Teach Them Well

Thursday, November 9, 2023

O my people, listen to my instructions.  Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable.  I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.  We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.  For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel.  He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children.  So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.  Psalm 78:1-7

If children are not taught well the lessons of how God’s Word is to be obeyed, we have no hope of having a sane, kind, and sustainable world.

In an age when everything must have an immediate solution, there is little hope of a “viral” response to this text.  Still, this text contains the ultimate solution to the madness that envelopes the 21^st century culture…to wit:  If children are not taught well the lessons of how God’s Word is to be obeyed, we have no hope of having a sane, kind, and sustainable world.

The Psalmist said it clearly, that if we forget God’s sovereign power (shown in His miracles and creation) complete generations of humans will cease to know God, and will therefore, set their hope on possessions and selfish ambitions.  I cannot think of a better characterization of what is happening in our world.  In my lifetime I have watched the disappearing act in churches, and the accompanying disregarding of fearing God (in the sense of honoring He who created and sustains us):

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.  Colossians 1:15-17

Putting this all together:  

     1.    God, through Jesus, the Christ, created everything, including all humanity, and keeps it going every second of every millennium, and is therefore the owner of all of it…and us.

     2.    He has given it all as a gift, sealed by the promise of His Spirit, the result of the blood of His Son, Jesus shed on Calvary’s tree.

3.    That requires a response of respect and reverence for He who owns us, loves us, empowers us, and sets us free to live creative, constructive, kind, and loving lives.

     4.    That shows up in many ways; the first (and foremost) of which is worship!

     5.    We are increasingly doing a pitiful job of that response

     6.    The way to reverse it is for families to return to a priority of worship, Bible study, and prayer, so that the children in those families will learn how to really live.

For You Today 

What I have shared is not new, nor is it flashy.  It’s not likely to make any headlines, and it’s not a single app you can get on Google, where you can hit the button and solve all your problems.  Rather, it’s a mindset, a worldview, a plain distillation of what Scripture covers from Genesis to Revelation – humankind’s responsibility to worship God all the days we live, and do whatever’s necessary to pass-along the faith to that next generation. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

There Comes a Time...

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true.  The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.”  Revelation 22:6-7

All faith is birthed from the perch of unbelief.  What that perch seems to an observer, hatred, fear, ignorance, or arrogance, makes little difference; it remains the absence of faith, which is unbelief.

When our oldest grandchild was six, she had a grand time swimming in our pool.  She could not, however, bring herself to plunge into the water.  It was always a baby steps kind of process…toes first, then ankles, shins, and so-on.  The head never got more than half-wet.  Most of my time in the water on those lazy, hot Florida afternoons was spent encouraging her to take a leap into my arms from the pool deck.  There were plenty of false starts.  Five steps back to gain speed, begin the run, and….scrrreeeech to a halt, just short of the pool’s edge. 

But, one day, it finally happened.  Chelsea worked up her courage, threw caution to the wind, and jumped – a perfect cannonball…down to the depths below.  When she bobbed-up to the surface, she shook the water from her eyes and proclaimed like a town-crier:  WELL….THAT was an experience! 

Whether faith comes like an unexpected lightning-bolt, flashing into existence to obliterate all else in its path, or in increments like a hardly-observable changing of the tide, faith must take its first breath at some point.  There comes a time when unbelief becomes trust.  A line is crossed.  False starts become certain leaps.  That which was questioned becomes trusted, and faith is born a reality.

God instructed the beloved apostle John to end Scripture’s revelation with that assurance – what you’ve seen and heard is trustworthy. 

·       All the words of Moses, from Genesis to Deuteronomy,

·       and of the chroniclers of Israel, from the Judges to Kings,

·       and the poets of Psalms and Proverbs,

·       to the prophets of minor and major days,

·       as well as the Gospel and Epistle writers,

·       down to the very final invitation to take the leap of faith in the One who stands at the door, knocking…every bit of it is trustworthy and true. 

And every bit of it will change your life from agonizing unbelief to assurance unlimited.  It simply requires letting go of the perch.

For You Today  

If you’ve taken that leap of faith from the perch of unbelief, you know the strength of the Savior’s arms.  Like Chelsea’s first leap into the water, there were many more to come…with confidence growing each time. 

If you’ve never leaped beyond your belief, you’ve not experienced even the baby steps of the adventure God has planned for your life.  Many starts…many screeches to a halt, just short of getting wet.  What are you waiting for? 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

   Distortion   and   The Importance of Jots and Tittles

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

The One Who is Coming Soon

 

Friday, May 27, 2022

Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true.  The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.”  “Look, I am coming soon!  Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”  I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things.  And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.  But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book.   Worship only God!”  Revelation 22:6-9

Last words in an important story are often the point of the whole story.  The Bible is (if you count sales as any kind of indicator) the most important story told…ever.  While being fantastic in its claims, it is not fantasy.  While it has poetry, history, and prophecy, it is not a textbook, nor is it a wishbook of sectarian doctrinal dreamers.  Rather, the Bible is God’s book; it is His story, His divine character and plan revealed to humans.  It is God’s warning and promise of what He has done in the past, and what humans and the entire universe will experience in the future, for all eternity.  And every bit of it centers on John’s last statement in this last chapter of God’s book:  Worship only God!

So what does it truly mean, to worship?  In the most basic sense, worship has nothing to do with sitting in church on a Sunday morning, unless the sitter is doing so to flesh-out his or her inner conviction that God is truly worthy, and to do less than openly-declare that worthiness would be like ceasing to breathe.  To worship is to breathe-in the life-altering conviction of the one, true, living God, the One who so-loved every part of His creation, he died a sinner’s death on a cross, that we might receive and live-in His presence, uncondemned and eternally significant.[1]  To worship is to exhale that breath with our vow of allegiance to the One who loves us so perfectly and completely.  To worship sincerely is to faithfully breathe in-and-out that way with every moment of your life, in every movement and purpose your being possesses, with integrity and unselfishness.  It means you live with nothing else occupying first priority in your mind and desire.  This is the essence of what John recorded in the final three sentences of this holy book:

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”  Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus!  May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.  Revelation 22:20-21

For You Today

Revelation’s final word:  The One who is to be worshipped is coming to impose His will and way upon His creation…and the best word for those who would receive Him when He gets here is grace.  Standing in His grace means accepting His will for your life, and worshipping Him, breathing-in-and-out every moment as a testament to His love.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road with Jesus; have a blessed day!  

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] Note John 3:16:  “For this is how God loved the world:  He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Ready?

 

Title and other images:  Pixabay.com

At this point in our study of Revelation, the record of prophecy about the end of the world abruptly comes to a halt.  The apostle has recorded all we need to prepare for the second coming of Jesus. 

A semi-wise pastor once said it’s Biblical that Christians ought not to think too much about such things, because it could hinder the return of the Lord:

... the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Matthew 24:44

There was a poster outside an English church at a bus stop that read: 

Where will you be on the Day of Judgment?  Someone scribbled on the wall under the poster:  Still here, waiting for a bus. 

So much has been written about the end times and Jesus' return.  At times it becomes important to stop and review the facts.  In our text the angel underscores what John has seen in this vision of visions....namely the revelation of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He has seen  the Master of all life, death, time and eternity.  He is revealed not only as King of the universe, but as the embodiment of the Word of God Almighty. 

What we are given here are ASSURANCES about that Word.  We see two assurances that strengthen us due to the awesomeness of the facts they represent about the Word.  First, the Word of God is:

Eminent Truth

Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.”  Revelation 22:6

There is much truth to be known.  I am a father, a husband, a son.  These are truths.  But eminent truth is truth that takes first place in importance.  Note the word faithful means being convinced.  The truth of God about Jesus can be put to the test.  It will never fail.  But the word "true" literally means unconcealed.  The fact is that God has totally revealed His nature to us in the being and character of Jesus Christ.  And you can depend on Him.  So when John says that the Word of God is faithful and true, he is assuring us that truth revealed from above can be counted upon.

During the Civil War era Jeb Stuart, in his communications to General Robert E. Lee, used to sign them yours to count on.  It is that way with the Word of God.

Now, what that means for us is that a God who spoke to the world in creation, and in the ancient prophets, and eventually in a cross, is a God who is going to live by His Word. 

The phrase in verse 6..the things which must shortly be done., tells us that God confirms a promise that His Word issues.  What are those promises?  All throughout the scripture there are two basic promises; and they are as unchanging as the God who issued them:

   A - The redeemed shall be received with great gladness.

   B - The enemies of God shall be defeated and silenced forever. 

Now the world may point to the existence of this world, and the apparent lack of judgment.  But the day shall come.  It is God who has spoken.  On a night in March 140 years ago the great Niagara Falls stopped flowing.  It just stopped.  Anyone who has slept in the country with the crickets knows how deadly silent it can be when all the night noise stops.  Imagine what it must have been for the thundering of the mighty Niagara to suddenly cease, like someone turned off the switch.  People were so startled they ran to the river with torches.  The next morning, and all through the night the nearby churches were jammed with people praying and trembling over the "end of the world."  A little over 30 hours after the river ceased movement, just as suddenly it began again.  The explanation?  A heavy wind had set the Lake Erie ice field in motion and tons of ice had jammed at the river's entrance near Buffalo.  It had dammed the river up, until the ice shifted and let the water flow once again. 

Someday it won't be a natural explanation, but a supernatural fulfillment of the eminent truth of God, that He is going to bring time to a standstill; He will end time and begin eternity.  And those who have lived their lives without God will find that eternity will be the same way.  This is eminent truth...

Secondly, Notice that the Word of God is

Imminent Treasure

“Look, I am coming soon!  Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”  Revelation 22:7

The angel quotes Jesus saying I am coming soon, imminently.  This news can be either treasure or tragedy.   It depends on the state of the one for which Jesus comes.  I do not want to be cute with words here.  The outcome is too serious. 

Again, the world looks around (and even some church members) and they say:  Well, it's been 2000 years.  Is He really coming soon?  The word means effectively, or at the right moment.  G. Campbell Morgan translates it:  Behold, I come on time.  I like that translation.  God has never missed a deadline.  At least, He's never missed one that HE set!  Many times in our prayers we let God know just exactly how and WHEN He should do something.  But God not only knows what we need; He knows exactly WHEN we need it as well!

What is He coming for?  He's coming to be two things:  judgment and blessing.  Several weeks into a trial, the defendant came forward to plead guilty.  Why didn't you plead guilty at the start and save us all a lot of time? asked the judge.  The defendant replied: I thought I was innocent.  But that was before I heard the evidence against me.

How sad that there are so many good and moral, upstanding, wonderful people who just have never given their hearts to Jesus who are going to hear in that day:  Depart from me, I never knew you.

You see, you don't have to be a murderer, or a child abuser, or some other heinous type to go to hell.  All that’s required is to ignore the call of God on your life…which is to reject Jesus, the imminent, on-time coming king, who said:

I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man, no woman, no child…nobody comes to God the Father in His heaven, except through me.  John 14:6[1]

Blessings, says the angel, come to the ones who will keep (or obey) these words of the prophecy.  The word keep comes from a military expression, meaning to keep watch.  Having spent some time in the Army I know all about keeping watch.  I can tell you that there was a difference between guard duty in Fort Gordon, Georgia, and keeping watch in Kontum, South Vietnam in 1967.  The difference wasn't just in keeping a few rules...it meant the difference between life and death.  

It is that way with what you do to keep watch over the imminent treasure of Jesus Christ in your life. 

Again, G. Campbell Morgan says this about the words of the book, and what the angel says to assure us:

This…emphasizes the fact that a study of this book is only of value in so far as the vision of the Lord in His glory, His grace, and His government reacts upon life in such way as to produce the attitudes and activities which, recognizing the glory, appropriate the grace, and yield to the government. 

In other words...You square your life by the words of this book.  You commit yourself.  That makes the imminent, effective, on-time coming of the Lord Jesus a real treasure.

A young man was afraid to make a commitment to get married.  He wrote to an advice columnist.  She answered him:  You fall in love, but you back away before marriage.  You say you won't commit because you view life like a buffet; if you fill up your plate with lettuce at the front of the line, you may not have room for the boiled shrimp that could be at the end.  My friend, she said, You are going to end up with an empty plate.

What shall we do with this Palm-Passion Truth?

When you know the divine, eminent, all-important truth of God's love in Jesus Christ, and you have experienced the imminent treasure of having Christ in your life, what is the appropriate, acceptable response?  Share it!

·       Mahatma Gandhi once said:  If Christians would really live the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today. 

·       Mormons have a commitment that means they give two years of their life in missionary service....without pay! 

·       Members of Alcoholics Anonymous will go anywhere, any time under any circumstances to help another alcoholic. 

It should come as no surprise to Christians that our mission is more than coming to church and dropping a few dollars in the offering plate.  Our mission is to receive the eminent truth....the Word of God, and take this imminent treasure to the ends of the earth, starting with our next-door neighbor. 

The question is:  Will we go around the block to share this with a neighbor?  Or even in our own home?  Behold, says Jesus, the eminent, imminent One, I come on time...are you satisfied that you're ready to greet me?                 

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!  

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[1] My paraphrasing

Be Strong in the Lord - Part 6 Helmet of Salvation & Sword of the Spirit

 

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Note; this week we are re-visiting a series of devotions from 2016 entitled FAITHFUL WARRIORS.  It’s not something we do often, but this series bears repeating during times of crisis. 

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:17

We are continuing our look at what it means to get dressed for warfare – spiritual warfare – that which every Christian faces every day. 

So far, we’ve looked at the enemy, put on the belt of truth, body armor of God’s righteousness, slipped on the sandals of peace, and picked up the shield of faith. 

This morning we put on the ultimate defensive piece – our helmet – and pick up the indispensable offensive weapon – our sword.

The Helmet of Salvation

In his book, A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football, Paul Zimmerman quotes a physicist who made a rather startling discovery.  When a 240- pound football lineman (capable of running 100 yards in 11 seconds) collides with a 240-pound running back (capable of covering the same distance in 10 seconds), the resultant kinetic energy is enough to move 66,000 pounds (33 tons) one inch.  The scientist says further that the collision would deliver to the player's helmet a blow nearly 1,000 times the force of gravity.  Obviously, modern football helmets must withstand tremendous blows, or no player would survive long.

The same is true for Christians who face spiritual warfare.  Paul knew what he was doing when he told us to put on salvation as our helmet.  The phrase put on means to accept, or receive from God's hand, something which He has prepared for us.  What a great picture this is, because all we can really do in salvation is accept what God has given us.

The Sword of the Spirit

In December 1986 three masked burglars broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole the 152-year-old diamond-encrusted dress sword of the French king, Charles X.  A museum spokesman said that the sword, made in 1824 by French artist Frederic Bapst for Charles' coronation, has such historical value that one cannot set any value on it.   

Well, if there was ever a truly priceless Sword, it is the Word of God: 

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.    Hebrews 4:12

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.    2 Timothy 2:15

As a Pastor, I rely on the Word of God more than anything else I’ve learned.  That is especially true in counseling.  When rightly handled, the Word will reveal things to people about themselves and their problems, about which I could only wonder.  There are some counseling techniques that seem to work very well – but upon closer inspection you will find these techniques are Biblical principles. 

How vital is God’s Word?  The Sword of the Spirit is the only offensive part of the soldier’s outfit.  In Christian living, it is vital for conducting spiritual warfare.  Remember, a soldier, in every way perfectly outfitted, but without his sword, is only prepared to run away or stand there and take a beating!

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, we know that running away from the darkness of this world’s preferences is not that for which you died.  Help us to worthily pick up God’s Word to slice through that darkness with truth that bears light.

For You Today

Pick up your sword today; or get ready to lose.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

This devotion originally appeared 1/18/16 as Faithful Warriors - #6 Helmet of Salvation & Sword of the Spirit

The Word of God - First & Foremost

[i][ii]

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.  But let them not return to their foolish ways.  Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.  Unfailing love and truth have met together.  Righteousness and peace have kissed!  Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.  Psalm 85:8-11

Note that the Psalmist says that he listens carefully to what God the Lord is saying.  When we listen carefully, it isn’t just so we can hear what God is saying, and then do what we please.  That is always a possibility for humans because of free will.  But that would not be serving God with integrity; it amounts to lip service!  A few examples:

·      God rejects murder of the unborn; our Supreme Court didn’t think so…

·      God requires humans to be heterosexual…our Supreme Court didn’t think so…

To listen carefully implies receiving information AND acting in obedience to God’s will; believing means behaving!  The idea is to gain truth and put that truth in relationship with righteousness.  We are to practice the kiss of truth (understanding what is right) and righteousness (doing what is right).  This is the kind of integrity our leaders and citizens must have to be right with God.

The point is simple:  it doesn’t matter what a majority of humans think; God requires obedience.  Man’s Supreme Court has nowhere near the authority of eternity.  When we forget that, or forsake that, we court war with heaven.

Throughout history Scripture has always been foremost in authority. 

Here are six important historical Christian leaders who thought that way:

1.     Peter was fond of saying it is written.

2.     Paul told Timothy[1] that he should study Scripture hard and teach it diligently if if he wanted God’s approval.

3.     Martin Luther (father to our Lutheran brethren) stood on sola Scriptura.

4.     John Calvin (Presbyterian founder) wrote 944 pages of theology that all point to Scripture as authoritative.

5.     Baptist Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached for 57 years an average of 7-8 times weekly.  In his spare time he wrote 150 books.  Every bit of that bends the knee to Scripture.

6.     And for the purist Methodists among us, John Wesley’s “quadrilateral” (Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Experience) takes us to the Bible first and foremost.  If you check out his sermons you cannot find a seminal or stray thought that doesn’t have Scripture as its base.  He quoted Scripture so often in his sermons if you read them (all 40,000 times preached) you get credit in Heaven for reading the Bible twice.  Today Wesley would cringe that his preachers know more of the Book of Discipline than Scripture.

There are all kinds of decisions made about right and wrong, about what’s best for our country, police forces, the law, family, and culture.  It may not be possible to figure out what is best from the arguments that are constantly presented in the news or media, but Scripture, God’s Holy Word doesn’t leave us in doubt.

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.      Psalm 119:11

Letting truth (understanding what’s right) and righteousness (doing what’s right) have that kiss, because you will listen to God, and then DO things God’s way, will always land you on the right side of history; it’s a perfect kiss!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…Amen!

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[1] 2 Timothy 2:15

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[i] All Scripture quoted is from The New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated)  Title Image:  Pixabay.com

[ii] Title Image:  By Jan Adam Kruseman via Wikimedia Commons