LEARNING DAILY

 

Joshua 7:11, “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have put it among their own stuff.” God

 

I often fear some of the things I write. I have found that the things I write sometimes come back to cause me problems. In the last page of the blog, I wrote you and I need to separate ourselves from the sinful things in the world; that we could not have God’s blessing while participating in the sinful ways of the world. Since then, it seems I have been tempted by all sorts of things. I guess the enemy wants to see if I am willing to abide by what I write.

 

The command was to go into Jericho and destroy all the living, burn the city, and take the gold and silver and vessels of bronze and iron to the treasury in the house of the Lord. All seemed well until the people invaded Ai. There the people of Israel were soundly defeated, chased away from city.

 

The verse from Joshua above shows the charges against Israel; Israel was defeated at Ai because of sin, because some of the things God said something was stolen and placed among someone’s personal stuff. All of Israel was being punished because of some person’s sin. Sin has consequences and as seen here those consequences may go beyond the individual sinner. At Ai 36 men from Israel died and the army of Israel could not stand before the enemy. One person had fallen to the temptation of coveting the spoils he saw in the victory at Jericho. He took what he saw and hid it among his own possessions. Achan was the man who took what he saw. For his sin, he and all his family were killed in order to remove the sin from the camp.

 

The funny thing about temptation is each one of us face some sort of temptation every day – probably more than once or twice. We are vulnerable to temptations and evil desires because of the sinful nature that is in us. Achan saw what he could not resist even knowing that taking the stuff was against what Israel had been commanded. Because he could not resist the temptation, he sinned by taking and hiding it. That is how sin occurs. According to James 1:14-15, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” For Achan, he and his entire family were stoned to death. For Christians it is separation from God, spiritual death.

 

The truth of the events in Joshua 7 apply to you and me. Persistent and unrepentant sin in a person’s life will prevent us from the grace of God. When that happens you and I will no longer live under the help and protection of God; we will not be able to stand against the enemies who want us to fail and fall off the narrow way. Temptation itself is not sin; giving in to the temptation is sin. The evil desire must be resisted and purged by the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When you or I sin, it must be removed through the blood of Jesus. Remember His death was for every sin you and I have committed, commit and will commit in the future. Do not let a moment go by with repenting of any sin committed.

James gives instructions about enduring and defeating those temptations when they come.

 

By the way, you are probably wondering about whether I gave into the temptations – yes and no! I did need to take some time with the Lord admitting that once again I failed. Thank you, Lord Jesus for your forgiveness and grace. What would I do without it!?

 

 LEARNING DAILY

 

Exodus 23:31-33, “And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the southern deserts to the Euphrates River. I will help you defeat the people now living in the land, and will drive them out ahead of you. Make no treaties with them and have nothing to do with their gods. Do not even let them live among you! If you do, they will infect you with their sin of idol worship, and that would be disastrous for you.” God (New Living Translation)

 

As you read the account of Jericho, you will see that God had Israel go into the city and destroy everything that was in it. The Bible tells us in Joshua 6:21, “both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey” were destroyed by the sword. For those who want to find something to fault the Bible on, they question why God would do this. But knowing the entire Word of God is important; one cannot take verses and make doctrine or their belief on them.

 

In chapter 23 of the Exodus, God is giving instructions to His people on how to live within His boundaries – boundaries that would keep them safe, honor Him, and protect them as they entered the Promised Land. God’s instruction to His people commanded them “not to adopt the religions or to conform to the morals of the societies around them. If they did not follow this, they would not be fully protected by the Lord” (LSSB). This goes back to God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. His judgment of the Canaanites was because of their gods and their way of life.

 

Let’s take a minute to understand who the people were who inhabited and polluted the Promised Land. They were descendents of Noah, by his son Ham and grandson Canaan. Go to Genesis 9 and you will find that Ham messed up and Noah cursed Canaan because of his father’s sin. Canaan and his descendants would settle in the area promised Abraham and his descendants and now faced Joshua and Israel who were coming to take the land. The Canaanites were now a large force who had proven to be fierce warriors; as we have seen Israel needed God to be with them to defeat them. “The Canaanites had polluted the Promise Land with their debased practices and would corrupt the people of Israel if allowed to remain in the land” (DJSB). Let me summarize the people who inhabited the Promised Land. Their society and religion was evil including sexual perversions, often associated with fertility cults and child sacrifices. They were sinful people and God did not want the people of Israel to have anything to do with them. The war on the Canaanites was divine judgment of these people.

 

This may not make much sense and seem out of character for a loving God. The accounts of God’s people taking the Promised Land is not enjoyable reading. I’m not sure it is supposed to be. It seems to me the taking of the Promised Land is about the establishing of God’s Kingdom and to do that, sin and disobedience had to be driven out of the land. God told Joshua to be strong and of good courage and obedient. Do not conform to the ways of the world! Under the new covenant established by the Lord Jesus Christ, we too are to drive out sin and unbelief and disobedience from our lives. We are to be Christ-like at all times. You and I are to separate ourselves from the ways of the world. You and I must walk on a narrow way that leads to God’s kingdom not on a wide way that is filled with the sinful ways of the world. If we do not separate ourselves, we forfeit the promises and the protection that God gives us as His people. Not one of us can have God’s blessings and presence in our lives while participating in the sinful ways of the world. It is a choice each of us makes every day! Make the right choice!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB. 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Joshua 6:20, So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him and took the city.

 

You know the story of Jericho. God instructed Joshua to lead the people around the city one time for six days. On the seventh day they were to walk around the city seven times. When the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they shouted and the walls fell flat just as God said they would. When the walls fell, the people rushed into the city killing all the people and all the animals with their swords. Only Rahab and her family with her in her room was spared because she had tied a scarlet cord in her window as a reminder of what she had done for the spies.

 

I looked up the distance the people walked around the city and found the walk was about 124 miles. The city covered about eight acres; its walls were estimated to be thirty feet high and twenty feet thick (I have read other accounts that the walls were twenty feet high and eight feet thick!).  It has been thought the city had triple gates (which may account for the larger width of the gates) and was securely shut up – the city was ready for a siege! The city was considered an invincible fortress and, of course, to be protected by the Canaanite gods. The Israelites were not prepared to defeat Jericho by their own abilities. But God gave Joshua a plan and a promise. The promise was such that only He could deliver and that is what He did.

 

I have often thought about a saying I once read. You are either going through something difficult, just gone through something difficult, or you are about to go through difficulty. First, remember what God has already done for you when you were going through that difficult time. Remember! God told Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage; I will never leave you nor forsake you!” That message was not just for Joshua; it was also for you and me. God’s victory at Jericho was important to demonstrate the power of Israel’s God over the Canaanite gods. The defeat of Canaanites was a done deal!

 

What is your Jericho today? What are you facing that is beyond your ability to defeat? What are you facing that is so big that you need your God to bring down its walls? Perhaps you have been walking around the walls of your Jericho for some time now and the “seventh day” is near and you will see the walls fall flat in defeat. Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever things was written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of Scriptures might have hope.” This not just a nice story for us to feel good about. It is written for us to apply to our own Jericho(s). The most important lesson we can learn and apply is that when we are faithful obedient to God’s commands, even when we do not understand, the victory over our Jericho(s) happen.

 

The military strategy for the defeat did not make a lot of sense. However, there is a great difference between the way God does thing and the way we want to do things. The people were obedient to the plan. They believed God. Afterall, had He not just parted the Jordan River for them to cross over? Why would He not be faithful in this plan. God keeps His promises as our faith is demonstrated.

 

I ask again. What is your Jericho today?  Face it with the faith of a mustard seed, believing God’s promise to be with you through it. It might take you some days of walking around it, but do so knowing that He is with you! Remember! Joshua and the people of Israel carried out the commands of God and He gave them the victory. That holds true for you and me. As we have true faith and walk the narrow way of obedience to Him, God gives us the victory over our Jericho(s). Be encouraged! The God of all creation is with you!

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Joshua 4:6-7, ”that this might be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘what do these stones mean?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stories shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

 

“This chapter presents the dynamic truth that the hope of the future is based on the memories of the past, and this hope, gives meaning to the future.” (notes from the DJSB) God gave Joshua directions to build a monument to what He had done regarding the crossing of the Jordan River. Joshua gave this direction to the people so their crossing into the Promised land would be remembered. This was not a new idea as monuments were often built to recognize and remember what God had done in the past.

 

God desired that His people always be concerned about the faith of their children. Read what is recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” God is still concerned about the faith of our children; He still desires we teach our children and grandchildren about Him. As much as I enjoy talking about the Lord, I believe we teach best through how we live our lives. Our children and grandchildren are watching all of the time to see if how we live matches what we say!

 

The stones were set up to be a teaching tool, an occasion for parents to teach their children about God’s power and faithfulness. Through this teaching, the children might be taught to fear the Lord because of what He had done. It is interesting how easily it is to forget what God has done in a time of need or crisis. He provides protection or, perhaps, heals a person, showing His great power in a time of need. Yet, God’s leading or His intervention in something is forgotten when the next situation needing His attention occurs. The situation or circumstance is looked at instead of looking to the One in control of all things. I believe we are all guilty, to some degree, about looking to Him only after we have tried to fix the situation ourselves; we forget too easily what God has done in the past. So, the stones were set as a memorial. God did not want the people to forget. God wanted them to teach their children to build their faith in order to know how great God is and that He works in their lives.

 

I stop today by asking you to go back to the quote from the notes in the DJSB. We study the Word of God to build our faith to believe the Lord is with us as He was with those who crossed the Jordan River. As we face the trial of today, we remember what God has done for those who place their trust, their faith, their hope in Him. That gives us hope to face not only today but to face whatever tomorrow brings! I believe that to be a word for all of us to consider!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB.

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Joshua 3:13, “And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”

 

You have to think back to the time the people of Israel left Egypt and remember the series of miracles they had experienced. That generation had experienced the miracle of the Red Sea, crossing over it on dry land as the water was parted. That generation had died in the forty years wilderness experience and a new generation was about to experience the Jordan River parting in order to cross over into the Promised land.

 

Before I go on there are two important points to understand about the people and the Jordan River. First, verse 15 tells us that the Lord brought Israel to the banks of the Jordan River at harvest time; at harvest time the water of the Jordan overflows its bank. Why? Once again the Lord desired the people (and you and me) to witness and see Him demonstrate His power. Continue reading and you will see the moment the sole of the feet of the priests hit the water, the water parted and “all Israel crossed over on dry land”.

 

Secondly, the Lord had told Joshua to have the people sanctify themselves to cross the river (verse 5). There was a need to prepare themselves spiritually for God to work on their behalf. In other words, the people needed to be right with God. The act of sanctification points to the principle that God will not act on behalf of His people unless they (we) are inwardly and aligned with His will. That was done by making sure their (our) hearts were pure and their desires were guided by God.

 

The parting of the Jordan River was a sign to the people that God was with him as He had been with Moses when the Red Sea was parted. Remember God had told Joshua he needed to be strong and of good courage. Now God was showing the people His power (few had seen the parting of the Red Sea – a new generation) in order to strengthen the faith of His people to face the challenges of possessing the Promised Land; they, too, needed to be strong and of good courage. Without it, they could not have taken the fortified cities, defeated superior armies, and conquered the land.

 

What is your Jordan River today? What are you facing that requires God to move on your behalf? I know you might be thinking about what happens if the Lord does not part your Jordan River. I have found He often does not act the way I want Him to. I think I have the perfect way and the waters do not part but keep on flowing, overflowing the banks.  It is at those times I am reminded to be strong and have good courage; yes, that takes faith and trust that God will do what He has said. The people’s faith began with a small step. Our faith begins with a small step of faith – the Bible tells us that step needs to be only the size of a mustard seed. Whatever happen with your Jordan River, let your trust be in the Lord Jesus Christ!

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Joshua 2:4-5, Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And it happened as the gate was shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” Rahab

 

Joshua sends two spies to look over the land, including Jericho. At Jericho they meet Rahab, a prostitute; when the men are discovered to be in the city, she hides them and eventually, makes sure they get out of Jericho unharmed. This is a pagan city and Rahab was a sinful woman. Yet, she recognized the God of Israel as the true God of heaven and earth; and God used her. Verses 10 and 11 indicate she had heard reports of what God had done for the people of Israel as they had moved toward the Promised land. Whatever she had heard had led her to abandon the gods of Canaan in order to believe in Israel’s God.

 

Many struggle with the verses above because Rahab is telling a lie to the men of Jericho as they were trying to find the spies. Both the Old and New Testaments express that to lie is a sin. But think back to our study of the Hall of Fame found in Hebrews 11. Do you remember that Rahab is mentioned there? She is in that Hall of Fame because her lie was forgiven and she is honored because of her faith; “in faith she joined with the Israelites and their God” (LSSB).

 

Let me share David Jeremiah’s thoughts found in the DJSB. “Even though Rahab knew her life was in jeopardy and her country was doomed (v. 2-11), she was honest with the spies. Rahab did not lie for her own protection. The truth would have been less dangerous! She put her life in greater jeopardy by hiding the two men and lying about their whereabouts. In addition, the Bible does not say where Rahab was in her faith journey at this point. While she had some knowledge of God, it is likely she did not come to internalize that faith until later in life. Rahab should not be held accountable for her conduct in the same way as someone who had walked in the faith, for many years and been raised under God’s laws.”

 

You and I need to understand that from a biblical perspective, Rahab’s lie does not mean lying is acceptable! God will never accept lying as okay. This is recorded in Scripture because He is Truth, not because He praises Rahab’s actions. Saving Rahab shows that God will accept anyone who fears Him and is trying to do the best they can under extreme conditions to serve Him.

 

Aren’t all of us saved by God’s grace? Is not true faith shown through our actions? When we come to Christ, in faith, we are told our past no longer matters because it is wiped clean. I include this event in the study of Joshua because it is a reminder of the grace of God that can save and change the worst of sinners, use them for His purpose and glory and bring them into the abundant life of Jesus Christ.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The Lord speaking to Joshua!

 

Four times in the first chapter of Joshua God tells him to be strong as he leads the people into taking the Promised Land. Remember Israel had no trained military, no weapons and little experience in warfare. That is a good reason to be concerned as they are going in to take the land promised them from kingdoms who were experienced in warfare, had weapons, chariots and were going to resist them.

 

Be strong! I am with you was God’s promise. Their strength was to come from Him and His Word. “The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night.” That was the command before verse 9. Joshua was to find strength and courage there and was to remain faithful by talking about it, meditating on it, and by being obedient to it.

 

I have written before on this. Again,I stress the importance of reading, studying, meditating on the Word of God. I cannot just read the Word; I need to meditate on it so it gets not only in my brain but it gets in my heart! Then I am able to apply it to my daily walk on God’s narrow way to His kingdom.

 

Joshua needed to know that God was with him as he led Israel against the nations to possess the land God had given His people. Please grab hold of what I am going to write next. You and I need to know God is with us at all times as we face the circumstance and obstacles in our life, and what is ahead. We come to know that, and live like it as we come to know God’s word and follow His Word. It is not just the knowledge that is important, it is the wisdom to know what to do with the knowledge that is also important. This wisdom enabled Joshua to be successful; it came through meditating on the Word of God.

 

Here is the summary for what was required of Joshua to prosperous and successful: 1) be strong and courageous (v. 6-7), 2) make God’s Word his authority, to guide all he did (v.7), 3) study and meditate daily on the Word (v. 8), and 4) determine to earnestly seek God every day (v. 5,9). That is exactly the same message the Father in heaven is sending you and me today! All of us want to be successful in what we do. This is what is required to be successful in God’s eyes; it is not a formula for material prosperity.

 

This is an important formula for each of us today. We, like Joshua, face the unknown of tomorrow. Fear is trying to control our behavior. There are storms all around us. Jesus even said in Matthew 6:34, “Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  The enemy wants us to focus our attention on the trouble and the storm and not on the Lord. Stop doing that; God is with you! Like Joshua, He wants us to accept the challenges before us, not dwell on them. Glorify Him and He will give you victory and “the land you step on”.

“Be courageous” God told Joshua. That is the opposite of being discouraged. I have read that discouragement is the devil’s attempt to take away your energy, your endurance and your strength. What happens when you become discouraged? You are looking at yourself, your goals, your wants – you, you, you. When you are courageous, you know God is with you and you are looking to Him for guidance, looking at His plans and His purpose.

 

God told Joshua to be strong and of good courage – to know He was with Him. I submit to you today that same message is for each of us as well.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Joshua 1:3-4, “Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you – from the Negev Desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and all the land of the Hittites.” God speaking to Joshua (from the New Loving Bible)

 

 God instructed Joshua to cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan (the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey) and possess it. God’s promise was He would be with Joshua and “Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you”.  That is a pretty straight-forward plan, in my opinion. The execution of the plan would happen only by faith in the One who said it and obedience to His direction. Anything less would result in failure. It is also to remember that God had given this land to Israel in His covenant with Abraham as seen in the book of Genesis. God reminded Moses of this in the Exodus (Exodus 6:4-8).

 

Consider this statement in the DJSB, “Israel had no official army and no weapons, and the territory was inhabited by seven more powerful nations than them. Yet, because God had promised, Joshua could boldly lead Israel to occupy the land.” Joshua had been with Moses through the exodus from Egypt and had witnessed that God was with Moses. Now God promised Joshua that He would be with him as He had been with Moses. God’s past faithfulness to Moses would be a source of great strength to Joshua as he led the people across the Jordan River into Canaan.

 

Warren Wiersbe has written, “The book of Joshua is about the victory of faith and the glory that comes to God when His people trust and obey.” We are living in difficult times. We are seeing events happening that Jesus said would be the birth pangs that would happen before His return (Matthew 24). We are seeing the writings of Paul in 2 Timothy 3 happening. Christians around the world, and even in the Untied States, are being persecuted and killed for their faith. The verses from Joshua remind us that God is with us at all times. Joshua was to move forward -wherever he stepped, God gave him the ground he stepped on, that was God’s promise. You and I must move forward on the promises of God. Each day, regardless of the circumstances, we move on the promises of God. To do that, you and I read and study His Word; we do so to be encouraged and know what He has done for those who walk with Him in faith. “Every Believer who is doing God’s will can be strong and of good courage, knowing that, just as for Israel and Joshua, God will not leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)” (notes from the DJSB). What a promise! God never leaves us to do the work He has for us to do alone.

 

I found a good little book titled The Jordan Rules written by Robert Morgan. Let me finish with a quote from that book. “Why on earth, then, are you and I insecure about anything in our lives? We have rivers to cross, challenges to face, problems to confront, giants to fight, and promises to claim. But why should we be insecure, afraid, or discouraged? We have a repeated promise from God, and the final repetition of it is underlined by doubles and triples of grace” (referring to Hebrews 13:5). It encourages me to know God is with me in every circumstance I face!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Numbers 27:18-19, And the Lord said to Moses: “take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; set him before Eleazer the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight.”

 

I have been studying the book of Joshua. In doing so, I have found so many lessons that have encouraged me to stay on the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom. I am going to pass on some of the things I have learned in the coming days. I hope you are encouraged as I have been.

 

The first thing to know is why Joshua was chosen. Why was he chosen to lead the people into the Promised Land? The DJSB tells us it was Joshua’s “fortitude and obedience in the faith was shaped by the events of the Exodus and Joshua’s firsthand view of the leading man, Moses” that led the Lord to give the instructions found in the verse above. The DJSB also tells us “Moses would change Joshua’s name from Hoshea (means salvation) to Joshua (means Yahweh saves) (Numbers 13:16) at some point in his life because he would come to know that the children of Israel could not save themselves; only God Himself could save them.

 

Did you notice in our verse above what the Lord said to Moses about Joshua? He said, “a man in whom is the Spirit”. This statement is important to remember because the Holy Spirit did not constantly indwell those faithful to God at this time. This statement shows how evident God was in his life and will be key to much of what we write in the coming days. No other qualification to lead was as great as Joshua being led by the Holy Spirit and being obedient to Him. Because of this he was qualified to be commissioned to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land.

 

I have often read or heard that Joshua was a type of Jesus. In the Greek the name “Jesus” was a form of the name “Joshua”. The DJSB has again significant information for us, “The primary parallel is that they were both called to announce and establish the kingdom of God through warfare – Joshua, a physical, geographical kingdom on earth, and Jesus, a spiritual kingdom without boundaries.” There is another similarity that will be emphasized in the coming days. Both were dependent on God, the Father, for their strategy, wisdom, and power to establish the kingdoms God set before them. It is interesting to me that Joshua had no military training, I doubt he had in background in military strategy; his strategy was to rely on God and do what He told him to do.

 

Isn’t that the same strategy you and I are to follow as we walk the narrow way. Are we not told to trust God and obey His Word in order to be faithful to Him? God’s Word gives us so many promises based on our obedience. Perhaps this study of God leading Joshua will encourage us to walk in the obedience He desires and give a greater glimpse of the rewards for doing so!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB.

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 18:37, Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

 

Today’s blog was to be part of the last page as it got too long. Jesus is standing before Pilate and is telling him His kingdom was not of this world. Pilate asks Jesus if He is a king and Jesus replied that He “came into the world to bear witness of the truth and everyone who is of that truth hears His voice.” Earlier, in John 14:6 Jesus had said to Thomas, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” What did He mean by that?

 

“An essential reason for Jesus coming to this world was to testify to the truth and point people to it” (LSSB). That truth would be exemplified by His life, through His teaching, and through His death and resurrection. That truth is what Believers read and study daily – God’s Word. Over the years I have read about “ministers” who compromise the truth and sound doctrine of God’s Word to promote a personal agenda. They deceive those who follow them with false doctrine and not distinguishing between right and wrong, truth and error. They certainly do not want to upset anyone by being centered on truth because that could lead to people leaving.

 

Jesus answered Pilate he had said rightly He had come as a king, the true King. Think for a moment about that. He did not come with royal robes and a crown, not even a royal court. He was born in humble circumstances, did not live in great palace, and His followers were fisherman and everyday people. His message was Truth! The reason He came was not to overpower the world in order to win a political kingdom. No, He came to win the hearts of “all who would believe in Him”; His kingdom would consist of Jews and Gentiles who place their faith and trust in His Truth!

 

Have you noticed that the Truth is not for everyone? Jesus, the One who was Truth was hated; He was Killed because He spoke Truth. Truth is still hated today and people are still trying to destroy those who speak Truth. People try to suppress the Truth because they do not want to be exposed; they seem to feel better about themselves when Truth is “killed”.  This is so at every level of status. The problem with Killing Jesus was the Truth had already been shared; many people had heard it. With the resurrected Lord empowering the disciples, the movement of truth that Jesus bore witness to could not be stopped. It was not stopped by persecution, or lies, or any methods of fear or intimidation!

 

Pilate became disinterested in who Jesus was. Jesus did not pose any threat to his political power. Pilate dismissed Him and walked away from Him. That was Pilate’s response to the “Truth”. Too many today have that same attitude. They want nothing to do with Truth. Yet, each of us is faced with the statement “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. It seems like an easy decision to make; either believe this or dismiss it and walk away. If you believe it, live your life thanking the Lord Jesus Christ for what He has done for you! Plan your life like He isn’t coming back for a hundred years. But live your life like He is coming back today! (Dr, Ed Newton, Community Bible Church)

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 18:36, Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

 

I write often about the kingdom of God. It may be a little strange to write about it again on the day known as Good Friday. Yet, it was for this day that God sent His Son into the world. It was the plan from the beginning that the Son would become the sacrificial Lamb that would hang on the cross you and I deserved. It was God’s way to provide a way for all who would believe in the Son back to His kingdom.

 

Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of the world. It did not originate in what we know as the world system and it did not want to take it over. Jesus did not come into the world to establish a theocracy for world dominion. If He had, “His servants would fight”. But that is not the nature of the kingdom of God, is it! In only a word, the Lord could establish His kingdom on earth but that is not the way He promoted while on this earth. Contrary to the belief of some, He did not align Himself with a political party or pressure groups to establish His kingdom on earth. Even today, Believers do not use these tactics nor any other worldly weapon to promote His kingdom. The weapons Believers use are spiritual (Ephesians 6:10-18). That does not mean you and I are to be indifferent to God wanting a just government, justice being served, and the restraining of chaos. How much longer can He allow our country to continue going down the path it is headed?

 

We need to understand the kingdom Jesus referred to. The kingdom of God involves His rule, His lordship, His power and His spiritual activity in the lives of all of us who have received Him and obey His Word! The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and full of joy. The true Church is to be a servant to Him showing the world its strength is not a worldly power but in the cross that He died on. Jesus said that your power and my power is “to die to self, take up our cross and follow Him” (Matthew16:24).

 

There is another aspect of God’s kingdom – the kingdom we are walking on the narrow way to live in for eternity. Oh, what a glorious kingdom the Bible describes! In the Revelation, John describes a kingdom free from the curse brought by sin. It is where God will “wipe away every tear from the eyes of His people, where there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). But the greatest thought is we shall “see His face and His name will be on our foreheads” (Revelation 22:4).

 

Jesus died on a cross for you and me. When He said, “It is finished!” the path to eternal life in the kingdom of God was set before us. When we said yes to His invitation our walk on the narrow way began and will continue for eternity as we step into His kingdom.

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 17:20, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” Jesus (highlighted will is my emphasis)

 

It is Thursday of the Lord’s Passion Week. It is sometime after midnight and He is alone in the Garden of Gethsemane praying. In verses 6-19 of John 17 He is praying for His disciples. He is asking His Father to take care of them because they have believed in Him and know the words He has spoken to them. He asks the Father to not take them out of the world that will hate them (because of Him) but He asks that He keep them from the evil one. Jesus knew what was about to happen to Him. He knows that when the soldiers come, His disciples will scatter. Even Peter who has said He will never deny Him will do so three times. These men had been chosen by God to form the nucleus of the church that would come. Jesus prayed that they be one or united in all they do; that was essential for the church growth and survival. He prayed that they be holy, set apart from the world and sin in order to worship and serve the Father. They must be set apart, sanctified, to live for Him and be like Him. They must also be set apart in truth to receive it, be obedient to it and to bring His plan of salvation to the lost. He prayed that they be one based on their relationship to the Father and the Son; it was essential that His disciples have the same attitude toward the world, the Word, and the need to reach those who were lost.

 

Look again at today’s verse.  “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” The Lord Jesus not only was thinking of His disciples that night when He prayed. He was thinking about you and me and all would believe in Him. He was praying for every person who would give their life to Him in the future based on the words contained in His Word. Go back to your personal Bible, underline these words and write Jesus was praying for me this night. Make it personal! Max Lucado has written, “As Jesus stepped into the garden, you were in His prayers. As Jesus looked into heaven, you were in His vision. As Jesus dreamed of the day when we will be where He is, He saw you there.” That should make you give Him praise and thanksgiving right where you are right now!

 

The final prayer of Jesus was about you and me. What He was about to endure was for you and for me. His life on earth was to glorify His Father. That was His purpose for leaving heaven and becoming flesh. His obedience to His Father was going to provide a way for humanity to once again be part of the kingdom of God. It is His desire that you and I be sanctified, set apart, be united and be light to a sinful and ungodly world. We are to be His disciples reaching the world for Him.

 

I believe He wants you and me to know that He is with us, especially when we feel alone. He knows what that is like because He was in the garden alone while His disciples slept. As Jesus prayed for what He would have to endure, peace came and the battle was won. That seems to me to be a pattern for us to follow.  What a Savior we have! “Oh, how He loves you and me!”

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Hebrews 9:27-28, Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.

 

When Adam took the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and ate, sin came into the world. Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden and it was shut up from man. Sin brought death with it; everyone dies because everyone has sinned (read Romans 5:12). When a person dies, judgment comes. Scary?! Read on from Romans 5:12 to verse 17, 18 and 19. “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

 

This week known as the Passion Week of Jesus Christ is so important to be remembered for all who have said yes to the salvation He offers through His obedience – He took our place on a cross. Honestly, it is so important for those who have not said yes to His plan of salvation to consider what Jesus Christ has done for them. For those who have said yes, you know that you were never capable of working out your salvation. You could never be “good” enough, could never give enough money to the church or other organization to get into heaven. Once you knew in your heart that Jesus Christ was the only way to eternal life in God’s kingdom, your only choice was to ask Him for forgiveness, ask Him into your heart, and ask Him to clean you up and change you. I did that in July, 1976 and He has been forgiving, cleansing, and changing me ever since. He has to keep forgiving me because I do stupid things. He is so faithful!

 

Yes, Jesus Christ died on a cross to take away the sins “of many people”. Notice the verse did not say all people. Those included in “the many people” are those who say yes to His plan of salvation. Those who choose not to say yes will die and judgment will come. To die without Jesus Christ as one’s Savior means he/she will not be allowed into heaven. To live eternally without God means eternal torment; that is their coming judgment.

 

To those of us who have said yes to this plan, we are walking on the narrow way, He has already forgiven us, cleansed and purified us for eternity in God’s kingdom. We eagerly wait for Him to come for His Church so we might be with Him forever! May we find comfort in knowing as surely as Jesus Christ went to heaven, He will return to take His followers to live with Him for eternity. Take the time to meditate on Him this week and give Him thanks for what He has done!