Daily Archives: April 6, 2014

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Story of Nicodemus

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Charles Stanley

Bible Study: John 3:1-21

He was uber religious, a teacher of the law. And he was convinced that Jesus was sent from God. But Nicodemus was having trouble separating what he’d believed all his life from what Jesus was teaching. Frankly, it’s the trouble we all have with Jesus: separating what we’ve always believed from what He says.

Jesus doesn’t mince words. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3). It was startling. Nicodemus had always believed that you got into the kingdom by being Jewish and keeping the law. Jesus says, “No, the only way you can get into My kingdom is by getting ‘birthed’ in.” No one enters the kingdom of God by being born into a certain group, being religious, or performing morally for the Lord. We enter physical life through human birth, and the kingdom through spiritual rebirth. Period.

It’s no easier for us than it was for Nicodemus. Grace is counterintuitive, thus confusing. The only answer to spiritual death is spiritual life—not performance. Dead people can neither improve nor perform. That was Jesus’ point.

God’s grace is undeserved, unexpected, and illogical. No one has ever earned it. Not once. Yet, it’s offered freely by God. That’s why it’s so amazing.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. If your tradition, history, or religion tells you one thing but Jesus tells you something else, you have found yourself in Nicodemus’s predicament. Which will you choose to believe, and why?

2. Jesus told Nicodemus that simply being religious wasn’t enough for eternal life. How does spiritual rebirth differ from being religious? Why do you think Jesus said being born into a brand-new life was a requirement for entering His new kingdom?

3. Logic and religion seem to insist that we do something to earn eternal life with God. Why do you think we so strongly resist the idea of grace? And why do you think God insists upon grace rather than our performance as the way for us to gain heaven?

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Choose Life

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Our Daily Bread

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice. —Deuteronomy 30:19-20

What is God’s will for my life? The question haunted me when I was growing up. What if I couldn’t find it? What if I didn’t recognize it? God’s will seemed like a needle in a haystack. Hidden. Obscured by lookalikes. Outnumbered by counterfeits.

But my view of God’s will was wrong because my view of God was wrong. God takes no pleasure in seeing us lost, wandering, searching. He wants us to know His will. He makes it clear, and He makes it simple. He doesn’t even make it multiple-choice. He gives just two choices: “life and good” or “death and evil” (Deut. 30:15). In case the best choice isn’t obvious, He even says which one to choose: “Choose life” (v.19). To choose life is to choose God Himself and obey His Word.

When Moses addressed the Israelites for the last time, he pleaded with them to make the right choice by observing “all the words of this law. . . . Because it is your life” (32:46-47). God’s will for us is life. His Word is life. And Jesus is the Word. God may not give a prescription for every decision, but He gave us a perfect example to follow—Jesus. The right choice may not be easy, but when the Word is our guide and worship is our goal, God will grant us the wisdom to make life-affirming choices. —Julie Ackerman Link

Lord Jesus, we know that true wisdom comes

from leaning on You. Help us to trust in

You and to seek Your face and Your will

that we find in Your life-giving Word.

The evidence of God’s guidance can be seen more clearly by looking back than by looking forward.

Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 4-6; Luke 9:1-17

Insight

Today’s passage begins with a beautiful statement of how intimately God wants us to know Him. He has not given us commandments that are “too mysterious” or “far off” (Deut. 30:11). This passage ends with the reason His commands are “very near”—that we may love and obey God and enjoy life in Him (v.20).

 

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Cut Them Off!

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Alistair Begg

In the name of the Lord I cut them off!

Psalms 118:12

Our Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right to just a part of us, but to all of us. He pondered in His passion our complete sanctification—spirit, soul, and body, that in every area He Himself might reign supreme without a rival. It is the business of the newborn nature that God has given to the regenerate to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My soul, insofar as you are a child of God, you must conquer all the rest of yourself that remains unblessed; you must subdue all your powers and passions, and you must never be satisfied until He who is King by purchase also becomes King by gracious coronation and reigns in you supreme. Seeing, then, that sin has no right to any part of us, we are involved in good and lawful warfare when we seek, in the name of God, to drive it out. Since my body is a member of Christ, shall I tolerate subjection to the prince of darkness?

My soul, Christ has suffered for your sins and redeemed you with His most precious blood; do not allow your memory to store up evil thoughts or your passions to be the occasion of sin. Do not allow your judgment to be perverted by error or your will to be led in chains of iniquity. No, my soul, you are Christ’s, and sin has no right to you.

Be courageous concerning this, O Christian! Be not dispirited, as though your spiritual enemies could never be destroyed. You are able to overcome them—but not in your own strength—the weakest of them would be too much for you; but you can and shall overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. If you wonder how to dispossess them since they are greater and mightier than you, go to the strong for strength, wait humbly upon God, and the mighty God of Jacob will surely come to your rescue, and you will sing of victory through His grace.

The family reading plan for  April 6, 2014  Proverbs 24 | 1 Thessalonians 3

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Effects of sound doctrine

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“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24:24

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-10

What effect does election have on our actions? If this doctrine be fully received and known, it breathes with all gratitude to God, an earnest desire to show forth his praise. It leads to all kinds of holy activity, and a hearty endeavour for the service of God. We are told continually by philosophic writers, that the idea of necessity—the idea that anything is fixed or decreed—tends at once to damp activity. Never was there a grosser misrepresentation. Look abroad, everything that has been great in the spirit of the age has had a Necessitarian at the bottom of it. When Mohammed preached predestination, he took a necessitarian view. Did that doctrine of predestination make his followers idle? Did it not make them dash into the battle, declaring they must die when the appointed time came, and while they lived they must fight, and earnestly defend their faith? Or to take an instance from the history of our own country. Did the Calvinism of Oliver Cromwell make his Ironsides idle? Did they not keep their powder dry? They believed that they were chosen men of God, and were they not men of valour? Did this doctrine mar their energy? So in every good enterprise our churches are never behind. Are we backward in missionary enterprise? Are we slow to send forth men of God to preach in foreign lands? Are we deficient in our efforts? Are we the people who would preach to a select few?—who would erect buildings for worship that the poor scarcely dare to enter? Are we the people who would keep our religious services for a privileged circle? The fact is, the most zealous, the most earnest, and the most successful of men, have been those who have held this truth.

For meditation: The doctrine of election is not supposed to turn us in upon ourselves, but to send us out to others (John 15:16; Acts 9:15).

Sermon no. 324

6 April (Preached 22 April 1860)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Dealing with Sorrow

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John MacArthur

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”(Matt. 5:4).

Most people in our society have an amusement-park mentality. They spend much of their time and money on entertainment, wanting to enjoy life and avoid problems whenever possible. To them, Matthew 5:4 is a paradox. How can someone who mourns be happy? The answer lies in the difference between godly sorrow and human sorrow. Godly sorrow is sorrow over sin; human sorrow is sorrow over some tragic or disappointing turn of events (2 Cor. 7:8-11).

In Matthew 5:4 Jesus is referring to godly sorrow, which is our topic for tomorrow. But we all face human sorrow, so I want to discuss it briefly today.

Human sorrow is a natural emotion. Our Lord Himself was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). Many things can cause it: we might mourn out of love, disappointment, loneliness, or physical illness. There is nothing wrong with that kind of mourning. It is a God- given relief valve for the pain and sorrow in this fallen world, and promotes the healing process.

Scripture gives many examples of human sorrow. Abraham wept when his wife, Sarah, died (Gen. 23:2). Through tears Jeremiah preached God’s message of judgment (Jer. 9:1). Paul expressed his concern for the church with his tears (Acts 20:31). Those are natural, healthy expressions of human sorrow.

However, sorrow can also be caused by evil desires or a lack of trust in God. King Ahab mourned to the point of sulking and not eating when he couldn’t have another man’s property (1 Kings 21:4). Some Christians mourn excessively when they lose a loved one. Forsaking the comfort of the Spirit, they focus only on their own grief. Extreme or prolonged manifestations of sorrow are sinful and must be confessed rather than comforted.

God is gracious to His children amid times of human sorrow. Ultimately He will do away with mourning and pain forever (Rev. 21:4). Rejoice in that promise and be comforted by His wonderful grace!

Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for the ministry of the Spirit, who is the great Comforter or Helper (John 14:16-17). When sorrow occurs, lean on the Spirit, feed your soul on God’s Word, and commune with Him in prayer.

For Further Study: Read Psalm 55. How did David express his desire to escape his difficult situation? What was his final resolve?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – More than Conquerors

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Joyce meyer

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.—Romans 8:37

We need to have a sense of triumph. In Romans 8:37 Paul assures us that through Christ Jesus we are more than conquerors. Believing that truth gives us confidence. I once heard that a woman is more than a conqueror if her husband goes out, works all week, and brings his paycheck home to her. But God spoke to me and said, “You’re more than a conqueror when you know that you already have the victory before you ever get a problem.”

Sometimes our confidence is shaken when trials come, especially if they are lengthy. We should have so much confidence in God’s love for us that no matter what comes against us, we know deep inside that we are more than conquerors. If we are truly confident, we have no need to fear trouble, challenges, or trying times, because we know they will pass.

Whenever a trial of any kind comes against you, always remember: This too shall pass! Be confident that during the trial you will learn something that will help you in the future.

Without confidence we are stifled at every turn. Satan drops a bomb, and our dreams are destroyed. Eventually we start over, but we never make much progress. We start and get defeated, start and get defeated, start and get defeated, over and over again. But those who are consistently confident, those who know they are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, make rapid progress.

We must take a step of faith and decide to be confident in all things. God may have to correct us occasionally, but that is better than playing it safe and never doing anything.

Confident people get the job done; they have the ministries that are making a difference in the world today. They are fulfilled because they are succeeding at being themselves.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Reap What You Sow

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“Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!” (Galatians 6:7).

Steve had just been introduced to this great and exciting law of sowing and reaping. “Is it really true,” he asked, “that I will always reap what I sow – and more than I sow – good or bad?”

I was able to assure him, from the authority of Scripture, from experience of 36 years of walking with Christ and by observing closely the lives of many thousands of Christians with whom I have counseled and worked, that the law of sowing and reaping is just as true and inviolate as the law of gravity.

If you want to judge a man, an American humorist once said, you should not look at him in the face but get behind him and see what he is looking at, what he is sowing.

For example, is he looking at God with reverence – or with no deference at all? Does he really believe God means what He says?

A student once asked, “If I give my life to Christ, do I become a puppet?”

The answer is a resounding no! We never become puppets. We have the right of choice; we are free moral agents. God’s Word assures us that He guides and encourages us, but we must act as a result of our own self-will. God does not force us to make decisions.

The more we understand the love, the wisdom, the sovereignty, the grace and power of God, the more we will want to trust Him with every detail of our lives. The secret of the supernatural life is to keep Christ on the throne of our lives and delight ourselves in Him as Lord.

We fail in the Christian life when we, as a deliberate act of our will, choose to disobey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

It is a tragedy of the human will that we often think we have a better way than God has for living the Christian life. But do not deceive yourself or allow Satan to mislead you: God’s way is best!

Bible Reading: Galatians 6:6-10

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  I will seek to sow seeds of love and kindness and faith knowing that as a result I will reap God’s best for my life.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – Miracle Watching

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ppt_seal01

Paraglider Ewa Wisnierska took flight several winters ago and was suddenly sucked into a storm. She was pushed to heights of 32,000 feet – the cruising altitude of a jumbo jet – which caused her to lose consciousness. After floating aimlessly for over an hour, Wisnierska’s glider, heavy with ice, began its decent. On the way down, she regained consciousness…and landed safely! Her survival was a miracle in the midst of a storm.

Those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14:33

Today’s verse tells of another miracle/storm combination. Jesus sent His disciples by boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. After spending time alone in prayer, He walked across the water in a storm to meet them. Scared by both the storm and the figure walking on the waves, they called out to their Lord. Peter even asked to join Him on the water. Upon realizing Jesus had command of the winds and the seas, the witnesses in the boat worshipped Christ as the Son of God.

Sometimes miracles come as the result of a storm. When America experiences turbulence, call out to God and watch for the miraculous. Rely on Him, and then pray for your nation’s leaders to recognize the true Son of God.

Recommended Reading: Exodus 14:5-14