UNBELIEF IS THE CAUSE OF NOT ENTERING GOD’S REST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2022.

SUBJECT : UNBELIEF IS THE CAUSE OF NOT ENTERING GOD’S REST!

Memory verse: "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Hebrews 4 vs 2.)

READ: Hebrews 4 vs 1 - 7:

4:1: Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 

4:2: For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

4:3: For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4:4: For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works";

4:5: And again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

4:6: Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,

4:7: Again He designates a certain day, saying to David, "Today," after such a long time, as it had been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

INTIMATION:

The Bible says that, when people hear God's Word but do not believe it, "the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Unbelief results in disobedience. One cannot claim to believe in God if he or she does not obey the will of God—the Word of God. If the Christian’s faith does not move him or her to continue to obey the will of God, he or she will not enter into God’s final rest of heaven. 

Many of the Christians filling our churches today know a great deal about Christ, but they do not know Christ personally—they do not combine their knowledge with faith. They do not believe completely in Him and do not act on what they know. Consequently, they turn back on the promises of God, and doubt that God would fulfill His promises. Especially when a problem shows up in their life, they will be overwhelmed by the difficulties of the present moment, and allow that to overshadow the reality of God's promise. They are tempted to trust in their abilities to handle their problems. Never trust in your efforts that are never adequate, but rather on Christ’s unfailing power, or else you can be in danger of turning back.

What keeps us from God's ultimate blessings ("entering His rest")? (1) Not worshipping or submitting to Him. (2) Hardening our hearts, especially to sin. (3) Trying God's patience because of stubborn doubts. (4) Ungrateful hearts—not being thankful. In the passage we read today, the Bible warns us not to harden our hearts, but to reject the glamour of sin and anything else that would lead us away from God. 

Although the works of the promised rest were finished from the foundation of the world, only those who believe do enter that rest (do obtain His promised blessings). God even swore in His anger that the unbelieving hearts would not enter His rest (Psalm 95 vs 11). For the Christians that believes, the apostle Paul has a word for you in First Thessalonians 2 vs 13, "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." The Word only works in the life of those who believe.

God wants us to enter His rest; to be at peace with Him now and rest eternally with Him later. He offers the opportunity to enter His ultimate place of rest, that is, invites us to come to Christ. To enter His rest, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you (Jeremiah 29 vs 11). It is not subject to your creating it; it is already in place, and you must trust in Christ for it; and you must determine to obey Him. We do not need to wait to for the next life to enjoy God's rest and peace; we may have it daily now! Our daily rest in the Lord will not end with death, but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have said it, I believe it, and that settles it. In Christ Jesus I have rest round about, and in Him I live, and move, and have my being. Give me the grace never to shift my focus on Christ at anytime. Blessed be Your name forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When You Are Immortal

 

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. (Acts 23:12)

What about those hungry fellows who promised not to eat till they had ambushed Paul?

We read about them in Acts 23:12, “When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.” It didn’t work. Why? Because a string of unlikely events happened.

A boy overheard the plot. The boy was the son of Paul’s sister. The boy had the courage to go to the Roman centurion guarding Paul. The centurion took him seriously and brought him to the tribune. The tribune believed him and prepared “two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen” to take Paul to safety.

Every one of those events was highly unlikely. Strange. But that’s what happened.

What had those hungry men lying in ambush overlooked? They failed to reckon with what happened to Paul just before they made their plot. The Lord appeared to Paul in prison and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome” (Acts 23:11).

Christ said Paul was going to Rome. And that was that. No ambush can stand against the promise of Christ. Until he got to Rome, Paul was immortal. There was a final testimony to be given. And Christ would see to it that Paul would give it.

You too have final testimony to give. And you are immortal until you give it.

The Sweet Designs of God

 He set me apart before I was born, and called me by his grace. (Galatians 1:15)

Ponder the conversion of Paul, the sovereignty of Christ, and what Paul’s sins have to do with your salvation.

Paul said that God “set me apart before I was born,” and then, years later, on the Damascus road, “called me by his grace” (Galatians 1:15). This means that between Paul’s birth and his call on the Damascus road he was an already-chosen, but not-yet-called, instrument of God (Acts 9:15; 22:14).

This means that Paul was beating and imprisoning and murdering Christians as a God-chosen, soon-to-be-made-Christian missionary.

As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 22:6–7)

There was no denying or escaping it. God had chosen him for this before he was born. And now he would take him. The word of Christ was sovereign. There was no negotiating.

Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do. (Acts 22:10)

Damascus was not Paul’s final, free will yielding to Christ after decades of futile divine effort to save him. No. God had a time for choosing him (before he was born) and a time for calling him (on the Damascus road). God called, and the call produced the yielding.

Therefore, the sins that God permitted between Paul’s birth and his calling were part of the plan, since God could have called him sooner.

Do we have any idea what the plan for those sins might have been? Yes, we do. They were permitted for you and me — for all who fear that they might have sinned themselves out of grace. Here’s the way Paul relates his sins to your hope:

Formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. . . . But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:13, 16)

Oh, how sweet are the designs of God in the sovereign salvation of hardened, hopeless sinners!

THE UNIMAGINABLE MERCY OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2022.

SUBJECT: THE UNIMAGINABLE MERCY OF GOD!

Memory verse: “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD who has mercy on you." (Isaiah 54 vs 10.)

READ: Zechariah 3 vs 1 - 5:

3:1: Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.

3:2: And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

3:3: Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

3:4: Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

3:5: And I said, “Let them pit a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.

INTIMATION: 

Mercy signifies, in general, to feel sympathy with the misery of another, and especially sympathy manifested in act. Therefore, “Mercy” has been defined as “not giving a person what he or she deserves.” This is exactly what God for us. Our disobedience demands judgement! But God shows mercy toward us by providing an escape from sin’s penalty through Jesus Christ, who alone saves us from sin. When we pray for forgiveness, we are asking for what we do not deserve. Yet when we take this step and trust in Christ’s saving work on our behalf, we can experience God’s forgiveness.

In the passage we read today, Zechariah’s vision graphically portrays how we receive God’s mercy. We do nothing ourselves. God removes our filthy garments (sins), then provides us with fine, new clothes (the righteousness and holiness of God—Second Corinthians 5 bs 21; Ephesians 4 bs 24; Revelation 19 vs 8). All we need do is repent and ask God to forgive us. When Satan tries to make you feel dirty and unworthy, remember that the clean clothes of Christ’s righteousness make you worthy to draw near to God. 

Satan accused (“opposed”) Joshua, who here represents the nation of Israel. The accusations were accurate—Joshua stood in filthy garments (sin). Yet God revealed His mercy, stating that He chose to save His people in spite of their sin. Satan is always accusing people of their sins before God. But he greatly misunderstands the breadth of God’s mercy and forgiveness toward those who believe in Him (Regelation 12 vs 10), while everyone who is a believer will be saved (John 3 vs 16). To be prepared, we can ask God to remove our clothing of sin and dress us with His goodness. 

God’s mercy is unbelievable. It goes far beyond what we can imagine. In accordance with His nature of being merciful, God wants to forgive us and bring us back to Himself. Some people will not learn this until their world has crashed in around them. Then the sorrow and pain seem to open their eyes to what God has been saying all along. God is so merciful that many times He holds us back from sinning against Him in ways we cannot even detect. Yes, most of the times, we have no way of knowing. God works just as often in ways we can’t see as in ways we can. 

Countless times throughout the Bible we see God showing His love and patience toward men and women in order to save them. Although He realizes that their hearts are evil, He continues to try to reach them. When we sin or fall away from God, we surely deserve to be destroyed by His judgement. But God has promised never again to destroy everything on earth until the judgement day when Christ returns to destroy evil forever

If God gives us the justice that we deserve, none would be able to stand before Him. But the human nature often makes us cry for justice when we feel abused and unfairly treated. In those moments, we forget the reality of our own sin and the righteous judgement we deserve. How fortunate we are that God gives us mercy and grace rather than only justice. The next time you ask God for fair treatment, pause to think what would happen if God gave you what you really deserve. Plead instead for His mercy. If God treated us as with justice alone and not with mercy, we would be wiped out by God’s wrath. God in His kindness forgives us instead of giving us what we deserve. 

Are you separated from God by sin? No matter how far you have wandered, God promises a fresh beginning if only you will turn to Him. Mercy is the nature and act of God, and peace is the resulting experience in the heart of man. 

Prayer: Abba Father, there is nothing I can do to thank you enough for Your mercy that has never failed me. I will stop at nothing to declare at all times Your goodness and mercy in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

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SATAN IS MADE INEFFECTIVE WITH THE WORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2022. 

SUBJECT : SATAN IS MADE INEFFECTIVE WITH THE WORD!

Memory verse: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12 vs 11.)

READ: Matthew 4 vs 1 - 11:

4:1: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

4:2: And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was an hungry.

4:3: Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.

4:4: But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

4:5: Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

4:6: and he said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

4:7: Jesus said to him, It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

4:8: Again, the devil took Him up on an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.

4:9: And said to him, “All these things I will give You, if You wilt fall down and worship me.”

4:10: Then Jesus said to him, “Away with You Satan! For it is written, “You shalt worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.”

4:11: Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

INTIMATION:

Our testimony of the reality of the Word is greatly feared by Satan, and he is totally disarmed and made ineffective by that. That was the weapon of Jesus against Satan's temptations in the wilderness. When the tempter, Satan, came with his temptations, Jesus simply reminded him of what the Word says, "It is written," and the tempter has no reply to it. The devil and his cohorts know the Scripture and tremble at the mention of God, but refuse to obey Him.

Jesus was able to resist all of the devil’s temptations because He not only knew Scripture, but He also obeyed it. Ephesians 6 vs 17 says that God’s Word is a sword to use in spiritual combat. Knowing Bible verses is an important step in helping us resist the devil’s attacks, but we must also obey the Bible. Note that Satan had memorized Scriptures, but he failed to obey it. Knowing and obeying the Bible helps us follow God’s desires rather than the devil’s.

The devil used Scripture to try to convince Jesus to sin! Sometimes friends or associates will present attractive and convincing reasons why you should try something you know is wrong. They may even find Bible verses that seem to support their viewpoint. Study the Bible carefully, especially the broader contexts of specific verses, so that you understand God’s principles for living and what He wants for your life. Only if you really understand what the whole Bible says will you be able to recognize errors of interpretation when people take verses out of context and twist them to say what they want them to say.

The devil offered the whole world to Jesus if Jesus would only kneel down and worship him. Today the devil offers us the world by trying to entice us with materialism and power. We can resist temptations the same way Jesus did. If you find yourself craving something that the world offers, quote Jesus’ words to the devil: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” Satan is a fallen angel. He is real, not symbolic, and is constantly fighting against those who follow and obey God. Satan’s temptations are real, and he is always trying to get us to live his way or our way rather than God’s way. 

The excellent knowledge of the Word of God makes for a profitable and triumphant living. Your life is staunched on your believe in the Word. Believing builds up your faith, and faith comes from hearing the Word of God. To believe in the Word is accepting its existence, recognizing its value or advantage, and to have faith in its ability. The Word is the same as God (John 1 vs 1), therefore, believe in the Word is believe in God. All God's attributes are also associated with His Word. God assures us that all who honestly seek Him—who act in faith on the knowledge of God (the Word) that they possess (putting into practice or action the Word they believe) will be rewarded (Hebrews 11 vs 6).

Obedience to the engagement of the Word as well as observance of the declaration, is doing the Will of God, that is obeying the Word of God. Consequently obeying God; living the life of obedience and observance, guarantees a partnership with God in living your life, and ensures an ever profitable and classic living.

Prayer: Abba Father, forever, Your Word is settled in heaven. Endue me with Your excellent spirit in the knowledge and faith in Your Word that I may speak Your Word in season and out of season, to the glory and honor of Your name and to my profiting, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When Obedience Feels Impossible

 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. (Hebrews 11:17)

For many of you right now — and for others of you the time is coming — obedience feels like the end of a dream. You feel that if you do what the word of God or the Spirit of God is calling you to do, it will make you miserable and that there is no way that God could turn it all for good.

Perhaps the command or call of God you hear just now is to stay married or stay single, to stay in that job or leave that job, to get baptized, to speak up at work about Christ, to refuse to compromise your standards of honesty, to confront a person in sin, to venture a new vocation, to be a missionary. And as you see it in your limited mind, the prospect of doing this is terrible — it’s like the loss of Isaac, the only son who can be an heir.

You have considered every human angle, and it is impossible that it could turn out well.

Now you know what it was like for Abraham. This story is in the Bible for you.

Do you desire God and his way and his promises more than anything, and do you believe that he can and will honor your faith and obedience by being unashamed to call himself your God, and to use all his wisdom and power and love to turn the path of obedience into the path of life and joy?

That is the crisis you face now: Do you desire him? Will you trust him? The word of God to you is: God is worthy and God is able.