“WHAT? I DON’T NEED NO MORE LESSONS, LORD!” (Mark 8)

September 16, 2018 10:30 AM, Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S “SPECIAL”: “An Offering Funny”

A little child in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed the offering plates.

When they neared the pew where he sat, the youngster piped up so that everyone could hear: “Don’t pay for me Daddy, I’m under five.”

CONCLUSION

As we did several weeks ago, I would like to begin with the conclusion first. For all the incidents in the chapter – the feeding of the 4,000, the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod, the healing of a blind man at Bethsaida, and Peter’s confession of Christ – are all leading to the last 8 verses with their concluding thought, including “What can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (v. 37). Starting with chapter 9, we will be in full gear toward the cross. Jerusalem lies ahead. There is no turning back. Jesus “hour” is coming, the hour for which He was born. And his disciples and the world will never be the same.

If you and I could be still for one moment of time, if we could but measure all of our lives in light of that one statement of v. 37, how would we measure up? Has my life been lived for me? Or has it been lived for God’s glory? Is the treasure of my life “all that I have gained”, or is the treasure of my life the Lord Jesus and His cross alone?

Tough questions to end – or begin – a message. But they must be answered. Either now, or when we stand in front of this same Savior. PRAYER

# 1 WE’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE, LORD!

Here we go – look at Mark 8:1: “during those days another crowd gathered…”. The disciples would soon remember that it wasn’t so long ago when over 5,000 – plus women and children – gathered out far from the nearest McDonald’s. Did they remember those lessons that Jesus taught them then? Why, it seems like both the feeding of the 5 thousand and the feeding of the 4 thousand were, well, the same lessons!

A. In 6:31, the Savior orchestrated the details of the disciples’ lives by taking them to a solitary place. Here in 8:1, “another crowd gathered.” He was reminding them that every day, EVERY day, the routine occurs. Someone once wisely said, “real ministry isn’t that which is planned; it is that which appears to be an interruption!”. Did they remember the first feeding?

B. In 6:34, Jesus had compassion on the people – they were like sheep without a shepherd. And the Good Shepherd was right there with them! But the disciples wanted to send the people away because they had no food. Here in 8:2-3, the Savior anticipates their response from the first incident. They didn’t have a chance to say, “send them away.” Instead, He reminds them of the danger of sending these hungry people away to go a tremendous, tireless distance. And their response? “But WHERE can we get enough bread?” Had they remembered the lesson from the first incident?

Do you remember Peter’s words in 2 Peter 1:5: “…make every effort to add to your faith.” I imagine Peter was looking back to those desert days when well over 9 thousand people were fed by disciples who were the true starving ones, starving for substantial faith – that which was a living faith.

C. Here’s another one. Look at 6:37: “you give them something to eat.” And, in 8:5, “how many loaves do you have?” Can you see the Savior breathe a big sigh, thinking, “oh boy, here we go again.”

Have you ever had to learn a lesson TWICE? You would have thought we would have learned the lesson well the first time around! So we shouldn’t be so harsh on these disciples. BUT we, too, should learn from their shortcomings!

D. There are many more lessons that are similar. I do like the one found in both incidents. Look at 6:41 and 8:7. What makes the difference in both these happenings? Jesus gave thanks! Before the miracles came the thanksgivings!

OK, here comes the judgment question: how do you determine what things to give thanks for, to bow your heads and ask a blessing? Is it based upon price? If you got an ice cream cone on sale at Gilligan’s for only $1.00, do you have to give thanks? Or if you are having just a bowl of cereal at breakfast, or a sandwich at lunch, or leftovers for supper, do you have to give thanks? OR do you wait until special occasions, like Thanksgiving or Christmas? Did we learn the disciples’ lesson? Which came first, the provision or the blessing? Hmm. Jesus gave thanks – don’t you think we should, too?

# 2. WHOA! THAT WAS DIFFERENT!

Isn’t it great that the Savior likes to surprise His children? And in so doing, He draws His children to a more tender relationship with Him – IF they are attentive to the surprises He provides! Here we go:

A. Again, “another large crowd” gathers (8:1). This crowd is smaller, perhaps than the first “crowd”. There is an old chorus, “little is much, when God is in it.” And the prophet Zechariah questions us today (4:10), “For who has despised the day of small things?” What was the Savior doing? He was drawing His disciples’ attention to a rich lesson: true ministry isn’t the meeting of the large crowd. True ministry is the meeting of the individual need. In Acts 8, how many people did God send Philip to? One. Yet in the big picture of things, when that one came to know Jesus, he returned to his home country as a missionary on fire for the Lord. Do not crave the crowd when the Lord gives you the individuals to work with to make a difference for eternity!

B. Note 8:3: while we know now that there were over four thousand people there, the Savior knows about each of the individuals. Mark says, “some of them have come a long distance.” Jesus knows all of these 4,000. But He sees through eyes of eternity.

Do we see people through eyes of eternity? Or do we see them through eyes of what they can do for me, for our church, now? Hmm. Think on that one!

C. Finally, look at 8:5, “how many loaves do you have?” Do you remember the story of Elisha and the widow who had no money with which to pay her debts? What did Elisha say to the widow, “what do you have in your house?” (2 Kings 4:2). And what was the widow’s response? “Your servant has nothing at all, except a little oil.” Remember, “little is much, when God is in it!”. And the Lord multiplied that oil to provide all the need of the widow.

ILLUSTRATION: The postal clerk here in Earlville somehow knows I love stories. She shared the story about a flood where an elderly gentleman was told to evacuate. He refused, saying, “no, the Lord will provide.” As the flood waters were coming in the front door, a rescue team came with a rowboat. He said, “no thanks, the Lord will provide.” Because of the rising waters, he had to rush up to the second floor. Another rowboat shows up. He says, “no thanks – the good Lord will provide.” Finally, the waters rose so high he had to retreat to the roof. A helicopter flew over him and lowered a ladder. He once again said, “no thanks – the Lord will provide!”. He drowned, and when he got before the Lord he complained. “Lord, I trusted you to rescue me, but you didn’t.” And the good Lord said, “I sent you two rowboats and a helicopter.”

The point is this: sometimes God’s provision is the faith right in front of our eyes. The disciples would learn this. And re-learn this. And re-learn this.

Even at the communion service, Jesus said, “this do in remembrance of Me.” These lessons are in the Scriptures because we need to re-learn them, too!

INTRODUCTION

WHAT! I don’t need no more lessons, Lord! My 11th grade English teacher would cringe at the grammar. But the story of the feeding of the 4,000 leads up to the end of the chapter where our Savior announces what the next 8 chapters are going to entail: going to Jerusalem and the reason for His earthly coming—the Cross.

Is God allowed to stop me in my tracks and teach me a new lesson, a personal lesson from the greatest Teacher ever? Or am I too busy anymore to hear the Father’s voice?

May the Lord give us grace in the remaining days He gives each of us to “be still and know that He is God.”

Close in prayer

Week Thirty-Eight, 2018

LESSONS FROM THE BIBLE

By John Grant

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We have all been to schools of various types to various levels. We have studied to gain knowledge to enter the working world. Teachers help prepare students for life after graduation. They teach academic lessons and various skills that students will need to attend college and to enter the job market.

But there is another often overlooked source. It is the Bible. In 2 Timothy, Paul tells his readers that all scripture is “God breathed” and is useful for four activities, teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

TEACHING: We cannot understand God, God’s world and the things in the world apart from His instruction. General revelation, those things which we can observe with our senses, are wonderful in giving clues about God and the world He made, but they fall far short of giving us the necessary understanding of good, evil, spiritual matters, God’s person, etc. In order to live good and proper lives on earth. We need God’s Word to give much greater understanding of His person, plans and purposes. We need God’s Word to give much greater understanding of His person, plans and purposes. By instructing us as to what exists and the purposes for which they exist, God gives us faith to have confidence in what we would otherwise possess.

REPROOF: He convicts us of our wrong thoughts and ways. God’s Spirit not only teaches about what is, but also helps us be aware when we have not properly responded to that truth (doctrine). For example, we might learn that man is made in the image of man. If we mistreat our wives, then we will sense the Holy Spirit making us aware of our pang of guilt. “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8).

CORRECTION: God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not only interested in telling us of our wrong actions and motivations. He is there to build us up. The Spirit again uses the Word of God to build us up back to where we should be. Here we can see the difference of the Spirit and the evil one. The evil one would keep us feeling guilty so that we give up while the Spirit of God encourages us through teachings about forgiveness and restoration how to find His peace. He then straightens out our perspective that we would not need to fall anymore.

Think of how Jesus encouraged Peter after his betrayal. This is the ministry of the Spirit of Christ to build us up, so that He might fill and use us.

TRAINING: The Spirit of God carefully uses the Word of God to train us to rightly live in relationship to others. God does not just teach us to know that we should have a good marriage, but trains us to have a good one.

All four aspects are used for one purpose: for righteousness. They all (teaching, reproof, correction, and training) are used to help us live in a right relationship with God and others. Since each of these four have the same preposition in front of it, it seems conclusive that all four work together towards the same righteous goal. Without either the Word of God or the Holy Spirit active in our lives, we cannot grow much in our Christian lives.

God is the author and the Bible is the textbook, God sums it all up in Psalm 32:8 – I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Whose parachute are you packing?:

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, ‘ You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down! ‘How in the world did you know that?’ asked Plumb. ‘I packed your parachute,’ the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, ‘I guess it worked!’ Plumb assured him, ‘It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.’

— o —

Too Many Babies Aborted? Toys R Us Cites Sagging Birth Rates as Reason for closing. Wonder how many potential customers were aborted.

Are you on the front lines? In Desert Storm, 11% were and 89% were giving support. Those in the back need to be just as committed.

You don’t grade a church by its seating capacity, but rather by its sending capacity.

A church not mobilizing missions is just a spiritual Rotary club.

Worshiping is important but mission is what the church has been created to do.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

1 Timothy 1:8-9

“We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.”

Stabilize your soul with the sovereignty of God. He reigns supreme over every detail of the universe. Max Lucado

Value people more than possessions, obedience more than pleasure, and integrity more than popularity. Jim Denison

There is a reason why the windshield is bigger that the rear view mirror. Your future matters more than your past. Max Lucado

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

By the Reverend Jeremy B. Stopford
Mark 7:1-8 Isaiah 29:13-16
September 9, 2018 10:30 AM

TODAY’S “SPECIAL”: “Golfing Incident”

A husband decides to join his wife for the first time playing golf. He’s never really been into the game, but since his wife was playing with all these men around, he wanted to come and check it out.
All day long he complains: About the heat, about the other people, about how long it’s taking…
They are on the 9th green when suddenly he collapses from a heart attack! “Help me,” he groans to his wife.
The wife calls 911 on her cell phone, talks for a few minutes, picks up her putter, and lines up her putt.
Her husband raises his head off the green and stares at her. “I’m dying over here and you’re putting?”
“Don’t worry dear,” says the wife calmly, “they found a doctor on the second hole and he’s coming to help you.”
“Well, how long will it take for him to get here?” he asks feebly.
“No time at all,” says the wife. “Everybody’s already agreed to let him play through.”

INTRODUCTION

With chapter 8, Lord willing, next week we will complete the first half of the Gospel of Mark. These 2 chapters will begin to set the stage for the purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth. As our Mark 10:45 theme verse says, He didn’t come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. We have been observing His lessons on servanthood. Let’s begin by looking at Isaiah 29:13-18, the passage from which our Savior quotes in Mark 7. PRAYER

# 1 WHY DOES HE SERVE? WHY DO I SERVE? (Isaiah 29:13-16)

This passage will be quoted by our Savior in Mark 7 (along with parallel passages)
I’m often interested not only in WHERE a quoted passage comes from, but WHY was it used in the original passage – like here in Isaiah.
V. 13 is quoted in the NT – but vs. 14-18 tell us the WHY!

ILLUSTRATION: my procedure at the hospital had to be stopped because the surgeon met a blockage along the way – a blockage caused by what he called “congenital heart defect”. English: “that is the way I was made!”
POINT: Who owns me? WHY does He own me? Because He is the Potter! I am the clay! He has the right to do with me as He wants.
I serve, because I am His – not only by creation, but also by new creation.

The Lord through Isaiah would remind the hearers of his day that the Lord had ownership, and wanted that recognition, which by their daily rituals they refused to recognize.
* Now let’s go to our text in Mark 7:1-8

# 2. RULES! RULES! RULES! (7:1-8)

Jesus was popular! (look at 6:56). And the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not like it. So they observed Him – and His disciples – to find loopholes in their ways of living.
AND they found THE loophole: in their violation of the religious leaders’ rules!
Look at vs. 3ff. The Pharisees had their rules set up. Mind you, so did the Jews in their observations and offerings as directed by books like Leviticus.
But the Pharisees and their cronies had rules too! In fact, by some estimates, they added to the book of Leviticus another 400 to perhaps upwards of 2,000 rules that they followed to the letter. IF these rules weren’t obeyed, the followers were in disobedience and under the wrath of the leadership.
Their complaint was on how the disciples failed to wash their hands before eating (v. 5)

ILLUSTRATION: Years ago, who did? And then the government in wisdom put up signs in every public restroom: “employees must wash their hands”. And hospitalists and others remind us of all the germs that are scattered every day. Now we have wipes everywhere to sanitize – why even the handlebars on the carts at Walmart.

“But Pastor – WE don’t have rules! WE don’t have traditions that are in violation of scripture! WE don’t.”

ILLUSTRATION: well, if you had been here last week, you would have seen one of our rules broken. After the first song, our wonderful song leader, Bill, had us all sit down. No big deal, right! BUT HE BROKE A TRADITION, A RULE! We are supposed to greet one another after the first hymn! That’s the RULE! That’s our TRADITION! Funny how everyone looked around at each other as if to say, “are we going to greet one another, or are we going to obey our song leader and sit down?”. Well, we sat down of course.

And into this context, Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13. And these Pharisees and “teachers of the law” (scribes who copied the scriptures) knew the scriptures. They knew the text from which He was quoting. And they KNEW the words that followed!
By their demanding an obedience to man-made (theirs!) rules and traditions, they had set aside the word of God. More importantly, they had done WHAT? They had denied the Lord’s ownership of their lives by creation – and ultimately missed out on the Redeemer Himself being right in front of their eyes.
The Redeemer Who was the promised Messiah Who would give His life for their sins so that they would be free from the demands of the law.
They missed it.
Have any of you?

CONCLUSION

Permit me to tell the story of Jennie Hussey. She was born in Henniker, New Hampshire on February 8, 1874. She began writing poetry while young, and lived in rural New Hampshire most of her life. At the time of her death in 1958, she was living in the Home for the Aged in Concord, New Hampshire.

In 1921, she penned these words which were first published in “New Songs of Praise and Power”:
“King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.
Refrain:
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.”

The last stanza is her “reach for the application” verse:
“May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.”

That’s what Isaiah 29 and Mark 7 are all about. THAT’S WHAT THE SERMON TITLE IS ALL ABOUT! All his life, man is striving to be the king OF his kingdom. But in so doing, he has become a slave IN his kingdom.
The Lord Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet in His humility, He became a slave – a servant if you will – so that, becoming one of us as servants, He showed how we should live: in submission to the true King.

The original poem goes like this: “Wanting to be a king, man becomes a slave; willing to be a slave, man then becomes a king.” And in submission to the true King.

That is service, true service, with a servant’s heart – the desire that the only One Who receives the recognition for all we do is the King of kings Himself, even the Lord Jesus.
Is that my heart today? Is that yours?

Close in prayer

Rev Jeremy Stopford, with wife, Thuvia

Week Thirty-Seven, 2018

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW

By Senator John Grant, Florida (Retired)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

There are more than a hundred verses in the Bible that speak about worry. Perhaps it is because God knows mankind’s propensity to worry, especially about the future.

Matthew 6:34 is the thirty-fourth, and final, verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse concludes the discussion of worry about material provisions.

The surrounding context is Jesus explaining that our Heavenly Father knows all of our needs and will provide for them. Jesus exhorts his followers to avoid anxiety about worldly things. Anxiety is a meteor shower of what-ifs.

This saying in Matthew 6:34 is essentially reminding us that today has enough problems of its own to deal with and not to worry about tomorrow’s. A contemporary equivalent might be: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

This is not a suggestion, but a command. God divided time into days and nights so that you would have manageable portions of life to handle. His grace is sufficient for us, but its sufficiency is for only one day at a time.

When we worry about the future, we heap day upon day of troubles onto our flimsy frame. We stagger under this heavy load, which He never intended you to carry.

We can throw off this oppressive burden with one quick thrust of trust. Anxious thoughts meander about and crisscross in our brain, but trusting Him brings us directly into His Presence. As we thus affirm our faith, shackles of worry fall off instantly. We are to enjoy His presence continually by trusting Him at all times.

The Bible clearly teaches that Christians are not to worry. In Philippians 4:6, we are commanded, Do not be anxious [do not worry] about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. In this Scripture, we learn that we should bring all of our needs and concerns to God in prayer rather than worry about them. Jesus encourages us to avoid worrying about our physical needs like clothing and food. Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father will take care of all our needs (Matthew 6:25-34). Therefore, we have no need to worry about anything. Worrying should not be a part of a believer’s life.

Follow the word of God to be rid of worry. Prov.3 Verses 5 to 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

What was Mr. Rogers’s secret?

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is the surprise hit of the summer box office. In a season dominated by cartoon superheroes and villains, this documentary on the life of Fred Rogers is captivating millions. Variety says that it turns the Presbyterian minister “into a rock star for our time.”

What was Mr. Rogers’s secret?

In his 1995 book, You Are Special: Words of Wisdom for All Ages from a Beloved Neighbor, Fred Rogers observed: “When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong along with the fearful, the true mixed in with the façade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way.”

Do you agree?

— o —

BILLY GRAHAM ON GROWTH:

• First, a Christian grows when he prays.
• Second, a Christian grows when he reads the Bible.
• Third, a Christian grows when he leads a disciplined life.
• Fourth, a Christian grows by being faithful in his church.
• Fifth, a Christian grows through service.

— o —

THE WALK

A retired couple decided that they should walk two miles a day to stay in shape. They chose to walk a mile out on a lonely country road so they would have no choice, but to walk back.

At the one-mile mark on their first venture, the man asked his wife, “Do you think you can make it back all right, or are you too tired?”

“Oh, no,” she said. “I’m not tired. I can make it fine.” “Good,” he replied. “I’ll wait here. You go back, get the car and come get me.”

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

It matters not how high you jump on Sunday but what really matters is how straight you walk on Monday.

You can tell a person what to do and they may attempt it for a season. But teach them why they are doing it and it will take a brick wall to stop them.

Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn.

As William Bennett expressed it, “the real crisis of our time is spiritual.”

As D. L. Moody put it, “The Bible was not given to make us smarter sinners.

Sadly today the doctrine of Christ is being diluted with human dogmas, personal opinions, and in recent years a “health and wealth gospel.” Preaching is not a light-hearted after-dinner speech. Neither is the pulpit a place for presenting political views, as occurs in too many cases. Nor is it time to entertain. Ken Weliever

Humility obviously means I do not think too highly of myself or too lowly of others. But humility also does not mean the opposite—that I think too lowly of myself or too highly of others. Jim Denison

The best way to prepare for the future is to trust God with the present.

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018.

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

By

Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Earlville, NY

BAPTISM SERVICE

Shiloh Family Retreat Center, West Eaton, New York

August 26, 2018

TODAY’S “SPECIAL”: MY FAVORITE BAPTISM “FUNNY”

The new pastor, fresh out of Bible School, was officiating his very first baptism service.

He gets the candidate into the water. He asks the candidate if he loves Jesus and what his favorite verse is.

Then he asks the candidate, “do you now yield yourself to be baptized?” The candidate excitedly said, “Yes!”.

The nervous pastor says to the candidate, “It is my joy to baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Drink ye all of it.”

INTRODUCTION

Why do we do what we do?

Do we baptize because our constitution says so?

Do we baptize because we have to build up the church coffers?

Do we baptize because the candidate won’t go to heaven if he or she isn’t baptized?

Where do we find the answers to these questions?

One of the best places is Acts 8:26ff.

There we discover several important points:

1. Both Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch were led of God to be where they were when they were. Why? Because the Ethiopian had an hunger for God that had never been met.

And so do you! The Bible says that God has put eternity in our hearts, I.e., an eternal hunger for Him that can’t be met until we come face to face with His Son…at the cross. The eunuch went to the “church” of his day, the temple in Jerusalem – BUT WAS NOT SATISFIED. It was not the church building nor the church service that would satisfy.

2. When Philip arrived to met him on his way back to Ethiopia, Philip noticed that the man was reading…the OT Scripture of Isaiah. Why? BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT IN GOD’S WORD HE WOULD FIND HOW TO HAVE HIS HEART’S HUNGER SATISFIED!

Philip asked what he was reading, and he learned, Isaiah 53:7-8.

3. The eunuch had questions! And this one is an important one: was the prophet talking about himself or of some other man? Most Jews think that this passage talks about the suffering nation of Israel. But this eunuch, a non-Jew, reading Isaiah perhaps for the very first time, knew that the passage was talking about a Person.

4. Philip then starts with that Scripture and shares with the eunuch that the passage directly refers to the Savior, the Lord Jesus.

The 19th century preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said that EVERY verse in the Bible talks about Jesus! We should read the Bible that way.

5. Here is where the story gets fascinating. We are not told any more about the interaction between the eunuch and Philip. We are not told how the eunuch responded to what he read.

But perhaps he is still thinking “religion” rather than “relationship”. We know that when they come to water. He is familiar with the fact that early church disciples were baptized.

He needed to have his final heart’s hunger answered: do I need to DO something to please God in order to enter into His heaven?

He asks, “what hinders me from being baptized?”.

6. Philip could have lectured him. Instead, he says, “if you believe with all your heart, you may.” Outwardly, that doesn’t look like great theology. But we know differently by the eunuch’s response: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” He believed in the Messiahship (Jesus “Christ”) and the Deity (“the Son of God”) of the Lord Jesus!

The eunuch’s salvation was not based upon outward show but upon inward know!

But he was baptized INTO the water to show outwardly his identity with His Savior’s death, burial, and resurrection.

7. One final point: After the baptism, Philip was caught away to Azotus, preaching until he got to Caesarea. (v. 40).

But the eunuch “went on his way rejoicing”. Tradition says that he was one of the founders of the Ethiopian church.

CONCLUSION

What is the great moral to this story?

The hunger of the heart was met at the cross.

The proof of the hunger met was shared by the baptism.

And the long-range proof of that hunger met was his rejoicing and being used where the Lord wisely planted him.

Our candidates today share similar testimonies with the main character of today’s lesson. They will tell us of how their hunger for the Lord was met.

And they could ask each of us: “are you identified with the cross as meeting the hunger of your heart?” Why not come to the cross today! And why not be baptized to show that you are identified with His death, burial and resurrection?

Close in prayer

Week Thirty-Six, 2018

Our “Post-Truth” Culture

By John Grant

“…proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance,” Acts 28:31.

Oxford Dictionaries selected “post-truth” as its international word of the year in 2016. The decision seems appropriate in our relativistic culture. How should we as Christians respond?

There are many Christian denominations that have wandered from spiritual authority and split over social stands. Many have adopted stands that are contrary to Biblical principles.

Are there days when you would prefer to ignore the culture wars, name-calling, and “fake news” in the news? I feel the same way, but Christians have a higher calling.

But, when should we avoid contentious issues? When should we respond to them with biblical truth?

As we look at the current relativistic social and other issues of our time, I can’t think of one that is not directly or indirectly mentioned in the Bible. The Bible is not only a book about religion. It is a book about life and living, dealing with almost every aspect of life.

When I was in public office, I sponsored and the Senate passed a law that provided that marriage was between a man and a woman. Unfortunately, it was later voided by the courts. I did it not because it was popular, though it was. I didn’t do it because I personally felt it was right. I did it because the Bible says it is so.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to speak out on issues of the day and proclaim Biblical truth. We can do so at the voting booth, in our associations with others and whenever we have a chance to speak out.

When we do,

First, be humble. We are all broken people. The person on the other side of the issue is someone God loves as much as He loves us.

Second, be prayerful. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) and for the words to speak when called to speak (Luke 12:12).

Third, be courageous. Say with the psalmist, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).

We are all called to not just worship our faith, but to practice and proclaim it.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

WORRY:

Does something about tomorrow worry you today? Are you facing a decision or dilemma? Begin by surrendering every dimension of this day to your Father (Romans 12:1–2a). He can give his best only to those who leave the choice with him (Romans 12:2b). Jim Denison

— o —

TOO OFTEN……

▪ Religious People Are Obsessed with Recognition

▪ Religious People Elevate Secondary Traditions above a Love for God

▪ Religious People Substitute a Ritual For a Love for God or People

▪ Religious People Are More Aware of the Sins of Others than Their Own Sin

—Ken Whitten

— o —

A SAD STATISTIC:

A recent Gallup poll revealed that the number of US citizens who consider themselves “extremely proud to be an American” has sunk to an 18 year low. In fact, for the first time, the number fell below 50%.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Knowing God’s calling in your life is not enough if you don’t bother to obey and follow it. —Dwight Short

When you see problems in your world, don’t anxiously wring your hands, but rather bend your knees.

If we want to serve our Lord in a skeptical culture, our lives must match our message. —Jim Denison

Your present circumstances don’t determine where you will go, they only determine where you will start. —Nido Qubein, High Point University

Money is only a tool. It can take you many places. But don’t let it replace you as the driver and God as the navigator. —Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

“Why Do I Sin?”

Anonymous

(Contents of a recent email to Frank Becker)

Someone recently sent me this incredibly honest and sensitive appraisal of the sin problem that all Christians face. You may pick at the writer’s theology, but few people I’ve known have grown so much in their faith that they could express the truth with such humility. I’m honored to offer these thoughts for your edification. —Frank Becker

“I was just thinking last night… why do I sin? Why do I always give in to sin? Pride, anger, screaming… why?! If Christ saved me, why do I sin?

“Then I realized:

1) He gave me absolute freedom to do whatever I like. This is what true love is; you have freedom to sin.

2) He died for me 2,000 years ago. He bled for me 2,000 years ago. He forgave me 2000 YEARS AGO!! I have only this grace. I am NOT ‘twisting the spear and watching the blood and water flow” as Jars of Clay so elegantly describes it when I sin; He already forgave me. I have only to hold my head high and ‘Go forth and sin no more.’ but that’s not really possible.. is it..

3) Then I was given an epiphany last night, which is ironic because it’s something I’ve been taught from childhood. I am fighting an actual war but I don’t even act like I’m at war. I’m not fighting back when these feelings of rage or inadequacy or whatever come over me. I’m not putting on the breastplate of righteousness and carrying the shield of truth, and having my feet shod my with the gospel of peace. Most importantly, I’m not even in the right frame of mind that I’m actually doing battle!

“FOR WE BATTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AND POWERS, AND THE RULES OF DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, AND SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES.

“Of course, we memorized that… and we memorized Ephesians 6… and I opened that up this morning and was somewhat surprised to learn that that verse is in the armor chapter.

“But I never really associated it with actually preparing for battle. I always thought of it as a particularly colorful metaphor, but we are actually at battle. I am actually going to war EVERY DAY and it’s against the dark one and his fiery darts… and myself. My old man.

“I was at war all the time and I never even really thought about it.

“I know, I know… this is something that pastors’ like you have been saying for generations. But it never really sunk in: that I enter the battlefield whenever I’m about to sin. I may not be doing battle all the time, but that is my actual battlefield. That is where I win, lose, or die.

“And I have EVERY tool and weapon that I need to win. I just need to start acting like I’m at war. I need to have a battle stance. I need to be prepared.

“Fighting sin is not a matter of modern psychology or ‘techniques’ or even reading your Bible every day. For a long time, I couldn’t understand why I was still sometimes sinning even after reading my Bible every morning, or how I’d get angry and short-tempered, and I think it’s just because I wasn’t ALSO donning the other gear. I was only carrying a sword, but no shield, and definitely my feet were uncovered with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”

THINK On These Things

The Blessed Man

Philippians 4:8

By Brother Al Salay

The Word of God has many promises of blessings. Some are conditional. God has said, “If . . .” If you do such and such I will bless. I call these blessings “conditional blessings.” A man obeys and God responds with a blessing.

There is another kind of blessing announced in the Word. These other blessings are built into this World that God created. They are the un-avoidable result of the action described. I call them “result blessings.” They are described in the scriptures for our understanding. They are not God’s special rewards or punishments. They simply tell us how the created world works. Psalms and Proverbs have a good number of result statements. They reflect the eternal nature and character of God, inherent in His creation. One example is found in Proverbs 19:17:

“He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”

That is the way the economy of God works!

We will do well to consider that while some blessings are God’s RESPONSE to our actions,

Other blessings are the pre-ordained “Natural” RESULT of our actions.

It is pointless to pray to God for RESULT blessings. He has already placed them in our own control. I believe that the “Blessed” in Psalm 1, verse 1 is one of these result blessings.

Psalm 1 (KJV)

V1 Blessed is the man

That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

V2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD;

and in his law doth he meditate

day and night.

V3 And he shall be like a tree

planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

V4 The ungodly are not so:

but are like the chaff

which the wind driveth away.

V5 Therefore

the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

V6 For the LORD

knoweth the way of the righteous:

but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Blessed!

What does that mean?

Happiness, good fortune, physical well-being are some things often considered to be blessings. The psalmist himself answers the question in verse 3. To him being blessed means to have fruit in due season and to have every thing one does prosper, to succeed, to be profitable.

Usually, we think of blessings as coming from God. After all, what other source is there? James 1:17 tells us,

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.”

These blessings do indeed come from God, but He built them into the very nature of the Earth experience at creation.

Commentators and students often focus on the details of what it means to

“Walk in the counsel of the ungodly,”

“Stand in the way of sinners,”

“Sit in the seat of the scornful.”

Well, we certainly should understand these options most thoroughly so that we can be sure to avoid them in our lives. Avoiding them is part of achieving the result we want.

BUT – verse 2 begins with the word “but.” When the Word of God says “but” it is time to sit up and listen intently, because something very important is about to be said. That is true here.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord:

and in His law doth he meditate day and night.”

The negatives of verse 1 are over and done with. Here are the powerful positives of verse 2: delight and meditate.

We might summarize the insights presented by these two verses by saying something like,

“Block out the lies of the world,

Immerse yourself in the truth of the Word.”

Then you too –

“Shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

What a blessing to be such a tree!

Please note these facts about trees:

• The fruit of a tree is NOT for the tree.

• The fruit of a tree is for OTHERS.

• Natural trees have leaves that wither after they bear the fruit, for their task is finished until the next season.

• Spiritual trees are not so, as they continue to bear fruit, there being no end to their season.

It is wisely said that the greatest blessing one can enjoy is to be a blessing to others. Jesus rejoiced to be so blessed.

Be Blessed

Bear Fruit

Bless Others

08/18

Presented by Bro. Al Salay, Blessed Man Ministries Inc.

www.BlessedMan.net [email protected]

Week Thirty-Five, 2018

“FEAR”

By John Grant

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Most every day I talk to someone who is afraid or anxious. Maybe you fear what people think of you… Not having enough money… Public speaking, flying, being far from home, or spiders… Failure or rejection… Losing a loved one… Disease or pain… Death… We all long for more of God’s peace in the midst of the stresses of our lives.

“Fear not!” is the most repeated command in the Bible. There are 365 “fear nots” in the Bible — one “Fear not” for every day of the year. God doesn’t want us to go a single day without hearing his word of comfort: “Fear not”. It is the most repeated command in the Bible.

In his book, What are You Afraid Of, Dr. David Jeremiah talks about fear with a Bible verse to illustrate each of the fears he writes about. He identifies fear of calamity, fear of serious illness, fear of financial collapse, fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of rejection, fear of sudden trouble, the fear of mental breakdown, the fear of dying and many more.’

Like me, surely you have some personal fears that apply only to you. Some of us are simply afraid of fear. It was Franklin Roosevelt who said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Billions a year are spent on the secular dealing with fear, but Dr. Jeremiah puts a different spin on it. He turns to the Bible and proclaims that the opposite of fear is faith. We are in a fallen world and evil has a foothold on every corner of it. There are only two ways to face the future: with fear or with faith.

Only faith in Christ will truly combat the evils of the world. Through His Son, God gave us the amazing gift of our being able to be forgiven for our sins and live with Him forever throughout eternity. The joy of that revelation far exceeds fear on this earth.

If you live with fear in your life, overcoming that fear is as easy as replacing your fear of life with faith in a new life through Christ our Lord.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

New dog… St. Pit… a cross between a Pit Bull and a St. Bernard. It will bite your hand off and then go for help

— o —

Never:

Thomas Edison once expected alchemy to be perfected, so that “it will be an easy matter to convert a truckload of iron bars into virgin gold.”

The New York Times announced in 1920, “a rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.” In 1949, Popular Mechanics predicted that, “computers in the future may have only 1000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh only 1.5 tons.”

And in 1977, Digital Equipment Corporation founder Ken Olsen claimed, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” (To be fair, his computers were larger than many people’s homes at the time.)

“Behind every “no” from God is a greater ‘yes.’” —Dave Ferguson

There are over three thousand promises in the Bible.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Proverbs 28 – He who trusts his own heart is a fool.

Do you worship the leaves on the tree or do you worship the roots?

“My greatest strength is that I am an ordinary average guy.” —Ron Upton

The first President of our country’s greatest asset was that Washington knew he was dispensable. Put your hand in a bucket of water, pull it out, and note what happens…the hole that remains is a measure of how much you’ll be missed.

“Life is not about success, but rather about significance.” —Danny Wuerffel

“We are the Bibles the world is reading; we are the creeds the world is needing; we are the sermons the world is heeding.” —Billy Graham

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Address all items and comments to [email protected].

© Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618