Daily Devotion by Ray Stedman

[Richard]

And another problem is most are spoon fed and never learn to feed themselves upon Gods word and the Holy Spirit. They get their doctrines from the teachings of men- not from their own inductive bible study. We see it on this very forum.

You're absolutely right, the key is "Gods word and the Holy Spirit." One must learn to be led by the Spirit. If you study God's Word in the flesh your theology will be Just that "Your Theology." Then comes the task of defending "your theology" and we all know what a nightmare that turns into.

 

[civic]

You're absolutely right, the key is "Gods word and the Holy Spirit." One must learn to be led by the Spirit. If you study God's Word in the flesh your theology will be Just that "Your Theology." Then comes the task of defending "your theology" and we all know what a nightmare that turns into.

Amen

 

[Johann]

You're absolutely right, the key is "Gods word and the Holy Spirit." One must learn to be led by the Spirit. If you study God's Word in the flesh your theology will be Just that "Your Theology." Then comes the task of defending "your theology" and we all know what a nightmare that turns into.

I know of a person who had his theology wrong yet mighty in the word and Scriptures.

Act 18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Act 18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
Act 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
Act 18:27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
Act 18:28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.


This man was instructed in the way of the Lord] Nothing is gained by pressing the tense of the original into the “had been instructed” of the Revised Version. If he had been instructed he consequently was instructed. The word for instructed is that from which comes the English “catechize.” Hence it implies a course of teaching distinct from his own study of the Scriptures. We know from Josephus (Antiq. xviii. 5. 2) that the teaching and baptism of John produced great effect among the Jews. We need not therefore wonder at finding among Jews at Jerusalem and Ephesus men who had accepted the Baptist’s teaching about Jesus. But in considering such cases we must remember where such instruction as they had received would stop short. They would know that John baptized in preparation for the coming of the kingdom, they would have heard that he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, being certified thereof when He came to be baptized. But when John was dead and the life of Jesus was brought to a close on Calvary, except the few of John’s disciples who had joined the followers of our Lord, none would know of the way in which the foundations of the heavenly kingdom were laid, none would understand the institution of the Sacraments, nor the sending down of the Holy Ghost, nor the teaching of repentance, and of the gift of salvation to the faithful through grace. Of these things John had known nothing, and we must not forget in our attempt to estimate his work and its effects, that there came to himself a day when he sent to Christ to ask “Art thou He that should come?” (Mat_11:3.)
Cambridge Bible.

Johann.

 

[civic]

I know of a person who had his theology wrong yet mighty in the word and Scriptures.

Act 18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Act 18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
Act 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
Act 18:27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
Act 18:28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.


This man was instructed in the way of the Lord] Nothing is gained by pressing the tense of the original into the “had been instructed” of the Revised Version. If he had been instructed he consequently was instructed. The word for instructed is that from which comes the English “catechize.” Hence it implies a course of teaching distinct from his own study of the Scriptures. We know from Josephus (Antiq. xviii. 5. 2) that the teaching and baptism of John produced great effect among the Jews. We need not therefore wonder at finding among Jews at Jerusalem and Ephesus men who had accepted the Baptist’s teaching about Jesus. But in considering such cases we must remember where such instruction as they had received would stop short. They would know that John baptized in preparation for the coming of the kingdom, they would have heard that he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, being certified thereof when He came to be baptized. But when John was dead and the life of Jesus was brought to a close on Calvary, except the few of John’s disciples who had joined the followers of our Lord, none would know of the way in which the foundations of the heavenly kingdom were laid, none would understand the institution of the Sacraments, nor the sending down of the Holy Ghost, nor the teaching of repentance, and of the gift of salvation to the faithful through grace. Of these things John had known nothing, and we must not forget in our attempt to estimate his work and its effects, that there came to himself a day when he sent to Christ to ask “Art thou He that should come?” (Mat_11:3.)
Cambridge Bible.

Johann.

Its why the old covenant is null and void and replaced with the new covenant as per the entire book of Hebrews. Its why Is 53 verses used for PSA hold no weight since the NT never quotes or uses them with the atonement.

thanks for making my point with your above post- its supports what I have been saying all along. The New interprets the old. The new replaces the old. Believers are no longer under the old law- the New law the law of Christ.

there is nothing like sound doctrine concerning Christ our passover lamb.

Shalom

hope this helps !!!

 

[Richard]

I know of a person who had his theology wrong yet mighty in the word and Scriptures.

Act 18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Act 18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
Act 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
Act 18:27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
Act 18:28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.


This man was instructed in the way of the Lord] Nothing is gained by pressing the tense of the original into the “had been instructed” of the Revised Version. If he had been instructed he consequently was instructed. The word for instructed is that from which comes the English “catechize.” Hence it implies a course of teaching distinct from his own study of the Scriptures. We know from Josephus (Antiq. xviii. 5. 2) that the teaching and baptism of John produced great effect among the Jews. We need not therefore wonder at finding among Jews at Jerusalem and Ephesus men who had accepted the Baptist’s teaching about Jesus. But in considering such cases we must remember where such instruction as they had received would stop short. They would know that John baptized in preparation for the coming of the kingdom, they would have heard that he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, being certified thereof when He came to be baptized. But when John was dead and the life of Jesus was brought to a close on Calvary, except the few of John’s disciples who had joined the followers of our Lord, none would know of the way in which the foundations of the heavenly kingdom were laid, none would understand the institution of the Sacraments, nor the sending down of the Holy Ghost, nor the teaching of repentance, and of the gift of salvation to the faithful through grace. Of these things John had known nothing, and we must not forget in our attempt to estimate his work and its effects, that there came to himself a day when he sent to Christ to ask “Art thou He that should come?” (Mat_11:3.)
Cambridge Bible.

Johann.

But was the life of Jesus brought to a Close On Calvary? Even though He was pronounced dead before He was removed from the cross and lay in the tomb. The tomb couldn't hold Him. The resurrection is what I'm talking about.

 

[civic]

But was the life of Jesus brought to a Close On Calvary? Even though He was pronounced dead before He was removed from the cross and lay in the tomb. The tomb couldn't hold Him. The resurrection is what I'm talking about.

Yes its the Resurrection which gives life. Jesus said I am the Resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.

Can I get an Amen!!!

 

[Johann]

But was the life of Jesus brought to a Close On Calvary? Even though He was pronounced dead before He was removed from the cross and lay in the tomb. The tomb couldn't hold Him. The resurrection is what I'm talking about.

I am in full agreement.

"Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain."

"Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it."

"The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead."

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

 

[Richard]

Well that's a good sign three of us all in agreement. Look what the lord has done! Amen glory Hallelujah.

 

[civic]

I am in full agreement.

Amen !

 

[Johann]

I am in full agreement.

"Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain."

"Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it."

"The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead."

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

I know of a person who had his theology wrong yet mighty in the word and Scriptures.

Act 18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Act 18:25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
Act 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
Act 18:27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
Act 18:28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.


This man was instructed in the way of the Lord] Nothing is gained by pressing the tense of the original into the “had been instructed” of the Revised Version. If he had been instructed he consequently was instructed. The word for instructed is that from which comes the English “catechize.” Hence it implies a course of teaching distinct from his own study of the Scriptures. We know from Josephus (Antiq. xviii. 5. 2) that the teaching and baptism of John produced great effect among the Jews. We need not therefore wonder at finding among Jews at Jerusalem and Ephesus men who had accepted the Baptist’s teaching about Jesus. But in considering such cases we must remember where such instruction as they had received would stop short. They would know that John baptized in preparation for the coming of the kingdom, they would have heard that he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, being certified thereof when He came to be baptized. But when John was dead and the life of Jesus was brought to a close on Calvary, except the few of John’s disciples who had joined the followers of our Lord, none would know of the way in which the foundations of the heavenly kingdom were laid, none would understand the institution of the Sacraments, nor the sending down of the Holy Ghost, nor the teaching of repentance, and of the gift of salvation to the faithful through grace. Of these things John had known nothing, and we must not forget in our attempt to estimate his work and its effects, that there came to himself a day when he sent to Christ to ask “Art thou He that should come?” (Mat_11:3.)
Cambridge Bible.

Johann.

Act_18:25

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; -- He was knowledgeable of the OT Law and the Prophets but he was not acquainted with Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Messianic Scriptures. We don't know who had been Apollos's "instructor," perhaps it was by John the Baptist, or by one of the Baptist's disciples.

and being fervent in spirit, -- He was a man zealous for the truth. Wanting to know the Truth himself, and to teach it to others.

he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, -- The "things of the Lord” seems to have the suggestion that he did not have the full information about the subject. He had been teaching "accurately" what he knew, but his knowledge was deficient. .

though he knew only the baptism of John. -- We know from Josephus (Antiquities, XVIII. 5. 2) that the teaching and baptism of John produced great effect among the Jews, not only in Judea but among those dispersed Jews. We should not be surprised to learn that Jews (such as at Alexandria and Ephesus) had accepted the Baptist’s teaching and knew what he said about Jesus. [See Reese on speculations how Apollos came to his knowledge.]

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MAY 30TH​

Oil in Our Lamps​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 25:1-13

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!
Matthew 25:1-6

Weddings were always held at night in the East. Often the festivities lasted for a week and at any time during that week the bridal party was expected to appear. The bridegroom would come to get his bride, and they would walk together to the wedding. Groups of people waited along the way, to join the wedding procession. Here are ten young girls waiting expectantly for the bridegroom.

At midnight came a cry to come out and meet the bridegroom, which plunges us into the rest of the story: Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out. No, they replied, there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves. But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived.

The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. Lord, Lord, they said, open the door for us! But he replied, Truly I tell you, I don't know you. Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:7-13)

There is a difference among these ten: five were wise, and five were foolish. The difference lay in the fact that the wise had extra oil. They all had oil to begin with, but the wise took along an extra supply.

That is how they endured the unexpected delay of the bridegroom. Oil is commonly used as a type or picture of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, revealing truth. This also pictures those living in the time between the Lord's first coming and his second, waiting for his appearing. Certain wise among us have an extra supply of oil, a supply adequate to meet the test of whatever may come. But there are also some among us who are foolish, lacking adequate supply of oil, who have never really discovered the full ministry of the Spirit.

There is a ministry of the Spirit to the minds and hearts of those who are not yet born again, as pictured by the foolish virgins. He enlightens them to a degree, as they read the Bible, and hear such truth as the Lord's return, but they haven't come to the place where this truth has really gripped them. They may have understood it, but it has not yet held them with a personal knowledge of the One who the truth reveals, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The knowledge of the Word must go deeper than the surface, to an obedience of the heart, a trusting, a giving over completely of the central control of your life, your will, to Jesus Christ. This results in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the One who holds you steady in the hour of crisis.

Father, you know my heart. Here I am, waiting for the coming of the Lord. I pray that I might understand my true condition and commit myself to the One who alone can prepare me for your coming.

​

Life Application​

Have I allowed the Gospel to be planted deep within me, so that the Spirit can empower me to meet the needs of whatever might come?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MAY 31ST​

To Risk or Not to Risk​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 25:14-30

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. Master, he said, you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more. His master replied, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!
Matthew 25:19-21

This first man has made 100% return on the opportunities, the talents, given to him. In terms of the application of this to our own lives, it means that here is a man who made full use of his opportunities to risk himself for the Lord's sake. In other words, he put first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. He risked himself. He took the chance that he might never have the prominence or the influence or the power that he could have had, but instead he deliberately invested his life to give God what he wanted — the binding up of the brokenhearted, the healing of the sick, the setting free of those who were bound. As a result, he won five more talents.

What are these talents? Well, if the first talents are opportunities to use natural gifts for Christ's sake, then the second category of talents must likewise be opportunities, but opportunities on a higher level, not on the physical and natural, but on the spiritual level. These are opportunities to use the spiritual gifts given to you as redeemed men and women, given to each and every Christian. It is the use of these gifts which translates your life into impact and power on behalf of Jesus Christ.

What is the final message of this to us? It is not only that we must be honest in grasping that one great opportunity that comes to any who sit under the hearing of the gospel — to invest our life, to risk it for Christ's sake, but he is also saying to us, to those with five talents, or two talents, risk them! Live dangerously! Venture! Put your opportunities to work for my sake. We are facing times that demand this kind of living. The whole fabric of society is deteriorating before our eyes.

This means that the church, the salt in a community, is not acting as salt. It is trying to withdraw from life. It is contenting itself with having a way to heaven, and letting the rest of the world go to hell. As a result, life begins to crumble all around. We have reached a time when the necessity of risking, as our Lord sets forth here, is clearly before us all. What do you do with your opportunities?

Commit us, Lord, to this one great cause which demands our time and effort, all the thrust and drive of our lives. May we do so in understanding that it is not our commitment that makes a difference, but your power working through us.

​

Life Application​

For whom am I living today? For my own interests, and the luxury and freedom of my family, or am I ready to risk something for Christ's sake?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 1ST​

Into the Wilderness​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 4:1

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1

In this account of the temptation of Jesus, we see him going out into the wilderness, driven of the Spirit, to be tempted as a man. He was tempted as a human being; therefore his temptations are our temptations. That is why this account is so tremendously fascinating and practical for us, because this is exactly the form of temptation we are continually facing. If we discover the secret of how Jesus met it, we shall know how to meet temptation in our own lives.

Notice that when Jesus was led of the Spirit to be tempted, he was taken into a wilderness. This may sound strange to us. The first temptation of man occurred in a garden, but this temptation of the second man, the second Adam, occurs in a wilderness. Usually we don't think of a wilderness as a place of temptation. If we want to avoid some of the problems of the temptations of life, we sometimes retreat to a wilderness. We think of the city as the place of temptation. If you want to put a young man or woman under pressure, send them to the city. That is where they will be exposed to the full power and allurement of evil. But this account comes to correct our false impressions and to show us that it is not the outside force that creates temptation, or outward circumstances or situations, but temptation arises from within. Jesus said it is not what goes into a man, but what comes from within, that defiles him.

You can see how this strikes at a very common misconception we all have. We think that our failures, faults, and follies are due to certain outward pressures. If you listen to people talking you can hear someone explaining why he did such and such. He will say, Well, there was nothing else I could do under the circumstances. Or we say, Well, he talked me into it. It is not our circumstances, but some weakness within, some allurement to which we yield, some inner urge. Jesus, therefore, was driven into a solitary wilderness where nothing outside could allure him, no pressure from without, into a highly wasted desert, there to experience the full force of human temptation, to show us it comes from within.

Lord, I confess that too often I blame my circumstances and other people for my weakness in yielding to temptation. I accept that temptation does not happen to me, but comes from within my own heart.

​

Life Application​

What is the "wilderness" you are being led into, in your battle with temptation? What are the outward pressures you are blaming for your own weakness?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Johann]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 1ST​

Into the Wilderness​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 4:1


In this account of the temptation of Jesus, we see him going out into the wilderness, driven of the Spirit, to be tempted as a man. He was tempted as a human being; therefore his temptations are our temptations. That is why this account is so tremendously fascinating and practical for us, because this is exactly the form of temptation we are continually facing. If we discover the secret of how Jesus met it, we shall know how to meet temptation in our own lives.

Notice that when Jesus was led of the Spirit to be tempted, he was taken into a wilderness. This may sound strange to us. The first temptation of man occurred in a garden, but this temptation of the second man, the second Adam, occurs in a wilderness. Usually we don't think of a wilderness as a place of temptation. If we want to avoid some of the problems of the temptations of life, we sometimes retreat to a wilderness. We think of the city as the place of temptation. If you want to put a young man or woman under pressure, send them to the city. That is where they will be exposed to the full power and allurement of evil. But this account comes to correct our false impressions and to show us that it is not the outside force that creates temptation, or outward circumstances or situations, but temptation arises from within. Jesus said it is not what goes into a man, but what comes from within, that defiles him.

You can see how this strikes at a very common misconception we all have. We think that our failures, faults, and follies are due to certain outward pressures. If you listen to people talking you can hear someone explaining why he did such and such. He will say, Well, there was nothing else I could do under the circumstances. Or we say, Well, he talked me into it. It is not our circumstances, but some weakness within, some allurement to which we yield, some inner urge. Jesus, therefore, was driven into a solitary wilderness where nothing outside could allure him, no pressure from without, into a highly wasted desert, there to experience the full force of human temptation, to show us it comes from within.

​

Life Application​

What is the "wilderness" you are being led into, in your battle with temptation? What are the outward pressures you are blaming for your own weakness?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

Anything on the wrath of God-especially Isaiah 53?
God bless
Johann

 

[civic]

Anything on the wrath of God-especially Isaiah 53?
God bless
Johann

What the Scriptures say is that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; that the Father was as much involved in the sacrifice of the Son. He designed it, and sent him into the world for that purpose, out of his love for the lost. Paul states it very clearly in Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The Father involved in the cross, feeling the pain and the shame of it as much as the Son.

What you find is that the Father finds a way to satisfy his own sense of justice, through the death of his Son. Thus his love is free to be manifested without condemnation toward lost man. This is the glory of the Gospel. The Father, the Son and the Spirit are involved in the work of redemption, were willing to do so in order that man might be saved. I think we ought to study the work of Christ on the cross in the Epistles with great reverence in the marvel and wonder of it. Charles Wesley’s great hymn captures it so faithfully:

“And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

That is a great theological statement, isn’t it! Likewise, the second verse:

“’Tis mystery all! Th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the first-born seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

The immortal dies! How can that be? That is the marvel that I think Satan did not understand. He thought he had Jesus trapped when he was put to death. He could not understand how God could die. He knew sin required death, and if man died that was the end of him. So Satan’s reasoning was, how could God redeem us?

So throughout the Scriptures this is the wonder that stirred the early Christians to go out and spread this good news to men everywhere. God had found a way to set aside his just sentence of condemnation, and welcome sinners into his presence. That’s the glory of the Gospel. All this is involved in this great statement concerning our Lord.

“He was raised on the third day according to the (Old Testament) Scriptures.” The Atonement without the Resurrection would be a redemption that could not apply to anybody. We need the Resurrection in order to have the work of Atonement applied to us. It is because Christ rose from the dead that we are able to receive this great truth of his atoning grace. Paul argues this at great length in I Corinthians 15:17: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” Our preaching, our work is in vain, and “we are of all men most miserable,” if Christ is not risen from the dead. All Christian faith rests upon the twin foundation stones; the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. They go together. This was the Gospel of the early church, and is yet today. As we go everywhere telling that God has raised him from the dead, we give proof and application of these great truths.

Ray Stedman

hope this helps !!!

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 2ND​

Our Greatest Need​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 4:2-4

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:2-4

We will not understand the power of this first temptation upon Jesus unless we realize that he had been going without food for forty days and forty nights. It says, in what is perhaps the greatest understatement of the scriptures, he was hungry. I doubt any of us have been in a position to understand what that word bread must have meant to him. The very sound must have made him drool. It is indicative and important to note that this temptation arose out of a normal, natural need. It isn't something wrong with him that caused his temptation, but simply that he was a human being.

What the devil really was saying to Jesus was, God doesn't really care for you, does he? If you were the Son of God would he leave you in a wilderness without food for forty days? Surely he has made some way of providing for your need to be met, if he loves you. So why don't you act upon your innate powers of deity and turn these stones into bread? His suggestion is that God is either too busy, or too unconcerned, to take care of him. There is a subtle pressure here to act on his own, independent of the Father, on the basis that after all human life is important, and he has got to live. The devil's attempt is to reverse the priorities of life and to make the physical life the most important thing of all.

The tempter would brainwash us into believing the lie that the physical life is the most important thing, and that if God doesn't take care of us, it is proof that he doesn't love us. You hear this from those who point out the injustices of life, who say, if God is a loving God, how comes he allows death, war, disappointment, tragedies? If God is a God of love, does he not take care of his own? This is the force of the temptation of our Lord, and the power of temptation millions face today.

See how the Lord answers. He immediately returns to the proper perspective of life, puts things back in focus, by quoting this word: Man shall not live on bread alone… That is, the deepest need in human life is not the physical. Man is more than animal, more than simply a hunk of meat with a nervous system whose principal need is physical supply. Our Lord is saying, it is better to die of hunger in a wilderness in right relationship to the God who made us, than to satisfy it at the cost of that relationship. With that thrust, he ended the first temptation, putting life back into focus, reminding us that we have deeper needs than the physical, and that the temporary lack of physical supply does not in any way indicate that the God who made us, and who is deeply concerned in all areas of our lives, has forgotten us.

Thank you, Lord, for meeting temptation with the truth that my deepest needs are not fulfilled when all my physical needs are met. My greatest desire is to be in right relationship with you, knowing that you love me.

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Life Application​

In what area of your life are you tempted to meet your needs your way, rather than trusting in God to provide?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 3RD​

True Trust​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 4:5-7

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Jesus answered him, It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
Matthew 4:5-7

The first temptation was thrust at our Lord's weakness as a man, his basic need for food. The devil cruelly tried to exploit that weakness and make Jesus violate his most important of relations: trust in the Father. Now, in a typically diabolical move, the devil says, I see you really do trust God. Well, that's the best thing you could ever do!

Now I suggest how you can manifest that trust. If you really want to show how much you trust God, cast yourself from the pinnacle of the temple, and by that everyone will see that your trust in God is so implicit that you dare put yourself in danger. It's all the more subtle and powerful when he bolsters it with scripture. He quotes Psalm 91, and says, You trusted God — wonderful. Use your trust now to the full, and remember you have scripture for it. The angels will bear you up in their hands. What do you say to that? It is said you can prove anything by the Bible. That is true — if you read it the way the devil does. We shall see more about that in our Lord's answer.

But now notice the force of that temptation. The devil is saying, Look, you want to demonstrate trust in God? This is the way to do it. If you really would like to show people how thoroughly you trust God, here's the pinnacle of the temple. There they are waiting below, the whole crowd. Leap off it, and you will demonstrate how fully God is with you, and that you are a man of God.
This reveals one of the most common misconceptions: the idea that the greatest display of faith is in some spectacular demonstration.

You hear this philosophy from those who say that if you really want to show faith in God, you have to do some kind of miracle. But the Lord Jesus puts life back in perspective when he reveals the truth. He said, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. The greatest display of faith is not in some spectacular demonstration, but in the quiet trust of the heart that rests upon what God has said. Not just what is said in one place, but balanced truth. Truth does not come to us in capsule form. It is a complete account, and one truth needs to be balanced against another. We never have arrived at the whole until the complete account is laid out and we see it in its total revelation.

Lord, teach me not to look to spectacular demonstrations of great faith, but give me the confidence that faith that is real simply rests on the promises of your Word.

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Life Application​

Do you get swept away emotionally by outward attempts to prove great faith, or are you trusting fully in the balanced truth found in scripture?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 4TH​

Our Deepest Desire​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 4:8-10

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.
Matthew 4:8-10

Now the devil moves into the essential, basic part of the human life, the realm of the spirit. He removes all his pretenses, masks and disguises, and comes up with a direct, sheer naked appeal to the deepest desire in the heart of mankind, placed there by God, that his life might be worthwhile; that he might invest it in something of value and make an unforgettable mark in this world. Who doesn't want his life to be worthwhile? Who does not fear wasting his life, or to live in such an unexciting and meaningless way that when he is gone he is immediately forgotten? Who does not want to be remembered, and feel that he has done something eminently worthwhile? That is simply basic to our humanity.

And the devil quickly picks this up, taking Jesus to a high mountain, in some wonderful way showing him all the kingdoms of the world. In some sense, Jesus saw all the kingdoms of the earth and their glory, all that has attracted human hearts, causing men to sometimes leave their families and possessions in order to win the power and place of exaltation and authority of such kingdoms. And the devil said to him, You can have all this if you will fall down and worship me.
Think of the force of that. For these kingdoms were exactly what Jesus Christ had come to earth to get. He came in order to win the world, that he might be Lord of all, that he might be exalted to the highest position in the universe; that every tongue should confess and every knee should bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God. This is why he came. Now the devil is offering it to him.

But notice how Jesus immediately sees through it; his reply is almost contemptuous: Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Notice the conjunction of words there: worship and serve. To worship is to serve. To serve is to worship. And only God can give the value to life that you are suggesting. The kingdoms and glory of the world will never give it. What you are striking at is the deepest desire of a person's life — to have a life that is worthwhile. That only God can do, therefore you shall worship and serve only the Lord your God.

Lord, worshipping and serving you only is my heart's desire and gives my life meaning. I bring all my passions and dreams of making a lasting impact and lay them at your feet.

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Life Application​

Do you see Satan's lies for what they are and command him to flee when you are faced with his schemes?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 5TH​

The Essential Weapon​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 4:11

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 4:11

It is important to notice that in this account of the temptations of Jesus, our Lord meets each temptation with the same weapon. It is the same weapon available to us all. He retreated immediately behind the Word of God. The minute he did so, the battle ceased. This is very important.

Our continuing struggle comes because we are so reluctant to take our stand on God's revelation. We feel the force of the devil's alluring lie that we will gain something by this action or thought or attitude that is tempting us. We think if we don't do this thing, life is going to pass us by — we're going to lose something. And if we do it, we will gain a hidden kingdom which will be a satisfying and blessed experience.

But when we retreat to what God says is the truth about it, we discover immediately the end of the struggle. This is the way to confront temptation, not with our weak, failing humanity, but with the power of the Word of God himself. When Satan finds himself up against that, he turns tail and runs.

I have a sign hanging on the wall in my study that captures three truths that oftentimes have been a source of deliverance for me in times of temptations that come daily, as they come to you.

• It is written. Proof enough. God has told us the facts about life.
• It is finished. Provision enough. On the cross, the Lord Jesus has done all that needs to be done to break the power of temptation in our lives.
• It is I. Presence enough. His indwelling life within us is constantly available to us in order to break temptation's power.

This is a radical, revolutionary thing. There are few who seem to step out into this kind of living, but wherever it is attempted, strange things begin to happen. Not that life becomes suddenly spectacular and people go around doing miracles, but in the quiet, daily experience of life, in the decisions that commonly come every moment to everyone, there is a quiet trust in the wisdom of God to meet each decision, and things begin to work out in unexpected ways, with unusual results. Extraordinary things follow ordinary activity, as God begins to work in human life. This is the secret of human life, as our Lord is demonstrating it, making it available to us as we by faith receive Jesus Christ, that his life may be lived again in us.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me everything I need to resist temptation. Your living word, your finished work on the cross, and your presence in my life are all I need.

Life Application​

Are you putting the Word of God in your heart so that you have the insight to see who is behind the temptations you experience? Is the Word of God your weapon?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 6TH​

Not as the World​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:1-3

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
2 Corinthians 10:3

The phrase, For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does, is actually, For though we walk (or live) in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. The translators have substituted the word world, for flesh. Yet this is not exactly wrong. They are recognizing the close affiliation between what the Bible calls the flesh and the world. These two are closely combined and associated.

What is the flesh? The flesh is essentially inherited selfishness. It is what is basically wrong with human nature. It is the monkey wrench that was inserted into the machinery of humanity at the beginning and which we all inherit from our ancestors. It is responsible for the fact that all of us began life with a taint, a twist in our mechanism. If that is the flesh, then if you put all these flesh-centered, flesh-governed people together into a society, you have what the Bible calls the world. It is society governed by the flesh; society, with all the power structures with which we are so familiar in this day, all built upon self-interest. That is why the revisers have substituted the word world here. In a sense, they are right.

Paul says, We are not acting like other people. We do not operate from the same motives; there is something different about us. He is declaring also the fundamental tension in which a Christian lives. He says, We live in the flesh, in the world of normal society, but we do not fight on those terms. We are not carrying on a worldly war. Paul is speaking not only for himself, but for all Christians. He says we live in the world, we don't run away from it. History is full of men and women who have retreated to quiet places and tried to shut away all the mundane prattle and care of life.

There has grown up in our time attempts to create a Christian hothouse, an atmosphere which is thoroughly Christian from the womb to the tomb, and that permits no invasion of secular ideas or forces. This is unbiblical because it is contrary to this clear word of the apostle, who says, We Christians live right in the midst of the world. Yet, says Paul, though we live in the world and do not run away from society, still we do not use human plans and methods to win our battles. It is important to understand that, because here is where all the problems have come. Many have recognized that Christians are to live in the world, but they go on to assume that a Christian living in the world must be like the world, that he must think like the world. Paul says, You are quite wrong there. If you judge me as doing this, then you have not understood the Christian position at all. We do not use human plans and methods to win our battles.

Lord, help me to live in the midst of the world and not run away out of fear. I need your wisdom to fight the battle, rather than depend on the methods and strategies of the world system around me. I confess that I have the same inherited selfishness, yet I thank you that through your redeeming love you have made me a new creation.

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Life Application​

Do you take on the world around you with too much ease, thinking and acting just like those around you who are without Christ and the power of prayer?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.