2 Samuel 22:32-51 - Kindness to the Lord's Anointed

2 Samuel 22:32-51

He is a tower of deliverance to His king, and shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his descendants forever. (verse 51)

Message: Kindness to the Lord's Anointed

Time: Second Samuel is set in the land of Israel during the reign of David and follows the course of his forty years as king of Israel (1011–971 BC). It chronicles the establishment of the Davidic dynasty and the expansion of Israel under God’s chosen leader. 

What the Lord is Saying: The author of 2 Samuel starts to conclude the life of David by offering here a song of praise with God as David's deliverer, fully expressing God's intervention in David's life. David continues his song to God showing how his righteous living results in good outcomes. And now in today's lesson is the conclusion of this song or hymn to the Lord. 

We express our thanks to God. As we walk with God in life, we recognize His hand of providence and for this we express our thanks. 

"For who is God, besides the Lord? And who is a rock, besides our God? God is my strong fortress. And He sets the blameless in His way. He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me on my high places." I can navigate difficulties in my life because God is God. Because he is my rock, my strong fortress. He anchors me. I can navigate difficulties because God is present. I have His support. The difficult terrain is there and part of my journey, but God stabilizes me. He will lift me up. 

"He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation, and Thy help makes me great. Thou does enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped. I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise, and they fell under my feet. For thou has girded me with strength for battle; Thou hast subdued under me those who rose up against me. Thou hast also made my enemies turn their backs to me, and I destroyed those who hated me." David recognizes that he is strong because of the Lord God. That God makes him great. That God prepares him on his path so that his feet do not slip off target. That he is victorious over his enemies because of God's strength. That they fell under his feet because of His working. He places enemies below him and those that hate him are destroyed. Thus, David constantly is thankful to God for any and all victories in his life. God is the reason for his greatness and doing great. Lord, help me be more thankful in life for all that you are doing. 

"They looked, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth. I crushed and stamped them as the mire of the streets. Thou hast also delivered me from the contentions of my people; thou hast kept me as head of the nations; a people whom I have not known serve me. Foreigners pretend obedience to me; as soon as they hear, they obey me. Foreigners lose heart, and come trembling out of their fortresses." There are those that are chosen by God and there are those that are not. God saves some and some He does not. David is a chosen one and with God by His side he delivers him from the contentions of his people. People might look like they are on David's side but He can only count on God. 

"The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; and exalted be God, the rock of my salvation, the God who executes vengeance for me, and brings down peoples under me. Who also brings me out from my enemies; thou dost even lift me above those who rise up against me; thou dost rescue me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Thy name. He is a tower of deliverance to His king, and shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his descendants forever."  Once again, David returns praise to God. Blessed be God. Exalted be God. God who takes care of my enemies. God who pulls me from my enemies. God rescues me. Therefore I give thanks to Him. He sings praises to His name. He shows me lovingkindness, both for me and all His anointed. 

Summary: God stabilizes me. I am only strong because of God. David is one of his chosen one's, but not all are chosen. David praises God. I give thanks to Him. 

Promise: In this life, we will have trouble, but God is with us. 

Prayer: Lord, you make me stand firm. You stabilize me. You work out my good and you protect me from those that are against me for there are always. Lord, it is true that not all are your chosen ones and some are not in your favor. You defeat them and I return my praise to You always. Your name is great. I praise You. I thank You. In life there will be trouble but You are with me. Thank you God and praise You God. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

2 Samuel 22:1-20 - David's Song of Deliverance

2 Samuel 22:1-20

Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that someone would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has a lawsuit or claim could come to me, and I would give him justice!” (verse 4)

Message: David's Song of Deliverance

Time: Second Samuel is set in the land of Israel during the reign of David and follows the course of his forty years as king of Israel (1011–971 BC). It chronicles the establishment of the Davidic dynasty and the expansion of Israel under God’s chosen leader. 

What the Lord is Saying: While this Psalm or Song appears after chapter 21, it does not necessarily follow the events of Chapter 21 but rather David records this song of praise following a battle victory, most likely. It is repeated in Psalm 18. There is a tradition among God's people to sing their praises to God. It is personal and also communal. 

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

Rock here is crag which means a steep or rugged cliff which is sought for refuge. The Hebrew word is Sela. Thus, God is unmoving. He is Strength. A fortress in these times was essential for survival against enemies. He is my deliverer. He is active in rescuing me from perilous situations. He saves. He liberates. 

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

This rock is a different Hebrew word. It is tsur. It is a strong rock or cliff or bedrock. He is my continual and unmoving refuge. The previous 'rock' is specific for a purpose. This 'rock' seems to be continuous. 

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;

A shield is for defense. Horn is a symbol of strength and is also a reference for Jesus (Luke 1:69). As a refuge, God is my sanctuary in times of trouble. 

My savior, You save me from violence.

God is my savior and in Titus 2:13, savior is also Jesus Christ. God intervenes to save us from physical harm, but also from spiritual harm. 

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

David calls because he knows God to be trustworthy and he is thankful to God. There is a response always to God after He provides of thankfulness and turning to Him. There is an immediate recognition that God is the source of our deliverance and so we return to Him praise and thanksgiving. We are thankful to God for his power, his faithfulness, his righteousness.

And I am saved from my enemies.

At numerous times, God intercedes. He is the reason my enemies are not victorious over me. Exodus 14:30, "That day the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians." Psalm 34:17, "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." God hears and God acts. Sometimes in these days, it seems that our enemies are not as clear. Our true enemy is Satan today who wants to get us off track of our spiritual purpose in life. 

For the waves of death encompassed me;

Waves are sorrows. Water often symbolized chaos and destruction. 

The floods of destruction terrified me;

Floods are torrents in the King James Version. Thus, the danger is overwhelming. There is a disorder and confusion that I simply cannot face alone. In times of trouble, I need people close. It is no fun to be sick alone, to ache in pain, to experience a virus. 

The ropes of Sheol surrounded me;

The ropes or cords of Sheol refer to being ready to be devoured. This is being in a place of separation from God. It is darkness. Once again, it is overwhelming. 

The snares of death confronted me.

Snares are traps. "For the wages of sin is death." Sin results in death. Sin traps me. The reality in all of these phrases is the trap of falling into sin is real. 

In my distress I called upon the Lord,

So what does the Christian do in this situation of distress? Call upon the Lord. He is the reliable one. I have faith in Him. I can trust in Him. This should be an automatic response of God's people. 

Yes, I called out to my God;

It is a repetitious calling out. It is not one time. We often do not pray one time but continually pray for God to intercede. 

And from His temple He heard my voice,

The temple was not yet built in David's time. But it symbolizes God's dwelling place and in that place God is ready to hear me. Church is often this place for all people. Though we can call upon God anywhere, at any time, we always see Church is that place where God for sure hears us. 

And my cry for help came into His ears.

God hears me. It is one thing to cry out. It is another to be heard. The baby or child that cries out to its mother and the mother picks up the child. To be heard is to be known. I want to be know, to be seen, to be heard. 

Then the earth shook and quaked,

This is the earth responding to God's presence. This is God making himself known to His people. The natural disasters in life that are sometimes horrific in tearing apart lands - hurricanes, earthquakes - violent upheaval of land.  

The foundations of heaven were trembling

And the extent of these disasters are so immense they reach heaven. Here, judgment is real. It is interesting, we want God to deal with sin individually in a person's life, but not globally. And we are also quick to not ascribe famines or disasters to him. We don't want the judging God. We want the God to only be one of comfort. 

And were shaken, because He was angry.

But the reality is God's anger is real. This shaking and upheaval is in response to God's indignation and his anger towards sin. 

Smoke went up out of His nostrils,

This snorting. In movies or cartoons, this is anger where smoke is coming out of every opening on an animal or person's faith, often from his nose or ears. The anger is so intense. We will often say, "He is blowing off steam." 

And fire from His mouth was devouring;

Fire destroys. Fire purifies. With food, fires takes something raw and purifies it. 

Coals were kindled by it.

The hot coals kindle and let off heat to seer something, often food. Again there is purification. God is going to cleanse people. He is going to take that which is present and change it. 

He also bowed the heavens down low, and came down

God can manipulate the heavens for his purpose. And he came down, he appears, he makes himself known. In Jesus He made Himself known to people. John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and dwells among us." God makes himself known to his people. He is active in making himself known. He is clear. God is to be seen. In Jesus, he wants to make himself known. 

With thick darkness under His feet.

In Revelation 1:7, "He is coming with the clouds." Thick darkness in the King James is think clouds. The pillar of cloud guided the Israelites. There is God's mystery. There is God's majesty. The cloud is moving across the earth. There is authority and returning of God. In a storm, the clouds come down and are in the middle of us. He comes down to us. 

He rode on a cherub and flew;

Cherubim are often depicted as angelic beings. God rode beyond human limitations. He is omnipresent. He is omniscience. 

He appeared on the wings of the wind.

God moves, unhindered by earthly constraints. Wind often is the Spirit of God. He is swift in His movement. 

He made darkness canopies around Him,

This darkness is not evil but rather a representation of God's unapproachable holiness and glory. The canopy signifies protection and authority, much like a king's tent, indicating God's sovereign rule over creation.

Exodus 20:11, "Moses approached the thick darkness where God was."

A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.

The thick clouds symbolize God's ability to bring both judgment and blessing, as clouds can bring rain or storms.

From the brightness before Him

God's presences is often associated with brightness, overwhelming light. It is purity, holy, and unapproachable light. 

Coals of fire were kindled.

Fire represents divine judgment. And God has ultimate authority. 

The Lord thundered from heaven,

God intervenes. 

And the Most High uttered His voice.

He speaks into people's lives. God's message is clear to His people. 

And He shot arrows and scattered them,

God is precise in taking care of man's enemies. 

Lightning, and routed them.

God uses nature to accomplish his purposes. 

Then the channels of the sea appeared,

God makes a way where there seems to be no way. 

The foundations of the world were exposed

The beginning of the earth were laid bare. 

By the rebuke of the Lord,

God expresses disapproval. 

From the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

God's breath expresses his power. I think of a superman movie in which someone blows and people go swirling. There is a power in the breath. 

He sent from on high, He took me;

From His exalted position, God reaches down. 

He drew me out of many waters.

God removes me from the most difficult of situations. 

He rescued me from my strong enemy,

God intervenes on behalf of his people. 

From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

Believers are to rely on God's strength and not their own. 

They confronted me on the day of my disaster,

David experienced intense distress, trial and danger. 

But the Lord was my support.

But David can always rely on God for his strength in any situation. 

He also brought me out into an open place;

God took him away from confinement and moved him to open space to freely be. 

He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

God has a favor toward David. David is chosen and loved by God. 

I took my time in reviewing each line of this Song. What I saw are some consistent themes. God is my deliverer. I call on him. He hates sin. He will purify me. And He does this in a personal way. God comes to man. God comes down to man. God loves man. 

Summary: The author of 2 Samuel starts to conclude the life of David by offering here a song of praise with God as David's deliverer, fully expressing God's intervention in David's life.

Promise: Thank the Lord for His protection.

Prayer: O God, you are faithful. I thank you for the time today in further looking into this text and thinking about these words of Praise toward you. You are my Deliverer. I call on You and You answer. You purify me and rescue me. You are great and mighty. You hate sin and You will deal with it. I pray that I have not safeguarded my life to the point that I don't see your handiwork in my life, but also that I don't have reasons to trust in You for all your defeats of my enemies. Lord, let me continually see the active role you play in my life. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

I Samuel 16:1-13 - The Anointing of David

I Samuel 16:1-13

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his outward appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (verse 7)

Message: The Anointing of David

Time: This book is a biography of Samuel's life and career up to his death. It took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when Samuel was born (ca. 1120 BC) through the death of Saul (1011 BC).

What the Lord is Saying: Now that the Lord has regretted Saul as King (15:35), he tells Samuel to not grieve (v.1) over something God has done. I think that's an important idea that sometimes we dwell on something that is over and complete. God has made a decision so we simply need to move on. 

Samuel fears his life. But The Lord plans a ceremony to show Saul who will choose - a sacrifice. God has "selected a king for Himself among his (Jesse the Bethlehemite) sons (verse 1)." 

No more playing the game of letting Israel select their king that ended up not being a man that will follow God. Israel had selected someone that looked good, was tall. He had the right appearance. The Lord confirms that He chooses people based upon their heart (verse 7). I think this is the first time I have read verse 7 and realized the first part of the verse was speaking about Saul. 

Samuel arrives in Bethlehem (verse 4) and invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice (v.5). It says in verse 5 in the NASB he consecrated those present. KJV says sanctified. To sanctify is "By the usual ceremonial purifications, such as washing the body and clothes, the outward symbols of spiritual preparation" (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). 

As the sons come in and come before Samuel, each son is presented - Abinadab, Shammah - in total "7 of his sons passed before Samuel (verse 10)."

Then it is discovered that the youngest is not even present. The youngest wasn't even thought to be included. And yet the youngest is who the Lord has his eye on. But he showed up and received the anointing by Samuel "in the midst of his brothers. (verse 13)" 

A lot went in to set David apart as king. All of the initial work, consecrating the gathering didn't even include the one person God set aside to be his king. But it was done. So far there isn't any mention of what David thought of this. But God has chosen him.

Summary: After Saul, the Lord shows Samuel perhaps an unlikely successor for king in David, as someone chosen by God and seen by God in His way, 

Promise: The Lord looks on the heart when He evaluates a person.

Prayer: O God, you are Holy and True. Thank you for reminding me the way you look at people and value them - looking at the heart. I want to have a good heart that honors You. Thank you for choosing me and calling Me to be Yours. Be glorified in me. Thank you for the people you have placed in my path. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

I Samuel 10:17-27 - A King in Hiding

I Samuel 10:17-27 

Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired further of the Lord, "Has this man come here yet?" So the Lord said, "Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage." (verse 21-22)

Message: A King in Hiding

Time: This book is a biography of Samuel's life and career up to his death. It took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when Samuel was born (ca. 1120 BC) through the death of Saul (1011 BC).

What the Lord is Saying: Chapter 10 began with Saul being anointed by Samuel with a flask of oil. His father had placed him on a trail to find donkeys and Saul lets him know where the donkey reside. Saul is set aside for the Lord's work with the Lord choosing him, changing his heart, being with him, and the Spirit of God coming upon him mightily. And yet when his uncle appears he says nothing and only mentions the donkey. Back in I Samuel 9 in describing Saul he is "a choice and handsome man." Nothing else is mentioned. He has been given much by the Lord and yet he doesn't seem to be stepping up to this calling. 

Now in verse 17 Samuel speaks to the people at Mizpah (meaning Watchtower). This is the city in which Saul is anointed and is the a part of the territory of Benjamin. Samuel has a word of the sons of Israel. What God has done: brought out of Egypt, delivered them. Their response: rejecting God today asking to have their own king of their choice. 

Verse 20 says, "Then Samuel brought all the tribes near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot." In verse 18 Samuel speaks to the "sons of Israel." When the Lord speaks to His people, it is to the sons of Israel or God's chosen people which is the descendants of Jacob that became the nation of Israel - God's chosen people - the 12 tribes. The contrast here is one of choosing. One people are chosen versus those chosen by lot. The Jews are the chosen one's, but everyone else is by lot. And this is Saul's choosing - by lot. And yet in verse 21, "he could not be found" as he was (in verse 22) "hiding himself by the baggage (stuff)." He had to be taken from there to stand among the people and he was seen to be taller than anyone else. Samuel states this is the one the Lord has chosen (by lot) and no one is like him. 

And yet as Samuel then identifies in the charter that Saul is the man to lead them, then people start to wonder if that is possible or question the choice. 

Today's passage is the move from Saul being first chosen in private and now he is presented before the people publicly. 

The people have received what they wanted - not wanting someone the Lord chooses, but instead someone from among the people. God's choice is seen to be by lot then rather than chosen. And upon that announcement, Saul can't be found. He has a big responsibility and while he is tall in stature he is hiding and not ready it would seem to stand out in front and lead. But Samuel writes it in the charter. It is decreed. 

Summary: Saul had been chosen by God and presented before the people and yet at this choosing, Saul cannot be found and appears to be hiding.

Promise: If God has called us, he will equip us and we not hide in fear. 

Prayer: It is good to have this time in Your Word Lord. Thank you for the way You choose and then showing me the contrast for that, by lot. Still a choice but falling somewhat where it falls to show us the difference. We are your chosen ones. I am so fortunate to be of this chosen ones. I pray taht more would be chosen. People need you and pray that they would recognize this calling. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

John 15:14-17 - Friends of the Savior

John 15:14-17

14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another. 

Message: Friends of the Savior

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."  

What the Lord is Saying: Jesus continues this long discourse with his disciples. I am taking these words slow, breaking them apart, and yet this is a discourse that is not lasting long in time, though Jesus is speaking a lot. A lot of what I have read and see in these words are words of comfort and encouragement that Jesus is sharing with His disciples. But there are also words of responsibilities we have as believers and followers. 

I use the devotional Tabletalk, a ministry of Ligonier, to guide me through these lessons. It is interesting because I have seen recently in the lessons that speak of commands and appear to give these conditional statements like today in verse 14, "If you do what I command you" and verse 7, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you" and verse 4-6, "Abide in Me, and I in you" to bear fruit or Jesus will cast us out -- as those conditional statements are made, Tabletalk makes a point to say - now don't think these statements are conditional. I don't necessarily disagree with this, though I find it interesting that these statements must be made because it tells me there is potential for misunderstanding. 

And yet on a high level, Jesus is communicating a responsibility that believers have living in Christ. There is a responsibility they have with themselves towards Christ, with how they relate to others, and even the world at large which I will get to later. 

In this passage, Jesus says we are His friends, but says we are to do what He commands as He has previously mentioned the importance of keeping His commandments (v.10) and that the commandment is to love one another (v.12).  We are friends, not slaves any longer. And Jesus speaks of the special-ness or the intimacy that we now have with Him as His friends knowing what He is doing. Jesus receives from the Father and has shared with us. We are close to Him. 

Then in verse 16 and 17 is another summary that Jesus gives and these words do make us think those previous words that appear to be conditional are not. He says, "I chose you." We did not choose Him. This is correct. He called the disciples, the followers of Him and they responded, but Jesus did the choosing. And with that choosing is a task to go and bear fruit. I've been remembering the words of God in Genesis 1:28 when God says to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." God created and God called. He says He chose us to bear fruit. That we are to ask of Him so that He will provide. He wants to provide. Again He says, "Love one another." Here it is again - (1) Believe, (2) Ask, (3) Obey, (4) The Helper helps and maybe I could add to love one another but I think that is part of obedience. 

Summary: We are Jesus' friend, no longer slaves. He chose us to bear fruit, and we can ask Him in His name and He will give it. We are to love one another. 

Promise: Though we are friends with Jesus, we still receive commands from Him that we are to obey. 

Prayer: Lord, you have called me your friend, choosing me, being transparent with me by telling me what You have done and done for me and will do. Thank you God for your honesty toward me and helping me throughout my days and my life. You keep me close to You always. Give me that strength to love one another and encourage them always to live for You. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

John 6:41-44 - Drawing People to Faith

John 6:41-44

41 The Jews therefore were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven." 42 And they were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, "I have come down out of heaven?" 43 Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." 

Message: Drawing People to Faith

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."

What the Lord is Saying: The tension is building. Jesus is in the synagogue (v. 59) speaking to the multitudes and explaining further who He is and how He has come into this world to save people, to give them eternal life. John 3:15 says, "that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life." And as John writes this book and tells of Jesus, Jesus making these assertions of Himself is drawing criticism from many. Jesus continues to speak with purpose, that people need to believe in Him. He has stated that He is the bread, giving eternal life, and people do not need to hunger again. The message is being repeated. Jesus is repeating, "everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life." 

And while the multitudes are present, Jews are also present. And these words are making them feel uneasy and grumble and Jesus brings forth another idea that "No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him." As I have seen before, the Spirit must draw people. The Father must draw people to this belief in Jesus being the bread, the bread of life, that takes away people's sin. People must be born again (John 3:7) and born of the Spirit (John 3:8). 

This continues to be an incredible statement and piece of doctrine that no one comes to God on their own accord, but one must be drawn. And after being rightly drawn, that person will not be lost. In verse 39 Jesus said, "All that He has given Me I lose nothing." None that come to Jesus will ever be lost. So two natural thoughts come to mind - 1. I do know of people that have come to the Lord, admit salvation, and follow the Lord from our perspective. Some even are pastors and have written books to help many, but then turn away from the Lord. And so we seem to be able to conclude that they were never saved. Only Jesus knows who is truly saved. 2. Only certain people are saved. I mean, this is clearly evident in our world today as many people have no regard for God and many are not living their lives in service to Him or love to Him or seeking to love Him with all of their heart, mind, strength. And yet only the Father draws people to Him. I suppose we would rather see people reject Him than God not calling them? 

Albert Barnes states this:

In the conversion of the sinner God enlightens the mind John 6:45, he inclines the will Psalm 110:3, and he influences the soul by motives, by just views of his law, by his love, his commands, and his threatenings; by a desire of happiness, and a consciousness of danger; by the Holy Spirit applying truth to the mind, and urging him to yield himself to the Saviour. So that, while God inclines him, and will have all the glory, man yields without compulsion; the obstacles are removed, and he becomes a willing servant of God.

It is true one must be drawn by God, but one must also yield to God without compulsion. So people are drawn, but people must still respond. So perhaps this is the message we must see in this. That the drawing maybe does not always guarantee the changed life. God is the active agent in people's lives, yes. Without Him, we can do nothing, but as is clear in the scripture, we still must turn to Him and we are asked to turn from Him. 

There are more questions on this. They do continue, but I stop for now. 

Summary: Jesus is the Bread from Heaven, sent by God. God enlightens the mind and urges people to yield themselves to the Savior. 

Promise: We must preach the gospel to all people, trusting God to draw His elect from the nations to Himself. He clearly calls us to preach. Though not always, He wants us to be involved. 

Prayer: Father God, I thank you for these words that You speak, but I admit, they still are words that I have a hard time accepting. I admit. I have heard them spoken and I understand them in theory, but in my heart, I struggle. As I go through this world and see people and watch them, I do clearly see a people that doesn't want to even follow You and know You, but instead do their own thing and define their lives in their own way. For these it seems easier to understand this and yet hard still that it seems they are that way because they haven't been drawn, so why not? Why do some come to faith and some not if God you are the active agent? Lord, I struggle but I am thankful for the grace I have in You, for the calling, for elevating me to eternal life and for the special union I have in Christ. For me, I am greatly blessed, but still hard to be with others that don't have that same peace and that possibly Lord you have not drawn them. But, help me Lord. Help me to understand this text further, of what You mean by Your words here. And bring to me peace. I will continue to preach and share and await with expectation changed lives for You. You are there and truly there and I need You. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's. 

I Peter 2:9 - God's Royal Priesthood

I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him, who has called you of darkness into His marvelous light. 

Message: God's Royal Priesthood

Time: Peter wrote to a group of people that probably included Jews and Christians at the time of probably AD 64, as the persecution of Christians by Nero was ramping up. It is thought Peter spent his final years in Rome. Peter calls people to root themselves in the perseverance and presence of Christ. 

What the Lord is Saying: The last 2 lessons have emphasized the principle of having a mediator. The old covenant had a priest, a person designated by God to be the mediator between God and man for the purpose of offering sacrifices and atoning for sin and entering the Holiest of Holies. But then in Christ, God provided atonement for all sin through the One that was fully man and yet equal with God. 

But, is it necessary to have these two distinct groups still - those that are deemed ordinary Christians while others are truly Spiritual Christians? There are distinctions for people have different roles, but another thing that happened 500 years ago in 1517 was this move to think of people at the same level spiritual, no matter their vocation. Thus, a laypersons service to God is equal to a ministers service to God. A layperson has the same access to God as a minister. 

The phrase that has come to describe this is "the priesthood of all believers" and is rooted in I Peter 2:9. 

I Peter 2:9 is a quote from Exodus 19:6 which states, "...and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel." This text is part of what we refer to now as the Mosaic Covenant. It is a conditional covenant which followed the unconditional Abrahamic covenant. That covenant established God's blessing on His people. The Mosaic covenant is God's expectation for His people. Works follows blessing is an important distinction. The Mosaic covenant established the Law of God, judgments and the governance of Law so that people knew how to approach God. The Abrahamic Covenant established that God will make Israel a great nation and would bless them and make them great to all the families of the earth. 

I Peter starts as a message in verse "to those who reside as aliens." Peter is speaking to all people set apart for the service of God - Jew and Gentile. And it is to these people that are attributed now the role of priests. We are all a royal priesthood. We are "choice and precious in the sight of God" in verse 4. And "built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood" in verse 5. And then culminates in verse 9 as "a chosen race." Chosen from all the peoples of the earth (Amos 3:2). 

What is our sacrifice? Ourselves. Romans 12:1 - "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual services of worship." We proclaim His excellence, each of us, all of us. All of our lives are a service to Him: as neighbors, in our vocations, in our families. All Christians are alike. 

Summary: There is no distinction among believers. We are all a chosen race and all set apart as priests to proclaim the excellence of Him. 

Promise: No matter what you are called to do in life, God honors your service when you seek to love Him and other people through your work. 

Prayer: O Lord, as I read your word more and more, I see consistency and a God that has never changed. You have called people to be yours and we are all to serve you in the same way. Thank you for choosing. I pray that my life is a praise to You and is a life that does proclaim You. I pray that it is acceptable to You. I believe it is, not because of me, but because of Christ and His work in life and on the cross. What makes me acceptable to you is not my deeds but the forgiveness of my sin and then in response I live for You. Give me that strength and help me to continue to live for You each day I am on this earth. 

Romans 3:21-22a - Faithful Through The Ages

Romans 3:21-22a - But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe.

Message: Faithful Through The Ages

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying:

As the title of this devotion declares, God has been faithful through the ages. The idea here is that throughout history God has called people to Himself and throughout history there has been one people called. As RC Sproul spoke about in his first message, My Faithful God from the series Living By Faith, we do not come to faith in God like we are leaping into something with no evidence. I have always been marveled at how the Mormons when they have shared with me focused so much on a feeling and they shared this verse from Moroni 10:3-4 telling me to ask God if it is not true and if you are sincere, then you will told it is true. But God shows us that our faith is not based on a feeling or no evidence (in fact, most of the evidence for LDS belief is very questionable). 

We have evidences in the natural world. One of my favorite passages is Romans 1:18-32 which shows how the world in which we live, the creation is constantly testifying of God. We can't look at all of this beauty without wondering how it came about. 

And we have a God in history that has shown mercy continually to His people. In my study of Genesis this past year with Bible Study Fellowship I have seen this. I have seen continually how God interceded on behalf of his people, giving them promises of blessing their descendants and it coming to pass. He shows His divine favor continually. He has shown me mercy. I shared at BSF about the hopelessness I felt early on in our marriage and finding little worth in my life for providing for my family and yet, He was with me and has carried me through this to where I am today.

We have evidences in the Bible of a chosen people. Throughout scripture He chooses the people of Israel, and then gives them many reminders of this through the Law and Commandments. We can see God's faithfulness in this and Paul reminds us of this continually in his letters that we are chosen by God. There are differences in people obviously throughout history, but it is clear that God has chosen people, not everyone. But, He has chosen certain ones. Often it is not by the way of the birth order but simply out of His great grace. God is faithful forevermore. 

And in today's passage is another example of how God chose us apart from our works. What a comfort to know that God isn't waiting for my righteousness. This is the way of the world. We do good continually to receive rewards, but with God, He chooses us and His righteousness is manifested apart from our doing of His Law.  But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested ...through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. I can became righteous by faith. If my obedience merits Him, I get some or all of the glory, but if the righteousness of God is given to me simply by faith, then God is glorified. 

God did something new in the New Testament through Jesus. And yet God has been faithful in every age to His people: through a new Prophet (Deut. 18:15), a new Priest (Isa. 53), or a new King (Ezek. 37:24). It is actually easy to know Him and His purposes. He is faithful through the ages. 

Promise: God is faithful and this is why I study His Word, to understand His promises and what He has done, can do in my life and will do. I abandon my life to Him, not to receive gifts, but to receive Him and the prize of eternal life with Him. 

Prayer: O God, you are faithful. I praise you and glorify you for saving me. You showed me faith clearly. Thank you for not staring at my achievements and waiting for my faithfulness. In Christ as I abandon and surrender my life to You, You show yourself to me and to others. Thank you for the evidence of You and the presence of You in life. You have affected me and provided for me. You have given me a peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you for choosing me. 

Question: What sort of evidence do you see in your life of God providing or rescuing you? 

Ephesians 2:8-10 - Why Faith?

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Message: Why Faith?

Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Well, these devotionals continue to hit the message clearly about justification. 

    Faith =>  is the Means => for our Justification = where we are Made righteous by the atoning work of Christ

Romans 4 speaks of: 

Righteousness  -  Apart From Works

                            Apart From Circumcision

                            Apart from the Law

                            By Faith

And then just to make sure that you don't think that there is something else to this, Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

___________

But Faith is the instrument [or what we do] to usher in to our life the finished act of righteousness (Romans 5:18); and it must be received (5:17).

Faith is a Gift -- 

    Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith." Salvation and Faith is conjoined. Both are the gift of God. Thus, His gift is not steps to obedience. 

I look at Jesus' words in John 6:35-40

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have indeed seen Me, and yet you do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of everything that He has given Me I will lose nothing, but will raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”\

Verse 35 reminds me of Matthew 5:6 when Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." It almost seems like the blessed ones meet the bread of life, Jesus, and are given righteousness. And another point in this passage is that of everything that He has given Me I will lose nothing meaning the Father gives Jesus followers of him. Some will see him and not believe (v. 36) but when the Father gives followers of Jesus they will not ever not be followers. 

Promise: This faith gift does not return void. It is the instrument men and women practice for their justification in order to receive the finished act of righteousness. 

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your Word, for speaking to us through it. For helping me understand it. Thank you for the gift of grace and the gift of faith. Thank you for drawing me and I believe, choosing me and not letting me ever go. You have justified me and made me right with God now and for all eternity. I do not deserve this. I never will. And I am even unworthy to be your follow, but you equip and you work in me and you show me the works I need to do. Let me choose to do those works every day. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of June is about justification; May was about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

Mankind's Condition - The Sins of the Gentiles - Though born with God being evident, Gentiles do not honor God or give thanks, look to their selves for truth, and God gives them over to their sin, and in the process God's wrath is sin which will culminate on the Day of the Lord. The Sins of the Jews - Jews thought their status meant only Gentiles were true sinners. Romans 2 and 3 explains that Jews are just as guilty before God. 

The Law Speaks - The Law and Accountability - the Law reminds us we are sinners and doing good will not outweigh this bad; I am condemned. Righteousness According to the Law - The Law can make one righteous if obedient to all. Our sin keeps us from this. Human Inability - the simple reminder that man cannot make himself righteous because he is a sinner. 

Only Justified through Christ (God) - The Obedience of One - with Jesus all obedience was completed in Him which resulted in Him taking on all sin; we trust only in His words, not ours. God's Initiative In Justification - God initiates the act of justification through the work of Christ alone; he saves us out of His kindness. Faith and Justification - no one is continually righteous; only through Jesus one will be made righteous; to be made righteous one must believe in God, ask for His mercy. 

Saved by Faith - Faith and Righteousness - Faith is what God uses in us to build the bridge to being accepted by God and restored to a right relationship with Him. Justification and Sin - Nothing changes the fact that we are sinners, but our status before God changes by Christ's obedience as this declares us to be righteous. Not by any of our works - Justification is by faith alone. By adding any work, we must add all works.

Romans 5:18-21 - The Obedience of the One

Romans 5:18-21

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Message: The Obedience of the One

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying:

These are somewhat difficult passages. I studied this four verses in these 2 lessons: Constituting Us Righteous and The Reign of Grace. I was reminded recently of a verse from Mark in the story of the paralytic and how the focus often in the gospels is on the Jewish scribes and I think Paul is also speaking to them here, answering their potential questions as we all look at Jesus and who He is and what He truly offers - helping them see it is through righteousness (obedient acts of good works) that we are made right with God and it is God that makes us righteous (declared good). 

As mentioned in the previous lesson, Paul does a contrast of righteousness and condemnation in Romans 5:12-21. The previous lesson looked at man's condemnation or a human's inability to be worthy before God. Now let's look at the contrast or the solution to this. 

The condemnation of man is then contrasted with the righteousness of Jesus. With Adam, one sin resulted in all being sinners. We are guilty because of sinning one time. In contrast, Jesus fulfilled the entire Law and then took all sin upon Him. With Adam one sin was committed, with Jesus all obedience was completed in Him which resulted in Him taking on all sin. Thus, verse 16 says the gift is not like through the one who sinned or stated again here - through the obedience of the One (Jesus) the many will be made righteous. The focus here is that One makes many righteous. 

One results in death. The (only) One results in life. And Romans 5:17 also makes another key distinction, in Adam's sin death comes to all. In Christ, one must receive grace and the gift. Grace and righteousness is a gift. I think this refers to Christ giving, man receiving.  

Other misinformation that I have heard is Jesus's death means man has the means to being obedient - but again the focus returns to man's obedience. No idea where that idea comes from, but man is still guilty even after Jesus dies and pays for sin. What happens is when Jesus calls someone so that they will receive grace and the gift. On his own man is not capable of making himself a child of God. He must be chosen. 

Jesus is the one who saves. Transfer your trust to Him and let Him take care of it. Let grace reign in our life. Let God's provision reign in our lives. The last phrase of verse 21 says it all:

even so grace 

would reign through righteousness 

to eternal life 

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

RC Sproul stated, "The question is not whether we are going to be saved through works; the question is whose works. We are saved through the works of the One who alone fulfilled the terms of the covenant of works." 

Promise: What gets us eternal life? Being righteous and this does not come about through our own deeds but rather by God's grace accomplished through Jesus Christ Our Lord. 

Prayer: O God, our life on this earth is continually judged by what we do and who we are. And it is so easy to then think that this is how judge us. In a way you do, but as a Holy God, you demand obedience - always. And only Jesus was always obedient. Thank you that when see me, you see His obedience. I am trusting in Jesus Lord. Every day I want to trust in Him. And yet Lord, every day I need your help. Every day is a reminder that I am lost without You and without You I can do nothing. So I seek You once again. I come to You and ask You to be my strength, to help guide my decisions. I want to be careful and to be careful to glorify You in all I do. Show me the way. Thank you being My Way. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of June is about justification; May was about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

 - The Sins of the Gentiles - Though born with God being evident, Gentiles do not honor God or give thanks, look to their selves for truth, and God gives them over to their sin, and in the process God's wrath is sin which will culminate on the Day of the Lord. The Sins of the Jews - Jews thought their status meant only Gentiles were true sinners. Romans 2 and 3 explains that Jews are just as guilty before God. The Law and Accountability - the Law reminds us we are sinners and doing good will not outweigh this bad; I am condemned. Righteousness According to the Law - The Law can make one righteous if obedient to all. Our sin keeps us from this. Human Inability - the simple reminder that man cannot make himself righteous because he is a sinner. 

Acts 9:1-22 - Jesus Calls Saul To Service

 Acts 9:1-22

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened.

Now for several days he was with the disciples who were in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Message: Jesus Calls Saul to Service

Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.

What the Lord is Saying: 

I'm starting to see this conversion story in a new light. God chose this man for His service. He confronted him and the choices he had been making up to the point that Jesus got his attention. The Lord uses a man, Ananias, as a conduit to heal Paul of the loss of vision that Jesus had given him. Again, Jesus did not need to do any of this, but he chose to use these circumstances and these people to get Saul's attention. Ananias was alarmed by this because of the reputation that Saul had, being a person that had inflicted so much harm to his fellow disciples. Yet Jesus had a purpose in this. He would call a man who zealousy lived in opposition to God and how he would live zealousy for God.

It is interesting to hear messages like this, of a conversion that someone may have had from the darkness to the light. Hearing about these types of conversions was common when I was growing up in the Baptist church I attended during high school: conversions of people involved in a seedy lifestyle. Much of the presentation they gave was about their life before Christ, showing us the darkness of it but then how Jesus had changed them and they were a new creation living in service for Him. They were brought on the stage simply so we could hear and witness this incredible conversion. Most recently was the story of Brian Welch that I read, a lead guitar player for the hard rock group Korn and his life of drugs and then how Jesus suddenly shined a light on his life and he turned to Him. His conversion wasn't as quick as Paul though as it took him time to get off the stronghold that drugs had on his life. 

But the point of these conversions needs to be Jesus choosing these men to be His. It is also interesting that in Jesus confronting Saul he said to him, why are you persecuting Me? and yet Saul was not confronting Jesus directly but rather coming after His followers and upset that they were not obedient to the Pharisee law of the day. Yet, Jesus spoke to Saul that Saud was persecuting Him. Jesus views the persecution of His followers as the persecution of Him. 

This needs to remind that no person is out of the grasp of God. It encourages me to the hope that Jesus can change anyone. I must still believe this and focus on this. There are people in my life and they seem far from God or far from living in a way that honors Him and yet Jesus can get a hold of them and I need to be ready if Jesus uses me to help that person know Him. 

Promise: No sinner is beyond the grace of God. Our God is mighty to save. 

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for saving me. I was lost and not living for you and over the years I have even tried to live in ways that is not honoring to you and you pull me back. God you are so great and mighty and you save people everywhere at all times. Keep showing us these stories and encouraging us that you are a great God that can save everyone. 

 

John 1:43-51 - Jesus Reveals Himself To Nathanael

 John 1:43-51

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Message: Jesus Reveals Himself to Nathanael

Time: John is not recorded as the author, but unanimous testimony of early Christians, like Iraneus in the 2nd century declare him the author. Plus, the eyewitness account give rise that he was one of the close knit disciples and Peter already penned through Mark (the Gospel of Mark), and James died soon after the resurrection, which leaves John. It is thought this book was written between 85 and 95 AD. The Deity of Christ is a striking quality of John's gospel.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Yesterday (Friday) I watched the video of the service my close friend and his wife had for their son who died unexpectedly from a drug overdose last Saturday. I hurt for my friends and since hearing of it from him on Sunday, my mind has been rushing back to them repeatedly, thinking about them and this loss. They spent the service talking of the problem we have in life with addictions. The addiction cost this young man's life. Beyond the addiction was mention of his laughter and friendship and listening ear and yet the young man found that life still needed coping. He had grown in his faith, yet the pull remained to get the high and in buying the stuff he got something from a dealer that he used and then died. It was unintentional, accidental, and yet a decision. One decision as my friends said in the service and in the service it was their petition to everyone to STOP with your addictions. And then they offered the substitute - Christ - our creator, who erased our sin and grants us life - eternal life. He is the only peace in the midst of the storms of life. 

Now, as I read this passage I read of Jesus on a mission. He goes into Galilee, finds Philip and says to him, Follow Me. Philip was one of the first Jesus called. The apostles have intrigued me always. Not much is written of them and yet Jesus called them to be with Him. He chose them. And John then mentions that Philip then went to his friend Nathaniel to say, "We have found him." We have found him, as if they had been searching, waiting, for Jesus. Nathanael was at first skeptical for Jesus had come out of Nazareth and wondered, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?, but still Philip said to him, Come and See. Come and take a look yourself. 

Nathaniel was then shaken because Jesus had already seen him even before Philip had reached out to him. What an interesting sequence. Jesus calls Nathanael and yet uses Philip in alerting Nathanael. Nathanael does not end up being one of the 12 apostles that Jesus calls. And yet this calling of this man is here. It is here to show us that Jesus is the answer for everyone - for those he calls to follow Him and for those he simply calls. Nathanael and Philip had a different mission or job to do and yet both were called by Him. Chosen. 

The tragedy that my friend has experienced and the life now gone of his son, from this earth, reminds me that God calls us all, not to simply sample Him but that our lives would be forever changed. In all of us is a need to be chosen. In Jesus we have been called. O God, may you show us all that all that we need is you. 

Promise: There is no other way to God than through Jesus. And with Jesus is the only peace. 

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for calling me and for the life that you have given me. But, even like my friend's son Kyle, sometimes I am like wheat, going back and forth in the wind. Thank you for their example for they truly love you and help the Kyle's of this world to free themselves from the hook of a feeling that is always only temporary and never completely satisfying. Free my son Derek from this hold, whatever the cost. Help us as parents to do the right thing and help our children as we can, but ultimately God you are in charge - you do the calling and choosing, we are simply the conduits you ask to be involved. Thank you for that, but to you be the glory. To you God. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of May is about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April was about salvation by grace alone; March about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January was about the doctrine of God.

- Attributes of Jesus - The Divine Nature of Christ meaning Jesus is God, the God-Man, God became man, The Human Nature of Christ Jesus has the qualities of man (hunger, needing rest, not knowing future events, being tempted), Jesus the Last Adam as Adam was our federal head in ushering all sin to man, Jesus makes all alive for those in Christ, Jesus the True Israel as Israel was called by God to be His true messenger, but Jesus is the one that truly fulfilled this call, Jesus the Messiah is the One that rescues and delivers His people

- The Word of Jesus - Obedience in Childhood reminds us that each day Jesus grew in obedience and favor with God, Obedience in Baptism showed Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, as John had been baptizing all new believers, Obedience in Temptation - like men called by God before, Jesus is tempted, but he resists and defends Himself with scripture, showing perfect obedience, Obedience under the Law as Christ was born under the Law, and kept the Law perfectly to redeem man, Obedience in Suffering as even in suffering Jesus learned obedience, a sinless man suffering for sinners, 

- His Titles - Christ Our Prophet, speaking for God, with divine inspiration, His words absolutely trustworthy and never fail to accomplish His purposes, Christ the Priest, clearing the way for human beings to approach the Father in heaven through prayer, Christ Our King is King of Kings, the last and final monarch of our lives for He did it all, 

- His Atonement - In Penal Substitution the penalty is paid by a substitute and Jesus paid the penalty of sin, once for all, and with Particular Atonement is the reminder that Jesus had me in my mind when He went to the cross, not everyone, but only those who will hear His voice. Christ Resurrected reminds me that only through the resurrection am I truly saved and sealed for eternity with Him by faith and now Christ Ascension whereby our King ascends to heaven to rule at the right hand of God and sends the Holy Spirit so that Christ can continue to be present with His people on earth. 

- His Encounters - Jesus called Philip and then he told Nathanael to come and see so he could see that Jesus reveals himself to Nathanael. 

John 10:11 - Particular Atonement

John 10:11 

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Message: Particular Atonement

Time: John is not recorded as the author, but unanimous testimony of early Christians, like Iraneus in the 2nd century declare him the author. Plus, the eyewitness account give rise that it was one of the close knit disciples and Peter already penned through Mark and James died soon after the resurrection, which leaves John. It is thought this book was written between 85 and 95 AD. The Deity of Christ is a striking quality of John's gospel. 

What the Lord is Saying:

In Penal substitution, Jesus dies in place of others, but who are the others that He dies for? Whom did He intend to save? In John 10:11, Jesus, the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. Is every human being His sheep? Later in 10:26-27 Jesus says, you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice. Thus, there is a clear contrast in the words of Jesus - My sheep and not of My sheep. And so does the good shepherd lay down His live for everyone or just his sheep. Hard to say. Verse 11 says "the sheep." There is a common doctrine put forth of limited atonement versus unlimited atonement. In limited atonement, the thought is that Jesus lays his life down for his elect. Not everyone will be saved, that is clear and true, so if not everyone is saved, then did Jesus die for all people or only those that he saved. The Tabletalk magazine I read from the Reformed Faith states that Jesus died for only His Sheep, not all sheep. 

To explain further, if Jesus died for all sinners and meaning, he bore the punishment for all sinners, then it perhaps does not seem logical that some of those he paid the punishment for would then end up in hell. Now, many would argue as well that each person has a choice in his/her own salvation. So Jesus can die for all sinners and each sinner then chooses his own salvation. But this is something I have already studied previously. For instance, earlier this year I looked at Is Grace Cooperative. Granted this was a meaty sort of discussion as there have been a lot of competing thoughts on this issue. The message of the Gospel is to everyone, but we know not everyone will be saved - as we see also here there are sheep that hear and sheep that do not hear. Those that do not hear do not have in them the desire and the only way man has the desire is if God brings grace into a person's life to effect change and a new birth. 

Many thinkers argued something else, that man is involved in this process of choosing God. I think man sees this from his perspective, but it also seems very clear that many people, no matter how much arguing or reasoning you do with them, they refuse to encounter God and surrender to Him with their lives. It seems many sample God, but not many really seek Him and seek His word. So again, some will hear His voice and some will not. This is the way it is. But we are not to lose heart. We remain faithful. 

Thus, the clarification offered is Jesus dies for sinners and there are sinners that hear His voice. He does not die for those that do not hear His voice because then God would be unjust to punish in hell someone for who Christ died. This would mean that man needs to be involved and can in his soul have a desire for God apart from Him and that Jesus dies but the sinner is only changed when he chooses. But the argument we've studied is man only has a capacity or desire for God when God puts it there. God chooses us.  

I've studied this and studied it, but I will say, it is still a challenge to understand for me. But I press on and I continue to try to be faithful to His word and obedient to Him and in this obedience is speaking the truth of love to others. 

Promise: Christ died for all kinds of people, but Jesus did not die for everyone without exception. If you believe in Jesus, He had you particularly in mind when He made atonement for your sins. He loves you in particular that much. 

Prayer: O God, you have saved me. Part of my struggle with this verse is the struggle in you choosing me when I see others, that appear to not be chosen and are not on course to be chosen, from what I can see. I know that the road is narrow as you say. All I can say is thank you Jesus for showing me and leading me and letting me walk on this Narrow Road. O thank you God. You have made this unworthy man worthy. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of May is about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April was about salvation by grace alone; March about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January was about the doctrine of God.

- Attributes of Jesus - The Divine Nature of Christ meaning Jesus is God, the God-Man, God became man, The Human Nature of Christ Jesus has the qualities of man (hunger, needing rest, not knowing future events, being tempted), Jesus the Last Adam as Adam was our federal head in ushering all sin to man, Jesus makes all alive for those in Christ, Jesus the True Israel as Israel was called by God to be His true messenger, but Jesus is the one that truly fulfilled this call, Jesus the Messiah is the One that rescues and delivers His people

- The Word of Jesus - Obedience in Childhood reminds us that each day Jesus grew in obedience and favor with God, Obedience in Baptism showed Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, as John had been baptizing all new believers, Obedience in Temptation - like men called by God before, Jesus is tempted, but he resists and defends Himself with scripture, showing perfect obedience, Obedience under the Law as Christ was born under the Law, and kept the Law perfectly to redeem man, Obedience in Suffering as even in suffering Jesus learned obedience, a sinless man suffering for sinners, 

- His Titles - Christ Our Prophet, speaking for God, with divine inspiration, His words absolutely trustworthy and never fail to accomplish His purposes, Christ the Priest, clearing the way for human beings to approach the Father in heaven through prayer, Christ Our King is King of Kings, the last and final monarch of our lives for He did it all, 

- His Atonement - In Penal Substitution the penalty is paid by a substitute and Jesus paid the penalty of sin, once for all, and now with Particular Atonement is the reminder that Jesus had me in my mind when He went to the cross, not everyone, but only those who will hear His voice.  

Romans 3:10-11 - A Divided Will

Romans 3:10-11

10 as it is written,

“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;

Message: A Divided Will; Does man cooperate with God at the point of salvation or is man passive?

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

While Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism were condemned at the Second Council of Orange in AD 529, there are remnants of it that still seem to be held today. Catholicism condemns it and yet in practice, they seem to lapse back into semi-Pelagianism. RC Sproul in his message "Is Grace Irresistible" mentions that there is an always present conflict in the church between semi-Pelagianism and Augustinian as it relates to the issue of man's involvement in salvation. He mentions that Arminius held to something similar to semi-Pelagianism. (I get the idea that he thinks that a person can be saved believing in semi-Pelagianism as well as Augustinian's view because both believe in grace.)

Again, semi-Pelagianism upholds the doctrine of grace but believes that man takes the first step toward God. Pelagius argues that if God commanded people to do something, then he felt that man must have the ability to do it, for why would God make a command if man was unable to heed it. The conclusion of Pelagius is that grace is not needed for man has the ability on his own for goodness. [I have read a few commentaries on Pelagius and it seems that what he wrote about grace contradicted himself - at times he said grace was necessary, at times unnecessary; what seems to be clear is he was concerned that grace made man sort of irresponsible and therefore could gave license to sin; Christians were therefore lax in their service because the view they had about sin.]

I find these beliefs interesting because we have so many seemingly different beliefs today and yet as I study this material I see we actually have a few beliefs with some small variations (recently, I have begun to identify that the variations are often a difference in opinion as to what constitutes essential and non-essential doctrines). It is interesting to see the origin of theology and how concepts have been concluded by some and not concluded by others. Who we are today in our thinking is really a product of thinking from hundreds of years ago.

It seems that the crux of what most people want from God or their beliefs is something that makes sense or sounds reasonable to them. They seem to want something all inclusive. In a way, I can understand the stumbling block that results in believing that God does all the work because man seems to want to see worth and value in who he himself is. Therefore, God choosing His elect, God doing all the work, and man not even capable of denying God, but rather works in a way that he must - well, these concepts for me anyway create a sort of struggle and a struggle to others.

Even the atheist seems to arrive at his or her conclusion because of a belief that life is unreasonable if there is a God and it is easier to conclude that there is no God and life is only what we see now. I was listening to an interview with Ravi Zacharias and he said the most common and prevalent question he gets is over the problem of evil, suffering and life operating in a seemingly random manner. And how is it a God could love me and yet allow others to suffer. I've always found this puzzling that people have simply come to the conclusion that life can only be for our good. On one hand I don't think people think this and that toil has merits, but not to the extremes of perhaps suffering.

Therefore, it seems to me that their is a conclusion that there is no God. Even in these other beliefs that theologians and monks have had, it appears this idea of reason that sweeps into the view of the Bible - that at first glance, in the reading of scripture it doesn't make sense that, for example, a command would be given by God and yet man would be incapable of adhering to that command. In addition, the exclusive notion of God only saving the elect, at times feels peculiar.

Much of life is based upon training and we are trained in thought by our surroundings - our parents, our churches and naturally some people can at times stare at this and wonder if the training has been valid. At times in my reading of the Bible, I'm looking at the words of the text and thinking about them to see if my conclusion lines up with the training in which I have received. Thus, when I examine these beliefs I want to understand them. Even this study, the writers have already concluded that they are heresies. Granted, others have concluded that in that past as well. I really want my beliefs to be based upon the Word of God and not the Words of Men. Yet, God speaks through men and gives them understanding into the things of God.

RC Sproul in the message titled A Divided Will looks at the Roman Catholic view toward original sin. Original Sin is defined as Adam sinning first and then his sin passed on to every other person after Adam; one person's sin made everyone a sinner. The Roman Catholic church condemned Pelagianism in the past and even today. What seems surprising is that at one time they upheld Augustine. Then they condemned semi-Pelagianism in 529, but then they also condemned Luther at the time of the Reformation in the 16th century. Thus, all of the options concerning the will and original sin seem to have been condemned. But the appearance is that they seem to mirror semi-Pelagianism which tries to say that grace and man choosing can go hand in hand.

In the Council of Trent from the 16th century, he (Sproul) looks at the Roman Catholic view of will and original sin. In Canon 4, there is some sort of condemnation toward the reformers. Rome has maintained that baptism cleanses the soul from original sin; grace is infused into the soul and thus grace is necessary for salvation, but the grace must meet with a response or cooperation with the person; at this point a person becomes inherently righteous. However, according to reformers, man is dead in sin and must be awakened by God through regeneration. The issue seems to be here as to whether there is cooperation with man or if the first step of grace is God doing the work. According to reformers, at this point, man is passive. God is not waiting for man to agree with Him. Man instead is quickened back to life. Thus, it is monergistic whereby God works through the Holy Spirit to bring about the salvation of the individual. But, according to the catechism man still has the power to choose good or evil. Reformers says that man does have the freedom to choose, but will only choose evil.

In his message titled Bondage of the Will, RC Sproul speaks of Martin Luther and sola fide "by faith alone" and this summarizes Luther's doctrine of justification by faith alone. Yet Luther felt that sola gratia "by grace alone" was an even more important subject as sola fide grows out of sola gratia. He thought that the study of election was at the heart of the church's mission in understanding. We are saved by grace and it has to then be by faith. Luther felt it was of pinnacle importance to understand whether our salvation is the work of God or work based upon our own merits, our own striving, our own efforts. Sproul talks about the debate between Erasmus and Luther over the issue of whether free will is even a subject that academics should study and debate. Erasmus felt conversely that it shouldn't be studied for he felt that to understand grace alone and faith alone would make man feel that his live of living had no value. To this Luther responds. Erasmus says "Who will respond to reform his life?" Luther - "Nobody." Erasmus - "Who will believe that God loves him?" Luther - "Nobody." And this is in a way Luther's point that no one seeks after God as it says here in Romans 3:11.

We don't want to come to the things of God, on our own. Our only hope is that God seeks us out and turns us around and brings us to Himself. How can one say that one person, on his own accord chooses grace while another person does not? There must be something between the action of the will and making the choice. The in between is inclination of the soul. Why are you a Christian and your neighbor isn't? And they'll say, "Well, I chose to be and they chose not to be." And I will say - Is it because you are more righteous than your neighbor? Most people will shrink from saying this. So why isn't it because you are more righteous? You made the right decision, didn't you? And yet this is what they really believe that they made the righteous choice. And then there is the subject of necessity. For Erasmus, necessity meant coercion and therefore felt like there was no free will. If my actions are necessary because of God's foreknowledge then they must take place through coercion - says Erasmus. Luther says - God does not force me to make decisions in my normal daily living, but they are necessary in respect to his knowledge, because if God knows today what I am going to do freely tomorrow, without His coercion, will I do that tomorrow? God's knowledge of it happening does not mean that God is forcing it to happen. God does not coerce sinners to sin. People choose what they want, but the problem is what they want is wicked. He does not force people who want only to do evil, to do good.

RC Sproul in the message title Voluntary Slaves, Sproul starts by clarifying that Calvin gets his understanding of election from Augustine and Luther. Following Luther's death, the Lutheran church was persuaded by a colleague Phillipp Melanchthon of Luther's who disagreed with some of Luther's philosophies, namely the one of whether individuals cooperated with their salvation. This is why the Lutheran church is in conflict with Calvin even today.

Calvin often gets the credit for the doctrine of free will and God's sovereignty because of his TULIP. T is for Total Depravity. This total depravity does not mean that a person is completely evil for even in thinking of a person that is evil, like Hitler, that person could be more evil than he was. Instead what this means is that as a result of the fall, sin affected the entire human race. And this fallenness affects the entire person - the mind, the heart, the the body, the will. Thus we are morally incapable. Calvin said we are still capable of making choices and he says we are still capable of achieving what he calls "civil" or "civic virtue." This means that on the level of human interaction, fallen man can do good things to and for each other. These are horizontal choices. What Calvin is getting at is whether man has any desire to good things vertically. On his own accord, vertically, will he choose the things of God?

Now what is most controversial by Calvin is the letter U which stands for Unconditional Election. What this means is God chooses man not based upon their actions because no one would respond positively to the gospel. As he said, man is fallen and therefore incapable of choosing horizontal devotion to God, apart from God giving them aid and drawing them to Himself. Jesus said that the flesh profits nothing. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to regenerate us we are incapable of choosing the things of God.

Our mind has been seriously affected by the Fall. But it has not been destroyed. The mind is still capable of achieving greatness. Some people have been bestowed on them a great intellect and work hard at learning and have in the process achieved much greatness on the earthly plane - horizontally, but in the matters of the vertical or in the matters of God the only way they can achieve the things of God is when the Spirit of God intercedes into their lives. I Corinthians 2:14 - The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. No one ever of himself will be able to come to Christ. No one can. Jesus says that no one can come to Him unless it is given to him or unless the Father draws him. Arminian speaks of this drawing as God luring or assisting man in coming to him. Calvin though speaks of drawing as working internally in the heart and soul of a person and make them willing to come to him. If left to themselves they would not be willing. God does the work and they become willing. Apart from his work they would never come to him. He changes their disposition.

Summary - What I am seeing in this discourse is the tendency I think in some thinkers, like Pelagius and Erasmus is maybe not necessarily disputing the words of the Bible, but struggling in believing this is actually as it is. Feelings creep into our lives and we in turn struggle to believe that God really intended people to operate in a manner of Him doing the work in drawing man to Himself. I thought it was most compelling in this study to think about the vertical and horizontal. That we can make choices on the horizontal and even live seemingly good lives, do good things, and make good choices, but in the matter of the vertical, in the matter of God and desiring Him above else, this is our problem. And it is only God that can give us this type of desire for Him. We cannot do it on our own. Thus, as I have said before, we are trained in life to live in such a way horizontally and we naturally think this is how God works vertically. But He does not. There is no trade-off with Him of us doing good deeds and then receiving a reward in return. The reality is this is the way it works most of the time in our horizontal living and therefore we equate it with God. But scripture says differently and so we must submit to the Word of God, in its entirety. I think I've thought that maybe the Apostle Paul and Jesus and the rest of the Bible were somehow in conflict, but this is not so. Paul simply expands on principles of the rest of the book. This has been an enlightening message and I know it has taken me two months to complete, but it does seem like it has sunk into me now. Thus, where we reside today is the idea that people simply are not as fallen as scripture makes them out to be.

Promise: From Tabletalk - Understanding our fallenness, that we will not seek God without His effectual grace, enables us to worship Him more fervently as the source of every good and perfect gift.

Prayer: O Father, I thank you for the clarity of Your Word. Yes, it is hard work and it takes time to understand what it says. I thank you for this, that there is depth to You. Thank you for speaking through men like Sproul and weaving your message through history. Give me empathy towards people that do not share this knowledge. I pray for them that you would illuminate people and give them understanding. Keep me focus on this practice of prayer and not towards the practice of me seeking to change others. Thank you for salvation and allowing me to see the beauty of your grace and have it affect me for all eternity. Thank you Jesus for bearing the punishment of my sins, for bearing the punishment of all of our sins, thereby fulfilling the punishment of my sins so that I could be sealed in righteousness for eternity.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of April is about salvation by grace alone. March was about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January is about the doctrine of God.