Pastor's Note from March 23, 2014

This week in our OT reading and NT study we’re coming to the Book of Judges and finishing Luke.  In these readings there is such a dramatic contrast shown, that between the people of Israel who “did what was right in their own eyes” and Jesus who prayed “not My will, but Yours, be done.”  I trust the Lord will bless you with the reading this week; but first, one more thing about Joshua…

Joshua ends with a great challenge to God’s people in 24:15, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  The people of course responded saying they would serve God, but that enthusiasm had worn off by the next generation and they soon entered the cycles of rebellion and repentance we see in Judges and beyond.  But notice Joshua’s statement of allegiance, not just for himself but for his children.  This is so counter-cultural today, where many parents feel like they need to let their kids find their own path to God.  First of all, feelings tend you get you into trouble.  Second, that kind of “hand’s off” philosophy is a recipe for mediocrity at best, and more probably spiritual disaster.  Fathers, God says to be the spiritual leader, teaching your kids and household the Truth of the Word of God by both your words and example.  Leaving that up to your kids will surely lead exactly to the spiritual train wreck we see in Judges where everyone does what is right in his own eyes,  not loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength.

Such a passive role in the spiritual lives of our kids could not be farther from the Biblical example.  Imagine where we all would be if God our Father had taken such a passive course of action; Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross wouldn’t have happened and we’d all be bound for eternity in Hell!  But praise God, He loves us too much for that!  Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day.  That’s the Gospel; that’s the Truth.

Bible reading:

3/17	Monday	Joshua 22-24	Luke 21
3/18	Tuesday	Judges 1-3	Luke 22
3/19	Wednesday	Judges 4-6	Luke 23
3/20	Thursday	Judges 7-9	Luke 24
3/21	Friday	Judges 10-12	Acts 1
3/22	Saturday	Judges 13-16	None
3/23	Sunday	Judges 17-19	None

Bible memory verse: Luke 24:5b-6a

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!”

Pastor's Note from March 16, 2014

This week in our OT reading and NT study we’re coming to the Book of Joshua and continuing in Luke.  As you may recall, our theme verses for 2014 comes from Joshua 1 these verses serve as our memory verses for this week. 

Something I want to mention from the end of Deuteronomy is the death of Moses.  From reading Numbers and Deuteronomy, we know that Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because he had disobeyed God in Numbers 20 when he struck the rock God told him to speak to in order to get water.  Then God said in Num 20:12 “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”  If you think that seems a harsh punishment for striking instead of speaking to the rock, then you don’t appreciate the sanctity and holiness of God’s name.  You’re not alone, even as Christians many of us don’t understand the holiness of God’s name. 

So Moses dies just before God makes final preparations for leading Israel into the Promised Land.  God led him to Mt Pizgah where Deut 34:6 says God buried Moses.  This seems strange, that God would bury Moses, or at least oversee his burial by angels.  Why did God do this?  Jude 9 gives us a clue: it says that the devil wanted Moses’ dead body and fought with Michael the Archangel over it.  What is going on?  Well, imagine the trouble the devil could have caused using the dead body of Moses, perhaps even indwelling it and making himself appear as Moses.  God made sure that did not happen for the protection of His people.  It was a spiritual battle.  Ephesians 6 says that we are all in a spiritual battle, how often do we still act like we can fight that battle on our own?

Bible reading:

3/17	Monday	Joshua 1-3	Luke 16
3/18	Tuesday	Joshua 4-6	Luke 17
3/19	Wednesday	Joshua 7-9	Luke 18
3/20	Thursday	Joshua 10-12	Luke 19
3/21	Friday	Joshua 13-15	Luke 20
3/22	Saturday	Joshua 16-18	None
3/23	Sunday	Joshua 19-21	None

Bible memory verse: Joshua 1:8-9

“This Book of the Law (Bible) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate upon it day and night: that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your ways prosperous, and then you will have good success.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Pastor's Note from March 9, 2014

I was again amazed this week as our OT reading and NT study lined up so perfectly.  One such parallel occurred on  Friday when we read Deuteronomy 6 and Luke 10, which contains a quote from Deuteronomy 6.

Deuteronomy 6 is a well-known passage.  For the Jews it contains the “Shema” (meaning “listen or do”) in 6:4, which says, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One!”  Then it goes right into what I consider one of the key verses of the entire Bible, Deuteronomy 6:5 which says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”  That is a verse I’ve mentioned a couple times recently…like every week.  It is, as Jesus called it, the greatest commandment.  Jesus added “loving your neighbor as yourself” as the 2^nd greatest, and said that all the Law and Prophets hang upon those two commands (Matt 22:37-40). 

Then in Luke 10:27 this command comes up again, but this time it isn’t Jesus that brings it up.  There is much happening in Luke 10, Jesus had sent out the 70 disciples, two by two,  into all the cities He was about to visit and they were to proclaim, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you.”  They returned to Him and gave report.  Just after that, a lawyer comes to Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  We seem to kind of forget the answer to this question.  Do you know what He said?  Jesus said, “What is written in the Law (the OT that is)?  The lawyer answers with Deuteronomy 6:5 and Jesus responded, “you have answered rightly; this do and you shall live.”  We also know that if you “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved (Acts 16:31).  What we need to understand is that these two commands, to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ are embedded together and cannot be separated.  We must believe in Jesus and love Him.  That love for Him then impacts everything we say, think, and do.

Bible reading:

3/10	Monday	Deuteronomy 16-17	Luke 11
3/11	Tuesday	Deuteronomy 18	Luke 12
3/12	Wednesday	Deuteronomy 19-21	Luke 13
3/13	Thursday	Deuteronomy 22-24	Luke 14
3/14	Friday	Deuteronomy 25-27	Luke 15
3/15	Saturday	Deuteronomy 28-30	None
3/16	Sunday	Deuteronomy 31-34	None

Bible memory verse: Luke 12:8-9

Jesus said, “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God, but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”

Pastor's Note from March 2, 2014

It has been another great week in our Bible reading plan; I hope you are loving this combination of Old and New Testament passages.  The parallels never cease to amaze me, like the one coming up this week as we continue through Numbers and Luke.

I have been so struck with the reactions of the Israelites as God freed them from their physical and spiritual bondage in Egypt, and brought them into the promise of spiritual freedom through a covenant relationship with Himself at Mt Sinai.  You would expect they would be so overcome with thankfulness, praise, and worship that all other concerns of life would seem insignificant, right?  Aren’t we always filled with thanks, praise and worship?  Okay, anyway, instead of thankfulness and praise all they wanted to do was go back to their bondage in Egypt!  Every time God’s redemptive work didn’t go according to their expectations, they began to complain and actually want to return to their slavery.  There are many examples, but check out Exodus 16:2-3, Numbers 11:4-5; 14:2-4, and 20:5.  Just in case you’re not actually going to look those up, here’s Numbers 14:3-4, “‘Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?  Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?’  So they said to one another, ‘Let us select a leader and return to Egypt!’”  Seriously!  Haven’t you learned to trust the Lord through some adversity, and now you want to go back to your bondage!  We were talking about this on Friday at Celebrate Recovery, only there we call this “relapse.” 

In the Gospel of Luke this week we find Jesus speaking about this too.  It is a rather short account, easy to miss if we’re not paying attention.  Jesus is walking along a road toward Jerusalem, though still pretty far away.  As He went, some followers came to Him and made comments about wanting to become disciples instead of just following along.  One man said, “Lord, I will follow You, but first let me go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”  Jesus responds with a statement this is our Bible verse for the week...(Luke 9:62)...

Bible reading:

3/3	Monday	Numbers 34-35	Luke 6
3/4	Tuesday	Num 36 – Deut 1	Luke 7
3/5	Wednesday	Deuteronomy 2-3	Luke 8
3/6	Thursday	Deuteronomy 4-5	Luke 9
3/7	Friday	Deuteronomy 6-7	Luke 10
3/8	Saturday	Deuteronomy 8-11	None
3/9	Sunday	Deuteronomy 12-15	None

Bible memory verse: Luke 9:62

“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.’”