One mistake people make about the Lord is He’s good with whatever people want to do. He’s accepting of all things, because a God of love wouldn’t judge others for their behavior.
The Corinth church certainly acted like that’s the God they served. Their church services had no order, with everyone talking at the same time and interrupting the Word being taught. Paul told them in 1 Corinthians 14:33, God is not the author of confusion.
When I teach a Sunday School class, I make sure there’s some order to the class so that the children there can hear God’s word clearly. If I let the kids do what they wanted, no one would ever hear the word. They’d be too busy playing and talking.
The same goes for the adult church. It’s meant to be a place run decently and with order so that God’s word can penetrate the hearts of the people. May we follow the direction of our God in Heaven.
Pastor Ron Kitchell
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles had been gathering and preaching the gospel in the temple. Through their preaching, God was greatly adding souls to the church. The high priest and leadership were displeased with this, and therefore put the apostles in prison. During the night, God sent an angel to free the apostles and to command them to go back to the temple and preach Jesus. When the leadership discovered the apostles preaching in the temple again, they peacefully brought the apostles back to the council, and reminded the apostles that they had been commanded not to preach Jesus, to which they replied, “We ought to obey God rather than man.” This infuriated the council who then discussed their options behind closed doors. Today’s scripture passage is the approach that was proposed by Gamaliel and agreed upon by the council.
With the hindsight of 2,000 years, we clearly see the outcome of this event. The apostles were not perpetuating the work of men; they were preaching the good news of the risen Christ, and by the Holy Spirit, people were coming to a saving relationship with God. The gospel is the work of God, and as Gamaliel said, it cannot be overthrown. Every Christian is going to face opposition when sharing Jesus with others, and in comparison with church history, the western church faces minimal push back. May we be emboldened to share the gospel and love of Christ, and may we be reminded and encouraged that the work is God’s and that He will prevail.
Jeff Mericle
I love the way Paul does not sugarcoat sober realities, and humbly admits his personal experience. From Romans 7:13 to its end, Paul describes in excruciating detail the experience we have all gone through time and again.
But it doesn’t change the fact that, though a sincere follower of Christ, I continue to grapple with temptations to sin, even though I delight in the word in my inner man (Romans 7:22). I see another more sinister law in my flesh that constantly wars against the law in my mind that reaches its evil tentacles around me, pulling me into its grip.
Paul wrote Romans 6 to teach us that we must never give in to the constant barrage of fleshly temptations. “Do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies!” he exhorts us. There he helps us not to be deceived into ceasing to fight against sin, not to let it reign in our mortal bodies. In chapters 7 and 8, he gives us hope that though we’ve fought and fought hard, we should not sink into existential despair when we fail, for there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Yes, we are wretched sinners, but God has clothed us with His clean, white robes of righteousness. Blessed be His name.
Tom Day
It’s always good to be reminded of the Lord’s ability to be everywhere at all times. It can be so discouraging at times when you see the evil deeds of men not see justice. Where people harm other people and they profit from it. But God sees it all and He will balance the scales and exercise justice in His proper time. This knowledge provides me comfort because I don’t have to go around trying to fix every wrong. Rather I can focus my energy on sharing God’s truth, preaching repentance, and sharing God’s message of hope by offering them God’s forgiveness of sins at the expense of Jesus on the cross.
Vengeance is not ours; it is the Lord’s (Romans 12:19), so let’s get out there and do the good that God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in (Ephesians 2:10). He sees that, too!
Pastor Jason Witt
Each of us has built, is building, or will attempt to build a variety of things throughout our lives. Whether it be a career, a relationship, a marriage, or a family, we build over time and then we seek to protect that which we have invested our time in.
When we work solely by way of self-sufficiency, we are working in the dark, out of sync with God’s plans and purposes for good. When we seek to ensure that the Lord be the master builder of all that we undertake, we can be confident that He will establish a lasting result that is solid and true. While we are to remain watchful over all that is in our care, it is in God’s hands that we must ultimately place our reliance for security.
This morning, let’s keep this verse in mind and take a moment to seek the Lord’s guidance before hammering the first nail of the day. With God’s direction, we have the opportunity to make something built to last.
Jeff Deal
The Feast of Tabernacles was an eight-day feast, to remember how the Lord had provided for His people in the wilderness. As the people would gather at the steps of the temple, the priests would fill up big pitchers of water and bring them to the steps, pouring them out as the people sang about the coming Messiah. On the eighth day, they would go to the pool to fill the pitchers, but instead would leave them empty, turning them over on the steps but with no water coming out. It would represent how God brought them to the promised land, with rivers and streams to drink from.
So now Jesus stands up on the eighth day and cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” As the people were crying out for water in the wilderness, Moses beat on the rock and life-giving water came forth. Here Jesus says, “If you’re thirsty, come to me, and I will give you life.” He was beaten, He suffered, and died so we might live.
John adds here that, “He spoke concerning the Spirit, that those who believed in Him would receive.” The Holy Spirit that would bring new life to the believer and would flow from the life of those who believe as we live this new life for our Savior.
Pastor Doug Hardin
Being in the will of God is the best place to be! Sadly, many people fight against the will of God and they miss out. God has the best plans for your life and if you want to live the best life, live in the will of God. God wants to show you His will even more than you want Him to reveal it. You can know the will of God for your life by reading His word and prayerfully asking Him to show you. So many people chase after the things of this world and they are like fireworks, just a flash in the sky and then they are gone, but those who do the will of God endure forever. How are you living?
For the King,
Pastor Daniel Batistelli
Paul didn’t know most of these people yet he never neglected to include them in his prayers. It’s easy to say we will pray for someone but Paul states that before God Who sees EVERYTHING, he has indeed lifted them up in his prayers. They were on his list and he didn’t skip over them.
Spurgeon wrote, “No wonder that they prospered so well when Paul always made mention of them in his prayers. Some churches would prosper better if some of you remembered them more in prayer.” Pray for your church and its leaders today and watch the amazing results as God answers those prayers.
“Always in my prayers,”
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
You’ve probably heard the above verses at a wedding ceremony you’ve attended, but have you really looked at them? We should all have this kind of love for our spouses, but the truth is we’ve probably failed many times. There’s an exercise we’re often told to do by putting our names in the place of the word “love” in these verses. Does Ron suffer long? Is Ron kind? Sometimes, I suppose, but all the time? Not even close. And that’s the first set of verses!
Of course, the only one who could succeed in this name game is Jesus Himself. He is all of the above and more and it makes Him the perfect Savior for us.
If you find yourself failing in some of these areas, maybe you need a little more Jesus in your life and a little less of yourself. We’ll never be perfect, but at least we know the One who is to help us along.
Looking for more of God’s love in my life,
Pastor Ron Kitchell
We have all heard the expression, “talk is cheap,” and the Bible certainly agrees with that sentiment. One attribute of a true believer in Jesus Christ is that he or she will submit their lives to His Word and direction in obedience. It is one thing to know what God wants, yet an entirely different thing to act upon what you know. God’s Word leads us to life. From the direction to faith in Jesus to daily walking in His grace, His Word is a guidebook, an operator’s manual for the saints to follow.
May this truth fill your heart and mind this morning. Are you a “doer” of God’s Word? Will you be making decisions today that are made only because you belong to Jesus and are seeking to obey Him? To hear and not do is deceptive, it will fool us into thinking all is well. Yet as James says here, the blessing is found with those who hear and do!
Seek to hear and do His Word today!
Pastor Jack Abeelen
