Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 37-39; 2 Peter 2
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
"By the Grace of God I Am What I Am" / Oswald Chambers
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An Introduction to Christ / Charles Stanley
An Introduction to Christ
The first chapter of Revelation gives a compact description of the Lord. In verses 4 to 8, John condenses the wonder of Jesus Christ to the bare but beautiful essentials of who He is:
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. Jesus came to earth to more fully reveal the character and ways of the Father (John 14:9). The miracles He performed validated His claim to be the Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the first-born from the dead. The Savior bore our sins and died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. His resurrection proved that eternal life is possible for us, too, as Jesus taught in John 11:25: “He who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”
Jesus Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth. It is the Lord who raises men to power, just as it is He who removes them (John 19:11; Rom. 13:1). Meanwhile, believers have access to a higher authority. In God’s throne room, we can beseech Him on behalf of our nations and lay claim to His promises.
Jesus Christ loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. Note the change of tense in John’s writing. The Lord’s love is ever-present, but He has freed believers from their past. Both the penalty and power of sin have been broken.
When people ask you about Jesus, introduce Him by guiding them through this mini-biography. In just a few sentences, John describes Christ’s character, divinity, and authority. The disciple was not timid about proclaiming the Lord. We shouldn’t be shy, either, when we serve so great a Savior.
Jesus is Our Bridge / Adrian Rogers
Jesus is Our Bridge
Sermon: 2314 Jesus, the One and Only
Pray Over This
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Ponder This
A college student asked his pastor, “Do you think there is life on other planets?” The pastor said, “No, I don’t think so.” He said, “Then why did God go to all the trouble to make all that stuff?” The pastor said, “What trouble? It was no trouble. He spoke and it was so. The only trouble that God ever had was bloody Calvary.”
When Jesus died, He didn’t just speak and say, “Be forgiven.” No, by the blood of His cross He paid the sin debt and became both the just and the justifier of those who believe in Him. Your sin will be pardoned in Christ or punished in Hell, but it will never be overlooked. God is holy and knew for us to be reconciled with Him, there must be shedding of blood for the cost of our sin. There is a chasm of sin that separates man from God. But Jesus has reconciled us—He built the bridge that spans the chasm. Jesus is the One and only. He is the One who reveals the Father, He is the One who rules the universe, and He is the One who reconciles the lost. I am so glad that I can tell you He is my Savior and Lord, and I love Him with all my heart, and I want you to do the same.
Do you take sin seriously? Why or why not? What evidence does your life give to support your answer?
How has the work of Jesus changed your life?
Practice This
Share with someone today how Jesus has changed your life.
Warning Sounds / ODB
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Holy and Disciplined / David Jeremiah
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Wisdom from the Psalms / November 30
Let the Lord Choose for You / Greg Laurie
Let the Lord Choose for You
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! (Deuteronomy 32:4NLT)
Have you ever drunk something so foul that you couldn’t finish it, like milk that you didn’t realize was already spoiled?
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus bowed down and prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39 NKJV).
The cup that Jesus gazed into was something that turned His stomach. But it wasn’t a literal cup; it was a cup of suffering. Our Lord recoiled from the knowledge that He—someone who was sinless, perfect, and pure—would have to take upon Himself everything that was sinful, imperfect, and impure.
Jesus had never spent a moment out of fellowship with the Father, but soon He would have to bear all the sins of the world. Jesus knew what was going to happen. He knew that Judas would betray Him, His disciples would abandon Him, and Peter would deny Him. And He knew about the whipping, the crucifixion, and all the rest.
Jesus didn’t want to drink this cup, but He knew He had to. There was no question that it was going to be very difficult for Him, to say the least. He was going to face the full wrath of God against all sin.
But look at what it accomplished. It brought about our salvation. Because of what Jesus did, because He drank that cup, we can call upon His name. Although it was difficult, it was necessary for the attainment of the ultimate goal.
Jesus gave us a model of what to do in times of uncertainty. He prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will.” We are not going to know the will of God in every situation. In those times when we don’t know the will of God, will we let Him choose for us? We must never be afraid to place an unknown future into the hands of a known God.
God Hears Our Cries / Alistair Begg
God Hears Our Cries
The promise of food had encouraged Jacob and his family to leave their famine-stricken land and relocate to Egypt with Joseph. For a time, everything was terrific. But their experience took a turn for the worse when a new king came to power. He didn’t like the idea of Israel’s people growing in stature and number, so he put them to work, ruthlessly enslaving them. Their lives were filled with tears and bitterness.
The people of God still had His promises, but those promises seemed empty. It had been easy to trust God when they were free and well-fed. It was far less easy when they were enslaved. In the long, long years of oppression, some must have said to themselves, I think that God has forgotten His promise. I am not at all sure that He is really going to do what He said. Yet despite this, they called out to God, desperately seeking rescue.
God had not forgotten, and His answer came. God heard their cry; He heard their groaning, and in response He implemented a rescue operation. God would not leave them in their misery. He was going to fulfill His purposes for His people and set them free from slavery. He “remembered his covenant”—which is not to say that His promises to Abraham had slipped His mind but that now, at exactly the right moment (though no doubt not as soon as His people would have chosen), He moved to keep His covenant to His people.
This is what God’s people need to be reminded of now, just as they did then: God hears our groaning, God knows our circumstances, and He will act. Not one of His promises will fail. Indeed, when we are at a loss for words in our distress, we discover that the Holy Spirit even intercedes for us through our prayerful groanings (Romans 8:26-27). That’s the level of God’s concern for each of us and the depth of His determination to do eternal good for His people.
When your soul’s cries seem to go unheard—when you begin to wonder if anyone truly cares—recall who God has revealed Himself to be, in Egypt and supremely in His Son:
Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely
And long for heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
Civilla D. Martin, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” (1905).
Keep crying out for deliverance. God hears, He cares, and He works on your behalf.
Mark 5:21-43
How to Deal with Anger Graciously / Senior Living
How to Deal with Anger Graciously
A hot-tempered man stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. - Proverbs 15:18
Many years ago, a senior executive of the then Standard Oil Company made a wrong decision that cost the company more than $2 million. Everyone at the company knew the executive’s career was likely over. And most of the executives were finding various ways of avoiding the company’s president, John D. Rockefeller, lest his wrath descend on their heads.
There was one exception, however. He was Edward T. Bedford, a partner in the company who kept his appointment with Mr. Rockefeller. When he entered the office, he saw Rockefeller at his desk busily writing with a pencil on a pad of paper.
Across the top of the page was written “Points in favor of Mr. _______.” There followed a long list of the guilty executive’s virtues, including a brief description of how he had helped the company make the right decision on three separate occasions that had earned many times the cost of his recent error.
It can sometimes be easy to lose your temper. That’s because so often, reactions to events tend to be just that—reactions—instead of responses. But if you take how you want to react, think it through, and consider the perspectives of others, you’ll be much more inclined to respond biblically than react angrily.
Prayer Challenge:
Ask God to reveal to you in times of anger how you can respond rather than react. Pray that He would help you see others with a biblical perspective and that you would have a forgiving spirit when dealing with conflict.
Ready for Battle / Spurgeon
Ready for Battle
… Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon.
And the dragon and his angels fought back.
War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one or the other is crushed. Peace between good and evil is an impossibility; to pretend otherwise would signal a victory for the powers of darkness. Michael will always fight; his holy soul is vexed with sin and will not endure it. Jesus will always be the dragon's foe, and not in any quiet sense but actively, vigorously, with full determination to exterminate evil. All His servants, whether angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and must fight; they are born to be warriors. At the cross they enter into a covenant never to make a truce with evil; they are a warlike company, firm in defense and fierce in attack. The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is every day, with all his heart and soul and strength, to fight against the dragon.
The dragon and his angels will fight back; they are incessant in their onslaughts, prepared to use every kind of weaponry. We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition: The more zealous we are, the more we can expect to be attacked by the ruffians of hell. The church may become lazy, but her great antagonist does not; his restless spirit never allows the war to pause; he hates the woman's seed and would happily devour the Church if he could. The servants of Satan share a great deal of the old dragon's energy and are usually an active crew. War rages all around, and to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.
Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon will be cast out and forever destroyed, while Jesus and those who are with Him will receive the crown. So let us sharpen our swords tonight, and ask the Holy Spirit to make us ready for the conflict. Battle was never so important, and the crown never so glorious. Every one to their positions as warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!
Thanksgiving With Meaning / Billy Graham
Thanksgiving With Meaning
It is the custom of many Christians to bow their heads in public places and give thanks for the food that has been placed before them. I have had scores of waiters and waitresses tell me that when we bowed our heads, it was the first time they had ever seen that happen in their restaurant.
Millions never pause to give a word of thanks to God for the food provided. Few homes have a moment of thanksgiving at the beginning of the meal or at any other time of the day. Even at Thanksgiving time only a minority will pause and give thanks to God.
Thanksgiving is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver. When thanksgiving is filled with true meaning and is not just the formality of a polite “thank you,” it is the recognition of dependence.
Daily Prayer
Almighty God, You have given me real life through Jesus Christ. My soul praises You.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10 ESV
Free of Stress / Chuck Swindoll
Free of Stress
You and I could name things, specific things that we've gone through in the last several years that make no logical sense whatsoever . . . but that's okay. We can't figure them out.
But let me assure you, God is at work doing His mysterious plan (mysterious to us), which defies human logic.
So quit trying to make it humanly logical. Trust Him.
Do you realize what a peaceful life you can live if you decide to live like this? Do you realize how relaxed you can be, how free of stress?
Honestly.
It's so helpful for me to remind myself: He is the One who is unfathomable. He is unsearchable.
I'm neither.
Daily Blessings November 30
Daily Blessings
In God, Not Out of Trouble / Streams
In God, Not Out of Trouble
The Choice to Love / Max Lucado
The Choice to Love
Click below to listen to today's devotional
We don’t like to talk about hell, do we? In intellectual circles the topic of hell is regarded as primitive and foolish. It’s not logical. “A loving God wouldn’t send people to hell.” So we dismiss it.
The doctrine of hell, however, is not one developed by Paul, Peter, or John. It is taught primarily by Jesus himself. And to dismiss it is to dismiss the presence of a loving God and the privilege of a free choice. He leaves the choice to us. He invites us to love him. He urges us to love Him. He came that we might love Him. To take that choice from each of us, for him to force us to love him, would be less than love. God explains the benefits, outlines the promises, and articulates very clearly the consequences. And then, in the end, he leaves the choice to us.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
The Supremacy of Jesus Christ / Oswald Chambers
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Discovering Our True Identity / Charles Stanley
Discovering Our True Identity
Many Christians are experiencing an identity crisis. They know they’re saved, but they don’t really know what to think about themselves. Let’s take a little test. Do you consider yourself a sinner saved by grace or a saint who occasionally sins? Both statements are true, but the first one dwells on your past identity, whereas the second focuses on the Lord’s perception of you.
If you are a believer, God’s Word says that you are a saint (v. 2). But too many of us still see ourselves as the same old sinner, who’s been forgiven and patched up and yet is basically unchanged inside. But the Lord says anyone in Christ “is a new creature; the old things passed away” (2 Cor. 5:17). That’s what being born again is all about. We can never go back to the way we were.
The solution to this identity crisis is to change the way we think about ourselves. If we don’t, we’ll rely on how we feel, and Satan will bombard us with reminders of our failures and sins. He wants to keep us focused on being a sinner, because he knows that the recognition of our sainthood will lead us to live like saints. We’ll be motivated and empowered to obey God, and the Devil will lose his foothold in our lives.
Jesus didn’t come just to save you from hell; He wants to live His life through you. In Christ, you have a new identity which has replaced your old one. If you will focus on who you are now, your actions will follow, and you’ll experience the enjoyment of a victorious Christian life.
Responding to the Glory of God / Adrian Rogers
Responding to the Glory of God
Sermon: 1973 Soon Coming of Our Lord, Part 2
Pray Over This
“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.’”
Ponder This
Sometimes we come into church and pray nonchalantly saying, “Lord, show up here today. Reveal to us Your glory and Your majesty.” Imagine if one day God answered that prayer and boom, the back door opened, and He came down that aisle in the same way John saw Him in Revelation. Imagine, His hair glistening, whiter than snow. His face with a Shekinah glory, brighter than the sun. His feet glowing as if in a furnace. He comes, and His voice is deafening. He’s wearing regal robes, and He begins to walk down the aisle. What would you do? Would you ask Him your biggest question or give Him a hug? You’d fall on your face before Him, would you not? That’s what John did.
When you truly see the Lord Jesus as He is, it will bring your full submission. The Apostle John fell before Him prostrate as an acknowledgment of His lordship. Have you surrendered everything to Jesus? When we truly see the glory of God, it will bring us to full submission, giving us reverence for Him and great assurance.
- What are some things you struggle with putting under the full submission of God?
- How does knowing who God is change the way we respond to Him?
Practice This
Take some time to silently reflect and focus on the glory of God.
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