The Carpenter's Chapel (7)

Wednesday, 26th October, 2005

Choices

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” - Deuteronomy 30v19-20

From the very start God has given man choices. Eve had a choice, obey God or obey the serpent. Adam had a choice, obey God or listen to his wife. Cain had a choice, give an offering by faith, or based on his works. And so it goes, choice after choice.

The time for crossing into Canaan was close. God lays it all out before them. “You have a choose,” He says, “I lay before you life and death, blessing and cursing.” Then He leaves the choice up to them.

Of course choices always have consequences. God says that choosing His way is the sure way to blessing. When we choose His way we choose to love Him, obey Him, and cleave to Him. The reason? Because when we choose Him He becomes our very life! Our life is no longer ours when we make Him our life.

When we face choices as Christians the proper choice should be clear enough. Christ is our life, let every choice we make honour His as such.

 

Excellent point Roger and, somewhat, what I have for tomorrow.

 

- What do they say about great minds ?

 

Thursday October 27, 2005

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths (2Timothy 4:3-4). NIV

Roger just spoke of choices people make, today I would like to speak on what one chooses to believe.
Ever since I first read the New International Version, I thought of what an interesting twist the translators put on this passage, “…not put up with…” Certainly there has been a time in our lives we have seen someone with a disgusted look on their face, perhaps with hands on hips, exclaim, “I’m not putting up with this anymore!” But, sadly, I am not talking about someone who has been subjected to abuse, or who has been taken advantage of, but of all those who absolutely refuse to hear, much less obey, the clear teachings of God’s word.
The latter half of Romans chapter one speaks, in graphic terms, what the result of this rebellion will be.
God’s wrath:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18)
Falling into idolatry:
“…exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:23)
God gives them over to sinful desires:
“… for the degrading of their bodies with one another.” (Romans 1:24)
Lastly, they are given over to desires that are even against nature (Romans 1:26-27). Notice homosexual acts are not only against God’s law, but it says it is even against nature. It is not an alternative lifestyle, it is sin.
Also, such a person, in rejecting the truth, sets himself up for whatever lie that comes along, and we know that the enemies of the true gospel are more than eager to spread their lies. The J.W’s , Mormons, or whoever, are quite adapt at planting falsehood into a mind that void of the truth.
How important it is that we spread the truth.

 

Friday, 28th October, 2005

You’ve never been this way before

“Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.” - Joshua 3v4

We all have many times in our lives when we face the unknown. Going off to college, marriage, moving house, job changes, new ministries and many other times we are in situation similar to Israel on the Jordan River.

God did not want Israel to rush pell-mell across the Jordan to conquer the land. He wanted them to follow His leadership. He wanted the ark ready to go, but the people we stay about a kilometre back to watch how God would lead. The reason for this observance? “You have not passed this way before.” They did not know what was going to happen or what kind of situations were going to face. God told them to step back and watch to see how to follow.

God also told them to sanctify themselves before the task. A “setting apart” was required before the task was begun. This was going to be a long arduous task which could only be accomplished as they set themselves apart and followed Him.

The next time you face a situation when you have “not passed this way before” remember to sit back and see how the Lord will lead as you sanctify yourself to Him.

 

Monday October 30, 2005

Prophecy

How should the prophecies of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ be interpreted? Allegorically, or literally? Perhaps we should look at His first coming and compare the prophecies of this event to what actually happened.

(Gen 49:10) The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Would be from the tribe of Judah.
(Luk 3:33) Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,
Fulfilled litterally.

(Isa 9:7) Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Would be descended from David.
(Mat 1:1) The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Fulfilled litterally.

(Mic 5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Would be from Bethlehem.
(Mat 2:1) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Fulfilled litterally.

(Isa 7:14) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Would be virgin born.
(Mat 1:18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Fulfilled litterally.

(Zec 9:9) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Would ride into Jerusalem on an ass.
(Joh 12:13) Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
(Joh 12:14) And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
Fulfilled litterally.

(Psa 41:9) Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
Would be betrayed by a friend.
(Mar 14:10) And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.
Fulfilled litterally.

(Psa 22:16) For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Would be crucified.
(Joh 20:27) Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Fulfilled literally. One of the most remarkable prophecies in God’s word because crucifixion was a means of execution used only by the Romans, and David wrote this about his blessed descendant hundreds of years before the Roman empire came into existence.

(Psa 22:18) They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Would have lots cast for His clothing.
(Mar 15:24) And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
Fulfilled literally. Again, a practice used by Romans.

(Psa 16:10) For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Would be resurrected.
(Mat 28:9) And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
Fulfilled literally.

(Psa 68:18) Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
Would ascend into heaven.
(Luk 24:50) And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
(Luk 24:51) And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
Fulfilled literally.

To allegorize the events of the Second Coming, unless taking the literal sense to an event makes no sense, is to make God’s Word inconsistent about prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus.

 

Tuesday, 1st November, 2005

I saw…coveted…took…hid

“When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” - Joshua 7v21

The source of Israel’s sin and resulting defeat at Ai had been discovered. A man of Judah, Achan had been found out and was confronted by Joshua. Achan made a full disclosure of how the sin had happened and there were four steps to his sin.

I saw the garment, silver, and gold
I coveted them
I took them
I hid them

God has graciously given us here a pattern to watch out for. Not only were these steps to Achan’s sin. But they are steps to all of our sins as well. We see something, we desire it, we take it, and we then try to hide our sin.

Sometimes we can help what we see, but there are times when we cannot. However, the next step is where we too often “blow it.” After we see something, we covet it. This is where the sin really starts. But even then it is not too late to deal with the sin and ask God’s forgiveness. The next step is where we really fail, we take what we want, then the natural next step is to hide our sin.

We cannot keep your sin hidden forever. “Be sure your sin will find you out,” God says. Lets keep our eyes open for the warnings signs on the road to sin and seek God’s help in avoiding the dangerous steps.

 

Wednesday November 2, 2005

"In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6).
Four times in the Book of Judges we are told that "there was no king in Israel in those days" (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), indicating that the book must have been compiled either by Samuel (the last judge) or someone else of his or a later generation..:. The first and last of these (which is the final verse in the book) add that "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." With no centralized government, there were only tribal leaders. Occasionally, one of these would acquire followers from other tribes; these were the "judges" whom God raised up to lead the people out of bondage on the occasions of widespread repentance and prayer.

The intervening period were times of oppression by enemies, and moral and spiritual chaos among the people. They did have a king, of course, but they refused Him, as did the men in the parable who "sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). When they finally requested a human king, Samuel rebuked them for saying, "Nay, but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king" (1Samuel 12:12).

Lest we be too critical of he ancient Israelites for rejecting God as their king and going each his own way, that is essentially what people are doing today. "There is no fear of God before their eyes," and they are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (Romans 3:18; 2Timothy 3:4). When every man believes what is comfortable and does what he pleases, he in effect becomes his own god, and this is nothing but humanism. But just as this ancient humanism was empty, and the people soon desired a human king, so modern atheistic humanism will also revert to pantheism, and the world will then yield to a humanistic king to lead them on to a final deadly confrontation with the true King of Kings.

 

Thursday, 3rd November, 2005

They asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord

“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.” - Joshua 9v14

After the battle of Ai word got around about the other conquests by the Israelites. There were already stories about the great victories on the other side of the Jordan, and now Jericho and Ai were added to the list of victory stories.

The Gibeonites devised a master plan to save themselves. They put on old clothes and shoes, packed old food and wine, and approached Joshua as though they had been travelling a long distance. When they came they asked to food and supplies.

Dealing with this kind of request is always difficult. Here the leaders of Israel make a serious error. They made a decision without first asking counsel of the Lord. They acted on their own without asking God what to do. This was to have long lasting affects and the Gibeonites were to be a thorn in their sides for years to come.

What is our lesson for today? Simple enough - seek God’s face before we act. Go to Him in prayer and seek His leadership and counsel before we act. We can spare ourselves great difficulties if we will “ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord.

 

Friday November 4, 2005

"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5:24).
This characterization, that a man "walked with God," is used to describe two men in the primeval world. No doubt Adam and Eve had walked with God until in sin "they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord" (Genesis 3:8)
But we note from our text that six generations later Enoch walked with God. Moreover we see that his great grandson followed his example: "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). What does it mean that these men walked with God?
1. It implies reconciliation. Amos 3:3 speaks rhetorically, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"
2.It implies communion, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (2Corinthians 6:14) There is a fellowship with walking together.
3. It implies progression. For over 300 years Enoch walked with God. Such a relationship cannot remain stationary. If one ceases to improve, then God walks on while the believer is left behind.
4.It implies protection. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).
5. It implies identification. When we walk beside God it becomes apparent to others that we are closely associated with Him. "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1John 2:6).

 

Monday, 7th November, 2005

God forbid that we rebel against the Lord

“God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.” - Joshua 22v29

The people were spelling their commitment to the Lord when they made this statement of dedication. They seemed to be totally committed when they said, “God forbid that we rebel against the Lord, turn aside from following Him, build another altar!”

We know of course that they did not hold to this commitment for very long. Once that were established they quickly began to turn aside after the false gods of Canaan, they were not as committed as they first appeared. They did rebel, turn aside, and worship at other altars.

How do we stack up compared to them? As Christians the very thought of rebelling against the Lord should be totally abhorrent to us. We should never dream of turning aside or worshipping at “other altars.” But do we? Is there anything in our lives where we rebel against Him? Is there any hint of turning off the path of following Him? Are their “other altars” in our lives that draw our attention away for following Him?

Other altars are not always made of stone and wood. They can be intangibles such as popularity, materialism, or sensual lust. God forbid that we rebel against the Lord in being distracted by things like this and worship as these “altars.”

 

Tuesday November 8, 2005

Even from everlasting, thou art God" (Psalm 90:2)
God would not be God if He were not "from everlasting to everlasting."
The eternality of God is a very important aspect of His total being or
make-up. It is part of that which makes up God as God.
Therefore each member of Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, is seen in Scripture to share this attribute of eernity. The
Fathet in Deuteronomy 33:27; "The eternal God is my refuge." The Son in
Micah 5:2; "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting,"
and, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever"
(Hebrews 13:8). The Holy Spirit in Hebrews 9:14 described as the
"eternal Spirit." The Trinity has been defined as three distinctions in
one Divine essence.
Since God is eternal, His blessings to His own are eternal as well. "But
the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that
fear Him" (Psalm 103:17. The New Testament speaks of Jesus procuring
"eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12) for us through the shedding of His
own blood, resulting in "eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12) for us
through the shedding of His own blood, resulting in "eternal salvation"
(Hebrews 5:9): Thus we have a new home, "a building of God, an house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2Corintians 5:1) and
inheritance, "they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15), and a "far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory" (2Corinthians 4:17).
Unfortunately for the unsaved, the Scriptures speak of a coming time
when there will be "eternal judgement" (Hebrews 6:2) and the sufferings
of "eternal fire" (Jude 7).
But those who know the Lord can say wuth David, "Blessed be the Lord God
of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let the people say, Amen"
(Psalm 106:48).

 

Thursday November 10,2005

"Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is
great in heaven: for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets"
(Luke 6:23)
Sometimes great rewards are promised to those who help locate dangerous
criminals, or to those who win a lottery, but such rewards are trivial
compared to those awaiting all the faitful servants of Christ. The
"great reward" promised by Christ in our text is specifically for those
believers who willingly endured persecutions "for the Son of Man's sake"
(v.22).
Such rewards are distinct from salvation, of course, for that reward is
given only "to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that
justifieth the ungodly" (Romans 4:5). "Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5-6).
That is, salvation is a free gift, received only through personal faith
in Christ and His sacrificial death for our sins. Rewards, on the other
hand, are earned by faithful witness and work for Christ. In that day
when "we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ"
(2Corinthians 5:10), many will learn to their dismay that, although they
have indeed received everlasting life, they will hav very little reward.
For "the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is"
(1Corinthians 3:13)-not the quantity, but the quality and fidelity to
God's Word. Then, "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss: but he himself shall be saved" (v.15).
We need to remember that one of the last and thus most significant
promises of Christ was: "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with
me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation
22:12).

 

Friday, 11th November, 2005


Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen

“Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress. And the children of Israel said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day.” - Judges 10v14-15

Israel had once again turned from God. For eighteen years they had been under the oppression of the Philistines. After all that time they finally called out to God for help. God’s response had to be a surprise to them –“You have forgotten me, go and ask the gods you have chosen for help. It appears that God wanted to make them aware of how far they had gone.

They finally proved that they were genuine, not only did they admit their sin, the Bible says they “put away the false gods and served Him. ” God’s response? He was grieved for their misery. What a precious response from a God Who had been rejected by them.

They key here is that these people finally showed true repentance by putting away the false gods and serving Him. They understood what true confessing of sin was. When we truly confess it is evidenced by action. We put away whatever is turning our attention from Him and serving Him. There is no excuse for sin in our lives – He gives us all the power we need to forsake them and serve Him. At salvation we received full deliverance from the penalty and the power of sin. Lets’ be sure that when we confess our sin we do so my forsaking the “god” that motivates that sin and serve the Lord.

 

Monday November 14, 2005

"But now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets,
according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all
nations for the obedience of faith" (Romans 16:26).
This revelation was written by Paul the apostle as a conclusion to his
great doctrinal epistle to the Romans. That which "now is made
manifest...to all nations" had been "kept secret since the world began,"
and was essentially the simple truth revealed in "my gospel, and the
preaching of Jesus Christ" (Romans 16:25) offering to people from every
nation (not just Israel!) the wonderful gift of salvation and eternal
life through Jesus Christ.
And note that this was being made manifest, not just by the preachers
and Scriptures of the New Testament, but "by the Scriptures of the
prophets"-that is, by the Old Testament Scriptures. There are some today
who think the old testament is no longer of significance to Christians.
But they are wrong! Remember that Jesus, after His resurrection,
speaking to two of His disciples, rebuked them by saying: "O fools, and
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:...And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all
the scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:25,27).
Furthermore, the Old Testament abounds with wonderful promises and
precepts and examples that are supremely practical and profitable for
the Christian life. As Paul said, "For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and
comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4). In fact, every
Old Testament Scripture is "given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness" (2Timothy 3:16).

 

Tuesday, 15th November, 2005

Every man did that which was right in his own eyes

“In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” – Judges 17v6

The last few chapters of Judges are a litany of the terrible sins that befell Israel during this time. The actions are shameful and awful even in the light of the wickedness of the modern world. When we look at these events and look at all that is going on around us today we ask ourselves, “How can man be so wicked?” We see horrible crimes being committed. We see terrible abuse of children and shocking crimes that can hardly be imagined even in a horror film, but they are real life events.

What happens? How do we get to this point? How is human life so cheapened that it can be taken so violently and without regard to the consequences?

Judges 17v6 gives the simple answer; “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” When God’s standards are broken down there is no more right and wrong. With no right and wrong there is no limit to man’s potential for violence. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes, and man’s own eyes are self-serving and self gratifying.

There must be an absolute standard – without that man is left to his own devices. God has given us a perfect standard, His perfect word. It tells us what is right and wrong. When we, even as Christians, reject God’s word in every situation we in essence are no better than those who do what is right in their own eyes.

There can be no standard for us outside of the Bible. May that ALWAYS be our guide, and may we NEVER act according to our own whims and our idea of what is right.

 

Thanks Roger. I work as a security guard at a major hospital now, often assigned to the emergency room. Not much here is cheerfull, no exclamation of joy, only whaling and crying.
While natural causes and accidents are probably the cause of most coming here, the victims of violence by one person against another gives the trauma teams lots of work.
Why? You said it best (the lack of) an absolute standard. This was caused by a departure from honoring God and adhering to His Word. Hey, we are no better than animals! A developing baby is a clump of tissue. Someone who is an inconvience should be starved to death.
We have called evil good and good evil. The Kansas State School Board has been ridiculed for passing science standards that allows for intelligient design and the questioning of Darwin's theory.
(When He comes)...shall He find faith on the earth? (Luke 13:8)

 

Wednesday November 16, 2005

"Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now
they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible"
(1Corinthians 9:25).
Paul reminds us that his service and work for God was like the Olympic
tryout races held in Corinth.
Jesus in Luke 13:24 challenged people to "Stive to enter in at the
straight gate." In the matter of our salvation, we should be certain in
our conviction. Paul said to "work out your own salvation" (Philippians
2:12) and its total application to every part of life.
Paul also wrote of his desire to "present every man perfectly in Christ
Jesus" (Colossians 1:28), "striving according to His working" (v.29).
The ministry to obtain spiritually mature disciples, Paul implies, is
like an athletic competition. Paul also wrote of laboring or striving
with fellow Christians in prayer (Colossians 4:12; Romans 15:30).
Jude challenges us to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3) against apostasy.
Thus, thare are four things for which the Christian should strive:
1.) Our salvation being worked out in our lives;
2.) Our ministry, which should yield spiritually complete Christians;
3.) Our prayers with and for other Christians; and
4.) Our faith. Athletes strive for a medal or wealth: We strive for an
incorruptible crown!

 

Thursday, 17th November, 2005

Let me go glean in the field

“And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.” - Ruth 2v2

Ruth is an amazing person. The first character trait noted about Ruth is here loyalty and devotion to family. There was no way she was going to allow Naomi to go back home alone.

Another character trait seen in Ruth is that of a hard worker. Rather than cry and bemoan their state, Ruth asked Naomi to let her go out and glean in the fields to get food for them to eat. Gleaning as hard, arduous work that required working all day just to gather enough food for the day.

Too often we find ourselves in a difficult situation and waste out time complaining instead of doing something about it. Let us be inspired to act on Ruth’s example. When things seem tough, depend on God, but get to work doing what we can do!