And Forty Nights
April 29, 2012
"And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights." (Genesis 7:12)
There are nine forty-day periods in Scripture, but on only five of these the notation "and forty nights" is added. On the other four occasions (the spies in Canaan, Goliath's challenges, Jonah in Nineveh, and the post-resurrection ministry of Christ) we can assume that the activity ceased at night. But on these five it continued unabated.
The first of these was the great Flood. The most intense rains ever experienced on the earth poured torrentially, night and day. One can visualize the stress-filled nights for Noah's family, with the cries of the dying outside, and no light of the sun or moon to pierce the outer darkness. But, of course, they were all safe in God's specially designed Ark.
Many years later, Moses twice spent forty days and forty nights in the awful presence of God on Mount Sinai, receiving the divinely-inscribed tablets, with the Ten Commandments and all the laws of God. The mountain was intermittently quaking and breathing fire and smoke while he was there, and the nights were surely more awesome even than the days, but God was there!
Elijah spent forty days and forty nights traveling back from Beersheba to Sinai, even though this relatively short journey would not normally require forty days. Evidently Elijah experienced great hardships and obstacles along the way and many sleepless nights, but God met him again at Sinai, and it was worth it all.
Finally, the Lord Jesus (God Himself!) was "led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil . . . forty days and forty nights" (Matthew 4:1-2). In weakened human flesh, without food or rest, this was a greater trial than any of the rest, but He was triumphant, and then the "angels came and ministered unto him" (Matthew 4:11). HMM
h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday Sermonette
Joy in the Christian Life
April 22, 2012
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:11)
The word "fun" is never mentioned in the Bible, and "entertain" is used only in reference to being hospitable. Such activities as "reveling" and "playing" receive nothing except condemnation in the Scriptures (with the exception of little children at play).
Yet there is growing emphasis today in many churches and parachurch organizations on providing "entertainment" and "fun times" for their members--especially for teenagers and young adults. This is the way to reach them and keep them for the Lord, so they say. Perhaps so, but one wonders why neither the Lord nor the apostles nor the prophets ever told us so. Is this a program kept in reserve by the Lord just for the young people of this generation?
Actually, Christians can have something far better, more effective, and more lasting than fun and entertainment. In Christ, they can have heavenly joy! "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine," the Bible says (Proverbs 17:22), where the word for "merry" is more commonly translated as "joyful" or "rejoicing."
While the Bible never mentions "fun," it has many references to "joy" and "rejoicing." Here are just a few. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16). "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8). "For the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
We must remind ourselves continually that the Lord Jesus daily, through His words, shares His joy with us, "that |our| joy might be full." HMM
h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
April 22, 2012
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:11)
The word "fun" is never mentioned in the Bible, and "entertain" is used only in reference to being hospitable. Such activities as "reveling" and "playing" receive nothing except condemnation in the Scriptures (with the exception of little children at play).
Yet there is growing emphasis today in many churches and parachurch organizations on providing "entertainment" and "fun times" for their members--especially for teenagers and young adults. This is the way to reach them and keep them for the Lord, so they say. Perhaps so, but one wonders why neither the Lord nor the apostles nor the prophets ever told us so. Is this a program kept in reserve by the Lord just for the young people of this generation?
Actually, Christians can have something far better, more effective, and more lasting than fun and entertainment. In Christ, they can have heavenly joy! "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine," the Bible says (Proverbs 17:22), where the word for "merry" is more commonly translated as "joyful" or "rejoicing."
While the Bible never mentions "fun," it has many references to "joy" and "rejoicing." Here are just a few. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16). "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8). "For the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
We must remind ourselves continually that the Lord Jesus daily, through His words, shares His joy with us, "that |our| joy might be full." HMM
h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday Sermonette
Hints of Redemption
April 15, 2012
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15)
When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced the dreadful curse on all of His creation, from mankind to the animal and plant kingdoms and even the earth itself (Genesis 3:14-19). From that point on, everything began to die, but at the same time God predicted the coming Redeemer who would set things right.
There are several hints of the coming Redeemer in these early chapters of Genesis. Dr. A. T. Pierson, a Bible scholar of the late 1800s and early 1900s, mentioned an unnamed Hebrew scholar, a Jewish rabbi, who held that the names of the 10 pre-Flood patriarchs (Adam to Noah) formed a redemptive sentence when read together. Keep in mind that certain meanings of some of these names are lost in antiquity, but the exercise is interesting, if not definitive. According to the rabbi, Adam means mankind; Seth is appointed; Enos, mortality; Cainan, wailing for the dead; Mahalaleel, God be praised; Jared, He shall descend; Enoch, a mortal man; Methuselah, dismissing death; Lamech, the weary; Noah, rest. Stringing the translations together yields the following sentence: "Mankind is appointed |to| mortality, wailing for the dead. God be praised. He shall descend, a mortal man, dismissing death, |bringing to| the weary, rest."
Modern scholars prefer Enoch as dedicated man, Methuselah as when he dies, judgment, Lamech (uncertainly) as conqueror, and Cainan (very uncertainly) as humiliation. Our sentence now reads "Mankind is appointed |to| mortality, |bringing| humiliation. God be praised. He shall descend, a dedicated man. When He dies |as| judgment, |He will| conquer, |bringing| rest." JDM
h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
April 15, 2012
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15)
When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced the dreadful curse on all of His creation, from mankind to the animal and plant kingdoms and even the earth itself (Genesis 3:14-19). From that point on, everything began to die, but at the same time God predicted the coming Redeemer who would set things right.
There are several hints of the coming Redeemer in these early chapters of Genesis. Dr. A. T. Pierson, a Bible scholar of the late 1800s and early 1900s, mentioned an unnamed Hebrew scholar, a Jewish rabbi, who held that the names of the 10 pre-Flood patriarchs (Adam to Noah) formed a redemptive sentence when read together. Keep in mind that certain meanings of some of these names are lost in antiquity, but the exercise is interesting, if not definitive. According to the rabbi, Adam means mankind; Seth is appointed; Enos, mortality; Cainan, wailing for the dead; Mahalaleel, God be praised; Jared, He shall descend; Enoch, a mortal man; Methuselah, dismissing death; Lamech, the weary; Noah, rest. Stringing the translations together yields the following sentence: "Mankind is appointed |to| mortality, wailing for the dead. God be praised. He shall descend, a mortal man, dismissing death, |bringing to| the weary, rest."
Modern scholars prefer Enoch as dedicated man, Methuselah as when he dies, judgment, Lamech (uncertainly) as conqueror, and Cainan (very uncertainly) as humiliation. Our sentence now reads "Mankind is appointed |to| mortality, |bringing| humiliation. God be praised. He shall descend, a dedicated man. When He dies |as| judgment, |He will| conquer, |bringing| rest." JDM
h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Resurrection Sunday Sermonette
The Resurrection and the Believer
April 8, 2012
"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18)
The resurrection of Christ is no less crucial to the gospel than the death of Christ. If He did not rise from the dead, then we who believe in Him "are of all men most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:19).
Christ's resurrection assures us, first of all, of our justification. Speaking of Abraham's faith and the imputation of God's righteousness to him, Paul writes, "For us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:24-25).
God imparts to us the power to serve Him effectively through the resurrection, "that |we| may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead" (Ephesians 1:18-20). As the passage continues, Paul declares that through the resurrection Christ is now "the head over all things to the church, Which is His body" (vv. 22-23 and also in our text).
In His resurrected and glorified state, Christ continues His ministry to us. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens. . . . Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14, 16).
Finally, Christ's resurrection assures us that we too will one day be resurrected, if we should die before He returns. "He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:14). JDM
h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
April 8, 2012
"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18)
The resurrection of Christ is no less crucial to the gospel than the death of Christ. If He did not rise from the dead, then we who believe in Him "are of all men most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:19).
Christ's resurrection assures us, first of all, of our justification. Speaking of Abraham's faith and the imputation of God's righteousness to him, Paul writes, "For us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:24-25).
God imparts to us the power to serve Him effectively through the resurrection, "that |we| may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead" (Ephesians 1:18-20). As the passage continues, Paul declares that through the resurrection Christ is now "the head over all things to the church, Which is His body" (vv. 22-23 and also in our text).
In His resurrected and glorified state, Christ continues His ministry to us. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens. . . . Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14, 16).
Finally, Christ's resurrection assures us that we too will one day be resurrected, if we should die before He returns. "He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:14). JDM
h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Sunday Sermonette
Children of Light
April 1, 2012
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)
There are a number of beautiful metaphors used in the Bible describing those who have become true "children of God" (1 John 3:10) by the new birth. As children tend to take on the characteristics of their parents as they grow, so God's spiritual children should be growing in the grace of God and the knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:18).
Similarly, Christians are called "children of light, and the children of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Therefore, as in our text, we should "walk as children of light."
The Lord Jesus spoke of us as "children of the kingdom" in Matthew 13:38. We should, therefore, live and speak as those born into the kingdom of God, and as faithful subjects of the King of kings.
Christ also called us "children of wisdom" (Matthew 11:19), and this surely implies that we should, in our understanding and in our decisions, have "the mind of Christ" who "is made unto us wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:16; 1:30).
In contrast, note the metaphors applied in the Bible to those who have not (at least not yet) become children of God by being "born again" through faith in the triune God. We ourselves once "were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Ephesians 2:3). We--and they--were also called "children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2; also in Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6).
Unbelievers are also called "children of this world" (Luke 16:8), and even "children of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38) and "children of the devil" (1 John 3:10).
Returning to the metaphor of our text, "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light" (1 John 1:7), then we can no longer "walk in darkness," for we have "the light of life" (John 8:12). HMM
h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
April 1, 2012
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)
There are a number of beautiful metaphors used in the Bible describing those who have become true "children of God" (1 John 3:10) by the new birth. As children tend to take on the characteristics of their parents as they grow, so God's spiritual children should be growing in the grace of God and the knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:18).
Similarly, Christians are called "children of light, and the children of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Therefore, as in our text, we should "walk as children of light."
The Lord Jesus spoke of us as "children of the kingdom" in Matthew 13:38. We should, therefore, live and speak as those born into the kingdom of God, and as faithful subjects of the King of kings.
Christ also called us "children of wisdom" (Matthew 11:19), and this surely implies that we should, in our understanding and in our decisions, have "the mind of Christ" who "is made unto us wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:16; 1:30).
In contrast, note the metaphors applied in the Bible to those who have not (at least not yet) become children of God by being "born again" through faith in the triune God. We ourselves once "were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Ephesians 2:3). We--and they--were also called "children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2; also in Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6).
Unbelievers are also called "children of this world" (Luke 16:8), and even "children of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38) and "children of the devil" (1 John 3:10).
Returning to the metaphor of our text, "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light" (1 John 1:7), then we can no longer "walk in darkness," for we have "the light of life" (John 8:12). HMM
h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
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