Daily Devotion March 2022

3/31/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/U_VaiBLo3hg



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “Treachery in Israel” based on Judges 18. When we choose to walk away from God, we don’t receive from God that which he wants to give us. This is a principle of Scripture. When God promises us something, we have to claim that promise by faith, and faith always means following God and obeying God.


14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their fellow Danites, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, some household gods and an image overlaid with silver? Now you know what to do.” 15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate. 

18 When the five men went into Micah’s house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 


The scene is the five men enter Micah’s house and start gathering up the idols while the 600 soldiers waited outside. Micah asks what’s going on.


19 They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” 20 The priest was very pleased. 


The priest sees more money, more power, more influence, a way to better himself. 


He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. 21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left. 


The kids and livestock are put in the front because they know they are going to be attacked from the rear once Micah finds out what has happened. 


22 When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 

23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?” 


The Danites believe Micah and his men don’t stand a chance against their 600 warriors.


24 He replied, “You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’ ” 


Isn’t it interesting how he said, “You took the gods I made”? People cannot make gods that have any power. God is the only one who can create, and that’s because he was not created. He has always been. 


25 The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” 26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home. 


It’s ironic that Micah the thief ends up being stolen from. How does Micah believe it was okay to steal from his mother but not okay to steal from him? It’s because everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. They weren’t following the truth of God’s word, so they made up what was true. 


When God is no longer King of our life, we follow false gods down false paths, and we start believing in false securities. At the end of Chapter 17, Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.” Micah had placed his security in his lucky charm. When we walk away from God, we exchange a true security for a false security. Security is a religion. People think their good deeds will secure them a place in heaven. They think their actions will impress God. They put their security in their religion rather than in following God—a relationship with God. 


27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. 28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. 

The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 29 They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish. 


The Danites were murderous, treacherous, liars, cheaters, and thieves. This is what happens when people walk away from God.


30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. 


Now we find out the Levite’s name was Jonathan—a grandson or great-grandson of Moses. This is how far the Danites and Israelites have fallen from God. What a sad story! It’s a story that should be a wake-up call to all of us. Unless our kids teach their kids the truth of God’s word, it will be forgotten. Our grandkids or great-grandkids can end up following false gods on false paths with false securities and end up in false places—places they were never meant to be. 


31 They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.


This is a condemnation. The whole time they set up and used the idol Micah had made, God was in Shiloh. It wasn’t that God wasn’t there for them. It wasn’t that God had abandoned them. It wasn’t that they never had a chance to know the true and living God. It was that the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh. They would have passed right by this place on their way to Laish! They had every opportunity to know the true and living God, but they abandoned God! When we abandon God:


·      we fail to receive the promises that God wants to give us


·      we seek false gods


·      we go down false paths


·      we trust in false securities


·      we take false actions


·      we end up in a false place


This is what happened to the Danites, the Israelites, and it can happen to us. 


Follow God as King. If he’s not King of your life, you can make him King today. Just as the house of God was available to the Israelites, God is readily available to all of us. All we have to do is pray and start a relationship with Jesus. Make God your security. He’s the only sure security there is.



Verse Completion: . . . teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3 (NLT) 


3/30/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/rOz4trRzxwk



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: So a prophet who predicts peace must show he is right. Only when his predictions come true . . . (completion at the end)



On Sunday Pastor Michael gave a sermon titled “Treachery in Israel” based on Judges 18. Today we will start a recap of that message.


The story told here in Chapter 18 can stand on its own, but it also builds off of the previous chapter. Chapter 17 is the story of Micah who steals a significant amount of money from his mother. When Micah hears his mom put a curse on the person who stole her money, he gets worried over what might happen to him. He confesses to his mom, and she tries to reverse the curse she put on him by blessing Micah. She uses the name of Yahweh to “undo the curse”. She gives Micah some silver and tells him to go and make an idol of Yahweh! 


The idol is made and added to all the other idols Micah has in his shrine. A Levite comes along, and Micah makes him his priest so the priest will insure Micah’s life is blessed. Micah feels like he has a lucky charm in his new priest. 


This is similar to believing in lucky numbers, horoscopes, a cross on a necklace (when it’s believed the material cross will bring good luck or protection), guardian angel pins, and the like. It’s based on superstitions rather than the truth of God’s word. Micah and the Israelites have clearly walked away from God. 


In those days Israel had no king. 


Israel had ceased to recognize God as their king. They had ceased to live in a covenant relationship with God. God was no longer King of their lives and land.


And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.” 


A comparison is being made here. The Levite left in order to find a job. The Danites leave their land in order to find better land. Eleven of the twelve tribes had been given land by God as an inheritance. The allotment for Dan can be found in Joshua 19:40-48. The Danites are living in Zorah and Eshtaol. They hadn’t been able to take the land given to them because they didn’t trust God, and they weren’t faithful to God (see Judges 1:34-36; 2:19-25). When we choose to walk away from God, we don’t receive from God that which he wants to give us. This is a principle of Scripture. When God promises us something, we have to claim that promise by faith, and faith always means following God and obeying God. 


So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. 


We meet up with Micah again. He’s a wealthy man who has an impressive shrine, a personal Levite priest, and a beautiful ranch with attractive amenities. It’s a great place to stop while traveling. 


3 When they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” 

4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.” 

5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.” 


The word for God used here is Elohim in Hebrew (אֱלֹהִים). It can mean “God” or “gods”. What is being said here is, “Inquire of the gods for us.” When Baal was referred to, there were many Baals, just as there are many Buddhas. They weren’t asking, “What does the God of Israel say?” 


6 The priest answered them, “Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD’s approval.” 


It’s interesting that the priest responds with, “Your journey has Yahweh’s approval.” How this is said in Hebrew is: The course on which you are going is before the LORD. By saying this he hasn’t said, “Yes, your journey will be successful,” or “No, your journey will not be successful.” The priest has said something very generic that can be taken either way. He’s saying, “God knows what you’re doing.” The priest wants to say what they want to hear. They hear what they want to hear. 


This Levite is not interested in the truth of God’s word. He wants to tickle these influential men’s ears. He knows these men are able to pad his pockets. His generic answer is a lot like horoscopes today; people read into them what they want them to say. 


The actions of the Danites are wrong. God has already given them their land, but they have decided to go get their own land—land different from what God had planned for them. They are opposing God. When we do not follow the truth of God’s words, we miss out on the promises God wants to give us, and in order to get the promises we want, we follow false gods and false paths. The land the Danites are wanting to take over was given to a different tribe by God. The Danites are doing what is right in their own eyes.


7 So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. 


This was a great place—prosperous, safe, quiet. If the Danites attacked them, there would be no one close by to help the people of Laish. 


8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?” 


9 They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over. 10 When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever.” 


11 Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. 13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house. 


Micah’s house was a refreshing place to stop on their journey. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon with the second half.



Verse Completion: . . . can we know that he is really from the Lord. Jeremiah 28:9 (NLT)


3/29/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/fyYn21RdBBQ



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of a sermon based on John 17:1-19—the great prayer of Jesus. 


We at NCCU have the following purpose statement: “We exist to promote and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation and sanctification of all people.” It is by the power of God with the Holy Spirit working in us that makes it possible for us to accomplish this mission. In order for this to happen, we must be sanctified—made to become like Christ. It’s something God must do.


Second of all, it’s something we must do. Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth.” We must apply the truth. It is something we must do. Paul says in Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (NIV) Work out what God is working within you. That is the call to the Christian.   


 When Paul tells the thief to not steal, he doesn’t say for the thief to think about what he’s doing and pray about it. In Ephesians 4:28 Paul says, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”


Paul is saying, “Stop it!” Why? Because if you’re a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit within you, and, therefore, you can obey Christ. Granted, sanctification is a lifelong process, and none of us become perfect until we’re glorified in heaven. We’ll always be struggling with indwelling sin; it’s part of the nature of a Christian. 


Because we have the Holy Spirit, we can fight, and we must. Stop sinning—like Paul said in Ephesians 4:28. Stealing may not be your sin, but fill in Ephesians 4:28 with your sin: “He who has been gossiping, must gossip no longer. He who has been prideful, must be prideful no longer.” 


Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Apply the whole truth of the gospel: that God made us, that we’re sinners, that Jesus died for us, that he loves us, that he has a purpose for us, that he’s going to justify us, that he’s going to sanctify us. We put on the armor of God so we can stand against the devil and say no to sin.   


We must apply the truth. We have to do it ourselves, but we are able to because we have the Holy Spirit. Every single day of our lives we must fight against indwelling sin. 


The third element is about the word. In verse six it says, “they have obeyed your word.” Verse eight says, “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them.” The words of Jesus reflect the words of God the Father. The teachings of Jesus are a reflection of the teachings of God. Jesus treated the Old Testament as God’s word. Jesus quoted from twenty-four books in the Old Testament. 


When Jesus said, “Your word is truth,” he was talking about the Bible. Once that becomes clear, are we surprised that the church at large is struggling with issues like Christ-likeness, character, and holiness? It’s because there’s so little Bible! The Bible is our hallmark. It’s what we’re about at every level of the church. How are we doing with God’s word? We’re bombarded with other messages every day of the week with our phones, TV, movies . . . but it is his word that is truth. And that’s how we’re going to become more like Jesus. 


The fourth element is mission. Verse 18 says, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” Jesus was sent to seek and save the lost, and we Christians, similarly, have been sent into the world to seek and save the lost. He’s sending us into the world to seek and save the lost. Evangelism and holiness go together.


Paul prays in his letter to Philemon (verse 6), “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” As someone shares their faith, they realize more and more all that they have in the Lord Jesus Christ and they are so grateful. God’s plan is for a holy people to be on a mission. Remember, holiness means set apart for God’s service. 


God is sending us into the world as holy people—set apart for God’s service. As Jesus was sent, so we are sent.


The fifth element is in verse 19: “And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” We are giving ourselves to God as a holy sacrifice. 


Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient. He was born as a man—set apart for God’s service. He came to seek and save the lost—you and me. His death, his resurrection, his sinless life was for our sake—that we might be sanctified. That is the end goal of salvation--that we would be holy as he is holy—set apart for God’s service. 


As a holy people, let’s honor him; let’s declare his praises; let’s be committed to obedience by the power Christ has given us through his Holy Spirit. Let’s be a holy people whose lives bring praise and glory to God. 



Verse Completion: . . . what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (NLT) 


3/28/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/_UREG0ZRhlY



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize . . . (completion at the end)



Some time ago, Pastor Josh Moody gave a sermon based on John 17:1-19—the great prayer of Jesus. What follows is a recap of that sermon. 


In His prayer, Jesus makes three requests of God the Father:


·      First of all, in verse one, that his name be glorified. Right here is evidence that Jesus believes he is God. Earlier Jesus taught us to pray, “Hallowed be thy name,”  but here he is saying, “Glorify me,” because he is indeed God, and he wants to reflect that glory back to God the Father.


·      The second request is found in verses 11 and 15—that we will be kept. Jesus is saying, “Keep them, Lord; protect them; guard them; they are vulnerable.” Jesus is sending us out among wolves, and he wants us kept, protected, preserved—in the world but not of the world. You might be going through a difficult time in your life and wondering how you’re going to carry on, but here is Jesus praying that God would keep you, protect you, guard you—and he will! He will keep you for His prayer is answered.


·      The third request is found in verse 17—that we will be sanctified. What does sanctified mean? It means to become more holy. What does holy mean? There are a variety of things that can be holy:


o  A day can be holy: Genesis 2:3 says, “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.”


o  A mountain can be holy. Isaiah 56:7 says, “these I will bring to my holy mountain.”


o  We have our Holy Bible.


o  People can be holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says: But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”


Holy means to be set apart for God’s service. It’s about being distinct and different, but with a purpose—for God’s service. The greatest example of what it means to be set apart for God’s service is Jesus. Jesus is praying that we will become more like him. Ultimately, to be holy is to be more like Jesus—set apart for God’s service.


The matter of holiness is the most important topic facing the church today. You don’t have to read far to discover scandals going on in churches. We are desperately in need of a fresh desire for holiness—a distinction; being Christ-like. If you are a Christian, you are going to want to be more holy. You are going to want to be more like Jesus. There may be some sin you want to defeat. There may be some character trait you want to develop more; you want to become more holy. As you grow spiritually and draw closer to God, your heart’s desire is to become more like Him.


How do we become more like Jesus? There are two categories regarding the teaching of holiness:


·      One category is that it’s all about the external. There’s the monastic theory practiced by monks and others. It is felt that the way to become more holy is to literally separate oneself from the world. Why? Because one is going to be contaminated by the world if he isn’t separated from the world. This teaching emphasizes the external. 


·      The other approach to the teaching of holiness is the internal. We are taught we are to be in the world but not of the world. This is the approach Jesus took, the Bible takes, and the evangelical church has historically taken.


Look at it like this medical analogy: One approach says the way to avoid catching the contamination of unholiness is to not even get close to an infection—be separate; be a long ways away from it. The other approach supports a strong immune system—antibodies so you can be in the world but not of the world. This is the approach Jesus is teaching here, and it’s the approach he used in his own life. Jesus hung out with sinners; he hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors—the hated people of his age, and yet he was not of the world. He was distinct; he was different; he was holy. This is what Jesus is asking us to become. 


Jesus was praying here that they be in the world but not of the world. Jesus was asking God to sanctify them so they would shine like a light in a dark place. That is the great prayer of Jesus—that we would be like that.


In this prayer of Jesus, we see five elements of being sanctified:


First of all, it’s something God must do. Jesus prayed, “Father, sanctify them.” He’s praying that God would do it. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Dr. Moody’s sermon with the second half.



Verse Completion: . . . what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (NLT)


3/26/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/5CkTNY4J6rI



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: I will punish them in proportion to the . . .(completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Moody’s first sermon in the series titled “Songs of Victory” based on Psalm 2. The ultimate reason for the tumult of the nations is our human rebellion against God and his Christ. The reason for the tumult between Ukraine and Russia is ultimately a rebellion against God and his Christ. The reason for our past wars is ultimately a rebellion against God and his Christ. The wars we will have in the future will ultimately be because of a rebellion against God and his Christ. The reason for the tumult in our own nation is ultimately a rebellion against God and his Christ.


What you don’t hear in the news is that Ukraine has been for decades the Bible Belt of the entire Russian speaking world. Ukraine is where there are the largest churches. The seminaries are located in Ukraine. Of course there are other dynamics going on such as geopolitical realities, psychological, historical, and cultural factors, but ultimately the rage of the nations is a spiritual conflict. It’s an expression of our human rebellion against God and his Christ. 


In 2014 when Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, the seminary there was taken over and destroyed. There was a burning of Christian books. What you don’t hear in the news is that there’s a spiritual reality going on which is a rebellion against God and his Christ. 


In verses four through nine we see what God says:


4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 “As for me, I have set my King

onZion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

andthe ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces likea potter's vessel.”


First God laughs, and then he speaks. Laughter is said to be the best medicine. It can be used in all sorts of different ways and have different impact depending on its context and tone. When we left England to fly to the U.S., the pilot announced that we were the last plane to leave due to a hurricane on the East Coast of America. My wife and I looked at each other, laughed, and said, “That was a piece of information we could have done without.” 


When we tried to land at the JFK Airport, due to the strong winds the pilot was unable to land the plane after three attempts. He then announced, “The next time around we are going to have to land because we don’t have much fuel left.” My wife and I looked at each other and laughed again as we said, “That was a piece of information we could have done without.” 


When Mohammad Ali was asked to put a seatbelt on as his plane was preparing for takeoff, he said, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” The quick-witted stewardess replied, “Superman don’t need no plane either.”


Humor can be used in cutting ways as the Mafia man in the movie said to his enemy, “The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s on my list.” 


We can laugh at God. Many people do today. They think it’s ridiculous to believe in “your invisible friend.” However, no one laughs at God in a hospital. No one laughs at God in a war. No one laughs at God when they’re starving or so very poor. 


The laughter of God in this fourth verse exposes the ridiculousness of our raising our fists against the Almighty. First God laughs, and then he speaks. What he says when he speaks is, “Christ is King!” 


What we are to say is found in verses ten to thirteen:


10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear,

andrejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for hiswrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.


What were are to say is what we would say in evangelism. There’s a warning here for not following Christ as our King, and there’s a word of welcome. The tumults of the nations have a spiritual cause and, therefore, a spiritual solution—evangelism; the gospel. We need to understand the Bible’s perspective on our day, and in the light of the Bible understand the world around us. We need to reconnect the truth of what the Bible says to our feelings and not live in anxiety, depression, and discouragement when we read or hear what’s happening in our world. We need to get out of that view of the world and get into Psalm 2’s view of the world: Christ is the King. Let him speak. Let him tell us what to do. 


We need to get the bigger picture. Part of the task of a leader is to get off the dancefloor of life and get into the balcony. Get the bigger picture. Yes, you may be going through some difficult circumstances. Yes, you may be struggling with this, that, and the other. Yes, the nations are in tumult. Yes, these are serious situations that can lead to serious consequences, but there’s a bigger picture. Christ is King! Look at life from the eternal perspective. We need to connect our emotions to this bigger picture. 


The most important aspect is not to merely get the bigger picture, but to kiss the Son; not merely to understand the truth but commit to it. Too often we minimize what is being asked of us. Computer games have updates—DLC (Downloadable Content). Very often we hear a call to commit to Jesus and we treat it as a DLC. Our life carries on pretty much as it was—we keep playing the same games we’ve been playing. We simply download some spiritual content. 


What’s being asked of us here in Psalm 2 is much more than that. We are being asked to kiss the Son—bow before Jesus, submit to Jesus, worship Jesus, and reorientate our entire lives around Jesus and his rules. The blessing being offered is for those who do this. 


To kiss the Son is not to have a DLC stuck into the already existing software of your life; it’s a reconstruction of your life. It’s having walls torn down. You may recall when President Ronald Reagan said to General Secretary of the Communist Patty of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” What walls do you need to tear down? Let Jesus’ reconstruction project of your life start today.


The path of wisdom is to trust in Jesus and Jesus alone. Kiss the Son!



Verse Completion: . . . to the suffering they cause my people. Jeremiah 25:14b (NLT) 


3/25/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/KPvhRyhpG4o



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy . . .(completion at the end)



This past Sunday, Pastor Josh Moody of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, started a new series of messages titled “Songs of Victory.” Today we will begin a recap of his first sermon in this series based on Psalm 2.


We are living in a time of conflict on the global stage. Therefore it is important that Christians have clarity so they will be able to speak to those who are not yet Christians about the real victory we have. Within Christian circles over the past few years or so, it has become common for us to think about and speak about lament rather than victory. We hear stories, sing songs, write books, and speak on social media about lament. There’s a place for that. There are songs of lament in the book of Psalms. But the unforeseen consequence of that emphasis on lament is the perception that we Christians have a sad message, a message of bad news. That is not the case; we have Good News! We have a message of joy and victory.


Psalm 2 shows us how the tumults of the nations have a spiritual cause and, therefore, a spiritual solution. The book of Psalms is not merely a hymn book. It is put together to help us reconnect our emotions to the word in a way that will lead us to Christ. With all the tumults of the nations, with all the chaos on the global stage, it’s very easy for us to feel anxious and disturbed. We need to see the bigger picture that will give us the courage we need. It’s one thing to have conviction of the truth, and it’s another to live courageously in the light of that truth. 


Eli the priest was a good man but weak. We need to be good and strong. Christians need not only the conviction of the truth, but also the courage to stand up for the truth. In order to have that courage, our emotions need to be reconnected to the word and to Christ. 


The first two psalms are an introduction to the book of Psalms. Psalm 1:1-2 says:


Blessed is the man

whowalks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

norsits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on hislaw he meditates day and night


This describes the path of blessing and happiness. 


Psalm 2 is a royal psalm, a Messianic psalm. It shows us that blessing and happiness come as we commit to the Messiah as our King. The five sections of Psalms reflect the five books of the Law of Moses. The Law is a part of the blessing. At the end of each section you will find these words or a variation of them: Praise be to the LORD God for ever and ever. Amen.


At the end of Psalms there are five praises or five hallelujah psalms to remind us that blessing comes as we follow the word of God. In the middle of the five hallelujah psalms, it’s described for us how that blessing is centered upon the one who is anointed as the horn. The horn is an image of the Messiah, the King. 1 Samuel 2 contains Hannah’s prayer that includes the following:


10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;

against them he will thunder in heaven.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed.”



The horn that is to be lifted up is David the king. In 2 Samuel 22, David describes the horn that is being lifted up is him as the anointed one. 


The horn in the last five hallelujah psalms centers upon the Christ, the Messiah. Psalm 2 is saying that part of the blessing is to follow the word of God as it connects to Christ, the King. This psalm speaks of the Christ, the Messiah, and predicts Jesus as the Christ. It goes far beyond David or any other human king. In verse seven we read:  I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” The king being spoken of here is the LORD’S Son. This could not be said of David. 


In verse eight we read: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. The king being referred to will have a global kingdom. This was not fulfilled in David. 


In verse twelve it says to Kiss the Son. This is a kind of commitment is never described in the Bible as appropriate to commit to any human. When the prophet Elijah confronts the false prophets of Baal, he is encouraged that there are many others who have not submitted to Baal by kissing Baal (see 1 Kings 19). To kiss the Son is to treat the Son as God—bow before him; worship him; adore him. No human king should ever be treated this way. 


This psalm is a royal psalm, a Messianic psalm, that talks of Christ, the King—Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah. The message is that the tumults of the nations have a spiritual cause and, therefore, a spiritual solution. 


There are three parts to the psalm: what they say, what God says, and what we are to say. What they say is found in the first three verses:


Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against theLord and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”


What they are saying is, “We will not have, we will not submit to, we will not accept the rulership of God and his Christ. We will burst their bonds apart. Their rule is too oppressive. It’s like a bondage. It ties us down. It stops us from acting in ways that we feel are our rights. We should have liberty to act how we want. Therefore, we will burst them apart and cast away their cords from us.” 


The ultimate reason for the tumult of the nations is our human rebellion against God and his Christ. The reason for the tumult between Ukraine and Russia is ultimately a rebellion against God and his Christ. The reason for our past wars is ultimately a rebellion against God and his Christ. The wars we will have in the future will ultimately be because of a rebellion against God and his Christ. The reason for the tumult in our own nation is ultimately a rebellion against God and his Christ. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Dr. Moody’s sermon with the second half. 



Verse Completion: . . . the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT) 


3/24/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/ySPQcp5hIqM



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of  Pastor Del McKenzie’s message titled “Rest from the Holy Spirit.” Prayer and rest go together. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Roughness, rather than gentleness, is a great cause of restlessness. Pride also causes restlessness. 


Through Jesus we find rest for our souls. This is an internal rest—a quietness, a calmness, a peacefulness, tranquility, and serenity. Rest starts inside of us. 


Psalm 127:2 says: It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. This is rest for the body which is different from rest for the soul. 


The second key passage is Psalm 62:1-2: For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. David experienced the internal rest that only God can give. Three verses later he says: For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us (verses 5-8). These four verses are great verses to read often. It’s a good way to talk to yourself. If you are restless in your soul, read these four verses to give yourself a good talking-to. 


David goes on to say in verses 11-12: Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work. David is saying, “God, you are able to give me rest, and you want to give me rest because you are strong, and you are loving.” Sometimes the best thing for our agitation, irritation, fretting, and stewing is to give ourselves a good talking-to, and Psalm 62 is a great place to go to give ourselves the talking-to that we need. 


The third key passage is Psalm 116:7: Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. David is instructing himself to be at rest. This is a condition of rest. He used to be at rest, and now he is telling himself to go back to that rest. 


Don’t doubt the goodness of God. David can’t repay God for his goodness; it’s all a gift of God’s grace. There’s no price on it because it’s free. In verses 12-14 we read: What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. We need to remember God’s goodness and benefits to us. They are all out of his grace and mercy. 


The Holy Spirit does so much for us. What is our part? Let’s look at three things we can do:


1.   Call on the Holy Spirit. Psalm 116:13b says: call on the name of the Lord. Pray to the Holy Spirit and say, “There’s a restlessness in my soul. Help me to understand why. Help me to turn away from it and turn to you.”


2.   Lean on the Holy Spirit. When we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. 


3.   Be careful not to miss what the Holy Spirit does. Hebrews 4:1 says: Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. A little later in verses 9-11 we read: So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. If we are out of God’s rest, we can get back into it. If we are in God’s rest, we can get deeper into it. Don’t get cheated out of it. Do what’s necessary to enter God’s rest.


The Holy Spirit is the great rest giver. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.



Verse Completion: . . . turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Jeremiah 23:36 (NLT) 


3/23/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/glrc6lDZh70



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and . . . (completion at the end)



On Monday, Pastor Del McKenzie continued his series of messages on the Holy Spirit with his twenty-second talk titled “Rest from the Holy Spirit.” So far we have looked at the Holy Spirit wanting to be our companion, being the Spirit of life, making Jesus real to us, the enabler of worship, leading us in prayer, making us loving people, setting us free, giving us power, being our teacher, being our comforter, the one who brings conviction, the one who brings unity, the one who brings assurance, the one who guards us, the one who leads us, the one who gives us hope, the one who sanctifies us, the one who puts to death the misdeeds of the body, the one who gives gifts, the one who gives peace, and the one who gives joy.


The lyrics to the chorus of the song “Did You Think to Pray?” are as follows:


Oh, how praying rests the weary

Prayer will change the night to day

So when life seems dark and dreary

Don't forget to pray


Prayer and rest go together. The Holy Spirit answers our prayers for rest. Isaiah 63:14a says: Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.


Throughout history we find that people are restless. They are in turmoil. Many find rest very difficult. Different kinds of drugs are given to people to help them sleep. 


Deuteronomy 28 is about the blessings for obedience to God and the curses for disobedience to God. One of the consequences for disobedience is found in verse 65: And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Our world is in great need of rest! The Holy Spirit is the one who gives rest. Those who don’t have the Holy Spirit, don’t have rest. Are you getting rest from the Holy Spirit? Are you trusting the Holy Spirit for rest? Are you asking and expecting the Holy Spirit to give you rest? 


Let’s look at some of the key verses from Scripture on the topic of rest. Matthew 11:28-30 says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”


Jesus gives rest to those who go to him and keep going to him. When we are yoked with Jesus, we serve Jesus. We align ourselves with Jesus. We don’t do what we want to do; we do what Jesus wants us to do. We become students of Jesus. 


Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. We need to be the same way. Roughness is a great cause of restlessness. Roughness includes rough words, rough tones, and rough gestures. The Holy Spirit gives us rest when we are gentle with other people. The more gentle we become, the more restful we become.


Pride is a great cause of restlessness. We are to learn humility. The Holy Spirit gives rest by shaping us into the humbleness of Jesus. The Holy Spirit implants humility into our lives and the result is restfulness. Paul said, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). Colossians 2:9-10 says: For in [Jesus] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. We are complete when we are in Christ. 


Everything we need is found in Jesus. John 16:13-15 says:  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit takes the rest that we find in Jesus, and he makes it a reality in our lives. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Pastor Del’s message with the second half. 



Verse Completion: . . . we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NLT) 


3/22/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/VeGNgBwPTMA



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation . . .(completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Dr. Moody’s sermon based on Zechariah 8:1-23. The issue in Chapter 7 was God’s people didn’t obey God; they disregarded the Ten Commandments. In Chapter 8 we have ten promises of God’s love for rebels like us.


The sixth promise is found in verses nine through thirteen:  9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” Part of the expression of God’s love is his peace. When we have peace with God, we have peace with other believers through the eternal covenant with God. 

The seventh promise is in verses fourteen through seventeen: 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”


 So many people these days are preaching anger, conflict, war, and divisiveness, but we Christians have a message of Good News. Romans 8:28 says: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 


The eighth promise is in verses eighteen and nineteen:  18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace. The fasting will turn into feasting. 

The ninth promise is in verses twenty to twenty-two: 20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 


God’s movement of his people involves a multi-national people—a multi-racial people. The largest parts of the Church are not in Western Europe or America; they are in Africa and Asia. God loves all people. 

The tenth promise is in verse twenty-three: . 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” (ESV) We have to remember the triple-horizon promise. First, there’s the rebuilding of the temple. Second, we read in Acts about people esteeming to be part of the Church. This is our prayer today that people will want to hear the gospel message and become a part of the Church. God wants to draw people from all nations to himself. Third, there will be a gathering of God’s people in a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:3-4 says: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”


God loves his people. He won’t give up. Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” God has a jealous love for his people. Romans 8:34, 35, 37-39 says: 

 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)


We must not give up! We are to be strong and courageous. 


A movie was made that featured the life of Winston Churchill. At one point he was at a difficult place in his leadership. He had just become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He constituted a war cabinet that turned against him. The cabinet wanted to have appeasement with Hitler. Churchill was marginalized. 


Churchill decided to take the subway for the first time in his life and be with the people of the UK. He asked the people riding the subway what they thought he should do. If the UK stood firm, there would be bloodshed. Could a reasonable deal be made with Hitler? 


When Churchill asked the people, “Should we give up?” they replied one-by-one with, “Never!” 


God loves you, and if you are a believer he has a plan for you. If you are not a believer, don’t delay. Come to him. Become part of God’s plan for your life. He’ll never give up on you. We must not give up either. 



Verse Completion: . . . renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. Jeremiah 18:7, 8 (NLT) 


3/21/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/SEfN8A4wpbM



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have . . . (completion at the end)



Pastor Josh Moody of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, recently started a series of messages titled “Zechariah: A Prophet of Hope.” We will begin a recap of his fifth sermon in this series based on Zechariah 8:1-23.


God is saying here that he loves his people, and he will not give up on them. In turn they must not give up on him. 


Zechariah and Haggai have told the people of Israel they are to rebuild the temple. Eight visions were given to Zechariah in one night in 519 B.C. They contained a message of hope. 


After Zechariah shared the visions, the question is asked: “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” (7:3b). The context here is God’s people have been fasting, weeping, and mourning on this particular month because they had been sent into exile. This fast was in addition to the normal fast. After hearing the messages of the visions, the people are wondering if they should continue weeping. Zechariah gives them an answer in Chapter 7. He tells them the reason they went into exile is not that they didn’t fast right; the reason is they had idols, tolerated injustice, didn’t have mercy on the weak, poor, and disadvantaged. 


In Chapter 8 we find ten repetitions: Thus says the Lord of hosts . . . After each we find an expression of his passionate, protective love. Intimacy is involved. There’s an exclusive relationship between God and his people. Therefore, it is not a time to mourn or fast. Conversely, it’s a time to feast.


Preachers down through the ages have had a difficult time persuading people that God loves them. Deep down people find it nearly impossible to accept that God loves them. We live in a world of pain and suffering. People need to be persuaded over and over that God loves them. John 3:16-17 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” God loves his people, and he loves the world. 


We’ve been through a lot recently. Just as we start to come out of COVID, we get hit with the situation in Ukraine. We can start to feel like giving up. We must remember God never gives up and neither should we. 


The issue in Chapter 7 was they didn’t obey God; they disregarded the Ten Commandments. In Chapter 8 we have ten promises of God’s love for rebels like us. 


In the first two verses we read: And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:  I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. God has an exclusive marriage with his people—a covenant relationship. He has a protective jealousy for them. He won’t allow them to be destroyed. He will care for them. 


We are his, and he is ours. He is jealous for us and will protect us. God loves us so much, he will not allow us to be destroyed. He doesn’t love us with a weak, passive, sentimental love; he loves us with a strong, sovereign, almighty love. He is jealous for his people. 


The second promise is found in verse three: Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. God’s people will be established. Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18b). 


The third promise is in verses four and five:Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. This is part of God’s protective, jealous love—his city will be a place where the vulnerable are safe and experience joy. 


The fourth promise is in verse six: Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? God works in ways for his people that are marvelous—supernatural; miraculous; above and beyond what we could do. We see an example in the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah when Abraham was 100 years old. This was marvelous, incredible, unlikely, extraordinary, and yet God did it. This birth looks forward to another birth that was marvelous, not because of the mother’s old age, but the fact that she was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Is anything too difficult for God? 


The marvel they saw with Zechariah was the rebuilding of the temple. The marvel we have seen is Jesus the Messiah. The marvel we have not yet seen is the return of Jesus.


The fifth promise is in verses seven and eight: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness. These verses emphasize God’s saving power. When God saves people, he brings them together. His saving power is sovereign. He is the one who does the saving. We witness but God saves. 


We will continue this recap of Pastor Moody’s sermon tomorrow with the second half. 



Verse Completion: . . . denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. 1 Timothy 5:8 (NLT) 


3/19/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/PgeyYqaDroo



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my  . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Moody’s sermon based on Zechariah 5:1-4. One of the most common questions people have about God is: If you believe in a God of love, how is it possible that he sends people to hell? How can hell be a good thing? This passage will help us answer this.


The eighth commandment is about stealing. The third commandment is about swearing falsely (blasphemy, taking God’s name in vain). It deals with the conflict of professing to be a Christian but not living like a Christian. By living like this we take God’s name in vain. We deny what it means to be a Christian because we don’t live like one. 


Those who have broken both sides of the scroll will be cleaned out. God has a standard for his people. Those who don’t meet that standard will be cleaned out. 


  In verse four where it says him who swears falsely by my name, it’s referring to the person who says, “I’m following God,” but doesn’t live that way. They feel safe because they are in the house, but there’s no hiding from God. Zechariah 1:15 says: And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. God is angry at those who are in their houses and think everything is fine. 


Zechariah sees a huge scroll that’s flying over the whole earth. It’s going to enter into the houses of those who seem at ease: those who pretend to be following God but really aren’t, those who take God’s name in vain, those who steal, those who blaspheme. When the scroll enters the house, the house will be destroyed. 


In the game of chess there is something called zugzwang. It’s a situation wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because of their obligation to make a move that will worsen their position. God is saying here that the thieves and those who have taken his name in vain are in zugzwang. There’s no move they can make that will make things better. It's a very serious warning! 


How does this fit with the rest of the Bible? Genesis 3 tells us that since we rebelled against God there is a curse on the earth. Deuteronomy 28 tells us that there are blessings for obeying God and curses for not obeying God. Jesus had more to say about hell than any other person in the Bible. Paul wrote in Romans 3:10-18:


As the Scriptures say,

“None is righteous, no, not one;

11     no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

13 “Their throat is an open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.”

“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

14     “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16     in their paths are ruin and misery,

17 and the way of peace they have not known.”

18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”



Is it reasonable to believe what Zechariah has said? When people ask me, “If you believe in a God of love, how is it possible that he sends people to hell?” my response is, “Do you really want to live in a world where there is no ultimate judge? Do you really want to live in a world where the people who rape and abuse children never have any consequences? Do you really want Hitler to get away with killing millions in gas chambers?” After a person admits there does need to be an ultimate judge, then it’s just a question of degree. 


Who is under God’s judgment and who is not? We are all under God’s judgment. We just read in Romans that there is no one righteous, not even one. We have all broken God’s law. We have all fallen short of God’s holy law. The flying scroll is over the whole earth. 


How can this be a message of hope? The answer lies with the greatest theologian of the twentieth century—Forrest Gump. As Forrest and the love of his life, Jenny, start to walk by the house where she grew up and was so abused by her own father, they stop. Jenny walks closer to the house, picks up rocks, and starts throwing them at the house—one after another after another. Her pent-up anger begins to come out. She eventually collapses on the ground from exhaustion. Forrest walks up to her, sits right next to her, and says, “Sometimes I guess there just aren’t enough rocks.” 


But there is a scroll, and it is huge! It’s flying over the whole earth. For those who have experienced victimization and abuse, this is a message of hope. One day the God of the whole earth with judge it. Those who have raped, abused, and killed with not get away with their crimes. It must be terrible for world leaders who have on their conscience the death of hundreds of thousands. Be warned! A day of reckoning is coming!


The good news is Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Galatians 3:13-14 says: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.


Jesus who was purely good and utterly righteous died in our place, the cursed ones, that we might be blessed, filled with his love, and be made clean out of his mercy, grace, and favor. He gives us eternal peace and joy because of what he did. 


To receive what Christ has done for us, we must come to him. Don’t delay. There is a curse that is hovering over the whole earth, but if you believe in Jesus you will not be cursed; you will be blessed. 



Verse Completion: . . . unfailing love and my mercy. Jeremiah 16:5b (NLT) 


3/18/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/NsOeUowDaBA



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: You must influence them; do not . . .(completion at the end)



Pastor Josh Moody of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, recently started a series of messages titled “Zechariah: A Prophet of Hope.” We will begin a recap of his fourth sermon in this series based on Zechariah 5:1-4: 


Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll! 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.” 3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. 4 I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”(ESV)


The prophet Zechariah receives this sixth vision from God on a night in 519 B.C. Each vision has a message to encourage God’s people. They have been called to rebuild the temple after returning from exile. Zechariah and Haggai are God’s dynamic duo for this challenging time. They are calling God’s people to be courageous and move forward in building the temple. 


The other visions have been positive, but this one appears to be negative—a curse. When we think of cursing today, we might think of a person using curse words or obscene language of some kind. Ephesians 4:29 says: Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Christians are not to use profanity. They are to use language that builds others up. Cursing is sometimes used in a looser way in the form of trash talking. It goes on in sports, politics, and other places. Sometimes people trash talk themselves. Henry Kissinger once said, “The one good thing about being famous is that when you bore people at dinner parties, they think it’s their fault.” 


When we read Scripture like this where it says God curses, what is being described is God’s declaration that the whole earth is under the curse of the law. Paul said in Galatians 3:10: For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” God has a moral standard that is revealed in the Scriptures, but no one has kept it. Therefore, we are under his curse. It may not seem like it, but this passage is not only filled with hope; it is, in God’s providence, extraordinarily relevant to our global scene today. 


In ancient times it was thought that there was no such thing as a “black swan,” so the term came to mean anything that was impossible. Later, black swans were discovered in Australia. The meaning of “black swan” was then changed to that which was thought to be impossible but actually exists. You may think it’s impossible for a passage about God’s curse to be a message of hope, but it is. Let’s examine it. 


One of the most common questions people have about God is: If you believe in a God of love, how is it possible that he sends people to hell? How can hell be a good thing? This passage will help us answer this.


What Zechariah saw when he saw a flying scroll is a book, since ancient books were in the form of scrolls. Let’s remember that the genre we are reading is apocalyptic literature, so we shouldn’t be surprised to find a flying book. Apocalyptic literature has the same message as the rest of the Bible, but the message is given in strange ways. The reason apocalyptic literature is used is so those who have become hardened and say, “I’ve heard all this before,” can receive a visual kickstart so they can see anew what is being said.


The book Zechariah sees is huge—20 cubits by 10 cubits (about thirty feet by fifteen feet). The dimensions are deliberate. The temple is to be rebuilt, and in the middle of the temple was the most special area known as the Holy of Holies—20 cubits by 20 cubits. The scroll being rolled out is the same dimension as the Holy of Holies on one side, and half the dimension on the other side. God’s holiness is being rolled out by the one dimension of his law (20 cubits) and by the other dimension of his mercy (10 cubits). Here the emphasis is on the law. God has his standard, and the people have broken his standard. Consequently, there is a curse that goes out over the whole earth. 


The scroll has two sides because it is the scroll of the law. Exodus 32:15 says: Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. There are two parts or two sides to the Ten Commandments. The first part is about loving, honoring, and pleasing God. The second part is about loving, honoring, and pleasing your neighbor. God’s people have broken both parts.


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Dr. Moody’s sermon with the second half.



Verse Completion: . . . let them influence you. Jeremiah 15:19b (NLT) 


3/17/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/JcPzkNGp_oo



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your  . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Del’s message titled “The Joy of the Holy Spirit.” Providing believers with joy is one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit. 


Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit. Notice how joy is second in the list, right after love. Fruit is the result of life flowing up through something. The Holy Spirit pumps life into us, and the result is fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 


As we submit to pruning, we bear more fruit. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:1-4). 


As we submit to God’s pruning, we have more joy. If we resist God’s pruning, the joy of the Lord leaves us, and our strength leaves us. Nehemiah 8:10b says: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” When the Holy Spirit produces fruit in us, not only will there be fruit, but there will be more fruit, much fruit, and lasting fruit. When the Holy Spirit produces fruit in us, not only will there be joy, but there will be more joy, much joy, and lasting joy. Lasting joy is true joy. It’s contentment in a changing world regardless of what the circumstances are. 


Jesus was full of joy. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy, and joy is a gift given by the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 1:6 says: You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. Joy is not wages. Joy is not a bonus. Joy is a gift given by the Holy Spirit. It’s a gift of grace—a gift of God’s free giving that includes things like life, health, sleep, and so on. There are known and unknown gifts of grace. There are internal and external gifts of grace. There are spiritual gifts and material gifts. There are temporal gifts and eternal gifts. I’m thankful for all the gifts I receive. Every pain-free step is a gift of God’s grace. Every pain-free breath is a gift of God’s grace. 


As Jesus prayed to the Father for his disciples, he said, “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them” (John 17:13). Our joy is in Jesus. Everything in Jesus; in Jesus everything. Jesus is the consummate gift—the absolute gift. Out of him come all the other gifts. 


Joy is not a formula where you have to take certain steps in order to have joy. Joy is not an exercise to go through. It’s not an experience. Our joy is in Jesus, not circumstances. Philippians 4:4 says: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! In our sufferings, the Holy Spirit is eager to give us the joy of the Lord. It’s possible to have tears on our faces and joy in our hearts. We can ask for joy and receive it.


There is great joy in the gospel. It’s the Good News about the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Jesus. The gospel is the Good News of an abundant life and an eternal life with Jesus. 


Romans 14:17 says: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. What is the kingdom of God? There are at least four aspects to it:


·      The eternal kingdom in heaven. 


·      The millennial kingdom. For a thousand years Jesus will reign here on the earth. 


·      The corporate kingdom. Jesus is head of the Church. Jesus is currently building the Church. He is drawing people to himself. He is taking them out of sin and washing them, purifying them, delivering them, making them his children, bringing them into the Church—the unified body of believers. 


·      The personal kingdom. This is the kingdom of our heart. Who reigns in your heart—the old nature or Jesus? This is an internal, invisible, and individual kingdom. Either you have the kingdom of God in you or you don’t. Jesus is either King of your life or he isn’t. Jesus is either Lord of all or he’s not Lord at all. An old hymn has the words:



King of my life, I crown Thee now,

Thine shall the glory be;

Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,

Lead me to Calvary.


Lest I forget Gethsemane;

Lest I forget Thine agony;

Lest I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.


This is the essence of salvation—we give up the throne of our life and give Jesus the throne we held. We crown Jesus as King. We submit to him. We honor him as King. 


I need to pray that Jesus will be the Lord of my life, and I need to pray that Jesus will be Lord of other people’s lives. Jesus taught us to pray: “. . . your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”  (Matthew 6:10). I need to pray for myself and others that the rulership of Jesus will bring righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus reigns there is righteousness. When Jesus reigns there is joy. When Jesus reigns there is peace. 


The joy and peace that Jesus brings is far different from the happiness material things bring. Sometimes we are ecstatic with the joy brought by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes there are tears on our face and pain in our heart brought on by heartache, pain, and suffering. However, we’re there only temporarily. The Holy Spirit gives us joy in our heart even in the midst of very difficult times. There is joy to the degree that Jesus is King of our hearts.


Is Jesus King of your heart? Are you asking the Holy Spirit to fill you with joy?  



Verse Completion: . . . love, your faith, and your purity. 1 Timothy 4:12b (NLT) 


3/16/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/_teCNEe5PQA



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are . . .(completion at the end)



On Monday, Pastor Del McKenzie continued his series of messages on the Holy Spirit with his twenty-first talk titled “The Joy of the Holy Spirit.” So far we have looked at the Holy Spirit wanting to be our companion, being the Spirit of life, making Jesus real to us, the enabler of worship, leading us in prayer, making us loving people, setting us free, giving us power, being our teacher, being our comforter, the one who brings conviction, the one who brings unity, the one who brings assurance, the one who guards us, the one who leads us, the one who gives us hope, the one who sanctifies us, the one who puts to death the misdeeds of the body, the one who gives gifts, and the one who gives peace.


Charles Spurgeon wrote the following:  


Common, too common, is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. He deserves our best, for he is good—supremely good. As God, he is good essentially. He shares in the threefold description—holy, holy, holy—which ascends to the throne of triune Jehovah. He is purity, truth, and grace. He is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness and striving with our rebellious wills. He quickens us from death in sin, and then he trains us for the skies that we’re going to as a loving nurse fosters her child. How generous, forgiving and tender is this patient Spirit of God! 


He is good operatively. All his works are good in the most eminent degree. He suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, and leads to good results. There's no spiritual good in all the world of which he is not the author and the sustainer. Heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to his work. 


He is good officially, whether as comforter, instructor, guide, sanctifier, quickener, or intercessor. He fulfills his office well, and each work is laden with the highest good to the church of God. Those who yield to his influence have become good. Those who obey his impulses do good, and those who live under his power receive good. Let us then act towards so good a person according to the dictates of gratitude. Let us revere and adore him who is overall God-blessed forever. Let us recognize his power and admit our need of him by waiting on him in our holy enterprises. Let us hourly seek his aid and never grieve him. And let us praise him whenever any opportunity to do so arises. 


The church will never prosper until more reverently it believes in the Holy Spirit. He is so good and kind that it is sad indeed that he should be grieved by any slights or neglects. 


The topic of joy is found throughout the Bible. The word joy and its derivatives is found about two hundred times in the Bible. Philippians is known as the “Joy Epistle” where we find the words joy and rejoice appearing numerous times. 


Joy may involve a happy feeling. It has the idea of cheerfulness and being well-off. Joy is an inner satisfaction and delight. It’s not subject to the changing world around us. It’s not subject to the disappointments, heartaches, and sufferings of life. Joy is something we can have. It’s the basis for thanksgiving and praise to God. 


As we read the Scriptures, we often find the words peace and joy close to each other. It’s like they are the twins of gratitude. Here are three examples:


·      Romans 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 


·      Galatians 5:22-23a: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  


·      Isaiah 55:12: You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.


Providing believers with joy is one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit. The joy he provides results in emotional, spiritual, physical, and relational health. If you are going through a difficult time in your life, you might do what I did: Make a notebook titled “My Joy Book.” In it write all the verses that have the word joy or rejoice in them. Immerse yourself in those verses. You can ask the Spirit to give you joy and expect him to give you joy. He will do it; it’s one of his ministries. 


Jesus sent out seventy-two workers ahead of him to every town where he was going to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). They were able to heal the sick and cast out demons. The seventy-two were filled with joy. Jesus said to them, “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Rejoicing that our names are written in heaven is the essence of God’s working in our lives and the essence of this whole concept of joy. 


Then we come to Luke 10:21: At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.” Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit. He was overflowing with joy. There was fullness of joy for Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and there is fullness of joy for us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus praised the Father, and we should do the same. 


We are to rejoice that our names are written in heaven. By doing so, the whole atmosphere of the day can change. We don’t want to train our eyes to only see what’s right in front of us; we want to train our eyes to look beyond to the eternal. The Holy Spirit will help us do this.


We don’t want to miss the point that the joy of Jesus was through the Holy Spirit. It was the ministry of the Holy Spirit that gave Jesus his fullness of joy. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit that gives us the same fullness of joy. We just need to ask and trust. 


Have you met people who claim to be followers of Christ but are sour, gloomy, snarly, and snarky? They are pessimists. They always find something to complain about. They haven’t discovered the joy that can be found through the Holy Spirit. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Pastor Del’s message with the second half.



Verse Completion: . . . the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy? Jeremiah 12:1 (NLT) 


3/15/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/Cxr8Qyd2t1E?t=33



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “Idolatry in Israel” based on Judges 17. What’s happening in Judges is the authority of God’s word no longer plays a part in the lives of God’s people. God is no longer the authority in their lives. It’s the same today. God may be an authority in a person’s life along with horoscopes, palm readings, lucky charms, and superstitions. It doesn’t work that way. God is a jealous God. He will have no other gods but him. He does not share his lordship with anyone or anything else.


Micah’s mother tried to undo the curse she had placed on the person who stole her money which turned out to be her son. She used the name of God to try and undo the curse. She was using God’s name as a lucky charm in order to get her way.


3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the LORD for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.” 

4 So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house. 


She’s made an idol out of silver for God! How does this make any sense?! She clearly has no idea of who God is any longer. She made a false god out of silver claiming it was made to serve the true God. It doesn’t work that way. It’s like she was saying to God, “You should bless me because look at what I’m doing for you.” Does she want God to bless her for breaking the first and second commandments: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth? God’s word has no authority in her life. She’s doing what a lot of people do today—pick and choose which parts of God’s word they will follow. 


5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. 


The shrine Micah has is like a mini-temple. Inside are idols and the special idol of silver Micah’s mother had made by a silversmith. An ephod is a set of priestly clothing. With his son installed as a priest, Micah has a public place of worship. Micah is making money off of it. This is clearly in violation of God’s word which stated only those from the tribe of Levi could be priests, and only those from the tribe of Aaron could be high priests. God’s word is not an authority in Micah’s life. 


6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. 


This is a key verse that describes America today. People want God for salvation, but they don’t want the authority of God to be in operation in their lives. When it comes down to everyday living, they want the freedom to do whatever they feel like doing. They don’t want God or anyone else telling them what they can and can’t do! To them truth is subjective—it’s whatever they want it to be. Truth is relative. People say, “That’s your truth; that’s not my truth. Don’t try to force your truth on me.” To them God’s truth holds no authority over them. As a society we have thrown out the authority of God’s words. People try to undermine the truth of God’s word. They attempt to take the truth of God and change it into a lie while taking their own lies and changing them into the truth. 


Sometimes we are afraid to read God’s word because we’re afraid of what it might say to us. We don’t want to read anything that’s in opposition to what we want to do. We say, “I’ll follow God when it’s to my advantage, but if I have to change something I like doing or if I have to sacrifice something or die to self, I’m not interested.” By saying this we become the authority. Sometimes self-help books become the authority. Sometimes churches that don’t teach God’s word become our authority. We want to go to churches that ignore the same verses we ignore. We try to manipulate God by saying, “If you don’t favor me, then I’m going to find some other god that will favor me and bless me in whatever I decide to do.” We want God to change his standards to fit our lifestyle rather than change our lifestyle to fit God’s standards. 


When it says Israel had “no king,” it’s not contrasting judges and kings, it’s saying Israel has rejected God as king. Exodus 19:5-6a says:  Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ God will be the King in the kingdom of priests. Tragically, Israel has rejected God as their King. They have rejected the authority of God in their lives so they can do whatever they want to do. This is exactly what Samson did. He married whoever he wanted to marry whether it had God’s blessing or not. He did what was right in his own eyes. 


7 A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” 

“I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.” 


A Levite is looking for a job. He’s looking for a job since there’s very little activity at the temple. 


10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 

12 Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”


Micah knows that Levites are supposed to minister before God. If a Levite lived in his house, Micah would be even more blessed. The Levite would be a lucky charm for him. As God blesses the Levite, Micah will also be blessed since the Levite will be living in his house. Micah feels like he has a genie in a bottle. He feels like he’ll be able to control and manipulate God to get whatever he wants. 


Micah doesn’t get it. God never blesses us because of who we are; he blesses us because of who he is. He is God. He’s the authority of this whole universe. God is the faithful one; we are not the faithful ones. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Philippians 2:9-11 says: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Get rid of superstitions. Get rid of lucky charms. Get rid of lucky coins. Get rid of horoscopes. Get rid of lucky numbers. If you want your life to be blessed, go to God. If you want your life to work out, go to God. If you want everlasting life, go to God. If you want salvation, go to God. Don’t go to anything or anyone else. 


Micah, his mother, and even the Levite don’t have a relationship with God. They know about God, but they don’t know God. They think they can manipulate God to do what they want him to do. God is not the authority in their lives. God’s word is not the authority in their lives.


What happens when we do not accept God’s word as the authority in our lives? We spiral down into spiritual chaos. When we don’t change our lives to be in accordance with God’s word, we spiral down into spiritual decay and chaos. We take steps away from God and begin to compromise with the world that is already far from God. We replace the one, true God with false gods. 


Who is your God? Is it Jesus alone? Is he alone your Savior? Is he alone your Lord, Master, and Commander? Is he the authority in your life? Are you willing to change your life to be in accordance with what God tells you in his word, or do you want to pick and choose the parts of your life where you want God’s authority?  The parts of our lives that we won’t surrender to God are idols in our lives. Idols in our lives mean Jesus is not truly Lord of our lives. Idols in our lives result in spiritual chaos. Ask God to reveal the idols in your life, and then throw them out! Be done with them! Jesus only!



Verse Completion: . . . taken to heaven in glory. 2 Timothy 3:16b (NLT) 


3/14/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/ZZqV6i98SkA



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, you make righteous judgments, and you . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday Pastor Michael gave a sermon titled “Idolatry in Israel” based on Judges 17. Today we will start a recap of that message.


The book of Judges takes place about 100 years after the death of Moses. The Israelites are still working at taking over the promised land. God has given them his promises, blessings, hope for a better future, and God has given them his covenant. Sadly, the book of Judges is a tragedy. The Israelites had so much going for them, but they failed to follow God. The book isn’t just about the human condition; it’s also about God. It shows where humanity fails but where God is faithful. The book is about a faithful, forgiving, gracious, and loving God. God gives us what we don’t deserve.


What happens when we don’t consider God’s word as authoritative in our lives? As we read the next few chapters, we will discover the consequences of living outside of the covenant. We have seen some of the outward consequences in the first sixteen chapters: wars, famines, corruption, chaos. As we read Chapter Seventeen and the following chapters, we see the inward or spiritual consequences of not considering God as authoritative in our lives. 


Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim . . . 


Ephraim is located in the central part of Israel, northwest of the Dead Sea. Ephraim is one of the largest and most powerful tribes in Israel. What happens in the heart of the nation happens in the extremities of Israel. 


. . . said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.” 


The story immediately sets us on edge. Micah stole from his mother what is equivalent to well over a million dollars! Micah is not concerned about the words of God; they have no place in his life. He would have known about the eighth commandment found in Exodus 20:15: Thou shalt not steal, but they didn’t apply to him. He was going to live his life however he saw fit. By stealing from his mother, he also broke the fifth commandment: Honor your father and mother, but God’s word is not authoritative in his life. He’s going to do whatever he wants to do. 


However, Micah heard his mother utter a curse against the person who stole the money. Perhaps the curse was that the person who stole the money would have something terrible happen to him: his life be snuffed out quickly, catch a deadly disease, have the gods turn against him, become blind. 


When this book was written, the people in the ancient Near East were very superstitious. They believed there were many gods, and they were scared of them, because they believed the gods had power over them. They believed that the specific god named in a curse would insure that curse would come true. They believed there was supernatural power in the curses. When something bad happened, they believed the gods were displeased about something. The people went to diviners, fortune-tellers, and the like to figure things out.


Deuteronomy 18:9-13 says: When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. (NIV)


Micah’s mother is doing what God said not to do. She’s trusting the gods to curse the one who stole her money. 


People are still superstitious today. You may of heard of things that will bring you bad luck: walking under a ladder, having a black cat cross in front of you, breaking a mirror (that causes seven years of bad luck), and all the other nonsense. We have sayings such as “knock on wood.” Does the wood have some sort of power . . . the same wood you saw in two or burn? Does crossing one’s fingers have anything to do with the outcome of something?


There are people who go through some type of ritual before a sports game because that’s supposed to bring them good luck. There are people who watch sporting events and do things that supposedly help their team win the game! Some people think having a lucky coin, lucky rabbit’s foot, or lucky ring will somehow affect what happens in the future. Some people believe having a guardian angel charm will keep them safe on the road. 


There are people who believe in horoscopes. They read the newspaper to see what they should do. If you pray, and God gives you the green light on a major decision you’re concerned about, but then you read the horoscope that tells you not to make any major decisions today, what are you going to do? If you put off the decision until the horoscope tells you to go ahead, the horoscope is a god—an idol. Your trust is in a god, not the one, true God—Jehovah! Disciples of Christ have no business believing horoscopes have any kind of power. 


What’s happening in Judges is the authority of God’s word no longer plays a part in their life. God is no longer the authority in their lives. It’s the same today. God may be an authority in a person’s life along with the horoscope, palm reading, lucky charms, and superstitions. It doesn’t work that way. God is a jealous God. He will have no other gods but him. He does not share his lordship with anyone or anything else. 


We are not to fear any curses placed on us by someone else. There’s no curse that Jesus can’t and hasn’t overcome. There is no God greater than Jesus. Curses from false gods mean nothing. False gods are powerless—they have no power whatsoever! They are not to be feared. Psalm 27:1 says: The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?


The Israelites shouldn’t have been concerned about the curses of the gods; they should have been concerned about the covenant curses. How ironic that Micah is worried about a curse from a false god, but he’s not worried about the curses that Yahweh (the one, true God) has already said in the covenant would come true if they didn’t listen to him. 


Let’s examine our lives. Do we believe in lucky numbers? Do we put faith in lucky charms? Do we wear a chain with a cross because we believe it will bring us good luck or some kind of favor before God? If we believe that, the chain with the cross is an idol. 


Then his mother said, “The LORD bless you, my son!” 


The mother is not blessing her son for stealing her money. What she’s trying to do is undo the curse she placed earlier on the person who stole her money. She’s hoping the blessing she’s giving her son in Yahweh’s name will override the curse she placed in one of the false god’s name. She’s using Yahweh’s name as a lucky charm. She’s using God’s name to get her way. This is messed up, but it gets even more messed up! Clearly, she doesn’t have a relationship with God. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon with the second half. 



Verse Completion: . . . examine the deepest thoughts and secrets. Jeremiah 11:20a (NLT) 


3/12/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/O0WzW7BiKk8



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Dr. Moody’s sermon based on Zechariah 4:1-14. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah has a word for the prideful, but he also has a word for the pragmatic.


We see another way Zechariah’s message is significant when we examine the first verse: And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. Note that Zechariah is not saying he was asleep. These are not dreams he’s having while he is sleeping. These are visions he’s having during the night. At this point Zechariah is wide awake. He’s so startled at this point that it’s like he was asleep before seeing Vision Four and Vision Five. 


One time I was on an overnight missionary trip from Azerbaijan to Georgia on a very slow moving train. It was during a difficult time. Georgia had just come out of a civil war, and every night that we were in the capital city of Georgia, Tbilisi, I remember hearing Kalashnikov rifles going off. It was unsettling to the missionary leaders who visited us, so we would say, “Don't worry. Most of it's just shooting into the air.” For some reason they didn’t seem very comforted. 


There were five of us traveling together. We were in a very crowded railroad car that had fifty to sixty people in it. We were carrying a gift that a missionary had given us to give to another missionary we would be seeing. The gift was in a large, expensive-looking trunk or suitcase that was placed at our feet. Most people in the railroad car had nodded off to sleep at this point, including the four I was with. Sitting opposite of me was a huge mafia man. He looked at me and then looked at the large expensive-looking trunk. He then proceeded to pull out the biggest knife I’ve ever seen. He had extremely hairy hands, and he started to shave the hair on the back of his hand while looking at me. After looking at the trunk, he said to me in Russian, “You are tired. Go to sleep.” Do you think I went to sleep? I’ve never been so awake in my entire life!


Zechariah is wide awake! This is an important vision he is receiving from God! What is emphasized over and over is oil. There are lamps that need oil. There are bowls that are filled with oil. There are golden pipes for the oil to travel through. There’s golden oil. Oil is the symbol of the Spirit. We sing about it: Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning. Give me oil in my lamp, I pray. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.


The angel asks, “Who are you, O great mountain?” Some scholars think the mountain may be all the rubbish piled high from the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Some scholars think the mountain may represent the enemies God’s people were facing at the time. Some scholars think it represents a psychological mountain—people saying, “The task is too difficult. We can’t do it.”


For those of us who lean toward the realistic, the pragmatic, the data-driven, the goals, the visualizing of the possible rather than what isn’t possible, it’s so easy for us to look at the mountain and not see the Almighty. God is saying the mountain will become a plain. God is saying he’s going to make a molehill out of the mountain. We tend to do it the other way around; we make a mountain out of a molehill. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.


“And [Zerubbabel] shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” The task is going to be completed by God’s grace. 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. Then you will know that the prophet of hope really had received the word from God. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. The plumb line is used in construction. The Temple is going to be constructed. The plumb line will be seen in the hand of the governor—Zerubbabel. 


For whoever has despised the day of small things is frequently misinterpreted in popular Christian culture. It tends to be read as, “Do not despise the day of small things,” but that’s not what it says. Martin Luther used to say, “The only thing worse than a Pope in Rome is a pope in every pulpit.” Nevertheless, here is my interpretation: Who are the people who have looked at this very small beginning and said, “God is going to do much more!”? When they see Zerubbabel put the top stone on, they will rejoice and say, “I trusted and believed God for this!” I think it’s saying, “Do despise the day of small things.” Those who have despised the day of small things will end up rejoicing because it’s not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.


How do we apply this to our lives? Notice how there are three parts to this. The first part is a denial: not by might, nor by power. The first thing to do is say, “It’s not going to be by my strength, God. I can’t move this mountain.” Isn’t this what the apostle Paul discovered? 2 Corinthians 12:9 says: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Our strength here at College Church is not in our brilliant professors, our savvy business leaders, our resources, or our senior pastor with a Cambridge PhD. We deny all that!


The first part is denying while the second is receiving: but by my Spirit. When Charles Spurgeon was asked, “Why do you ask the Spirit to fill you again and again and again?” he replied, “It’s because I leak.” In Ephesians 5:18 where it says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” we find an imperative present continuous. In other words, the instruction is to be beingfilled—over and over, again and again. This is how we receive the Spirit. 


The third part is believing what God says in his word: says the Lord of hosts. Sometimes churches, ministries, or individuals put up loggerheads: the work of the Spirit versus the word of God. The work of the Spirit and the word of God are never in disagreement; they complement each another. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). In order to have God’s Spirit at work in us, we need to be reading the Bible, studying the Bible, preaching the Bible. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.


After his wife had died, Billy Graham was asked, “What is the secret of your success?” His reply was one word, “Prayer.” He then began to cry and said, “It was Ruth who taught me how to pray. How I miss her!” Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.



Verse Completion: . . . Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. 1 Timothy 2:5,6 (NLT) 


3/11/22 


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/bi6IZCJx3qA



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Is anyone sorry for doing wrong? Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done”? . . . (completion at the end)



Pastor Josh Moody of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, recently started a series of messages titled “Zechariah: A Prophet of Hope.” We will begin a recap his third sermon in this series based on Zechariah 4:1-14: 


And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (ESV)


Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. In those days Zechariah, Haggai, and Zerubbabel all had challenges. Their challenge had to do with rebuilding the Temple. There was a mountain of obstacles they had to overcome. Perhaps today you are facing an obstacle related to your family, work, ministry, or something internal. 


The message given to Zechariah over two thousand years ago has great significance today for those who are prideful and say, “I’ve got lots of money, and I use a good portion of it for God’s work. I’ve been a Christian for over fifty years. I’ve read commentaries on this book.” 


It also has great significance for those who don’t claim to be Christians and say, “I don’t need God. I don’t need church. I don’t need sermons.” Pride is a bit like an invisibility cloak that masks all kinds of ailments and diseases. Pride hides the parts that are connected to the pride: resistance to God’s word, inability to trust other people, self-reliance, and so on. However, there comes a time when there’s a mountain in front of you and your self-reliance doesn’t cut it. The invisibility cloak has to be removed. 


Zechariah has a word for the prideful, but he also has a word for the pragmatic. Having structured goals and plans can be a good thing. Data analysis can be helpful. A to-do list on a calendar can be beneficial. However, you can reach a point where there is paralysis by analysis. If you are limited by your human ability to see how the goal will happen, then you will never attempt a God-sized task. You’ll see the mountain and be stuck. You can’t move a mountain! You remain practical. 


It’s also a message for the pressured and pressurized. Perhaps you are overwhelmed by the news you hear every day or you’re overwhelmed by circumstances in your own life: your marriage, your family, finances, health. It’s a mountain and you don’t have the might nor the power to overcome it. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. 


You can have the latest and greatest refrigerator or an amazing furnace that kicks out plenty of heat in the winter or an air conditioner that cools your house wonderfully in the summer, but if you don’t have electricity, those things won’t do you any good. You can have a new Audi or Mercedes, but if you don’t have gasoline, you won’t be going anywhere. This passage of Scripture isn’t about human might or power; it’s about the Spirit of the Almighty God. 


Zechariah had eight visions. Today’s text talks about the fifth vision. The eight visions are structured in what's known as a chiasm which comes from a Greek word for the Greek letter, which essentially means X-shaped. It's the meat in the sandwich; it’s the important part. These eight visions are a chiasm. The first vision is connected to the eighth vision, and the central part of it is Vision Four and Vision Five—the point of the spear, the meat in the sandwich, the most significant parts of these visions. It's emphasized that way by the structure of a chiasm. For instance, we use chiasm in regular everyday speech. Someone might say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” What's being emphasized by the meat in the sandwich is the word tough. Another example is Benjamin Franklin’s saying, “If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.” The emphasis is on preparation. The words prepare are the meat in the sandwich or the point of the spear. Similarly here, the fourth and fifth visions are the significant parts. They are structured that way so that when you get to them, you know the author is telling you: Listen! This this is the meat in the sandwich! This is the point of the spear! This is significant! 



Verse Completion: . . . No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!  Jeremiah 8:6b (NLT) 


3/10/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/cFzvStNdues



Complete the Verse & Name the Book:  But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Moody’s message from Zechariah 1:7-17. God disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed. As we interpret Scripture we need to be aware of the perspicuity of Scripture which states that Scripture itself is understandable in its main meaning, but there are other elements of Scripture that can be difficult to grasp. We also need to be aware of the multiple horizons of the prophetic Scripture in the Old Testament. Anyone who has climbed mountains knows that once you reach what you thought was the summit, you see there’s a further summit ahead. This can happen multiple times. As we read this passage off prophetic Scripture, we see an immediate fulfillment about God having returned to Jerusalem (seeing the first summit), but there’s another fulfillment when Jesus returns to Jerusalem, dies, rises from the grave, and sends his Spirit (seeing the next summit as one climbs a mountain). And yet there is a further fulfillment to these prophecies—the second coming of Christ (seeing the final summit while climbing the mountain).


The horses in our text are highly symbolic because this was written at the time of the Persian Empire that had a system of messaging built upon relays of horses that were known for their speed. God is saying to Zechariah, “I have my own messaging system. I have my own horses, and they are patrolling.”


Why were the horses in a glen or deep place? It’s because God’s people felt like they were in a deep place; their spirits are down. They’re in the depths. They are disturbed. 


Why the different colors for the horses? There are different interpretations, but it may be that red is connected with the word jealousy (the passionate, zealous love of God for his people). God’s sovereignty is fueled and fired by a passionate love for his people. 


Why the myrtle trees? They were used in the Feast of Booths (see Leviticus 22:33-43). This was the most celebrated feast of the year. It was held at the end of the agricultural year when the grapes and olives were harvested in Israel. It was a joyous occasion. The booths were made with wood that included the fragrant myrtle branches. Isaiah 55:12-13 says: 


“For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”


God is telling his disturbed people that they will be entering a time of extraordinary blessing and prosperity. This is not a time to be down in the dumps—down in the ravine. It’s the myrtle time! This is a prophecy of hope. God has an exceeding love and zeal for his people, and he also has an exceeding anger for those who have abused his people. God is going to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. 


Last week we had the words of God through the prophet Zechariah, “Return to me, and I will return to you.” Now God is saying, “I have returned to Jerusalem. My people are back in my city. I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts.” The Temple isn’t built yet—that’s another horizon. 


And the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. This is used to measure the size of the city (see Ezekiel 48). The city is going to be larger than it was. 


17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’” God is going to disturb those nations that are at ease. He mentions four of them. There will be justice for the abusers, war criminals, and those who won’t repent. God is going to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. 


God has returned to Jerusalem and there’s going to be blessing again. Jesus will come to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. He will die and rise again. He will send his Spirit. One day he will return again. 


What part of Zechariah’s message do we need to receive? Typically, what happens is those that need to be disturbed remain feeling at ease, and those that need to be comforted remain being disturbed. Those who have tender consciences tend to receive the disturbing elements of a message like this while those who are completely at ease with their lives tend to receive the comforting elements. People tend to hear the pieces that fit their own mentality and temperament. 


How do we receive the right medicine for our own lives? There’s a diagnostic tool embedded in this text. The diagnostic tool is how we treat God’s people. The nations were at ease but they were mistreating God’s people. God’s people who were returning to Jerusalem and seeking to rebuild it were feeling disturbed. They needed comforting. 


When Saul was persecuting God’s people, God said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 

And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” 

And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4b-5). 


God has a passionate love for his people. When you persecute God’s people, you are persecuting him! Nations who move against God’s people better watch out! Those nations may feel at ease with all their power and money, but they better watch out! God has a disturbing message for you! It’s like you are asleep on the Titanic. Watch out! Get right with God before it’s too late. 


God is the King of the universe. He runs the global messaging system. He’s the one who really knows what’s going on. God has a zeal for his people. Dictatorial regimes that move against God’s people better watch out! God controls the universe, not human leaders. Politicians who try to manipulate and marginalize God’s people who believe in God’s word better watch out! One day you will have to stand before the King of kings. 


The Persian Empire is gone! God’s Kingdom will be built and will last forever! Come to him before it’s too late. You’re at ease, but you shouldn’t be! You should be disturbed. Get right with God. Don’t be asleep on the Titanic. 


God’s people who love him and his Church, who are invested in him and his Church, who long to see prosperity for his people, who are disturbed as they watch the evening news and wonder what God is doing, this message of comfort is for you! Receive the comfort of his word. He will return again, and again, and again with blessings. 


You don’t see it? There was a missionary family in China who was killed by the Chinese Regime. A biography was written about them that included the husband and wife’s description of the life they had given up. The way they described it was, “God removes the trinkets (the unimportant things) from our hands that he might fill our hands with his treasures.” What do you have in your hands? Trinkets or God’s treasures?



Verse Completion: . . . guard you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT) 


3/9/22 


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/-TGkqjQfZyU



Complete the Verse & Name the Book:  But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their . . .(completion at the end)



Pastor Josh Moody of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, recently started a series of messages titled “Zechariah: A Prophet of Hope.” We will begin a recap his second sermon in this series based on Zechariah 1:7-17: 


On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ 11 And they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’ 12 Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ 13 And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’” (ESV)


Zechariah saw eight visions in one night. The first vision is about how God disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed. There are people who are comfortable who should not be, and God is disturbing them; he’s shaking their world. On the other hand, those who are disturbed but need not be are receiving words of comfort.


It was February 15, 519 BC, when Zechariah received his first vision. He saw four horses: two red, one white, and one sorrel (reddish-brown). They were in a glen (valley, ravine, or deep place) with myrtle trees (bush-like trees with green, luscious foliage and a wonderful aroma that grow to be about ten feet tall). 


The horses have been on a mission and have returned after patrolling the earth. They report that all is at rest—comfortable and quiet. The seventy years in verse twelve is referencing this prophetic, significant time period when Jeremiah had said that God’s people would return after seventy years. Now the angel is saying the seventy years has happened. Where is the prosperity? Where is the comfort? Where is the blessing that was promised? God’s people are disturbed, but the earth is comfortable. 


In verse fourteen we find the angel delivering God’s message: Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. Today, the word jealous has the negative connotation of being envious, but in the Bible it has a fuller, richer meaning. It implies a protective love that comes with an exclusive relationship. A man should be jealous for his wife—protective of her while in an exclusive, intimate relationship with her. God is jealous for his people. He wants to protect them. He wants an exclusive, intimate relationship with them. They are to have no other gods. 


In verse fifteen God says: And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease (the earth that is comfortable); for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. God’s people went into exile as part of God’s plan of discipline due to their sins of idolatry. However, those responsible for the exile had gone too far with their pillaging, abusing, raping, and war crimes. They furthered the disaster, and God is angry at them. Like the word jealous, angry used today has a negative connotation. People go to anger management classes. However, when we read about God being angry in the Bible, it’s talking about God’s righteous set disposition against evil and injustice. God will always stand up for what is right and correct what is wrong. 


The gracious and comforting words spoken of in verse thirteen are found in verse seventeen: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’” 


The earth is at ease, or comfortable, but it should not be, and God has a message to disturb them. God’s people are deeply disturbed because they are not sure what he is doing. They are looking for the answer to his promise after the seventy years, and God has a word of deep comfort for his disturbed people. God disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed. 


What we have here is a prophetic vision with apocalyptic language that is visual and seemingly surreal at times with the imagery. When we read something like this, we need to bear in mind a couple of interpretive principles.  The first interpretive principle is the perspicuity of Scripture which states that Scripture itself is understandable in its main meaning, but there are other elements of Scripture that can be difficult to grasp. When we come to the Scripture with humble hearts, we can expect to understand the main meaning. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). 


The second interpretive principle is the multiple horizons of the prophetic in the Old Testament. If you fail to understand this, you will frequently misinterpret prophecy in the Old Testament. Old Testament prophecy does not have a single horizon; it has multiple horizons. The prophet from his vantage point is shown a vision of the future. He looks out and he sees the mountain peak—the first horizon. Anyone who has climbed mountains knows that once you reach what you thought was the summit, you see there’s a further summit ahead. This can happen multiple times. 


As we read this passage off prophetic Scripture, we see an immediate fulfillment about God having returned to Jerusalem (seeing the first summit), but there’s another fulfillment when Jesus returns to Jerusalem, dies, rises from the grave, and sends his Spirit (seeing the next summit as one climbs a mountain). And yet there is a further fulfillment to these prophecies—the second coming of Christ (seeing the final summit while climbing the mountain). 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Pastor Moody’s sermon with the second half.



Verse Completion: . . . evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward.  Jeremiah 7:24  (NLT)


3/8/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/AqwDDVHMJ4I



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: He will use every kind of evil, deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Victorious Death of Samson” based on Judges 16:22-31. When the Philistines were able to subdue Samson, they attributed their victory to Dagon. In their eyes, Dagon was greater than Samson’s God—Jehovah. They said, “Our god is greater than your God. Look at Samson with his eyes gouged out! Clearly, his God is a false god or he would have come to Samson’s rescue.”


The Philistines have Samson in a building on display for everyone to see. They are proud of their catch. On the roof of the building are three thousand people. They are mocking him and torturing him.


In the middle of the building, there were two key pillars that supported the whole roof. He asked the servant boy to take him to those pillars. 


28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, 


This is a good thing! We only have one other time in our story where we are told that Samson prayed, and that was after he killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of donkey. He was so thirsty he thought he was going to die if he didn’t get some water, so he cried out to God for water. 


“Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 


Notice how Samson acknowledges that God is sovereign. He realizes that God is God, and he is not. As sovereign LORD, God is above all. Samson recognizes that he is nothing. He’s humbled physically and in spirit. The sovereign LORD is the Creator of all there is. He is in control of everything. He knows everything. He has designed everything. This is the God Samson is praying to—the same God we pray to. 


Samson was well known throughout that entire region. Everyone wanted to know the latest on Samson. Here is this great celebrity humbly praying: “Sovereign LORD, remember me.” What a transformation from the proud, arrogant Samson we knew earlier in the story! 


Although Samson recognizes God’s sovereignty and humbles himself before the LORD, he still has room to grow spiritually. He wants revenge. Earlier, these words of God were recorded in Deuteronomy 32:35: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” It’s not Samson’s position to seek revenge; it’s God’s position. Revenge is left to God alone. 


God is faithful to himself. He will not share his glory with Dagon or anything else that is false. Samson is still an instrument that God can use to accomplish his will. 


29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. 


As Samson pushed on the pillars, one can imagine all the people laughing at him and mocking him. Comments like the following could have been made: Look at the fool. He thinks he can push down the pillars. Hey, Samson, do you need a power protein shake? 


At some point the roof shakes a little. Tremors can be detected by the three thousand people on the roof of the building. Some dust falls from the roof. As the sections of the pillars start to become dislodged, people start to be concerned. The mockers become sober. As chunks of the roof break off and fall carrying people with them, pandemonium breaks out as people begin to panic. But it’s too late, the entire building collapses killing everyone who was there. 


Samson’s greatest victory over the Philistines occurred when he died. Samson’s words, “Let me die with the Philistines!” are difficult to read. We want the superhero to miraculously survive. Samson knows that isn’t going to happen. He has come to terms that he’s not special any longer, and he’s not seeking to be special. He’s not expecting God to rescue him. Samson has come to terms with his own mortality. All he cares about is that God shows up. He's not interested in some supernatural story of his survival so the emphasis is on him instead of God. 


Samson finally gets it: All we do is for the glory of God. We don’t pursue the blessing; we pursue the one who blesses. 


After this catastrophic event, the Philistines were still in power over Israel, but not as much as they were. All five of the rulers died. A century later King David defeats the Philistines.


31 Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.


This is a great ending to the story. Samson’s family hears about the event and travel the forty miles to go through the rubble to find Samson and return him to his home. He is given an honorable burial. The Israelites who wouldn’t honor Samson while he was alive, honor Samson after he died. 


What happens when the Spirit of God begins to move? Anything can happen! When God shows up, anything can happen! God is not limited by our limitations. When the Spirit of God begins to move, anything is possible! 


The Spirit of God is moving. He will show up in your situation. Expect God to show up. There’s no limit to what God can do in your life. God is sovereign. There is no God but Jehovah. 


For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Let God show up in your life to glorify him. 


What happens when the Spirit of God begins to move? Anything is possible!



Verse Completion: . . . they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 2 Thessalonians 2:10 (NLT) 


3/7/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/Z2qUoZKxC9s



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: They turn their backs on me, but . . .(completion at the end)



Yesterday Pastor Michael gave a sermon titled “The Victorious Death of Samson” based on Judges 16:22-31. Today we will start a recap of that message.


Last week we saw that Samson broke the last part of his Nazarite vow that was established before he was born. The vow included three conditions: having nothing to do with alcohol, staying away from dead bodies, and never cutting his hair. Earlier we saw where he broke the first two conditions and with pressure from Delilah, finally broke the last condition. Forty years of hair growth was cut, and with that action, Samson lost his strength. That was a tough pill to swallow, but nothing compared to not knowing the Spirit of the Lord had left him. What could be worse than this? Little steps away from God led Samson to the point where he didn’t even know where God was any longer.


Samson’s eyes were gouged out, and he was placed in prison where he was forced to grind grain like a donkey or ox while people mocked him. Samson no longer has his sight; he no longer has the strength he used to have; Samson no longer has hope. 


22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.


This is the same message as Judges 13:25a: and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him. When the Spirit of the LORD begins to stir, there is hope! As Samson’s hair began to grow again, hope returned. God wasn’t done with Samson in spite of how many times Samson failed God. God still had a plan for his life. God showed up for Samson. 


What happens when the Spirit of God begins to stir? 


23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” 

25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. 


The whole ancient Near East mindset is all about their gods. They were always aware of the gods in their lives. If it rained, the gods were happy. If it didn’t rain, the gods were angry. When there was peace in the land, the gods were pleased with how things were going. When there wasn’t peace, the gods were not pleased. Everything that happened was tied to their gods and how well they were serving their gods. They believed that the more they sacrificed to their gods, the stronger their gods would become and make them victorious in battle. 


Samson was supposed to be a representative of Yahweh, the one true God—Creator of the universe and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Philistines were about their own gods—false gods created by humans. One such god was Dagon. 


When the Philistines were able to subdue Samson, they attributed their victory to Dagon. In their eyes, Dagon was greater than Samson’s God—Jehovah. They said, “Our god is greater than your God. Look at Samson with his eyes gouged out! Clearly, his God is a false god or he would have come to Samson’s rescue.” 


The book of Judges is not about judges. It’s not about Samson. It’s not about us in spite of the fact that we always try to make everything all about us. The book of Judges is about God! We are in a struggle between Jesus, our Savior, and Satan, our enemy. In this story, Dagon represents Satan. The struggle we are involved with today is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit versus Satan and his demons. Do you think the one true God, Jehovah, is going to settle for Dagon being the one true god? Do you think Jesus will allow his glory and his greatness to be shared with Dagon? Absolutely not! God will never share his glory with a false god. God deserves ALL glory, honor, and praise! God is God, and we are not—nor is anyone or anything else God. He stands alone. None can be compared to him. He’s in a class of his own. He was not created by anyone or anything. He is God—always has been and always will be. 


The Philistines are in high spirits. They are celebrating the victory they believe was given to them by Dagon. They took Samson out of prison and displayed him before all the people. When the text says he performed for them, it means Samson was ridiculed, mocked, spit on, had things thrown at him, kicked, and punched. This was entertainment for the Philistines. The Philistines said things like: Who hit you? Come on, tough guy, fight me. My baby sister could beat you in a fight. You’re pathetic. 


With Samson’s sight gone, there’s nothing he can do to defend himself. Eventually, they would end up killing him when they were done making sport of him. 


When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 


The building was filled to capacity. If the fire inspector was there, he would shut them down because all the people exceeded the capacity of the building. There were people on the roof, and people on the first floor of the building. People were everywhere in that building. This was a big event! The rulers of the five major cities of Philistia were there. Each of them had given Delilah eleven hundred shekels of silver for Samson to be delivered over to them. These rulers wanted the show to last for a long time after all the money they had paid! 


The amazingly strong Samson of just a short time ago is now led around by a little servant boy. Samson is completely humiliated. He can’t go anywhere on his own. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap with the second half of Pastor Michael’s sermon. 



Verse Completion: . . . in times of trouble they cry out to me, “Come and save us!”  2 Thessalonians 2:10 (NLT) 


3/5/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/a6_I_Kzb1HE



Complete the Verse & Name the Book:  Live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Josh Moody’s first message in his new series titled “Zechariah: A Prophet of Hope” based on Zechariah 1:1-6. Return to God, and he will return to us is one of the most profound truths found in Scripture as evidenced by the words of Zechariah, Hezekiah, Malachi, and Jesus.


Jesus did not say, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; isn’t that good news?” What he did say is, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” There is a condition. In God’s sovereignty, he has arranged for his call of the gospel to be effective in our lives ifwe return—if we repent and believe. 


Proverbs 14:34 says: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. The salt and light of God’s people living out the truth does have an impact on the country in which they live. If we want health in our city and in our country, we need to return to God. That is the principle, and it’s been proven time and time again. When Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) preached his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” he had to break off before the end because there was so much wailing for repentance.


Dwight L. Moody wrote: There was a man at one of our meetings in New York City who was moved by the Spirit of God. He said, "I am going home, and I am not going to sleep to-night till Christ takes away my sins, if I have to stay up all night and pray. I'll do it." He had a good distance to walk, and as he went along he thought, "Why can't I pray now as I go along, instead of waiting to go home?" But he did not know a prayer. His mother had taught him to pray, but it was so long since he had uttered a prayer that he had forgotten. However, the publican's prayer came to his mind. Everybody can say this prayer. That man in the gallery yonder, that young lady over there: "God be merciful to me a sinner." May God write it on your hearts to-night. If you forget the sermon, don't forget that prayer. It is a very short prayer, and it has brought joy -- salvation -- to many a soul. Well, this prayer came to the man, and he began, "God be merciful to me a -- ," but before he got to "sinner" God blessed him.


So often the conflict between husbands and wives or parents and children comes down to a hardness of heart. The answer to that is to return to God. None of us is holy before God. If we wish God’s blessing in our lives (by blessing I’m not referring to financial blessing, but more a renewed relationship with Jesus, fullness of life, experiencing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), we need to return to God, and he will return to us.


In verse five, Zechariah asks a couple of rhetorical questions: Your fathers, where are they? He is asking what happened to those who didn’t repent, and the answer is they went into exile. 


And the prophets, do they live forever? Another way of asking this question might be, “What about all the preachers? Don’t they have to repent? Don’t they need to return to God?” Of course the answer is yes. Only Jesus was perfect and never needed to repent.


Another way of interpreting this second question is preachers are time-bound. When a preacher puts out an invitation to return to God, you may not have the opportunity of hearing that invitation from that preacher again. Preachers don’t live forever. Now is the day of salvation. 


In verse six we see that their response was repentance; they returned to God. 


Return to God, and he will return to us. How do we put these words into practice? It’s easier said than done. First of all, we need to trace out the implications; we need to think through what happens to those who do not return to God. What happens to those families who don’t return to God? What happens to churches that don’t return to God? What happens to countries that don’t return to God? 


In the New Testament, the Greek word for repentance is μετάνοια or metanoiawhich means to change one’s mind. A shift in thinking takes place. In today’s passage, the word chosen for repentance is return or go back. It involves looking backward, not forward. There are many good things involved with looking forward. Zechariah is not saying the past was better and we need to remember “the good ol’ days.” He is saying we need to look far backward—all the way back to our Creator. He’s the one who made us. He’s the one we have a covenant with. When we go back to our Creator, he will go back to us. 


Return to God, and he will return to us.



Verse Completion: . . . the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live. 2 Thessalonians 1:11b (NLT) 


3/4/22 


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/mtUVJiDsFvQ



Complete the Verse & Name the Book:  For when I called, you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not listen. You deliberately sinned— . . . (completion at the end)



Pastor Josh Moody of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, recently started a series of messages titled “Zechariah: A Prophet of Hope.” We will begin a recap his first sermon in this series based on Zechariah 1:1-6:


 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 2 “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. 4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. 5 Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”


The theme of today’s message is: Return to God, and he will return to us. It’s a simple message, and yet it is simplicity on the other side of complexity. It’s not so simple that it’s a childish message lacking maturity, but at the same time it’s not so complex that it is obscure and confusing. An example of this might be Einstein’s theory of relativity that is supposed to explain how the universe works. It’s complex, but there is simplicity on the other side of complexity in the equation E = mc2. When God through Zachariah says, “Return to me, and I will return to you,” we shouldn’t think of this as being simplistic and juvenile and not sophisticated for the problems of life such as alcoholism, sexual abuse, political chaos, and so on. This message is simplicity on the other side of complexity. This is the E = mc2 elegant solution to the universe. It’s a key to spiritual health. We want to keep the simplicity of this message in mind so we don’t get stuck when we dive into the complexity of the message. By doing that we should be able to respond in the way the text is calling us to respond. There’s a story, a principle, and a call for response. 


One of the great questions of life is, “How do we start again?” We all make mistakes. We all fail. We all sin. How do we rebuild our lives after we have failed? It’s not just individually but corporately as well. A lot of us are aware that the foundations are shaking in our world. What’s the answer? The answer is: Return to God, and he will return to us.


Our story takes place in 520 BC around the end of October or beginning of November. To go into the backstory, we need to read verse twelve: Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’The Northern Kingdom went into exile in 722 BC. There was the siege of Jerusalem from Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, in 605 BC. The exile happened in waves around 587 BC. Cyrus allowed for religious liberty which made a way for the Jews to return to Jerusalem in 535 BC. 


This involves the time, but there was also the situation. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem, it was not the way it was when they left. It was difficult for them to see God’s blessing on his people. The local governor in Samaria did all he could to block any attempt by the Israelites to gain economic and political progress. This went on for decades. The economy was in dire straits. Inflation was through the roof. They were an agrarian economy, but the soil had been messed up by the exile. They are unable to reap what they sowed. In addition, there was a social tension between the North and the South. Things were a mess! Why wasn’t there blessing after seventy years as God said there would be? God is telling them that they not only have to return to the land physically, but they have to return to God spiritually. Return to God, and he will return to us.


This is one of the most profound truths found in Scripture as evidenced by what Hezekiah said to God’s people before they went into exile: Return to God, and he will return to you. Malachi says the same thing. In Mark 1:15 we have the following words of Jesus: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” In other words: Return to God, and he will return to you.


God is sovereign. A.W. Tozer said, “God is always previous. In practice, however, (that is, where God’s previous working meets man’s present response) man must pursue God.” If we listen to a sermon and repent of our sins, it’s not to our credit or the minister’s credit; all glory goes to God because it’s God who spoke to our hearts and moved us to repentance. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Dr. Moody’s sermon with the second half.



Verse Completion: . . . –before my very eyes—and chose to do what you know I despise. Isaiah 65:12b (NLT) 


3/3/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/xNT7EeF0NUA



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is . . . (completion at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Del McKenzie’s message titled “The Holy Spirit is a Gift Giver.” The Holy Spirit brings a peace that is unique. It’s a peace withGod, and it’s the peace of God. It’s a superhuman peace. It’s perfect peace.


The Holy Spirit brings a peace that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s a peace found only in God. 


Isaiah 57:21 says: “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Those who are at odds with God can’t experience peace. Those who want to go their own way and do their own thing do not experience God’s peace. Sometimes people think they have peace, but when some tragedy strikes, their peace is gone. There is a counterfeit peace, but it can’t be compared to the perfect peace of God. Counterfeit peace is temporary peace. It’s a long ways from consistent peace or perpetual peace that comes from God.


People look for peace in many places. Some try to find peace by gaining control. Abusive husbands try to make peace in the family by controlling the family—abusing their spouse or children. These people try to gain peace by suppressing all disagreements. They look at others as challenges to their leadership. Peace through control is not the peace of God. 


Some people try to find peace in financial security. They think financial security will lead to a worry-free life. However, life doesn’t work that way. Some of the most troubled people in the world are those with the greatest assets and resources. They worry about how they are going to protect all that they have. Financial security does not bring peace. 


Some people try to find peace by going to a special place—a river, a meadow, the top of a mountain, a cathedral. You’ll never find God’s peace, divine peace, in any of these places. We fool ourselves when we think we’ll find peace in places. Certain places may seem to offer temporary peace, but it’s more of a “clearing one’s head” rather than the delivering of peace. 


Some people try to find peace in relationships. They think they have found peace until sooner or later something goes haywire. At that point, they start looking for a new relationship. What we all need is the peace of God that the Holy Spirit brings to our hearts. Romans 14:17-19 says: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.Living with Jesus ruling in our hearts brings true, lasting peace. 


An eternal kingdom is coming where Jesus will be King of kings and Lord of lords. He will rule forever. Prior to this there will be a millennial kingdom where Jesus will rule on this earth for a thousand years. There will be righteousness, peace, and joy while he rules. 


Living in the kingdom of Jesus provides us with peace in a world of turmoil. Things can be chaotic around us, but we can still experience the peace of God. The peace of God can be compared to a painting of a bird that found a hole in the side of a cliff that kept it safe and dry while a terrible storm raged outside of the hole. 


The Holy Spirit brings peace that is personal. John 1:1-5 says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Through Jesus everything was created. There’s peace and harmony in the Trinity. 


Shalom is a Hebrew word that means peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, and well-being. It came to be used as a greeting and a departure as if to say, “I’m wishing you God’s favor and blessing in your life” or “I’m wishing you tranquility and serenity.” When we say “shalom” to a person, we want their welfare; we want them to prosper. We want them to experience God’s peace. 


God wants what’s best for us because he loves us. Isaiah 26:3 says: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.We can live in the personal peace of God. 


The Holy Spirit brings peace in ways that only he can. He brings peace through a controlled mind. Romans 8:6-8 says: The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. The Holy Spirit helps us to turn our hearts away from fear and anxiety to reliance on him. When our minds are in tune with the Holy Spirit, we can experience peace. 1 Corinthians 1:3 says: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Both the Father and the Son want us to have personal peace, and it comes to us through the Holy Spirit.


Peace comes only when Jesus is king of our hearts. Romans 14:17 says: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.


The lyrics to the song “Lead Me to Calvary” include the following lines:


King of my life, I crown Thee now

Thine shall the glory be

Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow

Lead me to Calvary


I have to ask myself, “Is Jesus king of my life?” 


“Does he reign over everything in my life?”


When Jesus is king, there is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:1 says: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This peace can be with us through trials, tests, tribulations, and persecutions. 


Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23a says: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The life of the Holy Spirit comes up through our personality, and the result is there is peace. Peace comes as a fruit of the Spirit. 



Verse Completion: . . . God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NLT) 


3/2/2022


Good morning. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/HqpNGYbcy3U



Complete the Verse & Name the Book: In all their suffering he also suffered . . . In his love and mercy he redeemed them . . . But they rebelled against him and . . .(completion at the end)



On Monday, Pastor Del McKenzie continued his series of messages on the Holy Spirit with his twentieth talk titled “The Holy Spirit is a Gift Giver.” So far we have looked at the Holy Spirit wanting to be our companion, being the Spirit of life, making Jesus real to us, the enabler of worship, leading us in prayer, making us loving people, setting us free, giving us power, being our teacher, being our comforter, the one who brings conviction, the one who brings unity, the one who brings assurance, the one who guards us, the one who leads us, the one who gives us hope, the one who sanctifies us, the one who puts to death the misdeeds of the body, and the one who gives gifts.


John 14:16-17 says: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.


Charles Spurgeon wrote the following: 


Our great Father revealed himself to believers of old before the coming of his Son. He was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty. Then Jesus came and the ever blessed Son in his own proper person was the delight of his people’s eyes. At the time of the Redeemer’s ascension, when he went back to heaven, the Holy Spirit became the head of the present dispensation, and his power was gloriously manifested in and after Pentecost. He remains at this hour the present Emmanuel, God with us, dwelling in and with his people quickening, guiding, and ruling in their midst. 


Is his presence recognized as it ought to be? We cannot control his working. He is most sovereign in all of his operations, but are we efficiently anxious to obtain his help or sufficiently watchful lest we provoke him to withdraw his help? Without him we can do nothing, but by his almighty energy, the most extraordinary results can be produced. Everything depends on his manifesting or concealing his power. 


Do we always look up to him both for our inner lives and our outward service with respectful dependence of our inner lives and our outward services with respectful dependence that is fitting? Do we not too often run before his call and not independently of his aid? Let us humble ourselves for our past failures and now entreat this heavenly dew to rest upon us, the sacred oil to anoint us, and the celestial flame to burn within us. 


The Holy Spirit is no temporary gift. He abides with the saints. We have but to seek him. Seek him aright, and he will be found by us. He is jealous, but he is compassionate. If he leaves in anger, he returns in mercy, gracious and tender. He does not worry himself of us, but he waits to be merciful still.


One of the Holy Spirit’s ministries of grace is to bring peace to all believers. So many people experience inner chaos and turmoil. Their lives are filled with a dissidence, fear, anxiety, and worry. There are Christian marriages that don’t have peace. There are Christian churches that don’t have peace. There are Christian neighbors without peace. There is a great need for peace. We need to be praying for the Holy Spirit to bring peace. 


The Holy Spirit brings a peace that is unique. It’s God’s peace.  Numerous times in the Bible, God is associated with peace. See Romans 15:33, Judges 6:24, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Romans 15:33, Romans 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:9, Hebrews 13:20, 2 Thessalonians 3:16. Peacefulness is one of God’s character qualities. It’s who he is. It’s his nature.   


There are two aspects of God’s peace. The first is peace with God. Romans 5:1 says: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have been justified through faith experience peace—those who have had the righteousness of Jesus attributed to them. Romans 5:10 says: For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!


It’s difficult for us human beings to believe that if we are independent of God, we’re God’s enemies, but Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). Romans 8:7 says: The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Everyone who is not born again is at odds with God. They want one thing; God wants something different. Romans 8:8 says: Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. They are at enmity with God; they are enemies of God. When we are born again, every thought against God is demolished. The conflict we had with God is over. Our wills are submitted to God. 


The second aspect of God’s peace is the peace of God. Philippians 4:6-7 says: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Romans 8:6 says: The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. When the Holy Spirit is in control of us, we can have the peace of God—peace in our hearts and lives. 


The Holy Spirit brings peace that is superhuman. Isaiah 26:3 says: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.This kind of peace goes beyond natural peace. We can’t muster up this kind of peace on our own. We may experience peace for a period of time, but then something happens that makes us angry, resentful, discouraged, depressed, or throws us into a state of mental darkness. 


Perfect peace is superhuman peace. God is able to give us this perfect peace and keep us in it. Perfect peace comes from a focused heart, a heart focused on God. We are not able to generate perfect peace; we are dependent on the Holy Spirit for it. 


Tomorrow we will continue this recap of Pastor Del’s message with the second half.



Verse Completion: . . . grieved his Holy Spirit. Isaiah 63:9, 10a (NLT) 


3/1/2022


Good morning. Welcome to March. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.


Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/TAtx1y58jS0



Complete the Verses & Name the Book:

·      God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all . . . 


·      Then each of you will control his own body and live in . . .


·      not in lustful passion like the pagans who . . . (completions at the end)



Yesterday we started a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Downfall of Samson” based on Judges 16:1-22. We left off with      Delilah not being happy with Samson. Samson may be playing a game, but she is not! If Samson won’t tell her the secret to his strength, she stands to miss out on over ten million dollars! She’s already thought about how she will spend all that money. She is desperate to make those dreams come true.


15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.


Delilah is using the words “I love you” in an abusive, manipulative manner. 


17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” 

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. 


Why did Samson tell Delilah everything this time? Maybe it’s because Delilah wore him down with her constant nagging. Jesus told a story about how persistence pays off in Luke 11:5-8: Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.”


On the other hand, maybe Samson started to think there wasn’t anything to the Nazarite vow after all since he had already broken two of the three parts to the vow by partaking of alcohol and going where there are dead bodies. When he broke those two parts, nothing bad happened to him, so maybe nothing bad would happen if he broke the third part of the vow. Maybe he started to think that the words of God are not to be taken seriously; going against his words are no big deal after all. 


Are we a bit like Samson? We wander out to the border of God’s will, and nothing bad happens to us. We eventually cross the border of God’s will, and still nothing bad happens to us. After a period of time, we become comfortable in this area away from God’s will. We start to think that God must be okay with it. There are no lightning bolts zapping us. We start to think there are some words of God that can be taken lightly. When you get right down to it, the Bible was written hundreds/thousands of years ago and this is 2022. God’s words were written for them. Some of the words of Jesus might apply to us, and other words may not. Thinking in this manner is taking God’s words lightly. 


Samson has been taking the words of God lightly for a long time. If challenged, he would say, “I know what I’m doing.”


20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” 


He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.


This is one of the saddest sentences there is! Samson had walked so far away from God that he didn’t even know where God was any longer. It started with one small step away from God. That was followed by another small step away from God, and another, and another. He walked totally away from God not realizing the dire situation he was in. 


We walk away from God in the same way—one small step at a time. We say, “I don’t need to listen to God’s word concerning this.”


There came a point in Samson’s life when God stepped away from him. Samson had taken so many steps away from God that God stepped away from him. 


21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.


We see the consequences of taking God’s word lightly. For the first time in his life, Samson realizes what it’s like to be without God. He realizes what it means to take God’s word lightly. Samson had lived his life by sight: he saw; he liked; he took. Now Samson can see nothing; there’s nothing for him to like; there’s nothing for him to take.


Usually oxen or donkeys were used to grind grain, but now Samson is used to grind grain. 


What happened when Samson took God’s words lightly? He lost his strength, lost his sight, and he was in danger of losing his Savior. What happens when we take God’s words lightly? We lose our spiritual strength, our spiritual sight, and we are in danger of losing our Savior. Are you taking the words of God lightly? God will not be taken lightly! He is God, and he is not to be taken lightly! And yet our culture does take God lightly. They don’t have a high regard for God’s word. In fact, many have no regard for God’s word at all. They have no spiritual sight. Consequently, they are faced with everlasting separation from God.


As disciples of Christ, we sometimes take the word of God lightly. We say things like: “I know I’m not supposed to gossip and complain, but I just have to get this off my chest.” As we do, we take a step away from God. As we slander, we take another step away from God. As we become self-centered, we take another step away from God. After awhile we are no longer in the picture. We can’t see God. We don’t know where he is. 


We started by taking just one small part of God’s word lightly . . . and then another . . . and then another. God will not be taken lightly by believers or unbelievers. God’s words are not suggestions. God’s words are not helpful hints. They are commands. 


The worst thing that can be said of us is: But he did not know that the LORD had left him.



Verse Completions:


·      . . . sexual sin.


·      . . . holiness and honor—


·      . . . do not know God and his ways. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (NLT)


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