THEME - Apostasy
May God richly bless you this day!
These devotionals are written by
the following men:
- DW - Senior Pastor, Dan Wilkenson
- RJS - Retired Pastor, Dr. Bob Shifflett
- DM - Associate Pastor, Dave Most
May God richly bless you this
day!
Tuesday, April 1st
Apostates Described and the Sons of Belial
Deuteronomy 13:12-18
In verse 13 of our text we see men,
"The children of Belial" also referred to as the sons
of worthless men, wicked men, ungodly men; men who have gone out
from among us and have drawn others to follow them into their diabolical
sins of folly and deceit. The name Belial also refers to Satan in
another text. 2 Corinthians 6:15 And what concord (or agreement)
hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with
an infidel? There is a wide contrast between the two names
mentioned in this verse. Christ stands for all that is without sin;
holy, pure and good. Satan stands for all that is evil, wicked,
impure and he, himself, is the paradigm of apostasy.
Note, Revelation 2:13 I know
thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is:
and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even
in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain
among you, where Satan dwelleth. I've been to the old city
of Pergamos and have seen some of Satan's works that are still there.
This was where they first used the coiled snake around a pole as
the symbol of practicing medicine. I have walked through the snake
tunnel where all kinds of poisonous vipers were used to cure patients
of many maladies. If they survived the walk without being bitten
they were either cured or insane. This was also where they worshipped
Satan and raised a temple to his honor. Think of the Satan worshippers
today.
Israel was appointed as an executioner
of all idolaters and in the New Testament we are not to have fellowship
with reprobates or idolaters. Idolatry was a capital crime in Israel.
They were ordered to stone the idolatrous person that all Israel
would fear the Lord, verses 6-11.
Lastly, idolatry and witchcraft are
mentioned in three passages for our admonition: Isaiah 15:23,
2 Chronicles 33:6 and Galatians 5:20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies.
Another translation says idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife,
jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, and factions. We
are admonished not to have fellowship with those who practice the
above as recorded in the first paragraph,2 Corinthians 6:15.
RJS
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Wednesday April 2nd
Corrupt Worship
Genesis 4:1-14
Once sin entered this world it did
not take long before envy and hate gave way to murder. The circumstances
surrounding this are very interesting. The problem started from
and centered on God's blessing and worship. These two brothers followed
two different paths. Cain was a farmer. He worked the ground, but
Able was a shepherd. He managed animals.
We don't have a lot of information
about what happened here. Before the giving of the law under Moses,
from the time of Adam and Eve, God revealed truth to people and
they responded in faith and obedience. Before Moses, people tithed,
offered sacrifice, and otherwise worshiped God. God has written
His law in the hearts of all people. It is even as we see today,
some open their hearts to truth and grace and some rebel and harden
their hearts. In our text, Abel opened his heart to God and Cain
hardened his heart.
It is interesting to note that although
Cain hardened his heart, he still sought God's favor through worship.
Abel came in faith and submission seeking to honor God, but Cain
came with a heart full of self-seeking and self will. Cain sought
honor for himself. In all probability, he was very successful in
his agricultural endeavors. He wanted to put his bountiful harvest
on display. It is a picture of the glory of his works. Oh that we
would understand that the very best fallen humanity could ever offer
is corrupt in the sight of God. It is important to realize the blood
sacrifice that was a part of worship. Under the old covenant, it
was the blood of bulls and goats. Under the new covenant, it is
the blood of Jesus Christ. Before the flood, it was blood sacrifice.
In Hebrews 9:22 we read almost all things are by the
law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
The picture of sacrifice was one that emphasized God's love
and perfect justice. It recognized our need and God's provision.
Cain's sacrifice was a picture of his own love, ability and goodness.
As this was not true, it was worse than if he had not even made
an attempt to worship God. It is as we read in Proverbs 21:27.
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when
he bringeth it with a wicked mind? DW
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Thursday, April 3rd
How to be a Good and Faithful Minister
2 Tim. 4:9-18
Faithfulness to God's calling in
our lives is the key word for us today. To be sure, more and more
people are losing their way in life. Their true intentions and colors
are coming out. We are seeing a turning away from the faith by many
professing, so-called Christians more than ever before.
Paul gave to us this example of Demus
in our text today. Interestingly, Paul and at least 4 others had
come across tough times on their missionary journeys and sadly,
Demus decided that he had had enough. He turned away and forsook
Paul and the ministry, because as Paul put it truthfully and plainly,
he loved the world more than his false profession of Christianity.
Does this look and sound familiar of many people we may know today?
Most of us that claim to know Christ would hopefully stay true to
the calling that God has given us. But realistically, there are
some that, when faced with the trials and tribulations of the Christian
life, turn away from God and go their own way. Some even become
disobedient, even while hypocritically and religiously pretending
to be Christians, but when faced with hardship and the giving up
and denial of self, they too turn and run to where their true colors
really are.
What can we learn from this very
important passage?
First, we need to evaluate our Profession of Faith. Is it
genuine or is it just a profession? 1John 2:3 says, And
hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Do you keep God's commandments? If the answer is yes, then the question
is this! What are God's Commandments? The simple answer is that
if we are truly obedient to God, we will know what those commandments
are, such as witnessing and sharing our faith with others.
Secondly, we need to be faithful to the calling that God
has given to us. 1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required
in stewards, that a man be found faithful. This is so important!
Life is all about God! It is not about us. God desires faithfulness
from His children. Truth is, if we are genuinely saved, there will
be little problem with faithfulness! This is important evidence
of our profession. Faithfulness to God, obedience to His commands,
denial of ourselves and a turning away from this world really show
Whom we serve. Dear Lord Jesus, Please forgive us of unfaithfulness
and disobedience. We desire to be faithful to You. Amen. DM
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Friday, April 4th
The Awful Results of Worldliness
Luke 8:13
The ones on the rock are those who,
when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no
root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing, fall
away. The above is a picture of those (both men and women) that
are excitable, emotional and impulsive about following Christ. They
are charmed with the beauty and novelty of the Gospel message. They
receive the Word, tell everyone they are taking the yoke, but do
it without counting the cost. They hastily make a religious profession,
but soon fall away. Upon this superficial profession of faith they
base their salvation, but when persecution or opposition comes to
them, they back off and return to their worldly ways of life. They
are like the one referred to by the Apostle Paul in Colossians
4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.And
2 Timothy 4:10 For Demas, in love with this present world,
has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica" Demas had
deserted Paul just as professing Christians who desert the Lord
when the going gets rough. One author says Demas made a fatal mistake.
"He loved this present evil world." It does not say that
Demas had forsaken Christ, but it says he loved the world more than
he loved the Apostle Paul. 1John 2:15-17 Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth
for ever.
Truly, born again Christians can
and do sometimes become so involved with material things or sin
and as they associate with the world, they lose their testimony
and no longer desire fellowship with the saints.
We are in the latter days that Paul
describes in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall
they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
fables. Beware lest we also turn from the great doctrines
of the Scriptures and desire "pious platitudes and little sermonettes,"
that lead us to spiritual shipwreck and despair. RJS
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Saturday April 5th
The Diffusion of Power
Genesis 11:1-9
In this text, we find the first major
judgment of God after the flood. As we read in the Bible of a coming
one-world government dominated by antichrist, we need to appreciate
that the purpose of the enemy is the same here. At the tower of
Babel, people united in pride and false religion. It is sad, but
shortly after the flood the hearts of people in large numbers turned
from God to false worship and self. If God did not intervene in
grace, the world would have come to be dominated by evil.
Think about this. Why is it that
dividing people was helpful? Because of sin, people are quickly
and easily misled. However, in time they will come to understand
the error. In other words, they have to experience the fruit of
sin before they understand the evil of sin. By dividing the people,
God maintains the light of liberty on this earth throughout the
age. It is this work of God's grace that stays evil in our world.
The same principle is in our constitution;
there is a separation of powers. This principle helps to preserve
the country from corruption. One of the problems with the diffusion
of power is the diffusion of responsibility, but this is not as
great a problem as the concentration of power. In order to divide
people, God confused human language. We live in a day of a world
economy. As we see in Europe with the common market, this world
economy will drive the need for a one-world government. It is when
the events at the tower of Babel are reversed that we will come
to the destruction and corruption at the end of the age.
We would be wise to understand the
corrupting influence of power. Someone has noted that power corrupts
and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This, more than anything
else, reveals the influence of sin on the human heart and the greatness
and glory of God. The omnipotent is good and altogether lovely.
Holiness is God's primary attribute. His power is limited by His
goodness, which includes His love. If this were not true, there
would be no redemption, only judgment and damnation. Turning from
God most often means the false worship of idolatry and self seeking.
These things have no place in a Biblical spirituality. DW
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Sunday, April 6th
Beware of Falling from Your own Steadfastness
2 Peter 3:14-18
In this world where we live, there
are spiritually unstable people everywhere we turn; spiritually
unstable to the point that they even "twist the Scriptures
to their own destruction". This twisting and unstableness is
nothing new. It occurred in the Old Testament in many places, even
to Noah, though the Bible wasn't even written yet, who preached
the gospel for over 100 years with not one convert. In our Christian
life as we daily study and obey God's Word, we really need to pay
attention to these clear warnings God has given us. Beware of Falling
from our own spiritual steadfastness. One reason is that we have
a tendency to become spiritually complacent. Complacency is really
the last thing we should fall into because the enemy is formidable
and we need to be ready at all times. We are to bring the battle
to the enemy rather than allowing the enemy to bring the battle
to us
Folks, he who has an ear to hear,
let him hear! At this very moment, we are waging the spiritual battle
that has Eternal consequences. The choices we make on a daily basis,
the decisions that we decide each day and each moment, can make
us or break us spiritually. Many people are walking according to
the flesh and not according to Christ and His Holy Word given to
those who are called according to His purposes. Question! Do you
know what you believe about the Bible? Why do you believe it? Do
you believe all of it, or none of it, or just some of it? Do you
really know what you believe about it? How do you know what you
believe is accurate? What does the Bible say about living for God?
Are you obeying all of it or just what is convenient? There are
thousands of people who claim to know God, who are just spiritual
babes, spiritually anemic to the eternal, life-giving doctrines
of the Christian faith. They are being pulled in every direction,
to every wind and wave of doctrine, they are unstable and untaught.
They are headed to eternal destruction.
O God help us, lest we should fall
from our own spiritual steadfastness according to Your Holy Word.
Your Word is Truth! Forgive us of spiritual complacency and half-heartedness.
Guide us, O Great Jehovah to desire You above all else. Prepare
in us a humble and clean heart, a heart of Spiritual obedience and
reverence. In Jesus name, Amen. DM
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Monday, April 7th
Why Trusting in the Flesh is Fatal
Jeremiah 17:1-9
Jeremiah was writing to Judah because
of their turning from the Lord and trusting the arm of the flesh.
Jeremiah was quoting God when he referred to their sins being engraved
in their hearts and on the horns of their altars. What an illustration,
iron chisels engraving on their hearts of stone. In Hebrews
there are 3 references to "harden not your hearts,"
Chapters 3:8, 15 and 4:7. This was written to early Christian
Jews, but it is applicable to us today.
Returning to Jeremiah, the heart
shall be like the heath (British broom grass) in the desert, which
is as "worthless bushes" growing in uncultivated land.
There is no spiritual value to the person who has turned from or
rejected God.
The Holy Spirit leads Jeremiah to
change the illustration and make a quote from the First Psalm. Jeremiah
17:7-8 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose
hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters,
and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see
when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be
careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding
fruit. The heart that is following the flesh is likened
unto a Russian thistle that will perish in the dry desert versus
a tree planted by the river whose fruit shall continually satisfy
the needs of the people.
Now the curtain opens a third time
and we see what the Lord sees as He looks into the hearts of hypocrites.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart,
I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and
according to the fruit of his doings. God knows every thought
and intent of the heart. This means God knows every hidden sin we
do not share with anyone. He hears our deceitful words and wicked
thoughts. If we are trusting in the flesh, then we are only deceiving
ourselves. Others see the deceit behind our mask. They see the hypocrisy
and know we are not transparent, but phonies. It's no wonder people
try to hide behind the hypocrites. The only problem with that is
they must be smaller than the Christian hypocrites. RJS
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Tuesday April 8th
A Lost Generation
Hebrews 3:12-19
This is the first of five warnings
in Hebrews regarding the danger of apostasy. The context of this
warning is a discussion of the people that died in the wilderness
rather than enter the Promised Land. The problem was one of unbelief.
This unbelief was manifest as the 12 spies were sent into the land.
Only Joshua and Caleb believed that the people were able to go in
and possess the land. The whole nation except for these men and
Aaron and Moses rebelled against the will of God for them.
This generation saw the 10 plagues
in Egypt. This generation saw the Egyptian army drown in the Red
Sea. They saw God provide bread from heaven and bring water out
of a rock to meet their needs. They saw God part the waters of the
Red Sea and they passed through the sea on dry ground. They persisted
stubbornly in unbelief. This apostasy moved God to condemn them
to die in the wilderness. In verse 12 the phrase in
departing from the living God's the word departing
is a translation of the word for apostasy. The Greek word apostasy
means to stand apart. In other words, one professes to stand or
believe certain things and then they stand apart from what they
once professed. When the people refused to believe God, Joshua,
and Caleb, they stood apart from their profession as they left Egypt.
Their apostasy became evident when they refused to enter the land.
We need to appreciate that the choices
we make in life often indicate the reality of our faith more than
our profession. We live in a day when people put too much emphasis
on profession and not enough emphasis on the choices we make in
life. Most people tend to think if they have good reasons for their
choices, all is well. This is not true. The ten spies had good reasons
for their opinion, and the people had good reason to accept their
report, but they were still wrong. Therefore, it is not only important
that we come to faith in Christ, but that we are able to sense and
follow His direction in our lives. Now I do not believe that all
of those who died in the wilderness were lost. Moses and Aaron died
in the wilderness and they clearly knew the Lord. However, all of
that generation except for Joshua and Caleb followed the path of
the apostates and disobedience. Let those who think that they stand,
take heed. DW
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Wednesday, April 9th
The Fatness and The Forsaking
Deuteronomy 32:1-43, verse 15
We have the wonderful privilege of
living in a land of abundance. This land of ours, the United States
of America, has been blessed by God every where we look. We have
an abundance of every matter of life. We have literally become fat
with indulgence of every form. Obesity is a common problem today.
We have every form of food, entertainment, clothing, shelter, transportation,
etc. What more could we desire? We are a wealthy people living in
a wealthy nation. We have the capability of acquiring every whim
and desire that crosses our path. We are becoming fat and lazy in
almost every way. Thus, the Fatness.
But pay attention; this is the warning
from our text. Spiritual Apostasy is just around the corner, if
not already upon us! We read in vr. 15, But Jeshurun waxed
fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou
art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and
lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. We see clearly
that the next step after becoming fat is "The Forsaking."
Guess what? Spiritually, where is our society today? Spiritually,
where are many Dads and Moms and families today? Spiritually, where
are many churches today that were originally founded upon godly
principles? Sadly, many of these are in Spiritual Apostasy! They
have grown fat and have forsaken the Lord their God! They are lost
Forever! Oh, that we could see the warning here! Once apostatized,
forever lost!
Evaluation time! Where are you in
your spiritual walk with God? Obedient or Fat? As Husbands and Fathers,
are you spiritually leading your families, training them to "Love
the Lord your God with all your heart?!" Wives and Mothers,
are you also obedient to the ways of the Lord in your lives?! Children,
are you following the Lord obediently as you ought?! Folks, the
warning has been given, we now are faced with the choices. Will
we serve God with every fiber and breath of our existence or have
we grown fat, lazy, and complacent, on the edge of forsaking God's
plan for us? The choice is ours, Today!
Gracious and Merciful God, how Your
heart must ache when so many people have turned away from You, from
the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Help us to make right
choices, for Your glory. Amen. DM
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Thursday, April 10th
The First Christian Martyr
Acts 7:37-43
Stephen, one the first deacons, was
well versed in the Old Testament Scriptures. Here was a man filled
with the Holy Spirit and not afraid to stand up for Christ. In order
to understand this devotional, you need to open the Book of the
Acts and start reading in Chapter 6:8 and all of chapter 7. To capsulate
the story, there arose contention in Jerusalem, because Stephen
was preaching against the liberal synagogue of the five nations
mentioned in 6:9. Stephen rehearses a synopsis of the history of
Israel from the time of Abraham to the Crucifixion of Christ.
Stephen tells them about the apostasy
of Aaron when he made the golden calf and said, These be thy
gods, O Israel, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt,
Ex. 32:8. Aaron had already been anointed with the oil and established
as the High Priest, Ex. 29:7. Now we return to our text and Stephen
tells the Jews of his day that this was the worst of apostasy. These
were fighting words. No one wants to be told that he or she is apostate.
If Moses had not made intercession for them, God would have wiped
out all Israel, right then and there, and started over with the
seed of Moses. Israel had committed the sin unto death, but God
was appeased by the intercession of Moses and they were spared.
Moses even offered to have his name removed from the Book of Life
as a personal sacrifice in behalf of the sinning Israelites, but
God would not permit that because there was a future sacrifice for
all mankind; Christ.
All of the illustrations given by
Stephen were not only written to teach the Jews of that day, but
for our admonition also. Remember we too still have that old sinful
nature inherited from Adam. Therefore, let us fight the good fight
of faith and walk in the light as He is in the light, and confess
our sins daily.
When we accepted the gift of eternal
life, it was much like an open credit card, in that we were given
liberty and freedom, but that is not license to see how close to
the fire we can get without getting burned. When you use your credit
card there is a day of reckoning, that is, you must pay the bill,
so it is with sin. If we don't daily confess the sin and put it
under the blood, it is not forgiven and we will lose our rewards.
RJS
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Friday April 11th
Stern Words of Warning
Hebrews 6:4-9
A good many commentators believe
that were it not for these verses, no one would believe that salvation
could be lost. A few things ought to be very clear. First, it ought
to be clear that the book of Hebrews was written to believers. Second,
it ought to be clear that the warning concerns apostasy. In verse
6 the words fall away are a translation of the Greek word apostasy.
Therefore, believers are being warned of the danger of apostasy.
The theological discussions here
remind me of the discussion surrounding the temptation of Jesus
Christ. Some believe that for the temptation to be real, it had
to be possible for Jesus to sin. I believe that it was not possible
for Jesus to sin in spite of the fact that the temptation was real.
In the same way, I believe that the warning here is real in spite
of the fact that the apostasy of those who have been born of the
Spirit is impossible.
If the warning here is taken as only
a warning to those who profess to believe, verse nine makes no sense.
In Hebrews 6:9 we read,beloved, we are persuaded better
things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus
speak. He is clearly speaking to believers here and not
just those who profess, and he is clearly speaking of salvation
not profession. In other words, although he gives stern words of
warning, he does not believe salvation to be followed by apostasy.
In addition, we dare not forget the
words of verse 4. Here we read that if salvation were ever to be
lost it is a one way street. In other words, if one did lose salvation,
it would be impossible to bring them to repentance. It is a very
dangerous thing to profess faith and then turn from it. The apostle,
Judas Iscariot, is a good example of an apostate. It is clear from
the Biblical record that Judas was never really delivered from his
sin. He was a thief. He was the treasurer of the apostolic band
and he stole from the purse. Jesus knew he didn't believe and He
knew that he was a thief. His profession was convincing, yet in
the end he fell beyond the point of repentance. No wonder we are
admonished to make our calling and election sure. Nothing in this
life is more important, and thank God we can know for sure before
we die. DW
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Saturday, April 12th
Unfaithfulness shall Abound in latter days!
Matthew 24:10-14
To show the downward spiral, "unfaithfulness,"
in just a short 40 years society has gone from shunning those few
couples who divorced, to now not even caring if there is a marriage
in the live-in relationship, even to the point of condoning same
sex marriages and homosexuality. Dark days indeed, as the curse
of sin abounds more and more as we approach the return of Jesus
Christ.
In our passage today we see that
Jesus spoke of these very things taking place and so we should not
be surprised in the least. We should instead take heart that in
fact when we do suffer for the cause of Christ, even if it means
our earthly death, we can greatly rejoice because we have been counted
worthy to suffer for the Name! The key is in verse 13. It
says, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall
be saved. The ones who persevere are the same ones that
will be saved, not the ones whose love grows cold. Our perseverance
does not secure salvation, as Scripture teaches everywhere the exact
opposite. God, as part of His saving work, secures our perseverance.
True believers are kept by the power of Godthrough
faith (our faith), 1 Peter 1:5. The guarantee of our perseverance
is built into the New Covenant promise where God says, I will
put My fear into their hearts so that they will not depart from
Me. Jer. 32:40. Those who do fall away from Christ give
conclusive proof that they were never truly believers to begin with.1
John 2:19.
So the point is that we are now in
these end times. Many people are unfaithful in every way, even so-called
Christians, as their love waxes cold with great disobedience to
God when His commands are not heeded. Where do you stand? Are you
an obedient Christian, suffering for the cause of Christ to the
point of placing your life on the line, or are you caught in this
world's temporary comforts and your spiritual love for Christ and
His Word gone cold? Evaluate! Do you spend daily time with the Lord
in His Word and in prayer or is that just a secondary item? Do you
sow in tears, going forth weeping, bearing precious seed? Dear God,
help us to be faithful to Your Holy Word. Please forgive us our
sin, precious Lord and Savior. Help us to endure to the end, even
if it means the ultimate sacrifice, because we love You Dear Jesus.
Amen. DM
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Sunday, April 13th
Christ is a Better High Priest
Hebrews 5:4-8
The word "Better" is recorded
13 times in Hebrews. Every time there is a comparison with something
else. In our text "better" is not used, but we see Christ's
priesthood to be "better" than Aaron's. Some years ago,
I was talking with a Mormon Bishop and he was bragging that he was
of the Aaronic priesthood. Without a stutter, I told him I was of
the Melchisedec priesthood. He was dumbfounded and had no answer.
1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ. Moses built a house, but Christ
was Son over the house, Hebrews 3:6. We are the house that Christ
built; another name is the family of God. 1 Peter 2:9 But
ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,
a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
I trust that before you finish reading this page you will realize
just what a position we have with the Saviour and that every born
again person is responsible before God and men to maintain a testimony
of our salvation and relationship we have with Christ. In the above
two verses: we are a living stone, a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices unto God, a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, an holy nation and a peculiar people.
Wow! What a responsibility we have and a testimony to live before
the world.
Revelation 1:6 And hath made
us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion forever and ever. And now there is more; we are
kings and shall reign with Him throughout all eternity. All this
because Christ was of a better order than Aaron. Melchisedec was
king-priest in the Old Testament. Christ is the Great High Priest
and King of Kings in the New Testament.
Lastly, it gets better, Ephesians
1:4-5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his (God's)
will. Hallelujah! What a Saviour! RJS
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Monday April 14th
The Danger of Stubborn Rebellion
Hebrews 7:23-31
I believe that the book of Hebrews
was written to Jewish believers, who because of persecution, were
dispersed primarily throughout Asia Minor. There was a great transition
from the old covenant to the new covenant. The faith of the old
covenant primarily manifested itself through the civil law as it
related to the worship of the temple. Under the new covenant, worship
as Jesus described to the woman at the well is in spirit and truth.
Many folk are troubled at the stern
nature of the old covenant. We read about this in verse 28.
In this verse we read, He that despised Moses' law died without
mercy under two or three witnesses However, we need to be mindful
that to whom much is given, shall much be required. Therefore, with
the added revelation in Christ and grace, our accountability is
even greater than that under the law. Those who profess faith, but
choose to live a life of stubborn rebellion to the truth need to
be mindful of this warning.
Note the warning of verse 29.
In this verse we read, Of how much sorer punishment, suppose
ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the
Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the
Spirit of grace? What could be worse than the judgment of
physical death? The warning concerns apostasy, eternal death and
damnation.
In other words, those who profess
faith and don't walk the path of faith and obedience are playing
a very dangerous game. They are presuming on the grace of God. To
presume on the grace of God is to walk the path of the apostate.
I have no doubt that people today put far too much confidence in
the simple profession of faith. Now thank God, a simple profession
of faith is all that is necessary for salvation, but it is possible
to give a sincere profession of faith without really having faith.
Not all that glitters is gold. We need to realize that without the
reality of a transformed life, an empty profession is worse than
no profession. Empty professions like this are of the apostate,
not the saint. DW
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Tuesday, April 15th
Wickedness Everywhere
Luke 11:14-28
Jesus, everywhere He went, was looking
for people to whom He could minister. As He went, He came across
a man who was indwelt by a demon (a fallen angel). Jesus cast the
demon out of the man and the crowd marveled at the miracle. But
there were some people who scoffed instead and falsely said that
Jesus had done the miracle with the power of Beelzebub (Satan).
Jesus, of course, knew their evil hearts and told them that every
house divided against itself falls. He was referring to their own
vain efforts to cast out demons. Jesus said in verse 23, he
who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with
Me scatters.
The people who were accusing Jesus
were vainly trying to perform their own exorcisms, and Jesus characterized
the work of these phony exorcists. What appeared to be a true exorcism
was merely a temporary result, after which the demon returned with
7 others, with the end result being much worse than before. Is not
that how the world is today? When True Believers try to do what
is right, there are all kinds of people who cast accusations at
them, making them seem like the ones who are doing the bad stuff.
But Jesus is clearly stronger than the strong man, who is Satan.
It is the power of God unto Salvation to them that
believe!
Interestingly, after Jesus performed
the miracle of the demonic, a woman from the crowd cried out and
said, Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which
nursed You! Is this not ironic? Jesus was always trying
to bring the spiritual focus to the people and the people could
only respond with the physical. He graciously responded, More
than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
This is an important lesson for us today! Let us stand against wickedness
and choose to live for the Lord and watch with spiritual eyes and
obey Christ from an obedient heart. We always have a choice to do
what is right, or to go our own way. May we always look at life
from God's perspective and not our own and choose to do things His
way.
Dear Lord, there are many wicked
people in this world that would tend to draw others and us away
from You. Guide us according to Your Holy Word and help us to live
our lives pleasing to You as we seek You and obey You in every way!
All praise and glory are Yours. Amen. DM
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Wednesday, April 16th
A Great King Falls into Apostasy
II Kings 11:1-13
There are three things God commanded
of the kings in Israel not to do that led to Solomon's fall into
apostasy: Deuteronomy 17:14-20
1. His fleshly desire to gather to himself great riches of gold,
silver and precious stones.
2. He gathered beautiful horses from all over the eastern world,
which was a negative commandment from God.
3. Solomon married 700 wives and most of them strange women and
his harem included 300 concubines, I Kings 11:3.
God specifically ordered the above
to be obeyed by the Kings of Israel. Our text begins with Solomon
"Loved many strange wives." Here are some of the
things God commanded Israel to avoid: strange fire, gods, waters,
flesh, vines, speech, apparel, cities, doctrines, women, and children
of strange women.So sad, that Solomon did not take heed to his
own writings in Proverbs. He wrote of strange women who used
flattering words, 2:16. A strange woman whose lips are
as honeycomb and smoother than oil, 5:3-8. A strange woman's embrace,
5:20. The flattering tongue of a strange woman, 7:5. The mouth of
a whore is a deep ditch and a narrow pit, 23:27, and others.
I think you get the point. Either Solomon did not heed his words
of wisdom or he wrote about the above because of the bad experiences
he had. Solomon was led away from the Lord God because of the many
strange gods that were brought in his house by these strange women.
The Apostle Paul also reminds us
of being unequally yoked in marriage. 2 Cor. 6:14-18Be ye
not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath
light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or
what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be
a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith
the Lord Almighty. This is a command! RJS
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Thursday April 17th
Unbelief & Bitterness
Hebrews 12:15-17
There is a link between unbelief,
apostasy and bitterness. The evil that surrounds us can make us
bitter if we are not careful. I don't believe that anyone goes through
this life without being touched by evil in a significant way. We
all have a common experience in this life. People who turn from
God in unbelief, blame God for the evil. The more a person focuses
on himself, the more bitter he will become. The sense of personal
violation will consume him.
It would seem from our text that
Esau might have given way to this process. It would also seem that
there is a solid link between unbelief, bitterness and immorality.
Earlier we noted that there is no turning back from apostasy. It
is a one way street. This is the experience here regarding Esau.
He was able to cry about things, but he was not able to repent and
believe. It is a dangerous thing to turn from the work of God on
our hearts and allow our hearts to be hardened in sin. The apostate
has a faith of sorts. He has a faith that will seek God, he has
a faith that will seek blessing, but he does not know or trust God
and consequently does not love God. If we know God, we will love
and trust Him.
Because of this link between bitterness
and unbelief and apostasy, we are warned about the danger of bitterness.
Furthermore, we are warned about the way bitterness is able to spread.
Hurting people have a way of hurting other people. Hurting people
who give way to bitterness and hurt others help develop bitterness
in the lives of others.
It is impossible in the present order
to understand fully the ways of God. If we could, there would be
no reason for faith. The day is coming when all creation will understand
the goodness and greatness of God. When this day comes, every knee
will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God. However, in the present order, with a sinful
nature, it is easy to rebel against God, pursue the path of sin,
and become hardened in sin. This is what reprobation is all about.
However, if reprobation is our lot, we must be the author of it,
and bitterness will play an important role in this process. Therefore,
if saving faith is present, we must be able to be at peace in the
midst of evil. This is faith. DW
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Friday, April 18th
Those who Abideth Not, get Cast out and Burned
John 15:1-11 verse 6
More and more, we see professing
people, good people, religious people who claim to be Christians,
who sadly bear no spiritual fruit. That is the whole thrust of this
passage of the vine and the branches in John 15. We cannot read
and study this passage without coming to the spiritual conclusion
that there are many people who claim to know Christ and yet they
are not true believers; maybe even people that we know, or even
closer to home, ourselves.
Jesus specifically identifies Himself
as the True Vine and God the Father as the Vine-dresser. The vine
has two types of branches. Branches that bear fruit and branches
that do not. The branches that bear fruit are genuine believers.
The branches that do not bear fruit are those who profess to believe,
but their lack of fruit indicates genuine salvation has never taken
place and they have no life from the vine. Verse 2 gives us a clear
picture of the Apostate Christian who never genuinely believed and
will be taken away and burned in judgment. God prunes the true believer
and removes all things in the believer's life that would hinder
fruit-bearing; He chastises them to cut away sin and hindrances
that would drain spiritual life, just like the farmer who cares
for his crops.
As True believers, we are to abide
in Jesus Christ and His Word as this gives clear evidence of salvation.
True believers obey the Lord's commands and submit to His Word.
They are devoted to His will and so their prayers are fruitful,
which brings glory to God. This obedience also brings true joy!
Sadly, the exact opposite is true for those who only profess to
know Christ. They have no spiritual fruit; they are not obedient
to God's commands, religious as they may be, and they are being
gathered and will be thrown into the eternal fires of judgment and
Hell. Evaluation time! What kind of branch are you? Is there clear
evidence of your profession? Do others see that evidence? If we
are true disciples of Jesus Christ, others will see that evidence
and God's handiwork will be on display!
Precious Jesus, our Savior, how we
thank You for Your great salvation! Help us to abide in You and
Your words to abide in us. May there be clear evidence to others
that You have saved us eternally. Amen. DM
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Saturday, April 19th
The Chosen Nation Under Condemnation
Isaiah 65:1-25 and Romans 10:20-21 and 11:1-36
Isaiah's heart is broken with sorrow
because of Israel's rebellion. For centuries God had reached out
to Israel in His long suffering and com-passion. They were His chosen
people, not because they were a great nation, but because He loved
them with an everlasting love. At this time in their history they
were guilty of the following: Rebellious thoughts and actions. Walking
in the ways of the flesh. Provoking God's anger. Worshipping the
dead in cemeteries. Burning incense on brick walls rather than in
the Temple. Eating swine's flesh. Practicing all manner of idolatry
and satisfying the flesh in immorality. We could go on and on, but
I think you get the picture. Israel was about to be carried away
in the captivity and their beloved land destroyed. The Apostle Paul
makes reference to these things in the above chapters in Romans.
Paul remembers that God is not through with Israel, but there will
be a time of restitution and blessings for them in the future.
Isaiah 65:8-12 promises that
there will be a few grapes left in the vineyard and that there is
still life in the vine. A remnant will return to the land and we
have been seeing that fulfilled in the past 54 years. Since May
of 1948, almost 5 million Jews have returned to Israel. Unfortunately
they are, for the most part, returning in unbelief. God still has
a plan for His chosen people.
The picture changes and the curtain
is pulled back for all to see the future of God's chosen people.
In verses 17-25, we are given a short description of the Millennium
and their blessings during that time. The 1000 years of the millennium
will be a drop in the bucket compared to the next picture where
we see the new heavens and the new earth. This sin sick world will
be replaced with a New World that is without sin.
Lastly, we see Israel in the land
and under the blessing of God. Isaiah 4:3-4 And it shall come
to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in
Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written
among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord shall have washed away
the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood
of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and
by the spirit of burning. RJS
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Sunday April 20th
God's Message to Us
Hebrews 12:18-29
Under the old covenant, God spoke
to the people from Mt. Sinai. A number of very impressive things
took place as God spoke from Mt. Sinai. We read in Hebrews 12:18-20
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched,
and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and
tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words;
which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be
spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which
was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it
shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart This picture
makes in clear that God's people understood how serious it was for
God to speak to them.
Yet, according to these verses, our
access to God through the Spirit is even more serious. This is interesting.
It would seem that God speaks to the hearts of apostates. As we
consider men like Judas and Baalam, we ought to be able to see this.
In other words, the experience of apostates is even more real than
that which was experienced by the people at Sinai. We need to appreciate
that common grace allows for a mighty working of the Holy Spirit.
In common grace, God allows the rain to fall on both the just and
the unjust. In common grace, God spoke to some of the people at
Sinai, and in common grace, God speaks to the hearts of people by
the Holy Spirit.
People who seek God apart from faith
and repentance can and do receive grace from God. When King Ahab
sought grace from God apart from repentance, God extended him grace.
It should not surprise us then, that apostates can and do tap into
an amazing amount of grace. Yet, apart from genuine faith and repentance
there can be no salvation.
From this text, it would seem that
apostates do not respond to God in obedience. In other words, if
we believe, when God speaks, we will obey. This is the result of
faith. On the other hand, the apostate does not respond because
he does not believe. The lives of those who believe and those who
do not believe are much different. It is as we read in the book
of James, our faith is demonstrated by the choices that we make,
as well as the things we do. DW
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Monday, April 21st
Let No Man Deceive You
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Many times we think of deceivers
as those who are somewhere else and somehow show up at our door
with their wares and we would be able to spot them a mile off. The
truth of the matter is that the deceivers could end up being someone
we know quite well, and even some of the "Christian" folks
whom we have known for a long time as good friends. This is the
warning given here in our text today. We are to let "No Man"
deceive us. Not One! Sadly enough it happens more often than not
and a lot of innocent people get spiritually hurt, but we can take
heart, as there is a way to protect ourselves and wholeheartedly
continue obediently in the faith, if we will only pay attention
to what God's Word teaches us.
First we realize that the "day
of the Lord" (the coming of Jesus at the end of the tribulation)
cannot take place until the falling away. This is the deliberate
abandonment of a formerly professed position, such as the profession
of many people claiming to be Christians. That is exactly what Paul
says in vrs. 3-4. Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself
that he is God. In verse 7, what is restraining the mystery
of lawlessness? Everywhere we turn, people are doing what is right
in their own eyes, rather than what God would have them to do. Apostasy
is abounding in every corner and in many families and churches too.
What is restraining the total unleashing of the embodiment of evil?
The simple answer is this! It is the power of God unto Salvation
to those who will believe! To those who will repent of sin and to
those who will turn from sin towards Christ. God is all-powerful
and it is He that controls everything, including Satan and his minions.
God desires that none should perish but that all should come to
repentance. Today, where do you stand before God? Obedient or apostate.
Take Heed, let No Man Deceive you!
Dear Lord, we know the end is near
as sin abounds more and more. Many good people are falling away
from their profession of Christianity. O God, help us to be faithful
and to endure to the end! Amen. DM
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Tuesday, April 22nd
There is a Sin unto Death
Numbers 20:7-13
1 John 5:16-17 If any man see
his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and
he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is
a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness
is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. There are many
Christians who think any writings from the Old Testament do not
apply to us today. Nothing could be further from the truth. Moses,
in anger with the rebellious Israelites, disobeyed God and struck
the rock the second time, according to Num. 20.
In Genesis 19:23-29, there
is another illustration; the destruction of Sodom and the death
of Lot's wife. Her problem was love for the city life and rejecting
God's command, "Not to look back."
In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul
tells us to forget the past and look to the future. There is nothing
you can do about the past, but you certainly can do better in the
future with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5,
lied to the Holy Spirit and they died. I believe we will see them
in heaven. They foolishly thought they could keep up with others
who had given to the church by selling a piece of land and intimating
they were giving all the proceeds to the Lord. It is recorded that
great fear came upon the church. The Apostle Paul consigned the
fornicator in the Corinthian church to Satan for the destruction
of the flesh (I Cor. 5:5) that the church might be purified
and the spirit of the sinner saved. However, the sinning man put
away his sins and repented. Later, Paul admonished the church to
forgive him and restore him to the fellowship (2 Cor. 2:6-7).
In 1 Timothy 1:19-20, the
Apostle Paul speaks of two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, who had
sinned against the Church with blaspheme and causing other believers
in the faith to become shipwreck. These were consigned unto to Satan
for their sins. Hymenaeus and Philetus are mentioned in 2 Timothy
2:17-18, as teaching that the resurrection is past and there
is no hope for the living, which have been left behind. This abominable
teaching was against everything that Paul was teaching to the churches.
Don't be misled by false teachers and doctrines! RJS
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Wednesday April 23rd
The End of the Age
I Timothy 4:1-12
The natural man tends to think in
terms of progress. Therefore, those peoples of this world who are
uneducated and live like animals, they call primitives. What they
do not understand is that all of us got out of the ark at the same
time. We are all descendents of Noah. When people live like animals,
it is not a matter of opportunity as much as apostasy. People who
live apart from the grace of God, degenerate. They soon live like
animals.
Yet, as we see here, this degradation
is not as much a matter of decay as deliberate sabotage. Now I believe
that if we neglect to open our hearts to the grace of God, things
will deteriorate. Yet, apostasy is more than mere natural decay.
It is the work of the forces of darkness. This work is described
as deceit and teachings by demons. We find in the Bible that God
created angels, as well as, man. I believe that demons are angels
that fell into sin following the fall of Lucifer.
I think it is important to remember
that God made angels on a higher order than man, but God did not
make them in His image. God only chose to make man in His image.
According to Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, Satan fell because of pride
and envy. These are related. Satan wanted to be like God. Envy always
involves hatred. Thus, in his ambition to be like God, he came to
hate God. His hatred for man then, is an extension of his hatred
for God.
An important part of this work is
to corrupt people. Now we don't hear demons or evil angels speak
directly. We hear them speak through people who have given themselves
to evil. What are these people like? In verse 2 of our text, we
read that they speak lies in hypocrisy. In other words,
they do not follow their own teachings. We need to realize that
the enemy works through people who counterfeit the real. We read
in 2Corinthians 11:3,4 where the apostle Paul writes, I
fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ. 4 he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom
we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye
have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted
It is Jesus, but another Jesus. People will need discernment relative
to apostasy at the end of the age. DW
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Thursday, April 24th
Subjection or Castaway?
1 Cor. 9:19-27
Have you ever considered the fact
that you could become eternally disqualified? In other words, you
find out too late, that your profession of Salvation was not genuine?
The Apostle Paul considered this! He realized that in his own body,
it takes discipline and subjection to keep from becoming disqualified.
This Biblical Truth flies in the face of society and many so-called
Christians today! They say that a person can become religious, make
a profession of faith, claim to be "Christian", show up
for church on a somewhat regular basis, be good people, and somehow
be acceptable to God. But this could not be farther from the truth!
Let us see what we can glean today about physical and spiritual
discipline and subjection, and ask God to help us apply these truths.
As a True Christian, Paul said that
he was free from all men, but that he made himself a servant
of all. The reason is, he had an obedient heart to win the lost
to Christ. He realized that many are eternally dying and are going
to Hell. The responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel has been given
to those who profess Christ as Savior. Everything about Paul's life
he gave for one purpose and that purpose was to serve the Lord obediently
in proclaiming the gospel to everyone who would listen to him. Paul
even used the description of a race to describe that purpose. Many
people run in the race but only one person wins. Paul is describing
what we are to be about as professing Christians. We are to run
the race of life as if we were the only one left to proclaim the
good news of Jesus Christ. It takes spiritual self-control! We are
to run the race to win! We are to run the race to obtain the eternal
prize! The prize, of course, is the rewards that God has in store
for those who will live obediently for Him. If we do not run the
race in such a way, Paul says we are in great danger! Literally
in danger of not only losing the prize, but in becoming disqualified.
Folks, is there any thing that is keeping you from running the race
as God would have you to run? If so, bring your life into subjection;
discipline your body so that you can be assured that you would not
become disqualified from the life that God wants for you!
Dear Lord and Savior, please forgive
us for not running the race as we ought. Help us to discipline ourselves
for faithful service to You. Amen. DM
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Friday, April 25th
Aaron's Apostasy and the Peoples Sin
Exodus 31:12-18 and 33:15-35
This chapter is filled with a chain
of events that lead us to believe that God is truly long suffering.
Moses received the Ten Commandments from the hand of Almighty God.
They were written by the finger of God on stones and given to Moses
to set the standards for worship, morality and relationship to their
fellowmen. No words have ever been written in any of the world's
religions that are comparable with the standards of these stones.
Aaron had already been anointed with
the oil and appointed the first High Priest. Moses had been up in
the mountain with Joshua and now as they were coming down the mountain
there was an unexpected noise in the camp. Joshua thought it was
the noise of battle, but Moses knew it was the sound of singing.
Because of Moses' long absence, the people grew restless and pleaded
with Aaron to make them a god they could worship. Aaron's real blasphemy
was that he made an image of one of the many gods of Egypt. Cows
have been sacred in the Middle East and Far East since time immemorial.
For Aaron to degrade the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to a foul
four-footed beast is the height of absurdity. Exodus 32:21-24
And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that
thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let
not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that
they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which
shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought
us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it
off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there
came out this calf.
Aaron not only committed the sin
of listening to popular demand, but lied to Moses according to the
last phrase in the above text. Moses made intercession for Aaron
and the people. If he had not prayed for them, God would have destroyed
them all and started anew with the seed of Moses. However, Moses
was the first to break the Ten Commandments after God had given
them. In righteous indignation Moses slammed down the tablets and
later he went before God and received the commandments the second
time, Ex. 34. RJS
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Saturday April 26th
The Form of Godliness
II Timothy 3:1-9
I heard someone say one time, I would
rather be more than I appear to be that to appear to be more than
I really am. This is a wise statement. It is wise because apostates
always appear to be what they are not. In this text, they are described
as having a form of godliness The form of godliness
is appearance. Evil always seeks to appear good.
Our text mentions several things
that demonstrate that not all is godly. Note in our text, we read
that the apostasy of the last days will include disobedience
to parents. In other words, there will be a breakdown in
the home. We read similar indications from the Old Testament prophets.
We read in Malachi 4:6, about one who will turn the
heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children
to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
I can't think of anything which is any more troubling than this.
God designed the home to be a great source of blessing, and here
we see strife and hatred.
This is not all. In our text, we
also read that people will be, ever learning and never able
to come to a knowledge of the truth. Try it for yourself.
Try to make a definite statement of truth in some crowds today.
You will find that there will be those that will oppose. You may
define yourself very carefully do your best not to offend and some
will oppose. In other words, people don't like authority either
in person or precept. Thus, a word like Jesus becomes an empty jar
that one can put any meaning in that they choose. They don't want
to throw out the vocabulary. They want to throw out the dictionary.
From time to time, I hear people
express concern that we are losing the language. This is true. If
we cannot identify truth and speak of truth, words have no real
meaning. Words themselves are a means of identifying things and
distinguishing them from other things. There is knowledge in truth
and power in truth. Therefore, it should not surprise us that when
spiritual things become fuzzy and undefined, there is no power.
This is evidence that there is no faith. Where there is faith there
is an object of faith, certainty and power. If we don't stand for
something, we will fall for anything. God help us to know and hang
on to important truth. DW
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Sunday, April 27th
An Ominous Warning against Willful Sin
Hebrews 10:26-31
Hebrews 10:26, For if we sin
willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. The warnings
of Scripture are ominous and get right to the point. This warning
passage speaks of the sin of apostasy, which is an intentional falling
away, or a defection. Apostates are those who move toward Christ,
hear and understand His gospel, and are on the verge of saving belief,
but then rebel and turn away. This warning against apostasy is one
of the most serious warnings in all of Scripture. Not all people
will respond to the gentle invitation of the gospel message because
some are already beyond response.
The term "sin willfully"
carries the idea of deliberate intention that is habitual; the sin
of rejecting Christ deliberately. These amazingly, are not isolated
acts. According to the Law of Moses, these acts of deliberate, premeditated
sin required exclusion from the congregation and from its worship.
The phrase in verse 26, received the knowledge of the truth,
speaks of the knowledge that was not defective or incomplete, but
the application of it was what was wrong. Judas Iscariot is a good
example of a disciple who had no lack of knowledge, but lacked obedient
faith and became the arch-apostate. This is the one who is beyond
salvation because he has rejected the only sacrifice that can cleanse
him from sin and bring him into God's presence. There is no hope
for this kind of person. Their eternal end (Hell) has been determined.
Folks, this warning is for each and
every one of us today. We have a tendency to put it off on someone
else, or not to personally consider the urgency of the warning,
but the truth is, we need to consider this warning as a personal
one and evaluate where we individually stand before God. If we are
not living for the Lord as we ought, we may be guilty of having
trampled the Son of God underfoot and then we are in danger of insulting
the Spirit of Grace. Verse 31 culminates the warning! It is
a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Gracious and Merciful God, please
forgive us of our lack of service and obedience to Your clear commands.
Help us to walk with fear and trembling, living circumspectly according
to Your Holy Word! Amen. DM
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Monday, April 28th
A Sister's Rebellion
Number 12:1-15
When God lays His hand upon a chosen
vessel, those who rebel against that servant of God are in trouble.
David said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do
this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth
mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD,
1 Samuel 24:6. This is but one of several times David could
have captured or killed King Saul, but he remembered that regardless
of what Saul did to him, he would not touch the Lord's anointed.
Moses was God's chosen leader to
deliver Israel to the Promised Land after their generations of slavery.
Miriam, Moses' older sister, had stood by the Nile River and watched
over her little brother when he was floating in a basket on the
river of death. She watched as the daughter of Pharaoh took the
little baby into her arms and claimed him for herself. Young Miriam
had volunteered to the Daughter of Pharaoh, that she knew a woman
who could nurse the babe for her. She had watched him grow in the
family until he was about five years old. Moses was under the curse
of death because he was a Hebrew boy. His mother, as was the custom
in that day, nursed Moses until he was weaned at about five years
then he was given to Pharaoh's daughter to educate in the schools
of Egypt.
Miriam knew Moses was chosen of God,
but she became jealous and wanted some of the glory. After all,
she was older, therefore she should get some recognition. Numbers
12:1-3 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the
Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian
woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses?
hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man
Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face
of the earth.) God saw what was going on and Miriam had
to learn a lesson. She was struck with leprosy from head to toe.
She was as good as dead and they put her out of the camp. She was
untouchable. Moses made intercession and God responded and healed
her. Moses harbored no ill will against Miriam. The lesson for us
is that God will balance the accounts. RJS
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Tuesday April 29th
The Itching Ear
2 Timothy 4:3, 4
This text warns us that at the end
of the age, many people will not want to hear the truth. They will
reject the historic Christian faith, the faith of our fathers. I
think it is important that we hang on to historic Christian doctrine.
In his book, The Religion of Yesterday Today and Tomorrow,
Harvard professor Kirsop Lake wrote, fundamentalism was once
universally held by all Christians. The Bible and the "corpus
theologicum" of the Church is on the fundamentalist side.
He did not agree with fundamentalism, but admitted that in this
last century there was a departure from historic doctrine.
What folk who don't want to hear
the truth don't realize is that they are turning not just from the
traditions of the past, but God. It is always easy to look at the
past and find problems. It is easy to reject the good with the bad.
In our text, people like this don't want to turn from instruction
and the forms of faith. They just cannot stand the truth. The apostle
Paul knowing this is coming, challenges Timothy to preach the Word.
This challenge is timely. There are
those today who tell us that we need to find out what people want
and give it to them. Put that in context of these verses. We find
people whose ears itch. The truth involves reproving and rebuking.
Rather than being open to truth and correction at the end of the
age, people will demand validation in sin. Rejection of God, will
not allow for repentance from sin. Therefore, preaching on sin and
repentance will be dropped for all kinds of foolishness.
It ought to be clear that we are
living in those days. People today in unprecedented numbers are
identifying with the outward form of truth. Yet, it ought to be
clear that for the most part, lives are not being lived according
to the principles of truth and righteousness. This is not revival.
Rather it is merely the work of deceitful spirits and teaching of
demons that must come in order to prepare the way for the apostate
church of Antichrist. We need to be sure that there is solid substance
to our faith, if we would be sure of heaven. DW
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Wednesday, April 30th
False Prophets and Pretending People Among Us
2 Peter 2:1-22
Peter was a man who loved Jesus Christ
more than life itself. He went through a lot of spiritual hard knocks
to learn many important spiritual truths, but when he finally learned
them, his life was impacted and changed forever. Through the power
of the Holy Spirit, Peter wrote these words for us so that we have
the opportunity of not having to go through all the hard knocks
that he went through.
Peter is giving us a warning in our
text today about false prophets and pretenders; false teachers.
He comes out and says clearly that these false prophets and false
teachers will come from among us. These are people who claim to
know Jesus Christ as Savior and yet secretly bring in damnable heresies
and deceptive words. Many people are being exploited, following
these false and destructive ways, mainly because most people are
not grounded in the Word of God. Isaiah puts it very plainly. All
we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own
way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Folks, as true believers we need
to take heed! We need to pay attention! The enemy is very real!
He is out to defeat whomever he can. Peter even encourages true
believers in chapter 3, verse 1, Beloved, I now write to you
this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds
by way of reminder), that you may be mindful Yes Beloved,
we need to take heed, we need to be mindful of the spiritual dangers
that are right in front of us. Beware of complacency and slackness
to spiritual obedience. Watch out for those who would lead you astray
from God's Word, by knowing what it says yourself. 2 Timothy
2:15 says, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth Can we honestly say that we obediently and daily
study God's Holy Word? Will we be able to say to God that we have
studied His Word as we should have? Are we workmen who diligently
live for the Lord daily, rightly dividing the Word of God, confessing
sin, and unashamedly proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ?
If so, Praise the Lord! If not, the warning is clear! Dear Lord
God, thank You for the warnings that You have given to us so that
we can live victoriously, in the fierce spiritual battles that we
face! DM
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