1. The Wisdom of God’s Word Is Better
2. The Way of Biblical Humility Is Better
3. The Walk of True Righteousness Is Better
4. The Wealth of Godly Love Is Better
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Proverbs for Life
1. The Wisdom of God’s Word Is Better 2. The Way of Biblical Humility Is Better 3. The Walk of True Righteousness Is Better 4. The Wealth of Godly Love Is Better
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Outlines in Psalms Praise the Lord as Our Enabler. Psalm 144:1a – “Blessed be the LORD my strength.” Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” 1. For His Personal Guidance Psalm 144:1b – “Which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” 2. For His Helpful Goodness Psalm 144:2a – “My goodness, and my fortress.” 3. For His Almighty Deliverance Psalm 144:2b – “My high tower, and my deliverer.” 4. For His Trustworthy Protection Psalm 144:2c – “My shield, and he in whom I trust.” 5. For His Victorious Grace Psalm 144:2d – “Who subdueth my people under me." Posted in Outlines in Psalms, Praising Our Lord, Spiritual Enablement, Lovingkindness of the Lord, Deliverance of Our Lord, Faithfulness of Our Lord, Refuge of the Lord Please share this post with others:
Meditations in Exodus
Exodus 4:24 gives the report, “And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him [Moses], and sought to kill him.” In Exodus 4:19 the Lord God had instructed Moses to go and return into Egypt. Then in Exodus 4:20 we find that Moses proceeded to obey the Lord God’s instruction – “And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.” Yet in Exodus 4:24 the report is given that the Lord God met Moses along the way of his return unto Egypt, and the Lord God sought to kill Moses. So then, why did the Lord God seek to kill Moses at that particular moment? If Moses was returning unto Egypt just as the Lord God had instructed for him to do, why would the Lord God seek to kill His obedient servant, whom He Himself had called unto this task? The answer to these questions we may discovered through the continuing report in Exodus 4:25-26 – “Then Zipporah [Moses’ wife] took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he [the Lord God] let him [Moses] go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.” Thought for Meditation
This meditation is a companion to a previous meditation: Not Knowing What, but Knowing & Trusting Who (Pt. 1) An individual with full assurance of faith in the Lord God does not know how it is all going to work out, but he does know and trust the God who is going to work it all out. Weekly Sermon
This sermon is a companion to a previous a sermon: Blessed Be the Most High God - Genesis 14:19-20 In Daniel 4 God’s Word records a letter that King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, sent forth unto all the people of his kingdom. In this letter King Nebuchadnezzar gave report concerning the manner in which the most high God chastened him for the pride of his heart. Even so, in Daniel 4:1-3 Nebuchadnezzar introduced this report, saying, “Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! And how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.” Outlines in Psalms
A Psalm of David. I. The Praise of the Lord for His Enablement (Psalm 144:1-2) II. The Place of Man in Himself (Psalm 144:3-4) III. The Prayer to the Lord for His Deliverance (Psalm 144:5-8) IV. The Praise of the Lord for His Deliverance (Psalm 144:9-10) V. The Prayer to the Lord for His Blessing (Psalm 144:11-14) VI. The Peace of Those with the Lord (Psalm 144:15) Meditations in Jeremiah
Jeremiah 44:15-17a – “Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth . . .” Thought for Meditation
An individual with full assurance of faith in the Lord God does not know all the answers for life, but he does know and trust the God of all the answers. Weekly Sermon
Genesis 14:18-20 reads, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” In Genesis 13 we find that Abram and Lot had both become rich in flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. Yet this created a problem; the land was not able to support both sets of flocks and herds. Thus a strife arose “between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle.” (Genesis 13:7) In order to solve this strife, Abram offered for Lot to separate himself in whatever direction he would choose and then for himself to go in the opposite direction. Even so, we read of Lot’s choice in Genesis 13:10-13 – “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.” Yet eventually Lot moved himself and his family into that wicked city of Sodom. Now, over time Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other two cities of the plain entered into conflict with Chedorlaomer king of Elam and the four kings that were confederate with him. Thus we read in Genesis 14:10-12, “And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.” When Abram received news of this matter, he gathered a force in order to deliver Lot from captivity. Indeed, the Lord granted Abram a great victory. Even so, we read in Genesis 14:13-16, “And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.” Then in Genesis 14:17-20 the account continues, “And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he [Melchizedek] blessed him [Abram], and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek] tithes of all.” Now, in Genesis 14:18-20 the Lord our God is called “the most high God” three times. In Genesis 14:19 Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God, described Abram as being “of the most high God.” Abram was a servant of the most high God. In like manner, we believers are also the people of the most high God. He is our eternal Savior, and we are His chosen ones. He is our heavenly Father, and we are His dear children. He is our Lord, and we are His servants. He is the most high God, and we are His peculiar people. In 1 Peter 2:9-10 God’s Word declares, “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: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” Again in 2 Corinthians 6:16 God’s Word declares, “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.” Yet again in 1 John 3:1 God’s Word declares, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” Indeed, we are the people, the children, the servants of the most high God. So then, what can we learn from Genesis 14:19-20 concerning this relationship? Outlines in Psalms
“To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David.” I. The Cry of the Lord’s Servant (Psalm 4:1-2) II. The Confidence of the Lord’s Servant (Psalm 4:3-4) III. The Commitment of the Lord’s Servant (Psalm 4:5-6) IV. The Comfort of the Lord’s Servant (Psalm 4:7-8) Thought for Meditation
The only way that we may obtain and experience a rest for our souls that will last through all the troubles of life and a peace for our hearts and minds that will surpass all human understanding is by submitting to the Lord our God and Savior, trusting in the Lord our God and Savior, and following after the Lord our God and Savior. Weekly Sermon
This sermon is a companion to four previous sermons: Consider Your Priorities - Haggai 1:5 Consider the Lord's Pleasure - Haggai 1:8 Consider Our Lord's Purpose - Haggai 2:10-19 Consider Our Lord's Promise - Haggai 2:18-23 Haggai 2:1-5 reads, “In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.” The Book of Haggai is an Old Testament book of only two chapters. Five times in those two chapters, our Lord instructed His people of that time to consider (in 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18). They were to consider their self-centered priorities and to reestablish their priority on the things of the Lord. They were to consider the Lord’s pleasure and to return unto the way of the Lord’s pleasure upon them. They were to consider the Lord’s purpose in chastening and to receive it with meekness unto fruitfulness for the Lord. Finally, they were to consider the Lord’s promise and to set the faith and focus of their hearts upon the Lord. In particular, the Lord promised that if they would reestablish their priority on His work, and would return unto the way of His pleasure, and would receive with meekness the purpose of His chastening, then He would be with them in the fellowship of His presence and would pour out upon them the enabling of His Spirit. In fact, these very two promises are given in Haggai 2:4-5 – “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.” In like manner, in the New Testament the Lord our God has also promised the fellowship of His presence and the enabling of His Spirit unto us who are His people today. Yet these promises were not and are not to be an end in themselves. Rather, these promises were then to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for that time; and these promises are now to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for this time. Yea, in Haggai 2:4-5, on the grounds of our Lord’s promise to be with them in fellowship and to place His Spirit upon them for enabling, He gave a three-fold instruction unto His people. Brethren, through these three things we are to be claiming our Lord’s presence. Meditations in Exodus
Exodus 4:18-20 reads, “And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.” In Exodus 3:9-10 the Lord God expressed his call upon Moses to send Moses as His instrument of deliverance for His people Israel. After a bit of deliberating with the Lord God and His call, Moses submitted himself to that which the Lord God had called him. Thus in Exodus 4:18 we find that Moses returned from keeping the sheep unto his father-in-law Jethro and made request that he might go and return unto his brethren in Egypt. At Moses’ request, his father-in-law, Jethro, granted his permission. Thus Moses packed up his wife and his sons and moved to return unto Egypt. Now, throughout the context of Exodus 4:18-23, the Lord God delivers a three-fold instruction unto Moses that is bound up in the three words – go, do, and say. Thought for Meditation
(This meditation is a companion to a previous meditation: Expect No Light from the Darkness) By nature the system of this world is completely characterized by spiritual darkness. In contrast, we believers are called to be the spiritual light of this spiritually dark world, ever reflecting and shining forth the light of our Lord, His gospel, and His righteouness. Yet if we fail to reflect and shine forth this spiritual light by covering it up through ungodliness, unrighteousness, carnality, and worldliness, there will be no other spiritual light available for the darkness of this present evil world. Weekly Sermon
This sermon is a companion to three previous sermons: Consider Your Priorities - Haggai 1:5 Consider the Lord's Pleasure - Haggai 1:8 Consider Our Lord's Purpose - Haggai 2:10-19 Haggai 2:10 gives the report, “In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying.” Then in Haggai 2:18-19 we come to the conclusion of that message where our Lord declared through His prophet, “Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.” Finally, in Haggai 2:20-23 our Lord delivered a second message on the same day through His prophet Haggai. There we read, “And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.” In Haggai 2:15-17 the Lord had instructed His people at that time to consider His hand of chastening against them and to consider His purpose in that chastening. Yet in Haggai 2:18-19 the Lord instructed them to consider another matter. In these two verses, the Lord gave promise to reverse their situation. Until that time His hand of chastening had been against them, but from that time forward He promised to open His hand of blessing upon them. At the end of verse 19, the Lord proclaimed, “From this day will I bless you.” He had confronted them and chastened them for their sinful priorities and ways, and they had repented of those sinful priorities and ways. Thus from that day of their repentance forward, the Lord promised to bless them. Even so, the Lord instructed them to consider His promise. In like manner, we ourselves also need to consider our Lord’s promise to those who will repent of their sinful ways and return unto the Lord. |
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