemon 9] - and when you and I see our lives from that perspective, then it is possible for us to really begin "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you (we!) may be filled with all the fullness of God." [Ephesians 3:19] This had clearly become the experience of Paul. Paul says, that in sending Onesimus back to Philemon, "I am ... sending my very heart" [Philemon 12] Let us ponder what Paul means by this. When Paul told the Galatians that, "God sent forth his Son" and then developed this point to say, "God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" [Galatians 4:4,6] we can be overwhelmed if we deeply meditate on the picture this reveals. In a sense we should understand God as saying, "I am sending my very heart" This is food for our deepest meditation. Is our "very heart" involved in all that we do in serving our Lord, and our God? That should be our aim.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted May 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 30 May 2015 Joshua 16Isaiah 22Hebrews 1; 2 "HIM WHO PLANNED IT LONG AGO" Today we began reading the letter to the Hebrews and found some thoughts that have their parallel to our chapter in Isaiah [isaiah 22]. Both show us facets of the ultimate purpose of God: Hebrews wonderfully so! Isaiah tells us, “For the Lord GOD of hosts has a day..." [isaiah 22:5] This is a "day" or time coming of "tumult and ... confusion" This was a message for his people because so many had become blind to their ungodly ways. The Lord GOD "called for weeping and mourning ..." [isaiah 22:12] because of their sins, but instead " joy and gladness ... and drinking wine" and saying "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." [isaiah 22:13] The people had lost their vision of their God - and it is just the same today. Isaiah tells them - and equally our world today, "you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago." [isaiah 22:11] To put it bluntly, then and now, nearly all had no sense of believing that there is a Creator with all-seeing power and an eternal purpose. The letter to the Hebrews starts, "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets ..." and then makes the vital point that God has now "spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things" [Hebrews 1:2] Some translations are poor here, the translators are influenced by their trinitarian ideas: it was 'because of' Jesus' - with him in mind, that God planned out his creation with Jesus as the “heir” to that creation. We read this week in 2 Timothy 1:9-10 that God "called us to a holy calling ... which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and that "Jesus ... abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." God does not see the passage of time as we do - he is not bound by time! We will read in Isaiah next month, that God says, "there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning" [isaiah 46:9-10] Back in Hebrews verses 8 and 9 also challenge us to understand them correctly! "...of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness ..." [Hebrews 1:8-9] It is clear the Almighty is the God of Jesus. Jesus is only 'god' in the sense that he represents God! Jesus "loved righteousness and hated wickedness" - and we must do the same! Finally, let us take right into our hearts the words of verses 1 and 3 in chapter 2, "... we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard (and read), lest we drift away from it ... how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" [Hebrews 2:1,3]-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted May 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 31 May 2015 Joshua 17Isaiah 23Hebrews 3; 4; 5 “IF YOU HEAR” As we continue reading Hebrews we notice its many quotations from the Old Testament. Notice how many of these quotations contain that vitally important little word “IF”! A major point Paul makes is that the readers should learn from the failures of the past, but will “hear” what is written. Do we “hear” as we read? In Hebrews 3:4 we read that “the builder of all things is God.” Paul is developing his points in the opening chapters as we saw yesterday. We sometimes refer to God as the Master Architect – and so he is – for he planned all things from the beginning of the world, but he is also “the builder” who is carrying out his plan, a builder who looks for those with the vision to work together with him in its construction (see 2 Corinthians 6:1). Paul saw himself as God’s “skilled master builder” [1 Corinthians 3:10] Where is skill needed? In allowing for the freewill of human nature and fitting that into the overall planning. Remember how we read earlier this month of the ‘Crisis Conference’ in Jerusalem? It was James who summed up their deliberations by quoting the prophet Amos that “the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord” [Acts 15:17] Let each of us be a ‘seeker.’ Twice in Hebrews 3 [Hebrews 3:7,15] and again in Hebrews 4:7 words from Psalm 95 are quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice”! David, in this Psalm, was awake to the voice of God, especially the lessons to be learnt from the past failures of his nation under Moses and Joshua that we have been reading this month. David had a particular failure later in his life but he learnt that God is merciful to those who have a genuine God fearing attitude – and he had this far more than most men – a ‘real’ relationship with God. The Master builder is looking to shape us and make us part of his building. We read that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” [Hebrews 4:12] Jesus is the living word, “the word made flesh” [John 1:14] so that God could speak to us through Him. We have God’s words in our hands; if we use them rightly they provide an unlimited source of strength in service to him, and we realize more and more that we are part of God’s building. All its’ parts, however small, are valuable in God’s sight, every brick counts – and every bit of mortar – when God is the builder. As we read his word may we all have an active conscience to enable what we read to come alive in our minds and provoke us into being fully conscious of all that God is – and all that we can become! Note how Hebrews 4 concludes! Let us “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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