Christ is All!: November 2020

Sunday, November 29, 2020

15 Biblical Reasons Racism Is Evil And God Hates It

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3

Intro: Racial/ethnic tensions, conflict, & anger have been high and intense this past year in the U. S. My calling as a pastor is to keep reminding us of what God’s Word says about race, ethnicity, & racism – in hopes that God would change our hearts to be more in line with His heart & use us to help change the hearts of those around us.

Racism: It’s the sin of partiality (Webster’s 1828): Inclination to favor one party or one side of a question more than the other; an undue bias of mind towards one party or side, which is apt to warp the judgment. Partiality springs from the [sinful] will and affections, rather than from a love of truth and justice.

Racism: Hatred for a person or group of people because of their skin color or ethnicity that results in injustices done to them. A failure to love your neighbor as yourself because of ethnic differences. A failure to do unto others what you wish they would do unto you because of ethnic differences (Matthew 7:12). Racism is evil.

Our problem is that we are all born "me" supremacists! We are all born evil. God is our only hope. He has a plan!

1. Racism Is Evil Because All People Are Made In God’s Image

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. Genesis 9:6

what is man that you are mindful of him, & the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings & crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep & oxen & also the beasts of the field . . . . Psalm 8:4-7

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:9-10

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. Romans 8:29

2. Racism Is Evil Because God Designed All The Different Ethnicities

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Acts 17:26-27

3. Racism Is Evil Because God Determined From The Beginning To Save People From All Nations

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families [tribes, peoples] of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3

4. Racism Is Evil Because God Hates Injustice

He who justifies the wicked & he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. Proverbs 17:15

You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. Exodus 23:2-3

You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Leviticus 19:15

You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 16:18-20

How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:2-4

It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. Proverbs 18:5

So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." Acts 10:34-35

5. Racism Is Evil Because Of The Second Greatest Commandment

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:36-40

6. Racism Is Evil Because Of The Golden Rule

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law & the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

7. Racism Is Evil Because It's Diametrically Opposed To Numerous Other Commands In Scripture

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. Philippians 2:1-8

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:5-10

8. Racism Is Evil Because Jesus Died For All Nations

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation . . . ." Revelation 5:9

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" Revelation 7:9-10

9. Racism Is Evil Because God Smiles On Inter-Ethnic Marriage

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it . . . And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed. When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. Numbers 12:1-2, 9-10

John Calvin: because they were unable to allege any grounds, upon which Moses in himself was not far their superior, they seek to bring disgrace upon him on account of his wife; as if in half of himself he was inferior to them, because he had married a woman who was not of their own race, but a foreigner. They, therefore, cast ignominious aspersions upon him in the person of his wife, as if it were not at all becoming that he should be accounted the prince and head of the people, since his wife, and the companion of his bed, was a Gentile woman.

a. God Delights In Inter-ethnic Marriage Because He Ordained That Inter-ethnic Marriages Of Israelites With God Fearing Gentiles Be In The Genealogy Of Jesus Christ: (Matthew 1:5: Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab (Canaanite), and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth (Moabite))

b. God Delights In Inter-ethnic Marriage Because The Model Marriage – The Greatest Of All Marriages – Is An Inter-ethnic Marriage: The marriage which all other godly marriages are to be modeled after and point to; the most beautiful, glorious, loving, satisfying, holy marriage – the marriage of all marriages – is an inter-ethnic marriage: a Jewish carpenter and crucified and risen King, married to a bride from every tribe and tongue and people and nation!

10. Racism Is Evil Because It’s At Odds With God’s Design For The Church

Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. John 17:11

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. Ephesians 2:14-16

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:11

11. Racism Is Evil Because God Forbids Partiality

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring & fine clothing comes into your assembly, & a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, & if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing & say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves & become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith & heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, & the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin & are convicted by the law as transgressors. James 2:1-9

12. Racism Is Evil Because We All Came From One Man

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth . . . . Acts 17:26

13. Racism Is Evil Because God Hates It

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19

O you who love the LORD, hate evil! Psalm 97:10

Remember: we are all born "me" supremacists! We are all born evil. God is our only hope. He has a plan!

The GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST! Jesus, the God-Man, lived a perfectly obedient life. He then died on that cross and took the wrath of God that we deserve upon Himself. There He died, but then He rose up from the dead on the third day so that all people who turn from their sins and trust in Him shall be saved!

14. Racism Is Evil Because God Loves Every Nation And Every Person He Has Made

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3

15. Racism Is Evil Because God Says So

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Our Only Hope:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus Christ The Perfect Jew
Made All Tribes In Every Hue
In God’s Image Through And Through
From One Man All Came It’s True
But Since All Sinned Our Love Withdrew
With Racism Our Hatred Brew
So Jesus Came To All Subdue
He Died For Sinners LORD Thank You
Then Rose And Made All Death Untrue
In Christ All Racist Sins Undo
Between The Tutsi And Hutu
Between All Blacks And Whites And Blue
In Christ We’re One And Love Pursue
So Trust The Perfect God-Man Jew
He’ll Change Your Life And Make You New!

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

"That's My King!" Who Alone Kills Racism!

Jesus Christ The Perfect Jew
Made All Tribes In Every Hue
In God's Image Through And Through
From One Man All Came It's True
But Since All Sinned Our Love Withdrew
With Racism Our Hatred Brew
So Jesus Came To All Subdue
He Died For Sinners LORD Thank You
Then Rose And Made All Death Untrue
In Christ All Racist Sins Undo
Between The Tutsi And Hutu
Between All Blacks And Whites And Blue
In Christ We're One And Love Pursue
So Trust The Perfect God-Man Jew
He'll Change Your Life And Make You New!

That's my King! I wonder if you know Him today?!

Thursday, November 19, 2020

"That's My King!" In Psalm 136!

Jesus Christ Gave Thanks And Praise
To His LORD And God Always
He's Lord of lords Whose Words Amaze
He Died To Free Us From Hell's Blaze
Then From The Tomb We Saw Him Raise
We Celebrate This All Sundays
He Conquered Death New Life Displays
So Trust The Son And All His Ways
He'll Never Leave And Never Strays
But For Your Peace Forever Stays
So On His Steadfast Love Let's Gaze
You'll Thank And Praise Him All Your Days!

That's my King! Do you know Him?!

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Giving Up Your Ring For The Glory Of The King Who Forever Makes You Sing!

Elisabeth Elliot, in her excellent book Quest For Love: True Stories Of Passion And Purity, told the story of how Jonathan Goforth and Rosalind Bell-Smith met, fell in love, and got engaged without an engagement ring for the sake of getting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unreached peoples of the world. It's my favorite engagement story of all time (except for Jesus coming for His Bride and Boaz and Ruth!). You can also hear Elisabeth read the story in this podcast. I hope and pray God will raise up numerous young followers of Christ in our own day to follow their example and free up millions of dollars so that the Gospel might go to the nations!

“Let the nations be glad and sing for joy . . . .” Psalm 67:4

She gave up the joy of a ring

All for the glory of her King

Because the God-Man made her sing!

Update: I finally found (was given by God!) a girl who would pursue Christ like this with me!

Here is the story, told by Elisabeth Elliot, of how Rosalind Bell-Smith fell in love with Jonathan Goforth:

Rosalind Bell-Smith, born in London in 1864, was twelve years old when she heard a sermon on John 3:16 at a revival meeting. The love of God was presented with such fervor and intensity that she yielded herself absolutely to Christ and stood up, along with others, to confess Him publicly as her Lord and Master.

Her father having been an artist, she grew up with a great love for art and went to art school in Toronto. But there was a strong pull in two opposite directions: Should she give her life to painting or should she serve her Master to whom she belonged? In her mind the two were mutually exclusive. When she was twenty she began to pray that if married life was what God wanted for her, He would give her a husband “wholly given up to Him and His service. I wanted no other.”

One day in June 1885, she joined a group of art students bound for a [lunch outing] at Niagara Falls. On the same boat as they crossed the lake was another party, headed for a Bible conference. She envied the latter group – her heart was more with them than with her own crowd. On the return trip that evening both groups were on the boat again, plus others who had been at the Bible conference. The Bible teacher recognized Rosalind as the organist in the church where he had spoken the previous Sunday and invited her to join a mission group the following Saturday.

“We are to have a workers’ meeting and tea, and I would like you to meet them all.” She was on the point of saying this was impossible when her brother whispered, “You have no time. You are going to England.” Partly to show her brother that she would do as she pleased (“and what a trifle can turn the course of a life!” she said later), she accepted the invitation on the spot.

As the teacher turned to leave, he called to a friend who looked to Rosalind like a “very shabby fellow.” He was introduced as Jonathan Goforth, “our city missionary.” “I forgot the shabbiness of his clothes, however, for the wonderful challenge in his eyes!” she wrote.

“The following Saturday found me in the large, square workers’ room of the Toronto Mission Union. Chairs were set all around the walls, but the center was empty. Just as the meeting was about to begin, Jonathan Goforth was called out. He had been sitting across the corner from me with several people between. As he rose, he placed his Bible on the chair.”

“Then something happened which I could never explain, nor try to excuse. Suddenly I felt literally impelled to step across, past four or five people, take up the Bible and return to my seat. Rapidly I turned the leaves and found the Book worn almost to shreds in parts and marked from cover to cover. Closing the Book, I quickly returned it to the chair, and returning to my seat, I tried to look very innocent. It had all happened within a few moments, but as I sat there, I said to myself, ‘That is the man I would like to marry!’”

“That very day, I was chosen as one of a committee to open a new mission in the east end of Toronto, Jonathan Goforth being also on the same committee. In the weeks that followed I had many opportunities to glimpse the greatness of the man which even a shabby exterior could not hide. So when, in that autumn he said, ‘Will you join your life with mine for China?’ my answer was yes, without a moment’s hesitation.”

“But a few days later when he said, ‘Will you give me your promise that always you will allow me to put my Lord and His work first, even before you?’ I gave an inward gasp before replying, ‘Yes, I will, always,’ for was not this the very kind of man I had prayed for? (Oh, kind Master, to hide from Thy servant what that promise would cost!)”

“A few days after my promise was given, the first test in keeping it came. I had been (woman-like) indulging in dreams of the beautiful engagement ring that was soon to be mine. Then Jonathan came to me and said, ‘You will not mind, will you, if I do not get an engagement ring?’ He then went on to tell with the greatest enthusiasm of the distributing of books and pamphlets on China from his room in Knox [College]. Every cent was needed for this important work. As I listened and watched his glowing face, the visions I had indulged in of the beautiful engagement ring vanished. This was my first lesson in real values.”

Dr. and Mrs. Goforth sailed for China in February 1888 and served there until 1935. He celebrated his seventy-sixth birthday on board ship, bound for Canada, where he died the following year.

From: Elisabeth Elliot, Quest For Love, (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1997), 156-158. Direct quotations in the story were taken from Rosalind Goforth, Goforth of China (Minneapolis: Bethany, n.d.), 47-49.

By her love for the King
She gave up the ring
And though there's some sting
For passing the bling
To Christ she shall cling
Who forever makes her sing!

Financial Giving To Reach The Unreached Nations With The Gospel

This is the great imbalance:

Out of the 7 billion people in the world, 2 billion have never even heard the name of Jesus. Only 5% of the people that get Biblical training plan on going into missions. Of those 5%, only 9.6% go to the unreached people groups and they receive only 1% of the church’s money. George Murray, All Nations Family

If you would like to give to faithful missionaries and mission agencies seeking to reach the unreached peoples of the world, consider giving here:

1. Family serving in North Africa (Contact me for more information about how to give)

2. Mark and Esther Jeong in Japan

3. Muslim Mountain Minorities Team with the IMB

4. Radius International

5. Reaching & Teaching

6. HeartCry

God And The Gospel

To learn more about the great and true Triune God, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, His cross, and His glorious Gospel message and everlasting Kingship, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.

More Resources On Godly Romance And Maximizing Your Use Of God's Money For His Gory

1. You can read more about the Goforth's story here: Jonathan Goforth: The Holy Spirit's Man in China

2. Another excellent book from Elisabeth Elliot on dating and relationships is Passion And Purity: Learning To Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control. She gave several talks on this topic here.

3. An article I wrote on God and money: The Place Of My Birth (Valdese, NC), My Views On Money, And Peter Waldo

(The original website: Go Forth For Christ Project)

Thursday, November 12, 2020

36 Encouragements To Read, Study, Meditate On, Obey, And Delight In God's Holy Word

Psalm 119:20: My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

The point of this sermon is to convince your mind and excite your heart about the truthfulness, beauty, power, and sufficiency of God’s Word so that your will might be moved and encouraged to pursue God in His Word during the year 2021 like you have never pursued Him before! And, if you’ve not been pursuing God in His Word as you should, then another point of this sermon is to tan your hide (convict of sin) so that you might repent and begin to pursue God in His Word as you should.

Ligon Duncan: This Psalm shows us both why we should value God’s Word & how we should value God’s Word.

We need new hearts so God’s Word will not be burdensome: Ezekiel 36:26-27; Jeremiah 31:33

1. Believers Are Holy, Blameless, And Blessed To The Degree That They Obey God’s Word

Psalm 119:1: Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!

Psalm 119:9: How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

2. Believers Desire To Obey God’s Word

Psalm 119:5: Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

3. The Desire Believers Have For God And For His Word Cannot Be Separated

Psalm 119:2-3: Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!

Psalm 119:7: I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.

Psalm 119:10: With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!

4. Believers Desire And Delight In God’s Word

Psalm 119:20: My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

Psalm 119:14: In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.

Psalm 119:72: The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Psalm 119:103: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:24: Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

Psalm 119:131: I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.

Psalm 119:162: I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

Psalm 146:3-10: Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

Proverbs 21:1: The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

5. Believers Tell Others God’s Word

Psalm 119:13: With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.

John Calvin: In this verse he declares that the law of God was not only deeply engraven on his own heart, but that it was his earnest and strenuous endeavor to gain over many of his fellow-disciples into subjection to God.

Evangelism: Declaring the Gospel to lost sinners.

Discipleship: Helping Christians grow in the knowledge of God and holiness and Christ-likeness.

Our Children: Please teach your children the Gospel and the Bible. Catechism!

6. Believers Focus On God’s Word In Times Of Trouble

Psalm 119:95: The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies.

Isaiah 40:15-18, 21-23: Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? . . . Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

7. Believers Are Certain Of The Absolute Perfection And Eternal Nature Of God’s Word

Psalm 119:96: I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

John Collins: The Lord’s broad commandment has no limit to its perfection, because it partakes of God’s own limitless perfection.

Psalm 119:89: Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.

Luke 21:33: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

8. Believers Get Life From God’s Word

Psalm 119:25: My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!

Spurgeon: it expresses the spiritual change by which a child of Adam becomes a child of God.

1 Peter 1:23: you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God

9. Believers Get Strength From God Through God’s Word

Psalm 119:28: My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!

10. Believers Avoid False Teaching By Knowing God’s Word

Psalm 119:29: Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!

11. God Enables Believers To Understand And Obey His Word

Psalm 119:33-36: Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

12. Believers Trust In God’s Word

Psalm 119:41-43: Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.

13. Believers Obey God From The Heart, Persevere, And Endure With The Help Of God’s Word

Psalm 119:112: I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.

Psalm 119:44: I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.

14. Believers Experience Freedom Through God’s Word

Psalm 119:45: I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

Ligon Duncan: True freedom is being who God made you to be and doing what God tells you to do.

15. Believers Love And Meditate On God’s Word

Psalm 119:47-48: I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.

Psalm 119:97: Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Spurgeon: O how love I thy law! It is a note of exclamation. He loves so much that he must express his love, and in making the attempt he perceives that it is inexpressible - and therefore cries, "O how I love!" We not only reverence but love the law, we obey it out of love, and even when it chides us for disobedience we love it none the less. The law is God's law, and therefore it is our love. We love it for its holiness, and pine to be holy; we love it for its wisdom, and study to be wise; we love it for its perfection, and long to be perfect. Those who know the power of the gospel perceive an infinite loveliness in the law as they see it fulfilled and embodied in Christ Jesus. It is my meditation all the day. This was both the effect of his love and the cause of it. He meditated in God's word because he loved it, and then loved it the more because he meditated in it. He could not have enough of it, so ardently did he love it: all the day was not too long for his converse with it. His main prayer, his noonday thought, his evensong were all out of Holy Writ; yea, in his worldly business he still kept his mind saturated with the law of the Lord. It is said of some men that the more you know them the less you admire them; but the reverse is true of God's word. Familiarity with the word of God breeds affection, and affection seeks yet greater familiarity. When "thy law," and "my meditation" are together all the day, the day grows holy, devout, and happy, and the heart lives with God. [The Psalmist] turned away from all else; for in the preceding verse he tells us that he had seen an end of all perfection; but he turned in unto the law and tarried there the whole day of his life on earth, growing henceforth wiser and holier even sick of love, as the church saith, she was sick of love towards Christ: so seemeth the prophet to be sick of love towards the word of God.

16. Believers Are Comforted By God’s Word

Psalm 119:52: When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O LORD.

Isaiah 26:3: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

17. Believers Sing God’s Word

Psalm 119:54: Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.

Psalm 119:171-172: My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes. My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.

18. The Delight Believers Have In God Motivates Them To Obey God’s Word

Psalm 119:57: The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words.

19. God’s Word Moves And Motivates Believers To Praise God

Psalm 119:62: At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.

Psalm 119:164: Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.

20. Believers Call Affliction And Suffering Good Because It Causes Them To Learn God’s Word

Psalm 119:71: It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

Spurgeon: If we would be scholars, we must be sufferers.

21. Believers Seek God’s Word

Psalm 119:45: I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.

Psalm 119:94: I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.

22. God’s Word Makes Believers Wise

Psalm 119:98-100: Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

Spurgeon: Disciples of Christ who sit at his feet are often better skilled in divine things than doctors of divinity. For thy testimonies are my meditation. This is the best mode of acquiring understanding. We may hear the wisest teachers and remain fools, but if we meditate upon the sacred word we must become wise. There is more wisdom in the testimonies of the Lord than in all the teachings of men if they were all gathered into one vast library. The one book outweighs all the rest.

Acts 4:13: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

23. God’s Word Motivates Believers To Turn From Evil

Psalm 119:101: I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.

D. A. Carson: Pastor was committing adultery; reading God’s Word convicted him; he confessed and resigned

John Piper's Mom: She wrote in his Bible: "This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book."

24. God’s Word Shows Believers How To Live

Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

25. Believers Remember God’s Word, Even In The Face Of Death

Psalm 119:109: I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.

Spurgeon: It is a special proof of grace when nothing can drive truth out of our thoughts, or holiness out of our lives. If we remember the law even when death stares us in the face, we may be well assured that the Lord is remembering us.

26. God’s Word Is The Heritage And Joy Of Believers’ Hearts

Psalm 119:111: Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

John Calvin: The law of God was more precious to him than all the pleasures, riches, and possessions of the world.

27. Believers Love God’s Word Because It Promises Judgment And Justice

Psalm 119:119: All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.

28. Believers Tremble At God’s Word

Psalm 119:120: My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.

Isaiah 66:2: All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

29. Believers Are Sad When Others Don’t Obey God’s Word

Psalm 119:136: My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

30. Believers Know And Believe Everything In God’s Word Is Righteous, Good, And True

Psalm 119:137-138: Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your rules. 138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness.

Psalm 119:151: But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true.

Psalm 119:160: The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

31. Believers Make Pursuing God In His Word A Priority In Their Lives

Psalm 119:148: My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.

32. Believers Stand In Awe Of God’s Word

Psalm 119:161: Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

Gideon Bibles: The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, & the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, & its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, & practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, & comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword & the Christian’s charter. Here too, Heaven is opened & the gates of Hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, & the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, & guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, & prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, & a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, & be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, & will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

33. Believers Find Peace And Stability In God’s Word

Psalm 119:165: Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

34. Believers Obey God’s Word And They Obey From The Heart

Psalm 119:166-168: I hope for your salvation, O LORD, and I do your commandments. My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly. I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you.

John Calvin: By the word soul, he expresses still more forcibly than before, that he had the doctrine of the law enclosed within the deepest recesses of his heart.

35. Believers Are Helped Through God’s Word

Psalm 119:175: Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.

36. God And His Word Are Worthy For Believers To Suffer And To Even Die For

Psalm 119:69: The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts

Psalm 119:87: They have almost made an end of me on earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.

Who is the greatest Man Who ever lived Who died for the sake of God and His Word?

The Word Made Flesh: John 1:1-3, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Christ’s Passion Was God’s Holy Word
To Turn From It Would Be Absurd
He Loved It Did It Spoke It Heard
And Was The Word In Flesh Conferred
Yet Though He Did All Undeterred
God’s Wrath On Him Fell Fully Stirred
He Died Then Stomped On Death The Third
By Faith His Righteousness Transferred
In Him Your Sin Has Been Interred
So Now Like Him You Love The Word
And Trust And Do It As Preferred!

I strongly encourage you to consider and pray about reading the whole Bible each year. Here are two Bible reading plans to consider:

The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan

Robert Murray M‘Cheyne’s Bible Reading Plan

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Poem For The Unborn

Made In God’s Image For Your Glory LORD
Innocent Babies They’d Kill With The Sword

Your Anger Rages Against Such Vile Sin
Come Now Lord Jesus Your Judgment Begin!

Knitted Together In Her Mother’s Womb
Doctors Still Slaughter And Make It A Tomb
Guilty Of Bloodshed For Murder They’ll Be
Open Their Eyes So That Christ They Might See!

Before We Were Born God Knew Us By Name
Abortion: Parents’ Unthinkable Shame
In Christ Forgiven And Cleansed We Are Saved
No More To Murder Or Sin We’re Enslaved!

Leaped In The Womb When Jesus He Sensed
John Had God’s Spirit From When Life Commenced
Oh Can’t You See It’s Children They Kill
Father Please Change Hearts! Be Merciful Still!

Christ Is The Savior From All Of Our Sins
Conquered Abortion O’er All Evil Wins
He Died And Rose Crushed All That Is Death
Live For Him Always With Each Given Breath!