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The Carpenter's Chapel (4)
- Thread starter Jim1999
- Start date
following-Him
Active Member
Jim,
Are you thinking of Great Is Thy Faithfulness?
wonderful words.
Blessings
Sheila
Are you thinking of Great Is Thy Faithfulness?
wonderful words.
Blessings
Sheila
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
Great topic for a devotion from Lamentations!
Thursday, May 20, 2004
1 Corinthians 5:9ff; 6
“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators...”
Paul is very clear in this passage as to whom we are to have fellowship. He goes on
to list the various deviations from the faith once delivered to the saints. What Paul is
talking about is purity of soul within the company of believers. We are duty bound
to strive toward total sanctification. Be not deceived, this is not an instant event, but
indeed a process of te working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but it is to happen.
This is an evidence of our total trust in the works of Christ to not only redeem us
from the penalty of sin, but to deliver us from the chains of sin that bind us in this
mortal life.
The question here is how do we deal with this separation from the world and yet
deliver unto them who are without the church the gospel of saving grace. The Lord
Jesus Himself walked among sinners. He ministered to their needs. He instructed
them as to what they should do to be saved. Jesus, in a sense, fellowshiped with
Nicodemus and explained the meaning of being born again. So, what is Paul
saying? Clearly he is saying, whilst we are in the world, and we have a
responsibility to tell the nations that Jesus will save, we are to be a separate people.
“But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God” (6:11)
The Plymouth Brethren, from the very beginning, celebrated a closed morning
service, where only the saints gathered to worship God and fellowship with the
believers, and partake of the Lord’s supper. Their understanding was taken from
what Paul is here teaching. To reach the lost, they held an open service where
outsiders in the world cold gather and hear the gospel. There was a time when
baptists also practiced this with morning and evening services. We have gotten
away from it, and I believe the church body has suffered in the process. We delight
in hearing the gospel preached, but we are sadly lacking in the teaching of the
whole word, and sanctifying ourselves as a body unto Christ. We end up with
weak-kneed believers and hardly a distinct body.
In Chapter 6:1-6, Paul is demonstrating how brother goes against brother in the
presence of unbelievers before a court of law, when these matters should be
resolved one to the other. We justify our actions by saying we have been wronged
and the only resolution comes before the courts. Yes, there is a place for litigation in
this society, but never brother to brother. This is our testimony before a lost world.
“See how they love one another.” Pauls says in verse 15: “Know ye not that your
bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and
make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.”
This Christian life is not a career search. It is well and good for one to learn all he
can and succeed in the commercial world. In fact, as a Christian, it would be wrong
not to excell before men. The body of Christ, however, will have none of this. We
are to move and have our being as a unit. When one brother hurts, we are to share
the hurt. “We are not our own, but we are bought with a price; therefore, Paul says,
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Sanctification should be taught to every believer from the very beginning. Every
believer should want to sanctify himself before God and before men. We join
parades against certain sinful practices in the world, and Paul warns us about
judging the world when we have not judged within the body.
Lord, help us to look inward, that our outward appearance will not deceive who we
are. Let our light always shine forth and not be disguised under a bushel. It is this
very separation that draws the world and we want to be so magnetized so as to
glorify Your name.
Cheers,
Jim
1 Corinthians 5:9ff; 6
“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators...”
Paul is very clear in this passage as to whom we are to have fellowship. He goes on
to list the various deviations from the faith once delivered to the saints. What Paul is
talking about is purity of soul within the company of believers. We are duty bound
to strive toward total sanctification. Be not deceived, this is not an instant event, but
indeed a process of te working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but it is to happen.
This is an evidence of our total trust in the works of Christ to not only redeem us
from the penalty of sin, but to deliver us from the chains of sin that bind us in this
mortal life.
The question here is how do we deal with this separation from the world and yet
deliver unto them who are without the church the gospel of saving grace. The Lord
Jesus Himself walked among sinners. He ministered to their needs. He instructed
them as to what they should do to be saved. Jesus, in a sense, fellowshiped with
Nicodemus and explained the meaning of being born again. So, what is Paul
saying? Clearly he is saying, whilst we are in the world, and we have a
responsibility to tell the nations that Jesus will save, we are to be a separate people.
“But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God” (6:11)
The Plymouth Brethren, from the very beginning, celebrated a closed morning
service, where only the saints gathered to worship God and fellowship with the
believers, and partake of the Lord’s supper. Their understanding was taken from
what Paul is here teaching. To reach the lost, they held an open service where
outsiders in the world cold gather and hear the gospel. There was a time when
baptists also practiced this with morning and evening services. We have gotten
away from it, and I believe the church body has suffered in the process. We delight
in hearing the gospel preached, but we are sadly lacking in the teaching of the
whole word, and sanctifying ourselves as a body unto Christ. We end up with
weak-kneed believers and hardly a distinct body.
In Chapter 6:1-6, Paul is demonstrating how brother goes against brother in the
presence of unbelievers before a court of law, when these matters should be
resolved one to the other. We justify our actions by saying we have been wronged
and the only resolution comes before the courts. Yes, there is a place for litigation in
this society, but never brother to brother. This is our testimony before a lost world.
“See how they love one another.” Pauls says in verse 15: “Know ye not that your
bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and
make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.”
This Christian life is not a career search. It is well and good for one to learn all he
can and succeed in the commercial world. In fact, as a Christian, it would be wrong
not to excell before men. The body of Christ, however, will have none of this. We
are to move and have our being as a unit. When one brother hurts, we are to share
the hurt. “We are not our own, but we are bought with a price; therefore, Paul says,
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Sanctification should be taught to every believer from the very beginning. Every
believer should want to sanctify himself before God and before men. We join
parades against certain sinful practices in the world, and Paul warns us about
judging the world when we have not judged within the body.
Lord, help us to look inward, that our outward appearance will not deceive who we
are. Let our light always shine forth and not be disguised under a bushel. It is this
very separation that draws the world and we want to be so magnetized so as to
glorify Your name.
Cheers,
Jim
following-Him
Active Member
Amen.
Thank you, Jim.
God Bless
Sheila
Thank you, Jim.
God Bless
Sheila
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
O for more teaching on sanctified living! Amen!
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
Friday, 21st May, 2004
N.B. I am going to be gone for most of the next two weeks. First to a missionary fellowship, then to preach a series of meetings for BB member Roy1. Jim and Watchman have graciously agreed to “fill the gap” while I am gone. I will return to the Chapel on the 7th June. Thanks to my brethren for filling in.
Haggai 1v12-13
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
In the first two sections of Haggai 1 we saw Haggai’s challenge to the people to get their priorities straight and to consider their ways. Finally, the leaders and the people decide to respond to the preaching.
Notice some things about their response.
1) The leaders and the people “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God.”
2) They did “fear before the Lord.”
3) God was with them.
The first thing we note is that they obeyed the Lord. As the children’s song goes, “obedience is the very beat way to show that you believe.” These folks demonstrated their belief and there faith in God by obeying Him.
Secondly they feared the Lord. This recognition of Who God is a vital part of service. When we fear the Lord in His holiness we move beyond mere compliance. The fear of the Lord is a great motivating factor. We fear the Lord because of Who is His. A wonderful example of how the fear of the Lord motivates service is Isaiah, who, when he saw God in His holiness called out “Here am I, send me!”
Finally, as they set about their work they did so in confidence that God would be with them. As we obey God and realise Who He we can take great comfort in the fact that Hw accompanies us in our service.
What task has the Lord for you today? Are you willing to obey and fear Him? When you see the Lord in His holiness are you ready to say, “Here am I, send me?”
If so, you can do so with the great comfort that you need not face the task alone. Remember Haggai’s words today, “I am with you, saith the Lord.”
N.B. I am going to be gone for most of the next two weeks. First to a missionary fellowship, then to preach a series of meetings for BB member Roy1. Jim and Watchman have graciously agreed to “fill the gap” while I am gone. I will return to the Chapel on the 7th June. Thanks to my brethren for filling in.
Haggai 1v12-13
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
In the first two sections of Haggai 1 we saw Haggai’s challenge to the people to get their priorities straight and to consider their ways. Finally, the leaders and the people decide to respond to the preaching.
Notice some things about their response.
1) The leaders and the people “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God.”
2) They did “fear before the Lord.”
3) God was with them.
The first thing we note is that they obeyed the Lord. As the children’s song goes, “obedience is the very beat way to show that you believe.” These folks demonstrated their belief and there faith in God by obeying Him.
Secondly they feared the Lord. This recognition of Who God is a vital part of service. When we fear the Lord in His holiness we move beyond mere compliance. The fear of the Lord is a great motivating factor. We fear the Lord because of Who is His. A wonderful example of how the fear of the Lord motivates service is Isaiah, who, when he saw God in His holiness called out “Here am I, send me!”
Finally, as they set about their work they did so in confidence that God would be with them. As we obey God and realise Who He we can take great comfort in the fact that Hw accompanies us in our service.
What task has the Lord for you today? Are you willing to obey and fear Him? When you see the Lord in His holiness are you ready to say, “Here am I, send me?”
If so, you can do so with the great comfort that you need not face the task alone. Remember Haggai’s words today, “I am with you, saith the Lord.”
following-Him
Active Member
Thank you Roger, and may the Lord bless you on your travels.
Saturday May 22, 2004
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all nations that forget God." (Ps. 9:17)
Can whole nations become oblivious to the true God of creation-and do business and legislate and conduct all their affairs just as though God no longer existed? If so, those nations (or at least those citizens of those nations who practice such wickedness) are in mortal danger:
"Righteousnes exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people." (Pr. 14:34)
We know what the wages of sin is: death. (Romans 6:23)
Now, I know, not every reader here is from the United States of America; nonetheless, this country, I submit, is a classic example of this dreaded deed: Forgetting God.
Let us consider some quotes from some founders of this nation, according to alliance4life.org, to see the height from which we have fallen:
Samuel Adams: "We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom alone men ought to be obedient. From the rising to the setting of the sun may His kingdom come."
Benjamin Franklin: identified as a deist in his younger years, wrote late in life: "I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see this truth: that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
John Hancock: "Let us humbly commit our righteous cause to the great Lord of the universe."
Goveror Morris, Who wrote the Constitution: "Religion is the solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man toward God."
George Mason, father of the bill of rights: "My soul I resign into the hands of my Almighty Creator, whose tender mercies are all over His works."
John Jay, First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: "Unto Him who is the Author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and ecpecially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved Son."
James Madison: "The belief in a God All Powerful, wise and good, is essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man."
Andrew Jackson, (referring to the Bible): "That book sir, is the rock on which our republic stands."
We who trust Christ therefore, surely need to work and pray earnestly for our nation, and it's people, that they return to genuine love of God and His Word.
Daniel Webster warned of the results of neglect:
"If we and our posterity neglect religious instruction and authority...no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us."
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all nations that forget God." (Ps. 9:17)
Can whole nations become oblivious to the true God of creation-and do business and legislate and conduct all their affairs just as though God no longer existed? If so, those nations (or at least those citizens of those nations who practice such wickedness) are in mortal danger:
"Righteousnes exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people." (Pr. 14:34)
We know what the wages of sin is: death. (Romans 6:23)
Now, I know, not every reader here is from the United States of America; nonetheless, this country, I submit, is a classic example of this dreaded deed: Forgetting God.
Let us consider some quotes from some founders of this nation, according to alliance4life.org, to see the height from which we have fallen:
Samuel Adams: "We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom alone men ought to be obedient. From the rising to the setting of the sun may His kingdom come."
Benjamin Franklin: identified as a deist in his younger years, wrote late in life: "I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see this truth: that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
John Hancock: "Let us humbly commit our righteous cause to the great Lord of the universe."
Goveror Morris, Who wrote the Constitution: "Religion is the solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man toward God."
George Mason, father of the bill of rights: "My soul I resign into the hands of my Almighty Creator, whose tender mercies are all over His works."
John Jay, First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: "Unto Him who is the Author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and ecpecially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved Son."
James Madison: "The belief in a God All Powerful, wise and good, is essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man."
Andrew Jackson, (referring to the Bible): "That book sir, is the rock on which our republic stands."
We who trust Christ therefore, surely need to work and pray earnestly for our nation, and it's people, that they return to genuine love of God and His Word.
Daniel Webster warned of the results of neglect:
"If we and our posterity neglect religious instruction and authority...no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us."
following-Him
Active Member
Thank you Watchman.
Our nations are spiritually starving and they don't even realise it. Praise God that HE is in control.
God Bless
Sheila
Our nations are spiritually starving and they don't even realise it. Praise God that HE is in control.
God Bless
Sheila
NaasPreacher (C4K)
Well-Known Member
How sad to see the spititual heights from which nations have fallen.
Thanks Watchman
Thanks Watchman
Watchman, I think a follow-up is desireable on my part. I would love to see more participation on the part of all. It is a devotional, and not for debate, but surely we all have thoughts that stem from the various devotional lead-ins.
I find the devotional threads on both forums to be inviting and thought provoking.
Cheers,
Jim
I find the devotional threads on both forums to be inviting and thought provoking.
Cheers,
Jim