Marching Forth!

" But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; l et them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;  l et those also who love Your name  b e joyful in You.  12  For You, O LORD , will bless the righteous; w ith favour You will surround him as with a shield ." Psalm 5:11-12 All who put their trust in the LORD have great cause to rejoice forever.  I like how David's focus is not on the elimination of enemies and potential threats, but he urged believers to shout for joy because God was like a shield that surrounded and protected His people from all harm. It makes sense in a battle for a warrior to hold fast to sword and shield, but once the battle is over the sword could safely be placed in a scabbard and the shield set down.  David's delight in God as a shield is important because he viewed Him as necessary for life and every blessing.  God is greater than all our enemies in the physical and spiritual realms put together!  All atta...

" Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah  3 But You, O LORD , are a shield for me, m y glory and the One who lifts up my head ." Psalm 3:2-3 How good it is to know we as followers of Jesus have help and enduring hope in God, the LORD who is a shield for us, our glory and the One who lifts up our heads.  David was not assured this hope because he was made king over Israel, for the same God was with him as a young shepherd and when he faced Goliath.  It was not his skill with sling and stone but God who granted him and all Israel the victory.  It is amazing people can think we are beyond help or hope (and sadly even we can be deceived to think such of others at times), yet when God lifts our head to behold Jesus, the One who was lifted up for our redemption now seated in glory, we are strengthened in the LORD to joyfully endure. The phrase "lifted up the head" and variations of it are found many times throughout scripture.  ...

" These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so ." Acts 17:11 Luke wrote concerning the Jews in the synagogues of Berea who responded to the teaching of Paul and Silas by investigating the validity of their doctrine by searching the Scriptures.  Their response was much more noble, open-minded and receptive to the truth than those in Thessalonica.  When Christians exhort one another to "be a Berean," it is typically the daily reading and study of God's word that is emphasised.  I would like to draw attention to what prompted their search of the scriptures, that " they received the word with all readiness ." The first thing this suggests to me is they were open and hungry to hear the truth about God.  They were willing to consider things they had never heard or considered before without being suspicious or judgmental....

The word of God is living and powerful to instruct people concerning God and His ways.  The Bible is able to pierce us to reveal our motives, exposes our thoughts, rebukes sinful attitudes and teaches us what is acceptable to God.  In reading and studying the Bible a single word can speaks volumes to our hearts, and a verse understood in context and rightly applied is of more value than gold.  It is by faith in God we are given understanding, not the other way around.  If we try to understand the divine truths of the Bible without first submitting to God by trust in Him, we will remain ignorant of many things. This remains true of Christians who have followed Jesus as disciples for some time and have knowledge of doctrine and familiarity with scripture.  Knowledge does not mean we are walking by faith in God and in the light of His love, grace and goodness.  A good fruit tree can be beset by beetles, have branches broken by a storm, be stricken with fungus ...

David erred in numbering the people of Israel and they were visited with three days of severe pestilence that left thousands dead.   2 Samuel 24:16 reads, " And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite ."  God was gracious to spare His people when the angel stood by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  This is interesting because this means he was a non-Jew, an inhabitant of the city of Jerusalem previously called "Jebus" before David conquered it.  It seems mercy was extended to inhabitants to a city who taunted David it could be defended by the blind and lame, for Araunah the Jebusite lived within Jerusalem who even had a threshing floor of his own. When God directed king David to erect an altar on the thre...

When reading and interpreting verses of the Bible, it is important to consider the immediate context.  Many erroneous doctrines and practices have resulted when verses are made to stand alone that are supported by preceding and following verses.  This would be like demolishing the walls on a two-storey building without consideration of how it would eventually reduce a habitable dwelling to rubble--with unsuspecting people inside! On the subject of offences in the church, in Matthew 18 Jesus taught how believers were to go to the party who trespassed against them (for instance, by deceit and theft) and seek reconciliation.  If the offender was unwilling to humble himself to admit fault, another believer was to go along to confirm the truth as a witness.  Should the offender still stubbornly justify himself, their sinful case was to be told to the believers in the church.  If the person refused to submit to the judgment of the church, then the guilty party was to...

In the American classic movie It's a Wonderful Life , George Bailey was one who gave up on his dreams of travel to help others in his small town of Bedford Falls.  He and his newlywed wife sacrificed money saved for a honeymoon trip to keep the family-run business afloat.  When dealt a cruel financial blow through the incompetence of a relative who worked for the business, George was overwhelmed with the debt, a house full of energetic kids, had too much to drink and crashed his car.  After being harshly told he was worth more dead than alive, George began to believe the lie.  He despaired of his life as he looked down into the icy water running under the bridge.  All thoughts of ending his life were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a splash and a cry for help which caused George to spring into action to help a drowning man--who turned out to be his guardian angel in a human disguise. Clarence (the angel) gave George Bailey his wish of never being born....

" Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;  43  for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God ." John 12:42-43 It is remarkable those who heard and saw all the things Jesus did would be hesitant to proclaim their belief in Jesus because of what they stood to lose over what they could gain.  The favour of man is fickle, temperamental and temporary, but the favour of God is glorious and eternal.  What I find more amazing than there were people who loved the praise of men is that the praise of God is on offer for all who declare Jesus their King. Think of it:  the eternal God in heavenly glory, the Creator of all things Who alone is worthy of praise, delights to praise those who fear Him!  The grace of God simply overwhelms the soul who believes in Him with love, mercy and truth.  As children we beamed with pride when comm...

Today I listened to a sermon which addressed a parable spoke in  Mark 4:21-23 :  " Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  22   For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  23   If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear ."  The sole purpose of lighting an olive oil lamp is to provide light, and it would be foolish to light a lamp and place it under a basket or bed.  Not only was placing a lamp under a basket or bed be contrary to the point of lighting a lamp but it would be hazardous!  Jesus is the Light of the World, and the truth He has spoken is to be made plain for all to see, even as the parable of the soils exposed the different conditions of the hearts of men. Pastor Terry of Calvary Chapel Newcastle focused on the bushel basket and bed in contrast to a lampstand to apply this...

While in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read the place where it was written in  Isaiah 61:1-3 :   " The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,  b ecause the LORD has anointed Me  t o preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,  t o proclaim liberty to the captives,  a nd the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD , a nd the day of vengeance of our God;  t o comfort all who mourn,  3 to console those who mourn in Zion, t o give them beauty for ashes,  t he oil of joy for mourning,  t he garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;  t hat they may be called trees of righteousness,  t he planting of the LORD , that He may be glorified ."  In coming to earth as a man, God chose to add humanity to His deity to save sinners.  If God was coming only as a Judge and to take vengeance upon sinners, He did not have to bec...

The Pharisees made great efforts to avoid what would defile them under the Law of Moses.  They avoided eating unclean foods, touching unclean items or a dead body, sitting on an unclean seat or eating without first washing their hands according to the tradition of the elders.  Potential defilement was everywhere, and thus God-fearing people among the Jews spared no pains to carefully abstain from touching, eating or doing what would defile them. What Jesus said offended the Pharisees in  Matthew 15:10-11 :  " When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, " Hear and understand:  11   not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man ."  While the Pharisees continually laboured to keep traditions of men to avoid physical defilement, Jesus taught it is sin within a man that defiles him before God.  They kept commands not to touch, taste or handle with their perishing bodies and neglecte...

" Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints ." Jude 1:3 In writing to believers, Jude exhorted them to contend for their common salvation and faith in Jesus Christ.  He found it necessary to urge them to continue the struggle to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ themselves because many among them who lived lives that denied the LORD Jesus Christ.  Instead of following His example and heeding God's word, they justified licentiousness by grace, were given over to fornication, spoke arrogantly in pride, and were greedy for rewards and power.  The love feasts of the church had been corrupted by ungodliness in the lives of nominal believers who lacked the fear of God. What fascinates me about Jude's exhortation to contend for the faith does not involve what we might think.  They were not called to...

The cliche " The devil is in the details " highlights how a small detail can lead to a big problem.  A simple body posture or eye movement can lead a discerning observer to suspect someone is being dishonest and not telling the whole truth.  Innocuous behaviour or statements which could have been easily overlooked have led to convictions of murder that stuck.  On the flip side, as we travel through life and read the Bible to hear from God it is evident the smallest details point to His wisdom, goodness and grace.  Every word of God is pure, and as we read the Bible a single word has meaning and insight beyond definition alone to teach us of our glorious God and Saviour. David wrote in Psalm 23:1-2 , " The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters ."  The picture of the LORD being a good shepherd Who protects and leads his sheep provides enduring comfort.  Sheep do not li...

Many times I have heard people suggest how ideal a miraculous intervention by God would be due to the potential prompting of unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ as LORD and receive the Gospel.  One issue I have with this suggestion is the implication God has not already provided ample evidence in the Bible, the testimony of history and the lives of Christians transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Besides, how many people saw the miracles of Jesus and still chose to reject Him?  God has done and continues to do miracles without number, and the miracle man needs most is not in healing a sick body but the redemption of lost souls. As Jesus went through Judea and preached repentance and the kingdom of God, He confirmed the truth of His words with miraculous signs and wonders.  Many times He did miraculous healings so people would believe He was the Christ.  This, however, was not the only reason He did miracles.  His purposes reached far beyond the ...

The more I consider it, the more I am convinced regret has no practical benefit for those who wallow in it.  While feelings of regret can prompt us to consider our ways and draw valuable life lessons from the past we can practice, regret itself never invites us to look to the future.  Regrets chain us to a past we cannot change and all the "If only..." and "I wish..." thoughts and desires we could entertain are fantasy  the current reality rejects.  Regret is intrinsically self-focused, for it demands we be our own saviour by figuring out what we should have done.  It weaves an unrealistic image of how things could be, even ought to be, and we are to blame things did not turn out differently.  Regret can be a willful denial and rejection of God's power to redeem evil for good like we read about countless times in scripture and have also experienced ourselves. Regret presents a mirage and lie that we alone have the power to determine our future, essentially...

As a lad Jesus told Mary He "must" be about His Father's business in Luke 2 .  This obviously was not the family carpentry business run by Joseph, for Jesus was not handing out business cards and discussing the benefits of quarried stone over hardwood with the scribes and Pharisees in the temple in Jerusalem.  While everyone headed home from observing the Passover, Jesus remained behind for days listening to the doctors of the Mosaic Law and asking questions.  In that ancient culture asking questions was not a sign of ignorance but the way one showed mastery of a subject.  The Jewish leaders were stunned by the understanding Jesus displayed concerning the word of God. It was a common practice in Jesus' day the son would follow in the footsteps of his father and be trained in the same trade.  This is observed with Zebedee and sons James and John who were fishermen.  The Bible tells us Jesus did follow the custom of adopting the trade of his "dad" Joseph, and...

" Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  14  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts ." Romans 13:13-14 Our plans for the day have a big impact on what we take off and put on.  If I am going outside to mow the law, I will put shoes on my feet.  If I am going to a meeting or preaching, I take off the comfortable clothes I wear around the house so I can don appropriate attire for going to work.  We take off a wedding ring before changing the oil in the car, and we put on insulated gloves before we pick up a hot glass baking dish.  There is often an intentional reason to make provision for the future, like carrying a water bottle during a long hike so we can remain hydrated. I have heard many teachings on the necessity for us to put on the whole armour of God, and the illustration of Roman armour by Paul gives us understanding...

When I was a kid visiting a friend and having fun, I was always sorry to hear my parent say, "It's time to go home."  I did my best to cram in all the fun I could as I played games, swam in the pool, ate delicious food or explored outside.  I always wanted to catch one more fish, beat one more level in a video game or catch one more pass and do my best to put out of my mind the fun experience must come to an end or that I had to go to school the following day.  Part of the novelty of going to a friend's house was a combination of spending time in the company of someone I enjoyed and the ability to do things not possible at my house.  We didn't have a pool or some of the video games my friends had and it was fun to laugh, compete and enjoy fun times together. What I took for granted in those fun times is I had a home to go with family members who loved me.  I was incredibly blessed as a child, youth and young man to have parents and a brother and sister who truly...

At Bible study last night our group briefly discussed  John 12:1-3 which took place after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead:  " Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil ."  People flocked to Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus who had been dead four days before he walked alive out of the tomb at the call of Christ. On His way to Jerusalem Jesus enjoyed a meal at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary.  Mary shocked many when she went far beyond the usual hospitality in ancient Israel when she anointed the feet of Jesus with spikenard--an oil so precious the value was equal to the wages ...