This Salvation (1 Peter 1:10-12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-06-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus: This Salvation

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:10-12

 

            Message of the verse:  “10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.”  (NASB)  “10 This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean.  11 They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen.  12 They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.”  (NLT)

            Peter now looks backwards into the time of the OT, when the prophets of the OT wrote about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the salvation that He would provide through His suffering, and the glories that would follow.  These prophets did not understand what they were writing about, however they did know that the Messiah would come.  Jesus’ apostles did not even understand about this, even when He told them plainly that He had to go to Jerusalem and be sacrificed for the sins of the world.  The reason that they did not understand Him was because the Holy Spirit had not been given to them yet.  In verse 12 Peter tells he readers that the OT prophets knew that they would not see these things in there own life time, but would happen many years from then.  He then goes on to tell them that they had already heard the Good News of Jesus Christ dying for them, and this was given to them by the preaching of a Spirit filled preacher.  He then goes on to talk that the angels were eagerly watching these things happen.  I am sure that this is referring to the good angels who did not leave with the bad angels, but stayed true to God.  There is no redemption for those evil angels, however there is for sinful man, so these good angels have know idea what it is like to go from being a sinful person to one who has been born from above, now having the new nature and the Holy Spirit living in them.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to focus in on having the Holy Spirit living within me as a result of the new birth.  There have been many times in my life when I was reading the stories in the OT and thought that some of these people had things better that the NT believers had it.  This is not necessarily true, and in most cases is not true at all, for having the Holy Spirit within me allows me so many benefits that were not given to the OT believers.  The Holy Spirit gives me understanding as I read His Word, which was unlike the apostles of Jesus Christ had when they were walking with Him before they received the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit gives to me verses of Scripture when I need it, like last Sunday when I had the great privilege of leading Mary Catalusci to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ.  As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, I want to be ready to tell others about the grace that is available to them when the Holy Spirit gives me opportunity to talk to someone.  I want to lay hold of Christ Jesus for what He has laid hold of me for.

 

The Word of God was instructive, and refreshing to me as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the leading of the Holy Spirit and to give the verses that He has laid upon my heart to Valerie tomorrow should He give me that wonderful opportunity.  To trust the Lord with the health of Sandy, knowing that He is in control of what is going on and He has promised us to never leave us nor forsake us, and that He will cause all things to work together for good for those who love him and are called for His purpose.

 

 

Loving Him (1 Peter. 1:8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-02-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Loving Him

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:8

 

            Message of the verse:  “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”  (AV)  “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (NASB).”

             Christianity carries with it a present dynamic that can turn suffering into glory today.  This statement is one that is worth listening to and to think about, for indeed this is not something that seems even possible.

            Peter gives us four directions for enjoying the glory now. 

1. Love Christ (1:8).  This verse tells me that even though I have never seen Christ in person that I love Him, and that is true.   “John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”  “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”  (Romans 5:5)  This verse in Romans tells me why I love the Lord, and it is because He first loved me.  I was not capable of loving God before He first loved me.  In order to experience this glory when we go through trials believers are to lift our hearts t o Christ in true love and worship.  Dr. Wiersbe says “that this will take the poison out of the experience and replace it with healing medicine.  If we love ourselves more than we love Christ, then we will not experience any of the glory now.  The fire will burn us, not purify us.” 
2. Trust Christ (1:8).  True Bible Faith means we are to surrender all to God and obey His Word is spite of circumstance or consequences.  Faith and love go together and strengthen our hope.  Romans 8:28 tells us that we know that God causes everything to work together for good, we don’t always see it though, that is where faith comes into play.  God has taken care of our biggest need when we were His enemies, so if we trust Him for salvation then we can trust Him to get us through the trails we encounter.
3. Rejoice in Christ (1:8).  It is true that believers cannot rejoice over trials and circumstances that are no to their liking, however they can rejoice in them, knowing that they worship an all wise, all knowing God who will never leave them nor forsake them.  The verse goes on to say that this joy is “unspeakable and full of glory.”  I have seen first hand that in the midst of trials God has brought unspeakable joy into my life, an amazing demonstration of His grace and mercy.
4. Receive from Christ (1:9).  Believers experience glory the moment that they are saved, for they are born for glory, they are also kept for glory, and while they go through trials God is preparing them for glory.  When they love Him trust Him and rejoice in Him they can experience glory here and now.  Getting back to verse 9 it teaches about our salvation, and there are two parts of salvation.  Verse 9 could read, “presently receiving for yourselves.”  Dr. MaCarthur writes this about verse nine:  “In one sense, Christians now possess the result of their faith, a constant deliverance from the power of sin.  In another sense, we are waiting to receive the full salvation of eternal glory in the redemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:23).  “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

 

      Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As stated above God has blessed me first hand in our investment trial by moving a wonderful family in next-door, and He has given me the privilege of seeing seven of them come to know Him in a personal way through Jesus Christ.  God has been true to His Word and it has truly brought a “joy unspeakable and full of glory” to my heart.

 

The Word of God was refreshing and also challenging to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Even though I do not feel well, (I think I am coming down with the flue), I do trust the Lord, for He is in control of all things. 

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 3:12b

 

            12b.  …but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Christians are Being Prepared for Glory (1 Pet. 1:6-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-30-03

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Christians are Being Prepared for Glory 

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:6-7

 

            Message of the verse:  “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  (NASB)  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  (NIV)

            In these two verses Peter is talking about trials, the kind of trials that all of us as believers will go through.  These various trials that believers go through are “some of God’s tools and textbooks in the school of Christian experience.”  Peter shared several facts about trials.

1. Trials Meet Needs.  God can use trials to discipline the believer who has sinned.  Psalm 119:67 “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”  Trials can prepare us for spiritual growth or prevent us from sinning.”  (2Corthians 12:1-9)  We don’t always know the needs that these trials are meeting, the important thing is to trust the Lord through all trials we go through.
2. Trials are varied.  The word in the AV used is manifold, which means various colors or various sorts.  The same word is used in 4:10 to describe the grace of God.  “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”  Dr. Wiersbe commenting on this section says, “No matter what ‘color’ are day may be, God has grace sufficient to meet the need.”  We may gain victory in one kind of trial, but not in another trial right a way.  It is good to remember that God is the One who matches the trials with our needs.
3. Trials are not easy.  The believer knows the anguish of trials, when he goes through them.  Paul said that the believer should not grieve like the people of the world who have no hope, but when believers grieve they do so with the assurance by the Word of God that there loved one is in heaven.  However we still grieve, and we still hurt, and we should not deny that it is painful for if we do we are fooling ourselves and then it will take longer for God to bring about His healing.  We a person is saved by the Lord he must acknowledge that he is a sinner before he gets the cure and it is the same when we are going through a trial, we must acknowledge that we are in the trial and that it hurts, and then the Lord will come to our aid.
4. Trials are controlled by God.  “When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat.  If we rebel, He may have to reset the clock; but if we submit, He will not permit us to suffer one minute too long. The important thing is that we learn the lesson He wants to teach us and that we bring glory to Him alone.”  Peter makes this clear with the illustration of a goldsmith putting gold into the fire to remove the cheap impurities from it.  If he would leave it there too long then he would damage the gold, but if he takes it out at the right time the gold will be beautiful, “so our Lord keeps us in the furnace of suffering until we reflect the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:17, and 18 gives insight into the sufferings of the believers:  “17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  This glory will not fully be revealed until Christ comes at the rapture of the Church. 

Trials are given to us to test the sincerity of our faith.  If you look at the parable that Jesus spoke about the “seed” that is planted in different ground types, you can get an idea about trials and testings.  Dr Wiersbe writes, “the person who abandons ‘his faith’ when the going gets tough is only proving that he really had no faith at all.

Job is an example to us all when he wrote, “But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”  (Job 23:10)

 

As I have studied this passage and the related study material I have been using it and it has been convicting to me, it has been refreshing to me, and it has also been challenging to my soul.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To have a sensitive heart so that I will get hold of Christ that He may show me what He has gotten hold of me for, that I will remember to worship the Lord throughout the day.

Kept by God's Power (1 Peter 1:5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-29-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Kept by God’s power

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Peter 1:5

 

            Message of the verse:  “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  (KJV)  “…who, in the power of God are being guarded, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time,” (YLT) 

            The word “kept” has this meaning from the Greek:  “to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight.”  The verse says that we are kept by the power of God through faith.  Dr. Macarthur says this concerning the phrase “kept by the power of God”  “Supreme power, omniscience, omnipotence, and sovereignty, not only keep the inheritance (v-4), but also keep the believer secure.  No one can steal the Christian’s treasure, and no one can disqualify him from receiving it.”  He goes one to write about the phrase “through faith:” The Christian’s response to God’s election and the Spirit’s conviction is faith, but even faith is empowered by God.  Moreover, the Christian’s continued faith in God is evidence of God’s keeping power.  At the time of salvation, God energizes faith, and continues to preserve it.  Saving faith is permanent; it never dies.”  The phrase “unto salvation” needs to be explained a bit, for indeed the completeness of our salvation does not occur at the point of being saved from sin.  For example I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior on Jan. 26, 1974, but my salvation will not be complete until I am with Jesus Christ at the rapture of the Church, even if I die before the rapture, however the certainty of my salvation is not in question for it is God who has made it certain.

      There is a quote for Dr. Wiersbe’s book “Be Hopeful” that I wish to use at this time.  “If suffering today means glory tomorrow, then suffering becomes a blessing to us. The unsaved have their “glory” now, but it will be followed by eternal suffering away from the glory of God (2 Thes. 1:3-10). In the light of this, ponder 2 Corinthians 4:7-18—and rejoice!”

 

The Word of God brought assurance to my soul as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Seek help from the Lord to get along with my wife better.

 

Description of the Believers Hope (1 Pet. 1:3-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-28-03

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Description of the Believers hope

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:3-4

 

            Message of the verse:  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade— kept in heaven for you.”  (NIV)  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.”  (KJV)

            In the later part of verse three the hope of the believer is described as a living hope, and it says that this living hope was accomplished by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.  According to 1:23, this living hope is grounded on the Word of God.  “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”  Because this is a living hope it has life in it, and this life will grow and when others see this living hope in us they will be drawn to the Savior.  Peter goes on in verse four to write about an incorruptible inheritance.  Our inheritance is given to us by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, and we will share in His glory.  “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”  John 17:22-24 

            As said before this inheritance is incorruptible, which means that nothing can ruin it.  Verse four goes on to say that this living hope is undefiled, which means it cannot be ruined by anything or anyone because it is eternal, and it will never be able to disappoint us in any way.  This living hope will never fade away and it is reserved for us in heaven. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I read about this wonderful hope that I have through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I realize that I do not deserve it, nor could ever earn it.  I also realize that it is so precious, and so rich, and because of this I pray that the Lord will continue to bless me with opportunities to tell others about this and to also continue to disciple these ones that He has put in my care.  Oh how I praise the Lord for this!!  God has been so great to my family and me.

 

The Word of God has been a tremendous blessing to me as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord to show me what He has got hold of me for, and to be open to the leading of His Spirit to be able to do those good works that He has prepared for me to do in eternity past.

 

Hope (1 Peter 1:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-27-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                                          Focus:  Hope

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:3

 

            Message of the verse:  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  (NASB)  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  (NIV)

            Peter calls God the Father or our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is part of the trinity along with the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus called God His Father when He was upon the earth, except when He was on the cross paying for our sin, when He said, “My God, My God why has thou forsaken Me.”  We can only be saved because God had mercy on us; He was giving us what we did not or ever could get by ourselves. Being born again means that we are born from above, the same was spoken of in John chapter three.  When we are born again we receive the Holy Spirit along with a new nature that always wants to please God.  The Bible has much to say about hope, and hope means that we have “confident optimism and 1) comes from God (Psalm 43:5); 2) is a gift of grace (2Thes. 2:16); 3) is defined by Scripture (Romans 15:4); 4) is reasonable reality (3:15); 5) is secured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 11:25,26; 14:19; 1Cor. 15:17); 6) is confirmed in the Christian by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13); 7) defends the Christian against Satan’s attacks (1Thess.5:8); 8) is confirmed through trials (Romans 5:3,4); 9) produces joy (Ps. 146:5); and 10) is fulfilled in Christ’s return (Titus 2:13).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  All of these great truths in the verse, the Trinity, being born again, and the living hope we have because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives me reason to be very thankful on the Thanksgiving Day.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to seek to get hold of what Christ Jesus has got a hold of me for.

God's Plan for my Salvation (1 Pet. 1:1b-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-25-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  God’s plan for my Salvation 

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1b-2

 

            Message of the verse:  “--who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.”  (NASB)  “--who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”  (NIV)

            In this second verse Peter is telling his readers how salvation was made possible for them, and it took the involvement of all three Persons of the Godhead.  God the Father choose us in eternity past and this involved His foreknowledge.  This word does not refer to awareness of what is going to happen, “but it clearly means a predetermined relationship in the knowledge of God.  God brought the salvation relationship into existence by decreeing it into existence ahead of time.  Christians are foreknown for salvation in the same way Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be a sacrifice for sins.  (See Acts 2:23)  “this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”  ‘Foreknowledge’ means that God planned before, not that He observed before.  Thus, God pre-thought and pre-determined or predestined each Christian’s salvation.”  Jesus Christ is the One who did this work of salvation for the believer when He died in the believers place at Calvary.  This verse goes on to talk about the sanctification of the Spirit.  2Thessalonians 2:13-14 gives more details to this.  “13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.  14 And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The Holy Spirit gives us an offer that we cannot refuse, and that offer is salvation.  As far as God the Father was concerned the believer was saved in eternity past when he chose him. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I must say that there are times when I do struggle with all of this, but I do know in my heart that it is true.  God has not told us everything as Deu. 29:29 says, but this I do know that God cannot do anything wrong and all of His attributes are filtered through His holiness, so because of this I can trust the truth of this doctrine even though I do not know all that there is to know about it.  My responsibility in all of this is to tell others the Gospel message.  1Peter 1:23 says that we are born again through the living and abiding Word of God, and it is the responsibility of every believer to show others that Word so the Holy Spirit can show them the Truth of it.

 

The Word of God has challenged my heart this morning as I read it.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I do not want to go ahead of the Lord or try to help Him, but trust Him and obey Him in all things that I do. 

Be Hopeful (1 Peter 1:1)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-24-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Be Hopeful

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:1

 

            Message of the verse:  “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” (AV) “This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the lands of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia.”  (NLT)

            Dr. Wiersbe’s book on Peter is “Be Hopeful.”  Hope is one of the themes that run throughout this letter by Peter.  Suffering and grace also run through this letter and they are all mentioned in 5:10.  “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 

      Peter is the same person in the Gospels who was first named Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter, or Cephas in the Aramaic.  Many times he is called Simon Peter and it has been suggested that this could refer to the two natures of him.  Peter was the apostle to the Jewish peoples, and Paul was the apostle to the gentiles.  Ephesians 2:19-20 explains, “The Apostles and prophets worked together to lay the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20); and, once that foundation was laid, they passed off the scene. There are no apostles and prophets in the New Testament sense in the church today.” 

Peter wrote to those who were strangers who were scattered throughout what is modern day Turkey.  The word “scattered” refers to those who were Jews and lived in places other than Israel.  Dr. Wiersbe says that Peter’s letter was probably written to Gentiles too along with Jewish people.

Dr. Wiersbe says that there are two theme verses in 1Peter; 1:3 and 5:12.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1Peter 1:3).  “Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!”  (1Peter 5:12)

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I look forward to seeing what the Lord will teach me as I study 1Peter.  One thing seems certain and that is true believers will one day soon began to suffer for their faith and 1Peter is a letter which encourages those who will suffer for the cause of Christ.

 

The Word of God was insightful to me as I read it today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I continue to seek help and confront from the Lord as I am being prepared to give testimony to My Awesome God.  I want to lay hold of what Christ has laid hold of me for.

 

Prayer for those who are Straying (James 5:10-20)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-22-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Pray for the Straying

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  James 5:19-20

 

            Message of the verse:  “19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.”  (NASB) 

            James identifies a problem in these last two verses of his letter.  It seems to me that James probably knew that this problem and the other problems that he has already written about were going on with his readers.  There must have been some unbelievers in his reading audience and these verses can be applied to not only those who were backslidden, but also to unbelievers.  The root problem in these verses is sin, unconfessed sin and although James does not specifically say that prayer must rendered for these it certainly can be said that we should pray for those we know who are demonstrating this type of behavior.

            The condition of backsliding is a very dangerous problem for not only the person involved in it, but also for the church that he attends, or at least did attend.  It is dangerous for him because it could actually be a cause of death, as both John and Paul have pointed out in their writings.  “That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.”  (1Cor. 11:30 NLT)  “If you see a Christian brother or sister sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. Every wrong is sin, but not all sin leads to death.”  (1John 5:16 &17 NLT)

            As stated before the root problem is sin, however to get a bit more specific about this sin we can see that it is a straying away from the truth.  Not only is the Son of God the truth, but also the Word of God is the truth, and in this case this offender is probably staying away from the Word of God, thus staying away from the Son of God.  It has been said that a person is either going forward in his Christian life or backwards in it, for there is not a neutral Christian walk.  The Word of God is described as food and one cannot go long without food before bad things begin to happen to him.  In 1980 while attending a “Basic Youth Seminar” in Cleveland, and the leader asked the question of the audience if any would like to make a vow to the Lord to read their Bible at least five minutes each day.  I made that vow to the Lord and by His grace I have read the Bible at least five minutes a day over the past 23 plus years, missing only six days.  I am not saying that by doing this has always kept me from sin, but I will never regret making that vow, because before making it I did not have a good track record of consistent time in the Word of God.

            Dr. Wiersbe says the outcome of this wandering is sin and possible death (James 5:20). 

      In the next paragraphs Dr. Wiersbe writes about how the sinning believer is brought back into the fold, and the responsibility of other believers and this process is described in Matthew 18, where Jesus spoke about it.  This process is similar to leading an unsaved person to Christ.  Part of the process involves love and is described on page 174 in the third and forth paragraphs.  “If we are going to help an erring brother, we must have an attitude of love, for “love shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Both James and Peter learned this principle from Proverbs 10:12—“Hate stirreth up strife: but love covereth all sins.”

This does not mean that love “sweeps the dirt under the carpet.” Where there is love, there must also be truth (“speaking the truth in love” says Paul in Eph. 4:15); and where there is truth, there is honest confession of sin and cleansing from God. Love not only helps the offender to face his sins and deal with them, but love also assures the offender that those sins, once forgiven, are remembered no more.

Prayer for the Nation (James 7:17-18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-20-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Prayer for the Nation

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 5:17-18

 

            Message of the verse:  “17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.  18 And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”  (NASB) 

            If we agree with Dr. Wiersbe on these preceding verses or for that matter if we don’t there is still an application that seems to flow from verse seventeen and that is this:  If we think of a person who is out of fellowship with the Lord like the man Paul spoke of in 1Corthians, and by God’s grace he is brought back into fellowship he is like the ground in verse seventeen who has just received rain, rain that had not been there for a long time, and now he can again, just like the ground produce fruit.

             Now verse 17 in the NLT reads as follows, “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years!”   It says that he was a man like us, and this should encourage us to read that, for God can use us to do things for Him just as He used Elijah. 

      Dr. Wiersbe gives a good quote that I think is worth reading.  “Elijah prayed in faith, for God told him He would send the rain (1 Kings 18:1). “Prayer,” said Robert Law, “is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.” You cannot separate the Word of God and prayer, for in His Word He gives us the promises that we claim when we pray.”

We can also learn from these verses that Elijah prayed earnestly, so it was not a prayer he prayed in just a few minutes, but he must have been throughly convinced that God was going to answer his prayer, in other words he was praying in the will of God.  Let us now look at the account of Elijah’s prayer in 1Kings 18:41-45.  Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Too many times we fail to get what God promises because we stop praying. It is true that we are not heard “for our much praying” (Matt. 6:7); but there is a difference between vain repetitions and true believing persistence in prayer. Our Lord prayed three times in the Garden, and Paul prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh might be taken from him.

Elijah was determined and concerned in his praying. “He prayed earnestly” (James 5:17, niv). The literal Greek reads “and he prayed in prayer.” Many people do not pray in their prayers. They just lazily say religious words, and their hearts are not in their prayers.” 

Question:  Why do you think that God wants us to pray?  Think about that.

 

  Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that God want me to be involved in what He is doing on earth, and I can do this by praying in the will of God, that He would accomplish His will in my life and the lives of other that I am praying for.  Jesus prayed “Thy kingdom come Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  God’s will is always being done in heaven and to accomplish His will on earth I must aligen my will with His and pray His will be done here on earth.

 

The Word of God was challenging to my heart as I read it this morning, and it also convicted me concerning my prayer life at times.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I believe that the Lord would have Bruce Baker and I have this discussion with Pastor Jacobs at lunch time today, and I would pray that the Spirit of God would be manifested there as we talk about things that concern all of us at GBC.  I go there in faith and pray that the words that I speak will be glorifying to the Lord and be said in the will of God.

 

Memory verse for the week:  Philippians 3:12b

But I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  (NKJV)

 

 

Prayer for the Sick (James 5:14-16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-18-03

 

My Worship Time                                                               Focus:  Prayer for the Sick

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  James 5:14-16

 

            Message of the verses:  “14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (NASB) 

 

Prayer for the Sick

Dr. Wiersbe gives a different view on this passage than I have ever read about it before, but I do believe that his view does make sense when you look at it.  I believe that there have been many times that this portion of Scripture has been taken out of the context in which James intended it to be.  It is good to remember that we cannot and must not demand things of God when we do not know what His will for us is.  A friend of mine told me very early in my Christian life that God heals you every time except the last time, and when you think about that it has a lot of truth in it. 

 

What are the special characteristics of this case that James is describing?

1. The person is sick because of sin (15b-16).  “If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.  16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  (NIV)  Dr. Wiersbe tells us that the Greek reads as follows “if he has been constantly sinning.”  This is the reason that he believes that the person is sick, because of sinning constantly and cites 1Corthian 11:30 as a parallel passage.  “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”  Now as we continue to follow how Dr. Wiersbe explains this passage we see that this person was sick because of sin and is being disciplined by the Church, and now he has realized his error and is calling upon the elders of the Church so he can confess his sin. 
2. The person confesses his sins (5:16).  “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  In the NIV and the NASB translations the word “therefore” is used, but not in the AV.  Also the NIV uses the word sin instead of fault, which is used in the AV.  Dr. Wiersbe says that the same Greek word is used in verse 16 for sin as in James 1:15; however when I looked it up on my Online Bible these were two different words so I do not understand how he came up with that.
3. The person is healed by the prayer of faith (5:15).  “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”  It is the Lord who heals the person through prayer and not the anointing.  I have read several commentaries on this verse and they say that the oil was used as a medicine.  “This may be an indication that James suggests using available means for healing along with asking the Lord for His divine touch. God can heal with or without means; in each case, it is God who does the healing.”  

The question is asked what is the prayer of faith that will heal the sick?  Someone read 1John 5:14,15.  “The “prayer of faith” is a prayer offered when you know the will of God. The elders would seek the mind of God in the matter, and then pray according to His will.”  As we look at the verse from 1 John we can see that if we pray for something that is in the Lord’s will He will hear us.  But is it always God’s will that someone should be healed?  Of course the answer to that question is no, it is not always the Lord’s will for someone to be healed.  I will ask you to answer why it is not always the Lord’s will for us to be healed?  Dr. Wiersbe goes on to say this, “But where we have the inner conviction from the Word and the Spirit that it is God’s will to heal, then we can pray “the prayer of faith” and expect God to work.” 

Dr. Wiersbe lists some practical lessons we can learn from this section.  1.  By disobeying God it can lead to sin.  2.  Sin has an affect on the entire church.  3.  There is both physical and spiritual healing when sin is dealt with.  Keep a short list with God. 

Another practical application that can be learned from this lesson is: “We confess our sins first of all to the Lord (1 John 1:9), but we must also confess them to those who have been affected by them. We must never confess sin beyond the circle of that sin’s influence. Private sin requires private confession; public sin requires public confession. It is wrong for Christians to “hang dirty wash in public,” for such “confessing” might do more harm than the original sin.”