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2 Chronicles 20:17, Exodus 14:13-14, Romans 8:31

Flap, Flap, Flap!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 29, 2018

Imagine a passenger getting on an 747 jet airliner. When the plane begins its taxi down the runway the passenger begins to flap his arms, up and down, up and down. When the plane lifts up off the ground, he flaps hard and harder. The stewardess asks “can I help you?” He replies, “no, I’m helping you!. I’m helping us fly.” The Stewardess then replies, “sir, you don’t have to do that. The plan has all the power it needs to get us safely to our destination.” But the passenger insists, “no, I have to help!” Many of us are flapping all over the place to help with every imaginable struggle in our life, when the truth is, we don’t contribute one bit to the success or progress of the mission. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just relax under the care and sovereignty of a loving God and let Him do what he’s best at.

When Jehoshaphat was overwhelmed by a collation of three nation’s armies against him, he took his problem to the lord. He acknowledged God’s greatness and his own inadequacy. He asked God for help, and expressed his faith and trust in God’s provision and capabilities. He said, “we don’t know what to do, but we have looked to you for help, oh, Lord.” God said in so many words, “step back Jehoshaphat and watch me work. “The Battle is not yours, it is the Lords.” Like us flapping fools, I expect Jehoshaphat wanted to contribute to the effort, but God corrected him and said, “you won’t need to fight in this battle. Just stand strong in your places, and you will see the Lord save you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17). It was a similar charge that Moses gave the children of Israel as they faced the Red Sea on their east and the advancing Egyptian army on the west, with no where to run and nowhere to hide. In Exodus 14:13-14, Moses said, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still and you will see the LORD save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again after today. You only need to remain calm; the LORD will fight for you.”

God, the creator of the entire universe, the sustainer of all life, the manager of the galaxies, the choreographer of the stars (real stars!), is just a prayer away. Jehoshaphat worshiped God for who he was in all His glory and grandeur and then he worshipped God for what He did by delivering them from Egypt and delivering the Promised Land to them. God hasn’t changed. What are we flapping about?

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

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Acts 17:4, Acts 19:26, Acts 26:28

Are you of the persuasion?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 27, 2018

Throughout Church History, theologians have discussed three levels of faith regarding Jesus Christ.  In the Latin these three were recognized as “Noticia, Assentia, and Fiducia.” The first simply means to say yes I see or I notice something. I know that it is there. The second is to take that a step further and say not only do I notice it but I believe it’s true. The third step is not just noticing or assenting, but trusting or believing in it for my personal salvation. There are many discussions attempting to qualify what faith really is and how a person can be sure that they really do believe in Christ for their personal salvation.

In Acts 17:4, when Paul and Silas arrived in Thessalonica they taught from the “scriptures.” When the New Testament refers to the “scriptures” it means the Old Testament primarily. When they were finished presenting the evidence for Christ from the Old Testament scriptures, Luke writes, “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.” Their faith, or act of believing, was referred to as a persuasion. Luke uses the same idea in Acts 19:26 when the makers of Diana idols in Ephesus were riled up against Paul’s preaching. That verse says, “And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.” There are other passages as well where faith or believing is referred to as a “persuasion.” Agrippa heard from Paul at Caesarea and after Paul presented the case for Christ,  In Acts 26:28 we read, “And Agrippa said to Paul, ‘In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?'”

Are you persuaded of the truth of Jesus Christ? The standard Creeds of Christendom in the past always seem to carry that idea. I believe in God! I’m persuaded that God exists. I believe in His Son, Jesus. I’m persuaded that Jesus is who He said He was. I believe in Christ’s death on the cross as paying the penalty for my sins. I’m persuaded that when Jesus said from the cross, “It is finished,” he really meant it and he meant it regarding me personally and my sins. As for me, I am persuaded.

 

 

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2 Peter 2:10, Romans 15:4, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 John 5:13

Once Saved, Always Saved, If Saved!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 27, 2018

The saying “once saved, always saved” has been the saying of those who promote the idea of eternal security of the believer. I think we need to add a couple words to that to understand some of the Biblical statements regarding the issue. I prefer to say “Once saved, Always Saved, If really saved.” It’s not my place to question anyone’s salvation. I always accept everyone’s profession of faith as genuine. That issue is always between them and God. But I am convinced that a true believer can be confident that his or her eternal destiny is secure.  The true question involves our faith. Do we truly believe? We are often exhorted in Scripture to evaluate ourselves to see if our faith is true and sure. Paul urged the Corinthians: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). Peter teaches, “Be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). Jude adds, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (Jude 21).

Our security in Christ is sometimes blurred by our lack of personal assurance. When we quiver in our depravity and begin to doubt, it’s truly important to reflect on where our security comes from. It doesn’t come from our feelings of assurance. It comes from our “faith” in God’s Word and our confidence in His keeping His promises to us. Paul writes to the Romans in 15:4, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” John declared, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). There are many assurances in the Bible with affirmations that our salvation, once truly received by faith in Christ, can never be lost and we can be confident of that in this life.

God does not wish that we live life always trying to prove ourselves as worthy. God wants us to live as members of His eternal family, once a true child, always a true child. Once we’re truly His, “no one can pluck us out of his hands.” Some who argue against this, see this as offering license for believers to continue in a life of sin. But to me, this is as absurd as saying that because we have Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance, we will chew on razor blades or guzzle hydrochloric acid.

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Isaiah 59:17, Ephesians 6, Job 19:25-26

The Helmet and Eternal Security

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 24, 2018

The helmet of salvation is protection against the fatal blows of the enemy. It protects our minds. It’s always a battle over our thoughts. The fiery darts of the evil one are directed primarily at what we think. He uses the world (its systems & values) as well as our flesh (our lusts and passions), to incite rebellious thinking in the hopes it will result in rebellious actions. We might not be able to prevent the thoughts from striking us, but the helmet of salvation will help prevent their penetration into our souls. The fiery darts of despair, discouragement, depression and defeat are all instrumental weapons which are used skillfully by our enemy to weaken our faith and open our minds to inappropriate thoughts which will lead to sinful actions. The exhortation in this whole passage on the Armor of God contains the call to “Stand firm” several times. We are not to give way, surrender ground, or retreat from our position in Christ.

Knowledge (mind) of God’s Word is the material with which our helmets are made. The first and most important bit of information we get from God’s Word is the truth of Christ’s salvation by His marvelous grace, through the channel of faith. The Messiah would come, according to Isaiah 59:17, fit for battle against evil. It says, “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head.” As Paul almost literally quotes this passage in Ephesians we see again that what we’re called to put on is His righteousness. Our righteousness will not protect us. His will. It’s His salvation that we use as our helmet also. Our salvation, based on our own efforts, would be most precarious. But His salvation is certain and true. We call this issue “eternal security.”

Amidst the most profound attacks of the evil one, ancient Job, wore his helmet well. In Job 19:25-26, he says, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” He knew there was a redeemer! There is a savior amidst all our pains and struggles in life. Yes, as the old spiritual says, “there’s a balm in Gilead.” That balm is Jesus. He also knew that one day, in his flesh, he would see this redeemer. In his comments on this passage, Norm Geisler adds, “In other words, Job had present knowledge that he had been redeemed (‘my Redeemer’) and that he would see Him in his heavenly resurrected body: I ‘know’ (now) that I ‘will see God’ (later, in heaven). Such knowledge implies his assurance of eternal security.

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John 3:36, John 3:16

Assurance and Security

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 24, 2018

Just a few years before he passed away, J. Vernon McGee, was the commencement speaker at Dallas Theological Seminary. It was a pleasure to hear this 80+ year old man explain some of the more difficult doctrines of our faith in simple, down home, language that we could all understand. He does that well in his writings as well. In one text, he writes about the subject of eternal security. He explains, “There is also a sharp difference between eternal security and assurance. Nevertheless they are two sides of the same subject. It’s like two sides of a door. Eternal security is the exterior—that’s the outside of the door. Assurance is the inside of the door, and that’s internal. Eternal security is objective—it depends on that which is on the outside of us. It doesn’t depend on anything inside of us. Assurance depends on the inside. It is subjective. Eternal security is not an experience at all. Assurance is experienced. And eternal security is theological, while assurance is psychological.”

He goes on to clarify even further when he discusses salvation in general. He says, “There is actually no difference between salvation and security. Will you notice this? The only salvation God is offering is eternal salvation. He’s not offering any other kind. The kind of life that God is offering is eternal life. This is quite simple, and yet it is so important to see.” He uses John 3:36 to illustrate this truth from a biblical passage. It says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” We could find dozens of passages that further support McGee’s observation that the only kind of salvation offered by Jesus is “eternal” salvation. John 3:16 is key also. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” What kind of life? Everlasting!!

It’s crucial for us to move this truth from the theological realm of eternal security to the internal realm of personal assurance. It’s this truth that Paul was writing to Titus about when he said, “This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God – who does not lie – promised them before the world began” (Titus 1:2). In his commentary on the book of Romans, John MacArthur rightly observes, “Tragically, many Christians throughout the history of the church, including many in our own day, refuse to believe that God guarantees the believer’s eternal security. Such denial is tied to the belief that salvation is a cooperative effort between men and God, and although God will not fail on His side, man might-thus the sense of insecurity. Belief in salvation by a sovereign God alone, however, leads to the confidence that salvation is secure, because God, who alone is responsible, cannot fail. Beyond that theological consideration Paul is saying that the truth of eternal security is clearly revealed by God to us, so that all believers are able with certainty to know the comfort and hope of that reality if they simply take God at His word. God’s child need never fear being cast out of his heavenly Father’s house or fear losing his citizenship in His eternal kingdom of righteousness.”

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1 Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 2:10, Galatians 6:15

Holy Spirit and Security

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 24, 2018

When we come to faith in Jesus, God sends the Holy Spirit to live within us. That Spirit takes up residence and claims our bodies as His sanctuary. Paul tells us that “… your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you 07 i believe in the spirithave from God…” (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Spirit, living within us, begins His work of regeneration. We are declared to have new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that all things have become new; Galatians 6:15 declares the believer to be a new creature or creation; Ephesians 2:10 teaches that believers have been created in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration makes one a new creation, a new creature.

When we are born into the physical world by natural birth, it brings us to a state which cannot be reversed. We cannot enter into our mother’s womb again, we cannot be “un-conceived” we cannot be “un-born.” We might destroy our lives, make some bad choices, or even be cut off at an early age, but the fact, the reality, of our birth and our life cannot be reversed. Once we’re out of the womb, we’re out of it permanently. It’s not a work that can be undone. So it is with our regeneration through our faith in Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Once we are born again it cannot be undone. The Holy Spirit is responsible in many respects for our eternal security.

After Jesus informed His disciples of His imminent departure he promised that the Father would send them another helper. Jesus referred to this helper as the “Spirit of truth.” In john 14:16, Jesus says that the helper will “be with you forever.” In his Messianic Bible Study Collection, Arnold Fruchtenbaum says, “When the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling the believer, it emphasizes that once He comes to indwell that believer, He indwells him permanently, eternally, and for ever (Jn. 14:16–17; 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 2:22; 1 Jn. 2:27). The Holy Spirit abides in the believer for ever. If He is not there for ever, then it was not for ever; it was only temporary.” The Spirit’s work secures our destiny, yet many believers don’t feel secure. J. Vernon McGee says, “Every believer is eternally secure. But it is possible for a person to be saved and not have the assurance of it. May I say that a believer who is saved and does not have assurance is a subnormal or an unnatural believer. Certainly he can be a believer, but God does want us to have the assurance of our salvation.”

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Philippians 1:20, Jeremiah 29:11

I have a hope!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 23, 2018

Philippians 1:20 begins with a very important phrase. It says, “…it is my eager expectation and hope…” It’s the expression of a man in prison who had experienced more trials than the average person. One commentator 22 in christobserved, “Paul, the veteran of hundreds of lashes and a thousand indignities, did not know what pains and humiliations awaited him. Yet, there was no fear in Paul. Rather, there was bounding, eager confidence that whatever happened” things would work out for the best. I’m hoping the Cornhuskers will win all their football games this year. I’m expecting some disappointment.  When I plan on going fishing I say, “I hope it doesn’t rain.” I’m often disappointed. Many of the things I hope for brim with uncertainty. That’s not the case with Paul’s hope. He has a hope.

Biblical hope, however, is something entirely different. Paul combines two ideas into his positive expression about his future. He uses “eager expectation,” and then he adds “hope.” Another commentator put it this way, “Here Biblical hope is coupled with ‘eager expectation,’ an expression that appears only here and in Romans 8:19 where it describes physical creation’s ‘eager longing’ for ultimate redemption that will come with ‘the revealing of the sons of God.’ Thus, Paul’s statement ‘it is my eager expectation and hope’ referred to his intense expectation of what is sure to happen—his breathless confidence and certitude.” Paul’s hope brims with certainty.

When we fall into a hopeless mindset, we’ve fallen prey to Satan’s schemes. In Dante’s Inferno, there is a sign above the gates leading to hell. It reads, “Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here.” But Paul teaches us to face the future with a positive expectation because this is God’s intention for us. Satan wants us hopeless, God wants us filled with hope. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11. It’s probably one of yours also; “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God spoke these encouraging words to Israel amidst the most difficult time of the nation’s history. They were slaves in Babylon or about to be taken into slavery. My hope has two dimensions. The first is through time. I’m convinced, along with Paul, that whatever God allows to come into my life, it will eventually work out for my good. The second dimension is through eternity. As Edna Blubough wrote, “I have a hope beyond the grave; I am secure in God’s great love. I leave this world with all its cares for a mansion up above.” While the phrase, “I have a hope” is not nearly as exciting as “I have a dream,” it is much more certain of attainment. My hope, like Paul’s hope, is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and Jesus’ righteousness. Is there anything more certain?

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1 John 5:4

It is by Faith Your are Saved!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 22, 2018

The “fiery arrows” that Satan shoots at us as referenced in Ephesians 6 have as many different definitions as there are commentators that deal with the passage. The fiery darts represent the fiery lusts of the flesh. They are all the attacks on the truths of the Bible. They are simply doubts that go against our confidence in God. They are everything and anything that leads us to sin. One commentator suggested that one of the most effective arrows of Satan is the one that speaks to us and says you are saved “by faith alone.” According to this writer, it’s necessary to have works as well as faith. Well, I suppose all of those might be correct, but I believe there is one fiery arrow that Satan will send our way that’s been the most effective tool in his bag. That of course is his inspiration for us to follow his lead in pride. Let me tell you about David.

God blessed him in every way. His faith led to his childhood defeat of Goliath. God used him to produce the most beautiful songs of an entire nation. He was made King of God’s people and married into the royal family of Saul. He was given victory over all of his enemies. He was indeed a man after God’s heart but it was used against him by Satan. When the descendants of Gath, Goliath’s brothers and others, were soundly defeated by David’s army, there was another giant in the mix who had six fingers and six toes. He was bigger and stronger than Goliath himself, but he didn’t stand a chance against David’s army. In Chapter 20 and verse 2, after many victories over the enemies around him, David incorporated all his defeated peoples into his nation as slaves and servants to his people. In one of the final battles a King was defeated and the people incorporated into David’s people “And David took the crown of their king from his head. He found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone. And it was placed on David’s head.”

Then it happened. This is what we read in the first verse of Chapter 21: “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.” The “rose up against” speaks to us of the enemy. He always positions himself between us and God. His intentions are always subversive and that’s the focus in this phrase. Notice next he “incited” David. In other words he lit “a fire” in David’s thinking that resulted in David’s prideful interest in finding out just how many people God had blessed him with. Victory over these incendiary attacks from Satan can be managed by using the shield of faith. John Piper explains the nature of pride in relationship to faith. He writes, “Unbelief is a turning away from God and his Son in order to seek satisfaction in other things. Pride is a turning away from God specifically to take satisfaction in self. So pride is one specific form of unbelief. And its antidote is the wakening and strengthening of faith…” John reminds us also that the source of a believer’s victory is just one thing. He writes, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

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