Month: February 2021

20.a. Ravenous for Revelation? (Dr. David Jeremiah)

Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
Jeremiah 15:16

Nutritionists warn that skipping too many meals can interfere with our body’s appetite and cause us to develop strong food cravings, especially for sugar and carbohydrates. The same thing can happen spiritually. If we begin skipping our regular time of personal Bible study, we might lose our healthy appetite and begin feeding our mind with mental junk food.

It’s normal for a healthy soul to crave a few morsels from the book of Proverbs, which are simple and easy to digest. Other times we need a long, slow, hot meal from Ephesians or Ezekiel. Are you ever hungry for the Sermon on the Mount? Thirsty for the worship of the Psalms? Ravenous for Revelation?

The entire Bible—Genesis to Revelation—is a pantry for the soul. It’s God’s menu for our mind and heart, manna for every morning and bread for every night. When we hunger and thirst for Scripture, God richly feeds and sustains us with His nourishing Word.

Dear Father, teach me to hold fast to the Word of life. Give me a hunger for Scripture and fill me with discernment and understanding so that Your truths will shine light into my daily walk.
Kay Arthur

19.z. “Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? “

Romans 8:26   Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

James 4:3    You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Job 27:8-10   For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?  Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?  Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times? 

Psalms 18:41  They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

Proverbs 1:28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Zechariah 7:13   “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the LORD of hosts,

Proverbs 21:13     Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

For those who believe and rely on, cling to, and trust in Jesus Christ alone, the Holy Spirit’s help in intercession is perfect because He searches the hearts of those whom He helps, and He is able to guide our prayers according to the will of God.  The aching soul of those who humbly surrenders, trust, and has faithful confidence in God will be heard by God even though words fail to come to them to appropriately express their ache, want, hurt, and need. There is comfort in laying this before God.  However, this is not so for those who deny any reliance or need of God and His ways.  God will not answer them.  He closes His ear to them.  He will cut them off.  They will be left to their own resources, none of which will satisfy their need.  Their heartache will not be satisfied.  I have to think their heart will become hard and their stance against God more firm.  They will avail themselves to be the agent of Satan and do his bidding without giving it a second thought.  God does not negotiate His love or His wrath.  For those who do not fully surrender to His Holiness, Love, Grace, and Mercy through Jesus Christ, they will receive in full all of God’s wrath.  Those who do surrender will receive in full all of God’s love.

19.y. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning”

JOB 37:23  As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress.

Proverbs 30:3-4    I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.  Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!

Ecclesiastes 3:11    He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Romans 11:33   Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 

Psalms 62:11   Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,

Isaiah 45:21   Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.

Lamentations 3:32-33   but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;  for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.

Psalms 36:5-7    Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.  How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalms 30:5     For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

We’ve all heard young children say it: “But that’s not fair!” And we may have said it ourselves. Life is filled with “unfair” moments. Tragedies, disasters, genocides, and more lead us to ask why God allows such things to happen. The Old Testament character, Job, certainly had grounds for such a complaint.

What Job ultimately discovered is that fairness is not the issue. Rather, justice and righteousness are. Was it fair for Job’s family and livelihood to be destroyed for seemingly no reason? Not on the surface. But beneath the surface (which Job didn’t see until the end of his deep dive into God’s character), God was being just in His judgments and His use of power. It was more important for Job to know God than to have his life of smooth sailing be undisturbed. At the beginning of Job’s saga, he was angry with God for being unfair. By the end, He was worshiping God as the all-powerful Creator and Judge of all things (Job 42:1-6).

God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). But even when we don’t understand His ways, we can trust in His character. (JEREMIAH)

19.x. “Lest his works should be exposed.”

Joh 3:18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

It is a fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ will increase some men’s damnation at the last great day. Again, I startle at myself when I have said it; for it seems too horrible a thought for us to venture to utter—that the gospel of Christ will make hell hotter to some men than it otherwise would have been. Men would all have sunk to hell had it not been for the gospel. The grace of God reclaims “a multitude that no man can number;” it secures a countless army who “shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation;” but, at the same time, it does to those who reject it, make their damnation even more dreadful. And let me tell you why.

It will increase your condemnation, I tell you all unless you find Jesus Christ to be your Saviour; for to have had the light and not to walk by it, shall be the condemnation, the very essence of it, This shall be the virus of the guilt—that the “light came into the world, and the darkness comprehended it not;” for “men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”

He who hears the truth, but he perverts it; he takes what is intended by God for his good, and what does he do, he commits suicide therewith. That knife which was given him to open the secrets of the gospel he drives into his own heart. That which is the purest of all truth and the highest of all morality, he turns into the gratification and indulgence of his sin and makes it a scaffold to aid in building up his eternal house in hell.

It must increase your condemnation if you oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ. If God’s offer of grace, mercy, and love has been rejected, how great must be his sin? Who shall tell the great guilt incurred by such people?  Oh! who shall picture out, or even faintly sketch, the doom of those who have rejected Jesus Christ and in their heart have cried out, “I am sufficient in myself, I am good enough on my own, I am self-worthy.” Who shall tell what place in hell shall be hot enough for the man who denies and rejects God?  (Spurgeon)

19.w. “It would be easy to blame those problems on their circumstances”

Proverbs 21:20   There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up.

The Israelites in Nehemiah’s day were facing major financial problems. It would be easy to blame those problems on their circumstances–after all, they could not control the famine, or the taxes. But they had also failed to follow God’s principles about spending, saving, and indebtedness. So when that famine came, when those taxes were due, they were not prepared. In Genesis 41, we read about another famine. Remember the story? Joseph was in Egypt, and he interpreted a dream that Pharaoh had. He told Pharaoh, “There are going to be seven years of famine throughout the whole world, but the famine will be preceded by seven years of bountiful harvest. We need to set aside a portion of the excess so that when the famine comes, there will be food for everyone.” That is what they did, and sure enough, when the famine came, no one went hungry. That is a principle that the Jews in Nehemiah’s day had failed to live by: they had no cushion for emergencies. Proverbs 21:20 says, “There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up.” In other words, the foolish person is the one who spends every last cent of his paycheck, who does not set aside some of his current income for future needs. If you disobey this principle, when that time of emergency comes, you are going to be forced to make some bad choices. You may be forced to sell your house for less than you paid for it. You may be forced to liquidate investments.

The way the Israelites handled their emergency was they went into debt. They mortgaged their homes. They mortgaged their property. They even mortgaged other family members. Today, there are many people who are mortgaging their futures because they have not prepared for financial contingencies. Many Christians have become slaves to Visa and MasterCard. Credit cards are convenient crutches when we run into a time of financial difficulty, but eventually we pay the price. We mortgage our future by spending years in debt. That is why Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.”

Why does God tell us to set aside something? It is not only to meet our own individual needs, but to take care of kingdom projects that come along as well. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul was talking to the Corinthians about a special offering he was going to collect when he got there. He said, “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.” This verse has nothing to do with tithing; Paul assumed that the Corinthians were going to give 10 percent of their income to the weekly needs of the church. No, this was a special offering Paul said, “I want you to have this money set aside so that when I arrive in Corinth, it will already be there, ready to give.” If you spend everything you make, there will not be money to invest in God’s work. But when we follow Proverbs 21:20, it not only provides for our needs, but it also provides for God-given projects in the future. (Jeremiah)

19.v. “For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Romans 18:18   For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

 2 Corinthians 4:17-18  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

 Colossians 3:4  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 2 Thessalonians 1:7-12     and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels  in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,  when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.  To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,  so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 2 Thessalonians 2:14   To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 1 Peter 5:1    So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be reveale

 1 Peter 4:13    But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Paul was not ignorant or blind to the sufferings of human existence. Yet he still considered that the future glory far outweighed the present sufferings.  Without a heavenly hope, Paul considered the Christian life foolish and tragic. Yet in light of eternity, it is the wisest and best choice anyone can make. (Guzik) 

God has put this glory into the believer right now. In heaven, the glory will simply be revealed. “The glory will be revealed, not created. The implication is that it is already existent, but not apparent.” (Morris)  “Creation is not undergoing death pangs… but birth pangs.” (Morris)

It is in the waiting we currently find ourselves.  We wait for the Glory of Jesus Christ to be revealed and in this revealing we also.  Creation has waited since the beginning of time for this revealing to come.  Our wait is but for a moment.  Our wait is to be in the hope and assurance of this revealing Glory of Jesus Christ and our eternal lives with Him forever and ever.  Let us not get weighted down by trials, troubles, and the chaos of this life.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and grace.

19.u. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”

Romans 8:12   So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Paul constantly reminds us that living after the flesh ends in death. We need the reminder because we are often deceived into thinking that the flesh offers us life. We have no obligation to oblige or pamper fleshly and worldly desires. Our debt is to the Lord, not to the flesh.  Paul tells us that not only are we saved by the work of the Spirit, but we also must walk by the Spirit if we want to grow and pursue holiness in the Lord. We cannot be like some among the Galatians who thought they could begin in the Spirit but then find spiritual perfection through the flesh.  Paul didn’t say, “As many as go to church, these are the sons of God.” He didn’t say, “As many as read their Bibles, these are the sons of God.” He didn’t say, “As many as are patriotic Americans, these are the sons of God.” He didn’t say, “As many as take communion, these are the sons of God.” In this text, the test for sonship is whether or not a person is led by the Spirit of God. (Guzik)

We are led as we cooperate with the leading. “It does not say, ‘As many as are driven by the Spirit of God.’ No, the devil is a driver, and when he enters either into men or into hogs he drives them furiously. Remember how the whole herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea. Whenever you see a man fanatical and wild, whatever spirit is in him it is not the Spirit of Christ.” (Spurgeon)

Where does the Holy Spirit lead us?

· He leads us to repentance.

· He leads us to think little of self and much of Jesus.

· He leads us into truth.

· He leads us into love.

· He leads us into holiness.

· He leads us into usefulness.

A surrendered soul with a desire to honor and glorify Jesus will have their eyes focused on Jesus Christ and their hearts that are listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit.

19.t. “Guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”

Romans 8:9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Galatians 4:6     And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Ephesians 1:13   In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 1:17-18  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,  having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

 2 Timothy 1:14   By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

 1 John 4:4  for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

 Jude 1:19-21     It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

This means every believer has the Holy Spirit. It is a misnomer to divide Christians among the “Spirit-filled” and the “non-Spirit-filled.” If a person is not filled with the Holy Spirit, they are not a Christian at all.  However, many do miss out on living the Christian life in the constant fullness of the Spirit because they are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit as Paul commanded in Ephesians 5:18. They have no experience of what Jesus spoke about when He described rivers of living water flowing from the believer.  How does one know that they have the Spirit? Ask these questions: Has the Spirit led you to Jesus? Has the Spirit put in you the desire to honor Jesus? Is the Spirit leading you to be more like Jesus? Is the Spirit at work in your heart?  

Not only are we in Christ (Romans 8:1), but He also is in you, and because God cannot abide a sinful home, the body (old man) had to die when Jesus came in. (Guzik)

I think the problem most Christians have is that they tasted the indwelling Holy Spirit at conversion but somewhere in their life they quit listening to the Holy Spirit and reverted back to listening to what the world, worldly, and flesh has to say.  They are no longer influenced and led by the Holy Spirit.  The voice in their heart is that of the flesh and does what seems right in their eyes or in the eyes of the worldly.  This person has no victory over sin anymore.  They no longer listen for the Holy Spirit’s leading.  They find comfort and peace in not being convicted of sin and are not encouraged to honor and glorify Jesus Christ.  They have found it more pleasing to live in a neutral stasis thinking that living here somehow makes their lives easier to live out.  There is nothing further from the truth.  This is a lie from Satan and he is robbing them of power, strength, refuge, peace, hope, love, and courage, to live God-honoring, surrendered, and obedient lives.  In this neutral stasis, they seek what it can not deliver or provide.  How can they think they are Spirit-Filled?  How can they think there is a neutral stasis?  There is no neutral stasis.  There is either Spirit-Filled or worldly filled.  If you are not hearing the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart then it would be good to examine your heart and what is in it.  

19.s. “The Father of mercies and God of all comfort”

2 Corinthians 1:3  3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

What if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?” Singer and songwriter Laura Story wrote these words after her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As the couple wrestled with his diagnosis and prayed for healing, Laura expressed her prayers to the Lord through her song, “Blessings,” which has encouraged many others as they walk through trials.

No matter your trial—illness, unemployment, family struggles—God is still blessing you. The blessing may come through a comforting verse in His Word or through an encouraging card from a friend. It might appear in the unexpected gift from a family member or the worship song sung at church. His blessings are all around us. These small blessings bring great joy to our hearts, but perhaps the greatest blessing we receive during times of trial is the blessing of drawing closer to God. As we trust Him and cling to His promises, our relationship with the Father deepens. What an indescribable blessing! (David Jeremiah)