Strange Weapons Lesson 3: The Pitcher (spiritual application)
April 29, 2011 at 12:16 pm | Posted in II Corinthians, Strange Weapons | 9 CommentsTags: 1 Corinthians 1, 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Corinthians 9, 1 Samuel 16, 2 Corinthians 10, 2 Corinthians 12, 2 Corinthians 13, 2 Corinthians 4, Biblical battles, Daniel 2, Ephesians 6, Gideon, Gideon's pitchers, Hebrews 4, Jesus Christ, Judges 6, Judges 7, Matthew 5, pitchers, Psalm 31, Romans 12, self-control, spiritual warfare, weapons of spiritual warfare
The factual summary of the account of Gideon highlighted the use of some of the strangest weapons in any Biblical battle: pitchers. In the spiritual warfare which Christians are called to wage, we have a corollary for Gideon’s pitchers: our bodies. The Christian’s body sounds like more of a physical than a spiritual weapon, but the key is in how God works in us.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
II Corinthians 10:3-4
1. Pitchers can contain.
The purpose of a pitcher is to hold something. Just as Gideon’s pitchers were used to contain something, our bodies also serve as containers.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1
The bodies of born-again believers are the containers of God’s Holy Spirit.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
I Corinthians 6:19
Is God’s Spirit directing your body, and controlling it? Are you an obedient container? Do your feet go where God wants them to go? Do your hands touch only what God wants them to touch? Are you placing in your mouth and your stomach those things which help, instead of hurt, your body? Are your eyes looking at what God wants you to see? Are your ears listening to what God wants you to hear? Is your tongue saying what God wants you to say? Pitchers don’t decide for themselves what goes into them. The owner of a pitcher puts into it what he thinks is best.
When Gideon’s army brought their pitchers to the battle, God had a plan for them. In the spiritual battles we fight every day, we have our armor to protect us. We also have have prayer, the Bible, and love to help us fight. But don’t forget, your physical body is a part of the spiritual battle, too.
2. Pitchers can conceal.
Gideon’s pitchers concealed lamps. As Christians, we are to be light in a dark world, so we do not want to conceal the light of Christ, but there are times when the container of your body must be used to conceal things.
Nothing can be concealed from God. He looks on the inside, at the secret things. He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. The pitchers of Gideon’s army concealed their lights from the enemy until the time was right. The devil can’t read your mind, but he is watching you. There is a principle in the Bible of controlling yourself so that your weaknesses are not exposed.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
I Corinthians 9:25-27
We are to bring our bodies under self-control. Gideon’s pitchers contained nothing but light.
3. Pitchers can crumble.
Gideon’s army had to use pitchers that were breakable.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
I Corinthians 1:26-29
God has given us a great treasure – greater than wealth, health, fame, or influence. It is the Gospel message. He could have entrusted it to an angel. He could have given it only to powerful, wealthy, or influential men.
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
II Corinthians 4:4-7
This way, God gets the glory, not men. Pitchers are fragile, but there is power even in a broken pitcher.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
II Corinthians 12:10
When we are broken, empty, and weak, then His glorious light shines forth and frightens and confounds the enemy, and causes him to flee.
Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
II Corinthians 13:3-4
When we look meek to men, we are strong in Christ. His power is strong in us. When Jesus was going toward the Cross He emptied Himself out of everything we tend to rely on for strength – He had no wealth, no reputation, no family, no friends, not even any clothes! On the Cross He was the emptiest Man Who ever lived. He even lay His Own life down when no man could take it from Him.
Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
Psalm 31:5
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
Psalm 31:12
Pitchers can contain. Does God’s Spirit live within you? Pitchers can conceal. Are you able to surrender to His Spirit and be controlled in your body? Pitchers can crumble. Have you ever been broken before God? Does His light shine through your brokenness? Will you make noise for the Lord in the midst of His enemies, even if it means you have to be broken into pieces to do it?
Mysteriously Meaningful Marriage Part 2
April 27, 2011 at 10:28 am | Posted in A Little Alliteration, Biblical Marriage | 11 CommentsTags: 1 John 4, agape, Bible mysteries, charity, Christian marriage, Galatians 2, John 8, love of Christ, marriage, marriage counseling
Last time I showed that Christians are supposed to love their spouses the same way that Christ loves His bride, the Church. The Greek word for the type of love wherewith Christ loves the Church is agape. Agape love is Christian love because it operates in truth and not just in feelings.
Where will the right kind of marital love come from if God is not central to the marriage? Agape is the giving of self.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved [agape] me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20, emphasis and parenthetical agape added
“But,” some have replied, “my spouse is just not worthy of that kind of love.” What better way to show agape love? We should seize opportunities to love the unworthy.
Will agape love always be reciprocated? Not always, but more often than not, it will.
We love him, because he first loved us.
I John 4:19
If it is not reciprocated, Christ is still glorified when we love selflessly.
Agape love is antithetical to cruelty. Cruelty is caused by bad feelings. But will there ever be a time in marriage when we don’t have some type of bad feelings? Cruelty is bad feelings untempered by love.
In marriage will there get to be a time when there is never a lack of affection? Lack of affection is not the result of bad feelings as much as the result of an absence of feelings. Lack of feelings means an absence of motivating love. Resentment; selfishness; an unjust sense of entitlement: these things are inescapable in a marriage. But they are not really a major problem unless they outrun love. True Christian love – agape – is just that: actively loving the one who does not deserve love.
For the person who is married, here is a good working definition of “love” to always keep in mind: True love is a giving of oneself for someone else with two main goals in view:
1. That the person being loved receives grace and mercy.
2. That the person being loved is directed more toward righteousness (toward conformity to Christ).
Remember what Jesus told the woman who had been caught in adultery after all her accusers had left because none of them had been willing to throw the first stone at her. Jesus told her to “go” (grace and mercy) and to “sin no more” (directing her toward righteousness). This definition makes sure that our understanding of the 4 “S”s of marriage does not lead us to the conclusion that we should be hard to live with on purpose in order to help the other person be more like Jesus.
Agape is not getting. Agape is giving. We must be willing to give up things for our spouses, even if they won’t give up things for us. We must make sure we are giving to meet our spouses’ needs, but not in order to get our selfish desires met as trade-offs for what we are sacrificing. Loving someone who does not want to be loved is hard. Crying babies hate it when Mom scrubs their face with a washcloth, but we would not think that a mother who never wiped food, snot, and dirt off her child’s face really loved that child.
Faithful to Him and to Each Other
April 25, 2011 at 10:51 am | Posted in Bible Studies, I Corinthians | 5 CommentsTags: 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Corinthians 4, 2 Chronicles 16, 2 Corinthians 10, Asa, Ephesians 1, Luke 16, Matthew 10, Matthew 28, parable of the talents
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
I Corinthians 4:2
Christians should be reliable and trustworthy in ministry. Even as others rely on us, we must remember that we, too, rely on Someone ourselves.
II Chronicles 16 tells about Asa, the king who ruled Judah for about 40 years. He was mostly a good king, a Godly king, but near the end of his reign he had trouble remembering on Whom to rely. He entered into a treaty with Benhadad, king of Syria, because he didn’t trust the Lord to give him the victory.
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
II Chronicles 16:7-9
No matter how much success we have with our ministry, and no matter how much we come to trust in the ways we minister and find motivation, we must remember to trust the Lord. We must remember to give Him the credit and the praise. We must remember to be faithful to follow His Word and His doctrine, and not to try to rely on our own personal beliefs.
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 1:22
Christians are stewards and servants – first and foremost to Christ – but also, in many ways, to those to whom we minister. We need to have a desire to promote spiritual growth – growth in the form of maturity and in the form of closeness in fellowship.
When I Corinthians 4:2 says that faithfulness is required in stewards, it means that, obviously, unfaithfulness is not an option.
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Luke 16:10
Each person has different talents and abilities, but every Christian has the ability to be faithful.
For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.
II Corinthians 10:18
I am glad that we are not responsible for commending ourselves. I’m also glad that the Lord’s acceptance of us is not conditional on the approval of others. What we’re seeking is the commendation of the Lord Himself.
We all are members of a body, and every member is important. For the body to function at full capacity, all the members should be faithfully working.
For the body is not one member, but many.
I Corinthians 12:14
The Body of Christ is alive. I know that sometimes Christians can tend to overemphasize organization. The Body of Christ is more of an organism than an organization, but an unorganized organism would not live very long! Therefore Christians need to work together and get along with each other. We are valuable to each other, and, in a sense, we are even valuable to the Lord.
Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:31
When Jesus received the authority granted to Him after the Resurrection, He proceeded to allocate His authority to His disciples. Our “value” lies in our willingness to serve. God doesn’t “need” me in the sense that He needs my permission to accomplish His will, but I am “valuable” to Him in the sense that He loves me and that it pleases Him to use me to accomplish His will.
Calling Witnesses (Part 3)
April 21, 2011 at 2:31 pm | Posted in Bible Studies, Luke, Salvation | 13 CommentsTags: angels, Charles H. Spurgeon, Heaven, hell, Isaiah 45, Jesus, Luke 16, Psalm 14, Revelation 20, the Gospel
The witnesses who have testified so far against the unconverted sinner have been:
1. True Christians
2. Praying People
3. Godly Men and Women of the Bible
Now I call:
FOURTH WITNESSES: DEPARTED CHRISTIAN LOVED ONES
These witnesses are called to rebut the claims that are often made by those who are unconverted: “My best witness could not be here. I had a friend or a family member who knew the Lord, and this person would vouch for me and tell you that I’m not so bad as to need a savior. But this person has gone on into the afterlife.”
Therefore, I will call such a person to testify now. This person will not testify in your favor as you suppose. This person wants very badly for you to come to Jesus. Your departed Christian loved ones are in Heaven now, and though they may have shed many tears for your condition while they were alive, they can not cry for you now. Surely they prayed for you often and fervently while they were in this world, but they have other, far more pleasant, occupations now. They are engaged in full-time worship of their Lord – in-person worship – joy unspeakable. It is not completely clear from the Bible if these loved ones will be present when you are called before God on the day of judgment, but, if they are, and if they hear God’s sentence that you are condemned, and if they hear God’s command for you to depart from His presence for all eternity, their response will not be the response they would have had while still living in this earthly realm. No, their response before the judgment throne when you are cast out will be, “Amen, God is good and He has done what is right.” You see, no one, having experienced God’s love, His unveiled presence in Heaven, the full application of His free grace, will take sides against Him. All tongues will confess that He is just. These people pitied you while they viewed you through the lens of God’s common grace, but if you remain unconverted, God will lift the restraining grace which you experienced in your earthly life, and you will be revealed for the monstrous rebel against your Creator that you truly are. As one preacher said, all of creation will stand and applaud that God has rid the earth of such a thing as you.
FIFTH WITNESSES: THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN IN GENERAL
These witnesses are in glory now. One instant after their very first glimpse of the glory of their Lord, they realized how foolish it was for them to have wasted any time whatsoever bickering and squabbling over who may or may not have wronged them while they were here in this world. It no longer matters to them in the least whether someone took something that rightfully belonged to them, or whether someone said something hurtful about them that wasn’t true. Those common worldly occurrences do not hinder their joy one bit. All their tears and regrets have been wiped away. When they appear before God for judgment, His beloved Son steps into their place, and says, “Father, this one has trusted Me – His sin was put to My account, and I have paid it all.”
I know that you would probably like the opportunity to cross-examine these witnesses. “Aren’t you bored there,” you want to ask them, “just worshiping God for all eternity?”
How foolish your question seems to them! Their very first glimpse of God’s glory seemed to last an eternity of eternities and it was all pure bliss. And that first glance was just the start of the start. It only gets better and it never ends. There is no such thing as boredom in Heaven.
SIXTH WITNESSES: UNREDEEMED SINNERS IN HELL
These witnesses are the opposite of the previous witnesses. They have gone to the grave without trusting Jesus. Their pain and torment will make it difficult for them to testify.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luke 16:22-24
As an unconverted sinner, their testimony might shock you. Jesus used Gehenna to illustrate something of the nature of hell. Gehenna was the dump outside the city where the fire was not quenched and where the worms that lived on the garbage never died. It is not a place of relief for unconverted sinners – not a place where you will be able to say, “At least I don’t have to listen to preaching there – no more ‘holy rollers’ to invite me to church. No one trying to tell me about Jesus – none of those ‘religious hypocrites’ there.” That is not the testimony of these witnesses.
Instead, their testimony is “Oh! – how I wish I would have believed God’s Word! How I wish now my idiotic pride would not have kept me from admitting I was wrong and God was right! How I wish I hadn’t believed the evolutionists and the agnostics – they supported me and encouraged me when I was alive – but where are they now? Where are the people who told me, ‘Everybody gets to come to God in different ways?’ They told me that it was silly to think that Jesus of Nazareth was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that nobody would come to God the Father if they didn’t come through Him. Now, I am separated from God, I am in darkness – I am trapped – I will never get out… and I am in torment.”
If you are an unconverted sinner, even those who sided with you to their end are now testifying against you.
SEVENTH WITNESSES: THE ANGELS
Next, I call to the stand the Heavenly host of ministering spirits that we call angels. They are servants of God. They are His messengers and His army. They also minister to living Christians. Now, however, they will testify against the unsaved.
These angels are not the red-faced little babies playing harps that you may have seen in greeting cards or curio cabinets. These creatures move among the spirit world. Whether they are on an errand for God, engaged in battle against Satan and his minions, or protecting one of God’s servants in his ministry at any given time, we do not know. However, we do know that they rejoice in Heaven when a sinner is saved. Their testimony is most likely going to be that there are times when they pass by an unsaved person who suddenly uses God’s name as part of a curse word, or who utters the precious name of Jesus Christ because he is exasperated or frustrated over something. In righteous outrage the angel lifts his fiery sword to take vengeance on behalf of the Almighty, and it is only the loving longsuffering grace of the Almighty that restrains him. These angels have not disobeyed the Lord since the rebellion of Lucifer caused the banishment and condemnation of one-third of their number. They must find it almost unthinkable and immeasurably horrible that you would rebel daily against your Creator, and even more so that you would then reject His Son Who bled and died for your soul!
You have heard the testimony of a number of witnesses. They are all against you, and yet they plead with you to turn to Christ. You might say, “I’m not in any kind of shape to come to Jesus… I don’t dress like a church person, I don’t talk like a church person, I don’t even think like a church person…” My friend, that is irrelevant. The issue is not what you look like – it’s Who you look to. God in His grace and mercy has allowed you to make it this far. Do not turn away from the testimony you have heard with the venom of unforgiven sin still in your system. Look to Jesus today: LOOK AND LIVE.
If you’ve already looked to Christ by faith – if you’ve already trusted and received Him as your Savior – what a world of good it will do you to look again – look often – look every chance you get! There’s nothing more encouraging for a Christian who’s on a long arduous journey home than to look upon the One Who saved him to begin with.
Thought about Ought
April 18, 2011 at 9:53 am | Posted in Luke, Uncategorized | 15 CommentsTags: 1 Thessalonians 5, Ephesians 2, fainting, giving thanks, hindered prayer, how to pray, intercessory prayer, Luke 18, prayer, prayer lesson, reason for prayer, rottweilers
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luke 18:1
Could such a short, simple Verse really teach us much about the great Biblical principle of prayer? You might be surprised. In fact, let’s focus in for a moment on just one word in that Verse: “ought.”
The word “ought,” like so many Bible words, goes deeper than we can ever fathom. For example, there is the “ought” that tells us something is a good idea. “I ought to take my umbrella today. It might rain.”
The concept that men should pray is one of the best ideas that God has given us. If you received some gadget, and weren’t sure exactly how it worked or what to do with it, the one person who would be most helpful to you is the person who invented, designed, and built the gadget. God is the Creator, Designer, and Builder, not only of you and me, but of everything that exists. And prayer is the way we talk to Him.
The word “ought” can also carry the connotation of a warning. “You ought not to mess with that dog,” said the owner of the snarling Rottweiler to the little boy.
For people to go through their day, arrogantly thinking they have the knowledge to make it through life’s trials, temptations, and testing, without consistently looking upward in prayer, is extremely dangerous. Whether you know it or not, you need the wisdom of God to keep from making a train wreck of your life. Prayer is how we ask God for wisdom.
There is also the “ought” of command. An employer might tell his custodial staff, “You ought to keep this area clean every day.”
The Bible says to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). This is a command from God. It does not mean that Christians should wander around in an oblivious state of hazy mumbling.
But it does mean that Christians should always be in an attitude of prayer, ready to call upon the Lord and seek His will, or to confess sin at the drop of a hat. We should also make sure that we have a serious “quiet time” of conversational communion with God on a consistent and frequent basis.
Christ said that the opposite of “always praying” is “fainting:” getting weary and giving up. As men and women of God, if we fail to “come apart” (get alone with God in prayer), we will surely “come apart” (fall to pieces).
Strange Weapons Lesson 3: The Pitcher (factual summary)
April 15, 2011 at 9:13 am | Posted in Strange Weapons | 11 CommentsTags: Biblical battles, broken pitchers, Gideon, Gideon's pitchers, Judges 6, Judges 7, Midianites, spiritual warfare, weapons of spiritual warfare
Strange Weapons: A Prod, a Peg, and a Pitcher
Lesson Three: The Pitcher
For this lesson I am not using the word “pitcher” to describe the player who stands on the mound and tries to strike out the batters. Nor am I talking about the word we used back where I grew up for a photograph. The “pitcher” to which I’m referring here is a large jar or a container for holding water.
And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
Judges 7:20
In Judges Chapter 7 it is the Midianites who have been oppressing God’s people – stealing their crops every year for seven years. God was allowing this to happen because God’s people had not been acting like God’s people. In previous lessons we looked at two of the strange weapons (a tent peg and a cattle prod) which God used to defeat the enemies of His people when He was ready to deliver them from oppression. Today, I want to look at perhaps the strangest weapon of all: a pitcher.
The account of Gideon begins in Judges Chapter 6. Gideon was a simple farmer. His name meant “hewer” – possibly referring to someone who hacks down crops, wheat, or maybe weeds, or possibly referring to someone who hews out stones from a field during plowing. Little did Gideon know he would be called by God to hew down the enemy.
Gideon had a great deal of trouble accepting the fact that God was calling him to deliver his people.
And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
Judges 6:15
He was the only one is his father’s house who did not worship Baal, but he was very reluctant to place his faith in God for such a big task. He kept requiring visible signs from the Lord.
And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
Judges 6:25-26
The men of the city wanted to kill Gideon for what he had done, but God moved in his father’s heart, and he defended Gideon. Gideon finally became convinced that the Lord would get the victory over the Midianites through him. He called an army of 32,000 men to fight against 135,000 Midianites. However, God wanted Gideon’s army to be even smaller. First he narrowed it down to 10,000, then to only 300! Imagine: 135,000 against 300!
And on top of that the Lord designed one of the strangest battle strategies of all time:
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
Judges 7:16-21
Gideon gathered up some more troops, pursued, wiped out the Midianite army, and delivered God’s people. The pitchers used by Gideon’s army were instrumental in the victory, but they were very strange weapons. These days, as Christians, we are in a spiritual war that cannot be won in our own strength or power. However, our Lord is no less powerful now than He was in the days of the Judges. Next time, I want to compare Gideon’s pitchers to some of the strange weapons that we wield (and yield) in the power of God as we fight for His Kingdom today.
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
April 11, 2011 at 11:49 am | Posted in Biblical Don'ts, Common Expressions, Eternity | 7 CommentsTags: 1 John 5, counting your chickens, Deuteronomy 33, Isaiah 59, Jeremiah 17, Job 39, Luke 13, Mark Twain quotes, Matthew 23, once saved always saved
For some reason, two of our common expressions concerning chickens and eggs are in the form of warnings:
1. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
2. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
When you find an egg mentioned in Scripture it is usually a snake’s egg, like in Isaiah 59:5, or some other kind of bird, like a partridge in Jeremiah 17:11. There are even ostrich eggs:
Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
Job 39:13-17
There is a reference to the cock crowing after Peter denied the Lord three times. I have a sister-in-law who is an expert in poultry science or veterinary poultry or something, so I should probably consult with her to make sure, but I’m fairly certain that a cock is a rooster, and that roosters don’t lay eggs. The only mention of chickens I could find in the Bible was:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Matthew 23:37
(Luke 13:34 is the parallel verse.)
One of the reasons that people say not to put all your eggs in one basket is that, if you put them in the wrong basket (meaning if you depend on the wrong thing or put too many resources into what turns out to be the wrong choice), you could end up losing all of them. In other words, be careful, because there are no guarantees.
But Christians know that this is not true. We have the guarantee of God.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
I John 5:13
Another reason people say that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket is that the basket might get dropped, and then the eggs would all be broken. Mark Twain’s take on it was, “Put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket!”
But when it comes to our salvation, all our eggs are in one basket. We put all our faith, trust, belief, and hope in the grace of God manifested in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we put our eggs in that basket, we do not have to worry about the basket being dropped.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…
Deuteronomy 33:27, emphasis added
Nominative Repetition: Warning and Comfort
April 8, 2011 at 9:07 am | Posted in Biblical comfort, Biblical names, Genesis | 7 CommentsTags: 1 Samuel 3, Acts 9, assurance, Biblical names, Christ in Genesis, commentary on Genesis, Genesis 46, Luke 10, relocation, Sunday School lessons on Genesis
In Genesis 45 Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. This is sort of the climax of the story of Joseph.
In Chapter 46 Jacob moves his family to Egypt, but first he built an altar and worshiped.
And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
Genesis 46:1
This was very wise. It is always wise for us to seek counsel from the Lord before we make any move, and especially before we relocate our family.
Jacob was concerned about going to Egypt, and understandably so: He was aware of the trouble that Abraham had experienced there.
And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.
Genesis 46:2
When the Lord says someone’s name twice, it is as if the first time is to get their attention, and the second time is to give assurance or comfort.
Genesis 22:11: “Abraham, Abraham” (when Abraham was just about to slay Isaac)
I Samuel 3:10: “Samuel, Samuel” (when the Lord spoke to Samuel as he served Eli)
Luke 10:41: “Martha, Martha” (when Jesus wanted to contrast Martha and Mary)
Acts 9:4: “Saul, Saul” (at the time of the Apostle Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus)
Why did God want Jacob and his family in Egypt?
And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Genesis 46:3
Even though going down to Egypt is sometimes a picture in the Bible of “going down” spiritually, God wanted to use Egypt as the place where He would fashion a people for Himself – not for themselves.
And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.
Genesis 46:28
The “land of Goshen” (which is sort of an exclamation where I’m from) was very fertile – good for herdsmen. Judah led the way, continuing to establish his leadership role in the family – and foreshadowing the fact that the tribe of Judah would be the “royal tribe.”
Lord, I confess that I am not depending on anything other than the shed blood, atoning death, and bodily resurrection of Christ Jesus for my righteousness. Lord God, when you look at the account sheet of my life, none of my works are going to pay the price for even my slightest sin. You’re going to look on the righteousness side of the account sheet and see nothing but the blood of Jesus. This I confess in His holy name. Amen.
Discipleship Lesson 8: The World
April 6, 2011 at 12:03 pm | Posted in Discipleship Lessons | 67 CommentsTags: 1 Corinthians 8, 1 John 2, 1 John 5, 1 Peter 2, 1 Timothy 3, 2 Corinthians 6, 2 Corinthians 8, 2 Timothy 3, Colossians 3, Colossians 4, discipleship, discipleship lessons, Ephesians 2, friendship with the world, Galatians 4, Hebrews 11, James 1, James 4, Jesus Christ, John 15, Matthew 10, Matthew 28, Matthew 5, Philippians 3, pilgrims, Proverbs 13, Proverbs 15, Proverbs 16, Romans 12, separation, world, worldliness
I. Why does the world oppose Christians?
A. The world opposes Christians because the world opposed Christ.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 15:18-19
B. The world opposes Christians because Christians are supposed to live for Christ.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
II Timothy 3:12
C. The world opposes Christians because there are two spiritual families that are at war with each other.
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Galatians 4:29
D. The world opposes Christians because the world’s system is opposed to Christ.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4
II. How does the world oppose Christians?
A. By using those closest to Christians.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Matthew 10:35-36
B. By cooperating with Satan in using unredeemed sinners against Christians.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 2:2
III. How can a Christian get the victory over the world?
A. By showing love, kindness, meekness, and gentleness to others.
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Romans 12:18
B. By pleasing the Lord.
When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7
C. By faith in God.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
I John 5:4-5
D. By returning good for evil.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:44
E. By choosing our friends wisely.
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Proverbs 13:20
F. By renewing our minds every day in the Word of God.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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.
Romans 12:1-2
IV. How should the world view Christians?
A. As sincere, by our actions even more than our words.
But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
I Corinthians 8:3
B. As set apart and different.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
II Corinthians 6:14-18
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
I Peter 2:9
B. As open and honest.
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Romans 12:17
Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
II Corinthians 8:21
C. As people who love unbelievers, but know what we ourselves believe.
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Colossians 4:6
Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
I Timothy 3:7
V. How should Christians view the world?
A. The way a pilgrim views a strange land.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
I Peter 2:11
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13
B. From the viewpoint of a citizen of Heaven.
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Philippians 3:20
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:6
C. As a mission field.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20
VI. Questions
A. What three institutions has God ordained for man in this world?
The family, the government, the church.
B. Where is a Christian’s home?
In Heaven.
C. What is the principle of “separation” for a Christian?
To be in the world, but not of the world. Not to touch the unclean thing.
VII. Memory Verses
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
II Timothy 3:12
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
I John 2:15-16
But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
I Corinthians 8:3
The Deep End 
Bold Mouths, Beautiful Feet, and Blindfolded Eyes
April 13, 2011 at 3:55 pm | Posted in A Little Alliteration, Biblical Eyesight, Romans | 20 CommentsTags: commentary on Romans, Deuteronomy 32, Ephesians 2, Isaiah 52, Isaiah 65, Jesus, Joel 2, Romans 10, Romans 11, Sunday School lessons on Romans
Romans 10:10-11
We do not earn salvation merely by what we say. In fact, we do not earn salvation at all. It is a gift from God. But our mouths are what we are to use to confess the salvation we have received. Have you ever made a public profession of your faith?
Romans 10:13
In Joel 2:32 the prophet Joel had prophesied about the time when “whosoever” called on God as Lord would be saved. If you have been in church long enough, you have probably heard a preacher at one time or another exhort people who have not been saved to answer this question for themselves: “Are you a ‘whosoever?'”
The Holy Spirit in Romans 10 went on to use the Scriptures of the prophet Isaiah to explain how God views those who carry the Gospel to all the “whosoevers:”
Romans 10:15
Beautiful feet are feet that bring the news of salvation. They are feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, but peace between whom? Peace between God and sinners. “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” Sinners need to be reconciled to God because, before we were saved, we were at war with God.
In the Apostle Paul’s time this should not have been a new idea to the Israelites. The Holy Spirit cites Deuteronomy 32:21:
Romans 10:19
That “foolish nation” was the gentiles. One of the reasons God sent the message of salvation to the gentiles was because the Jews had rejected it, but another reason was so that gentile Christians could provoke them to jealousy.
Romans Chapter 10 ends with a quote from Isaiah 65:
Isaiah 65: 1-2
Romans Chapter 11 shows that, although the Jews are a gainsaying people, God’s patience has not run out with them. He has a future for them. His hand may have been turned against them, but His heart is not turned against them. God to the nation of Israel: I’m not finished with you yet. God could have called gentiles to be apostles, but He chose Jews. The manner in which the Apostle Paul was saved is a picture of the way that Israel will be converted to a Christian nation and a Christian people:
1. Paul saw Jesus.
2. He repented.
3. He received Him.
Romans 11 is a message to the Jewish believers that they are not alone. They may have been thinking like the prophet Elijah – he thought he was the last faithful man.
Romans 11:2-4
The Bible word for those Jews who are set aside for God – who are still faithful and who still know the truth, even when the vast majority does not – is the “remnant.” The remnant is a special group, but it is still made up of people who are saved the same way anybody is saved: by grace through faith.
Romans 11:5-7
“Blinded” in Romans 11:7 is not referring to someone who will never see again. It is the term that we think of as “blindfolded” (temporarily blinded). Historically, the Jews had received great spiritual blessings, but they had often loved the blessings and forgotten the Blesser. Generally, we don’t like to work, but there is pleasure in the fruits of labor. The problem is focusing on the pleasure and thinking we are the producers of that pleasure, instead of remembering where our blessings really come from.