Mon, Aug 25th - 11:07PM
When God Says: "I Don't Want To Talk About It!"
When God Says: "I Don't Want To Talk About It" Deut. 3:23-29 "And I besought the Lord at that time, saying, 24 O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? 25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. 26 But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. 27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. 29 So we abode in the valley over against Beth-peor." This was Moses' last plea to enter the land and not be denied because of the one sin of striking the rock twice (Deut. 3:23-25; Deut. 4:21 22; Numbers 20:8-13). A deeper study of Numbers 20:8-12 gives us a fuller insight into the severity of his punishment. Speaking to the rock was all that was required of Moses, and it would have been effective in proving to Israel the benefits of the Messiah who was typified by the rock (2 Cor. 10:14). The rock had already been struck once, typifying Christ's crucifixion which was only to happen once for all men. Merely speaking to the rock now would have brought the same benefits as striking it before. The same is true now of Christ: all we must do is ask and receive. Let's take a few play by play looks at our passage here in Deuteronomy. Verse 24 - "...thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand:" Moses may have hoped to persuade God to let him go into the promised land. Perhaps he thought God would relent by now, in view of his long period of faithfulness. Moses made the plea in his dying hour. Man may become especially merciful at such times, but God is merciful all the time, not just at a person's death. God knew what was best; He could not afford to allow or encourage crucifying Christ afresh in type any more than He will tolerate it in reality. He continues, "For what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?" Have you ever tried to pull a "snow job" on God? Let's learn from Moses: That ain't gonna happen! And Moses began to realize this and says in verse 26, "But the Lord... would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee: speak no more unto me of this matter." God says, "I'm not talking about it anymore, Moses." We find here another valuable... Lesson on Prayer Notice very carefully that this refusal to answer Moses is not an example of God saying no to men who pray according to His will and the Word of God. Some carelessly say that God always answers prayer, but sometimes says no. This is a deceptive excuse of unbelief. Understand this: God never has and never will say no to any child of His—anyone who is in Christ and is sincerely asking according to the promises given. God may say it to people who live in unbelief and use this and every other kind of excuse of unbelief in prayer, but He will surely not say it to people of faith who ask in faith in the name of Jesus Christ, and according to His promises. God cannot and will not refuse to fulfill His own Word. He will meet His own obligations as plainly stated (Numbers 23:10; Psalm 89:34; Psalm 119:89,90,160; Isaiah 46:11; Isaiah 55:10-11; 2 Cor. 1:20; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 10:28). When prayer is not answered, unbelief (Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:22), faithlessness, sin and/or judgment are plainly involved (as in the case of Moses here). The will of God is not a question where one is truly a child of God, and asking according to the promises, for it is the revealed will of God for His children to ask what they will and desire (Mark 11:22-24; John 15:7). So, let us be mindful that if God says He doesn't want to discuss it anymore, He has a very valid, righteous and pure reason as to why He doesn't. The best policy for us to strive for is to not get ourselves into a position, such as the one Moses found himself in. There are multitudes of God's people who may see their promised land, but may never get to experience it for themselves. I don't know about you but, I want to not just see my destiny, but I want to fulfill and complete it! Pastor Mike
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Sun, Aug 24th - 11:55PM
Just Do It!
John 2:5 - "His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." Just Do It! Most Christians are very familiar with this particular passage of scripture, but more often than not, we get enthralled in the miracle of water- turned-to-wine. However, there is much more that we can learn concerning obedience, which is miraculous in and of itself; that is to say, if many of God's people would live obediently unto the Lord that itself, in many, if not most cases, would be a miracle! Notice three features in this advice given by the mother of Jesus: First, our obedience is to be entire; the scope and range are encompassed in the word "whatsoever". Second, our obedience is to be exclusive because,we are to do "whatsoever He saith". This means that we do it to the exclusion of others, if they differ from Him! Third, our obedience is to be specific: "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it"; not just something like it, or similar to it, or equivalent to it; but "it". Now observe three features in the obedience of the Cana servants. They obeyed "immediately" (v.7), they obeyed completely, filling the water pots "to the brim", and they obeyed successivelyeach new instruction as it came - to "fill", to "draw", and to "bear". Then, notice the three crucial features of the outcome. Because of their obedience there was (1) supernatural involvement - the water turned to wine; (2) magnificent alteration, because public disaster was given a relieved culmination; (3) a significant revelation, for the Word tells us in verse 11, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." These kinds of involvements or interventions, alterations or transformations, and revelations happen over and over again where there is full obedience to Him! Hallelujah!!! "Whatsoever He says to you, do it." Oh may this be the motto that governs our lives in love, courtship and marriage. When Jesus is left out of the wedding, sooner or later, in a spiritual sense, the wine fails; but when He is the Guest of Honor, He turns water into wine, transforming our meager human love into a joy which is a fortaste of Heaven! That goes not only for those entertaining the notion of wedlock, but for all of us who name the name of Christ. May we apply this principle to every aspect of our being: "WHATEVER HE SAYS TO YOU, DO IT!" Pastor Mike
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Sun, Aug 24th - 2:22AM
More Food for Thought
"Christians at war with each other cannot be at peace with their
heavenly Father."
"From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures constantly command us in
one way or another to 'come our and be separate.' It is amazing to
see how strongly we resist this command! We prefer to represent the
kingdom while continuing to play with hell!" - (Bishop Eddie Long
from his book, "Called To Conquer")
"Someone has said, 'Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his
shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot!'"
"In the walk of faith, there is no room on the highway of life for
spiritual hitch-hikers!" - (Larry Dixon from the book - "Doc Devos")
"Talk about what you believe and you have disunity. Talk about WHO
you believe IN and you have unity." (E.Stanley Jones)
"We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will perish
together as fools." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
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Fri, Aug 22nd - 9:15PM
More Food for Thought
"I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He
can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they
need Him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for His power." - Jim
Cymbala, from his book, "FRESH WIND, FRESH FIRE".
"Whenever God determines to do a great work, he first sets His people
to pray." - C.H. Spurgeon
"There is no power like that of prevailing prayer. It turns ordinary
mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It
brings rain. It brings life. It brings God." - Samuel Chadwick
"Most churches are not scriptural; they are 'boardural.' That means
boards run them like a business corporation. Many of them operate
like something that has nothing to do with God! They do not know the
Scripture because they do not exercise or follow the patterns and
precepts that Scripture prescribes. Most of these churches are
miserable and unbearably jealous of any church that is scriptural in
its government and operations. Most of the jealousy arises because
these other churches are birthing new things all the time." (Bishop
Eddie Long, from his book "Called To Conquer"
"We are not called to be the honey of the world but the salt of the
earth. Salt stings on an open wound, but it saves one from gangrene."
(Donald Bloesch)
"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is
a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because
it is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good
philosophy. Neither its pipes nor it theories will hold water."
(John Gardner)
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Fri, Aug 22nd - 8:56PM
More Food for Thought
"People are driven from the Church not so much by stern truth that
makes them uneasy as by weak nothings that make them contemptuous."
(George Buttrick)
"Faith is not something one 'loses'; we merely cease to shape our
lives by it." (George Bernanos)
"I have some shocking news for you: Church is not for you to enjoy;
it exists to change you!" - (Bishop Eddie Long from his book "CALLED
TO CONQUER")
"If you believe what you like in the gospel and reject what you don't
like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." (Augustine)
Truth With A Twist of Humor:
A man was asked by an interviewer, "Sir, what do you believe?"
"I believe what my church believes," he replied.
"Well," asked the reporter, "what does your church believe?"
"The church believes what I believe!"
"That's interesting," the reporter said. "Well, what do you and your
church believe?"
The man thought for a moment and then replied, "We believe the same
thing, dummy!"
Blessings,
Pastor Mike
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Fri, Aug 22nd - 8:34PM
Food For Thought
The atheistic German philosopher,Friedrich Nietzsche, made the
following surly remark to some Christians one day: "If you want me to
believe in your Redeemer, then you've got to look a lot more redeemed."
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Name: Michael Parnell
