Todays scripture...

[Quick Steel]

Willy, I just wanted to let you know that I especially appreciate when you have a brief verse or two from scripture that I can think about. Normally I don't have sufficient time to read your more developed commentaries. But as an example, today's scripture works perfectly for me. Keep up the good work.

[WillyCamaro]

Willy, I just wanted to let you know that I especially appreciate when you have a brief verse or two from scripture that I can think about. Normally I don't have sufficient time to read your more developed commentaries. But as an example, today's scripture works perfectly for me. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for the feedback brother!

That's exactly how I'm thinking, a well-rounded blog should be run. Individual verses + commentary to dwell on. I try to focus on a general topic, before moving on-to the next. Helps for easier reading, better study; instead of bouncing around all over the place...

[WillyCamaro]

The Angel of Light

2 Corinthians 11:14–15 “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (vv. 14–15a).

Second Corinthians 11:14–15 contains perhaps the most important bit of information all believers need to remember concerning the nature of Satan and his work. Paul tells us in today’s passage that the Devil “disguises himself as an angel of light” (v. 14). Of course, Satan and his minions are often the direct source of much of the outright perversity and evil that we see on this planet. However, since he is the “father of lies” (John 8:44), the Evil One would much rather approach us in the guise of something good and not something wicked. If he came at us blatantly, Satan would be easy to resist. We are more likely to embrace his lies if he approaches us under the guise of the good.

With respect to his influence on believers, the Adversary comes at us to accuse us and tempt us. The Devil can often appear to us as an angel of light when he works to accuse us. The story of Job gives a good example of the accusatory nature of Satan. Appearing before God on His throne, Satan once accused Job of being upright only because the Lord had blessed him (Job 1:6–11). In like manner, the Devil likes to remind us of our sin, to tell us the Father cannot possibly love us because we always serve Him with mixed motives. This work is very hard to distinguish from the work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of our wickedness and makes us feel the pain of offending God as well as the terrible sense that we are absent from His presence. Yet the Holy Spirit always wounds us so that He may bring healing and restoration with the Father (Ps. 147:1–3). Satan’s work of accusation only keeps us away from God and paralyzes us with the horror of sin, preventing us from serving the Lord and others. This is why we must remember God’s grace in the Gospel. True, every sin is deeply offensive to the Lord, but in light of our justification (Rom. 8:31–39) no charge can be laid against us. When we repent, God really does forgive us.

Our Creator is sovereign, not the Devil. As the story of Job also illustrates, anything that Satan does is done only because the Father has permitted it (Job 1:12). Sometimes God lets the Evil One tempt us and assault us, but even in these cases our Lord’s purpose is our ultimate good and His final glory (Rom. 8:28).

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Today we can rejoice because the accuser of the brethren has been cast down and defeated (Rev. 12:7–12). Even though he rages on the earth because he knows his time is short, none of his charges can ever stick against those in Christ because we have been declared righteous in Him. If you feel as if God cannot forgive you for the things you have done, then your view of God is not biblical. He can and does pardon all those who repent and trust Jesus alone.

For further study: Deuteronomy 13:1–5

[WillyCamaro]

1 Timothy 2:5-6
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

[WillyCamaro]

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

[WillyCamaro]

Isaiah 1:18
"Come now, and let us reason together", saith the Lord: "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

[WillyCamaro]

Philippians 2:14-15
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

[WillyCamaro]

The Purpose of the Parables

Matthew 13:12–17 “Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (v. 17).

Our study today will examine the purpose of parables. Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:12–15 that He speaks in parables to hide the secrets of the kingdom from some and reveal them to others (Matt. 13:12–15). This does not mean His parables are full of esoteric information that only a select few can grasp with their minds. Christ’s enemies often understand exactly what His parables mean (see 21:33–46); the problem is their refusal to trust His teaching about Himself and God’s kingdom. The difficulty the Pharisees have is moral and thus volitional, not intellectual. They choose not to believe our Savior’s words. Those who take up their cross gain more access to kingdom truth; those who reject Him lose whatever insight they had (13:12). Matthew Henry says parables make the things of God “more plain and easy” to those willing to be taught, and “at the same time more difficult and obscure to those who [are] willfully ignorant.”

A person’s final response to the parables reveals whether or not he is elect. Today’s passage assumes that God chooses to save only part of sinful humanity; the rest He leaves to harden themselves in their sin (Rom. 9:1–18). As Dr. R.C. Sproul has taught on many occasions, God does not create unbelief and is not culpable when sinners do not respond to the parables with saving faith. Yet this hardening is not outside the scope of our Creator’s sovereign plan. He sends Jesus to speak in parables so that the rebellious will rage against Him more fiercely and manifest the justness of their condemnation (Matt. 13:13–15; Rom. 9:19–24). The Almighty decrees that those whom His grace passes over will hate His Son. And those whom His grace passes over do choose to hate His Son without coercion. We are always free to do what we want, but apart from God’s grace we do not want to love Jesus. John Calvin writes that the Lord opens a man’s ears “and that no man obtains or accomplishes this by his own industry.”

We would be amiss to emphasize the parables’ hardening purpose over the gratitude Jesus encourages in the elect. Our focus is not to be on why God has not chosen some. Instead, we must be thankful that He has made us, who are no more deserving than the reprobate, to see the kingdom (Matt. 13:16–17).

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

We should marvel at God’s grace every time we recall that we have trusted Christ alone for our salvation. Before the Lord quickened us, we were dead in sin and had no desire at all to know or serve Him. But by His Spirit our Creator overcame this stubbornness and changed our hearts, enabling us to believe the Gospel. Take time today to thank God for His matchless grace and remember that your deeds contribute nothing to your salvation.

[WillyCamaro]

You Must Be Born Again

John 3:1–3 “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (v. 3).

Many of the passages that we will study this month are occupied with the condition of the heart and the planting of the Gospel in ready soil (Matt. 13:18–30, 36–43; 15:1–20). The Bible, of course, has much to say on this subject, emphasizing our need to have our hearts renewed or, as we commonly say in theology, regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Dr. R.C. Sproul will help us understand the topic of regeneration more comprehensively as we follow his teaching series Born Again during the next week.

Language that points to the concept of regeneration has been common in American culture since 1976 when Jimmy Carter, who claimed to be a “born-again Christian,” was elected president of the United States. The term regeneration comes from two Greek words that can be literally translated as “born again,” but most people probably do not think of regeneration immediately when they hear this phrase. Indeed, there is much confusion over what it means to be “born again” because many who claim to be Christians think and live just like pagans. It does not help the situation either when we see various denominations defining regeneration differently from one another.

We will address some of these realities over the next few days, but at this point note that every Christian denomination has a doctrine of regeneration. This is because Jesus Himself declares that we all need to be “born again.” One of the most important passages on this topic is Jesus’ famous encounter with Nicodemus in John 3:1–21. Christ does not pull any punches here, telling Nicodemus that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v. 3). Regeneration, being reborn spiritually and receiving a heart of flesh in place of a heart of stone (Ezek. 11:19–20), is absolutely necessary to see the Father.

For many of the Pharisees this was a strange concept. Many of them believed they were entitled to the kingdom because they were physical descendants of Abraham. Yet no one is born a child of the kingdom, and one’s family ties matter not if the Holy Spirit has not changed the heart (John 8:31–59). There is no way around it, we are not children of God if we are not born again.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Many people are sitting in our pews today unaware that they must be born again. It is possible to grow up in the church and never put your faith in Jesus personally even if you have been baptized and confirmed. Have you been born again? Has your heart been changed so that you love the things of God? These are questions we all should be asking ourselves, especially if we have been in the church all our lives, lest we take the state of our souls for granted.

[WillyCamaro]

Jeremiah 17:7
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

[WillyCamaro]

1 Corinthians 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

[WillyCamaro]

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

[Meridian_Mike]

I love that scripture....

It shows us how to get God's favor. Too bad there are so many UNWILLING to do these simple things.

Amen

[WillyCamaro]

I love that scripture....

It shows us how to get God's favor. Too bad there are so many UNWILLING to do these simple things.

Amen

To clarify Mike, we can't "get God's favor". Because it imply's we can work for grace, we can't.

Flip it around; God gives His favor to His son, Jesus. And by Jesus shedding His blood on the cross, we freely receive Gods favor through Him.

General society cannot receive his blessings, because people are dead in their sins . Only through a massive revival, can He turn things around. Otherwise we see the continued decline of society into wickedness, just look @ Europe of example...

[WillyCamaro]

Regeneration Is Permanent

Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (v. 6).

We conclude our brief study of regeneration today with an examination of its permanency. One of the most important questions we can answer is whether or not the new birth is something that can be lost. If God has regenerated a person, can that person return permanently to a state of degeneracy?

Looking at Scripture as a whole, it is clear that those who are transformed by the Holy Spirit will continue in that state until the end of life. Many passages of the Bible teach this doctrine, one of the most important being Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians in today’s passage. In 1:6, the apostle clearly proclaims the permanency of regeneration. God will bring the good work He started in us to completion. The Lord never aborts the person that He has quickened.

This is comforting because we know that if it were up to us, none of us would be able to die in a state of grace. This does not mean that sanctification is passive or that we should sit back and let God do all of the work. Paul tells us in Philippians to work out our salvation in fear and trembling (2:12). Nevertheless, God undergirds all of our efforts to pursue maturity in Christ. His sovereign presence and saving power is what ultimately keeps us in the faith (v. 13).

The fact that regeneration is permanent does not mean that believers cannot fall into sin, even heinous ones. Simon Peter illustrates this truth well. Remember that he committed the worst sin of all, denying the Lord and Master who would redeem His soul (Matt. 26:69–75). But Peter did not remain in sin forever; he came to repent of his sin and found restoration in Christ Jesus (John 21:15–19). For this reason we must always turn to the Lord even if we have transgressed His will most grievously. He will restore us when we humbly confess our sin, and this confession is an outward evidence of repentance and the staying power of regeneration in our hearts (1 John 1:8–10).

Furthermore, we should also pray for those who seem to have fallen from the faith. We do not know their most inner thoughts, and they may be regenerate, though in sin. Therefore, we pray for their hearts to be softened that they might bear the fruit of the new birth once more.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

The permanency of our regeneration is something we must not take for granted. Knowing that we have been born again should motivate us to live out this truth by heeding the many warnings in Scripture against unbelief (Heb. 6:1–12). If we do not heed these warnings and repent when necessary, we reveal that we are still slaves to sin and must question whether we have been born again in the first place (Rom. 6:1–2, 15–16). What sins do you need to repent over this day?

[WillyCamaro]

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (you having been firmly rooted and established in love), 18 in order that you may be strong enough to grasp together with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

1 Peter 5:7, John 13:27, Ephesians 3:17-19

[WillyCamaro]

Psalm 91:9-10
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

[WillyCamaro]

Habakkuk 3:19
The Lord God is my strength,
and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet,
and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

[WillyCamaro]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

[WillyCamaro]

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

[WillyCamaro]

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

[WillyCamaro]

Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

[WillyCamaro]

Mustard Seed and Leaven

Matthew 13:31–33 “He told them another parable. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened’” (v. 33).

As we begin our study today, note again that parables are usually stories drawn from everyday life. Jesus’ comparison of the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed and leaven illustrates this fact (Matt. 13:31–33). Men typically worked in agriculture, and women performed domestic chores like the baking of bread in first-century Palestine. In telling parables related to these tasks, Jesus conveys His message in terms that are familiar to ordinary people.

Our studies in Matthew have thus far shown that the Messiah ushered in God’s kingdom in a manner that did not meet the expectations of His contemporaries. Instead of an immediate and final entry of God’s saving presence, there was an inauguration of the kingdom that is followed by a long period of growth before the final consummation. The mustard plant’s growth and the leaven’s permeation, both of which take time, illustrate this point.

For clarity’s sake, the niv describes the mustard seed in verse 32 as “the smallest of all your seeds” (emphasis added). Smaller seeds than those of the mustard plant exist, but Jesus is not making an absolute statement on the size of seeds. Mustard seeds are the smallest of those commonly used by His audience and are used in the parable to make His point easy to grasp. Like the seemingly insignificant mustard seed, God’s kingdom starts out small and all but hidden. In time, however, it becomes so large that no one can ignore it — just like the Palestinian mustard plants that can reach ten feet in height. Despite its humble beginning, the kingdom will grow to an immense size (Dan. 2:31–45).

The parable of the leaven makes virtually the same point, albeit from a slightly different perspective (Matt. 13:33). A morsel of yeast is seemingly engulfed and consumed in the larger lump of dough; however, the leaven actually ends up permeating the flour, transforming the dough and making it rise. So too will the Gospel, with slow growth at first, penetrate and transform society. John Chrysostom comments, “The leaven, though it is buried, is not destroyed. Little by little it transmutes the whole lump into its own condition. This happens with the gospel” (Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, 46.2).

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Matthew Henry reminds us that yeast “works silently and insensibly, yet strongly and irresistibly.” The kingdom of God works in a similar fashion. Though Christians often suffer and the darkness looks overwhelming, the kingdom is growing nonetheless. One day it will be fully manifest in all creation. Consider today how you have seen the presence of the Lord in your life and pray for His kingdom to come.

[WillyCamaro]

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

[WillyCamaro]

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.