Daily Archives: April 20, 2014

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Resurrection Day: Triumph!

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Charles Stanley

2 Corinthians 4:14-18

Today is a very special day. Across the globe, young and old alike are wearing their finest clothes, attending church, and sharing delicious meals with loved ones. But Easter is so much more than festivities and traditions. If we truly understood all that was accomplished on Resurrection Day, we’d be the most thankful and triumphant people around. How do I know? By looking at Christ’s disciples—the original witnesses of Jesus’ most astounding miracle. When they finally believed that Jesus was alive, everything changed: those doubting and hopeless men were transformed into passionate preachers of Christianity.

Wouldn’t you like to live with that same confidence and unstoppable resolve? You can—by considering what Christ’s resurrection achieved and then letting that reality become foundational to all you think, say, and do. Start by reflecting on three remarkable truths:

First, Jesus is alive and active, not only in heaven, but in our lives. He sits at the Father’s right hand and intercedes for us (Rom. 8:34)—none could be more qualified than the God-man, who personally experienced human weakness and also knows every detail of our circumstances. What’s more, the Lord is present within us through His indwelling Spirit. His supernatural power (v. 11) is always available to transform our character, strengthen us, provide insight, and guide us into God’s will.

Second, the Lord is completely trustworthy. Because Jesus overcame death just as He predicted, we can know that everything else He said is true as well—and that all God’s promises are sure. These include the certainty that our sins are forgiven if we trust Jesus as Savior. By raising His Son from the dead, God signified that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient to pay the full penalty for our transgressions.

Third, death is not the end. Rather, it is the beginning of life as God intended—free from sin and all its negative consequences of suffering, sickness, and pain. Jesus’ resurrection guarantees that believers will be raised as well, receiving new bodies that are strong, perfect, and eternal. Furthermore, we’ll have the joy of being reunited with loved ones in Christ and seeing our Savior face to face.

When you understand what Jesus’ resurrection accomplished, there will be no reason to let worldly sorrows and cares drag you into hopelessness (v. 18). From today forward, invest in your eternal future by living in light of the resurrection and faithfully serving the risen Savior.

—Charles Stanley

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Easter Every Day

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Our Daily Bread

Hebrews 10:11-18

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. —Matthew 28:6

A friend of mine, who is a preschool teacher, overheard an animated conversation among her students. Little Maria threw out the question: “Who loves God?” All of them responded, “I do! I do! I do!” Billy said, “I love Jesus.” Kelly protested, “But He died.” Billy said, “Yeah, but every Easter He rises from the dead!”

Obviously, young Billy’s understanding of the meaning of Easter is still developing. We know that Jesus died once for all (Rom. 6:10; Heb. 10:12) and, of course, rose from the dead once. Three days after paying the penalty of our sins on the cross, the sinless Jesus conquered death by rising from the grave and breaking the power of sin. It was this final sacrifice of blood that opened the only way for us to have a relationship with God now and a home with Him forevermore.

“Christ died for our sins, . . . He was buried, and . . . He rose again the third day” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). He has promised that He is preparing a place for us (John 14:1-4), and He will someday return. One day we will be with our risen Savior.

That’s why every year at Eastertime—in fact, every day of the year—we have reason to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1). —Cindy Hess Kasper

Christ’s resurrection is cause for our celebration.

Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 9-11; Luke 15:11-32

Insight

In Hebrews 10:14 we see this remarkable statement: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” How is this possible? Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth answers this question. Since being “good enough” through personal effort is futile (Rom. 7), only a transfer of account from a righteous person to a sinner could remedy the problem. “He made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Christ’s atoning death on the cross appeased the wrath of God (Rom. 3:24-26), and His righteousness was attributed to us that we might be declared justified before God.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg  – The Lord’s Battle

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Alistair Begg

Fight the Lord’s battles.

1 Samuel 18:17

The Christian is involved in a continual war, with Jesus Christ as the Captain of their salvation. He has said, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”2 Listen to the battle cries! Now let the people of God stand firm in their ranks, and let no man’s heart fail him. We may feel in these days that we are losing the battle and unless the Lord Jesus shall lift His sword we do not know what may become of the church of God in our time; but let us be courageous and bold.

Seldom has there been a time like this as biblical Christianity trembles on the brink of capitulation to pluralism and empty religious routine. We are in great need of a bold voice and a strong hand to preach and publish the Gospel for which martyrs bled and confessors died. The Savior is, by His Spirit, still on earth; let this encourage us. He is always ever in the middle of the fight, and therefore the outcome of the battle is not in doubt. And as the conflict rages, what a deep satisfaction it is to know that the Lord Jesus, in His office as our great Intercessor, is prevalently pleading for His people!

Turn your anxious gaze from the battle below, where, enshrouded in smoke, the faithful fight in garments rolled in blood. And lift your eyes above where the Savior lives and pleads, for while He intercedes, the cause of God is safe. Let us fight as if it all depended upon us, but let us look up and know that it all depends upon Him.

On the basis of our Savior’s atoning sacrifice and in the strength of the Holy Spirit’s power, we charge you who love Jesus to fight bravely in this holy war, for truth and righteousness, for the kingdom and the crown. Onward! The battle is not yours but God’s, and you will yet hear Him say, “Well done, brave warrior, well done!”

2Matthew 28:20

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright © 2003, Good News Publishers and used by Truth For Life with written permission.

The family reading plan for  April 20, 2014  Ecclesiastes 7 | 2 Timothy 3

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Final perseverance

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CharlesSpurgeon

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6

Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 10:26-39

God preserves his children from falling away; but he keeps them by the use of means; and one of these is, the terrors of the law, showing them what would happen if they were to fall away. There is a deep precipice: what is the best way to keep any one from going down there? Why, to tell him that if he did he would inevitably be dashed to pieces. In some old castle there is a deep cellar where there is a vast amount of stale air and gas which would kill anybody who went down. What does the guide say? “If you go down you will never come up alive.” Who thinks of going down? The very fact of the guide telling us what the consequences would be, keeps us from it. Our friend puts away from us a cup of arsenic; he does not want us to drink it, but he says, “If you drink it, it will kill you.” Does he suppose for a moment that we should drink it? No; he tells us the consequence, and he is sure we will not do it. So God says, “My child, if you fall over this precipice you will be dashed to pieces.” What does the child do? He says, “Father, keep me; hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” It leads the believer to greater dependence on God, to a holy fear and caution, because he knows that if he were to fall away he could not be renewed, and he stands far away from that great gulf, because he knows that if he were to fall into it there would be no salvation for him. It is calculated to excite fear; and this holy fear keeps the Christian from falling.

For meditation: God is the One who keeps us from falling (Jude 24), but he still tells us that we have some responsibility to keep ourselves in his love (Jude 21).

Sermon no. 75

20 April (1856)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Becoming Pure in Heart

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John MacArthur

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).

Purifying a heart is the gracious and miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, but there are some things we must do in response to His prompting. First, we must admit we can’t purify our own hearts. Proverbs 20:9 says, “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?'” The implied answer: no one!

Next, we must put our faith in Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the cross is the basis for our cleansing. Acts 15:9 says that God cleanses hearts on the basis of faith. Of course our faith must be placed in the right object. First John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Finally, we must study the Bible and pray. The psalmist said we keep our way pure by keeping it according to God’s Word, which we must treasure in our hearts (Ps. 119:9, 11). As we pray and submit to the Word, the Spirit purifies our lives.

That’s how you acquire and maintain a pure heart. As a result you “shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). That doesn’t mean you’ll see Him with physical eyes, but with spiritual ones. You begin to live in His presence and become increasingly aware of His working in your life. You recognize His power and handiwork in the beauty and intricacy of creation (Ps. 19). You discern His grace and purposes amid trials and learn to praise Him in all things. You sense His ministry through other Christians and see His sovereignty in every event of your life. Life takes on a profound and eternal meaning as you share Christ with unbelievers and see Him transform lives.

There’s no greater joy than knowing you are pure before God and that your life is honoring to Him. May that joy be yours today and may God use you in a powerful way for His glory!

Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask the Lord for continued grace to live a pure life so others will see Christ in you.

For Further Study:

Read Isaiah 6:1-8.

•             Describe Isaiah’s vision of God.

•             How did Isaiah respond to God’s presence?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You Can Cope with Criticism

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Joyce meyer

It is the Lord [Himself] Who examines and judges me. —1 Corinthians 4:4

No matter what you do in life you will occasionally be criticized by someone, so you must learn to cope with it and not let it bother you. Criticism is very difficult for most of us, and a person’s self-image can be damaged by one critical remark. But it is possible to learn how not to be affected at all by criticism.

Like many other great people, the apostle Paul experienced criticism about many things. He experienced the same thing we do, which is that people are fickle. They love you when you are doing everything they want you to do and are quick to criticize when just one little thing goes wrong. Paul said he was not in the least bit concerned about the judgments of others. He said he did not even judge himself. He knew he was in God’s hands and that in the end, he would stand before God and give an account of himself and his life. He would not stand before any man to be judged (see 1 Cor. 4:3–4).

Sometimes the people who are criticized the most are the ones who try to do something constructive with their life. It amazes me how people who do nothing want to criticize those who try to do something. I may not always do everything right, but at least I am attempting to do something to make the world a better place and to help hurting people. I believe that is very pleasing to God! After many years of suffering over the criticisms of people and trying to gain their approval, I finally decided that if God is happy with me, that is enough.

Each time someone criticizes you, try making a positive affirmation about yourself to yourself. Don’t just stand by and take in everything anyone wants to dump on you. Establish independence! Be confident in God’s love and approval, and don’t be defeated by criticism.

Trust in Him The first step is not reacting to your critics, but it doesn’t stop there. Jesus blessed those who persecuted Him because of His deep trust in the Father’s plan. How can you bless people who are critical of you?

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Place of Privilege

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dr_bright

“For because of our faith, He has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be” (Romans 5:2).

Interesting, is it not, that because of our faith, which is really His faith imparted to us, He has brought us, you and me, to a place of highest privilege.

What are some of the benefits that constitute this highest privilege?

First, we are justified – considered righteous in God’s sight.

Second, we are admitted into His favor and we abide there.

Third, we have the hope and prospect of even higher and richer blessings, in the fullness of His glory, when we are admitted into heaven.

Strange, then, that you and I often chafe at the bit when things become a little rough. At such time as that, I need to remind myself that I do not deserve any better. All the mercies and blessings of God are undeserved – gifts of God’s grace (“God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense,” as the apt acrostic expresses it).

What, really, is the “bottom line” of everything that happens to the believer – to you and me? After confessing that we are receiving our just deserts, we must always go back to the all-inclusive promise: “All things are working together for our good.” They may not feel good, they may not seem good, they may not even be good, but they are accomplishing good in us.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:8-12

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  I will meditate on the rare and high privilege that is mine as a child of God and look forward to becoming all that God wants me to be.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M. – Easter Hope

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ppt_seal01

For many people, Easter is all about colored eggs, jelly beans and baskets. However, inside their hearts several feel as hopeless and hollow as a chocolate bunny.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.

Matthew 28:6

It’s probably similar to how Jesus’ followers felt when He died on the cross and left them. Yet the most surprising event of their lives occurred when the two women encountered the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Jesus is alive. Now go tell others!” Imagine the hope and joy the women experienced when they saw Christ again as they grasped His feet and worshipped Him.

Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25) Rejoice that your heart is no longer empty, but filled with the hope of Easter – today and every day. Then listen to the angel’s advice and tell others about what the Lord has done in your life. Through your words and actions, let them know that Jesus is alive and promises the only hope for them, now and for all eternity. Pray, too, that your local and national leaders who follow Jesus will have the courage to tell others in government about their risen Lord!

Recommended Reading: Romans 10:8-15