God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-1 from Jer. 22:1-9

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/23/2014 8:25 AM

My Worship Time                                             Focus:  God Discloses the Fate of the Kings PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 22:1-9

            Message of the verses:  I first of all want to go back to the last part of the introductory comments that Dr. Wiersbe uses in his commentary at the beginning of this seventh chapter of his book.  He writes:  “In these pivotal chapters (21-24) Jeremiah delivered four important messages to the leaders and to the people.”  We are beginning today to look at the second part of these four important messages given to the people and leaders of Judah.

            As we begin looking at this second main point we must understand who the kings were after the 31 year reign of the godly king Josiah.  Three of these kings were his sons and one his grandson, but all were very wicked kings.  Think about this for a moment:  How would you like to have your story told in the pages of Scripture when all you did were wicked things and now the world can read about you and the wicked things that you have done.  Now think about this:  At the end of the age, after the remaining years or months or weeks or days we have left before the tribulation period begins, and then after that the 1000 year reign of Christ on planet earth there will be a great white throne judgment as described in the book of Revelation.  It says the following about this judgment:  “11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds (Rev. 20:11-12).” What were in these books that were opened?  It is believed that what was contained in these books were the deeds that people did while they were on planet earth.  Now remember that those who come before this judgment are all unbelievers and as they stand before the Lord they will see that they missed the boat so to speak as far as realizing while they were on planet earth the need to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  They did not realize that they needed a Substitute to take their place, which is what Jesus Christ did on the cross as He took on the sins of sinners so that they could become saints before the Lord.  These unbelievers will understand that their so called “righteous deeds” were not what God required of them so that they could enter into heaven, and it will be as bad off for them as those who have their names written in the pages of Scriptures who were wicked like the kings that we are about to describe.

            “Jehoahaz, or Shallum, succeeded Josiah and reigned only three months (Jer. 22:10-12; 2 Kings 23:30-33).  Pharaoh Necho deported him to Egypt, where he died.

            “Jehoiakim, also called Eliakim, reigned for eleven years (Jer. 22:13-23); 2 Kings 23:24-24:6) and died in Jerusalem.  He was followed by his son Jehoiachin, also called Jeconiah and Coniah, whose reign lasted only three months (Jer. 22:24-30; 2 Kings 24:6-12).  Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon where eventually he died.

            “The last king of Judah was Zedekiah, who reigned eleven years and saw the kingdom and the holy city destroyed by Babylon (Jer. 22:1-9; 2 Kings 24:17-25:21).  He was blinded and taken to Babylon to die.  As Kipling wrote, ‘The captains’ and the kings depart.’

            “Jeremiah disclosed the truth about those four kings, but then he made a promise about Messiah—the Righteous Branch (King) who would one day reign and execute justice in the land.”

            Zedekiah—callousness (Jer. 22:1-9):  “1 Thus says the LORD, "Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word 2  and say, ’Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 ’Thus says the LORD, "Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 “For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people. 5  "But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself," declares the LORD, "that this house will become a desolation."’" 6 For thus says the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah: "You are like Gilead to Me, Like the summit of Lebanon; Yet most assuredly I will make you like a wilderness, Like cities which are not inhabited. 7 “For I will set apart destroyers against you, Each with his weapons; And they will cut down your choicest cedars And throw them on the fire. 8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ’Why has the LORD done thus to this great city?’ 9 “Then they will answer, ’Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’"”

            I have highlighted several parts in this section and the words “do justice” made me think of what the prophet Micah wrote which are meaningful to all of us today:  “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).”  The kings we will be reading about in the next several days did not follow this verse in Micah.

            We see that Jeremiah goes to talk to the king of Judah and it was Zedekiah who he gives this message to in verses 1-9.  I want to quote the following from Dr. Wiersbe to help us understand what the word “house” means.  5/23/2014 9:06 AM  5/23/2014 10:23 PM

            “In 2 Samuel 7, there is a dual meaning to the word ‘house’: a literal building (the temple David wanted to construct for God) and the royal house (dynasty) God established through David by His gracious covenant.  These same two meanings are woven into Jeremiah’s message:  God will destroy both the royal palace and the Davidic dynasty because of the sins of the kings.  The royal house of cedar would be cut down and burned as the Chaldean soldiers went through the city like men chopping down a forest in Lebanon.”

            Jeremiah seems to be giving the kings a very small window of opportunity if they would deliver the city and establish David’s throne as seen in the fourth verse of chapter twenty-two.  It would not happen as they loved their sin too much to repent.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Jeremiah shows the long-suffering of the Lord something that I do not want to run out of.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trusted the Lord this morning to get me through a time that caused me to get nervous and God was faithful in getting me through it. 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 2:5-6

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “David” (2 Samuel 22:2).

Today’s Bible question:  “The Ammonites threatened to put out the right eyes of the people of what city?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/23/2014 10:35 PM

 

           

  

God Opposes the Leaders of Judah PT-3 (Jer. 21:11-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/22/2014 8:30 AM

My Worship Time                                               Focus:  God Opposes the Leaders of Judah PT-3

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 21:11-14

            Message of the verses: We move into the fourth and last sub-point under this first main point from the commentary of Warren Wiersbe, as we follow the outline he has in his book to help us better understand the book of Jeremiah.

            A Pronouncement to the House of David: (Jeremiah 21:11-14):  “11  "Then say to the household of the king of Judah, ’Hear the word of the LORD, 12  O house of David, thus says the LORD: "Administer justice every morning; And deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor, That My wrath may not go forth like fire And burn with none to extinguish it, Because of the evil of their deeds. 13 “Behold, I am against you, O valley dweller, O rocky plain," declares the LORD, "You men who say, ’Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our habitations?’ 14 “But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds," declares the LORD, "And I will kindle a fire in its forest That it may devour all its environs."’"”

            As we go back into the book of 2 Samuel, chapter seven we find that this was the chapter that David decided that he wanted to build a house for the Lord, however the Lord told Nathan the prophet to tell David that His son would be the one to build the temple for the Lord.  God went on to tell David that He would build a dynasty for him through the kings that would come out of David.  There was one of the kings that was so wicked in the line of David that it would have seemed that God had changed His mind, something He does not do, in continuing the dynasty of David.  Here is where it gets kind of tricky, that is in my mind.  When we go to the book of Matthew we find the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ through what is believed to be Josephs genealogy, and it goes back to Abraham.  When we get to the book of Luke, most believe that this genealogy goes through David’s son Nathan, which is where Mary’s line is and this genealogy goes all the way back to Adam.  As we get to this portion of Jeremiah and see that it would seem that the kingly line of David would stop because of Judah’s sin of idol worship and other sins we kind of wonder how God would work all of this out for we read “That My wrath may not go forth like fire And burn with none to extinguish it, Because of the evil of their deeds (Vs. 12).”  Even when the people would go into captivity into Babylon there would be a record of where the line of David followed, all the way up until the Messiah would be born.  The problem was that the empire of Judah would be shortly gone into captivity.  I have always wondered how those men who came out of David’s line who did not have the opportunity to serve as kings would feel since they missed the opportunity to serve as a king. 

            I want to copy an end note that has to do with the phrase “Administer justice every morning.”  “The phrase ‘execute judgment in the morning’ (KJV) (Jeremiah 21:12) reminds us that court was held in the mornings at the city gates when it was still cool outside.  But the phrase also suggests that the king needed to make justice the first priority of his day.”  It is oblivious that this was not happening in Judah at this time that Jeremiah lived.   One of the problems that the leaders had, other than not administering justice was that they believed the false prophets who told them that this city was impregnable, and it was because of the line of David ruling from that city. 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Surrounded on three sides by valleys—Hinnom on the south and west, and Kidron on the east—the city had to defeated itself only on the north.  Jerusalem’s inhabitants saw themselves enthroned on the rocky plateau, but God would soon dethrone them and cause them to lose their crown.  Since the Babylonian army did set fire to the city, God did ‘kindle a fire in the forest’ (Jer. 21:14).  The phrase ‘the forest’ probably refers to the structures in the city, especially to the king’s palace, the house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:2; 10:17, 21).  The cedars of Lebanon were used to construct various buildings in the city.

            “This chapter begins with a king’ cry for help and ends with a prophet’s pronouncement of doom.  What a tragedy!”

            Spiritual meaning for today:  I was listening to a series of messages the other day entitled “Ten Lies about God.”  The speaker was talking about the first lie, and that is that there are more than one way to get to God.  As he was near the end of his message he stated that the reason we have to do certain things to get to God is because God is the One who set it up that way.  Paul writes to the Corinthians that 1Co 1:25 “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”   As I look at these leaders of Judah during Jeremiah’s day I can see that they were not doing things the way that God had shown them to do, for what He demanded of them was written in the covenant He made with them.  The same problem exists today as people think that the things that God requires in order to have a relationship with the Lord is foolish they will find out one day that it is not foolishness.  It is my desire to follow the things that God has written in His Word, for I know in my heart that they are anything but foolish.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-6

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “For a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/22/2014 9:17 AM

 

           

           

God Opposes the Leaders of Judah PT-2 from Jer. 21:8-10

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/21/2014 8:45 AM

My Worship Time                                               Focus:  God Opposes the Leaders of Judah PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 21:8-10

            Message of the verses:  We are looking at the second sub-point under this main point of God opposing the leaders of Judah. 

            A Pronouncement to the People (Jer. 21:8-10):  “8 "You shall also say to this people, ’Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9  "He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. 10 “For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good," declares the LORD. "It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire."’”

            I am going to begin this portion of this SD by giving an example of what is written here with a portion of the message that our Pastor gave last Sunday evening.  He was talking about what people ask about how a loving God can send people to hell.  One of the points that he made in this message is something that I have never thought about and that is that people in hell are still arrogant and would not leave hell if given the opportunity because of their arrogance.  Now as I look at this passage, especially verse nine I see that God told the people that if they wanted to live all they had to do was to go out from the city of Jerusalem and turn themselves over to the Babylonians and they would not kill them.  What kept the people from doing this?  The same thing that keeps people in hell and that is their arrogance, thinking that they are right and not wrong, thinking that they are right and that God is wrong, which is just what these people in Jeremiah’s day thought.

            We see from this passage that God offers the people two choices a way of life and a way of death.  Jeremiah later wrote in Jeremiah 27:12-13 “12 I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! 13 “Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the LORD has spoken to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon?” 2  “"Thus says the LORD, ’He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have his own life as booty and stay alive.’ 3  "Thus says the LORD, ’This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’"” (Jer. 38:2-3)  I would have to describe these warnings as being the long-suffering of the Lord.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Since Nebuchadnezzar was doing the work of God in punishing the kingdom of Judah (50:9, 23; 51:20), and since God was allied with Babylon in fighting Judah, to surrender to Babylon really meant to surrender to the will of God.  It meant to confess guilt and submit to the hand of the Lord.  Rebellion against the Babylonians was rebellion against the Lord, and that was the way of death.”

            He concludes this portion with words for us today:  “As God’s people today, we need to realize that the only safe and sane response to God chastening hand is submission.  ‘Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect.  Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?’  (Heb. 12:9 NKJV).  The implication of the question is that we might not live if we don’t submit to the will of God! ‘There is a sin not unto death’ (1 John 5:17).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  John MacArthur writes the following in his study Bible about Hebrews 12:9, a verse that I have not understood “be subject.  Respect for God equals submission to His will and law, and those who willingly receive the Lord’s chastening will have a richer, more abundant life (c. 119:165). (‘Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble.’)  Father of spirits.  Probably best translated as ‘Father of our spirits,’ it is in contrast to ‘human fathers’ (lit. ‘fathers of our flesh’).”

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I desire t submit to the Lord and not be like those in Judah during Jeremiah’s day.

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 2:5-6

5 Have this attitude in yourself, which was also in Christ Jesus 6, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Obey your parents” (Ephesians 6:1).

Today’s Bible question:  “Jesus said for a camel to go through a needle’s eye is easier than what?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/21/2014 9:21 AM

God Opposes the Leaders of Judah PT-1 (Jer. 21:1-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/20/2014 8:07 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God opposes the leaders of Judah Part I

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Jeremiah 21:1-7

            Message of the verses:  In Today’s SD we begin a new series of chapters in the book of Jeremiah as we will begin to look at chapters 21-24.  Dr. Wiersbe entitles this chapter in his commentary on Jeremiah “Kings On Parade.”  He begins this chapter with a poem by an Englishman named Rudyard Kipling entitled “Recessional” which was published in 1897 when Queen Victoria celebrated her diamond Jubilee.

“The tumult and the shouting dies

The captains and the kings depart—

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice

An humble and a contrite heart.

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget.”

            This is not only a good reminder for the nation of Judah during the time when Jeremiah lived and wrote his book about Judah, but it is a good reminder to what would happen to England who once proudly said that the sun never sat on the British Empire.  One of the things that happened to them was that they turned their backs on the Jews, something that is now going on in our country.  We now have a Muslim as President of our country and we now see the rapid falling apart of our country because we are forgetting the fear of the Lord, and because of our new stance on homosexuality, and because we as a government are turning our backs on the nation of Israel.  All of these things will cause any person or nation to have great problems.  The nation of Judah was having problems of another kind and that is they were failing to keep the first of the Ten Commandments.  They would rather worship idols than to worship the Lord.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes the following at the end of his introductory commentary in order to give a preview of what is coming in this chapter. “In the great days of David, Hezekiah, and Josiah, the nation had honored the Lord, but now Judah was rapidly moving toward defeat and disgrace.  In these pivotal chapters, Jeremiah delivered four important messages to the leaders and to the people.”  We begin today by beginning to look at the first message which comes from chapter twenty-one.

            “1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2  "Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us." 3  Then Jeremiah said to them, "You shall say to Zedekiah as follows (Jeremiah 21:1-3).”

            Dr. Wiersbe believes this took place in 588 when the Babylonians were camped outside the walls of Jerusalem beginning their siege against the city which would end in its destruction in August of 586.  Zedekiah was not at all a good king who feared the Lord, but was in bed with Egypt to help protect Judah.  This of course failed as he could not pay them the money they wanted to protect them and Egypt would also fall to the Babylonians.  In desperation Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord, but the answer he gets is not the one he wanted.  Now we will look at an end note to help us better understand these verses:  “This is not the Pashur who persecuted Jeremiah (Jer. 20) although this Pashur later assisted in imprisoning Jeremiah and urging the king to kill him (Jer. 38).  There’s no evidence that Zephaniah the priest was opposed to the prophet.  Zephaniah was eventually taken to Babylon and executed (2 Kings 25: 18-21).”

            A pronouncement to King Zedekiah (vv. 3-7):  “3 Then Jeremiah said to them, "You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ’Thus says the LORD God of Israel, "Behold, I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the center of this city. 5 “I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation. 6 “I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence. 7 “Then afterwards," declares the LORD, "I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion."’”

            As I said this is not the answer that Zedekiah was looking for, for not only would the Lord cause the defeat of Judah, but would aid in the destruction of Judah.  This was the just wrath of the Lord seen in these words.  When Judah was following and fearing the Lord God answered their prayers when they were being attacked, but not that they did not fear the Lord or follow His Word God’s long suffering had run out and He was not against them.

            We see words that describe what God was feeling and would do against Judah that were used before against their enemies, but these words like  anger, furry, and great wrath were a part of His covenant with them.  Look at Deuteronomy 29:23, 28; 32:16-17, 21, 29 to see this.

            Many of the people of Judah died when the Babylonians attacked them and many were also taken to Babylonian where they would remain until the Lord called them back to Jerusalem some seventy years later.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of the things that I mentioned that is wrong with our country is people do not fear the Lord.  Believers need also to fear the Lord, for God is a just God and cannot stand sin therefore I am to fear the Lord.  Not fear Him as if He would destroy me, but fear Him because He is a holy God.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Fear the Lord in the way He desires me to fear Him.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-6

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “The fifth Day” (Genesis 1:20-23).

Today’s Bible question:  “In Ephesians, what command does Paul give to the children?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/20/2014 8:58 AM

           

A Purifying Hope from 1Thess. 3:13

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/19/2014 8:15 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  A Purifying Hope

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 3:13

            Message of the verses:  With this lesson on verse thirteen we have come to the end of the third chapter of 1 Thessalonians and we will go back to the book of Jeremiah for our next SD. 

            “13 so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”

            I have this strange habit whenever I look at a magazine that I start from the back and then go to the front.  Sometimes I do this when I am studying a passage by looking at a commentary and in the case today I want to quote from Dr. Wiersbe’s ending two paragraphs as he reviews the third chapter of 1 Thessalonians:  “As we review this chapter, we see how important it is to care for new Christians.  Leading someone to Christ is not enough.  We must also lead him on in the Christian life and help him get established.  If he is not established, he will fall when the winds of persecution start to blow.  If he cannot stand, he will never learn to walk.

            “What shall we do?  We can be an encouragement and stand at his side as he matures.  We can share the Word of God.  We can pray.  This is what Paul did—and it worked.”

            Now that we know what we are to do let us go back and look at some of the specifics of what Paul wrote about in verse thirteen.  Paul is praying for the believer’s holiness.  Holiness is moral purity, not ever having a wrong thought of a wrong action, but we are also to continue to learn from the Word of God in order to know how to live this holy life.  Peter quotes from the OT when he writes “be holy as God is holy.”  This is part of the sanctification process that all believers go through.  Sanctification has three parts in it as we are sanctified when we are born into God’s family and as we grow in our walk with the Lord we are being sanctified, and when we get to heaven and receive our new bodies we will be completely sanctified.  Paul is praying for this process while we are on planet earth that we would walk worthy of the Lord.  We should remember the words of the old Scottish preacher that Dr. Wiersbe quotes often in his commentaries and that is “that the successful Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”  When we fall we must dust ourselves off, confess our sins and begin afresh with our walk with the Lord.

            Notice that Paul also brings this subject up with the return of our Lord as he writes at the end of the verse:  “at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”  Dr. Wiersbe writes “Our Lord’s return is also a source of stability, there can be sanctify; and where there is holiness, there is assurance.  The two go together.”

            As we look at this verse and see that Paul speaks of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ we can be assured that he is talking about hope, but the hope that he is talking about here is a sure hope.  I have mentioned this before, and worth repeating here and that is that when we perhaps are thirsty and we hope for a drink of cold water that would make hope a verb, but when we talk about the hope of the believer “Tit 2:13  looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” this hope is a noun, a sure thing that we can count on.  John MacArthur writes “The only way the Thessalonians would actually live in such hope was for God to establish their hearts without blame in holiness before (literally, ‘in the presence of’) Him.  Paul expresses a similar sentiment in 5:23, ‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you, entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.’  He knew the one person who cared most about the Thessalonians’ purifying hope was God, and only He truly knows what is in people’s hearts (2 Chron. 6:30; Ps. 44:21; Prov. 24:12; cf. 1 Sam. 16:7).  Paul wanted them to be pure at heart, so as to desire the coming (parousia, ‘presence’) of the Lord Jesus, who is the Judge (cf. 2 Timothy 4:1)… Believers’ knowing that when Christ comes to reward His people, they will have their works evaluated before the judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10), is motivation to holy living.” 

            Paul was praying for their hearts which is the seat of human emotion, thought and purpose, and if the heart is pure and clean then they will be able to stand up against persecution and also temptation.  If they can do this then this would free them from shame and embarrassment before the Lord and this would cause them to eagerly desire for His return, MacArthur writes “The believer’s appearance before God is truly the consummation of his sanctification (Rom. 8:17, 30).”  In living this holy life MacArthur reminds us again “the supernatural reality of sanctification is all the work of God and, at the same time, dependent on the obedience of the believer.”  This statement is something to ponder upon for sure.

            Paul is not only praying for the Thessalonians in this section but for all believers and this include believers in the 21 century.  I am glad for this prayer, and hope that the Pastors in our church are praying this for the believers in our congregation.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  A wonderful reminder of living a holy life before the Lord so that I can look forward to His coming and not be ashamed of wrong things that I am doing, but to live a holy life before Him.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-6

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “major.”

Today’s Bible question:  “On what day were fish and foul created?”

Answer in our next SD.  5/19/2014 9:14 AM

 

A Prosering Love (1 Thess. 3:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/18/2014 8:59 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus: A Prospering Love

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 3:12

            Message of the verse:  “12  and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;”

            Paul prayed for the Thessalonians that as the persecution came to them that they would continue to love one another and that meant not only their fellow believers, but also for those who were not believers.  When we go through difficult times we sometimes put up walls around us so that we will not let others in and will not love others who are going through difficult times too.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “Our growing faith in God ought to result in a growing love for others.  We are ‘taught of God to love one another’ (1 Thess. 4:9), and some of these lessons are best learned in the school of suffering.”  He next reminds us of the example that Joseph set when his brothers sold him and he ended up in Egypt where God took thirteen years to teach him how to lead a nation so that he could be used of God to save his family, a family that God would turn into a nation in the following four hundred years.  Joseph would learn to love and forgive his brothers for doing what they did to him.  This was taught to him by the Lord as he went through those thirteen years of difficulty and also when he learned that God was actually the One who sent him to Egypt in order to save his family.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “What life does to us depends on what life finds in us; and nothing reveals the true inner man like the furnace of affliction.  Some people build walls in times of trial, and shut themselves off.  Others build bridges and draw closer to the Lord and His people.”

            As Paul prayed for these believers he desired to leave it to God to continue to develop these virtues in their lives.  Paul knew that it had to be the working of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this, and this is true with all things that we learn from the Lord.  We must remember that when we’re born we are born with an old nature that can do nothing to please the Lord.  Once the Lord saves us we are given a new nature that always wants to please the Lord, and therefore it is this new nature that is empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the things that God has for us to accomplish for the cause of Christ. 

            John MacArthur writes “Paul asked first that their love would increase and abound..for one another, that is, within the church.  There are more than thirty positive and negative ‘one another’s’ in the New Testament, and love appears by for the most often.  Second, the apostle prayed that their love for all people would increase.  He wanted them to have a greater love for the lost and for those who persecuted them, as Jesus commanded His disciples, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).”

            I have three missionaries that I pray for each day and one of them wrote that one of the Christians that live in the country where they minister had his orchard partly burned down by a man who said that he hated Christians.  God saved part of the orchard and my prayer is that this man will still be able to make a living with the remaining orchard that was spared.  I also pray that God will save this man who burned down his orchard, for we read of the Apostle Paul who also hated Christians, but God saved him, so He can save this man too.  I also pray that the man whose orchard was burned will forgive the man who did it, and thus show the love of God to him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is easy to treat those who love us good, but God loves us even though we were His enemies and sent His Son to save us, so we should be able through His power to love believers and to love those who are not.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Help me to love all people with a love that God has loved me with.

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 2:5-6

Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Eleazar” (Numbers 20:25-28).

Is Ezekiel considered a major or minor prophet?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/18/2014 9:30 AM

Paul Prays for a Perfecting Faith (1 Thess. 3:11b)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/17/2014 8:47 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Paul’s Purpose of His Prayer

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 3:11b

            Message of the verses:  The section that we are covering in this SD is entitled “A Perfecting Faith” which comes from 1 Thessalonians 3:11b.  However the main point covers verses 11b-13, and it has a number of sub-points in it which we will take one day at a time.

            John MacArthur writes the following for his introduction to the main point:  “Paul’s prayer here is a definitive model of conscientious pastoral intercession.  He had a threefold purpose in offering it:  that God would grant the Thessalonians a perfecting faith, a prospering love, and a purifying hope.  That is the familiar triad of Christian virtues (1 Cor. 13:13).  Paul realities, as is evident at the beginning of this letter; ‘constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope’ (1:3), and at the end: ‘let us…put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation’ (5:8).”  1 Cor. 13:13 reads as follows:  “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

            A Perfecting Faith: 1 Thessalonians 3:11b:  “direct our way to you.”

            There seems to be a bit of disagreement between the two commentaries which I am reading to aid me in better understanding this first letter to the Thessaloians for Dr. Wiersbe includes verse ten as part of Paul’s prayer for them, while John MacArthur believes the prayer begins in verse eleven.  In verse ten we see these words:  “as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?”  This is Paul’s desire for them, that first of all he wanted to return to them if it were the will of God, and second he wanted to complete “perfect” their faith, that is to cause them to grow up in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Later on in his commentary MacArthur writes the following which helps us to learn what this maturing of their faith looks like, and it also applies to all believers.  He writes “The precepts, principles, and promises of Scripture are the windows through which believers look to see God and understand His glory and will for their lives (cf. Pss. 19:7-8, 11; 119:93, 99, 105, 130; Prov. 6:23; Luke 11:28; John 17:17; 20:31; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; James 1:21-22, 25).  Their response to the truths of God’s Word also allows them to know if their faith is growing.  That growth is evident when (1) their knowledge of God’s Word is increasing (cf. Col. 3:16); (2) their confidence in God is greater than before (cf. Eph. 3:12); )3) Their trust in His sovereignty is stronger than before (cf. Job. 42:2); (4) their obedience to Him is consistent (cf. Deut. 17:19-20); and (5) they are finding joy in their trials (cf. James 1:2-3).”  I would suppose that the most difficult thing listed here is the last and perhaps that is why he listed it last.  Paul wrote to the Romans the following (which goes along with the last point listed) “1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2  through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3  And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4  and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

            Paul writes the following in Ephesians 4:11-12 “11  And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”  The reason that I bring this up is because it was Paul’s desire to see the Thessalonians grow in their faith and this shows the way that Pastor’s are to help them grow, and it also shows that the believers under their ministry are to listen to what is being taught to them so that they can be equipped in order to do the work that God has for them to do so that they can be built up in the faith.  Now I want to mention one caution and that is it is the believers responsibility to search the Scriptures to make sure that what is being taught to them goes along with what is in the Word of God. 

            Let’s go back for a moment to what Jesus said right before He ascended into heaven:  “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’” Now the power that was given to them was to fulfill what He stated in Matthew 28 which we now as the great commission:  “"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”  This is what the Apostle Paul was doing with his life after the Lord saved him as we see in Acts chapter nine.  This is what Paul was praying for, for the Thessalonians in this prayer we are now studying.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I desire, for the glory of God, to continue to grow up in my walk with the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord as again I have the privilege of meeting someone very dear to me this afternoon, and I pray that all will go well with our meeting.

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 2:5

Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “To Jericho” (Luke 10:30).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who followed Aaron as High Preist?”

Answer in our next SD.

5/17/2014 9:33 AM