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Post by Obadiah on Dec 3, 2022 9:12:49 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 3RD
The Power to CleanseHe provided the way for people to be made pure from sin. Then he sat down at the right hand of the King, the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3bJesus is the final and complete word of God to man because he has solved the deepest problem in human life — the problem of human sinfulness. Everybody today is asking, in the face of some of the tragic things that are happening, What's wrong with humanity? What's wrong with life? Why is the world in a such a mess? Why are our papers filled with murder and violence and hate and corruption and darkness? The answer of Scripture universally is, Man's sin, or, to put it even more realistically, and more helpfully, to us, Man's selfishness. That is what lies at the root of it all, the terrible taint that all of us possess that can never be washed away by our own efforts. Like Lady Macbeth, we all want to cry out and curse the spot and stain. Yet it is never gone. The amazing declaration of Scripture is that the reason the Creator of the world became the Babe of Bethlehem was that he might make purification for human selfishness, that he might solve the insoluble problem, and wash away the UN-washable stain. The good news is that every one of us who has found Christ, who has come to him, and who follows him finds again and again that he has the power to cleanse us. He has the power to put away the guilt of the past, whether it is the past 50 years of life or the past five minutes of time. He has the power to cleanse it, and wash it away, and to set us on our feet again with a clean slate and a fresh page to write on every day, to live life again in the power and the grace of the living God. That is the greatest message of all. When he had made purification for sins (what agony, what terrible hurt is involved in that phrase), he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Jesus is Lord: this was the early creed of the Church and it is the creed of all who come to know him now. He has solved that desperate problem of human life; he is in control and in charge of all human events. Father, thank you for the Lord of Glory. It is with very inadequate words that I seek to set forth the amazing wonder that he, this Lord of Glory, should give himself to come in the form of a helpless child and become a man, that he might die for me to set me free and make purification for sins. Thank you for this. I pray that I will never forget that I am a redeemed creature, that I have no value in myself, but have eternal value in the One who loved me and gave himself for me. Life ApplicationHave we been scandalized by our own selfishness? Are we learning to bring this intolerable burden to Jesus for our cleansing and healing? If not, to whom shall we go, what path shall we take? Is there another? Deep Dive> What Child is This?Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 5, 2022 8:05:05 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 5TH
Pay Careful Attention!We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4 The writer says that we need to pay attention! This convinces me that the writer of this letter was a preacher. There is nothing more heartbreaking than preaching to people week after week and to see them constantly exposed to truth that you know could transform their very existence, and yet to see them lose the whole effect of this because they do not pay attention. There are two reasons why this message is particularly valid: First, it is valid by comparison with the Law. If the word spoken by angels, that is, the Law of Moses, had validity and those to whom it was given found that it was absolutely true in experience, then this message also is true. If angels could give a word like that, how much more the word that comes by the Son? The second confirmation is, this message is valid in view of the form of its communication to us. It was spoken, first, by the Lord! What Jesus Christ has to say is the most authoritative word the world has ever heard. This message did not originate with the apostles, it did not come to us by means of prophets, it came through the Lord himself. That is not all. It was also confirmed by eye witnesses and attested by signs sent from God himself, by wonders and miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. What an impelling argument this is! It all focuses down to one question which the writer leaves hanging in the air: How shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation? That is not a threat, it is simply a question. It is addressed both to the Christian and to the non-Christian: To the non-Christian it says: Where are you going to go? How will you get out of God's universe? How can you escape, and why attempt to do so? Especially when his purpose is not to curse but to bless? How can you find deliverance by any other route, since it does not involve the One who is behind all things? To the Christian he is saying, it is not enough that we know Jesus Christ: We must use him. We can lose so much, even knowing him, unless there is a day-by-day walk with him. We lose peace and freedom and joy and achievement. We are subjected to temptation, frustration, bewilderment, bafflement and barrenness without him. And if we do not go on as Christians, if we do not grow, a serious question is raised: Have we ever really begun the Christian life? Or is this but a self-deceptive fraud, attempted to meet outward standards but without any inward change in the heart? He leaves the question hanging in the air, haunting, unavoidable: How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Lord Jesus, help me to pay careful attention and not to neglect such great salvation. Life ApplicationAre we giving priority to the most significant issue of time and eternity: our salvation? Do we properly fear God as sovereign and righteous, while honoring His holy Presence as our eternal Advocate? Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 6, 2022 8:28:14 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 6TH
Restoring DominionIn putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:8b-9This passage describes humanity's present state of futility. Here is the whole story of human history in a nutshell: God created us to exercise dominion, but we do not yet see everything in subjection to us. We attempt to exercise our dominion, but we no longer can do so adequately. We have never forgotten the position God gave us. Throughout the history of the race, there is a continual restatement of the dreams of humanity for dominion over the earth and the universe. This is why we cannot keep off the highest mountain. We have got to explore the depths of the sea. We have to get out into space. Why? Because it is there. Humans consistently manifest a remarkable racial memory, a vestigial recollection of what God told them to do. The trouble is that, when we try to accomplish this now, we create a highly explosive and dangerous situation, for our ability to exercise dominion is no longer there. Even in the individual life this is true. How many have realized the dreams and ideals you began with? Who can say, I have done all that I wanted to do; I have been all that I wanted to be. Paul in Romans puts it, ...the creation was subjected to futility, (Romans 8:20 RSV). But, we do see Jesus, the writer says. This is our one hope. With the eye of faith, we see Jesus already crowned and reigning over the universe, the man, Jesus, fulfilling humanity's lost destiny. In the last book of the Bible there is a scene where John beholds the One seated upon the throne of the universe while thousands of angels are crying out in unending worship before him. The call goes out to find one who is able to open the book with seven seals which is the title deed to earth, the right to run the earth. A search is made through the length of human history for someone worthy enough to open the seals, but no one can be found. John says he wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll. But the angel says, Do not weep for the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered and he can open the seals (Revelation 5:5 RSV). When John turned to see the Lion, to his amazement he saw a Lamb, a Lamb that had been slain. As he watched the Lamb stepped up to the throne and took the book, and all heaven broke into acclaim, for here at last was found One worthy to own the title deed of earth. This is what the writer sees here. Here we see Jesus, who alone has broken through the barrier that keeps us from our heritage. What is that barrier? What is it that keeps us from realizing our dreams of dominion? It is put in one grim word: Death! Death is more than the ending of life. Death, means uselessness; it means waste, futility. Death, in that sense, pervades all of life. You can see the signs of it all along. But Jesus fulfilled the qualifications to realize humanity's heritage. He became lower than the angels, he took on flesh and blood, he entered into the human race to become part of it, Here we see Jesus, who alone experienced death. He tasted death for every man, and in doing so he took our place. He thus made it possible for those who throw in their lot with him to find that he has removed the thing that gives death its sting. In Jesus Christ mankind has that one ray of hope, given him to realize the destiny God had provided. Christ has come to begin a new race of people. That race includes himself and all those who are his, and to that race the promise is that they shall enter into all the fullness God ever intended man to have. Thank you, Father, that you sent your Son to die for me, so that I could be restored and joined with you in that dominion that you created me for. Open my eyes that I might see him more clearly. Life ApplicationGod's loving, sovereign plan is that we as His subjects should reign in life. How has He provided for this possibility? Are we living by means of the resurrection power of our indwelling Lord Jesus Christ? If not, why not? Deep Dive> The True ManDaily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 7, 2022 14:15:24 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 7TH
Perfect Through SufferingIn bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Hebrews 2:10
The earthly life of Jesus is referred to in one phrase, perfect through what he suffered. Was he not perfect when he came? When Jesus was a babe in Bethlehem's manger, was he not perfect even then? When he was tempted in the desert and Satan tried to turn him from the cross, was he not already perfect? When he was feeding the five thousand, in compassionate ministry to the hungry multitudes, was he not perfect? Why then does it say he was perfected by suffering? There are, of course, two perfections involved. He was perfect in his person all along, but he was not yet perfect in his work. A person may be perfect in health, perfect in body, perfect in strength, perfect in soundness of humanity, but not yet perfect in the work they are called to do. Suppose Jesus Christ had come full-grown into the world a week before he died. Suppose he had never been born as a baby and grown up into adult life, but had stepped into the earth full-grown as a man. Suppose he had uttered in one week's time the Sermon on the Mount, the Olivet Discourse, the Upper Room Discourse and all the teachings that we have from his lips recorded in Scripture. Imagine that he came on Monday and on Friday they took him out and crucified him, hanging him on the cross, and that he died, bearing the sins of the world. Would he still have been a perfect Savior? Certainly he would have been perfect as far as bearing our guilt is concerned — that only required a sinless Savior. But he would not have been perfect as far as bearing our infirmities, our weaknesses, is concerned. He would have been able to fit us for heaven, but never able to make us ready for earth right now. In such a case, we could always say, How can God expect me to live a perfect life in my situation? After all, I'm only human! Christ has never been where I am. What does he know of my pressures, what does he know of what I'm up against? But he was made perfect through his suffering. He does know, he does know! He was a man who experienced fear and uncertainty. If we deny him this, we deny him his identification with us as humans. These were the temptations he faced, the pressures he withstood. Every fear is temptation, every sense of uncertainty is temptation. Of course he never acted out of uncertainty, he never spoke out of fear. The moment Jesus felt fear gripping his heart, he leaned back upon the full-flowing life of the indwelling Father and that fear was met by faith. The moment he felt uncertain, he rested back upon the indwelling wisdom of God and was immediately given a word that was the right word for the situation. Yet, because he fully entered into our fears and pressures, he is fully one with us and able to bring many sons and daughters to glory. Lord, grant me depth, honesty, and earnestness that I may believe this marvelous ministry made available to me by the Lord Jesus in bringing many sons and daughters to glory through that which he suffered. Life Application Jesus suffered intense temptation to sin, yet further chose to bear the sins of the world on the cross for our salvation. Do we grasp the depths of His suffering and His total identification with us in our sin and in our suffering? Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 8, 2022 6:46:27 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 8TH
God's HouseMoses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:5-6Six times in this short section the word house appears, the house of God. There is a very common misunderstanding abroad in our day, especially among Christians, which uses the term, the house of God to mean a church building. There is nothing more destructive of the greatest message of the New Testament than that belief! A building is never truly called the house of God, either in the New Testament or the Old Testament, in the present or in the past. Certainly no church building, since the very beginning of the early church, could ever properly be called the house of God. The early church never referred to any building in that way. In fact, the early church had no buildings for two or three hundred years. When they referred to the house of God they meant the people. A church is not a building, it is people! Even the temple or the tabernacle of old was not really God's house. Let someone point out the fact that no building today can properly be called the house of God, and some Bible-instructed Christian nearby wisely nods his head and says, Yes, you're right. The only building that could properly be called the house of God was the temple. It is true that those buildings were termed that in Scripture, but it is meant only in figure. They were never meant to be the place where God dwelled. In the sixty-sixth chapter of his magnificent prophecy, Isaiah records the words of the Lord, saying, Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool — where is the house which you would build for me? ... All these things my hand has made, (Isaiah 66:1-2 KJV). Paul, in preaching to the Athenians, reminded them that God does not dwell in temples made by hands, (Acts 17:24 KJV). Even as he said those words the temple was still standing in Jerusalem. No, God does not dwell in buildings. Then what is the house of God that is mentioned here? The answer is very clearly stated in Verse 6. We are his house. We people. God never intended to dwell in any building; he dwells in people, in men and women, in boys and girls. That is the divine intention in making men, that they may be the tabernacle of his indwelling. Paul refers to this in 1 Corinthians, Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you which you have of God? (1 Corinthians 6:19a). God's purpose is to inhabit your body and to make you to be the manifestation of his life, the dwelling place of all that he is. In this house of God which is ever people, Moses ministered as a servant, but Christ as a Son. Therefore, the Son is much more to be obeyed, much more to be listened to, much more to be honored and heeded, than the servant. Moses served faithfully as a servant. What is the ministry of a servant? A servant is always preparing things. He must prepare meals, he must prepare rooms, he must prepare the yard. He is always working in the anticipation of something yet to come. His work is in view of that which is yet future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. What is the role of a son in a house? To take over everything, to possess it, to use whatever he likes. The house was made for him. Thank, you, Lord, that you have come to dwell in me. What a privilege it is to be your house! Life Application Incredibly, the Spirit of God has chosen the believer's body as His temple! Who, then, is to be worshiped? For what purpose does the Risen Christ honor us with all the resources and power of His Presence? Deep Dive> Living out of RestDaily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 9, 2022 9:52:35 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 9TH
Warning, Warning!See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:12-14We share in Christ if that faith which began continues to produce in us that which faith alone can produce, the fruit of the Spirit. This is an important warning of this book; a warning against the danger of hardening — of hearing the words and believing them, understanding what they mean, but of taking no action upon them. The peril of holding truth in the head, but never letting it get into the heart. But truth known never does anything; it is truth done which sets us free. Truth known simply puffs us up in pride of knowledge. We can quote the Scriptures by the yard, can memorize it, can know the message of every book and know the whole book from cover to cover, but truth known will never do anything for us. It is truth done, truth acted upon, that moves and delivers and changes. The terrible danger which the writer is pointing out is that truth that is known but not acted on has an awful effect of hardening the heart so that it is no longer able to act — and we lose the ability to believe. This is what the Lord Jesus meant when he said to his disciples, If they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe though one should rise from the dead, (Luke 16:31). A man said to me, If we only had the ability to do miracles like the early church did, then we could really make this Christian cause go. If we could perform these things again, and had faith enough to do miracles, we could make people believe. But I had to tell him that after thirty years of observing this scene, and studying the Scriptures, I am absolutely convinced that if God granted us this power, as he is perfectly able to do, so that miracles were being demonstrated on every hand, there would not be one further Christian added to the cause of Christ than there is right now! At the close of Jesus' own ministry, after that remarkable demonstration of the power of God in the midst of people, how many stood with him at the foot of the cross? A tiny band of women and one man, and they had been won, not by his miracles, but by his words. This is why God says up in verse 11, I swore in my wrath, They shall never enter my rest. That is not petulance. That does not mean God is upset because he has offered something and they will not take it. That is simply a revelation of the nature of the case. When truth is known and not acted upon, it always, on every level of life, in any area of human knowledge, has this peculiar quality: It hardens, so the heart is not able to believe what it refuses to act on. Father, may I heed this important warning and act upon that truth which you have shown me. Life ApplicationAre we trivializing the eternal loss to our souls of simply knowing, while deliberately failing to live, biblical Truth? What is the short term as well as long term loss? Deep Dive> Living out of RestDaily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 10, 2022 4:22:43 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 10TH
Living Out of RestThere remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Hebrews 4:9-10Here is a revolutionary new principle of human behavior, on which God intends man to operate. It is from this that man fell, and it is to this, now, in Jesus Christ, he is to be restored. Unless this principle is operative in our life, we can have no assurance that we belong to the body of Christ. This is the clear declaration of this writer throughout the whole of the book. We all have been brainwashed since birth with a false concept of the basis of human activity. We have been sold on the satanic lie that we have in ourselves what it takes to be what we want to be, to be a man, a woman, to achieve whatever we desire to be. We are sure we have what it takes, or, if we do not have it now, we know where we can get it. We can educate ourselves, we can acquire more information, we can develop new skills, and when we get this done we shall have what it takes to be what we want to be. We do not have what it takes, and we never did have. The only one who can live the Christian life is Jesus Christ. He proposes to reproduce his life in us. Our part is to expose every situation to his life in us, and, by that means, depending upon him and not upon us, we are to meet every situation, enter into every circumstance, and perform every activity. We cease from our own labors. This is the way you began the Christian life. You came to the place where you stopped trying to save yourself, did you not? You quit trying to be good enough to get into heaven. You said, I'll never make it, I'll never make it. You looked to the Lord Jesus, and said, If he has taken my place, then that is all I need. Thus, receiving him, and resting on that fact by faith, you stopped your own efforts, you ceased from your own work, and rested on his. Paul says in Colossians, As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, (Colossians 2:6 RSV). As you have received him, dependent on his death on the cross, so live in dependence upon his life in you to do all things through you. Step out upon that, and what is the result? Rest! Wonderful rest! Relief, release, no longer worrying, fretting, straining, for you are resting upon One who is wholly adequate to do through you everything that needs to be done. He does not make automatons of us, he does not turn us into robots. He works through our thinking, our feeling and our reasoning, but our dependence must be upon him. Lord Jesus, thank you for this wonderful surgery that sets me free. I rejoice that there is a rest remaining into which I can enter. Grant that I will. Life ApplicationWhat is the operative principle of the Christian life which assures that we are authentically Christian? Are we affirming the all-sufficiency of Christ Jesus our Lord in our consistent reliance upon His Presence and power? Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 11, 2022 5:36:04 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 11TH
The Throne of GraceTherefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16Four words in this brief passage sum up all it has to say: the throne of grace. A throne speaks of authority and power, while grace conveys the idea of sympathy and understanding. These two thoughts are combined in Jesus Christ. He is a man of infinite power, yet in complete and utter sympathy with us. He said himself, after his resurrection, All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth, (Matthew 28:18 KJV). His title here is, Jesus, the Son of God possessing the fullness of deity. But more than that, he is the one who has passed through the heavens. In this space age, this phrase should catch our eye. Jesus not only passed into the heavens but through the heavens. When we put people into a rocket and hurl them into space, we are throwing them into the heavens. They are still within this space-time continuum. Even if they traveled to the nearest planets or the outermost reaches of our solar system, which seems utterly impossible now, they would still be in the heavens. But the claim made for Jesus is that he has passed through the heavens, he has passed outside the limits of time and space. He is no longer contained within, limited by, those boundaries that hold us within physical limits. He is outside, above, beyond, over all, therefore there are no limits to his power. The writer also makes clear that though the Lord Jesus has passed into the place of supreme power, and has absolutely no limits upon his ability to work, he also is tremendously concerned with our problems. He says, We have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He has already gone the whole course before us. He has felt every pressure, he has known every pull, he has been drawn by every allurement we face, he has been frightened by every fear, beset by every anxiety, depressed by every worry. Yet he did it without failure, without sinning. Never once did he fall. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. That is, every help you need, every time you need it! Help us, Father, to obey these simple words of admonition: To come with confidence, with boldness, to the throne of grace from which all help comes, all light is streaming, all hope is flaming. Life ApplicationWhat audacious limitations do we presume to impose upon Jesus Christ, conqueror of time and space? Do we honor His amazing invitation to come boldly to His throne of both supreme authority and grace? Deep Dive> Strength at Wit's EndDaily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 12, 2022 4:46:31 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 12TH
Strength at Wit's EndDuring the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered... Hebrews 5:7-8How can Jesus sympathize, how does he understand our pressures, if he has never sinned? The answer to that leads us into the dark shadows of Gethsemane. There is no other incident in the gospels that fits the description of this passage where, with prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, he cried unto him who was able to save him from death. Here we come face to face with mystery. Here is the total unexpectedness of unimagined agony to the Lord. In his anticipation of what he would be going through and his explanations of it to the disciples, he had never once mentioned Gethsemane, and there is no prediction of this in the Old Testament. There is much that predicts what he would go through on the cross; there is not one word of what he endured in the garden. In the midst of his bafflement, puzzlement and distress of soul, he does an unusual thing. For the first time in his ministry he appealed to his own disciples for help. He asked them to bear him up in prayer as he went further into the shadows, falling first to his knees and then to his face, crying out before the Father. There he prayed three separate times and each prayer is a questioning of the necessity of this experience. Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. He was beseeching the Father to make clear to him whether this was a necessary activity, so unexpected and deep was his suffering, so suddenly had it come upon him, baffling him, confusing him, bewildering him, just as sudden experiences and catastrophes come bewilderingly to us. To deepen the mystery of this it is implied that the Lord Jesus faced the full misery which sin produces in the heart of the sinner while he is yet alive. All the naked filth of human depravity forced itself upon him and he felt the burning, searing shame of our misdeeds as though they were his. No wonder he cried to the Father, Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, he adds, not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:42). This explains the strange words, Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. He learned what it means to obey God when every cell in his body wanted to disobey. Yet, knowing this to be the will of God, he obeyed, trusting God to see him through. He learned what it feels like to hang on when failure makes us want to throw the whole thing over, when we are so defeated, so utterly despairing that we want to forget the whole thing. He knows what this is like, he went the whole way, he took the full brunt of it. How did he win? He refused to question the Father's wisdom. He refused to blame God. He took no refuge in unbelief even though this agony came unexpectedly upon him. Instead, Jesus cast himself upon the Father's loving, tender care and looked to him to sustain him. When he did, he was brought safely through. So we read, Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. No matter how deep, how serious that need may be, he can fully meet it, though we may be at wit's end. Father, thank you that the Garden of Gethsemane was not a mere play acting upon a stage. The Lord Jesus did not come into the world to perform a role, he fully entered into life. He went the whole way, he bore the full brunt. Help me to trust in him. Life Application
Jesus Christ entered into the full force of two of our lives' greatest mysteries: obedience and suffering. Where on the spectrum of obedience do we pray 'nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done?' Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 13, 2022 6:47:56 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 13TH
Arrested DevelopmentIn fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:12-14Here is a case of arrested development. Here are people who have been professing Christians for many years. By this time they ought to have been teachers, but they need yet to have someone teach them the very ABC's of the gospel. We have at our home a three-year-old daughter. It is the undivided opinion of our family that she is the smartest, brightest, and cutest little girl that ever lived. But if, at this stage of her life, something should happen and her body kept growing but her mind stopped, and she went on saying the same clever things she is saying now all the while her body matured and grew into full womanhood, we would no longer find delight in what she says. Our joy would be turned to sorrow; we would feel great grief at the sight of our dear one suffering from arrested development. That is what this author feels as he writes to these Hebrews There is a cloud of threat hanging over these people due to their immaturity. The writer makes three very important and insightful observations about this problem. First, there is the clear suggestion that age alone does not produce maturity. It is amazing how many of us think it does. We love this thought of inevitable growth. How often we say, Just give us time. We will yet grow out of these hot tempers, catty tongues and jealous spirits. But time never brings maturity. The second observation he makes is that immaturity is self-identifying. It has certain clear marks which provide a simple test that anyone can take to determine whether he belongs in this classification or not. There is an inability to instruct others. Though these have been Christians for years they have nothing to say to help another who may be struggling with problems. They can only understand the very simplest doctrinal treatment. They need milk, the writer says, instead of strong meat. They do not understand the divine program which results in right conduct, because they are themselves children and want only milk. There is also an inability to discern good from evil. It is such people who constitute what we may call consecrated blunderers, the ones who mean right and think they are doing right but are continually doing the wrong thing, creating problem situations, and difficulties with others. The third observation the author makes is that arrested development is a very costly thing. About this, he says, we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. There is so much I want to tell you, he says, which would make your starved humanity burst into bloom like buds in the spring if you could but grasp it, but you would not get it because you are so dull of hearing. The immature lose so much, and they risk even more. There is a very grave danger threatening these who continue in this condition of prolonged immaturity. Lord, these words have searched me, have found me out, have made me to see myself. Thank you for that. I do not want to be self-deceived. Thank you for telling me the truth even though it may hurt, for I know that it is always to the end that I may be healed. Life ApplicationIf we no longer want to be self-deceived, what are three ways we may clearly identify our arrested spiritual development? Are we concerned to consider the serious consequences of this immaturity? Deep Dive> Let's get On with ItDaily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 14, 2022 4:55:46 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 14TH
Conception or Birth?It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Hebrews 6:4-6Here is the elaboration of an awful possibility. It is impossible to restore again to repentance these who experience certain Spirit-given blessings, if they shall fall away. The problem of the passage is: How can anyone experience all of this and not be Christian? If he is Christian, how can he fall away, without any hope of restoration? It is over these issues that the battle has waged hot throughout the Christian ages. Can we take these expressions here as describing anything other than Spirit-produced, authentic Christian life? I would like to propose an explanation of this which has long haunted me. The Scripture frequently uses the analogy of human birth and growth to explain spiritual birth and growth. We have that even here. The use of milk by children is an analogy drawn from the physical life. Here is the question I would like to ask: Is it not possible that we frequently confuse conception with birth? If the spiritual life follows the same pattern as the physical life, we all know that physical life does not begin with birth. It begins with conception. Have we not, perhaps, mistaken conception for birth, and, therefore, have been very confused when certain ones, who seemingly started well, have ended up stillborn? Is there in the spiritual life, as in the natural life, a gestation period before birth when true Spirit-imparted life can fail and result in a stillbirth? Is there not a time when new Christians are more like embryos, forming little by little in the womb, fed by the faith and vitality of others? If this be the case, then the critical moment is not when the Word first meets with faith, that is conception; that is when the possibility of new life arises. But the critical moment is when the individual is asked to obey the Lord at cost to himself, contrary to his own will and desire. When the Lordship of Christ makes demand upon him and it comes into conflict with his own desire and purposes, his own plans and program. If any man will come after me, said Jesus, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me, (Matthew 16:24). In grace, the Lord may make this appeal over the course of a number of years. But if it is ultimately refused, this is a stillbirth. The months, and even years, that may be spent in the enjoyment of conversion joy was simply Christian life in embryo. This is what Jesus' parable describes as seeds sown into unreceptive soil, only to spring up and then die off. The new birth occurs, if at all, when we first cease from our own works, and rest in Jesus Christ. That is when the life of faith begins. If this step is refused and the decision is made to reject the claims of Christ to Lordship and control, there follows a hardening, blinding process which, if allowed to continue, may lead such a one to drop out of church, and in effect, to renounce his Christian faith. Though only God knows the true condition of the heart, if that occurs, the case, he says, is hopeless. This brings us to the impossibility of return. It is impossible to restore them if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. Why is it that God will not permit them to go on in understanding more truth? It is simply because they are repudiating the principle of the cross. They become, as Paul terms it in Philippians, enemies of the cross of Christ, ( Philippians 3:18). From that point on their lives deteriorate and they shame the profession they once made. These are challenging words, Father, and I ask that I would be willing to follow you, even to the cross. Life ApplicationAre we committed to lifelong, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ who lives with and in us as our Savior and Lord? Is our daily experience consistent with the light we have received? Are we being transformed by the renewing of our minds with Truth? Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 15, 2022 7:11:18 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 15TH
Believing Is SeeingFor when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you. And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:13-15Genesis records that God appeared to Abraham and made him a promise: Through your seed shall all peoples of the earth be blessed, (Genesis 22:17-18). The immediate seed was Isaac, born of Abraham's old age; but the ultimate Seed is Christ. It is through faith in Jesus Christ that this promise is fulfilled, and all the peoples of the earth are blessed in Abraham. This promise was later confirmed by an oath, God swearing by himself that he would fulfill what he had said. The writer is simply pointing out that Abraham believed God's promise and his oath. Why did he believe it? Not because he immediately saw it fulfilled! There were twenty-five long, weary years before Isaac was born, and in the meantime, Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were growing older and had passed the time of life when it was possible to have children. Still the promise was unfulfilled. So, if Abraham did not believe it because he saw immediate results, then why did Abraham believe God's promise? Abraham believed that God had told the truth about himself, and that God must be true to his own character which he had expressed through both the promise and the oath. Without seeing any results for twenty-five years, Abraham hung on to the character of God. He never said to himself during that time, I've tried it and it doesn't work, or I've got to convince myself that this is true, even though I secretly believe that it is not. He said, The God I know exists is the kind of a God who will do what he says he'll do. For twenty-five years Abraham hung on to that promise. And he won! I've heard it said about prayer, I've tried prayer but it doesn't seem to work. It seems to me that is putting things the wrong way. That is really repeating the common myth of our day, seeing is believing. No greater lie was ever foisted upon the human race by the father of lies than this, that seeing is believing. We are utterly convinced that is the way to come to the knowledge of truth, but the man who sees no longer needs to believe. Faith is not sight, nor sight faith. You ask why I believe in prayer? Well, not because I have tried it and it has worked. I believe in prayer because Jesus Christ says that prayer is the secret of life and I believe him. Jesus Christ says that man must either pray or faint, one or the other. Because it is Jesus Christ who says this, I believe him, and, therefore, I pray and find it works. The proof of prayer does not come from my experience; that is simply the demonstration of what I have already believed, and I believe it because of who said it. Believing, therefore, is seeing. This is true on many levels of life. Albert Einstein did not come to the knowledge of relativity by performing a series of experiments which ultimately convinced him that relativity was true. He gradually saw the idea of relativity, and, convinced in his own mind that this was the secret of the physical universe, he performed experiments that he might demonstrate it to others. This is the way of truth. Believing is seeing. This, therefore, is the secret of faith; it rests on the character of Jesus Christ. Either he is telling us the truth, and we can trust what this One who is like no one else who ever appeared in human history says to us, or we must reject him and repudiate him as a self-deceived impostor who attempted to foist some crude and foolish ideas upon the human race. That is where faith rests. From that ground everything must follow. I remember, Lord Jesus, how many times you said to your disciples, O ye of little faith. I hear these words again in my own heart, Lord. Grant to me that I may have the courage to believe and to step out upon what I believe. Life ApplicationAre our prayers faith-based? Is our faith based in our prayers, rather than the character of God to whom we pray? Are we learning to trust the wisdom of our Father in both answered and unanswered prayer? Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 16, 2022 4:56:46 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 16TH
A Better PriestNow if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. Hebrews 7:11-16One thing clearly marked the fact that the old priesthood was no longer acceptable as help for men. It was the appearance of a new priest with a different address and a different ancestry. If the old priesthood went, the Law had to go too. This new priest had a quite different address; he came from the tribe of Judah instead of the tribe of Levi. Judah was not a priestly tribe at all, but a kingly tribe. The new priest was a king. If God recognizes Christ as a priest, then the Law which was part of the old priesthood has been set aside. Also, the new priest has a different ancestry. It was not necessary for him to trace his genealogy back to Abraham. No, as a priest he has no genealogy, he ministers in the power of an endless life. He had no beginning and no ending. Therefore the Law, which is only temporary, must go. It had an inherent weakness in that it could not supply what the flesh in its frailty lacked. Every priest, every psychiatrist, every counselor, whether he realizes it or not, is continually working with the Law. How? By seeking to relate people to reality. That is what the Law is, the revelation of reality. It is the way things are. Any knowledgeable counselor tries to help the people who come to see things as they are, but that is sometimes a very difficult help to render. Under the old order, a man would take a sacrifice to the priest and the priest would offer it, thus for the moment at least, removing the guilt of the act. Though the problem remained, the guilt from it was removed. That is what the modern counselor does. He attempts to dispel guilt by helping his client see his problem in a different light. If he is a Christian counselor, to help him to see that God has already forgiven him in Christ and thus to remove guilt. But the basic problem essentially remains, if resolving guilt is all that is done. The psychiatrist may rearrange the problem so it does not grate so strongly upon others, but the problem remains. As C. S. Lewis puts it, No clever arrangement of bad eggs will ever make a good omelet. Self-discovery is the end of the line as far as the human counselor can go. But what lies beyond that? If you do not go any further, eventually, despair! This is what Paul reflects in Romans 7, Oh, wretched man that I am! Who can set me free from this body of death? (Romans 7:24) That is where this word of Hebrews comes in. There is a Priest who can go further. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, judged sin in the flesh, that the righteousness that the law demanded might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit (Romans 8:3-4). That which is worthless, weak, and useless, has been set aside and a new hope introduced which brings us near to God. Thank you, Father, that what I could not do in myself, and what no counselor or priest could do for me, you have accomplished through your Son. Life ApplicationWhat inherent weaknesses in the Levitical Law are met in the Priesthood of Jesus? How can we move beyond the futility of mere self-discovery to inner conflict resolution? Are we led in the triumphal procession of Jesus Christ, both Priest and King? Deep Dive> Dealing with DoubtDaily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 17, 2022 6:23:41 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 17TH
Priest and Victim...who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever. Hebrews 7:27-28 The writer joins two phrases to get the main thought: he offered up himself and, he was made perfect. As a priest, there was no unblemished sacrifice he could offer except himself, so he offered himself. There was found no other priest worthy of offering such a sacrifice, so Christ became both Priest and Victim. This reminds us of the words of Christ from the cross. In uttering the first three words from the cross, Jesus is a priest: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, (Luke 23:34). He is interceding for the bloody murderers who have nailed him to the tree. Then he turns to the thief at his side and says, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise, (Luke 23:43 KJV). He is ministering grace to this revolutionary who admitted his need. Then to his mother and the disciple John who were standing at the foot of the cross, he said, Woman, behold, your son! Behold, your mother! (John 19:26-27 RSV). He is still a priest, ministering comfort to their hearts, giving one to the other to meet the need of life. But at this moment a change occurred. The sun was hidden and a strange darkness fell across the land. The first word from the cross out of the midst of that darkness is the terrible cry of dereliction — Immanuel's orphaned cry — My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46). Now he is no longer a priest; he is the victim, offered as a sacrifice on the altar of the cross. Then from the midst of that hot hell of pain, and even more excruciating anguish of spirit, come the words, I thirst, (John 19:28). This is followed by the last two cries from the cross when with a loud voice at the end of the three hours, he shouted, It is finished (John 19:30); and then, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit! (Luke 23:46 RSV). Immediately, he gave up the ghost. In those last words he is still a sacrifice, having completed the work that the Father gave him to do. If you join two more phrases of this passage you get the complete thought of the writer. Not only did Christ offer up himself as the perfect sacrifice, but he did it once for all — forever. The cross is a timeless event. It is not simply a historic occurrence that we may look back upon and study as we would the Battle of Gettysburg. It is an intrusion of eternity into time. It is timeless. It is as though it is going on forever and had been going on since the foundation of the world. It is therefore eternally contemporary experience. Every age can know for itself the meaning of this cross. It reaches back to cover all history so that it can be said that Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, (Revelation 13:8 KJV). Thus all those of the Old Testament who had not yet known of the historic presentation of Christ, but who believed God's promise given regarding their blood sacrifices, could be saved, just as we are saved today. For the cross reached backward into time as well as forward. The cross of Jesus Christ, from God's point of view, is the central act of history, everything flows from that. From that great event all hope is flowing, all light is flaming. It is to it that all events must look for meaning. Lord Jesus, thank you for not only being my Great High Priest but also the willing victim of the cruelty of man so that I may know forgiveness and hope. Life ApplicationGod's view of the Cross of Christ places it as the central act of history. Is it the central focus for us, the ones for whom the Lord Jesus became both priest and victim? In what ways do we compromise the wisdom of the Cross by worldly wisdom? Deep Dive > The New ConstitutionDaily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Dec 18, 2022 4:48:02 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 18TH
The New ConstitutionFor this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, Know the Lord,? for all will know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:10-12In the Upper Room, Jesus said, This cup is the new covenant made in my blood. This is the new arrangement, the new constitution, from which the life of all who know Jesus will be lived. This is a covenant made between the Father and the Son. It is not made between us and God. If any man is in Christ, everything in this covenant is available to him. For any individual on the face of the earth who is willing to be in Christ, to let Christ live in him, this agreement is valid. There are four provisions of the new constitution: God says, I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts. There is the answer to the problem of human motivation. Have you discovered that the problem in your life is not uncertainty about what is right; you have known that a long time. It is a problem of motivation. We are not over-strained; we are simply under-motivated, but the new arrangement, this new constitution, makes provision for that. We are to look to Christ when we are confronted with the thing we do not want to do. We are to say, Lord Jesus, you have promised to write your laws in my mind and on my heart, that I may do what you want me to do. Then for his dear sake, we do it. There is a new motive, a motor, a new power to do what ought to be done. It is Christ Himself within us. Then he says, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. What an answer to the search for identification, to the hunger to belong to someone. Here is the answer to the aching question of the human heart: Who am I? God says, You are forever mine. I will be your God, and you will be my people. Then there is the promise, They shall not teach everyone his fellow or everyone his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest. Here is the answer to the sigh of humanity for a hero. There is in the human heart a desperate hunger for a hero. We want to look up to someone, we want to know some great one personally. God says, I will satisfy that in your life. You shall know me! Do you know the one thing that one true Christian can never say to another Christian, anywhere in the world is, Know the Lord, for this is the one thing that is always true of even the youngest Christian — he knows the Lord. That is where we start in Christian living. It is the least common denominator. Then the last thing, For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. This is the answer to the universal sense of condemnation. A man once said to me, I have a very difficult boss. I never know where I stand with him. Do we feel that way about God? We say, I never know where I stand with God. But God says if you are looking to the great high priest who is ministering to you all the effects of his sacrifice, this is never a problem. For he has written it down in no uncertain words, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1). None! He is always for you, he is never against you. It does not mean he ignores sin but he says, I will be merciful toward it. When you acknowledge it there is no reproach — and no rehash! He never gets historical, dredging up the past. God never does this! Father, thank you for this look at the ministry of my great High Priest, a ministry that so many times I have not taken seriously. Instead I have looked about in all the broken cisterns of earth to try to find something as a substitute. Forgive me, and help me to claim my heritage in him, this new agreement for living. Life ApplicationWhat four vital and radical provisions in the New Covenant made between the Father and the Son are available to us in Christ Jesus? How does this address our need for motivation and power to live as new creatures in Christ? Daily Devotion © 2014, 2022 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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