Resource Manager Posted January 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 26 January 2018 Genesis 42; 43Psalms 46; 47; 48Matthew 28 "A VERY PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE" Today we completed reading the gospel of Matthew with its' account of the resurrection. We especially noted its' conclusion that they were "to make disciples of all nations" - and only in our generation is this being completed. The outward proof of conversion is baptism [Matthew 28:19]. But we must make sure our heart has genuinely experienced conversion. Our chapters in Genesis tells us of the second journey into Egypt by the brothers of Joseph, this time Benjamin is with them and the scene is set for a drama to unfold as we will read tomorrow. But our hearts were most affected by the three Psalms we read [Psalm 46; 47; 48)! The 47th and 48th Psalms describe God's kingdom in action, Psalm 48 starts, "Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! .... the joy of all the earth ... the city of the great King." But we let our minds dwell - in awe - on Psalm 46 - and its application to our world today - and its inspiration to those who still believe in - and - most particularly - have a relationship with God. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved ... the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble ... The nations rage, the kingdoms totter ... " [Psalm 46:1,2,6] But true and faithful believers will hear the words, "Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth ..." [Psalm 46:8-9]. This is the climax to the 'history' of godless humans - those who have convinced themselves there is no God. Once again we are reminded that there are just two ways - the broad and narrow - one leads to wonder - the other to disaster. Let us makes sure the final words of this Psalm are fully embraced within our hearts and minds. "'Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress" Let us especially be ready to know and feel this - that our God and his Son are "a very present help in trouble."-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted January 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 27 January 2018 Genesis 44; 45Psalms 49Romans 1; 2 "WHY SHOULD I FEAR IN TIMES OF TROUBLE" The above words are in the opening verse of today's Psalm 49. This is a little surprising seeing this is the Hymn Book of Israel, so it was a message, in those days, and today, for all people. It is a powerful message! It is a blunt message! It contains some very pointed questions, especially for today. "Why should I fear in times of trouble" [Psalm 49:5], but as times of trouble multiply with destructive floods, fearsome fires, terrible earthquakes, etc., those with no relationship with God do fear! It includes "rich and poor together" [Psalm 49:2]. There are also "those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches and cheat others" [Psalm 49:5-6]. Now note what the Psalmist observes next! "Truly no man can … give to God the price off his life … that he should live forever … even the wise die … and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever" [Psalm 49:7,9,11]. This blunt but true view of human life is summed up in Psalm 49:12-13 "Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish." This is the path of those who have foolish confidence. But the Psalmist has true confidence arising from his faith in God. But God "will ransom my soul from the power of the grave for he will receive me" [Psalm 49:15]. This is in contrast to the last verse of the Psalm, "Man in his pomp, yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish." We are in no better situation than the animals if we do not establish a true relationship with God. The Psalmist's hope, in this case David, was well expressed in Psalm 17 we read earlier this month. "'As for me' he says to God 'I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness'" [Psalm 17:15]. We read the same thing today in Paul's message to the Romans, he preached the same hope, a time for awaking from death when God "will render to each one according to his works" to these "he will give eternal life" [Romans 2:6-7]. It will be when "God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus" [Romans 2:16]. May all those who know Christ and as a result have a daily relationship with him remember the words in Hebrews 4:16 that "no creature is hidden from his (God's) sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted January 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 28 January 2018 Genesis 46; 47Psalms 50Romans 3; 4 "THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD ..." In Paul’s letter to the Romans we have seen some of the most important points in the whole Bible that we need to absorb into our minds. Paul writes, “now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it.” [Romans 3:21] What does this mean? The big issue among early believers was whether their lives should be dominated by keeping all the observances that were decreed in the Law Moses received from God. The answer is clearly, ‘No.’ The core word in the true answer is “faith.” But faith does not stand on its own, it has to be faith in someone or something, a conviction that exists in our thought processes that affects all our actions. Paul says that Abraham is the supreme example. Paul says the Law (of Moses) and God’s messages through the prophets “bear witness” to the righteousness that God is looking to see in people; a way of life inspired by their faith, Note the next verse [Romans 3:22] after the one quoted above; “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” There is “no distinction” because of nationality. God looks with favour on all who believe – whose belief is evident through of the way they live their lives showing the evidence of a growing faith. Abraham is the example to follow: “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God but he grew strong in his faith … fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness’” [Romans 4:20-22]. Abraham is the example for everyone who wishes to follow God. To illustrate the opposite to this, Paul quotes the Psalms – notice how this is exactly like attitudes around us today. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God … There is no fear of God before their eyes.” [Romans 3:10,11,18] Only the Bible brings the “knowledge of God” before our eyes; we ‘starve’ if we do not feed on it regularly. -------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 29 January 2018 Genesis 48; 49; 50Psalms 51; 52Romans 5; 6 "ARE WE TO CONTINUE IN SIN THAT GRACE MAY ABOUND" Today's Chapters in Romans [Romans 5; 6] contain a great abundance of food for thought. We could not fail to pick up the continuing message of the wonder of God's grace, God's readiness to be merciful – and that the gift of grace was continually there. Believers cannot earn salvation – as the Jewish Priests thought they were doing, and were blind to the sin of pride in the process. But then arises the most important question - we know we are justified by grace, and as a result accepted as in a right position before God because of our faith, so does it really matter if we keep on sinning? Sadly, some who claim to follow Christ claim it does not matter, 'Once saved, always saved' is their slogan – but that is not what the Scripture says. Paul answers the question we have used in our heading today (which is from the first verse of Romans 6) by stating, "By no means! How can we who have died to sin still live in it?" [Romans 6:2]. He writes, we "walk in newness of life" after we have been "buried with him by baptism" [Romans 6:4]. In this "newness of life" there will be times when we stumble and we will see in Romans 7 that Paul at times wrestled unsuccessfully with his human weaknesses [Romans 7:18-25]. This causes him to declare, "wretched man that I am" [Romans 7:24] but note the marvellous climax to his thoughts he develops in Romans 8, it is a mistake to read one chapter without the other. There is a fascinating parallel to our thoughts in our Psalms reading [Psalm 51] which is David's incredible Psalm of contrition after his sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. This shows that genuine contrition from the heart will be recognised by God, and the prophet told David - "The LORD also has put away your sin" [2 Samuel 12:13]. But that does not mean that there are no consequences to be suffered: this was certainly so in David's case. But there was a good consequence too! David came closer to God, and the words that he then wrote (and this is not the only Psalm treating this matter) have been an encouragement to countless God-fearing men and women in the 2,900 years since then. However, note the blunt warning in Hebrews 10 about the consequences "if we go on sinning deliberately" [Hebrews 10:26] after coming to know God and accepting his salvation. A return to a godless way of life means we have "outraged the spirit of grace" [Hebrews 10:29]. Reading and meditating on God's word every day lays a firm foundation to "continue in newness of life."--------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 30 January 2018 Exodus 1; 2Psalms 53; 54; 55Romans 7; 8 "THE CREATION WAS SUBJECTED TO FUTILITY" Today we read Romans 7; 8. We see them as two of the most meaningful – but also the most challenging chapters in the Bible. We also read David's Psalms 53; 55. Psalm 53 is so appropriate for today, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good." [Psalm 53:1] "God looks down from heaven ... to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God." But "they have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one" [Psalm 53:2-3]. Yet the next verse speaks of "my people" as those affected by this - so God still has "people" on the earth who in some sense 'belong' to him. The last verse is fascinating! "Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad." We can see these words as both a plea - and a prayer - for today. Oh the wonder when God acts! Surely the restoration has started – we have witnessed this in our lifetime. Back in Romans, Paul is particularly thought provoking when he writes, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" [Romans 8:18]. This is a verse we need to 'cement' into our minds when the increasing evil in this world threatens to 'push' us off the 'narrow way." Paul's next verses are the most thought provoking. "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption." This corruption is to be seen on two levels - the moral corruption that is swamping our world – following in the footsteps of Adam and Eve - but also the 'curse' on nature that God put on Adam. He told him, "cursed is the ground because of you ... thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you ..." [Genesis 3:17-18]. As a final thought we again pick up Paul's point, "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed" and part of that revealing is surely the removal of the "futility" to which "creation was subjected." -------- - DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted January 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 31 January 2018 Exodus 3; 4Psalms 56; 57Romans 9 "WHAT IS HIS NAME?" We have now moved on to read about the dramatic life of Moses. Exodus 3 is about his special encounter with God at the burning bush. For 40 years he had been living as a shepherd in Midian after fleeing from Pharaoh after his killing of an Egyptian became known. Now "the angel of God appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" [Exodus 3:2] We notice this is the specific angel that represents the Almighty; the rest of the chapter is written as if God himself is speaking. "Then the LORD (Yahweh) said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt … Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel out of Egypt" [Exodus 3:7,10]. What intrigued us is the question Moses puts to God. "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me What is his name? what shall I say to them?" Now why would Moses expect the people to ask the name of the God of their fathers? Well the word 'name' in certain contexts means reputation – such as when David "made himself a name" [2 Samuel 8:13] and in some contexts in modern versions is translated it as "became famous" and similar. Moses anticipates his generation of Israelites, will know little about the God of their forefathers and will want to know about his reputation. All their lives they had been surrounded by the religious attitudes of the Egyptians and the legends about their Gods, Osiris, Mont, etcetera. God answers Moses by saying, "I AM who I AM." How is that an answer? We note the footnote in the ESV and RSV versions give the alternative of "I will be what I will be." This is better, it directly relates to YAHWEH, which as the ESV footnote, states "is here connected with the verb hayah 'to be.'" So God is saying, he is a God who becomes, he will establish his reputation by what he is going to do, not by legends of the past. We will see, as we read the Old Testament that this point is made quite frequently, for example, Isaiah 63:14 "so you led your people (through Moses) to make for yourself a glorious name." Those who follow the God of the Bible are expected to make for themselves a name, that is, a reputation that is pleasing to God – and in the climax of thhe ages, when his kingdom rules throughout the earth, God will give them a "new name" [Revelation 3:12].-------- DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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