My Sheep Hear My Voice...And They Follow Me

See this video that shows sheep following their shepherd...

Tabernacle Replica in the Wilderness

I ran across this blog today.  I have seen Tabernacle replicas over the years but have not really seen a full scale replica out in the open wilderness like it would have been during Israel's journey to the Promised Land.  Hope you enjoy!

King David and End of Life

Acts 13:36 KJV - For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

It is beautiful to find that word sleep used of David's death.  His life had been full of tumult, storm, and passion, of war and blood; many a revolt had cast its foam in his face; but rest came at last, as it will come to all.  Like a tired infant's, those aged eyes closed in the last sleep, and the spirit joined the mighty dead.  His sepulcher remained to the day of Pentecost, for Peter refers to it; but the man whom God had raised up was drinking of the river of his pleasures, and was satisfied as he awoke in his likeness.  The fairest dreams of his Lord that had ever visited his soul fell short of the reality; and upon his aged face must have rested a look of glad surprise, as though the half had not been told.

The parallel between him and our Lord may be carried into minute particulars.  In their anointing; their inimitable words; their sufferings; their zeal for the house of God; their love for their friends; their betrayal by those they had trusted; their wars; their love for Jerusalem - how much in common!  But there the parallel stays. In his atoning death, in his incorruptible nature, in his glorious ascension, the Son of David stands alone.  David himself, in the Spirit, called him Lord, and knew that he alone could fulfil that ideal of kingship which had passed before his inspired thought, given to him by the Holy Ghost, but which no mere mortal would ever be able to realize.

Psalm 72:6, 8, 12, 17 KJV - He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth. ... He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. ... For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and [him] that hath no helper. ... His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and [men] shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

- as quoted from F.B. Meyer's David

Quotes from Lutzer's Book

From Erwin Lutzer's 2010 book When A Nation Forgets God (my emphasis in bold):

...have we forgotten that God's power is more clearly seen in the message of the cross than in any political or social plan we might devise?...Do we cling to the cross with the deep conviction that it is not simply a part of our message to the world, but rightly understood it is the whole of it? (p134)

He refers to an analogy by a Christian writer of Christianity having become an empty bottle and then says this:

Regrettably, today the Christian bottle has been filled with many different agendas: pop psychology, environmentalism, and a nationalistic spirit that cannot distinguish between Christianity and the American way of life.  The cross has become an an ornament hung around the neck, not an instrument that changes the heart.

Some political activists have filled the Christian bottle with a strategy for political reform.  Salvation, it appears, is electing conservatives to national and local office.   Important though the right leaders might be, we must always remember that God is neither Republican nor Democrat.  When the cross is wrapped in the flag of a political party, it is always distracted or diminished.  Even for some who have experienced its power, the cross has become an addendum to what is thought to be more pressing agendas. (p 36) 

 

Helpful Books for Understanding Our Times

Two books I am reading...one for the first time, another is a re-read:  When A Nation Forgets God by Erwin Lutzer (2010) and World Chaos: Its Root and Remedy by G.H. Lang (1949).  Both are insightful and provide food for thought of parallels between what occurred in Germany prior to and during WWII and what is happening in our world today.

Lang's book, among many other valuable things, provides an in-depth look at the belief system of Hitler and his advisers that relied heavily on Fate (i.e. Karma, Kismet, etc.) and, thus, allowed them to, in delusion, rid themselves of any accountability to the God of the Bible.  Any belief system that accomplishes that, including evolution, is exactly what the natural man craves and what the enemy of man's soul will provide.  When one succumbs to such, they find themselves open to a wide range of ultimately destructive ideas.  For Hitler, the state became his god.  For some of Hitler's closest advisers, when Hitler died, they saw no value in living and thus took their own life.

Lang's book is available through Schoettle Publishing.  Lutzer's book is available from a variety of sources.

In Everything Give Thanks?

Ephesians 5:20 KJV - Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

In everything give thanks, Lord?

Even the pain, the hardships, the heartaches?

It is easy to give thanks for the good things: 

The health, the comforts Thou hast blessed me with.

But Thou alone, can make me thankful 

For trials that try my faith.

As Paul wrote, "I have learned in whatsoever 

My state, to therewith be content." (Philippians 4:12)

As he so learned by his trials, so I must learn.

Only by thy grace, can I learn to give thanks

For all things.

Thank Thee, Lord, for grace to do so.

- Becky Coffey

God's Will

Romans 12:2 KJV - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Is this passage teaching that we are to use our God-given faculty of discernment to determine ('prove') which of many options for God's will is the one that is good, acceptable and perfect in a particular situation?  Or, rather, is it that we are to have our mind so adjusted as to understand that God's will for us in any particular situation is in fact good, acceptable and perfect?  I think the latter.

The difficulty we face is acknowledging that anything contrary to our way of thinking and is burdensome to us might in fact be the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.  My will may be to take all steps necessary to alleviate a particular problem circumstance. Frankly, this is thinking that conforms to the world's way of thinking. God's will may be that I stay under that circumstance until He resolves it.  Which would be better?  My way or His?  His, no doubt.

Burdens and What To Do with Them

From F.B. Meyer in The Secret of Guidance:

The one cure for burden-bearing is to cast all burdens on the Lord.  The margin of the Revised Version of Psalm 55:22 reads thus: "Cast that He hath given thee upon the Lord."  Whatever burden the Lord has given you, give it back to Him.  Treat the burden of care as once you did the burden of sin; kneel down and deliberately hand it over to Jesus.  Say to Him, "Lord, I entrust to You this, and this, and this.  I cannot carry them; they are crushing me, but I definitely commit them all to You to manage, and adjust, and arrange.  You have taken my sins.  Take my sorrows, and in exchange give me Your peace, Your rest."

The Modesty of the Ideal Servant - F.B. Meyer

 Isaiah 42:2 KJV - He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

God is always at work in our world, leading the progress of suns, refreshing grass with dew, directing the flight of the morning beams, and even the glancing light of the firefly.  And while lovingly compassing our path and our lying down, he is not too busy to determine the fall of a shell on the sand of the ocean bottom.  But all his work is done so quietly, so unobtrusively, with such reticence as to his personal agency, that many affirm there is no God at all.

He spreads the breakfast table each morning for myriads living in wood and ocean, and in the homes of men as well; but he steals away before we catch sight of him to whom we owe all.  We know that he has been at work but he is gone without a sound, without a footmark, leaving only the evident touch of his hand.

Thus it was with the work of Christ.  He put his hand on the mouths of those who blazoned abroad his fame.  He repeatedly told the recipients of his bounty that they must not make him known.  He stole away from the multitudes that filled the porches of Bethseda, and the healed paralytic knew not who had healed him.  He lingered as long as he could in the highlands of Galilee, until his brethren remonstrated with him.  He did not quarrel nor cry out, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

This quality is God’s hallmark upon the best work.  His highest artists do not inscribe their names upon their pictures, nor introduce their portraits among their groups.  It is enough for them to have borne witness to the truth and beauty of the universe.  The wish for nothing more than to reveal what they have seen in nature’s holiest shrines, or in the transient gleams of beauty in the human face.  To win a soul for God; to cleanse the scar of the leper; to make blind eyes see; to give back the dead to mother, sister, friend – this is recompense enough.  To look up from the accomplished work into the face of God; to catch his answering smile; to receive the reward of the Father who is in secret – this is heaven, compared with which the praise of man is as valueless as his censure. - F.B. Meyer in Christ in Isaiah

The Presence of Christ

Man has at his best longed for something more than a mere knowledge of an omnipresent God. Man at his worst has fled from the place where God met personally with him, showing proof of a darkened mind resulting from a tragic fall.

Let us focus for a few moments on the Presence of Christ. We acknowledge with gratitude that the divine attribute of Omnipresence is attributed to Christ. Scripture tells us much of His localized presence. This is by no means an attempt to think less of blessings brought to bear on our souls by the manifested presence of God the Father or God the Holy Spirit. However, given our marvelous union with the Son of God, our interest in the value of His present work and our longing for the Blessed Hope, His personal return to set up His kingdom, we want our minds and hearts to be enlarged as we think and meditate upon the Bible’s story of the theme at hand, The Presence of Christ.

His presence cheers the heart and soothes the soul. Those who have been privileged to encounter Him directly have deemed it a blessing greatly desired to stay with Him. The Gadarene demoniac, harassed by the dark forces of evil, upon deliverance, sat with Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. He was so enamored with what the Lord had done for him that he would go with Him on further journeys. This the Lord denied, but the story is enough to reinforce how precious the presence of Christ is when the dear delivered one demonstrated the longing of his soul.

Mary, a sister of busy Martha and loving Lazarus, chose the better thing. She sat at His feet while He taught and soaked up the time with Him. His presence caused to fade into the background all non-essential earthly responsibilities for this woman.

The disciples eventually began to understand our Lord’s message to them that He would die. His death, they saw, would cause them to be left alone without their leader and love. While fear was present, sadness was there, too. Our Lord knew their concerns and promised that after His death He would not leave them orphans. He fulfilled His promise when He breathed on them saying, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit” and pronouncedly so at Pentecost where they were filled with Christ’s vice-regent for proclaiming the ‘wonderful works of God’.

Even now, saints gather, maybe few in number or maybe many, and have no more important promise to claim than what our Lord said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”. His presence for that assembly elevates the mundane to the supernatural and sometimes even the ecstatic. To walk away from such a gathering and be able to say, “Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place”, encourages the saints and can serve as a testimony to those on the outside. It is all about His presence. Without it, a church may meet, but they are a shell. A lamp stand being removed, Christ distancing himself from an assembly, is such an awful thought to the spiritual minded man or woman that they are wise to choose the repent option presented by our Lord where He makes it clear what may cause Him to take such drastic action.

The future, what of it? Will not His presence on the earth bring unparalleled peace, joy and justice to a sin-cursed world? And, is not the grand object of desire for the saved to be among that number who will meet Him in the air upon His return? There is something about His presence! It is alluring. Those that are privileged to be near Him as the first fruits in the future, do so, “and they followed the Lamb, whithersoever He went”. It may be their duty, but because of the One whom they follow, it is their blessed privilege.

As rich as it is to consider His presence with us, it is equally blessed to consider our presence with Him. His High Priestly prayer of John 17 included a request for us to be with Him where He is that we may see His glory. Paul said to “depart and be with Christ is far better”. It seems to me that there is a great matter to consider here. Our immediate enjoyment of the “far better” upon death is one type of being in His presence. Our resurrected state where we will be caught up to meet Him in the clouds and “so shall we ever be with the Lord” is another type of enjoying His presence: a different body, a different abode highlighted by being with Him.

Jubilation for Justice

On May 1, 2011 the world heard of the demise of a long sought after criminal. He was openly responsible for violent acts against the United States of America. He, while living, strategized for and encouraged others who would kill, maim or otherwise harm any American or ally of America. By definition, he was an enemy of the USA.

In the moments, hours and days following, the news of his death brought reaction. Crowds gathered at high profile places. Outside of the White House, at Ground Zero in New York City, at military academies, and elsewhere people assembled and displayed their feelings for the death of one who saw their beloved country as a foe to be taken from its position of power and made subservient to his ends.

The reaction was jubilation. At long last, almost 10 years from the date this man’s hallmark plot to kill came to fruition, the nation could breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, vengeance had taken place. The one who killed had now been slain. The one whose voice was used to mock and taunt his enemy was now silenced. Retribution, to the highest order, had occurred at the hands of the one whom the destroyer sought to unseat. Crowds sang patriotic songs, chanted, ‘USA, USA’ and in other ways showed that they were so happy for this day in America. Justice had been done!

In a recent message from Revelation 19 that was primarily focused on the marriage of the Lamb and His bride, it was pointed out that the word, ‘Alleluia’ was used only four times in the New Testament and they all appear in that chapter. Further, it was shown that the word was used by the Psalmist on multiple occasions, sometimes at the beginning of a Psalm, sometimes at the end and sometimes at both the beginning and the end.

Of particular interest was the reason for the use of the word which means ‘Praise Ye Jah’. In Revelation 19, understanding the time and setting is important. John has been privileged to observe a scene, even yet future, in heaven. It is ‘after these things’ that this particular scene unfolds. The ‘these things’ include the beginnings of the outpourings of the wrath of God. Bowls of wrath have been emptied on the inhabitants of the earth. A mysterious woman whose influence was widespread and mighty (for it affected the ‘kings of the earth’) had been judged by the One whose judgments are ever ‘true and righteous’. Further, this unleashing of God’s judgment was for the cause of ‘aveng[ing] the blood of His servants’, something for which they had long sought. Men, in short, suffered horribly and many died.

The ones who suffered at the hand of God were not innocents. They carried all the marks of, and were in fact, enemies of His. They openly rebelled against the ‘Lord of heaven and earth’. They hated and killed His servants.

The heavenly host reacted to these acts of God. They were acts of justice! The Lord had at long last taken action against those who hate Him and His people. Their reaction was one of jubilation. They praised Him profusely. Multitudes did not contain their joy and exulted with words of highest admiration. It was as if a portion of the Song of Moses was taken to its highest meaning: ‘The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea’.

Make no mistake, the Bible makes it clear that God has enemies and that He will take vengeance on them. Rebellion began in heaven with Satan. It showed up on earth in the first man. By continually resisting God’s place and authority the rebel proves himself to be an enemy of the one in authority. Furthermore, man in his natural state is no innocent in the matter. All men are ‘enemies in their mind by wicked works’. Apart from God’s electing, quickening, saving grace men will remain in that state and find themselves among the number that the Lord will take vengeance upon. This vengeance will take the form of punishment in Hades upon death and permanence of suffering in the lake of fire upon final judgment at the Great White Throne, the Second Death.

Today is a day of grace. The gospel preacher, knowing the terror of the Lord persuades men. They cry for men to repent and offer pardon to rebels. They do not call fire out of heaven to destroy but rather leave the day of vengeance to the Lord.

But, when the time is ripe for judgment, the mindset of the believer will be in unison with his Lord. They will rejoice that the ‘wicked are consumed from the earth’. What seems so foreign to us now, praising God for judging the wicked, will become a source of jubilation to us then. For then, just as with the enemy of state recently killed, justice will have been served. This time, however, the one who doles out justice will be God himself.

2010 Bible Conference

You can click here to get directly to sermons preached in the 2010 Bible Conference at Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Dothan, Alabama.

Who Teacheth My Hands to War and My Fingers to Fight

Below are Spurgeon's thoughts on the above expression in Psalm 144:1. I have emphasized words of particular interest to me with bold. We all have our realm of service and we need strength and training to perform our tasks well:

Which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. The word rock is the Hebrew way of expressing strength: the grand old language is full of such suggestive symbols. The Psalmist in the second part of the verse sets forth the Lord as teacher in the arts of war. If we have strength we are not much the better unless we have skill also. Untrained force is often an injury to the man who possesses it, and it even becomes a danger to those who are round about him; and therefore the Psalmist blesses the Lord as much for teaching as for strength. Let us also bless Jehovah if he has in anything made us efficient. The tuition mentioned was very practical, it was not so much of the brain as of the hands and fingers; for these were the members most needful for conflict. Men with little scholastic education should be grateful for deftness and skill in their handicrafts. To a fighting man the education of the hands is of far more value than mere book learning could ever be; he who has to use a sling or a bow needs suitable training, quite as much as a scientific man or a classical professor. Men are too apt to fancy that an artisan's efficiency is to be ascribed to himself; but this is a popular fallacy. A clergyman may be supposed to be taught of God, but people do not allow this to be true of weavers or workers in brass; yet these callings are specially mentioned in the Bible as having been taught to holy women and earnest men when the tabernacle was set up at the first. All wisdom and skill are from the Lord, and for them he deserves to be gratefully extolled. This teaching extends to the smallest members of our frame; the Lord teaches fingers as well as hands; indeed, it sometimes happens that if the finger is not well trained the whole hand is incapable.

David was called to be a man of war, and he was eminently successful in his battles; he does not trace this to his good generalship or valour, but to his being taught and strengthened for the war and the fight. If the Lord deigns to have a hand in such unspiritual work as fighting, surely he will help us to proclaim the gospel and win souls; and then we will bless his name with even greater intensity of heart. We will be pupils, and he shall be our Master, and if we ever accomplish anything we will give our Instructor hearty blessing.

This verse is full of personality; it is mercy shown to David himself which is the subject of grateful song. It has also a presence about it; for Jehovah is now his strength, and is still teaching him; we ought to make a point of presenting praise while yet the blessing is on the wing. The verse is also preeminently practical, and full of the actual life of every day; for David's days were spent in camps and conflicts. Some of us who are grievously tormented with rheumatism might cry, "Blessed be the Lord, my Comforter, who teacheth my knees to bear in patience, and my feet to endure in resignation"; others who are on the look out to help young converts might say, "Blessed be God who teaches my eyes to see wounded souls, and my lips to cheer them"; but David has his own peculiar help from God, and praises him accordingly. This tends to make the harmony of heaven perfect when all the singers take their parts; if, we all followed the same score, the music would not be so full and rich.

The Heart of the Saviour

The Lord seems to place in my path at work from time to time people that I need in a special way.

A second shift janitor a few years back would brighten my day as she came by and shared with me her joys and burdens ever so briefly and simply.

Now, I have another friend. I hear the door open close to my office at 2:45pm almost every day that he works. His presence cannot be missed because of his loud booming voice which fits quite proportionately to his tall, slender frame. My life is richer for knowing him. I have learned that we have one common interest: the Saviour. He listens to BBN and absorbs much of what he has heard over the years from sound men. We have had several conversations that went well beyond the surface of spiritual things and delved into a depth of Bible knowledge that only comes by study and a heart that is willing to submit to what it is shown. I consider him 'highly favored'.

Today, this dear man, stopped by my office speaking with a voice tinged with sadness. 'What can you do', he says, 'when people that you love are going to hell?'. He does not hesitate to talk with others of Christ. And, he loves those to whom he talks. My response to his question was really only an observation, not an answer. 'You are showing that you have the heart of the Saviour', I said. Our Lord had compassion for the multitude for they were as sheep without a shepherd. He wept silently at Lazarus' grave. He wept openly over (the inhabitants of) Jerusalem. He loved His own to the uttermost and greatly desired to spend time with them at the last passover He observed before His death.

My friend loves people. My Saviour loves people. Oh, forgiveness I need for my cold, cold indifferent heart.

Guyana 2009

This year another trip to Guyana took place. Traveling together with Dale Wallace, Michael Guy and Vann Sorrells we visited Brother Randy Nagaur. The routine was the about the same and the fellowship was just as sweet as it was in 2007.

Added to our pleasure was meeting and spending time with many of his family. His mother, two sisters, a brother-in-law and two sons were all there in Bloomfield village. At 93 years old it was Brother Randy's mother's first trip to Guyana. She lives in Trinidad as does his two sisters, Pearl and Marilyn.

It was blessing to witness anew the faithfulness to the Lord's work of the few and the interest of the many to attend the annual meetings. Overflow crowds at both Grace and Landmark Baptist churches in Bloomfield and #36 respectively sat and listened to gospel preaching. Seed was sown and we pray that it fell on hearts prepared.

For some our next meeting may be on the other side. This experience gave us something of a taste of what it will be like there, we trust.

Teach Me Lord to Number My Days - J.R. Miller

Thanks, again to Dale Wallace for passing this along. Gracegems.org is a reference for this material.

Lord, teach me to number my days!

(J. R. Miller, "Life's Byways and Waysides")

"Teach us to number our days aright--that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

We so number our days aright, when we give to each one as it passes, its own measure of faithfulness. Our days come to us 'one by one'. God breaks up His great years, into 'little sections' for us--that we may be able to get along with our work, our burdens, and our struggles. Take the 'single days' as they come to you. He who has learned this secret--has gained a heart of wisdom.

Take the 'one little day', and . . .
do all its duties faithfully;
seize its opportunities;
endure its trials;
meet its temptations victoriously;
bear its burdens;
receive its blessings;
miss not its privileges;
do all the kindness you can;
make it a beautiful day.

Anyone can live 'one single day' sweetly and victoriously. Make today beautiful. Then do the same with tomorrow, and with the next day--and so on, to the end of your life! Thus you will 'number your days' in a way that will make each one profitable. Thus you will write on each day's page--a record of which you will not be ashamed, when it is spread before you on the judgment day.

Our morning prayer each day should be, "Lord, teach me to number my days!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A Letter Out of Grief

This is a most humbling account of how a grieving pastor faced the loss of his three dear children. The thought that comes to mind is 'As thy days shall demand, shall thy strength ever be'.

The Hallowing of Our Burden by J.R. Miller

This is a particularly good article in my opinion on how we should view our burdens.

Thanks to Brother Dale Wallace for sharing this today.

2009 Bible Conference Sermons Now Online

Our 2009 Bible Conference is now history. Sermons are posted on-line for your listening and downloading.

We had a good conference with great preaching and good fellowship. Our Saviour was the central theme.

Bible Conference 2009

Our annual Bible conference is to be held June 12-14 at GMBC Dothan. The theme this year is The Enigmatic Christ. You can see a list of scheduled speakers and their assigned topics and view the conference program by following this link.