1 Corinthians 15:22,42-47
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
-Jesus Christ provides more for us in salvation than Adam ever lost in the fall. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed fellowship with God as His beloved creations; but through Jesus, we can fellowship with the Lord as Father and children. “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15) Adam and Eve had life in the Garden, but Jesus has come “that [we] might have life, and that [we] might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Praise God for loving us enough to let us experience the matchless saving grace of the Lord!
Month: June 2022
John 4:23-24 – He Seeketh Such
John 4:23-24
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
-Everything we need to know about what God expects from our relationship with Him can be summed up in this verse. Why did God give man free will instead of just creating a race of robots? Because He seeketh such to worship Him. Why does God lead us by faith instead of just appearing to us and leading us by sight? Because He seeketh such to worship Him. The trials and obstacles we face in this life are not always easy, but if God seeketh such to worship Him, don’t you want to be one of the “such”?
Luke 15:18-22 – The Best Robe
Luke 15:18-22
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
-When the prodigal son decided to come back to his father, he didn’t even get a chance to make it completely home before his father met him on the way with open arms. Without any hesitation, the father offers his wayward son acceptance and the best robe. Now since this is the father’s house, whose robe would be the best? It must be the father’s own robe, of course. The prodigal carried his shame and remorse a long way, but for that last part of the journey he was surrounded by the warmth of his father’s provision, and any family, guests, or servants who saw the son coming that day wouldn’t see the filth of the pigpen or the sweat of the journey, they would see the purity of the father’s best robe. “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.” (Isaiah 61:10) One day, when the redeemed take their final steps into Heaven’s hallowed ground, the assembled hosts won’t see our lies, our sins, or our ungodliness; they will only see the lily-white purity of the Father’s greatest provision- Jesus Christ the Righteous.
Matthew 19:23-26 – With God, All Things Are Possible
Matthew 19:23-26
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
-Is anything impossible with God? The disciples here are under the mistaken impression that wealth and prosperity must equate to God’s favor. When Jesus tells them that wealth does not bring a person closer to God or salvation, they wonder how it’s possible for any man or woman to be saved. The disciples are right to be confused, for truly rich people cannot be saved, and neither can poor people. The very idea of bringing a cursed race of humans into fellowship with a Holy God is an impossible one. But God is not limited by impossibility. When a way did not exist, and a way could not be created, He Himself became the Way for us to be redeemed. (John 14:6) “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine own arm brought salvation unto Me.” (Isaiah 63:5)
Psalm 37:23-24 – The Lord Upholdeth
Psalm 37:23-24
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
-The great gift that comes from trusting in the Lord is not having to worry about being “utterly cast down.” What does it mean to be utterly cast down? It is being in a situation where you can never recover or where all hope is lost. Every day people get crushed under the weight of life’s circumstances and every day people die and slip off into Hell. This is what the Salvation of the Lord keeps us from. We always have a reason for hope and a source of joy even in the midst of bitter pain and ultimately, by the Lord’s doing, we never have to be cast down into Hell. We may stumble, we may even fall, but we are held by the Father and no one or nothing is able to remove us from His hand. (John 10:28-29)
Genesis 9:13-17 – God’s Rainbow
Genesis 9:13-17
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
It’s Pride Month. Social media is abuzz with videos and messages promoting the cause. Companies from every industry are updating their websites and recasting their logos to show rainbow colors. For those of us who see this as political rhetoric and societal agenda thinly disguised, it can be overwhelming, to say the least. That the Pride movement has commandeered God’s rainbow for their own purposes makes it worse still. But, before you throw your hands up, consider the true meaning of the rainbow. It is a sign of God’s mercy. As we learn in Genesis 9, after God brought a flood over the earth in judgment of humanity’s wickedness, He promised never to do it again and He gave the rainbow as a sign of that promise which He extended to “all flesh that is upon the earth.” (v17) It’s actually very appropriate that this has become the symbol for LGBT as it’s a constant reminder that they live under God’s mercy. For truly, “it is of the Lord’s mercies that [any of us] are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is [His] faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) If God’s compassions are new every morning, that means they are new every morning during Pride month as well.
Numbers 16:44-48 – The Plague is Begun
Numbers 16:44-48
44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun.
47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
-Because of the people’s sin and rebellion, the Lord sent a plague to consume them. Let verses 47-48 paint the picture in your mind as this scene plays out. The plague is moving over the people and, as it passes, it leaves dead bodies in its wake. It pushes deeper and deeper into the crowd and 14,700 have already fallen. (Numbers 16:49) But Aaron stands in the path of the oncoming death with an offering, an atonement that appeases the Lord and ends the plague. What a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of our sin and rebellion, the Lord sent a curse that brings death and hell upon each of us. But Jesus stood in the path of the oncoming death with an offering, an atonement that appeases the Lord. But Jesus went a little further; Jesus let death overtake Him so that “he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)
John 11:35 – Jesus Wept
John 11:35
35 Jesus wept.
-A Bible verse doesn’t have to be long or complex in order to have a special meaning. Consider this very short verse from John’s Gospel. Faced with the despair and suffering that comes with death, Jesus Himself breaks down into tears. The people that had gathered attributed Jesus’ tears to grief over the loss of Lazarus, but that overlooks two very important factors: 1) Jesus knew better than anyone that death is not the end and “precious in the eyes of the Lord are the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15) 2) Jesus knew He was about to bring Lazarus back so why weep for his death? My point is this: Jesus wept not because of how Lazarus’ death affected Him, but rather because of how it was affecting everyone else. Isaiah taught us that the Lord carries our sorrow and grief (Isaiah 53:4) and, as we can see, is personally touched by them. Child of God, do you feel as though you carry your heaviest burdens all alone? Be assured, when you weep, your Lord weeps with you. He will never leave you or abandon you. (Hebrews 13:5) Weary sinner, does the crushing weight of your transgression often leave you in tears? Your Creator is personally waiting to ease your burden and dry your eyes. (Matthew 11:28, Revelation 21:4)
Matthew 7:24-27 – Built Upon the Rock
Matthew 7:24-27
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
-Here we have an account of two houses facing the same stormy weather. The wise man’s house withstood the whole storm while the foolish man’s house fell to the strong wind. That’s a key piece of information to note as we examine the foundations in our own lives. Both houses looked good when the rain started falling and while we don’t know how long the doomed house lasted, we know there was a time when no difference could be discerned between the houses- and then the second house crumbled. This could describe some of us today; everything may look strong and steady, but it’s just a matter of time before the right wind comes along and our fall will be great. Remember that strength in God’s eyes is not defined by how long we stand, but by what makes us fall. “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” (Proverbs 24:10) Also, remember the only way we can truly be strong is by standing on the only sure foundation, Jesus Christ Himself. (Isaiah 28:16)
John 13:20-21, 26-27 – After the Sop
John 13:20-21, 26-27
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
-Notice the finality in the phrase “after the sop”. This is when Satan entered Judas and he set off down the path that would lead to his betrayal of God Himself and eventual suicide. We would all do well to look out for “sop” moments in our own lives. Moments where we step through a door and cannot step back. The path we take can have major and sometimes disastrous consequences for us and those around us. The Bible teaches us, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
A Tried Stone 