Marching Forth!

While preparing a sermon I have the practice of consulting with various commentaries to educate myself on what other notable believers have gleaned from the passage.  One of my favourite commentaries is one of the older ones I reference:  a condensed version of Matthew Henry's commentary penned in the early 1700's.  Perhaps one of these days I can acquire the full original version.  Every commentary penned by men has its flaws and limits, yet the concise volume remains instructive and insightful until today.  Today's reading was absolutely brilliant, a commentary on Jesus' words found in  Luke 11:21-23 :  " When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22   But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23   He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. "  Here are Matthew...

" Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men !" Psalm 107:8 God's will is often viewed as a nebulous unknown.  We can wonder what God's will is for a particular situation and can be unsure of how to best pray.  Our confusion grows when we are confident what God's will is and it seems the furthest thing from reality.  God has richly blessed us with His word that speak of His unchanging character, provides examples which show God's will often involves suffering for people He loves, and give directives we can follow by His grace. Psalm 107 is a beautiful song which extols the greatness and majesty of God.  Four times he repeats the same exhortation that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.  The goodness of God is beyond reckoning and His wonderful works to us without precedent.  God's goodness is infinite, yet we a...

Examining our hearts in light of God's word is important for all Christians to do.  As I sat reading the Bible this morning, the light of the sun shining through the window illuminated floating specks of dust previously unseen by my eyes.  The sun's rays did not create the dust but revealed their existence.  God's word and the presence of the Holy Spirit work in a similar manner to reveal the conditions of our hearts.   Psalm 119:105 says, " Your word is a lamp to my feet a nd a light to my pat h."  The Bible guides our steps and also provides insight into sin-darkened areas of our lives we never knew existed. When we become serious about self-examination and take stock of our lives, the need for cleansing goes beyond what we initially see.  We may realise our tendency to exaggerate or curse but didn't notice our habit of gossip and harsh judgments.  I saw a great example of this yesterday when I mopped the predominately white tiles in our...

One term I have heard often lately is the importance of being an "ally" to others.  Covenant Eyes, a screen accountability service, also uses the term for people to whom personal internet browsing data is sent to support and encourage healthy internet habits.  Alliances among nations and rulers unites separate groups with the aim to accomplish a goal together.  Both a verb and a noun, the term " ally " is defined as a noun by the Merriam-Webster dictionary in this way:  " a sovereign or state associated with another by treaty or league; one that is associated with another as a helper : a person or group that provides assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle. " Being an ally to support others in their struggles is a noble cause, but the term to me is impersonal and falls short of the ideal:  by their very nature alliances are created due to a cause or joint pursuit rather than the love of people.  Alliances are utilitarian a...

At the prompting of a brother in Christ yesterday I read  Psalm 135:1-3 :  " Praise the LORD ! Praise the name of the LORD ; praise Him, O you servants of the LORD ! 2 You who stand in the house of the LORD , i n the courts of the house of our God, 3 Praise the LORD , for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant ."  This passage is full of praise and acknowledges the worthiness of the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth.  That God would dwell in a house in Jerusalem where He placed His name is amazing, but even more stunning is God allowed men to enter and serve Him.  No house can contain the infinite, eternal I AM, the one true God who is good and glorious. The psalmists bids us praise the LORD because He is LORD!  He chose Israel to be His special people and bids all sinners to come to Him and find eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.  We were blind, lame, and deserving of hell yet God h...

Psalm 87:7 has been in my mind of late and says, " Both the singers and the players on instruments say, "All my springs are in you ."  The context of the song of the singers and musicians is Zion is a source of blessing because of God's presence there.  God is the sole source of life in heaven and earth, and He is man's only provider of salvation, contentment, and rest for eternity. The Gihon spring is a natural water source in Jerusalem.  On a couple of occasions I have enjoyed treking through "Hezekiah's Tunnel" located underneath the city of David.  It is important to note the Psalmist said, " All my springs are in you " and not " ...from you ."  A spring of water flowing from underground can cover a great distance and the water downstream can be polluted or stagnate in pools.  It is true all the blessings we enjoy in life come from God, yet they are only realised when we are in Him through faith.  Even believers at tim...

" The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD . 29  "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD , "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces ?" Jeremiah 23:28-29 These were key verses from the sermon preached today at Calvary Chapel Sydney .  The supremacy of God's word over the imaginations, ideas, and dreams of men is without question.  The irony is we can give great credence to the claims of people who claim to speak for God without comparing their words with the scripture once delivered unto the saints ( Jude 3 ).  This chapter reveals many priests and prophets in Israel who claimed to have received revelations from God spoke falsehoods from their own hearts.  Compared to the nutritious grain of God's Word their words were worthless as dry and dusty chaff. Those who have God's word ought to speak it faithf...

Over the past week my family and I have moved into a new house down the road.  Our prayers to own a house in Sydney have been answered by our gracious and generous God who has fulfilled His promise to establish us in Australia.  Like Joshua affirmed, not one word has failed from God's promises to His people and we are thankful and grateful for His faithful provision. The days this week ran together as we rose early and stayed up late packing, moving, arranging, and organising in the new house and cleaning the house we vacated.  My thoughts have been as scattered as the books, boxes, and furniture around the house and the chaotic mess around me.  I have been easily distracted by jobs unfinished and I forgot as soon as I remembered.  A couple of maxims have been confirmed during this move, and one of these is it is better to be done than perfect.  Striving for perfection from the onset leads to analysis paralysis or sets up an impossible standard to meet...

Since my youth I have always had a great interest in science.  Over the years I took classes of biology, chemistry, physics, and geology.  It is evident through my studies there are certain aspects of science which are "settled," like the law of gravity and biogenesis.  The composition of elements have been established, and mathematic formulas have been discovered to unlock technology and even make space travel possible.  One aspect of science which I have always struggled to process (and my feelings on the subject range from comical to even the ridiculous) is how Darwinian evolution has been crowned by many a "consensus view" and the answer to origin of the universe, our earth, and even life itself. The other day I was looking up the work Louis Pasteur on biogenesis , the scientist who is credited by many for proving by a simple experiment how living cells can only be reproduced by living cells--a counter position from spontaneous generation.  Pasteur was ma...

" Who is the man that fears the LORD ? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. 13  He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. 14  The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant ." Psalm 25:12-14 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and Jesus Christ is wisdom for us.  His wisdom is infinite and absolute yet God chooses unique ways to teach every person.  Unlike a school environment where the course curriculum is set and all students take the same exams, God teaches each of His children in the way He chooses.  It is awesome how God individually tailors the way He instructs us though His Word does not change.  We read the same Bible and see the same sun rise and set every day but the way He teaches you is different to how He teaches me.  The scripture assures us the man who fears the LORD shall be taught by God. In an attempt to be efficient an...

The Bible provides God's wisdom for life.  God graciously provides blessing to those who seek Him and obey His Word.   Psalm 37:3-5 says, " Trust in the LORD , and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD , and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD , trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. "  Trusting in God and faithful reliance upon Him to supply our needs now and for the future are central themes in scripture. David's exhortation to trust in the LORD hearkens back to the goodness of God in the past and present.  God who fed them in the wilderness provided them land as an inheritance where they flourished.  Those who delighted themselves in the LORD would have desires which aligned with the One who delights to do good and save.  The Word He provided would be a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path to show the right way to live....

Regardless of what country, city, church or family you belong to, there will always be people doing the wrong thing--and sometimes that person will be me or you.  I do not point this out to justify sin or hypocrisy or pride but that these are endemic to mankind.  It takes one to know one it is said, and often this is true.  But no matter how wrong we believe others are, we are called as Christians to do what it right in following Christ's example.  He taught His followers to pray for their enemies, and when He prayed all night it suggests He had a lot of them. God will someday judge all the ungodly of the earth for their words and deeds against Him, and the ones deemed godly are only by the grace and mercy of God by faith in Jesus Christ.   Jude 1:16-21 says, " These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17  But you, beloved, remember the words w...

“ What a mercy it is when the preacher knows that his Master is coming after him, when he can hear the sound of his Master’s feet behind him! What courage it gives him! He knows that, though it is very little that he can do, he is the thin end of the wedge preparing the way for One who can do everything .” C.H. Spurgeon as quoted in the Bible Knowledge Commentary When I was a teen I enjoyed the challenge of splitting wood. It was one of the chores I rushed to do, too impatient to allow the wood adequate time to dry! Many times one wedge was completely buried in a log of wet wood, and a second was needed to remove it. I always enjoyed the "Lumberjack Show" at Sea World and splitting wood by hand was an opportunity to use tools and to do what seemed grown-man work. The steel wedges we used did not need to be sharp to split the wood when the force of a sledgehammer wielded by uncoordinated youths was applied to them. I love the illustration Spurgeon employs because ...

It is delightful when an intended insult is a blessing instead.  A memorable parting shot is when I was told, "You know, there's more to Christianity than love!"  This critique was offered because God's love was viewed to be an unnecessarily pervasive theme in my teaching at church.  Instead of feeling defensive, it was music to my ears and a testimony of God's grace and faithfulness because I know love is not of me.  I had been upbraided before for being "too black and white" and insensitive with my remarks, but this was something new:  the LORD had been doing a work in my heart and changing the way I thought.  Rejoice with me friends:  God can change a hardened, self-righteous Pharisee to the point love becomes so prominent a theme it bears mention by others. It is true there is more to Christianity than love, but looking from another angle reveals there cannot be Christianity without love.  God's love is foundational in providing for our sal...

In Mr. Kennedy's year 8 class, we were made to memorise the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States (with the assistance of School House Rock) :  " We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America ."  The Constitution was signed by 56 delegates who represented the 13 colonies to declare their independence from British rule and was a united effort to join together as one nation under God. The eyes of the world are watching the events unfold in the United States with interest.  Some might be like the school children who shout "Fight!" and gather around the scuffle with their phones out, keen for a spectacle  Others, like myself, are deeply saddened and grieved over the violence, ...

" To whom then will you liken Me, o r to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. 26  Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing ." Isaiah 40:25-26 Nothing in creation is equal to God and even comparisons fall woefully short.  He is a sovereign King with infinitely more power and majesty of an everlasting kingdom; He is a just Judge who is righteous in Himself and weighs the thoughts and intents of men.  Dualism is a philosophy which puts forth opposites as complimentary, yet God stands alone without counterpart.  By His wisdom and power God fashioned all things and all are subject to His rule.  The single star in our solar system (the sun!) is too distant to reach and would consume any who drew near.  God told His people to turn their eyes to the heavens to distant stars a...