Sifted Like Wheat?

March 31, 2021 at 2:51 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
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Question: What does “sift you as wheat” mean in Luke 22:31?

Answer:

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Luke 22:31

The night before Jesus’s arrest, He was telling His Disciples that one of them would betray him. This turned out to be Judas Iscariot, who was in league with Satan. Peter was typically impetuous and sometimes thought more highly of his own boldness and faithfulness than he should have, but now Jesus turned to him to let him know that Satan had specifically targeted him with the intention of sifting him as wheat. This expression partially refers to the great power of Satan compared to even the strongest of Jesus’s followers. Apart from Jesus’s help and strength, and His protection and care and provision and comfort, Satan would defeat us easily. He would figuratively scoop us up into the palm of his hand and let us drop through his fingers as though we were insignificant and no match whatsoever for him.

I originally thought that was the primary meaning of the expression, but, when my wife asked me about it in more detail, I went back and re-studied it, and I think there is another level of meaning to the phrase. Wheat is separated from chaff through the sifting process. The chaff is worthless and is a hindrance to the further use of wheat in making bread, so it is discarded. This is a picture of the way God sometimes allows Satan to test us so that our true faith can be refined and purged of impurities. This can be seen in the next verse, where Jesus does not tell Peter that He would deny Satan’s desire to sift Him, but that He had prayed for Peter that Peter’s own faith would not be sifted out with the chaff of unbelief, but that it would remain and be strengthened for the purpose of further and more effective ministry.

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Luke 22:32

Decluttered Christianity

March 29, 2021 at 2:38 pm | Posted in James | 2 Comments
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Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Every good gift (for enjoyment) and every perfect gift (gifts with a purpose) come from God. Therefore, God proceeds to give us practical ways to use these gifts.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

James 1:19

We need to be swift to hear, to be eager to pick up on what God is saying to us through preaching, through the Bible, through others who speak to us, and through providential circumstances.

We need to be slow to speak. New believers shouldn’t try to immediately take center stage in church services. There needs to be much SITTING AND LISTENING before STANDING AND TALKING.

We need to be slow to wrath. Rash anger needs to be controlled and examined before being allowed to vent itself as righteous indignation.

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:21

This “laying apart” is a determined looking-for and clearing-out of sin and worldliness. Christians are to be like seaworthy ships sailing on the ocean: sealed against the world seeping in, not sinking down into the world, yet out in the world itself. Christians who put too many worldly possessions or concerns into their ship may find themselves sinking down into worldliness. Furthermore, merely cleaning out our ships is not enough. We must re-stock them often with the Word of God. Like the hymnist who wrote “Dwelling in Beulah Land,” we need to be “feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply.”

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

James 1:22

Not only must Christians be reading the Word, but we must be DOING the Word. When we “consume” the Word of God it becomes part of who we are and it strengthens us.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

James 1:25

We grow in Christian maturity not only by actively serving, but by humbly submitting to God’s Word as we look into it and see both our shortcomings and the freedom given to us in Christ.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 1:27

There is a popular cliche’ which says that “Christianity is not a relgion; it’s a relationship,” and there’s an element of truth to that, but “religion” is not bad – IF it’s pure and undefiled.

David’s Reputation

March 25, 2021 at 12:12 pm | Posted in I Samuel | 8 Comments
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David as a young man was not slothful in business, and he was fervent in spirit. He was busy keeping sheep, and he risked his life to protect what his father and the Lord had given into his care.

Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

I Samuel 16:10-11  

And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

I Samuel 17:34-35

He had a godly character and reputation.

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

I Samuel 16:18

These are the things for which David was known as a young man, or what society would today call a “teenager.” He had what Proverbs 22:1 calls a “good name.” He was also gifted by God. He had “cunning in playing:” musical talent. He was “mighty” and “valiant:” known for overcoming problems. He was “a man of war:” a good fighter, someone who stood up for what is right. He was “prudent in matters:” smart. He was “a comely person:” good-looking. Perhaps people could say most or all of these things about you, but could they say, “The LORD is with him, or her?”

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

I Samuel 17:40-47

The true and factual account of David’s encounter with Goliath is often taught as an allegory about facing the “giants” in our lives, but Goliath wasn’t in David’s “life.” What David saw was an opportunity for God to get glory.

And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

I Samuel 17:28-29, emphasis added

But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.  And he Pilate said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.

Luke 23:21-22, emphasis added

There was a “cause” against Goliath.  There was not a “cause” against Jesus. There was a “cause” against us, but God, through the propitiation of Christ Jesus “justified” us “without a cause.” Justification means that when the devil asks God about us, “Is there not a cause” for our death? God can point to His Son on the Cross and still be “just.”

And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

I Samuel 17:57

David apparently was not averse to carrying around the grisly severed body parts of his enemies.

God Remembers and Rewards Faithfulness

March 16, 2021 at 2:47 pm | Posted in Joshua | 5 Comments
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Joshua Chapter 19 deals with the inheritance of six of the tribes of the nation of Israels: Simeon (Verse 1); Zebulun (Verse 10); Issachar (Verse 17); Asher (Verse 24); Naphtali (Verse 32); Dan (Verse 40). Benjamin was addressed in Chapter 18. Ephraim, Manasseh (Joseph’s sons), Reuben, Gad, and Judah had already been described. That covered 11 of the 12 tribes, leaving only Levi, which didn’t get an inheritance of land. The inheritance of the tribe of Levi was the Lord Himself, along with cities located throughtout the land where the Levites would be in charge of ministering directly to Him and leading the people in worship.

We might wonder why the Holy Spirit would make such an exhaustive list. The answer is not so that Bible students could one day pass a Biblical geography test. The reason is to show the completeness and extent to which God fulfills His promises. Also, it would remind all the tribes (and us today) that all God’s people are remembered by Him with specifity, not as nameless masses or groups, but as individuals. All “tribes” of God’s people are in equal in standing before Him, however diverse they may be in cultures, customs, locations, and vocations.

When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them: According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in mount Ephraim: and he built the city, and dwelt therein.

Joshua 19:49-50

This was another emphatic reminder that Joshua’s pre-wilderness faithfulness was remembered by God and should be an example for the people to emulate going forward.

Faith in the Gospel of John?

March 12, 2021 at 10:27 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
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Question: I know you have studied the Book of John. Somebody told me that John never mentions the word “faith.” If faith is such a big deal in the Bible, why isn’t it mentioned in John?

Answer: The English word “faith” is not used in the Gospel of John, but the word “believe” is used throughout John. The Greek word pistis is usually translated as “faith,” and the Greek word pisteuo is usually translated as “believe.” You can see that the Greek words are very similar, and the idea of faith in the Bible is usually synonymous with belief, so don’t get the idea that the concept of faith is alien to the Gospel of John. In fact, it is one of its most key concepts (John 1:7, 12; 2:23; 3:15-18, 36; 4:39-42, 53; 5:24; 6:29, 35, 40, 47, 69; 7:38-39; 9:35-38; 11:25-27, 40, 45, 12:11, 36, 42, 46; 13:19; 17:20; 19:35; 20:29-31).

Withstanding Temptation

March 10, 2021 at 3:30 pm | Posted in James | 4 Comments
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James was the earthly half-brother of Jesus, being born to Joseph and Mary through natural conception after Mary’s miraculous conception of Jesus and His virgin birth. The Book of James and the Gospel of Mark were probably the first two books of the New Testament to be written down. James was probably written around 45-50 A.D., approximately 15-20 years after Christ’s Ascension into Heaven.

The first chapter of James discusses two different types of temptation. The first is testing.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 1:2-4

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:12

The second type of temptation is the solicitation or allurement to sin.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:13-15

Christians are to “count” it joy when they are tested. Testing produces patience. Patience is a Christ-like response to troubles, which, through practice, makes us more like Christ. “Make me more like Jesus” is sometimes said to be a dangerous prayer. Rejection, loneliness, betrayal, earthly poverty, ridicule, suffering, and experiencing injustice can all make us more like Christ. The crown of life in James 1:12 signifies royalty, joy, victory, and honor.

Chrsistians MUST have patience and Christians MUST have wisdom.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

James 1:5

Wisdom is not knowledge; wisdom is understanding what God would have us to do with knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Remember to ask Him for it, and do not dare to trust yourself or anyone else or the world over God.

Technology is the result of knowledge: that’s an example of the right use of knowledge. But technology can be used for sin: then the result of knowledge becomes, not wisdom, but complete foolishness. Technology used to build a supersonic jet is knowledge, but flying in the wrong direction is not wisdom – it is foolishness.

If we MUST have wisdom, from where shall we get it?

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.

James 1:6-8

James was writing to CHRISTIANS. Unbelievers can ask God for wisdom, but, by principle, He does not respond to those prayers. Christians can access wisdom through prayer, but it must be a prayer of faith. Praying without faith is double-minded – it is testing God to see if He is Who He says He really is. The obligation of praying is not only praying and waiting, but praying and doing. When it comes to wisdom, pray about it. Believe you will receive wisdom. Then do it: apply the wisdom to your knowledge.

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:  But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

James 1:9-10

Christians should rejoice in whatever earthly promotions God sees fit to bestow upon them, but they must not covet earthly wealth.

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

James 1:11

In Heaven the streets may be paved with gold, but the idea is not so much that gold streets are really fancy. It is more that our most cherished and sought-after metal here on earth is the equivalent of mere asphalt in Heaven.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

James 1:13

Humans have a tendency to shift the blame for our own wrong-doing onto others, and ultimately onto God. The criminal justice system is filled with convicted felons who maintain that they were merely in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people. Even the first man, Adam, blamed God for his sin. Sin is very deceiving, partly because it looks so attractive. It sometimes glitters, but so does cheap glitter. It sometimes has a pleasant odor, but many foods smell delicious until they rot. Sin may look alive, pulsating, vibrant, but it is really dead, rotten, and corrupt underneath.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:15

Sinful lust is our own fault, and it is the beginning of destruction. It breeds sin, and sin breeds death. Watching and praying are safeguards against the temptation to sin. Staying busy doing good sounds boring and pedestrian and just hard, but it is a very practical and understandable way to keep from doing bad.

Do not err, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:16-17

Man has an amazing capacity to take the good things God gives us and twist and pervert them.

The Days of Our Lord

March 5, 2021 at 12:21 pm | Posted in Biblical Days, Joel | 3 Comments
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Lord, please bless each and every one of us now. I pray that we and our families would receive the gifts of good health, stable finances, peace with our neighbors, and joy like a river in our souls. If it brings glory to You, or helps to sanctify us, in Your good providence, then I pray you would take anything away from us that would make us self-centered or world-centered rather than Savior-centered and God-centered. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

The prophet Joel ministered around 800 B.C. in Judah during the reign of King Joash (835-796 B.C.). Joash became king at age seven. He had to learn on the job, mentored by the priest Jehoiada. Two of the biggest problems in Joel’s day were a locust plague and a drought. Joel prophesied concerning the “Day of the Lord.” Generally speaking, in the Bible there are three “Days of the Lord:” the one that’s here now; the one that’s just around the corner; and the ultimate Day of the Lord.

The immediate Day of the Lord: 

Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?  Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

Joel 1:2-4

Locusts ate the food staples, bread and grapes, but this was a picture of another Day of the Lord that was just around the corner: the Assyrian invasion.

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

Joel 2:1

And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Joel 2:11

God would use His people’s enemies.

The ultimate Day of the Lord will be what is known as the Tribulation. It will be preceded by a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Joel 2:28-32

There will be judgment against the enemies of the Jews.

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Joel 3:14

The “decision” in that verse is not referring to the decision of individuals as to whether or not to trust Christ for eternal salvation. It is a reference to Christ executing His decision to punish the gentile nations. Then, there will be blessings for Jerusalem:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

Joel 3:18

For God’s people to be RESTORED, God’s people must be CLEANSED.

But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

Joel 3:20-21

This is a good prayer to pray:

Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

Joel 2:17

God keeps His promises for His Own sake, and He uses His people to bring glory to His Own name.

Crossing Your Arms before God

March 3, 2021 at 3:58 pm | Posted in Joshua | 3 Comments
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And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,

Joshua 16:1

The borders were mapped out for the two tribes which descended from the children of Joseph. Joshua himself was of the tribe of Ephraim, but there was no favoritism. Instead, there is a prophetic backstory in this passage related to Jacob and the prophecy over his grandsons from Genesis 48.

So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

Joshua 16:4

This was the correct birth order: Manasseh was the elder brother. But now Ephraim’s inheritance is described first:

And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper;

Joshua 16:5

The tribe of Ephraim is given the priority over the tribe of the older brother, Manasseh, which was very much contrary to tradition. This reminds us of what happened in Genesis 48 when Joseph brought his sons to his father, Jacob, who was blind at that point in his life. Assuming that the firstborn would receive the official patriarchal blessing, Jospeh positioned them before Jacob in such a way that he could touch the firstborn’s head with his right hand, and the younger brother’s head with his left hand. But Jacob crossed his arms! The younger received the blessing that ostensibly was supposed to go to the older. Joseph tried to help his poor doddering old father get it straightened out, but Jacob knew what he was doing.

His prophecy and blessing over the boys amounted to a statement that the younger son’s heirs would be named before the older son’s heirs, and we see the fulfillment of that in Joshua 16.

God is not bound to honor or fulfill our personal expectations. He often does the unexpected from our point of view, which, somewhat ironically, is probably what we should expect from a God Whose ways and thoughts are infinitely greater and higher than ours. “Don’t put God in a box” is the wrong-headed plea of those who critcize faithful Christians for limiting their view of what God can do to what is revealed in the Bible, but, the fact is, the Bible is the most secure guide when it comes to us trying to understand God’s character and His dealings. The Bible itself reminds us that God behaves in perfect adherence to his Divine attributes when He sovereignly makes choices and ordains outcomes according to His pure unmerited and free grace.

The remainder of Joshua Chapter 16 deals with the details of the proportions and boundaries of the inhertied property in Canaan, and, despite our tendency to find such lists lacking a poignant impact, we do need to remember their importance. Also, Chapter 16 does end on an ominous note.

And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

Joshua 16:10

There was a verse like this in Chapter 15 and there will be another one in Chapter 17, indicating a trend. God’s plans and directions need to be FULFILLED, not merely “partly fulfilled” (an oxymoron). Much, if not all, of the tragedy in the Book of Judges could have been avoided if the Gezers and the Jebusites and the Megiddos, etc., had been completely driven out of Canaan when God told His people to do it.


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