Morning Devotional January 26, 2023

 

Ephesians 3:14-21

“14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

Two things I want to point out in this passage. Look at verses 15 and 21. Verse 15 says: “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,”. Verse 21 says: “Unto him be glory in the church by Chirst Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

Notice the words “family” and “church”. Why didn't the Holy Spirit have the writer use the same word in both verses? If everyone who is saved is part of the church as many claim today, what would be the purpose of using two different words in the same passage of scripture to describe the same group of people?

The answer is because Paul was writing of two different groups of people. All those who are saved are in the family of God. The Bible teaches us this precious truth clearly in many places. Old and New Testaments. But the word “church” we do not see used until the New Testament. And it is only used to describe a certain group of people or groups of people. In the New Testament the “Church” is always a called out assembly. Called out of what? The Church (or Churches as they have not yet been called together as the Bride) of Jesus Christ has been called out, not from the world. God's children are called out of the world when they are saved. But, rather the Churches are called out from the family of God.

Remember the story of Isaac and Rebecca? Abraham sent his most trusted servant back to Abraham's homeland and he was to go amongst the family of Abraham to find a bride for the son of Abraham. Remember Rebecca was the daughter of Abraham's brother. The bride was called out of the family of the Bridegroom's Father. This story is a type or picture of the Lamb and His Church.

Oh what a glorious teaching this is!!! Maybe someday we can look more into the wonderful doctrine of the Lord's Church.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 25, 2023

 

John 14:6

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Many say today “We all serve the same God. No matter our religious affiliation.” But what did God say? The Son of God says “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

This one verse explains a lot about the current thought on religion in our world today.

Without Jesus Christ we do not serve the same god as others. Even those who claim the name “Christian”.

Last week I had to work a few short hours with a man who used very bad language most of the time we were together. When I told him I was the pastor of a church he apologized for his language but continued using it. As he was leaving he told me he was a good faithful Catholic and he would be in Mass on Sunday. He told me “I guess you will be in Mass on Sunday as well”. I replied that I am a Baptist and we do not do Mass but have a worship service. As he was running out the door to leave he said “well that's good. We all serve the same god anyway.”

I have found that the average, everyday Roman catholic out there has no idea the great differences in his religion and the God of the Bible. Much less the differences in Roman Catholicism and Baptist. I hear “We are all striving to get to the same place in the end.” But are we really? The vast majority of Catholics I come across do not practice true repentance. They curse, lie, cheat, certain days of the week they are drunkards. But on Sunday they are in Mass. As if going to that one service a week makes them look good in the eyes of God.

Sadly, there are some Baptist who don't think much different than a Roman Catholic when it comes to living a clean life and practicing true repentance. The big difference is without Jesus Christ a man has no desire to repent of His sin. Without Jesus Christ a man will die and go to Hell and never know the true God.

Where are you today? Out there running wild all week then playing church on Sunday? Or do you love Jesus Christ enough to follow His commandments?

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 24, 2023

 

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

As God's people today, we have faith in many things in our daily lives. We have faith in some of the most simplest of things: that our vehicle will crank and take us wherever we want to go, we have faith that when we turn the faucet on the water will come out, we have faith when we flip a switch the lights will come on, we have faith when we turn the knob the door will open, etc. We could go on and on with a list of simple things in our everyday lives that we have put faith in that they will perform as they were designed. But what happens when one or more of those things we have come to trust breaks and does not work as it should? Our faith falters for a time. Until we have tried it a few times after it has been fixed we are sceptical and cautious when we try to use it again.

Now, what about our faith in God? Our Heavenly Father? The one who gave His only begotten Son as payment for our sins? Where is our faith in Him? God has promised to always be with us. God has promised to never forsake us. God has promised many blessings to His children in this life if they would only follow Him. Remember that list of things in the last paragraph? The simple things in our everyday lives? Who was it you think gave man the knowledge and wisdom to invent such things for our pleasure? Who is it that causes those things to work as they are designed over and over? Who is it that proves to us that the things man invents will eventually wear out and break? And who is it you think tries our patience when those things don't work as they should?

Yes, God uses the simplest things in our lives to teach us and to try us everyday. And yet we put more trust in those things invented by man than we do the promises of God.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 22. 2023

 

Ephesians 1:3-6

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 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:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Oh what glorious words! What a wonderful thought! To know God chose His people before the foundation of the world. To know He loved us even when He knew how wicked we would be. God planned our adoption into His family before He created the earth. And it was all made possible by the sacrificing of His Son, Jesus Christ. Oh what a price God the Father paid to seal the adoption of the children He so dearly loved. He offered His only begotten Son as the sacrifice that would give all of God's elect eternal life.

Yet, there are those who will deny the very doctrines of election and predestination and of the adoption. These wonderful doctrines are taught so clearly by God Himself in His Word. To deny these doctrines is to deny the very sovereignty of God. To assign a man's name(Calvin) to these doctrines is blasphemy against God Himself. These are God's doctrines. Not John Calvin or any other such man.

These doctrines were obviously taught by Christ Himself in His earthly ministry. They were taught to the early churches by the Apostles and others. They have been taught by Baptist since the First Church in Jerusalem and were taught by every church the Apostle Paul wrote letters to. And yet today God's very elect refuse and deny the blessed teachings of election and predestination and adoption because these doctrines don't give man any authority over his own will.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 8, 2023

 

Titus 3:4-8

“4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 5, 2023

 

Acts 16:25-34

“25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”. There is no other way to receive salvation than to believe. But man has come up with all kinds of gimmicks and different ways to try to “win souls”. It is not we who wins the souls but Christ Himself. We are only the means by which the Holy Spirit may use to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those of His lost sheep.

A “sinner's prayer” and taking scripture out of context to form a “Romans Road” are heresy at best. In God's Word, no prayer is ever mentioned for one to achieve salvation. It is only after salvation that one cries out. The very physical birth bears this out. It is only after the baby is taken from the womb in birth that it cries out. This crying out is a witness of life. The same applies with the spiritual birth of someone. We do not cry out till after the new birth in Christ. As a babe in the womb, we may cry out before salvation. But it is all in vain as we cannot be heard while still in the womb. It is only after the birth that our Heavenly Father hears our cry of repentance and He lets us know we have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ.

What a glorious time is the birth of a baby. But how much more glorious it is when the Holy Spirit of God births one of God's chosen!!! And it is only by the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ that this new birth is even possible. No “sinner's prayer”, no “Roman's Road”, not by any will or want of our own, but only by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and then we “shalt be saved”.

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

As a baby has no part in their physical birth. Neither do we have any part in our spiritual birth. It is only after the birth that the baby cries out declaring life and it is only after our spiritual birth that we cry out declaring our belief on Jesus Christ.

John 3:1-7

“1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 1st, 2023

 

Psalm 98:1

“O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.”

With the passing of another year and the beginning of another let us not forget our Heavenly Father from whom all our blessings flow. Let us not forget His Son who willingly and lovingly came to earth, suffered and died for the sins of His people then rose victorious over hell and the grave so that His people would have eternal life. Let us not forget the Holy Spirit of God. The Great Comforter who has come as the representative of the Son of God, to indwell within us and to give us hope and peace and joy while we walk through this pilgrim land.

Oh what a God we serve!!! O what love He has bestowed upon us!!! If we could only understand the total depth of His love!!! Praise God for His never ending love for us!!!

As we enter this new year I encourage you all to follow Him. Follow Him in everything you do. Do all that you do to His honor and glory. Be a witness for Him in all that you do and say. Let there be no doubt with those around you that you are a child of the King!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!