Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it." Isa. 46:10-11
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Though many said there was no help for him in God, David knew that God was his shield. Others - even many others - couldn't shake David's confidence in a God of love and help.
Under attack from a cunning and ruthless enemy, David needed a shield. He knew that God was his shield. This wasn't a prayer asking God to fulfill this; this is a strong declaration of fact: You, O LORD, are a shield for me. God was more than David's protection. He also was the one who put David on higher ground, lifting his head and showing him glory. There was nothing glorious or head-lifting in David's circumstances, but there was in his God. Men find glory in all sorts of things - fame, power, prestige, or possessions. David found his glory in the LORD. "Oh, my soul, hast thou made God thy glory? Others boast in their wealth, beauty, position, achievements: dost thou find in God what they find in these?" (Meyer) Many in the church today believe that the only way to reach the world is to give the unchurched multitudes what they want. Hundreds of churches have followed precisely that theory, actually surveying unbelievers to learn what it would take to get them to attend. Subtly the overriding goal is church attendance and worldly acceptability rather than a transformed life. Preaching the Word and boldly confronting sin are seen as archaic, ineffectual means of winning the world. After all, those things actually drive most people away. Why not entice people into the fold by offering what they want, creating a friendly, comfortable environment, and catering to the very desires that constitute their strongest urges? As if we might get them to accept Jesus by somehow making Him more likable or making His message less offensive. That kind of thinking badly skews the mission of the church. The Great Commission is not a marketing manifesto. Evangelism does not require salesmen, but prophets. It is the Word of God, not any earthly enticement, that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23). We gain nothing but God's displeasure if we seek to remove the offense of the cross. My complaint is with a philosophy that relegates God and His Word to a subordinate role in the church. I believe it is unbiblical to elevate entertainment over biblical preaching and worship in the church service. And I stand in opposition to those who believe salesmanship can bring people into the kingdom more effectively than a sovereign God. That philosophy has opened the door to worldliness in the church. (Adapted from Ashamed of the Gospel, © by John MacArthur. All rights reserved.) One of God's divine attributes is His omniscience. His omniscience makes it possible to expose our hypocrisy to ourselves by searching our hearts. Psalm 139:1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. One of the times God demonstrated heart searching omniscience was by exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ You see, God of course knows everything, so not even the Pharisee would have questioned that. They knew what Jesus was talking about. You may ask, well what is it? Allow Paul explain since it is best to the the Bible explain itself. Galatians 4:8 -9 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? Here Paul points out that it is important that God knows us, and does not ask do you know God? Do you Him because you know your hypocrisy? Do you know Him because He has exposed your false gods to you? Ask Him now to expose these things in your life to you now. 1 Corinthians 8:3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. Be able to be like Simon Peter when he said this: John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah,do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. Jesus knew Peter and Peter knew Jesus as the omniscient God, and the searcher of all hearts, who knows all persons and things, and the secret thoughts, dispositions, and affections of men's minds, for the truth of his love to him; for though he knew the treachery of his own heart, and durst not trust to it; and therefore chose not to be determined by his own assertions, and was well aware that the sincerity of his love might be called in question by fellow Christians, because of his late conduct; but as everything was naked and open to his Lord, with whom he had to do, he lodges and leaves the appeal with him: so every soul that truly loves Christ, whatever Satan, the world, professors, or their own hearts under unbelieving frames, may suggest to the contrary, can appeal to Christ, as the trier of the reins of the children of men, that He it is whom their souls love; and though their love may be greatly tried, and they themselves be sorely tempted by Satan, and suffered to fall greatly; yet their love to Christ can never be lost; the fervency of it may be abated, the exercise of it may be very languid, but the principle itself always remains, as it did in Peter. (Some commentary inserted from John Gill) All temptations are designed to bring God's people toward Him. He knows what He needs to do in order to get you where you need to be.
Never forget this is the process through which God is making you into the person you are going to become. Think back, when you were last tempted, did you get through the temptation or go home? Both are good options. God always provides a way of escape to show how faithful we are to Him in these moments. Knowing that God gives you that way out, and that God is faithful, this helps us get through any temptation. It is as if we stand as the accused in the heavenly court, before our righteous Judge, God the Father. Our Advocate stands up to answer the charges: "He is completely guilty your honor. In fact, he has even done worse than what he is accused of, and now makes full and complete confession before You." The gavel slams, and the Judge asks, "what should his sentence be?" Our Advocate answers, "His sentence shall be death; he deserves the full wrath of this righteous court." All along, our accuser Satan, is having great fun at all this. We are guilty! We admit our guilt! We see our punishment! But then, our Advocate asks to approach the bench. As he draws close to the Judge, he simply says: "Dad, this one belongs to Me. I paid his price. I took the wrath and punishment from this court that he deserves." The gavel sounds again, and the Judge cries out, "Guilty as charged! Penalty satisfied!" Our accuser starts going crazy. "Aren't you even going to put him on probation?" "No!" the Judge shouts. "The penalty has been completely paid by My Son. There is nothing to put him on probation for." Then the Judge turns to our Advocate, and says, "Son, you said this one belongs to You. I release him into Your care. Case closed!"
(Guzik) "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures..." (Psalm 23:1-2a, NASB). The picture here is not that of a shepherd forcing a sheep to lie down, as many think—actually for years that was my understanding. My appreciation of this verse deepened as a result of a conversation I had with a Jewish friend who is a professor of Hebrew. He said, as he often does, that this verse is so much richer in Hebrew than it is in the English translation. Animatedly he said, "You just don't get it in English." So, I said, "Tell me, what does it mean?" He replied, "The picture here is a mother taking her little child or baby and lying him down into his crib!" At that point I knew I would never read this verse the same. It gave me a new insight into the love of my good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus. Think of it, you have a strong, protective Shepherd who knows you have walked as long as you can and need rest. The Lord cares for you tenderly, and when your strength is spent He will lead you to rest. The Lord often leads us to rest in the green pasture of His Word. You'll find rest for your soul as you read and meditate on passages of the Bible. You are one of His sheep, He cares for you today. "He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young" (Isaiah 40:11). (Commentary Mark Martin) God orders footsteps, "He delights in His way." God absolutely delights and rejoices in His plans for you!
There is something else in this text that reveals the heart of Father in heaven. The word translated "delights" actually means "to incline." The Scripture says that God inclines towards you whenever you approach Him. Isn't that awesome? When you come close to God He will come close to you. James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. "In this measurement may you and I be skilled. If we know nothing of mathematics, may we be well-tutored scholars in this spiritual geometry, and be able to comprehend the breadths and lengths of Jesus' precious love."
"Alas, to a great many religious people the love of Jesus is not a solid substantial thing at all -it is a beautiful fiction, a sentimental belief, a formal theory, but to Paul it was a real, substantial, measurable fact; he had considered it this way, and that way, and the other way, and it was evidently real to him, whatever it might be to others." (Spurgeon) |
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July 2017
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