Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – First Step to Wisdom

May 22, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord! Only fools refuse to be taught” (Proverbs 1:7).

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention was on the verge of total failure. The issue: whether small states should have the same representation as large states.

From the wisdom of his 81 years, Benjamin Franklin recalled the Scriptures which says, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1), and in this hopeless situation, he offered a suggestion.

“Gentlemen,” he said, “I have lived a long time and am convinced that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

“I move that prayer imploring the assistance of heaven be held every morning before we proceed to business.” God heard their prayers and the conflict was soon resolved. To this day, all legislative sessions continue to be opened with prayer, with God’s blessing.

“Reverence of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” reads the Modern Language translation of this verse – a preamble to wise living a good motto for life.

Someone has said, “The eternal task of religion is the conquest of fear.” Men fear many things – bacteria, losing their jobs, being dependent in old age, giving offense to their neighbors, war, failure, death.

Fear (worshipful reverence) of God represents a different kind of fear – the kind a child shows toward wise and loving parents when he shuns acts of disobedience to avoid both grieving those parents whom he loved and suffering the inevitable discipline which follows disobedience. Perhaps if we feared God more, we would fear everything else less.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 1:8-16

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: My fear and reverence of God is the beginning of supernatural living and will result in worship of Him – by walk as well as by talk.

Presidential Prayer Team; A.W. – Searching for the Light

May 22, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Have you ever seen lights piercing the sky and wondered what they were illuminating? Searchlights are used by the military and commercial industry. The 1933 World’s Fair used them to draw crowds. In past wars, the military used them to communicate, to detect enemy aircraft, as a beacon for damaged planes, and to illuminate battlefields at night. The light hovering between the sky and Earth drew people to it and brought help and rescue.

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. John 12:32

In the section leading up to today’s scripture, Jesus predicts His death and proclaims He has come to drive out the prince of the world and reclaim it for its rightful ruler. As a banner is flown in victorious battle, Christ proclaims Himself a rallying point when He is crucified. When the “Light” hung between Heaven and Earth, He defeated the enemy and now draws all nations to Him.

Are you under attack? The Light detects the enemy. Are you injured or lost? The Light shows the way home. Do you need to communicate with God? The Light signals to Him. Search for the Light and pray for the nation’s leaders to be drawn to it.

Recommended Reading: John 3:14-21

Greg Laurie – The Accuser

May 22, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” —Revelation 12:10

Novelist Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables, said, “A good general must penetrate the brain of his enemy.”

It is good for us to know how the devil works. Paul the apostle said, “For we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

The devil attacks primarily through accusation. We read in Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down’ ” (emphasis added).

The devil is the accuser of the brethren. First he comes to you with the temptation. All of a sudden, an ungodly, horrible thought is placed in front of you. You think, I can’t believe this! Whoa! Where did that come from?

Then the devil says, “You are so twisted! What’s your problem? Why would you think such a horrible thought? And you call yourself a Christian! What kind of a Christian are you?”

That is how the devil works. But your defense against his accusations is the intercession of Jesus on your behalf. Jesus is standing in the gap for you. He once said to Peter, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). But then He went on to say, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail . . .” (verse 32).

Romans 8:34 tells us, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” The next time you are tempted, remember this: Jesus is interceding for you in heaven.

Max Lucado – The Names of God

May 22, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

In the three years as I came to know my wife, Denalyn, our relationship evolved. And with each change came a new name. She went from acquaintance to friend to eye-popping beauty to date to fiancée and wife. Now she is confidante, mother of my children, life-long partner. The more I know her the more names I give her.

And the more God’s people came to know him, the more names they gave him. Elohim, strong one or creator. Jehovah-raah, a caring shepherd. Jehovah-jireh, the Lord who provides. These are just a few of the names of God which describe his character. Study them, for in a given day, you may need each one of them.

God, the shepherd who leads, the Lord who provides, the voice who brings peace in the storm, the physician who heals the sick, the banner that guides. And most of all…He Is!

Charles Stanley – Building Solid Friendships

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii 2 Comments

Proverbs 17:17

Friendships are among our most valuable assets. Acquiring quality companions—those who will laugh with us in good times and stand by us during trials—requires shared commitment and an investment of time and energy. Healthy relationships thrive on . . .

Transparency. We must be honest with friends and encourage them to be truthful in return. To preserve a strong bond, we can’t hide hurts or feelings of rejection they may have caused. Transparency that is tied to accountability can also help make each individual a better person. A solid relationship allows each party to gently point out errors in the other’s life and offer loving correction.

Time and talk. Genuine friendship takes time to develop. We must be willing to put aside other obligations and give priority to moments spent together. A generous portion of our time with each other should be spent talking—speaking about our thoughts and desires and also asking questions to prompt our companion to open up. This type of conversation allows a glimpse into the other person’s heart and mind.

Thanks. Everyone likes to feel appreciated. Expressing gratitude when friends are helpful will remind them that we’re thankful to have them in our life. Moreover, we affirm our love when we communicate how much we enjoy a certain aspect of their personality or remember an occasion that is special to them.

Being a good friend is a way to serve the Lord. He designed us to be in relationship with others, so we should give our best to every companion the Lord places in our life.

Our Daily Bread — Not Abandoned

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

Isaiah 49:13-16

I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. —Isaiah 49:15-16

Years ago, while my husband and I were visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, we noticed a baby stroller by itself with no one nearby. We assumed that the parents had left it there because it was too bulky and were now carrying their child. But as we approached, we saw a sleeping baby inside. Where was a parent . . . a sibling . . . a babysitter? We hung around for quite some time before hailing a museum official. No one had shown up to claim that precious child! The last we saw of him, he was being wheeled away to a safe place.

That experience made me think about what it’s like to be abandoned. It’s an overwhelming feeling that no one cares anything about you. It’s a real and excruciatingly painful feeling. But even though people may abandon us, God’s love and presence is assured. The Lord promises that He will never leave us (Deut. 31:8). He will be with us wherever we go, “always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

The Lord will never falter in His commitment to His children. Even if we have been abandoned by others, we can find confidence in His promise that nothing will ever “separate us from [His] love” (Rom. 8:35-39). —Cindy Hess Kasper

Father, thank You for Your never-failing presence

in every aspect of our lives. We count on Your

promise never to abandon us. Please teach us

to rest in that truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Confidence in God’s presence is our comfort.

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Greatest of These

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Oft quoted at weddings, preeminent celebrations of romantic love, a poem is read extolling the virtue of love:

Love is patient and kind

Love is not jealous or boastful…

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never ends.

What many may not realize is that this is a poem from the pen of the apostle Paul. And while this poem is used to paint a picture of young love at weddings, its intent far transcends the romance of the occasion, and a fairly limited understanding of this virtue.

Romantic love was not in the apostle’s mind when he penned this verse. Instead, tremendous conflict in the fledgling Corinthian church caused Paul great grief. There were dissensions and quarrels over all kinds of issues in this community; quarrels over leadership and allegiance, over moral standards, over marriage and singleness, over theology, and quarrels so extreme that lawsuits were being filed!(1)

So, after reminding the Corinthian followers of Jesus that they represented his body—a body with many members and unique gifts and functions—Paul lifts up love as the height of what it means to be a mature human being:

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing….Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away….but now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (13:1-3, 8, 13).

Often, as I survey various communities in our world today, I see the same kind of division and derision. More often than not, I am bombarded by a war of information, bombs of argumentation lobbed against ‘enemies’ based on this book or that claim, this person’s authority or that person’s expertise. I hear noisy gongs and clanging cymbals of purported knowledge and insight, but rarely do I see love prevail.

Perhaps part of the reason why there is so little love is that there is a fear that to love is somehow to compromise. Many feel the strong need to disassociate love with the way we perceive it to be defined; as unthinking acceptance, an anything goes, an “I’m ok you’re ok” easy love as bland and undefined as jello. Surely, the apostle Paul’s understanding goes far beyond this flabby view of love. After all, he spends the majority of his first letter to the Corinthians exhorting their bad behavior by virtue of their lack of love.

Yet, I sometimes worry that a reticence to extend love to others without condition belies a forgetfulness about the conditions of our acceptance by God. Paul writes to the Romans, “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8). If God loved us while we were yet sinners, why do we find it so hard to love others?

In a world that largely perceives Christians to be in-fighters, hypocritical, argumentative, and judgmental naysayers, Paul’s words about love show a very different picture.

It is a picture that might include creating seminaries in the prisons, as has been done at Louisiana’s maximum security prison at Angola. Or might it include the cooperation of Christian fellowships despite denominational differences or theological disagreements? Or proactive movements to engage the culture rather than reactive retreat? Might it be a picture that includes growing into mature human beings? Paul continues,

When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

Since Jesus himself taught that love was the summary of all that had gone before, and fulfillment of the entire law and the message of the prophets—love God and love your neighbor as yourself—shouldn’t and couldn’t communities of those who follow Jesus make love their chief responsibility and goal?(2) The greatest of these is love.

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington.

(1) See 1 Corinthians 1:10-14; 3:1-10; 4:14-21; 5:1-13; 6:1-11; 7; 8:1-4 as examples.

(2) Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34.

Alistair Begg – If…

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

…If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:3

“If.” Then this is not a matter to be taken for granted concerning every one of the human race. “If”–then there is a possibility and a probability that some may not have tasted that the Lord is gracious. “If”–then this is not a general but a special mercy; and it is necessary to ask whether we know the grace of God by inward experience. There is no spiritual favor that may not be a matter for heart-searching.

But while this should be a matter of earnest and prayerful inquiry, no one ought to be content while there is any such thing as an “if” about his having tasted that the Lord is good. A jealous and holy distrust of self may give rise to the question even in the believer’s heart, but the continuance of such a doubt would be an evil indeed. We must not rest without a desperate struggle to clasp the Savior in the arms of faith and say, “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”1

Do not rest, believer, until you have a full assurance of your interest in Jesus. Let nothing satisfy you until, by the infallible witness of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with your spirit, you are identified as a child of God. Do trifle with this. Do not be satisfied with “perhaps” or “if” or “maybe.” Build on eternal truths; really build upon them. Let your anchor be cast into that which is within the veil, and see to it that your soul is linked to the anchor by a cable that will not break. Get beyond these dreary “ifs”; stay no longer in the wilderness of doubts and fears; cross the Jordan of distrust, and enter the promised land of peace, where the land ceases not to flow with milk and honey.

1 – 2 Timothy 1:12

Charles Spurgeon – A sense of pardoned sin

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” Isaiah 38:17

Suggested Further Reading: Psalm 32

We are saved by faith, and not by feeling. “We walk by faith and not by sight.” Yet there is as much connection between faith and hallowed feeling, as there is between the root and the flower. Faith is permanent, just as the root is ever in the ground; feeling is casual, and has its seasons. Just as the bulb does not always shoot up the green stem; far less is it always crowned with the many, many-coloured flower. Faith is the tree, the essential tree; our feelings are like the appearance of that tree during the different seasons of the year. Sometimes our soul is full of bloom and blossom, and the bees hum pleasantly, and gather honey within our hearts. It is then that our feelings bear witness to the life of our faith, just as the buds of spring bear witness to the life of the tree. Presently, our feelings gather still greater vigour, and we come to the summer of our delights. Again, perhaps, we begin to wither into the dry and yellow leaf of autumn; nay, sometimes the winter of our despondency and despair will strip away every leaf from the tree, and our poor faith stands like a blasted stem without a sign of greenness. And yet, my brethren, so long as the tree of faith is there we are saved. Whether faith blossom or not, whether it bring forth joyous fruit in our experience or not, so long as it be there in all its permanence we are saved. Yet we should have the gravest reason to distrust the life of our faith, if it did not sometimes blossom with joy, and often bring forth fruit unto holiness.

For meditation: True joy cannot exist without saving faith (1 Peter 1:8-9), but sometimes our salvation needs to have its joy restored (Psalm 51:12).

Sermon no. 316

21 May (Preached 20 May 1860)

John MacArthur – Beyond Doubt to Hope

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii 2 Comments

The twelve apostles included “Thomas” (Matt. 10:3).

When Jesus was crucified, Thomas was shattered. He loved Jesus deeply and wanted always to be with Him. He was willing even to die with Him, but now his greatest fear had been realized: Jesus was gone.

Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection. John 20:25 says, “The other disciples therefore were saying to [Thomas], ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Thomas was emotionally spent and unwilling to subject himself to any further pain. So he retreated behind a wall of empiricism, saying in effect, “I’m not going to believe this on your word alone. I need proof! I must see Jesus myself.”

Because of that, people have labeled him “Doubting Thomas,” but remember, none of the disciples believed the resurrection until Jesus appeared to them. Thomas wasn’t a compulsive doubter–he was a loving pessimist.

As it turned out, Thomas didn’t need as much proof as he thought. When Jesus finally appeared to him and invited him to touch His hands and side, Thomas didn’t do either. Instead he immediately cried out, “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28)–which is the greatest single confession of faith ever made.

Thomas struggled with doubt because he didn’t understand what Jesus said about His own death and resurrection, and he wasn’t with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared to them. He failed to understand God’s Word and forsook the company of believers–two common mistakes that can lead to doubt.

Jesus doesn’t condemn you when you have doubts. Instead, He gives you His Spirit, His Word, and the fellowship of His people to encourage and strengthen you. So commune with the Spirit in prayer, know the Word well, and never forsake the fellowship of believers. That’s how to change your doubts into hope!

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank God for the presence of His Spirit, the power of His word, and the fellowship of His people.

For Further Study:

Read Luke 24:13-35.

Why didn’t the two disciples recognize Jesus?

How did Jesus change their doubts to hope?

Joyce Meyer – Power to Overcome

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . . —Acts 1:8

No one’s life is everything he or she wants it to be. We all have challenges and struggles, sometimes even heartbreaks and tragedies. I have never met one person who could honestly say, “My life has always been every bit as wonderful as I always dreamed it would be.”

God’s job is not to make us happy or to give us the lives we’ve always hoped for. Often, we so desperately want unsaved people to become Christians that we tell them their lives will be better if they will just receive Jesus. In many ways, this is true, but sometimes we paint such a rosy picture that we lead people to believe they will never have another problem again for the rest of their lives and everything will be wonderful if they will simply ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. This is not true.

Jesus did not come to give anyone a life of leisure; Jesus came to give us abundant life, but not a trouble-free life. Part of the abundance He offers those who belong to Him is the power of His Spirit to overcome what others cannot.

As believers, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us deal with circumstances differently than nonbelievers do. When we are in Christ, we are supernaturally anointed to live our natural, ordinary lives in supernatural ways. We can be at peace in the midst of a crisis, and we can be positive when everything around is gloomy and depressing.

Why? Because we can choose joy, peace, positive attitudes, and stability. We can overcome the negative situations that are part of life, but we must choose to do so.

Love God Today: “Lord, thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit to help me deal any circumstance that comes my way.”

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – We can Have Real Peace

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in His promises, we can have real peace with Him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord had done for us” (Romans 5:1).

When Arthur DeMoss, one of my very best friends and one of our Lord’s choicest servants, went to be with the Lord, as the result of an unexpected heart attack, all of us were shocked. The word reached me in Austria, where I was meeting with our European staff. Immediately, I flew back to the United States for the memorial service.

As I participated in that service, I looked over the large audience, about half of whom had been introduced to Christ through the ministry of this man whom we had all come to honor.

In the crowd, I saw one face that stood out – a face that was most radiant of all. It was Art’s widow, Nancy. She was sitting in the front row with their seven children. Her radiant countenance was a demonstration to me of the supernatural joy and peace which God gives in such times of extreme grief.

Nancy and Art were the greatest of lovers and friends. They had been deeply in love since their courtship and were almost inseparable whether in the building of the business, in the rearing of their family or in their burden for evangelism and the souls of men.

Yet, in this time of Nancy’s greatest sorrow, the evidence that she was filled with the Spirit radiated from her countenance. She was experiencing the supernatural peace of God – love’s security, which is available to all of God’s children.

Bible Reading: Romans 5:2-11

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will claim by faith God’s peace – not only for me but also for family and friends in need of such peace – and seek to introduce others to the One who is the Prince of Peace.

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – Crier for Christ

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“Oyez, oyez, oyez!” In Medieval times, a town crier rang a bell shouting this funny phrase, meaning “Hear ye!” Before the invention of moveable type, many were illiterate and depended on the bell ringer with the red and gold robe to deliver the news. Criers shared everything from royal proclamations to funeral arrangements. If people needed to know it, the crier would proclaim it.

Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. Luke 24:47

In the passage before today’s verse, Jesus recounts His death, burial and resurrection. Then He shares how His disciples are to proclaim “repentance and forgiveness” all over the world, starting in Jerusalem. You, too, are called to be a crier for Christ. No red robe or bell is required – only a willing spirit to tell others about the love of Jesus. Without the news of the crier, the people would be in the dark.

The same holds true today. Isn’t it time for Christians to cry out to all who would hear the news of a Savior? Ask God to make you bold enough to proclaim His name where you live. Then ask the Lord to give courage to the Christ followers in the Senate and the House to share His truth with their fellow leaders.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 96:2-10

Greg Laurie – A Short Time

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” —Revelation 12:12

During the Korean War, Marines in the Baker Company found themselves cut off while enemy forces advanced. For several hours, no word was heard from them. Finally a faint signal came through. Straining to hear each word, the radio operator asked, “Do you read me?”

“This is Baker Company,” came the reply.

“What is your situation?”

“The enemy is to the east of us. The enemy is to the west of us. The enemy is to the south of us and to the north of us. . . .” The soldier then paused briefly and continued, “And we are not going to let them escape this time!”

That is the attitude we should have when the devil seems to be hitting us from every side. As Bible commentator John Phillips wrote, “Satan is now like a caged lion, enraged beyond words by the limitations now placed upon his freedom. He picks himself up from the dust of the earth, shakes his fist at the sky, and glares around, choking with fury for ways to vent his hatred and spite upon humankind.”

The devil does not want you to know that he is doomed. Revelation 12:12 tells us, “The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” The phrase for “great wrath” refers to a violent outburst of rage. It depicts a turbulent emotional fury rather than rational anger.

Even if some don’t believe it, the devil knows that Jesus Christ is coming back. Until then, his objective is to wreak as much havoc as he can.

Sometimes it seems as though everywhere we turn, there is an attack. There is temptation. There is a problem. There is an issue. But listen: God will give us the strength to get through.

Max Lucado – God Adopts Us

May 21, 2013 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, he also adopts us! It would be enough if God just cleansed your name, but he does more. He gives you his name. It would be enough if God just set you free, but he does more. He takes you home.

Adoptive parents understand this more than anyone. We biological parents know well the earnest longing to have a child. But in many cases our cribs were filled easily. We decided to have a child and a child came. In fact sometimes the child came with no decision. I’ve heard of unplanned pregnancies, but I’ve never heard of an unplanned adoption.

If anybody understands God’s ardor for his children, it’s someone who has rescued an orphan from despair, for that is what God has done for us. God sought you, found you, signed the papers and took you home!

Charles Stanley – Saving Troubled Friendships

May 20, 2013 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

Matthew 5:23-24

When we develop friendships, we intend for them to last. But since two fallen human beings are involved, occasional hurt feelings and unmet expectations are likely. If one or both people simply ignore the affront, the relationship can be damaged. Repairing a troubled friendship requires humility to admit our faults, effort to fix the problem, and time. But the reward is a renewed connection with a valued companion.

The process of saving a friendship begins when you acknowledge that damage exists. This takes place the moment you say, “I feel something isn’t right in our relationship. I’d like for us to find and fix the problem.” It is helpful to work together to assess how the trouble began—perhaps it resulted from a misunderstanding, an unresolved conflict, one person’s busyness, or the like.

After recognizing the problem, apologize for your part in it. Taking responsibility and saying “I’m sorry” shows your love and commitment to the friendship. Remember that an essential aspect of apologizing is refusing to justify wrong actions or blame someone else.

An apology must be followed up with amends. Ask your friend what specific action you both can take to rebuild the relationship. Then commit to follow his or her suggestion while occasionally asking, “How am I doing?”

Rather than waiting until their relationship is in trouble, wise friends will go through these steps as soon as they are aware of having hurt a loved one. As with physical injury, preventative care can soothe minor scrapes before they become serious wounds.

Our Daily Bread — A Sure Salvation

May 20, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Romans 10:8-15

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. —Romans 10:9

A story is told that Queen Victoria of the UK was deeply moved during a church service. Afterward, she asked her chaplain, “Can one be absolutely sure in this life of eternal safety?” He did not have an answer. But an evangelist named John Townsend heard about the Queen’s question, and after much prayer he sent her a note: “With trembling hands, but heartfelt love, and because I know that we can be absolutely sure now of our eternal life in the Home that Jesus went to prepare, may I ask your Most Gracious Majesty to read the following passages of Scripture: John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10?”

Two weeks later, the evangelist received this letter: “. . . I have carefully and prayerfully read the portions of Scripture referred to. I believe in the finished work of Christ for me, and trust by God’s grace to meet you in that Home of which He said, ‘I go to prepare a place for you.’ —Victoria Guelph”

Townsend was confident that in this life we can have assurance of eternal safety (v.9), and he had a concern for others as well. Consider what John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10 mean for your eternal destiny. God desires to give you the confidence that your sin is forgiven and that after death you’ll be with Him forever. —Brent Hackett, RBC Canada Director

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. —Crosby

Lives rooted in God’s unchanging grace can never be uprooted.

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Night of Fire

May 20, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Shortly after the death of Blaise Pascal in 1662, a housekeeper was sorting through closets and clothing and happened to notice something sewn into Pascal’s coat. Beneath the cloth was a parchment and inside this was another faded piece of paper. In Pascal’s handwriting, on both the parchment and the paper were nearly the same words. Beside hand-drawn crosses, Pascal had carefully written:

The year of grace 1654.

Monday, 23 November, feast of St. Clement…

From about half-past ten in the evening

until about half-past midnight.

Fire.

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob…

The God of Jesus Christ…

Your God will be my God.

More than 30 descriptive lines tell the story (unbeknownst to friends and family) of Pascal’s conversion to Christ. He is said to have been reading of the crucifixion when he was suddenly overwhelmed with the nearness of Christ. Pascal then meticulously transcribed the night of his conversion, his “night of fire,” as he called it thereafter, sewing it into his jacket where it would remain beside him until his death eight years later. Though the details of the story and the parchment were unknown to those around him, the change in his life could have scarcely gone unnoticed. Whatever else it marked, November 23, 1654 marked both death and life for Pascal. He reoriented all his activities (including his unparalleled work in the field of mathematics) to further serve a life of worship and service to God. He retired to the monastery at Port Royal and set to writing his Pensees, a collection of thoughts on life and theology.

There are many who house similar awakenings to faith before the person of Christ, if not kept in coat linings, then perhaps tucked protectively somewhere else. Whether, like Pascal, there is a specific night of “fire” that can be cited, conversion is not always easy to put into words. How does one explain what it is like to come out of a deep sleep, to rise from a night of fire, or to find oneself somehow newly born? The blind man could not articulate every detail of his encounter with Christ, but neither could he deny the startling evidence of his presence: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see,” he said in John 9:25. Nicodemus, too, had trouble getting his mind around the language and the metaphor of new life. “How can a man be born when he is old?” His question voices a reluctance common of all newborns, even as it harbors a resistance reflective of the sort of change Jesus implies with his invitation.

Whatever else Nicodemus and Pascal have in common in their nighttime encounters with Christ, one thing is certain. Whether a dramatic encounter or a subtle introduction, Christ has in mind more than an evening or an instance. A beloved professor of mine spoke of Christian conversion as a verb that arrives in several tenses. We have been justified, we are being sanctified, and we will be glorified. That is to say, on the Cross, Christ became our sacrifice, and the work is finished for all. God has declared his children righteous because we are united to his Son. But Christ is also our moral influence, the message of the gospel is transformational, and the believer is continually being sanctified through the Holy Spirit. To the one who has been united with the Son, the daily indwelling of Christ is a gift and a sign of the message that is presently being worked within us. Furthermore, what a person will be in Christ through the process of sanctification and the promise of justification has not yet been fully revealed, but there are signs all around of the hope and glory that is to come in Christ Jesus.

The Incarnation boldly assures us that Christ is always near. The Cross assures that he can come nearer still and forgive you completely and instantaneously. He will also walk with you over a lifetime, transforming and shaping you according to the will of God. Whether by fire, water, or Spirit, in an instance of spiritual certainty or a lifetime of wordless mystery, Christ comes near not to beckon better children but to make his creations entirely new.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alistair Begg – Show Your Steadfast Love

May 20, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Wondrously show your steadfast love. Psalm 17:7

When we give our hearts with our offerings, we do well, but we must often admit to failure in this respect. Not so our Master and our Lord. His favors are always performed with the love of His heart. He does not send us the cold meat and the broken pieces from the table of His luxury, but He dips our portion in His own dish and seasons our provisions with the spices of His fragrant affections. When He puts the golden coins of His grace into our palms, He accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand that the manner of His giving is as precious as the gift itself. When He comes into our houses on His errands of love, He does not act as some austere visitors do in a poor man’s cottage, but He sits by our side, not despising our poverty, nor blaming our weakness.

Beloved, with what smiles does He speak! What golden sentences drop from His gracious lips! What embraces of affection does He bestow upon us! If He had only given us pennies, the way He gave would have made them as gold! But as it is, the expensive gifts are set in the golden basket of His pleasant demeanor. It is impossible to doubt the sincerity of His love, for there is a bleeding heart stamped upon the face of all His coins. He gives generally and without holding back. He gives no hint that we are burdensome to Him, no cold looks for His poor dependents; instead He rejoices in His mercy and presses us to His bosom while He is pouring out His life for us.

There is a fragrance in His ointment that nothing but His heart could produce; there is a sweetness in His honeycomb that could not be unless the very essence of His soul’s affection had been mingled with it. Oh, the rare communion that such singular devotion provides! May we continually taste and know the blessedness of it!

Charles Spurgeon – The hope of future bliss

May 20, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15

Suggested Further Reading: Revelation 7:13-17

He will be satisfied, the Psalmist says, when he wakes up in God’s likeness. Satisfaction! This is another joy for the Christian when he shall enter heaven. Here we are never thoroughly satisfied. True, the Christian is satisfied from himself; he has that within which is a well-spring of comfort, and he can enjoy solid satisfaction. But heaven is the home of true and real satisfaction. When the believer enters heaven I believe his imagination will be thoroughly satisfied. All he has ever thought of he will there see; every holy idea will be solidified; every mighty conception will become a reality; every glorious imagination will become a tangible thing that he can see. His imagination will not be able to think of anything better than heaven; and should he sit down through eternity, he would not be able to conceive of anything that should outshine the lustre of that glorious city. His imagination will be satisfied. Then his intellect will be satisfied.

“Then shall I see, and hear, and know, All I desired, or wished, below.”

Who is satisfied with his knowledge here? Are there not secrets we want to know—depths of the secrets of nature that we have not entered? But in that glorious state we shall know as much as we want to know. The memory will be satisfied. We shall look back upon the vista of past years, and we shall be content with whatever we endured, or did, or suffered on earth.

“There, on a green and flowery mount, My wearied soul shall sit,

And with transporting joys recount, The labours of my feet.”

Hope will be satisfied, if there be such a thing in heaven. We shall hope for a future eternity, and believe in it. But we shall be satisfied as to our hope continually.

For meditation: The difference between now and then is beyond our finest imaginations (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2).

Sermon no. 25

20 May (1855)

Scriptures, Lessons, News and Links to help you survive.