Quote for Wednesday 08 May 2024   ^#150

The book of Job is one of the three great poetical books, including Psalms and Proverbs. They teach men about God and about themselves.

In chapter 23 Job is still in the midst of suffering, but with the Holy Spirit is lifted out of his misery and given an eye to the future. When times get tough, we need to think like Job.

Here we see new hope resting in Job's heart. He is sustained to persevere in faith because he is convinced that God is his saviour.

Jesus gives us a very clear and honest picture of the Christian life in these verses. What is a believer? What does it mean to "come after" him?

Peter was swayed by legalistic brethren.

He was the one who said, "Though all deny you, I will never deny you". Now here we see him intimidated by the legalistic mob, so that a little maid causes him to deny the Saviour.

Peter was intimidated by powerful personalities. He still believed the gospel, but he failed to practise it because of the pressure exerted on him.
Fear of man not only brings a snare, it also produces hypocrisy.

There is a need to admonish one another. It's something we should be doing when needed, but be sure our motives are right. Is it for the honour of Christ? Or is it to get back at a brother who was cruel towards me and my family?

When a person sets about rebuilding something that was useless, fit only for demolition, he's admitting that what he did was a mistake. Is that what Peter is saying? That going to Cornelius's household was a mistake?

We cannot set aside the grace of God by going back to law-keeping. If a man can be saved by his own works, will, and doings, then Christ's death was an unnecessary, shameful torture. Works religion is such an abomination to God because it makes the death of Christ meaningless.

From this verse two questions arise, which Christians should regularly ask: Can God be trusted? Do you trust God?

Reading Mark 8:1-26, sermon 8:22-26

Reading of Isaiah chapter 53 before the main message. Three important lessons we can learn from this passage: 1. The most earnest believer can get things wrong, 2. the most wonderful confession can be followed by the most terrible stumbling, and 3. the most undeserving sinner can be saved.

A look at one of the kings of Israel.

Paul wrote Galatians to warn Christians about a false gospel that was affecting the churches in Galatia. False teachers were teaching that it was not enough to believe, but one must also be circumcised. In other words, the Gentiles must become Jews. The false teachers were denying the doctrine that we know as Justification by Faith Alone. We would describe it as Christ Plus Teaching. Why is the preaching of the cross offensive? Three reasons are considered in this talk.

We have four verbs relating to God in the last two verses: v24: God heard and God remembered v25: God looked upon and God had respect unto. What is God like? What does he do and how does he act towards his people? We can see the answer from looking at how he acted in Moses's day.

When Paul was Saul, the emphasis was on what he had done. "I persecuted the church of God, I advanced, was more exceedingly zealous, etc." It was all about him. Now that he's converted there is a very different note in his message. It's all about what the Lord has done. Now Paul's life is a means of revealing Christ in him, the hope of glory. The Spirit produces his fruit in unaccustomed soil. God wants to reveal his son in us. Like John the baptiser, "I must decrease, he must increase."