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God Has Met Every Need: His Life

6/15/2021

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Read Psalm 103:6-14.

We have a loving Father who has met EVERY past, present and future need (by giving us His Life.)


This is illustrated through the Exodus account
—vs. 6-7. God’s righteous judgments/deeds done for the oppressed: His people were enslaved


—vs. 8.  The LORD is compassionate and gracious.  He heard His peoples’ cries, answered and promised to stay with them (Exodus 2:23-25…remembered His covenant with the Fathers.  Exodus13:21-22…pillar of fire and pillar of cloud—His presence)
    -Slow to anger.  God sent 10 plagues on Egypt during the time of Moses.  He gave Pharaoh multiple warnings and chances over time to release His people.  Similarly, through the course of time, He has given His people many second chances to turn back to Him.


—vs. 9.  God will not always strive with us…some Egyptians went with Israel.  God allowed this
    -nor will He keep His anger forever.  Those Egyptians were allowed to live among God’s people.


—vs. 10.  not dealt with us according to our sins…freedom from slavery.  We, like Israel were so helpless.  All mankind has been held captive—deceived and deluded—by sin.
    -not rewarded us according to our iniquities…Exodus 12:35-36.  Israel plundered the Egyptians—God’s reward for their faith and surrender to Him.


—vs. 11.  As high as the heavens, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
    -Think of the end of our universe.  That is unfathomable and unsearchable!  That’s how great God’s love is.   

—vs. 12.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions.  East and west are opposite directions.  God’s people turned around, leaving behind their old life.  Israel crossed the Red Sea going East.  When the waters came back down when they were done crossing, there was no turning back!  They left their life of slavery—completely forgotten (or should have been).  HE HAS GIVEN US A NEW HEART—NEW LIFE BY POWER OF the  HOLY SPIRIT.

—vs. 13.  Fathers compassion on those who fear Him.  To learn, to grow and have a relationship with God is His desire.  There will be discipline for the rebellious (like Moses scattering gold dust from the idol over the water—>Exodus 32).  God led Israel out of Egypt miraculously.  He then provided for them in the wilderness for 40 years miraculously.  Exodus 16:8-21—God gave them manna and quail, and they were to gather just enough for each day.  There was a  daily faithfulness on their part.  God was trying to teach them about how to have a relationship with Him.

—vs. 14.  He has compassion as He is mindful that we are “dust.”  In other words, apart from Him, we are just a collection of matter/dirt—no meaning.  In the beginning, God breathed life in Adam.  God is still breathing life into those who see their need of Him. (Jesus himself—Col. 1:13-17).
INVENTORY: How do I stack up against God’s character illustrated in the psalm?  How much do I need Him?  If I am honest with myself, I have to see that I am in utter need of Him.  This is what it means to “fear Him.”  Apart from Him, I have no real life being a slave to sin.  By His love and compassion, He has made it possible for me to turn from that life and turn to Him.  As a loving Father, He promises to take care of my every need now and forever.
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Faith of the Younger Brother: Remembering, Resting in, and Receiving Christ's Righteousness

6/9/2021

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Faith: Remembering, Resting in, and Receiving God’s Righteousness
The Faith of Jacob 
Hebrews 11:21, “By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
This references the account in Genesis 48 in which Joseph presents his sons Ephraim and Manasseh to his father, Jacob, to bless.  In the account, Jacob puts his right hand on the head of the younger, Ephraim, even though Joseph presents Manasseh on Jacob’s right side.  The right hand is symbolic of favor, strength, power, and authority.
In this act, Jacob was remembering God’s faithfulness to him (Gen. 48:15) and God’s promise first given to Abraham which he is now an heir of (Gen. 48:16).  He put Ephraim before Manasseh—YOUNGER BEFORE THE OLDER.  Jacob remembered God’s word to his mother, Rebekah, “The older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23).     —This is a theme throughout Scripture: younger brothers obtaining favor over their older brothers.     We see this in the account of Cain and Abel.  Abel’s offering was pleasing.  Even after Abel was murdered, Seth was born, of whom it is said he was in the “image and likeness” of Adam.  The original intent was restored through Seth, the younger brother.     The account of Ishmael and Isaac…Ishmael, begotten of fleshly effort by Hagar and Abraham, is therefore a son of the flesh.  Isaac was begotten of God’s promise—a spiritual son.     Jacob favored his youngest two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, over the older ten.
In the act of blessing the younger son Ephraim, Jacob was remembering the promise of a new nation/land in God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 48:21).     -By faith, Jacob saw the foreshadowing of the NEW COVENANT in the Abrahamic covenant.  In Genesis 49:22-26, Jacob’s blessing of Joseph, we can observe increasing blessing in each generation.  It gives this forward momentum in which one has to look to the future.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of everything before Him—God’s final word (Hebrews 1:1-4).
Romans chapters 9-11 discuss the Jews and Gentiles.  Read 9:1-13.  Israel represents the older brother which tried to obtain righteousness by works of the flesh.  The Gentiles represent the younger brother who obtains righteousness by faith.
Galatians 4:21-31 corroborates this.  The Galatian Christians were being pressured by Jewish Christians to adopt Jewish customs, else they might not be fully Christian.  Paul is dismantling and refuting this argument by pointing out that we are no longer under the Law.  He uses the example of Hagar, the slave woman who begets children of the flesh—those seeking righteousness on their own.  However, those born of the Spirit are free.  Those people can expect persecution, so stand firm! (4:29)
All of us used to be the older brother, living according to the flesh.  Christians, who have been born again of the Spirit are now the younger brother, and they are children of promise.
The question is whether we as Christians are living like the older brother or the younger brother.
The older brother is characterized by arrogance and entitlement.  They think they have something to offer God in and of themselves.  They also think they deserve everything just because of who they are (social status; familial standing; achievements, basic human dignity even).  We can see this arrogance and entitlement in the examples of Cain, Jacob’s older sons and the nation of Israel, including those Jews in the region of Galatia in the time Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians.
In Romans 9:14-24, it is clear that God’s sovereign choice stands.  We cannot think we can figure out who will be blessed by God as His chosen people, as it seems Joseph did when he placed his firstborn at Jacob’s right hand.
Paul gives a warning to Christians in Romans 11:17-24.  Just because we are God’s chosen people does not mean we should become conceited or entitled in any way.  Stand by your faith which is an awesome GIFT OF GOD (Eph. 2:8).
Really our value is that we are God’s creation.  See Psalm 8:1-9—that we would make His name known as His children.
Paul writes in Romans 8:12-17 that we have been freed from the flesh by the power of the Spirit.  Now, let’s walk by the power of the Spirit, no longer fearing whether or not we can please God.  Christ in us has accomplished the redeeming work, and now we can even share in being heirs of Christ’s life—the glory yet to be revealed!
It is these truths which Paul exposits further in Romans 9-11.  Read Romans 9:30—10:4…CHRIST IS EVERYTHING.
FAITH IS REMEMBERING, RESTING IN, AND RECEIVING CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Like Jacob, we can remember and rest in God’s faithfulness, looking forward to receiving God’s promise of eternal life, which is the spiritual reality of the covenant with Abraham.
The “younger brother” has this faith.  The question is whether  we are like the younger brother, looking for this promise: perfection in Christ.
Of Jacob and the rest of the exemplars in Hebrews 11, the author says this: “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.  Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In this passage, we see the mention of the “right hand…”  Jesus is in the seat of ultimate authority—the “younger,” so to speak (as he appeared after the patriarchs and giving of the Law), is superior.  The older has served the younger.  Those of us who are running this race will be with Him as joint heirs at the right hand of God.  This requires us to leave behind the “older brother” which was our former life, and to live as the “younger brother,” the Spiritual child of promise, born again by the power of Christ who will bring us to perfection.

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Treasure Faith

6/5/2021

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2nd Timothy -- Treasure Faith

This letter from Paul to Timothy takes the form of a 3-point sermon, first stated in chapter 1 verse 7, “For God has not given use  spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

POWER; LOVE; and DISCIPLINE.  3 aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life.

OVERVIEW / Summary:
—In verses 8-14 of chapter 1, Paul gives some more detail on these three points.
—In chapter 2: 3-6, Paul gives three illustrations to characterize these points further. —Soldier, athlete, farmer.  We have power to live a new life and completely turn from the old, like the soldier.  The “race” we are running is according to the rule of Love.  The hardworking farmer is Christ who is disciplining us for a certain outcome.
—In Chapter 2:11-13, Paul gives a “trustworthy statement” which boils down how we should live these three truths:  1) die with Him so we will live; 2) endure and reign or deny Him and be denied by Him; 3) We will be found in faith by Him who is faithful.  THE OUTCOME IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE FAITH.
—The rest of chapter 2 and chapter 3 gives more detail and warnings about how and what to endure.
—Chapter 4 is a conclusion reminding Timothy that Paul has done all these things, so Timothy can too!  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have KEPT THE FAITH” (4:7).  These three things correlate to and parallel the three points in chapter 1, the three illustrations in chapter 2, and the "trustworthy statement” in chapter 2.

On this particular reading, I was struck by chapter 1:8-14 which gives more detail on “power, love and discipline.”
POWER—We can suffer “according to the power of God,” by His grace who “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…”  There is a new life to live to the full, and it cannot be shaken despite our present suffering.  There is certain victory!  We are soldiers in the Lord’s army, and we already know which side is going to win.
LOVE—“Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”  Love is the standard—the rule—by which we live and therefore minister.  It is Christ’s love, not just any definition of “love” we or others come up with.
DISCIPLINE—“Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”  The discipline is not just “self-discipline” as some translations render it; rather, it is being disciplined by God Himself through the Holy Spirit!  He is “dwelling” or living in us, so we must walk in obedience to Him.

    **SO WHAT IS THE ‘TREASURE’?  In us we have the Life of Christ, who abolished death.  He saved us and called us with a holy calling, which is not something we can ever merit or earn.  That is definitely true treasure, but it is helpful to consider the first part of the letter to understand Paul’s point.  Paul is an apostle “according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus” (1:1).  He always keeps this in view, as he will receive the “crown of righteousness” when Christ appears (4:8).  All who “have loved His appearing” will also receive that promise.  This is both a present and future experience, and both require FAITH.  No faith, no experience of that life.

The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and Paul also notes the “sincere faith” that dwells in Timothy (1:5).  Faith is such an overused word in our culture that I think we have forgotten what it really means.  Faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8), not just a belief, a religion or a decision we make of our own volition.  FAITH IS THE TREASURE.  God has given us this gift of faith, and He is giving us the power to guard it. (Sidenote: if the gift referred to was the life of Christ, why would we have to guard it???  HE is the one sustaining US).
The question which follows:  DO I TREASURE FAITH?  Paul’s encouragement to Timothy was that He should “kindle afresh the gift of God” according to that sincere faith (vs 6)—and to do that by the power of the Holy Spirit.


**The response is to not be timid, as Timothy was apparently prone to be.  If my faith is stagnant, then perhaps I am treasuring the wrong things.

-Perhaps I am turning back to the old life, uncomfortable or afraid of the life lived by faith which I cannot fully see.  Suffering for Christ’s sake will be hard, but God has given us POWER to overcome.

-Perhaps I am afraid of what others will think of me and therefore compromising in the true, full counsel of God —“sound words.”  By faith, we can be sure of His coming again—“loving His appearing”—and boldly share His love with everyone.  Nothing else matters, including what others think of me.  CHRIST’S LOVE will sustain us.​

-Perhaps I am distracted from seeing everything through the eyes of faith, worried about what is going on around me in this crazy world.  The Holy Spirit will guard us and help us see things how God sees them.  Christ is the faithful farmer doing everything to cultivate faith in us—this includes using the circumstances around us.  EVERYTHING IS FOR OUR DISCIPLINE.


Treasure Faith, which Christ has granted us to experience His eternal life now and forever.
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    This is the blog of Tyler Shepard, the Associate Pastor for Centre Union Church in Yeagertown, PA.
    I hope you are encouraged and challenged to walk more closely with Jesus Christ!

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