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The Nature of True Holiness
Ephesians 6:12–18
True holiness … is much more than tears, and sighs, and bodily excitement, and a quickened pulse, and a passionate feeling of attachment to our own favorite preachers and our own religious party, and a readiness to quarrel with everyone who does not agree with us.… A holy violence, a conflict, a warfare, a fight, a soldier’s life, a wrestling, are spoken of as characteristic of the true Christian.
J. C. RYLE
Elliot Ritzema and Elizabeth Vince, eds., 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Modern Church (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
Staying close to God is the key for success for every man in his actions, relationships, and responsibilities. This closeness requires certain consistent disciplines.
Discipline for Time Alone with God
1. Meeting with God alone frequently is important (every day, if possible).
Psalm 42:1–2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (NIV)
Psalm 63:1; Habakkuk 2:20
2. Waiting on God is a similar concept.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (ESV)
Isaiah 40:31 They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (ESV)
Psalm 40:1
Discipline for Time in God’s Word
1. Spending time in Scripture—reading, meditation, study—gives guidance for each day.
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (ESV)
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (ESV)
Psalm 1:2–3; 19:9–11; 119:9–11, 129–30; Isaiah 55:1–2; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 4:12
2. Committing God’s Word to memory is a further step.
Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 6:6–9; Psalm 37:31
Discipline for Time to Talk to God
1. Spending time daily in prayer is essential.
Psalm 5:2–3 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. (NASB)
Psalm 88:13; 119:47; Jeremiah 33:3; Ephesians 6:18; Hebrews 4:16
2. Prayer is the Christian’s lifeline. We must pray—consistently and constantly.
Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. (NKJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. (NKJV)
Psalm 86:3–6; Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1
3. We must pray in Jesus’s name, that is, according to his holy character and will, not selfishly.
John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (ESV)
1 John 5:14–15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (ESV)
4. Sin can hinder our prayers.
Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1–2
5. We can pray about anything that concerns us.
Philippians 4:6–7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Matthew 7:7–11
Discipline for Time to Be with God’s People
1. Being a part of a local church and attending with consistency is commanded.
Hebrews 10:24–25 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (NLT)
Psalm 42:4; 122:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:11
2. In Acts and throughout the Epistles, the existence of the local church and every believer’s involvement in it is assumed.
Acts 6:5; 13:1; 14:23; 1 Corinthians 11:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; James 5:14
Discipline for Giving Back to God
1. Giving financially to the Lord’s work is a principle strongly supported in Scripture.
2 Corinthians 9:7 You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. (GNT)
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces. (GNT)
2. While Old Testament tithing is not the law for God’s people under the New Covenant, the laws of tithing do help us understand God’s mind and heart on the question of giving. They represent his thinking on the matter.
Leviticus 27:30–33; Malachi 3:8; Romans 6:14–15
Discipline to Be the Witness God Wants Us to Be
1. Sharing our faith in Jesus is a commanded spiritual discipline.
Acts 1:8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (GNT)
1 Peter 3:15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you. (GNT)
Matthew 5:16
Biblical Narratives
• Israelites, giving for the tabernacle, Exodus 35:29; 36:4–7
• Ezra, his decision to study, obey, and teach the Word, Ezra 7:10
• Hezekiah, asking for deliverance from the Assyrians, Isaiah 37:14–20
• Daniel, consistent in prayer, Daniel 6:10
• Habakkuk, his time alone waiting on God, Habakkuk 2:1
• Jesus, praying and seeking time alone with the Father, Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35
Practical Steps
• Set reminders in your cell phone and other devices for taking time in prayer, meditation, solitude, and time in God’s Word.
• If your times with God become mediocre or ineffective, think creatively to enhance those disciplines.
• Get a plan going to study books of the Bible or to read through the Bible in a year.
• For state-of-the-art help in memorizing Scripture, get acquainted with the Navigators.
• Make giving back to God a part of your budget and financial planning. There’s no time like the present to get started.
• Work at keeping Sundays free for local church involvement. Ask your employer to allow you the time to worship with others on that day.
• Ask God for passion to reach out to the lost. Make a list of people to pray to faith.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 280–284.
"What is Reformation Day?"
Reformation Day is a Protestant religious holiday celebrated on October 31. It recognizes the day German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church in 1517. This act is commemorated as the official starting point of the Protestant Reformation.
Officially, Reformation Day has been commemorated since 1567. Exact dates for the holiday varied until after the two hundredth celebration in 1717 when October 31 became the official date of celebration in Germany and later expanded internationally.
Within the Lutheran tradition, Reformation Day is considered a lesser holiday and is officially named “The Festival of the Reformation.” Most Lutheran churches (and others who celebrate this day) commemorate it on the Sunday prior to October 31.
The impact of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation has been enormous on global Christianity. In contrast to the extra-biblical traditions and works-based practices of Roman Catholicism, Luther called the Church back to the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Luther believed the Word of God was the supreme authority for the Christian faith, rather than tradition or papal decrees. In the process of bringing the Scriptures to the common person, Luther translated the Bible into German, published numerous books and sermons of biblical teachings, and composed numerous hymns based on biblical themes. Many of his hymns are still sung today.
Luther was brought to trial before the church, and the court attempted to force him to recant. Luther’s response is often quoted: “I cannot choose but adhere to the Word of God, which has possession of my conscience; nor can I possibly, nor will I even make any recantation, since it is neither safe nor honest to act contrary to conscience! Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God! Amen.”
From Germany, the Protestant Reformation expanded through Europe, influencing the work of John Calvin in Geneva, Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich, and John Knox in Scotland. The Reformation Luther led also sparked the Anabaptist (free church) movement and the English Reformation. These movements, in turn, influenced the spread of Christianity to the Americas and throughout the world where European exploration took place. South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand all felt the impact of Luther’s hammer in Wittenberg.
Robert Rothwell has noted, “Today, Luther’s legacy lives on in the creeds and confessions of Protestant bodies worldwide. As we consider his importance this Reformation Day, let us equip ourselves to be knowledgeable proclaimers and defenders of biblical truth. May we be eager to preach the Gospel of God to the world and thereby spark a new reformation of church and culture.”
Reformation Day remains a central rallying point for all of those who choose to follow Christ by faith according to His Word. The holiday commemorates the actions of a man who was willing to stand against the ideas of his day and to present God’s Word as our guide for salvation (John 3:16) and Christian living.
Tken form: www.gotquestions.org
Proverbs 20:5 (ESV)
5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
A man’s wisdom is here said to be of use to him for the pumping of other people, and diving into them, 1. To get the knowledge of them. Though men’s counsels and designs are ever so carefully concealed by them, so that they are as deep water which one cannot fathom, yet there are those who by sly insinuations, and questions that seem foreign, will get out of them both what they have done and what they intend to do. Those therefore who would keep counsel must not only put on resolution, but stand upon their guard. 2. To get knowledge by them. Some are very able and fit to give counsel, having an excellent faculty of cleaving a hair, hitting the joint of a difficulty, and advising pertinently, but they are modest, and reserved, and not communicative; they have a great deal in them, but it is loth to come out. In such a case a man of understanding will draw it out, as wine out of a vessel. We lose the benefit we might have by the conversation of wise men for want of the art of being inquisitive.
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 999.
God Healed the Breach
2 Chronicles 24:19; Jeremiah 35:15; Matthew 5:21–26; 21:33–44; Luke 12:58–59; Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18–21
Between us and God we had caused a breach by our sins—and God was the first to apply the remedy. He sends to us His ambassadors to call us, the offenders, back to peace. Let us blush, then, for our pride, and let it cause us shame to think we are unwilling to make amends to our neighbor, seeing that God Himself, whom we offended, has come forward in the person of His messengers to ask us to be reconciled to Him.
HUGH OF ST. VICTOR
Elliot Ritzema and Rebecca Brant, eds., 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Medieval Church (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
Outcasts
The modern church rejects the outcasts of society where as these very outcasts were the very ones who were drawn to Jesus.
Philip Yancy
Mark Water, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations (Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd, 2000), 706.
The One Who Believes Christ No Longer Fears
Joshua 1:6–9; Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:5; Acts 9:28; 13:44–47; 19:8–10
I call upon all men and women, all whose lives are ruined in sorrows and troubles. What do you fear? He who believes that Christ is above no longer fears anything. Come then all of you into His service.
GIROLAMO SAVONAROLA
Elliot Ritzema and Rebecca Brant, eds., 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Medieval Church (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
1 Peter 5:7–8 (ESV)
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
DEVIL (Gk. diábolos “slanderer”). Another name for Satan, God’s adversary. Whereas the Old Testament contains references to “demons” (so RSV, NIV; KJV “devils”) and “satyrs,” the New Testament presents a more developed demonology. Here some of the angels are said to have fallen from their state of integrity in heaven and placed themselves under the rule of the devil. As their prince (Matt. 9:34), the devil—called the “father of lies” and the “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44)—opposed Christ’s redemptive work by sending demons into people who then involuntarily became demon-possessed (see DEMON).
The devil himself sought to annul Christ’s ministry by his temptations in the wilderness, the region where, according to the Old Testament, demons and satyrs existed. Temporarily abandoning the effort after three unsuccessful attempts (Matt. 4:1–11 par. Luke 4:2–13; Mark 1:13 has “Satan”), the devil waited for an opportune moment (Luke 4:13), which came during the passion week when he had Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples, betray his master (Luke 22:3, “Satan”; John 6:70; 13:2). (Though Luke suggests Jesus’ victory over the devil, he also records Christ’s awareness of his power [e.g., Luke 8:12; see also Matt. 13:39], especially through his endeavors to block the expansion of the kingdom of God by means of demon possession.) At Acts 13:10 the apostle Paul blinds Elymas on account of his alleged cooperation with the devil.
Through his resurrection Christ broke the power of death and, in principle, the power of the devil (Heb. 2:14; cf. Acts 10:38; 1 John 3:8). God’s adversary may still prowl “like a roaring lion” (1 Pet. 5:8), but his reign will end at the great battle of the final tribulation (Rev. 20:10) or at the Day of Judgment (Matt. 25:41). Meanwhile, believers are warned not to play into the hands of the devil (Eph. 4:2) but to resist his wiles (6:11; cf. 1 Pet. 5:9), and office bearers are exhorted to display kindness to unbelievers in the hope that they may escape from the devil’s tentacles (2 Tim. 2:25–26).
Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987), 281–282.
It grieves me that so many believers view the doctrine of God's sovereignty as a deterrent to a healthy, vibrant prayer life. That kind of thinking demonstrates an inadequate, incomplete and unacceptable understanding, both of God's sovereignty and of prayer. In truth, we pray because God is sovereign – He alone has power over all human events. In praying, we don't run from His sovereignty, we run to it. It's absolutely true that God is sovereign over every detail of our lives. Job acknowledged that even the number of every person's days is determined (Job 14:5). Life and death are in His hands (Jas. 4:15). Yet we eat and breathe and sleep and take measures to avoid any kind of calamity that might end our lives prematurely. Why? That's the very same question as, "Why pray if God is sovereign?" Here's the answer to why we need to breathe, and why we need to pray: God ordains the means as well as the end. And our prayers are one of the important means by which He accomplishes His will and glorifies Himself in the process. (John MAcArthur)
“His Way Is Narrow”
Matthew 7:13–14
No doubt Christ’s way to eternal life is a way of pleasantness. But it is folly to shut our eyes to the fact that His way is narrow, and the cross comes before the crown.
J. C. RYLE
Elliot Ritzema and Elizabeth Vince, eds., 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Modern Church (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
What joy it will be to seek God’s face until the earth is full of His glory!
Andrew Murray and Barbour Publishing, 199 Treasures of Wisdom on Talking with God (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour, 2007).
Unbeliever, if God cannot and will not forgive the sins of penitent men without Christ taking their punishment, rest assured he will surely bring you to judgment. If, when Christ had imputed sin laid on him, God smote him, how will he smite you who are his enemy, and who have your own sins upon your head? God seemed at Calvary to take an oath and say, “By the blood of my Son I swear that sin must be punished!” If it is not punished in Christ for you, it will be punished in you for yourselves.
C. H. Spurgeon, 2,200 Quotations: From the Writings of Charles H. Spurgeon : Arranged Topically or Textually and Indexed by Subject, Scripture, and People (ed. Tom Carter; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995), 16.
When he was on his deathbed, Matthew Henry said to a friend, “You have been asked to take notice of the sayings of dying men—this is mine: that a life spent in the service of God and communion with Him is the most pleasant life that anyone can live in this world.”
Warren W. Wiersbe, Ten People Every Christian Should Know (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2011).
WE are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.
The glory and efficiency of the gospel is staked on the men who proclaim it. When God declares that “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him,” he declares the necessity of men and his dependence on them as a channel through which to exert his power upon the world. This vital, urgent truth is one that this age of machinery is apt to forget. The forgetting of it is as baneful on the work of God as would be the striking of the sun from his sphere. Darkness, confusion, and death would ensue.
What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.
Edward M. Bounds, Power through Prayer (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1999)
That the Christian life is a battle is well attested in Scripture. Satan seeks to defeat us. He destroys, deceives, corrupts, and counterfeits what God has made. Illustrations and metaphors abound from “fighting the good fight” to “putting on the full armor”; we must seek God’s protection from the forces that would tear us down.
Satan Seeks to Destroy
1. Satan’s first line of attack has always been to deny and distort God’s Word.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (NIV)
2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9
2. Satan is a liar and murderer, our enemy who seeks our destruction.
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (ESV)
1 Peter 5:8
3. Satan attempts to deceive us with his counterfeits.
Isaiah 14:13–14 For you said to yourself, “I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.” (NLT)
2 Corinthians 11:14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (NLT)
Deuteronomy 13:1–3; 1 Timothy 4:1; 1 John 4:1
4. Satan controls this present world system and seeks to control us.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. (NLT)
John 12:31; 17:15; 1 John 2:15–16
5. Satan uses demons in his schemes to defeat Christians and to keep people from coming to Christ.
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (ESV)
Ephesians 2:1–2; 6:10–12
The Battle Can Be Won
1. Our strength and freedom come from the Lord.
Luke 4:18–19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (ESV)
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. (ESV)
Psalm 62:6–8; Ephesians 6:10–18
2. We must be on guard and dependent on his Spirit.
1 Peter 5:7–9 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. (NLT)
Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7–8
Areas to Avoid and Action to Take
1. We must be sure there is no unconfessed sin in our life. Keeping short accounts with God is crucial to prevent Satan from gaining inroads of influence.
1 John 1:8–10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (ESV)
Psalm 32; 66:18; Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7
2. God forbids any involvement with satanic practices, occult mediums, or beliefs, including games, movies, and reading materials that have pro-satanic content.
Deuteronomy 18:10–12 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. (ESV)
Isaiah 8:19; Galatians 5:19–21
3. God, not astrology, is in control of the events of our lives.
Isaiah 47:13–14 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and save you from what shall come upon you. Behold, they shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; it shall not be a coal to be warmed by, nor a fire to sit before! (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 4:19; Job 42:1–2; Jeremiah 10:2; Daniel 4:35
4. The heavenly bodies (stars, planets, sun, and moon) were created by God to light the world and express God’s glory, not to reveal or guide us to our destiny.
Genesis 1:16–18 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. (NASB)
Psalm 19:1; 108:4–5; Isaiah 40:26
5. Reincarnation is not taught in Scripture.
Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (NASB)
Hebrews 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. (NASB)
6. Destroy all items related to the occult and its practices.
James 1:21 So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you. (GNT)
Acts 19:18–20; 2 Corinthians 6:14–17
Biblical Narratives
• David, who knew that the battle was the Lord’s, 1 Samuel 17:44–45
• Jesus and demonic activity, Mark 5:1–20 (among many other Scriptures)
• Peter’s need to resist, Luke 22:31–34
• Simon, the magician, Acts 8:9–24
• Slave girl, Acts 16:16–18
• Events at Ephesus, Acts 19:13–20
Practical Steps
• Study each piece of the armor of God from Ephesians 6:13–18. Thank God every day for his protection, and ask him to make that armor effective in your life.
• Study each of the four commands in the New Testament regarding the Holy Spirit, asking God to help you obey them. See Ephesians 4:30; 5:18; Galatians 5:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:19.
• Protect your family by removing occult items from your house. Stay away from such Internet sites. Destroy ungodly DVDs and CDs. Prohibit occult games.
• Reflect daily on the price Jesus paid to redeem you with his blood. Know that the gospel is sufficient for the battle.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 288–292.
Cut Off Attachments Immediately
Proverbs 23:1–3; Matthew 5:30; 18:8; Mark 9:43–45
However small an attachment may be, do not be too confident that you can cut it off at any time, but cut it off at once: for if you do not have the courage to destroy it when it is but beginning, how can you presume upon success when it has taken root and grown?
JOHN OF THE CROSS
Elliot Ritzema, 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Mark Water, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations (Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd, 2000), 420.
A blessed, happy life comes as we establish godly, biblical boundaries, delighting in the Word of God.
Psalm 1:1–3 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Exodus 23:2
Keith R. Miller and Patricia A. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Youth (Updated and Revised.; Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI, 2014), 46–47.
It is only in prayer that I can live such a life so that every word of God be fulfilled in me.
Andrew Murray and Barbour Publishing, 199 Treasures of Wisdom on Talking with God (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour, 2007).
Current secular thinking (without God or moral absolutes in the picture) sees little wrong with ending one’s own life, especially if that life is rife with pain and suffering. You have a “right to die,” if you so determine. Yet we have a loving heavenly Father who has revealed himself to us through his Word. Factoring God into the equation makes all the difference in this world and the next.
1. Human beings are God’s highest creation, made in his image. We are his possession. We have no right to end this life that belongs to him.
Genesis 1:27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (NLT)
Ezekiel 18:4 The life of every person belongs to me. (GNT)
Genesis 2:7; Job 41:11; Psalm 139:13–16
2. God showed how much he loves us by sending his Son to die for us.
Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)
Ephesians 2:4–5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. (ESV)
John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:9
3. Christians have a special relationship with God that gives us great hope.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (ESV)
Ephesians 3:20–21
4. Though we may feel guilty for some great sin, we must not take our life. There is no sin too great for God to forgive. Jesus took the punishment for all sin.
Micah 7:18–19 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (NASB)
Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins. (NASB)
Psalm 145:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 53
5. God’s presence is guaranteed, even when darkness overwhelms us. He will never leave us.
Psalm 139:7–12 Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there. If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me. I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night, but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you. (GNT)
Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:9; Haggai 2:4
6. There is no problem too great for God to handle. Our strength comes from him.
Jeremiah 32:17 Ah, Lord God! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. (ESV)
Isaiah 43:18–19; Ephesians 6:10; 2 Timothy 2:1
7. Our future is secure with God on our side.
Jeremiah 29:11–13 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (ESV)
Romans 8:31–39
8. God’s Word provides the answers for relief from life’s difficulties.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. (NASB)
Deuteronomy 32:46–47; Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12
9. If suicide does occur, God’s grace extends even to that sin. A Christian who takes his or her own life will still be secure in the love of God.
Romans 8:38–39 For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below—there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord. (GNT)
John 10:27–29
Practical Steps
• Research Scripture on God’s sovereignty. Suicidal thoughts ultimately come because of a lack of hope. Something in life is too huge or too awful to imagine surviving. Hope in God will provide relief.
• Know that a very practical help for feelings of depression is intense, consistent physical exercise to help relieve the symptoms. Get a plan going and stick to it.
• Write down how you are feeling and how the Bible describes Jesus and his love for you. Take to heart that you are totally valuable and precious in his sight!
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 301–304.
175My eye runs down with grief when I think of some of you who listen to my voice year after year, and yet do not hear. You hear me, but not my Master. Alas! How many have been the arrows out of God’s bow which I have shot at you? Have they not been wasted? They have rattled upon your armor, but they have not pierced your hearts. I can say solemnly I have sometimes stood in this pulpit and have labored with your souls to the best of my power, and I have felt that I would have cheerfully resigned all I had on earth if I might but have brought you to Christ. Oh, I must have you saved! I must have you lay hold on eternal life! I must see you look to Jesus!
C. H. Spurgeon, 2,200 Quotations: From the Writings of Charles H. Spurgeon : Arranged Topically or Textually and Indexed by Subject, Scripture, and People (ed. Tom Carter; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995), 36.
A heavenly standard for the regulation of all our conduct
(Arthur Pink, "A Prosperous New Year")
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth. You shall meditate on it day and night--so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:8
"You shall meditate on it day and night."
Only thus will its injunctions be fixed in the memory;
only thus shall we be able to ascertain our duty;
only thus shall we discern the rightful application of the Divine precepts to all the varied details of our daily lives.
The more I am regulated by the Divine Rule--the more I shall be preserved from the mistakes and follies which characterize those who follow a course of self-pleasing. But in order to do God's commandments, I must be conversant with them; and in order to perceive their breadth and specific application unto any problem or decision confronting me, I must "meditate on it day and night." Meditation stands to reading--as mastication does to eating. Spiritual prosperity eludes the slothful and careless.
"That you may be careful to do everything written in it." This must be the dominating motive and object. God's Word is to be appropriated and masticated--fed and meditated upon--not for the purpose of understanding its prophecies, or obtaining an insight into its mysteries--but in order to learn God's will for myself, and having learned it--to conform thereunto. God's Word is given to us chiefly--not to gratify curiosity or to entertain our imagination--but as "a lamp to our feet--and a light unto our path" (Psalm 119:105) in this dark world. It is a Rule for us to walk by--it is a heavenly standard for the regulation of all our conduct. It points out the things to be avoided--the things which would harm us. It tells of the things to be followed and practiced--the things which are for our good and our peace. It contains not only good advice--but is clothed with Divine authority, commanding implicit and unqualified obedience.
If we minimize grace the world sees no hope for salvation. If we minimize truth, the world sees no need for salvation. To show the world Jesus, we must offer unabridged grace and truth, emphasizing both, apologizing for neither. (Randy Alcorn)
Redefining Sacred Space
Reflections on Leviticus
After worship one Sunday, I overheard a teenager recounting the latest scandal at her school. Another student reprimanded her, “Don’t gossip, you’re in church!” He certainly ended the conversation, but his words revealed an underlying view by which many Christians compartmentalize life—church is “holy,” everywhere else is “unholy.”
You do not have to read as far in the Old Testament to find Levitican rules about holiness and sacred space. The book is replete with them. God demands holiness from Israel, repeatedly commanding them to “be holy because I am holy” (Lev 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7, 26). But how do cleansing rituals for birthing practices and skin sores relate to holiness?
In ancient Israel, people, objects and spaces could be judged holy or common. The tabernacle, for example, was sacred because it was God’s dwelling place; therefore, the people of Israel would undergo extensive cleansing rituals before bringing their sacrifices to the priests. God’s command to be holy extended as far as appropriate foods (Lev 11, 17), treatment for infections (Lev 13:1–46) and sexual practices (Lev 18). Something as minor as mold or mildew found on fabric had to be brought to the priest (13:47–59). While these were not matters of moral concern, they were of great spiritual importance. The rituals for approaching God were a means of reminding Israel that God was not common.
The author of Leviticus did not assume that a person could simply follow these rules and be close to God. God established His relationship with His people before placing demands on them. Before Israel heard and obeyed (and disobeyed) the laws given in Leviticus, God repeatedly asserted that He was “the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God” (Lev 11:45; see also 19:36; 22:33). Israel was established again as God’s people at the exodus, and then they were given guidelines for how they were to live in relationship with Him. God even proclaims that He is the one who makes them holy, not adherence to the law (Lev 20:8, 23). So even in Leviticus, God bestows grace to a sinful and undeserving people. The law defines how they must live as God’s people—people set apart, like Him.
Jesus changed the rules, though. He entered creation, became the ultimate sacrifice and opened up a way—the only way—for humanity to encounter God. Those with skin diseases came to Jesus for healing and restoration into society. Paul preached that Jesus made all foods and people clean, that circumcision of the heart was the true circumcision. The New Testament bears witness that God makes His people holy through Jesus Christ.
So how do we live as people who have been made holy through Christ? As God’s people, we are given guidelines throughout Scripture for how to treat others, how to use our words, and how to control our thoughts. Yet we do not do this on our own. God’s Spirit now dwells in us—we are His temple (2 Cor 6:16). And He performs this work in us so that we may live as disciples at all times and in all places.
Over time, the relationship changes us, and we behave differently. But more important, Jesus transforms us into new creatures who reflect His holiness—no matter where we are.
AUBRY SMITH
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN BIBLE STUDY MAGAZINE SEPT–OCT ‘13
BIBLICAL REFERENCES FROM NET
Aubry Smith, “Redefining Sacred Space,” in Moment with God: A Devotional on Every Biblical Book (ed. John D. Barry and Rebecca Van Noord; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
God Is Nearer Than We Think
Deuteronomy 4:7; Psalm 34:18; 145:18; Isaiah 57:15; 65:24; Lamentations 3:41; Philippians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:17
He lays no great burden upon us—a little remembrance of Him from time to time, a little adoration; sometimes to pray for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sorrows, sometimes to return Him thanks for the benefits He has bestowed upon you and is still bestowing in the midst of your troubles. He asks you to console yourself with Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him even at your meals, or when you are in company—the least little remembrance will always be acceptable to Him. You need not cry very loud; He is nearer to us than we think. - BROTHER LAWRENCE
Elliot Ritzema, 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
THE SPIRIT OF SHARING
Share with God’s people who are in need.
ROMANS 12:13, NIV
Society says we each have a claim on certain possessions, but God says we own nothing. You are simply a steward of whatever He has blessed you with. And part of that stewardship responsibility is to occasionally share your personal resources with fellow Christians who have needs.
The spirit of sharing was immediately evident in the early church as believers after Pentecost “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers…. [and] all who believed were together, and had all things in common” (Acts 2:42, 44; see also 1 Tim. 6:17–18). Ask the Lord to help you demonstrate that same spirit of sharing.
John MacArthur, Truth for Today : A Daily Touch of God’s Grace (Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2001), 219.
Compromise with the culture is often the result when we lose a reverence and respect for the Lord. It’s the “Jesus won’t mind” attitude. To overcome compromise we need to remove our fear of offending the world and recapture a healthy fear of the Lord that our God expects and demands. (Randy Smith)
1 Peter 1:3–5 (ESV)
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Regeneration.
Inner cleansing and renewal of the human nature by the Holy Spirit. Mankind’s spiritual condition is transformed from a disposition of sin to one of a new relationship with God (Ti 3:5). Regeneration involves both moral restoration and the reception of new life. The idea of regeneration is expressed as rebirth—being born again (Jn 3:3–7). This new birth suggests the newness of life in Christ. The process of regeneration is not brought about by human righteousness but by the gracious act of God (Eph 2:8, 9).
Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1830.
John 12:24 (ESV)
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
The advantage of Christ’s humiliation illustrated. He fell to the ground in his incarnation, seemed to be buried alive in this earth, so much was his glory veiled; but this was not all: he died. This immortal seed submitted to the laws of mortality, he lay in the grave like seed under the clods; but as the seed comes up again green, and fresh, and flourishing, and with a great increase, so one dying Christ gathered to himself thousands of living Christians, and he became their root. The salvation of souls hitherto, and henceforward to the end of time, is all owing to the dying of this corn of wheat. Hereby the Father and the Son are glorified, the church is replenished, the mystical body is kept up, and will at length be completed; and, when time shall be no more, the Captain of our salvation, bringing many sons to glory by the virtue of his death, and being so made perfect by sufferings, shall be celebrated for ever with the admiring praises of saints and angels, Heb. 2:10, 13.
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 2000.
Deceiving One Another into an Easy Life
Amos 6:1; Luke 13:24; 2 Timothy 3:13; James 5:5
The flesh is willing to flatter itself, and many who now give themselves every indulgence promise to themselves an easy entrance into life. Thus men practice mutual deception on each other, and fall asleep in wicked indifference. - JOHN CALVIN
Elliot Ritzema, 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
1. The time we have on earth, the days of our lives, are a gift from God and determined by him.
Job 14:1–2, 5 How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.… You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer. (NLT)
Psalm 31:14–15 But as for me, I trust in you, O LORD, I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand. (NASB)
Psalm 39:4 LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. (NLT)
Psalm 90:3–12; 144:4
2. It is God’s plan that we use our time wisely.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (NKJV)
Ephesians 5:15–18
3. As we make plans, depending on God and asking for his wisdom are critical to success.
Psalm 90:17 Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands. (NASB)
James 1:5 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. (GNT)
Proverbs 16:9; James 4:13–15
4. Staying balanced is crucial for time management.
Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. (NIV)
Nehemiah 4:8–9 (Note the balance of praying and working.)
Biblical Narrative
• Moses, taking Jethro’s advice for delegation, Exodus 18:13–24; Deuteronomy 1:9–18
Practical Steps
• Admit your need for a planner. Use it consistently to manage your time wisely and efficiently.
• Use a monthly/weekly calendar to help your family keep organized.
• Evaluate often how much time is spent on various activities, searching out and eliminating time wasters.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 312–313.
God's providence is His constant care for and His absolute rule over all creation for His own glory and the good of His people - J I Packer
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Matthew 2:13–23
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee:
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art,
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring:
By thy own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone,
By thy all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
CHARLES WESLEY (1707–1788)
Elliot Ritzema, ed., 300 Quotations and Prayers for Christmas (Pastorum Series; Lexham Press, 2013).
Born as a son,
led forth as a lamb, sacrificed as a sheep,
buried as a man, he rose from the dead as a God,
for he was by nature God and man.
He is all things:
he judges, so he is the law;
he teaches, and so he is Wisdom;
he saves, and so he is Grace;
be begets, and so he is Father;
he is begotten, and so he is Son;
he suffers, and so he is Sacrifice;
he is buried, and so he is man;
he rises again, and so he is God.
This is Jesus Christ, to whom belongs glory for all ages.
Meito, bishop of Sardis (d.180)[EOP,39PD]
If heaven were by merit, it would never be heaven to me, for if I were in it I should say, “I am sure I am here by mistake; I am sure this is not my place; I have no claim to it.” But if it be of grace and not of works, then we may walk into heaven with boldness. (C H Spurgeon)
Christ’s Coming Was to Bring Glory to God
Luke 2:14
God knows no higher design than His own glory, and Christ’s coming into the world was for the accomplishment of that design. And man can desire no greater happiness than what follows, peace and goodwill: and both these are born into the world, together with Christ. - EZEKIEL HOPKINS (1634–1690)
Elliot Ritzema, ed., 300 Quotations and Prayers for Christmas (Pastorum Series; Lexham Press, 2013).
In order to grow in grace, we must be much alone with God. It is not in society, that the soul grows most vigorously. In one single quiet hour of prayer, it will often make more progress than in days of company with others. It is in the desert that the dew falls freshest and the air its purest.
Cannot Understand God
Psalm 145:3; Ecclesiastes 3:11; 8:16–17; Isaiah 55:8–9; John 20:9; Romans 11:33; Philippians 2:6–11
We ought therefore not to be surprised that there is much in God which we cannot understand, and that very many truths of the faith we cannot yet prove since we do not yet know everything. The great God in His rich mercy saw our poor knowledge and came into our flesh and assumed it that He might work for us, die, and rise again from the dead; until after a life full of love He raised Himself above the world of sense into His eternity.
GIROLAMO SAVANAROLA
Elliot Ritzema and Rebecca Brant, eds., 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Medieval Church (Pastorum Series; Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013).
Preaching is God’s great institution for the planting and maturing of spiritual life. When properly executed, its benefits are untold; when wrongly executed, no evil can exceed its damaging results. It is an easy matter to destroy the flock if the shepherd be unwary or the pasture be destroyed, easy to capture the citadel if the watchmen be asleep or the food and water be poisoned. Invested with such gracious prerogatives, exposed to so great evils, involving so many grave responsibilities, it would be a parody on the shrewdness of the devil and a libel on his character and reputation if he did not bring his master influences to adulterate the preacher and the preaching. In face of all this, the exclamatory interrogatory of Paul, “Who is sufficient for these things?” is never out of order.
Paul says: “Our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” The true ministry is God-touched, God-enabled, and God-made. The Spirit of God is on the preacher in anointing power, the fruit of the Spirit is in his heart, the Spirit of God has vitalized the man and the word; his preaching gives life, gives life as the spring gives life; gives life as the resurrection gives life; gives ardent life as the summer gives ardent life; gives fruitful life as the autumn gives fruitful life. The life-giving preacher is a man of God, whose heart is ever athirst for God, whose soul is ever following hard after God, whose eye is single to God, and in whom by the power of God’s Spirit the flesh and the world have been crucified and his ministry is like the generous flood of a life-giving river.
The preaching that kills is non-spiritual preaching
Edward M. Bounds, Power through Prayer (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1999).
Christianity does not think of a man finally submitting to the power of God, it thinks of him as finally surrendering to the love of God. It is not that man’s will is crushed, but that man’s heart is broken.
William Barclay
Mark Water, The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations (Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd, 2000), 421.
God ordained work as the normal routine of living. Every legitimate human task, therefore, is of intrinsic worth, however menial it may seem, and is potentially a means of glorifying God.
Work is ordained by God
Ge 1:27-28 See also Ex 20:9 pp Dt 5:13; Ps 104:23 Work is part of the rhythm of life.
Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).