The Carpenter's Chapel (7)

Friday, 23rd December, 2005

What meaneth the bleating of the sheep?

“And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” – 1 Samuel 15v14

Saul had a real problem with faith living. When Samuel instructed him on defeating King Agag he told him to kill the king, all the inhabitants of the city. He told him to destroy all of the livestock in the city.

In the minds of Saul and the people it did not make any sense to destroy all that food so they spared Agag and all the livestock. Once again he acted by sight instead of by faith.

When Samuel arrived he Saul came forward and boldly proclaimed, “I have followed the commandment of the Lord!” What arrogance! He boldly lied to the Samuel and thought he could get away with it because he had offered his one and only sacrifice.

He didn’t reckon on Samuel’s response – “What meaneth the bleating of the sheep?” The Bible says, “be sure your sin will find you out.” The evidence of Saul’s sin was there. He said he obeyed God, but the sheep he spared we sounding out that he was a liar!

It is easy for us to think we can get away with sin and mask it with spiritual activity. We must be aware that our sin will eventually find us out. We should not be surprised at the “bleating of the sheep” when we are trying to cover up our own sin.

 

Monday December 19,2005

“For lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess” (Jeremiah 30,3)
One characteristic of the spiritual life is the cyclic nature of punishment-the repetitious pattern of peace, guilt, punishment, recovery, and peace again.
As an example of the discipline cycle, Jeremiah speaks in our text of the return of the Jews to Israel after being away in captivity in Babylon. The period of discipline is over, and God is about to re-enable the people to possess the land.
In Deuteronomy, we see yet an earlier cycle of discipline-the wilderness experience that the Israelites had to go through: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no” (Deuteronomy 8:2). Because they did not believe God at Paran (Numbers 12:16; 14:3), they had to pay for their rebellious hearts (14: 22-23).
Let’s examine the specifics of the discipline cycle:
(1) The people must obey the commandments in order to live, multiply and possess the land.
(2) If not, then they will be subject to discipline that will humble them, test their heart’s sincerity to keep the commandments, and cause a hunger for God;
(3) Restoration will come only through repentance and forgiveness, which allows them to repossess the land.
(4) The people can satisfy themselves with the Lord’s provision and bless Him for the land.
Knowledge of the cycle of discipline might help us to stay within God’s favor, and, if we should be out of favor, to determine where we are and what to do next to get back into fellowship and blessing.

 

Tuesday, 20th December, 2005

Consider all that He has done for you

“Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.” – 1 Samuel 12v24


Samuel instructed the people to fear the Lord and serve Him with all their hearts. We have already seen that “heart service” is the kind of service that God expects from us.

How do we motivate ourselves to keep on serving? What do we do when we don’t see any “results” to speak of? What happens when things just seem to keep going wrong? How do we keep serving with all our hearts when our hearts are broken?

Samuel answers all of these questions with a very simple phrase – “Consider the great things God has done for you.” When we truly consider all that God has done for us we must stand in amazement and wonder. How God could take a vile, filthy, heel-bound sinner and create that man a new heart and a new man mystifies me. That the perfect sinless God of heaven would reach down in love to make me His own is a wonder. If this was “all” that God ever did for me it would make all of the service, with whatever trials it brings, worthwhile. He has made us His children. He has given us an eternal inheritance that cannot be taken away. He has made us joint heirs with His Son. He has given us an assured hope in a world that is without hope!

The next time you are tempted to despair or get discouraged pause and “consider the great things He has done for you!”

 

Wednesday December 21, 2005

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” (Philippians 1:3-4).
One would suspect from his frequent use of the phrase “you all” that the Apostle Paul had come from Alabama or Georgia! But, in his writings, “you all” is not a southern idiom, but a warm expression of Christian fellowship. His heart was burdened, not just for a few close friends and loved ones (as in most of our own prayers), but for “all that in every place call upon the name of the Jesus Christ our Lord” (1Corinthians 1:2).
He assured the Philippian Church that he was, in every one of his prayers, praying for “you all.” He told them of his confidence in their continued growth in Christ, that it was altogether fitting for him to believe this of “you all,” thankful that “in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace” (Philippians 1:7).
He wrote in similar vein to the Thessalonians at the start of his (chronologically) first epistle: “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers (1Thessalonians 1:2). Paul had a long prayer list.
To the Roman Christians he wrote: “I than my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:8). Then he wrote his benediction: “Now the God of peace be with you all” (Romans 15:33). He concluded his message to the Christians at Corinth: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all” (2Corinthians 13:14).
Peter and John used the same expression in their writings for they also were large of heart and concern. Finally, these are the very last words of the Bible: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22:21).

 

Thursday, 22nd December, 2005

There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few


“And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” – 1 Samuel 14v6

Israel was in big trouble. Saul was dispirited after hearing the news that he would lose the kingdom. The Philistines were still on their border. They we outnumbered and defeat looked certain.

Jonathan and his armour bearer decided to do something about it. Under Jonathan’s direction they went out on their own to face the Philistines. Jonathan showed a faith his father did not show when he told the armour bearer that the Lord could save with a few as easily as He could deliver with many. Jonathan had great faith in making this declaration. It made no difference what he saw – he had the faith to trust in what he could not see.

Every time we face difficulties we have a choice. We can do like Saul did and respond to what we can see. Or, we can be like Jonathan and trust God in spite of what we see. Jonathan’s words have been a great comfort to me in the past. God can do His work no matter how big our numbers are. It is all His work. He can do it in our strength or in our weakness, in our many, or in our few.

 

Nothing is impossible with the Lord. Thanks Roger.

 

Friday December 23, 2005

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)
The fact Jesus Christ is actually in each believer is both a great mystery and rich in glory. In fact, it is our very hope and assurance of glory in the ages to come.
How Christ may be both seated at “the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3) and yet living in us is surely a mystery, yet it is fully true. He Himself told His disciples: “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make our abode with him…Abide in Me, and I in you…He that abideth in Me an I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 14:23; 15: 4-5)
The apostle Paul also confirmed this great truth: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). One of his prayers for the Ephesians was “That Christ (might) dwell in (their) hearts (Ephesians 3:17).
The mystery as to how this can be resolved in yet another mystery-that of the tri-unity of the Godhead. Christ, the Second Person, is present in His people through the Holy Spirit, the Third Person. Christ said: “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter…Even the Spirit of truth…for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17).
In fact, as our text says, His indwelling presence is our very hope of glory, for “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9).
Thus, where we go, He goes; whatever we say, He hears; even what we think, He knows. Christ, by the Holy Spirit, is our ever-present comforter and guide and counselor, This is, indeed, a glorious mystery!

 

Monday, 26th December, 2005

Man looks on the outward appearance and God looks on the heart

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16v7

When Saul was sent to Jesse’s home to find the new kings he called on Jesse to bring out his sons. The first son to catch Samuel’s eye was Eliab. He must have been an imposing figure for Samuel said – “Surely, this must be the one!”

God however had another plan. He told Samuel, “Don’t look on his appearance, don’t look at his height. I have refused him.” Obviously, physical appearance was not going to impress God, it was the attitude of the heart that was going to matter to God. “Man looks on the outward appearance, the Lord looks on the heart.”

Physical still has a major importance to the world today. People are popular in many cases because of the way they look, or what they can do. Sports and Hollywood stars base nearly everything on looks or physical ability. Too many Christians have followed that line.

God is not impressed by our physical appearance or abilities. God is concerned instead with our hearts. How many hours do spend preparing our hearts compared to how much time we spend on our physical appearance?

 

Tuesday December 27, 2005

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1)
This is the first of the great “I am’s” of Scripture, and it was given to father Abraham at a time of both great victory and great dependence. The Lord had enabled Abraham’s little army to vanquish a much larger Amorite host, but then, still childless, he was suddenly overwhelmed by his loneliness and vulnerability in an alien land.
Then Jesus came! When Christ much later affirmed His eternal self-existence to the Pharisee’s (“I am,” He had said). He claimed that Abraham had seen His day, and rejoiced (John 8:56). This experience, recorded early in Genesis, was, no doubt, that great occasion. As the living Word (John 1:1), by whom all things were made (v.3), He assured Abram that He, Himself, would provide all needed protection (thy shield), and all needed blessing (“exceeding great reward”). And then it was that “he believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternally existing Creator and Redeemer of all things, is no less able today than then, to be our protection-and our provision as well.
Note that it was the Word of the Lord that came to Abram in a vision. This identifies the vision with the preincarnate Christ, who would eventually become God’s incarnate Word (John 1:1, 14).
Thus, as to Abram, God says: “Fear not!” Adam, indeed, was justifiably afraid when he heard the voice of the Lord (Genesis 3:10), for he only a fig leaf for a covering. But, like Abram, we have a strong shield, which is none other than the Lord. Himself.

 

Wednesday, 28th December, 2005

The God who delivered me from the bear and the lion will deliver me from the giant

“David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” – 1 Samuel 17v37

Saul and the people though that David was crazy for wanting to fight Goliath. He was only a boy and Goliath had been a champion warrior since his youth. All they could see was this giant. According to the custom of the time whichever champion won the fight would win the battle for his side. All they could see was certain defeat.

David had another perspective. He knew that God had delivered him when he fought both a lion and a bear. As a boy he had no hope against these foes either, but God had allowed him to kill them. David already knew the principle of James 1. Trials now strengthen us for more trials later. He knew that he had no hope in his own strength when he fought Goliath. He knew that by sight he was sunk. But he knew something else; he knew that with God all things were possible.

We all face various giants in our lives. God will not bring a giant across our path that He has not already provided a way to defeat it. He will never give us more than we can handle. Look back to other foes that God has defeated and look forward with confidence to the giant in your path today!

 

Thursday December 29, 2005

"Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is The Branch, and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build
the temple of the Lord: Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He
shall be priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zechariah 6:12-13).
In ancient Israel, the offices of king and priest were kept strictly separate. There was too much risk of misuse of power for one man top
hold both offices.
Yet, in the truest sense, no one but God Himself was fully qualified either to rule as king or mediate as priest. thus God Himself must one day become man, in order to be both King of Kings, and eternal HIgh Priest. As a prophetic promise of His coming accession to these positions, God symbolically invested Zerubabbel and Joshua, the current governor and high priest, with the combined function "a priest upon his throne"-through the prophet Zechariah.
This was only prophetic, however.
Long before, God had made a similar promise through David, speaking of the coming Messiah: "Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies...Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:2,4). The
mysterious Melchizedek, first encountered by Abraham a thousand years before even David's time, had also been both "King of Salem" and "priest of the most high God" (Genesis 14:18).
The Lord Jesus Christ had now come, and henceforth will always be "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords"
(1Timothy 6:15). Furthermore, "this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing that He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:24-25).

 

Monday January 2, 2006

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man among you, not to think of himself more highly than ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).

Many times today we look at Paul and wish to be greatly used of God as he was. But Scripture teaches us that the use of Paul as a role model requires a proper view of Paul-his humility and his submission to Christ. Paul didn't start out as a humble servant. In fact, before his conversion, he was quite proud of his pedigree (Philippians 3:4-6). He was the overseer of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58). He was fanatical, the haughty persecutor of the early church (8:3). In grace, he was informed of his error by "Jesus, whom thou persecutest" (9:5), and soon Paul recognized the worthlessness of his background and human achievement, and counted all these things "but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8). Once his view of Christ was proper, Paul's view of himself began to decrease. In A.D. 56 or so, Paul, who had been set apart for ministry to the Gentiles "from my mother's womb" (Galatians 1:15) called himself "the least of the apostles, that am not meet (fit) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am (1Corinthians 15:9-10). While in prison several years later, Paul wrote to the gentile churches he had founded, marveling that this ministry was given "Unto me, who am the least of all saints" (Ephesians 3:8). Shortly before he was beheaded in prison for his faith, he testified "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1Timothy 1:15). As Paul grew older. his evaluation of his own worth decreased. As one draws closer and closer to the light, he is able to see more clearly his own unworthiness.

 

Tuesday, 3rd January, 2006

The Lord judge between thee and me

“The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.” - 1 Samuel 24v12


How different were David’s words to Saul than they were to Jonathan. To Jonathan her said, “The Lord be between thee and me,” and to Saul he said, “The Lord judge between thee and me.” In both cases David showed that his faith was in the Lord. He could trust God to watch over Jonathan and he could trust God to take care of his enemy Saul. David consistently showed an uncanny ability to trust God in every situation and to deal with others.

In this case David felt guilty that he had even cut Saul’s robe. He pointed out to Saul that he could have killed him, but he would not so because Saul was God’s anointed. He knew that eventually God would avenge Saul for him, but he was not going to do anything about it.

David knew how to trust God to deal with others. O that we could all have that same faith!

 

Wednesday January 4,2006

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ"
(Ephesians 1:3).
This little phrase, "in Christ," conveys a world of doctrinal truth with
great blessing to the believer. Positionally speaking, God has actually
"raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6). God in effect sees us as "in Christ,"
and this wonderful position, at God's right hand, implies great honor.
It is well to note similar phrases throughout Scripture. Paul assures us
that we were "chosen...in Him before the foundation of the world" (1:4),
"accepted in the beloved" (1:6), and "created in Christ Jesus unto
good works" (2:10).
He is the one "In whom we have obtained an inheritance" (1:11), and, "In
whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the
Spirit" (2:22). We have the glorious future promise that God will
"gather together in one all things in Christ" (1:10) "according to
the
working of His mighty power. Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised
Him from the dead, and set Him on His own right hand in heavenly places"
(1:19-20).
Therefore, in our exalted position in Him, in the heavenly places, we do
indeed enjoy "all spiritual blessings." This doctinal truth provides us
with the incentive and power to live a practical Christian life that is
genuinely consistent with our high calling and position in Him.
This is the basis for the many New Testament exhortations to the
believer to live daily "in Christ." For example, "As ye have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6).
Therefore, since "ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which
are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God...for ye are
dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3).

 

Thursday, 5th January, 2006

David encouraged himself in the Lord his God

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” – 1 Samuel 30v6

Even David was not perfect when it came to walking by faith. When he say that Saul was bound and determined to kill him he was afraid and decided to join forces with the Philistines.

He became a successful warrior for the Philistines. After a time however he grew into disfavour since he was an Israelite. When he tried to go back to Israel he was rejected by them because of his apparent treason. Now he was truly a man without a country.

He had learned his lesson however. He was distresses and afraid. The people were ready to stone him because of his ruthlessness when he fought for the Philistines.

This time David did the right thing. He could not encourage himself with his situation. He knew there was only one way to encourage himself – he encouraged himself in the Lord.

We will always fail when we encourage ourselves in anything but the Lord. We will NEVER fail when we truly encourage ourselves in Him.

 

Friday January 6, 2006

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1Timothy 4:13).
In this video age, Christians are in grave danger of forgetting the importance of reading. A sermon or lecture is knowledge heard; an educational film or video is knowledge seen; but reading is knowledge that can be read, rehearsed, reviewed, and renewed again and again, until fully and securely learned. In fact, it is necessary for students to take notes, even when hearing a sermon or seeing a film, if they expect to retain any knowledge received by such means.
Reading and studying the Scriptures are especially necessary for a fruitful Christian ministry, but even this is not really enough. The Bible also commands us to give an “answer” for our Christian hope (1Peter 3:15).
To do this requires continuance in the study, not only of the Bible, but also other sound literature as well. A truly effective and influential Christian is an informed Christian, armed with facts and sound counsel, prepared and capable both in his own professional field of practice and in his spiritual service as a Christian witness.
It is significant that Paul, just before his martyrdom and while imprisoned in a damp, cold, Roman dungeon, still desired his books to read (2Timothy 3:18). The conscientious Christian must never cease to study, and to grow in grace and knowledge (2Peter 3:18).

 

Monday, 9th January, 2006

What more can I say Lord, you know your servant

“And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.” - 2 Samuel 7v20

The more I read about David the more real he seems. He knew himself. He knew his doubts and fears. He knew his weaknesses and strengths. He knew his successes and his failures.

Even more than that he knew as evidenced in Psalm 139 that God knew all about Him. God knew all about David and He still chose to make David his servant. God knew all about God and still called David a “man after His own heart.”

This ought to give us great comfort. Sometimes I feel so ill suited to do God’s work. I know my own heart and wonder how God could possibly use me. This passage gives us the great comfort that He does know all about what.

What marvellous grace it is that God could know me, and still use me!

 

Tuesday January 10, 2006

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His" (Daniel 2:20)
Men have sought wisdom all through the ages "ever learning, and never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (IITimothy 3:7). Others have
sought great power. But then we read of Alexander weeping because there
were no more worlds to conquer, and see one rich man after another who
cannot bring himself to say, "It is enough."
The problem is, of course, that they are searching for wisdom and might
in the wrong places, and thus they can never be satisfied. Wisdom and
might belong only to God. In the Lord Jesus Christ "are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3), and to Him has been
given "All power...in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). God,
revealed in Christ, is both omniscient and omnipotent, and true wisdom
and true riches must come only from Him.
Therefore, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...and it shall
be given him" (James 1:5). If we are in need of strength, we must
become weak, for "when I am weak, then am I strong" (IICorinthians
12:10). If we need riches, we must know poverty, for before Christ can
commit to us "the true riches," we must be found "faithful in that
which is least" (Luke 16:11,10).
Daniel's testimony, as recorded in this passage, was given to the most
powerful monarch on earth, with access to all the wisdom of the most
highly educated men of the age. But neither human might nor human wisdom
could solve his problem. Only Daniel, drawing on the wisdom and power of
the God of creation, could meet his need. God's servants, even today,
have the same privilage and responsibility, because our God is "for ever
and ever."

 

Wednesday, 11 January, 2006

Be brave, be strong, and let God do what seems good to Him

“Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good.” - 2 Samuel 10v12

Joab and Abishai were facing two enemies, the Syrians and the Ammonites. Joab divided his forces, taking part of the army with him to face the Syrians and sending Abishai to face the Ammonites.

Then Joab gave some marvellous instructions for the battle:

· Be of good courage
· Be strong (play the men)
· Let God do what seems best to Him

There is a wonderful, if very basic lesson here. We are to take courage in the Lord, go forth in His strength, and then leave the rest up to Him. We have very real battles that we face every day. We must learn that we do all we can humanly do, then we just have to leave it in His hands to do as He will and accept His actions.

Simple enough. We can’t do more than we can do. Leave that up to Him!

 

Amen.

A simple message, just like you said, but one we need to be constantly reminded of.

Thank you Roger.