The Cup of Blessing That We Have Received

I was reading something this morning that was written by a friend, and it sparked some thoughts. Please bare with me as I seek to unravel some of these thoughts.

As I read, I was reminded of an account of King David. At the time, David was surrounded by the host of Saul, and if you remember, the Scriptures tells us that David was thirsty. So, without command, three of David's mighty men broke through the gate of the city of Bethlehem to get him a drink. They fought their way through the enemy, they sacrificed their lives, they put everything on the line for their captain. When the men returned with the cup of water, David took it and poured it on the ground. To us reading this account, it seems like a great waste especially after such sacrifice, but David would not drink the water because he saw it as the blood of these men. Brethren, the Lord Jesus Christ gave up his kingdom, humbled himself, endured great agony, was obedient even to the death of the cross and now ever liveth to make intercession for us. He did and does all this to bring us a cup of living water that if we drink we shall never thirst again. He has showered us with his blood, he has given us unimaginable riches, he has freely given us grace and mercy. Brethren, every good and perfect gift cometh from above. Our hearts are full, our cup runneth over [Psalm 23]. Let us pour out our cups of thanksgiving to the Lord. Let us honor the sacrifice he has made, the gifts he has given, the love he has bestowed on us his people. The mercy of the Lord does indeed endure forever.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. God is very good. Praise Him. Also, by way of reminder, as we enjoy our feast today and give God thanks, please remember to pray for our countless brethren in many different countries that are either in prison for the gospel or seeking to worship God without being arrested. The Lord be with you.

Liberty Through Sacrifice

I was working the graveyard shift last summer at my local hospital, and had the privilege of taking care of a World War II veteran. As I was talking to him, he informed me that he would have gone and fought on the coast of Normandy during the D-day invasion if it had not been for an injury he had sustained previously. He was fighting with Patton and a mortar shell exploded near him. A piece of shrapnel hit him in the lower jaw preventing him from fighting further. As I listened, I realized that these young men with their whole lives ahead of them, with wives, with children, with dreams, gave it all up for future generations. I then communicated this thought to him by saying, "You gave up your life in order for us to have a life." His response was somewhat shocking. He did not dismiss it. He did not lessen it. He said, "That's right! We did." In other words, he wasn't going to be a hero. He was sacrificing his life to give future generations hope for the future. Through this account, we need to realize that countless people have given their lives for the liberty we now enjoy. We can't ignore their sacrifice. I would like to thank the brave Americans for laying down their lives, for giving up comfort, for sacrificing everything for their country. Thank you.

Now, as Christians we have liberation and freedom through the sacrifice of one, the man, Christ Jesus. Through his sacrifice, we enjoy eternal liberty. Christ commands that in order for us to be able to stand in the evil day, to be ready when he comes, we need to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. Thomas Jefferson said, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." This is no more true than for a Christian. We must be vigilant against sin, against the rising injustice in our land, against Satan's devices. This watching should produce action as well. We cannot stand idly by as brave Americans are giving their lives in wars foreign and domestic. We have to make good on their sacrifice. We cannot waste the freedom we have received. Freedom is not free. It cost the sinless Saviour's blood. It required millions of people to die. Believers, I am pleading with you. It is time to stand up and say to the proud waves of injustice sweeping our land, "Hitherto and no further, and here shall your proud waves be stayed." You may not be fighting a battle in some dessert or invading some coast with little chance of survival, but you do live in a country that hates God, murders children, and calls good, evil and evil, good. It is time to rise up. It is high time to awake out of sleep and apathy. 

By way of warning, you should never ever fear men. You should only fear God. So, "let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Men, many of you would like to join the military or would like to do something heroic. There is nothing more heroic than a man that stands up for truth and does not compromise. There is nothing more exciting than to fight for the liberty of generations yet unborn. So, while many people have laid down their lives in various different wars, whose sacrifice we honor, we need men and woman that are willing to fight the battles on the home front. We need homes that are committed to living according to the Word of God, we need churches to preach the gospel, and we need fathers that are willing to die for the liberties of their children. You have been given example. Now, go, make good on the liberty you have received. Give God whole hearted devotion, and fight. It is a time of war. The battle wages. Will you join the fight?

Ask in Faith, Believing

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war yet ye have not, because ye ask not." 
[James 4:2]

I. A heart of Prayer

   A. Pray without ceasing.

        - "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give 
          thanks." [1 Thess. 5:16-18]

        - Nehemiah uttered ejaculatory prayers when he went before 
          the king that the Lord would go with him.

        - "On Thy law do I meditate both day and night." [Psalm 1:2]

   B. Evangelical prayer

        a. As a weeper: "I am weary with my groaning; all the night 
           make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears." 
           [Psalm 6:6]

        b. As a believer: "But let him ask in faith, nothing 
            wavering...For let not that man think that he shall receive 
            anything of the Lord." [James 1:6a and 7] 

   C. Watching while praying to keep oneself from temptation:

        - "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: for the 
          spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 
          [Matthew 26:41] 

   D. A broken and contrite heart:

        - "A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." 
          [Psalm 51:17]

        - "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
          whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with 
          him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the 
          spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite 
          ones." [Isaiah 57:15]

II. What ought we to ask for:

   A. Wisdom 

        - "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God." [James 1:5]

        - Solomon asked for wisdom, and God gave it to him as well 
          as riches and honor. 

   B. For Forgiveness 

        - The Lord's prayer: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our 
          debtors." [Matthew 6:12]

   C. For strength and blessing for ones self and for others. 

        - The High Priestly prayer in John 17: Christ prayed for his 
          people. 

   D. For Everything

        - "Be careful for nothing, but in everything with prayer and 
          supplication with thanksgiving let your request be make 
          known unto God." [Philippians 4:6]

III. Objection: I do not feel adequate to pray. I am such a sinner. 
      Not to mention, when I try to pray, I feel cold and dead.  

   A. Wrestle with God: Labor all night in prayer. 

        - "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with 
          him until the breaking of the day. And he said, Let me go, for
          the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except 
          thou bless me. " [Genesis 32: 24 and 26]

   B. Even though you feel cold, pray until an angel flies from 
       Heaven taking a coal from off the alter to ignite your heart. 
       Pray until you feel the warmth of prayer. God will not quench
       the smoking flax. 

   C. You don't know what to say: God would rather the groanings 
        of your heart more that your abundant words. God teaches us 
        how to pray. If you want to learn, learn at Christ's school.

        - The Spirit groans for you with groanings too deep for words.
          Do not fret about what to say. Go to God in humility, and 
          God will put into your heart and into your mind what to pray.

IV. Give God the first fruits: 

   - Remember the incense on God's alter are the prayers of the 
     saints. So, pour out your prayers in the morning just as they 
     poured out the new wine upon the alter in the morning. Do not
     wait to pray. Pray in the morning. 

Notes: God in Christ knows your weaknesses and intercedes on your behalf. Christ is praying for you. Cannot you pray to Christ and God? Christ lives to intercede. Will you not get down on your knees even for just one hour? Our prayers are made sweet through Christ. 

We must pray: God demands it of His children. Christ delights in the prayers of his saints and he delighteth to give good gifts to His children. Ask in faith, believing. 

Your prayers will not land on deaf ears. As long as you are obedient to God's law, God will hear and will give you the desires of your heart. 

By way of warning: "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." [Isaiah 59:1-2]

"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."

[Proverbs 28:9] 

But to those that keep God's law or have a heart of obedience, pray, ask, trust. The Father will hear you. Your hungering and thirsting will be rewarded.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Lord of Rest

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." 
[Matthew 11: 28-30]

Unconditional Love

"Who, when he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." [1 Peter 2:25]


"Surely he hat borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken." [Isaiah 53: 4-9]


Jesus Christ loved his people with unconditional love. It did not matter how much he was rejected, he was spat upon, he was buffeted, he was beaten. When he hung on the cross, he said: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." "Greater love hath no man than this, that he should lay down his life for his friend, but while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Christ loved us while we were yet enemies. It would be easy for us to say, "I would be willing to die for anyone on this earth." But as my sister pointed out, it may be easy to die for someone, but you would find it very hard to give your life for someone that had personally injured you. However, Christ, gave his life for those that had rejected Him, that had forsaken Him, that had hurled insults at him (the thief on the cross), that had smitten him and beaten him. Christ died for the ungodly. Christ died for his enemies. His love was unconditional. There was nothing we could do. There was nothing we had to offer. There was no good in us. We were dead in our trespasses in sin, and Christ died to make us righteous. "What wondrous love is this?" 


Brethren, pray to have this kind of love. All that you experience on this earth, all the heart ache, all the pain, pales in comparison to what Jesus Christ went through. May the Lord make you more and more like Christ as you run the race. The Lord be with you.

Soli Deo Gloria

Friendship

"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." [Proverbs 17:17]


"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." [Ecclesiastes 4:9]


"It is not good for man to be alone." [Genesis 2:18]


God gives us brothers, friends, and family to walk beside us and to help us. We cannot stand alone. We will be unable to stand unless we have a friend to hold us up. Brothers, "a cord of three strands is not easily broken." If one falls, there are two people ready to pick up their fallen brother. God's economy is wonderful and perfectly ordained. He understands how weak we are. He understands how easy it is to fall away. Thus, he gives us friends to help us, brothers to defend us, families to love us. God speaks very highly of friendship. It is the essence of the gospel. Christ died for us while we were yet enemies. He is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. 


To those that despise this friendship, this accountability, "beware to them that fall when there is no one to pick them up." You are denying the essence of the gospel. God holds us up as a friend. When we turn back to the world, he pulls on us and brings us back to His sheep fold. Without God, we cannot stand. Without his hand to guide, his love to save, his arm to lead, we will fall. Likewise, without brothers to help us, we will not stand. We will fall and will not be able to get back up. Don't despise the care and concern your friends and brothers exhibit. "A brother is born for adversity." "A friend loveth at all times." No matter what happens, your friend will love you. This is the definition given of true friendship. It is the friendship that Christ exhibited on the cross. Praise the Lord for his love and concern for us. Praise the Lord for giving us an example in His son. May the Lord cause us to be full of the love of God toward our brothers. May the Lord teach us this kind of friendship. The Lord be with you.


As an example, this past week, I worked the 11:00p.m. to 7:30a.m. shift at the hospital. Usually, these kinds of shifts really wipe me out physically, and I often find it hard to stay awake during the drive home. Well, out of the blue, one of my friends, called me the morning after the shift to make sure I had made it home safely. This may seem like a really small example or insignificant, but I can't tell you how much it meant to me.    

Soli Deo Gloria

Isaiah 61

This passage of Scripture is very dear to me. God is so kind and gracious. He loves His people. Listen to these tones of love, written with the finger of God. 


"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that hey might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.


"And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generation. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.


"For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burn offering; and that I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are son in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD  will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

Soli Deo Gloria