“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” 1 Sam. 15:22b Although King David was exceedingly great, he was fallen just like every human being; sinful and in need of God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness (1 Kin. 8:46, Eccl. 7:20, Rom. 3:23). God was incredibly merciful to David, for David wrote in Psalm eighteen: “Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore.” (Ps. 18:50–NKJ). For example, God’s law [the Mosaic Law] condemned anyone to death if caught in the act of adultery as well as the sin of intentional murder. (Lev. 20:10, 24:7). King David was guilty of committing both offenses, adultery with Bathsheba and the murder her husband Uriah (2 Sam. 11:4, 24). He deserved to be put to death on two counts, yet God mercifully spared his life: “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ and Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.’” (2 Sam. 12:13). What incredible lovingkindness God extended to David! Moreover, God who sees the heart (1 Chr. 28:9, 2 Chr. 6:30), was pleased at what He saw in David’s heart (1 Sam. 16:7, cf. 1 Kin. 14:8), and mercifully forgave him. David did however pay a dear price for his acts of adultery and plotted homicide. God, in perfect justice would take the life of David’s newborn son born of Bathsheba. (2 Sam. 12:13-19). Every believer will receive God’s merciful forgiveness, if confession of sin is contritely made: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9). However, as David experienced, although believers will be forgiven, they may receive God’s loving, yet heavy hand of discipline: “…My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’” (Heb. 12:5-6, cf. Prov. 3:11-12). Therefore, it is far better to be loved and experience God’s heavy hand of discipline, than to be unloved and eternally rejected by...
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“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. Now when He heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee.” Matt. 4:10-12 From the outset of Jesus Christ’s incarnation Satan went full bore on the attack, trying to thwart God’s redemptive plan. The ministry of Jesus Christ had just commenced after He was baptized by John the Baptist, immediately after He was impelled by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil (Mark 1:12). While Satan unsuccessfully tempted Jesus to sin, John the Baptist was thrown into prison and soon after executed. Jesus’ baptism would be the last time they would ever meet (Matt. 4:1-10, 14:3-12). Jesus would never see His cousin and forerunner again—what a powerful gospel force they would have made. And even though John declared: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), he probably had not figured decreasing by way of death, John’s sudden execution was at the hands of the prince of darkness, working his evil through human instruments. However, thanks be to God, Jesus Christ not only endured with perfect obedience, the temptations from the devil, but ultimately defeated Satan by His sacrificial death on the cross. “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the [demonic] spirits now in prison.” (1 Pet. 3:18-19). Jesus delivered Himself unto death, so that we could be delivered from death. Praise be to God for our Wonderful...
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“…James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles…” Gal. 2:9 It’s amazing how the Gospel of Jesus Christ unites people of various ethnicities, genders, cultures, and social statuses, into one equal organism the church (Eph. 4:16). It’s also fascinating to witness a congregation made up of those distinctions, worshipping the same God through Christ. Apart from the unifying blood of Christ, it would be highly unlikely that such a diverse group of people, would assemble under the same roof and of one accord. That is because God shows partiality to no man and recognizes no distinctions (Acts 10:34, Rom. 2:11, Gal. 2:6, Eph. 6:9, Col. 3:25). All who believe in Him sins are forgiven and stand perfectly equal in the eyes of God. Perhaps no group of people experienced the transforming power of the Gospel, more than the believing Jews of the early church. Throughout biblical history Israelites despised Gentiles and had a deep-seated hatred for them, commonly referring to them as “dogs”. During biblical times dogs were not kept as pets and were filthy animals that roamed the streets as scavengers; they were considered “unclean” by Jewish people. To further illustrate their prejudice, if a Jew had to travel [on foot] from Judah to Galilee [approximately ninety miles], they would bypass taking the significantly shorter route through the city of Samaria (Samaritans were Jews and Gentiles mixed through marriage). Because Jews despised the “half-blooded” Samaritans so vehemently, they believed setting foot in Samaria would defile them. Even Gentiles who became proselytes [converts to Judaism], had a designated area in the temple courtyard, known as the “court of the Gentiles”. Gentiles, under no circumstance were allowed inside the temple. Looking to bring charges against the Apostle Paul, the Jews [falsely] accused him of bringing Gentiles into the temple (Acts 21:28). This was the main reason why a riot over Paul in Jerusalem and was attacked and severely beaten in the process. These Jews considered Paul to be a traitor. He most likely would have been killed, if not for the intervention of Roman soldiers who came to his rescue. Under the soldiers protection, Paul was able to speak to the hostile mob. He almost persuaded them with his words, for they intently listened to what he had to say, until he mentioned the Lord sent him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21-23). When he mentioned the Gentiles, the multitude again began to furiously threaten him with violence, while screaming “…’Away with such a fellow from...
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“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Rom. 11:25-29 Many scholars and theologians consider the book of Romans in the New Testament to be the Mount Everest of theology and chapter 8 as its peak. In the church not many would disagree with such a majestic assessment. A believer can peruse through Romans and be comforted by its profound truths and assured of the permanency of their salvation. In fact, there is not a clearer verse in the N.T. of salvific assurance, than the familiar: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. (Rom. 8:1). Briefly summarizing the doctrinal portion of Romans [chapters 1-11], one is instructed on man’s inherent depraved nature [Rom. 1-3], justified by faith [4], Christ’s incredible and selfless sacrifice on behalf of undeserving sinners [Rom. 5], free from sin’s slavery [6], free from the Law [7], and the guarantee of salvation and God’s inseparable love [Rom. 8]. In the ensuing chapters [9-11], Paul provides a powerful example of that inseparable love, by writing that God will save and restore Israel in the future. I find it to be perplexing and disillusioning, why this straight-forward truth is difficult for many in the church to accept. Tragically, Romans 9-11 is rarely preached or taught in context and as a complete unit, emphasizing the salvation of national Israel. Those chapters [9-11] must be taken in succession in order to understand correctly Israel’s relationship and standing with God. In brief, chapter 9 addresses Israel’s sovereign election; chapter 10, focuses on their rejection of their Messiah and their refusal to heed the gospel. Chapter 11, culminates with God’s steadfast faithfulness to the promises He made to Israel’s patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12:1-3, 15:18-21, 26:2-5, 28:10-17). Unfortunately, many pastors utilize only a few selected verses extracted from chapters 9 and 10 and preach them in a topical fashion. Typically these verses are utilized to explain individual election, salvation, or evangelism; and are always applied to the church. Worse...
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Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:5-6 Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, asked how they would be able to obtain salvation once He departed–to whom will they turn. Jesus’ answered Thomas by earnestly declaring, “I am the way“; He is the way to eternal life. In fact, the book of Acts, refers to Jesus Christ often as “the Way”, because He is the object of salvation to everyone who believes in Him (Acts 9:2, 19:9, 23, 22:4, 24:14, 22).“I am the truth”; every word Jesus ever spoke and every word ever written about Him in the Bible, is without a doubt the truth. Often, Jesus began a declaration, “verily, verily” or “truly, truly”. He used repetition to emphasize that the following statement He was to speak would be of the utmost significance. “And the life“; salvation is another word for eternal life. Therefore, if anyone believes Jesus is Savior and Lord, shall indeed have eternal life (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13). “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus declares that He is the only “Way” to be reconciled to God (1 Corinthians 5:17-21); to have peace with Him (John 14:27), and ultimately to obtain salvation (John 6:39-40). In Scripture, Jesus Christ is often referred to as the “Son” and God is often referred to as the “Father”. That is because Jesus was God’s only begotten Son in whom He was well pleased (Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22, John 3:16) “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved…” Joel 2:32 Today, as you read this, pick up a Bible and read, call upon Jesus Christ to receive eternal life by repenting of your sins, and begin your personal relationship with God. To be continued…..more foundational...
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