Mistakes or Sins

“Have mercy upon me, Oh God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1)

The difference in a “mistake” and “sin” is that mistakes can be corrected with a little “white-out” or an eraser.  Sin requires confession, repentance and the blood of Jesus to cleanse.

David had committed his terrible sin with Bathsheba, another man’s wife, and then had him murdered to try to cover up his sin of adultery.  Nathan, the prophet of God came to David and confronted him.  David’s confession and contrition are found in Psalm 51.

In looking at David’s confession, nowhere does he say that he made a “mistake.”  He uses five strong words in his confession. He calls it “transgressions” twice in verse one. He calls it “iniquity” three times, and he calls it “sin” four times, “evil” once and “sins” (plural) once.

If we are going to be real and serious with God we must call sin what it is and let Him deal with it on that basis.  In my opinion it is an insult to God, who sent His Son to die on the cross and to shed His blood to pay our sin debt, to class sin as a mistake. 

Someone to Care

“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Psalm 142:4)

David had been a faithful shepherd. He had killed the giant, Goliath, and the people had applauded him.  He had settled King Saul with his music.  The king’s son, Jonathan, had been his best friend.  He was married to the king’s daughter.  Now, he is hiding from King Saul in a cave, because the king in his jealousy was pursuing David to kill him.  He looked around, but no one was there to defend him, console him or pray for him.  

Perhaps you have been there.  You have struggled with your troubles and trials but no one is there to care.   

The next verse says, “I cried unto thee, Oh LORD: I said, ‘thou are my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.’” (Psalm 142:5)  That is the answer to your struggles when there is no one to help you, when everyone has forsaken you.  God has promised, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5)  

Would you be a friend to the “Davids” who find themselves without a friend to care? It doesn’t take a seminary degree to help someone. Neither does one have to be ordained to lend a hand. I had an uncle who said, “When you are a long way from home and you are homesick, even an old dog from back home looks good to you.”

In Christ

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It was at the close of a revival service one night that I approached a young man about sixteen years of age.  I had seen him in the services each of the previous nights and I assumed that he was a member of that church.  “How long have you been a member of this church,” I asked. “Oh, I’m not a member,” he said. “Have you been saved?” I asked. Very seriously he said, “No sir.” That night after everyone else had gone home the pastor and I had the privilege of leading this young man to personal faith in Jesus.  When he stepped out on the front porch of the church building he looked out into the night and said, “The whole world looks brand new.”

When one becomes a child of God everything changes. He has a new nature.   He has a new Master. No longer is Satan in control of his life.  Jesus is now in charge. The fear of eternity has been traded for a new anticipation of heaven.

Paul was a man I knew in the days of my first pastorate.  On Friday when he got paid on the construction job he had in Louisville he would stop on the way home and get liquor.  He was very abusive to his family when he had been drinking and they feared to see him coming home if he was late, because that meant that he was probably drunk or nearly drunk.  They would hide or leave home until they knew he was sober.  Then, something happened.  He got saved. When Lola, his wife died, she had told Paul to tell me that it was like having a brand new husband after he got saved.

Are there changes that need to be made in your life, in your home?  Turn your life over to Jesus.  

God’s Word Greater Than His Name

“…for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”  (Psalm 138:2)

One can read the many descriptive names of God in the Bible.  He is called the great “I AM.”  He is called Jesus, Immanuel and LORD.  He is called Jehovah.  Holy and reverent is His name.  The model prayer says that when we pray we are to say, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed, or holy, be thy name. (Mathew 6:9)

We read in the Ten Commandments that we are not to take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)  God has given Jesus a “name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Philippians 2:9,10)

But, the Bible says that as great as His name is, God has magnified His Word above all His name.  No wonder we preachers, pastors and evangelists are instructed to “preach the word.”  We believers are to read it faithfully, meditate upon it, to study it, to hide it in our hearts, believe it and to live it day in and day out. 

Patiently Waiting

“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”  (Hebrews 10:36)

All of us have heard the prayer of the impatient: “Lord give me patience and give it to me now.”  The Bible reminds us to be patient unto the second coming of Jesus.  Then we are told of the farmer who waits patiently for his crops to mature as a result of the early and late rains. (James 5:7) One must wait for strawberries to ripen in the field and then they may be picked.  Corn, wheat and other grains must ripen before they are harvested. They cannot be rushed.  It takes time and patience.

More often than not our prayers are not answered on the same day we offer them, any more than grain is harvested the same day it is sown. Many times we have witnessed to a lost person, have prayed for that person and kept witnessing, praying and waiting.  And one day we had the privilege of baptizing that person.  We could not give up.  We had to wait patiently after having done the will of God.

Perhaps you are praying for and working with a rebellious son or daughter. Maybe it is a husband or wife who has gone astray. Keep on working, praying and doing the will of God and don’t give up. Wait on the Lord to do His work with you and through you.   

Rest

“Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10)

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy singing out of the hymnal.  Straight lines of words on a screen give little or no direction.  I like to see the notes on the staff lines so I can determine ahead of time if we’re going up or down, if we are holding a note and so on.  There is one little signature on the staff lines that has no music in it.  It’s called a “rest.”  Although it has no music, the rest of the song sounds better if that “rest” is observed.

As I think about this I realize that there are times when we Christians need to just rest in Jesus. We do not have to be like “Jell-o,” always active. We exercise restlessness, thinking that activity is to be equated with Godliness.  Years ago I heard a preacher say there were not enough days in the calendar for him and his church to do all the things the denomination and the association and his church called on them to do.

Unfortunately, many homes are ripped apart by this constant activity, with no time to just enjoy one another and for children and parents to have fun at home together. Rest in the Lord.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea?

“And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.’”  (Exodus 14:13)

Do you ever feel as though you are “between the devil and the deep blue sea?” You can’t go forward and you can’t go back. The children of Israel were coming out of Egypt where they had lived for four hundred years, most of that time serving the Egyptians as slaves. They had gone as far as the shores of the Red Sea and now the Egyptian army, in pursuit, was about to overtake them. God told Moses to lift up his rod over the Red Sea.  The waters were parted and Israel went across on dry land.  When the Egyptians followed, Moses was instructed to lift up his rod over the waters. The waters came back together, drowning the Egyptian army.

Sometimes it’s hard to stand still and wait on God to do His work. In his prophecy Isaiah said, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) 

God Resists the Proud but Gives Grace to the Humble

"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

As we approach the end of this parable which Jesus spoke for the benefit of those who were self-righteous and despised others we notice a few more truths.

First, both men in this parable, the Pharisee and the publican, went up into the temple to pray. Jesus said His Father’s house was to be “a house of prayer,” for all people. 

Second, both the Pharisee and the publican stood when they prayed.  When we pray the position of the body is not as important as the position of the heart.

Third, both men were sinners, but only one, the publican, admitted it.

Fourth, the publican stood far off, evidence of contrition and humility.

Fifth, the publican would not lift up his eyes to heaven.

Sixth, the publican smote upon his breast and said, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Of the two men, only he admitted his sin and his need for mercy.

Jesus told His hearers and now His readers, that the publican, in admitting his sinfulness and his need for mercy went down to his house justified rather than the other man.

The Bible says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

A Self-Righteous Prayer

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.’” (Luke 18:10-12)

Yesterday we saw that Jesus spoke this parable to those who were self righteous. The contrast of the two men is easily seen in the story.  The Pharisee was a strict keeper of the law of Moses along with all its traditions and additions.

The publican was a despised tax collector who was employed by the Roman government to collect taxes from the Jews to give to the Romans, under whose rule and authority the Jews were living at this time.  The publican was considered a traitor to his fellow Jews.  He could collect any amount of revenue he desired as long as the Roman government got its part. Anything above the government’s part was allowed to be kept by the publicans. It was a corrupt system.  Consequently, the publicans were despised by the Jews.

Jesus described the Pharisee’s prayer as “prayed thus within himself.”  In his prayer the Pharisee wanted to make sure that God saw how much better he was with all his good deeds than the publican, who by the Pharisee's estimation, had no good deeds. The Pharisee saw the publican as an extortioner, an unjust adulterer.

More to come tomorrow.

For the Self-Righteous

“And he spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.” (Luke 18:9)

I heard about a man who, every Sunday morning without fail, met the preacher at the door of the church after the sermon had been preached with these words: “Preacher, you really hit them this morning.”

On a particular Sunday evening the only people who showed up for worship were the pastor and that self-righteous man.  The preacher thought, “I’m going to preach to this man tonight. He can’t evade it, and I can’t miss.  The preacher preached about an hour, mentioning every sin which he knew this fellow had committed and continued to commit, while calling for repentance at the end of each point.  True to form, this fellow met the pastor at the door after the benediction and said, “Preacher, I tell you, if they had been here tonight you would have hit the nail square on the head.” 

That is who Jesus directed this parable to; the self righteous who thought they were guiltless, good and going to heaven because of their goodness.  When we have known sins in our lives, be it pride, self righteousness or some other, God expects confession and repentance from us. God has not given us the task of confessing the sins of other folks.

More tomorrow.

Others

“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

One Scripture version  has translated the word “things” as “interests.”  Either way, we are to help others. It is in the next verse that we are told to, “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) When we are Christ-like in our thinking, we will be Christ-like in our actions in regard to the interests of others.

The old hymn, “Others” says,

     Lord, help me live from day to day, in such a self forgetful way, 

          That even when I kneel to pray, my prayer shall be for others.

     Help me in all the work I do, to ever be sincere and true 

          And know that all I’d do for you, Must needs be done for others.

     And when my work on earth is done, And my new work is heaven’s begun, 

          May I forget the crown I've won, While thinking still of others.

     Chorus:

     Others, Lord, yes, others, Let this my motto be.  

          Help me to live for others, That I may live like Thee.

A selfish Christian is a contradiction in terms. Let us be about looking after the good of others.

Others words by Charles Meigs.

Let us Not Destroy the Wounded

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

As strange as it may seem, there are no faultless people in any church.  Even after folks are saved, baptized and added to the role of a local church there is much room for improvement.  That’s why the Great Commission instructs us to be in the process of disciplining the saved following their salvation and baptism.  We are to be about the business of strengthening the weak, teaching, training and developing others. It is a never ending process.

Even after years of being a Christian, people sometimes fall into some ungodly behavior.  What are the others to do?  Paul addresses the “spiritual” that they “restore” that person in the spirit of meekness.  The word, “restore” is a word used for setting a broken bone. Setting a broken bone is a painful process.  To set a broken bone or to restore a sinning brother are equally difficult. “Restoring a brother” overtaken in a fault is not to be confused with “sitting in judgment” on a brother.  Given the same set of circumstances we may have done the same thing as they, or even worse.

Let us not destroy our wounded but restore them to usefulness in the Lord.

Standing on the Promises

 

“And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.” (1 John 2:25)

 

A little boy was on the roof of a shed behind his house. The ladder he had climbed on to get up there had fallen.  He was in a predicament. His father came to him and was encouraging him to jump into his waiting arms. “Jump son.  Daddy promises to catch you.” The little fellow would start to jump and then his fear would not let him.  His father reminded him of some of the promises he had made to the son and that he had never broken one. “Son, I’ll keep my promise. If you will jump, I will catch you.  It’s a promise.”  The little boy believed his dad, turned loose and jumped.  His dad kept his promise.

 

Do you recall the old hymn, “Standing on the Promises?”  You can stand on the promises of God. He has never broken a single one.

 

Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” That’s a promise. Have you called on Him in faith for salvation?  Trust His promise.

Praying for Others

 

“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” (Acts 12:5)

 

In this story about the killing of James the brother of John by Herod Agrippa, we can learn something about intercessory prayer, as we see how the church of Jerusalem prayed for Peter following his imprisonment. Intercessory prayer is one of the most Christ-like things we can do. He prayed intercessory prayers while He was on earth and He continues to do so at the right hand of God today.

 

1. Intercessory prayer should be made unceasingly. (v-5) Never stop praying for others.
2. Intercessory prayer should be specific. While Peter was in prison they prayed specifically for him, not the stars, crops, weather, etc.
3. Intercessory prayer ought to involve the local church. (vs. 5,12)
4. Intercessory must be directed to God.
5. Intercessory prayer is unselfish. It is not for our needs, it is for others and their needs.
6. Intercessory prayer should be prayed in faith, something the group praying for Peter never had. (vs. 13-17)
7. Intercessory prayer will create a stir, (vs.18, 19) something chili suppers, pizza parties, raffles and the like will not do.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve Been Young, Now Am Old

“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” (Psalm 71:9)

 

The late comedian, George Burns, sang a little song when he was in his nineties, in which he said, “I wish I was eighteen again.”  Everyone knows that will not happen. I overheard this; “Backward, Oh backward, Oh, time in your flight. Make me a kid again, if just for tonight.” Neither will that happen.

 

All one has to do to get old is just hang around a while.  Every old person can say with the psalmist, “I have been young, and now am old…” (Psalm 37:25) 

 

If you are concerned with old age coming on, an aged Christian can pray this prayer with utmost confidence, “Now also when I am old and grey headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come.”  (Psalm 71:18)  The old hymn, “Stand by Me,” says, “When I’m growing old and feeble, stand by me…When my life becomes a burden, and I’m nearing chilly Jordan, Oh thou Lily of the Valley, stand by me.”

The Good Shepherd at Calvary

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6-7)

Before we leave the in-exhaustive subject of sheep and shepherds we must look at Isaiah 53.  This is the passage the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading when the Spirit sent Philip the evangelist to him in Acts 8. It was upon this reading and Philip’s explanation of it that gave the Eunuch faith to be saved.

The Eunuch no doubt saw himself as one of the sheep who had gone astray, as indeed all of humanity, of whatever race, nationality, creed or religion we may be.  Indeed, Psalm 58:3 says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” The Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Isaiah, writing more than seven hundred years before Christ, tells how Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, or silent, so He opened not His mouth. Without complaint, the Son of God died for us at Calvary.

This, beloved, is a perfect picture in summation of what we have been looking at over the past few days concerning straying sheep and the Good Shepherd.

Follow the Good Shepherd

“…And he calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.  And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”  (John 10:3-5)

The tenth chapter of John is to the New Testament what the Twenty-Third Psalm is to the Old Testament.

A tour bus was taking sight-seers through sites in and around Jerusalem when they came upon a large number of sheep.  Obviously there was more than one herd of sheep.   Several herds with their shepherds had come to a place of water. Someone in the group of sight-seers asked, “How will the shepherds divide the sheep when they get ready to leave, since all the sheep look the same.  There are no brands or markings on them?” They decided to wait and see.  Soon the individual shepherds started moving away from the watering hole.  As they moved, without looking back, they each started chanting what sounded like a little song. Each shepherd was calling the names of his sheep. One by one the sheep of each shepherd lined up behind his shepherd and followed him.

True to Biblical teaching each shepherd called his own sheep by name. Each sheep followed the proper shepherd and would not follow a stranger. Each sheep knew his shepherd’s voice. Later, in this tenth chapter of John, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (v. 27)

The Ninety and Nine

“I am the Good Shepherd…”  (John 10:14)

It seems thee is no end to our thoughts about the Good Shepherd and His sheep.  The old song, “The Ninety and Nine” is appropriate here.

There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold,

     But one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold:

Away on the mountains wild and bare, away from the tender Shepherd’s care,

     Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.

“Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine; Are they not enough for thee?”

     But the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine has wandered away from me;

And although the road be  rough and steep, I go to the desert to find my sheep,

     I go to the desert to find my sheep.”

But all through the mountains, thunder riven, and up from the rocky steep,

     There arose a glad cry to the gate of heaven, “Rejoice! I have found my sheep!”

And the angels echoed around the throne, “Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!

     Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own.”

Public Domain
Words: Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1868

Music: Ira Sankey, 1874

The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

For a few days we have been looking at truths from the twenty-third psalm.  Allow me to make an additional comment or two.  We are not told that the sheep should be bold, courageous, strong, tough, fast, smart or even resilient. That’s because sheep are one of the dumbest species of all animals. If they go astray they cannot find their way back.  The shepherd must go after the lost sheep.  Hence, the story of the lost sheep in the gospels telling us that the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine and goes after the one straying sheep. I have been told that if a sheep happens to get on his back it will lie there with all four feet pointed to the sky and will lie there and die if the shepherd doesn’t come to his rescue.

It’s amazing that God chose such a stupid, helpless animal to depict His children. It’s pretty humbling, don’t you think?.  But, that’s who we are and the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for His sheep, is who Jesus is.

Goodness, Mercy and a Dwelling

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm23:6)

An elderly gentleman whom I knew was coming to the end of his life.  I knew him as a follower of Christ, a Christian.  Goodness and mercy had accompanied him all the day s of his life.  When the end came his atheist son called on me to conduct the old man’s funeral.

The son said, “He never did have anything.  He ain’t got nothing to look forward to now. Say whatever you want to say, preacher, and let’s get it over with.”

The old man and I had had conversations about heaven.  My sermon title for his funeral was, “Nothing to look forward to?” based on Revelation 21. I told everyone there about the many things that old man had looked forward to.  I still think about that old man after more than forty years, dwelling in the House of the Lord Forever.

My Cup Runneth Over

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” (Psalm 23:5)

Have you noticed how the sheep are dependent on the shepherd and how He cares for them? In the hundredth psalm we are told “we are the sheep of his pasture.”

There is a table prepared by the shepherd.  It is probably a mesa, a low mountain or hill with a flat top, like a table.  It has a good view of the surrounding country side and is a relatively safe place for the shepherd to keep his sheep. The shepherd has provided everything the sheep need for staying on the table for a while. The old song says, “Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith on heaven’s tableland. A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Fleas, flies and other parasites get in the eyes, ears and nose of the sheep and can sometimes be so irritating that the sheep self destruct from running aimlessly to get away.  Therefore, the shepherd must anoint the sheep with oil to keep the parasites away. The shepherd must lovingly, patiently and individually anoint each sheep. The oil here is a picture of the Holy Spirit. The Good Shepherd ministers the “oil” of the Holy Spirit to each of His sheep individually. The Holy Spirit comes in and takes up permanent residence when we receive Christ as our Savior.

The “cup” is a hollowed out place in solid rock prepared by the shepherd. It is running over with the shepherd’s provision.  As the song says, “No one ever cared for me like Jesus.”  This entire verse is talking about the abundant provision of the Good Shepherd for the sheep.

I Will Fear No Evil

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Psalm 23:4  has been called the Holy of Holies of the twenty-third Psalm.  It could easily be called the Holy of Holies of the entire Bible.

In the first three verses of this psalm David has been talking about the Good Shepherd in the third person singular.  In verse four he has changed from speaking about Him in the third person to speaking to Him in the second person singular. In our witnessing we are talking to others about Jesus, using the third person. In our praying we are talking to Jesus using the second person. David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, is talking to the Shepherd in the rest of this psalm. David indicates he has a personal relationship with the Shepherd. Is that what you have?

As a shepherd, David knew what it was to pass through valleys where the shadow of a wolf, bear or mountain lion, lurking on the ridge above, was casting a shadow of certain death over the sheep. But David knew as you and I must know, there is no death or harm in a shadow.  The shadow of a bullet cannot kill.  Nor can the shadow of the devil do us harm. David said, “I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The “rod” here is similar to the one used by Moses to divide the Red Sea and then to cause the waters to go back, drowning the Egyptian army. Here, the rod is used to protect the sheep from the enemies.  The crook of the staff, placed lovingly around the sheep, draws the sheep to the shepherd.  In the hand of our Good Shepherd it is like He is using the Word of God to draw us to Himself when we have fallen or strayed. 

Is Something Broken that Needs to be Restored?

“He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)

In Psalm 23:3 King David continues to give his testimony about the Good Shepherd. It is always good for someone to have a first hand testimony for the Lord that’s not borrowed from someone else. Someone is waiting to hear what the Lord has done for you. They want to hear your salvation experience, how you came to know the Lord and what the Lord means to you.

David knew what it was to have his fellowship with the Lord restored. In the fifty-first Psalm, when he is making his confession to God concerning his sin with Bathsheba David prays, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Psalm 51:12) His terrible sin and his guilt over it had taken the joy out of his salvation. That’s the way sin is.  We cannot sin and be joyful. However, God is in the restoration business.  He can make things right that have gone terribly wrong.

David next tells us that the Good Shepherd is leading him in paths of righteousness.  Pause here. God does not lead us in paths of unrighteousness. He never leads us down a path of sin. If He is leading and we are following where He is leading, it is in “Paths of righteousness.” And David acknowledges, it is “for His name’s sake.” All glory to the Good Shepherd. When all is said and done my testimony and yours should be about how good God is. Do you have a good word for the Lord that you can pass on to someone else?

In Green Pastures by Still Waters

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.” (Psalm 23:2)

When the pasture is dry and the grass is sparse and brown, sheep have been known to wander and stray looking for a single sprig of grass. It is when the sheep stray that they get in trouble from predators and other dangers. The shepherd must take seriously his responsibility to provide abundant, thick, green grass. It is only when the sheep are full, that they can be satisfied and lie down in green pastures.

Sheep are easily frightened by rushing streams of water. So when it’s time for the sheep to drink water the shepherd leads them to still waters where they can drink unafraid.

The Good Shepherd provides abundantly for the child of God. The Word says, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) He settles and calms our fears, leading us by peaceful waters where we can drink the Water of Life freely.  Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee.”

Trust the Good Shepherd to provide the very best for you.

Is the Lord Your Shepherd?

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

Perhaps this psalm is the best known of all the chapters and verses in the Bible. Henry Ward Beecher called the Twenty-Third Psalm the nightingale of the psalms. Then he reminds us that the nightingale sings its sweetest when night is darkest. Who among today’s readers hasn’t used this psalm for a pillow on which to lay your weary head and to dry your tear-filled eyes. It has been so with your writer.

Perhaps David, the king, on a sleepless night could hear the bells on the sheep out on the hill sides. He thought of the days and nights when he was one of the shepherd boys tending the sheep. Those times were much easier than now with all the responsibilities of the kingdom of Israel. “Ah, but now, I’m one of the sheep. The Lord is my shepherd,” he mused. “I shall not lack anything. As I was a watchful shepherd, caring for the sheep, so the Lord cares for me.”

Beloved, if you are saved, the Lord is your Shepherd, and you can say with David, “The Lord is MY Shepherd.” It is not, “was my shepherd,” nor is it, “ will become my shepherd,” but, “IS my shepherd.” He cares for you. Jesus, the Good Shepherd has given His life for His sheep. (John 10:11)

LORD, Have Mercy

“Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, Oh LORD.” (Psalm 25:7)

The strength of youth is a double-edged sword.  First, there is the strength to run and play.  There is the strength to work night and day.  As Dad Speer of the Speer family often sang, “I could climb the hills all day long. Things are not the same as they used to be: time has made a change in me.”

But, in youth there is strength to commit some terrible sins.  David, in his wisdom, prays for God not to remember the sins of his youthful days. Most of us would not want our lives flashed on a screen showing the sins of our youth along with the good things we may have done since then.

After asking God to not remember the sins of his youth, he then asks God to remember him according to God’s mercy and goodness. David is saying, “Don’t give me justice: give me mercy.” Under the New Covenant ratified by the precious blood of Jesus, the Bible says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

You can trust Jesus.

Repent or Else

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:5)

In his book, “Repent, or Else,” the late Vance Havner said, “The Lord’s last word to the church was not, ‘Go Ye.’ It was rather, ‘Repent Ye.’  And repentance is the last thing most churches will do.”

In His letters to the seven churches of Asia, our Lord called five of the seven to repentance.  Ephesus had left their first love. Pergamos tolerated false doctrine.  Thyatira had an unrepentant false teacher and did nothing about it. Sardis had a name that it was alive, but was dead. Laodicea was lukewarm, neither cold nor hot.  These five were called to repent.

It is not just the unsaved that need to repent. The Bible is constantly calling the wayward and straying to repentance.  The main reason for unrepentance is that, “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes…” (Proverbs 16:2) If your life is at odds with the ways of God, His Spirit is calling you to turn around.

Knock, Knock

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

A familiar picture is the one painted by Holman Hunt.  This picture is a depiction of Jesus standing, knocking at the door of a little vine-covered cottage.  When a friend saw the picture he said to Mr. Hunt, “You failed to put a latch handle on the outside of the door.”  Mr. Hunt replied, “There is no latch handle on the outside of this door.  It is a picture of the human heart with Jesus knocking and waiting to be invited in.  This door must be opened from the inside.  Jesus will not force His way in uninvited.”

In context, this verse is speaking to the lukewarm church of Laodecia, one of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation.  It is a picture of Jesus waiting for a member of that lukewarm church to invite Him in. Imagine a church with Jesus on the outside waiting to be invited in.  Does your church fit that picture?  If so, you can be the one to do something about it.

However, Revelation 3:20 can also be seen as a picture of Jesus standing at the heart’s door of a lost person.  Jesus is a gentleman.  He will not force His way in. He will come in when the door is opened in response to His knocking at the door of one’s heart. He promises to sup, “feast,” with all who will open their heart to Him.

Don’t Join the Old Adam Improvement Society

“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:21)

Much of what takes place in religious circles, whether it be in a church setting or some other, can be described as, “activities of the ‘old Adam’ improvement society.”  If we can just improve the old Adamic nature, the thinking goes, if we can just educate man into being less greedy, more giving, a little more churchy and a little less worldly, somehow he will make it by and by.  Just improve “old Adam.” 

If righteousness can happen by the keeping of some rules and regulations, the Bible says that Christ died in vain. The phrase, “In Vain” means,“for no reason” or, “without a cause.”  But Christ did not die in vain.  It was because “old Adam” cannot improve himself that Christ came, died on the cross of Calvary and arose from the dead. A life is changed and improved when one receives Christ as his/her Savior and He comes to live in the believer.

Very Good

“And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

In the first chapter of Genesis one can find the word “good” seven times. The first six times the word is used after God has created something. “And God saw that it was good.” (verses 4,10, 12,18, 21, 25) The seventh time the word “good” is used is in verse 31 after God has finished creation. In that verse it is not just good, it is “very” good.

Mankind is included in the “very” good spoken by God. Everything continued to be very good until Satan entered the picture in Genesis 3:1-24. It was there that God’s word was questioned and then disobeyed. Since then we have lived on a sin-cursed earth. “The whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:22)

For things to be “very good” with mankind again it was necessary for God, the Creator, to provide salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. It can be very good with us individually as we surrender to Jesus and live a life of faith. However, not until the Lord returns, Satan is cast into the lake of fire, this earth is destroyed and there is a new heaven and a new earth will things be “very good” permanently.

The Crowning of the Year

“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness…” (Psalm 65:11)

Only God knows what the year 2015 may bring. When we watch the evening news there seems to be only bad things happening.  Looking back on 2014 we see what Jesus said to be true: “In the world you shall have tribulation.” But the rest of that verse is equally true: “But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

The crowning glory of 2014 was God’s goodness. I saw a grandson come to know the Lord and had the special privilege of baptizing him as my family and others watched. That’s God’s goodness. 

I was privileged to preach the Gospel in several churches.  That was another case of God’s goodness. He kept His promise to never leave my wife and me in 2014, a promise He will keep in 2015. Space does not permit me to enumerate all the items of God’s goodness to me and people I know in the past year.

Will bad things happen in 2015? Absolutely. But God will crown the year with His goodness. As the song says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one…”