Resource Manager Posted May 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2017 26 May 2017 Joshua 12Isaiah 162 Timothy 2 "THOSE WHO CALL UPON THE LORD FROM A PURE HEART" 2 Timothy 2, today's New Testament reading, it contains a powerful and pointed exhortation by Paul to Timothy – it is one we should take to heart as equally a message for today. It is the last letter Paul wrote; he is now an old man. He tells Timothy to "pursue righteousness." What is this – in practice? Righteousness is not a natural attribute – it is a quality that needs to be "pursued." Let us see it as a quality of character we need to capture and imprison in our hearts. That's a challenging concept – we must meditate on it. As well as "righteousness" Timothy is told to "Pursue … faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." [2 Timothy 2:22]. Among the believers in the First Century there was in circulation what are called the "sayings of the faithful". There was no opportunity for the great majority to learn to read and write so certain sayings were memorized. Some persons with exceptional abilities of memory are said to have memorized all the Psalms. Mission workers have been surprised when meeting some so called "illiterate" people in the villages in the earlier years in India to find how fully they had trained their memory. To have lots of God's word committed to memory would be a great aid to be among "those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." Paul includes one of the "sayings" that was in circulation among the believers in this chapter. He writes, "I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" [2 Timothy 2:10] and then quotes this saying: the first part being, "If we have died with him, we will also live with him." We died with him when we were baptised. Going down under the water and then coming out again is a symbol of his death and resurrection – we are acknowledging that his death was for us. The saying then stresses the need to "endure" – and developing and maintaining "a pure heart" surely reflects the words of Jesus, "the one who endures to the end will be saved." [Matthew 10:22]. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted May 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2017 27 May 2017 Joshua 13;Isaiah 17; 182 Timothy 3; 4 "THERE IS LAID UP FOR ME THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" Today we read the last 2 chapters of Paul's last letter. They are 2 Timothy 3; 4. These chapters contain some wonderful expressions of his faith in his future. May we all be able to share Paul's words here and say, "I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day" [2 Timothy 4:7-8] That "crown" will be awarded because we will be able to say to our Lord in our final years before we "sleep in Christ" (or as Jesus is descending – and how soon now?), the same as Paul wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race." [2 Timothy 4:7]. It seems increasingly likely, that the whole world is very close to "that day" and "the race" is nearly "finished"! What a blessing, indeed a privilege we have today, to have God's word so readily available to us and in manners that are easily read. Paul reminded Timothy of the blessing he had in that "from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." [2 Timothy 3:15] What is the "wisdom" that leads to salvation and a place in God's coming kingdom? The final verses in 2 Timothy 3 clearly state the reason why we should read and meditate upon God's word regularly, indeed, if at all possible, every day. Paul tells Timothy (and us) "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" [2 Timothy 3:16-17] Let us do this and become "complete" – and then we can say – with Paul – "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day". [2 Timothy 4:8]-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted June 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2017 28 May 2017 Joshua 14Isaiah 19Titus 1; 2; 3 "IN THAT DAY" Five times we find this phrase in today's chapter in Isaiah [isaiah 19]; each of them have either a latter day or even a later application! They are quite specific; there is nothing vague about them. In Isaiah's time Egypt was still a major power and was contending with Assyria for supremacy as a significant power in the ancient world: but long before the time of Christ it had become a minor power, its glory had faded. Its collapse became complete when it was overrun by the Moslems in the 7th Century A.D. In Isaiah 19:4 we read, "and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master". Then in Isaiah 19:16-17 we encounter the first of the "in that day" passages. I can say with reasonable confidence that this has been happened in my lifetime and maybe before! "In that day the Egyptians will be like women and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians …" Never before have the Egyptians been afraid of the Jews! We witnessed this in the early years of the nation of Israel: there may well be a final application when Jesus returns. The next "in that day" [isaiah 19:18] definitely looks into the future, it is about "five cities in the land of Egypt that … swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts" time alone will reveal exactly how this occurs. The third occurrence expands on this vision of the future, "the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD." [isaiah 19:22]. The fourth occurrence is "in that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria" (today Assyria's area is Iraq and part of Iran) and both "will worship" [isaiah 19:23] This is clearly a scene to occur when the world wide coming kingdom of God established with its capital in Jerusalem as we read in Isaiah 2:1-4. The final verse is a fascinating climax, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance." We see this as the resurrected God fearing people of these nations, such as Nebuchadnezzar taking part in acknowledging God's existence and inheritance through His Son. This will be a time when the "Blessed" of whom Jesus spoke will indeed experience a time of endless blessing "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." [Matthew 5:5-6] Are you living now with a spiritual "hunger and thirst" so that you will experience this "in that day"? -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted June 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2017 29 May 2017 Joshua 15Isaiah 20; 21Philemon 1 "REFRESH MY HEART IN CHRIST" Paul in writing to Philemon whom he has converted to Christ sometime earlier, describes himself as "a prisoner for Christ Jesus" [Philemon 1:1] says to him "brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ." [Philemon 1:20] Paul asks Philemon to "prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you." [Philemon 1:22] Believers were very dependent on each other in those early days, this was true fellowship: there was a responsibility to "refresh" each other's "heart in Christ." Paul wrote this about Onesimus, an escaped slave; he had escaped from the 'ownership' of Philemon many years before. Onesimus had come to believe in Christ after his escape and this had changed the situation completely. His name means "useful" and he had become very useful to Paul, who is now "an old man" [Philemon 1:9] and in prison. He writes, "I appeal to you (Philemon) for my child Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment." What we particularly notice in this letter - is how they prayed for one another. The message of Christ had now spread far and wide - as a result of Paul's efforts and of others such as Apollos. Prayer was an essential part of the life of believers. As our world disintegrates into more and more ungodliness we wonder how great will be the need to "refresh" each others "heart's in Christ." It could well be considerable. Let us develop the spirit of genuine fellowship today as much as we can and show it at every opportunity.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted June 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2017 30 May 2017 Joshua 16Isaiah 22Hebrews 1; 2 "LET US THEN WITH CONFIDENCE" In reading the letter to the Hebrews we uncover a rich mine of thoughts that challenge and stimulate our thinking. It is packed full of encouragement for those whose aim is - to genuinely follow in the footsteps of Christ! But we must take care not to slide over things which do not seem to fit in with the ways we (or at least some) may have previously thought, like thinking that Jesus is God himself, equal with the Almighty. It is essential we grasp the flow of the context and do not pull a phrase out of a verse in isolation. Hebrews 1 tells us Jesus was "begotten" [Hebrews 1:5] he had a beginning in a literal sense. Then in Hebrews 1:8 calls him "God" but then the next verse states of him that because "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness …" When we come to Hebrews 5 we will see "He learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him" [Hebrews 5:8-9] A major thought that arises from the wonder of Jesus' life on earth is that he "was made lower than the angels" [Hebrews 2:9] "to be made like his brothers in every respect" [Hebrews 2:17] and "because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted" [Hebrews 2:18]. Think of what that means in your own relationship with Jesus! The full wonder of this is re-affirmed in Hebrews 3; 4; 5. He has become our High Priest forever the One and only High Priest, so we read, "since then we have a great High Priest who has passed through (gone into the very presence of God GNB) the heavens … one who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses … Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" [Hebrews 4:14-16] Increasing numbers of people in this world suffer from depression. The medical profession can offer only limited help and some of that can cause other problems, yet if we can experience the reality of Jesus, if we can develop a real relationship with our High Priest, we can start living again "with confidence." Or, let us say, with even greater confidence.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted June 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2017 31 May 2017 Joshua 17Isaiah 23Hebrews 3; 4; 5 "POWERS OF DISCERNMENT TRAINED BY CONSTANT PRACTICE" How thought challenging is the letter to the Hebrews; the above quotation particularly challenged us this morning! Paul (?) is telling his Hebrew readers, with their upbringing in "knowing" God's word that "by this time you ought to be teachers" [Hebrews 5:12] – yet it seems clear they had failed to really absorb God's word, otherwise "their powers of discernment" would have been "trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." [Hebrews 5:14] The obvious question for us is - have our "powers of discernment" been adequately "trained" by our regular reading of God's word? Have we acquired more than head knowledge – such as the Jewish rabbis displayed in the days of Jesus? Ponder Luke 5:17,21,30,31; 11:52-54. Let us make sure our "powers of discernment" are constantly put to good use. We live in an increasingly evil and godless world – and so – more than ever we must heed the words Paul addressed to the Romans, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." [Romans 12:2] Finally, we need to memorise Paul's final words at the end of his last letter to Timothy, the last words it appears that he wrote, "… the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man (and woman) of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" and so - make his or her - "powers of discernment" able to reach perfection because they have been "trained by constant practice". Let us make sure this is true of ourselves – and we should help each other in this.-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts