Dearly Beloved,

As some of you know, I started this weekend asking God to purify me in His furnace of affliction.

In case you wonder if God answers prayer: today I received a note from my landlord stating that he is not renewing my lease.  I have six weeks to move out.

This is not all bad, I was contemplating a move anyway, this just moves the timetable up a little.

I may get real busy for a while, here, so I probably won’t be writing as much as usual.

Dearly Beloved,

Today we’ll take a break from Genesis, because I feel a need to share something God has laid on my heart.  It’s one of those scripture matching things He occasionally does with me.

Let’s start with the verses He has encouraged me to consider together.

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

I Corinthians 15:50-52 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Everyone who is a believer in Christ knows that, in Heaven, we will be very different than we are now.  There will be no sickness and no death.  This will be true because there will be no sin.  There will be no aging process, no declining years, no feebleness, and no imperfection.  There will be no colds or flues, or sinus allergies or migraines or backaches or broken bones or arthritis or infirmities or handicaps of any kind.  There will also be no lust, no backstabbing, no pride, no arrogance, no injustice, no poverty, no hatred, no strife, no confusion, no division over doctrines, no bad habits to overcome, and no waywardness of heart against which we must continually be on our guards.  In short, there will be no sin nature.

Why will this be true?  What is the signal event that will work this great transformation in us?

What is the revelation that will illuminate this thing about which Paul says “I shew you a mystery”?

I John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

We will be like Him because we will see Him as He Is.  It is that simple and profound.  To see Jesus as He really is, to truly see Him in all His glory and mercy and righteousness and perfection and every other aspect of His reality, is to become like Him.

Now let’s put it all together.

When does the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in me?

He dwells in me now.

What kind of person inherits the Kingdom of God?

It is not the man of flesh and blood, not the man steeped in corruption.

What must first happen to me before I can enter fully into God’s Kingdom?

I must first fully, completely, and clearly see Jesus exactly and wholly for Who He Is.

Now, Jesus is unchanging.  He is already and immediately Who He always was, and Who He will always be.

In Hebrews Chapter 12 I read:

1: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3: For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4: Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
5: And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Note especially that in telling us to lay aside sin, the author tells us to look to Jesus, to consider Him carefully, to see how He resisted sin even unto blood.  He learned obedience through the things He suffered.  He lived on this same Earth upon which I now live, yet without sin.

This is what I am seeing.  If I could, right now, today, really see Jesus exactly and totally for Who He Is, I would, right now, today, be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.  I am repeatedly commanded in the Scriptures to look on Him; to earnestly seek His face; to seek to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of suffering.  Why?  So I can be conformed into His image.

This, then, is becoming my goal, my prayer, and my purpose: to so know Christ, to so clearly see Him, that when He comes; when that last trumpet blows; and when He comes for me, He will find in me nothing left needing change.  He is unchanging.  He will not suddenly become Someone Else on that day.  It is not that we will see a New Christ, and that the New Christ will be so different that His Appearing will change us.  It is that we will finally see just exactly Who He has always been.  So why should I wait until I hear a trumpet to begin gazing upon Him?  I will seek to see Him now, and five minutes from now, and tomorrow, and the next day, and next year, and until the end of my days.  I will not rest nor relent from seeking Him until I finally see all of Him.  I will know Him.  I must know Him.  I shall know Him.  Then, when I truly know Him, I will be fully changed.

I John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

What I’m seeing, and what I’m saying, is that I see no reason, no cause, no power that can stop Him from revealing Himself to me now.  He is not constrained from showing me His wholeness by some time table for the world.  I may be in the world, but I am not of the world.  I have therefore set my face to seek Him early and often until, and long after, His appearing to me transforms me fully into His exact image.

You may think this is beyond what God would allow a man in this life.  I say, “Think again.”  I give you another more verse.  Genesis 5:24 “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”  Enoch learned the truth.  Walk with God, gaze on God, keep your eyes fixed on God, and you will be changed.  I do, however, want to go one better than Enoch.  After all, this is a better covenant.  I want to be fully transformed, and then stick around a while.  I want to earn my reward, and then delay the gratification thereof.  I want to become something this world has never seen before, a truly redeemed person.  I want to prove to this world, and to the unseen powers above, the manifold wisdom of God.  I want to be a living demonstration of this one fact: God changes lives.

For this last point, I give you one last verse: Romans 8:21 “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

I will do this, or I will die trying, but I will not yield, I will not relent, I will not stop storming heaven until I am changed.  Like the fathers of our country, I have one truth that I hold to be self-evident: God’s plan is my perfection for His glory, and God’s plans never fail.

Hear me, O God, and deliver me.

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 19:

1: And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2: And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3: And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

à Doctrine: The Lord is He Who enters where He is invited.  Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

à Reproof: Although we often use this verse to encourage unbelievers to accept Christ, it was written to the Church.  In my daily life and thoughts, do I leave Christ waiting on the threshold?

à Correction: Isaiah 26:9 “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”

à Instruction: “he pressed upon them greatly.”  Sometimes it is not enough to casually ask the Lord to involve Himself in my life.  I must seek earnestly for His presence.  This is not because He is far away, or slow to hear.  It is because it benefits me to put some muscle in my prayers.  I need to know that I am desperate to know the Lord.  I need to feel the anguish of separation to better appreciate the joys of fellowship.  I need to know that God is not my servant, but I am His.  Philippians 1:20 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”

4: But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6: And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7: And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8: Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9: And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10: But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11: And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

à Doctrine: God is He Who allows and expects us to stand when and where we can, and then backs us up.  Deuteronomy 7:2 “And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:”

à Reproof: When the enemy attacks, do I run into the house, bar the door, and hide under my bed, or do I stand and fight?

à Correction: Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.   Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

à Instruction: God expects me to attempt the impossible.  He does not call me to fight men, but the fallen angelic powers, the demon lords that bind and blind nations.  In these epic struggles, I am greatly overmatched.  These ancient and powerful beings could crush me as I would an ant.  Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”  Note that He does not deliver those who fear the enemy, but those who fear the Lord.  When I hide from the battle, and cower in my secret places, I separate myself from God’s protection.  When I step out of my front door, and stand up and fight, He delivers me.

12: And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14: And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15: And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16: And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

à Doctrine: God is He Who, in His great mercy, compels me to flee from sin and its reward.  Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

à Reproof: Even as Lot persisted in urging the angels to seek safety, so the angels persisted in urging Lot to flee.  Do I stand my ground until the Lord gives me the word to flee?

à Correction: Luke 3:7 “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

à Instruction: John understood an important truth.  I do not have the wisdom to know when it is time to fight and when it is time to flee.  The command of God is to stand firm, wearing the armor He has given me.  He will warn me when it is time to flee.  He will never tell me to flee from the enemy.  When I have done all that He requires of me to fight the enemy, and it is time for God to step in and destroy the enemy, then He will warn me to stand aside so I am not caught in the crossfire.  Notice the pattern here; it is very important.  First Lot stepped out his front door and confronted the wicked sinners, then the angels rescued him, then they warned him to flee.  I cannot expect God to pass over my house when He sends his death angel if I have not first anointed the doorposts with blood.  I cannot expect God to deliver me from the hand of the wicked when I am cowering in my bed, or even worse, joining in their reveling.  I cannot expect God to spare me from the general calamities that come upon my land unless I have first been active in confronting the evil therein. 

Dearly Beloved,

We are back from Seattle.  The training and networking time was fantastic.

We are now in waiting mode with Mission to Unreached Peoples.  They take the time to pray and seek God, and confer together before making a decision.  I expect to hear from them within a month or so.

In the meantime, the Lord has not been idle.

Next week I am going to Mason City, IA with some Gideon brothers to speak to area pastors about supporting the work of the Gideons by recommending men who might be qualified and interested in joining us.  I will be there for three days from Monday through Wednesday.

In very late May, I will probably be leaving for Ghana, for a two-week Bible Blitz with the Gideons.

Normally all such trips are at the expense of the Gideon going.  However, our area trustee has recommended me to go, and is working on raising the funds for me to do so.

This is very unusual, but he strongly feels that God wants him to do this.  He will probably be able to raise the needed support by himself, but I don’t want to leave you all out of the blessing if you want to participate.

If God leads you to help us in raising this support, you can do one of the following:

You can mail a check, with the word “Ghana” in the memo line to: Matthew Murch,

                                                                                                         P.O. Box 512,

                                                                                                         Boone, IA 50036.

You can use PayPal to send money to my email address: matthewmurch@isunet.net.

You can order Bible Studies through my online store at http://murchantadspecs.com and pay with a credit card.

I will probably be able to resume our study in Genesis tomorrow morning.  For today, I really need to get caught up on routine communications.

20: And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21: I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22: And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

à Doctrine: God is He Who does not ride roughshod over His servants.  Isaiah 40:11 “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

à Reproof: Do I have the courage to hang on to God until I receive my petition?

à Correction: Luke 11:8-9 “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

à Instruction: This is the other part of taking enough time to pray, not by the clock, but by God’s timetable.  Is God so slow to hear that we have to beg and beg to get what we need?  No.  Absolutely not.  He does, however, want us to be sure we know what it is we want, and how important it is to us.  He does want us to know beyond any doubt that it is the Lord of Creation supplying our needs, not karma, or positive imagery, or mental gymnastics, or the tooth fairy.  Thus, I have learned, to keep on asking and knocking until He tells me He has answered.  Sometimes this means I pray for the same five people for years on end.  Then, one day He tells me, “I will do it.”  Then I leave it in His hands, and pray about something else.

23: And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24: Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25: That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26: And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27: And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29: And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
30: And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31: And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
32: And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
33: And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

à Doctrine: God is He Who is more than willing to hear our requests for the lives of those we love.  John 20:23 “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

à Reproof: Do I give up on people too easily?

à Correction: Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

à Instruction: Here is the example.  Christ, in Heaven, right there with God, is doing what?  He is interceding for us.  My desire is to be like Christ.  In that case, I ought to be working on getting good at interceding for others.

Folks, this is the last issue of this study until March.  We will be in a week of training and orientation with Mission to Unreached Peoples, and I have been advised that we will not have much free time.  Therefore, I will probably not have access to the tools, nor the time, to publish these studies until we get back.  God be with you ‘til we meet again.

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 18:

1: And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2: And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3: And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6: And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7: And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8: And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

à Doctrine: God is He Who receives our worship.  II 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.”

à Reproof: Do I hasten eagerly to serve the Lord?

à Correction: Psalm 63:1 “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;”

à Instruction: One of the symptoms of true devotion to Christ is an eagerness to be near Him and to serve Him.  When I am finding it a struggle to work up the energy to go to God in prayer, or to go to church, or to read the Word, it is time for me to examine my heart.  Am I getting too caught up in worldly pursuits to maintain a heart of devotion for my Lord?  Then I need to disentangle myself from the affairs of the world and make time for communion.  Whether in a so-called secular occupation, or in knowing full-time service to God, it is easy to become focused on this life, and neglect the next.  The wise Christian guards against this daily by having a regular practice and habit of spending time alone with God every day.

9: And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10: And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11: Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12: Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13: And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14: Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

à Doctrine: God is He for whom nothing shall be impossible.  Matthew 19:21 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

à Reproof: Does my heart ridicule my faith?

à Correction: I John 3:20 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”

à Instruction: In this passage, Abraham stands for my faith, and will and act of service, but Sarah stands for my heart.  I have lost count of the number of times I have heard the will of God, determined to obey it in faith believing He would do His part, and then had second thoughts and doubts along the way.  In the moment when God is speaking, there is no room for doubt.  When He leaves off speaking, then the doubts start up.  I used to think this meant I had no faith.  This is not the case.  Faith is acting on revelation, regardless of my feelings and doubts.  God revealed that the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is sufficient to cover all my sins, past, present, and future.  I have staked my eternal destiny on this revelation.  This is faith.  Even when my heart tells me that God will not forgive a particular sin, or won’t forgive it any more, I go to Him in prayer, out loud, confessing my sin, and confessing that He has promised to forgive my sin.  Even when my heart doubts, my mouth and my mind and my will obey.  This is the essence of faith.  Acting on certain knowledge is not faith, it is prudence.  When I can see the apple on the tree, and can reach it from the ground it takes no faith to pluck it and eat it.  When I have been blinded, and cannot see the apple, and God says “reach out your hand and take the apple,” I am acting in faith when I stretch out my hand.  The thoughts in my head are irrelevant to this, to a point.  As long as I deny my negative thoughts, take them captive, and meditate on the relevant promise from God, and God’s awesome power with which He raised Christ from the dead, the thoughts are unimportant in themselves.  It is only when I heed the thoughts, and feed the thoughts, and agree with the thoughts that they rob me of my faith.  Sometimes the best answer to a doubt is to do take next step in the walk of faith no matter what my heart is saying.  “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”

15: Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

à Doctrine: God is He Who will not wink at sin.  Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

à Reproof: When I catch myself in sin, do I sometimes say, “Oh, it’s just a little one, He won’t care”?

à Correction: James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

à Instruction: We, as Christians are often accused of “black and white, all or nothing” thinking.  This accusation is true.  All have sinned; there is none righteous, no not one.  God cannot tolerate any sin in his presence.  Our righteousnesses are as filthy personal hygiene products.  There are no small sins.  Any sin, no matter how seemingly minor, will incur the wrath of God.  But God is merciful.  Sarah lied directly to Him, and He did not smite her; He corrected her.  So He does with all who will serve Him.  It is only the openly rebellious, hardened sinner that feels His wrath directly.

16: And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17: And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18: Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

à Doctrine: God is He Who acts to enhance our relationship with Him.  Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”

à Reproof: When I am waiting on God, do I remain at His feet until He releases me?

à Correction: Psalm 4:4 “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”

à Instruction: Too many times, I have prayed by the clock.  When my planned time of prayer is over, I rush on to the next things.  I have, in essence, said, “God, you have the next five minutes to talk to me, or forget it, because I won’t be listening.”  God is teaching me a better way.  These days, when I come to the end of what I planned to say, I stop and listen for a while, as I have always done, but now with this difference: I stay until I receive the understanding that He is done speaking.  He sometimes tests me on this, because I am still in the learning stage.  At times, I have stayed on my knees in the cold until I began to feel foolish.  I have asked within myself, “Who am I to demand that God tell me when I am done praying?”  God has responded.  He has assured me that I am not the one doing the demanding.  So, I stay, and I wait.  He never fails to give me a clear word when the time of waiting is complete.  At first glance, this seems a silly thing.  How can God speak more clearly in five or ten or fifteen minutes than He can right now?  What is the purpose of this waiting?  God, sometimes, must speak to my heart first before speaking to my mind.  He communicates not in words, but in some other medium.  He first corrects my heart, then He gives me the words so my mind can understand.  Or, sometimes, He doesn’t.  Sometimes the work is all in the heart, and my head doesn’t hear anything.  It’s a matter both of attitude and priority.  Do I want to hear what God has to say in the way and time He chooses to speak, or do I simply want to do my religious duty and get it over with so I can get on with “real life”?  Luke 12:15 “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”  Hearing and heeding the Word of God is the real life.  Everything else is just filler.

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 16:

1: Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2: And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3: And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4: And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5: And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
6: But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

à Doctrine: God is He Who deals with life as it really is.  Psalm 139:4 “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.”

à Reproof: Do I think that God is surprised by my behavior, and puzzled what to do about it?

à Correction: Psalm 69:5 “O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.”

à Instruction: God had a plan for Abram and Sarai.  In their doubt, they tried to help the plan along.  Now Abram has a child by Hagar.  This causes strife in the household, and he drives her out.  I cannot imagine what was in Abram’s heart, to send a pregnant woman out into the desert alone, carrying his child.  I’m sure it was not an easy thing for him to do.  He was truly in a difficult place.  His wife, whom he has loved for many years is being treated shamefully by her servant, the mother of his child.  Who sinned?  Sarai, who tried to get ahead of God’s plan.  Abram, who listened to his wife’s bad counsel.  Hagar, who treated her master’s wife shamefully.  All three sinned.  Is God confused or perplexed?  Does He wonder what He should do in the light of this situation?  Don’t be ridiculous.  God has a miraculous way of turning even our foolishness and sin around to fulfill His plan.  He did not want Abram to get Hagar pregnant, but was not surprised when it happened.  More importantly, He did not allow it to invalidate His plan, nor the covenant He had with Abram, which He reaffirms in the next chapter.  God knows my weakness, unbelief, and sin.  He will work with me, and continue to perfect me, and will continue in the plan He has for me.  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.”  This verse is true of external circumstances.  It is also true of internal circumstances.  God does not desire for me to sin, but when I do, He uses it to bring about my greater good.

7: And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8: And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9: And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10: And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

à Doctrine: God is He Who takes special interest in those who are suffering for their sins, and the sins of others.  Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

à Reproof: When I have sinned, and feel alone and without God, does He abandon me?

à Correction: Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

à Instruction: When I am wayward, and leave the path God has ordained for me, He seeks me out, and calls upon me to repent and return.  Notice that He rescues Hagar and sends her home, but with instructions, she is to submit to her mistress.  It is common to think that, when we have sinned, God will seek us out and punish us.  He does not.  He seeks us out and rescues us from our sin, and calls us to repent.  Luke 15:21-25 “And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.  But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’  And they began to be merry.”

11: And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12: And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13: And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14: Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15: And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16: And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

à Doctrine: God is He Who always sees us.  Acts 2:25 “For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:”

à Reproof: Do I take responsibility for the fruit of my sins?

à Correction: Job 22:27 “Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.”

à Instruction: God forgives my sins, he redeems me from them, but I must take responsibility for the fruit thereof.  In Abram’s case, he had an extra son for whom he needed to make provision.  God does not intend for us to go through life sowing seeds of obligation and abandoning them.

8: And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9: And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10: And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
11: And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

à Doctrine: God is He Who knows that we need participatory reciprocity.  II Samuel 24:24 “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.”

à Reproof: Do I preserve that which I have dedicated to the Lord?

à Correction: Titus 3:14 “And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.”

à Instruction: Abram questions the surety of God’s promise, so God requires a sacrifice.  God had already clearly stated, “I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.”  Abram seeks proof from God that His word can be trusted, so God, seeking to maintain a relationship with Abram, must first have Abram give an offering to purge his sin of disbelief, before He can answer the question.  Abram, in obedience to God, offers the required sacrifice, and then watches over it to keep it from becoming polluted.  This is the pattern I ought to follow: give God whatever He requires from me, and then maintain it in good condition until God is ready to use it.  Of the things God requires, the most important is my life.  I ought therefore to maintain my life in righteousness, unpolluted by sin, until He finds a use for my life.

12: And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14: And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15: And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16: But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

à Doctrine: God is He Whose presence is terrifying.  Psalm 97:5 “The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.”

à Reproof: Do I maintain a proper fear of God?

à Correction: Psalm 34:9 “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.”

à Instruction: In seeking to make our faith more palatable, we tend to downplay the fear of the Lord in these days.  This is probably not wise.  Do we suffer want, find our faith weak, and lack zeal?  Perhaps it is because we do not fear the Lord as we ought to do.  I should tremble at the very thought of displeasing the Lord.  His judgments are swift and certain.  How can I return to a proper fear of God?  I can spend more time in His presence.  As I cry out to God to reveal Himself to me, my heart is chastened.  He begins to show me myself.  As I see myself as He sees me, and realize how far I am from being worthy to be in His presence, then the holy fear returns; and with it comes a refreshed appreciation for the greatness of His mercy.  Nehemiah 1:5 “And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:”

17: And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18: In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20: And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
21: And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

à Doctrine: God is He Who delights in making covenants.  Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”

à Reproof: Do I honor my end of the covenant God has made with me?

à Correction: Hebrews 10:29 “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”

à Instruction: A covenant is an agreement; a contract.  It is in the form, “If you do A, I will do B.”  We are under a covenant with God, a new covenant in Christ’s blood.  It has the form of a covenant.  I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Jesus said there will be those who think they are under the covenant when they are not, because they have not kept their part of the covenant.  Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”  It is common in the Church, today, to tell people “Just confess that Jesus is Lord, and you will be saved.”  The problem is, many people say the words, but do not grasp the intent.  When I say, “Jesus is Lord,” I am saying that I have given Him control of my life.  I cannot honestly say this, if I do not intend to let Him run my life.  This is what Jesus meant.  It is not enough to say the words, “Lord, Lord.”  I must become the servant of God who hears the voice of my Lord, and does the work He calls upon me to do.  This is the real meaning behind the words found in Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  To be saved, I must say with my mouth that Jesus is my boss, my ruler, and my guide, and I must believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.  If I truly believe that the awesome power of God brought Jesus back from the dead, and I’m going around calling Him my Lord, I’m going to be doing the work He gives me to do, because I’m going to be afraid to call “Lord” the One Who has this power, and then ignore His instructions.  I cannot obtain salvation by doing any work, but having obtained salvation, I must work, or I am not truly saved.  It is not possible to truly trust Christ for salvation while disregarding everything He calls upon me to do.  I cannot trust Him to save me if I don’t grasp Who He really is, and having grasped that, I can have no other desire than but to serve Him.  Those who think they are saved, but have no desire to serve God, have never met Him, and if they have not met Him, they are not saved.  Notice that Jesus does not contradict their statement that they have done many wonderful works in His name; He says that these works were not the will of His Father.  It is not what I do that matters, it is why I do it.  If I am doing good works, hoping by them to be made worthy of heaven, my failure dooms me; and if I am moved by gratitude for the awesome splendor of His work to obey His will, I cannot fail; but, if I am never moved by gratitude to obey the will of His Father, and mine, it can only be because I have failed to grasp the significance of the Good Work of the Cross, and I cannot, therefore, be saved.  There, I think I’ve said it enough different ways to clarify what I understand by the saying, “We are not saved by works, but we are saved into good works.”

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 15:

1: After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2: And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3: And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4: And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

à Doctrine: God is He Who answers the prayers of our hearts.  I Kings 8:38-40 “What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.”

à Reproof: Do I become discouraged and think that what I see today is all that God has for me?

à Correction: Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

à Instruction: God knows the end from the beginning.  That is, before beginning the creation of all things, He knew the good that He purposed in His heart to do for me.  I know today only.  He has promised to do me good.  I was recently asked if I thought that I would have been more successful if a certain person had not blocked me.  I answered that the thing this person blocked me from doing only set me up to be used even more effectively by God in another way.  What is success?  I know people with more money than they can possibly hope to spend in one lifetime, more than their children and grandchildren could spend in their lifetimes, who complain about their lack of success.  I know a man who has led over twenty people to Christ in his lifetime who sometimes wonders if he is a failure.  You be the judge: who is more successful, the man with all the money, or the man God used to bring 20 people to Him?

5: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6: And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7: And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

à Doctrine: God is He Who does not hesitate to make extravagant promises.  II Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

à Reproof: Do I ever doubt the promises God makes to me?

à Correction: Mark 9:23 “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

à Instruction: How do I stop doubting and start believing?  In some ways, this is the core of every Christian’s battles.  When I am in doubt, when I fear that God will not bring about all that He has promised, what can I do with my doubts?  How can I get rid of my fears?  I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”  This verse did not work its full work in me until I realized something very important.  God isn’t saying that I need to have perfect love in order to eliminate my fears.  He is saying that He has perfect love, and His love will drive out my fears.  When I focus on the greatness of the love God has already demonstrated that He has for me, then my fears dissolve.  Romans 8:32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”  If I loved someone enough to sacrifice my own son for him, would I not then also love him enough to give him anything else he asked for?  I am but a man, and I know this is true of me.  How much more, then, must it be true of the Only One Who knows the meaning of perfect love?

21: And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22: And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23: That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

à Doctrine: God is He Who offers a better reward than any man can.  Matthew 10:39-42 “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

à Reproof: Do I labor for the rewards that men can give, or for the reward only God can give?

à Correction: John 6:27 “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

à Instruction: Abram understood this.  He could have left the battlefield with everything that had belonged to all the people of Sodom.  Why should he?  God had already promised him a whole countryside.  Abram understood something most men never see.  A bird in the hand is not always worth two in the bush; not when God has promised to give you the two in the bush.  Abram went forth to rescue the people of Sodom, not plunder them.  He was not about to become as much the oppressor as was Chedorlaomer.  Note, however, that he was generous with that which was his to give, but did not presume to give that which belonged to others.  Here, in the life of Abram, we of this age could learn very much were we willing to do so.  The three righteous acts of Abram, in this passage, were: rescue the oppressed, be generous to those in need, and keep your hands out of other peoples’ wages.  If I can but do these three things with my life, I will have accomplished much.

13: And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14: And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15: And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16: And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

à Doctrine: God is He Who rescues the unworthy.  Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

à Reproof: When I hear of a need, do I ever decline to pray for the need because I think the person doesn’t deserve the help?  (Note: to my knowledge, this is one sin I have never committed.)

à Correction: Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” and Luke 6:35 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”

à Instruction: I have heard people say that loving the unlovely is something taught by Jesus as a change from the Old Testament commandments.  When Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy,” only the first half was a quote from the Law.  The second half was a quote from the Talmud, added by those who mistakenly assumed that, since God had said love your neighbor, this implied one should not love those who are not one’s neighbors.  This contradicts other clear passages in the Law such as Exodus 23:9 “Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” And Deuteronomy 23:7 “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.”  As is obvious in this passage, godly men have always understood that doing good to those who don’t deserve it is as much a part of being godly as is showing favor to God’s people.  Notice that Abram was responding to injustice, irrespective of the worthiness of the victims.  He rescued not only his nephew Lot, but also the people of Sodom.  Not because they were God’s chosen people, they clearly were not, but because they had been treated unjustly.  So ought I to do.  When I see someone, anyone, being victimized, I have a responsibility to use all the resources at my disposal to rescue them.

17: And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
18: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19: And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Note: although it is not clear who was paying tithes to whom in this passage, the New Testament clarifies the question: Hebrews 7:1-2 “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;”

à Doctrine: God is He Who gives a special blessing to those who protect the weak.  Matthew 10:42 “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

à Reproof: Do I allow myself to become an “innocent” bystander to violence?

à Correction: Deuteronomy 242:4 “Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.”

à Instruction: God has a special reward in store for those who are rescuers.  Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”  When we see someone being mistreated, victimized, or persecuted, and we step up to the plate and render them our aid and comfort, God promises to show extra mercy to us when we are similarly in need.  I don’t think anyone would dispute this point.  The evidence for is clear in the Scripture, and in the world around us; so much so that it is a proverb among the heathen: “What goes around comes around.”  God does not require, although He sometimes calls, us to do the impossible.  Alone, I cannot end all abortion.  I can, and always do, advocate against it both in the public sector and in private conversations with those who are contemplating.  God does call some to go beyond what is in their power to do.  Whom He so calls, He also enables and supports.  Thus, in spite of his obvious flaws, Lincoln brought about an end to slavery in his day and land.  Note that it cost him his life.  I think he would say it was a worthwhile exchange.  In this passage, God had blessed Abram to the point that he already had the men and resources to get the job done.  Similarly, some of us He blesses with power and wealth so that we can operate at high levels correcting injustice when we see it.  Others, do what we can with what we have, and God gives us the means to do whatever He sends us to accomplish.  Now, there are many obvious injustices of humans against other humans, but there is a much greater injustice done constantly right under our noses.  I speak of the Enemy of all men, Satan, who unjustly blinds and binds the unwary with his tricks and lies.  There is not a one of us who cannot, in some way, work against this injustice by sharing the light and hope that God has given us with those so blinded.  James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 14:

1: And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
2: That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
3: All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
4: Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5: And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
6: And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
7: And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar.
8: And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
9: With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
10: And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
11: And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
12: And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

à Doctrine: God is He Who allows us to experience the fruit of our decisions.  Galatians 6:8 “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

à Reproof: Do I knowingly make poor choices, and then expect God to protect me from the consequences?

à Correction: Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.”

à Instruction: Jesus tells us that if our brother sins against us, we ought to forgive him 490 times.  That’s more than once a day, every day, for a year.  John tells us, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” I John 2:1.  Then we have Hebrews 10:26-27.  We also have our own experience, and that of many others, that tells us that it is a rare man who sins once, repents, and never commits that particular sin again.  What is it, then?  At what point do we cross the line into once too many?  I know for a fact that I have been convicted by God of a particular sin, repented, and then gone out the very next day and committed it again.  I also know that God has forgiven me.  Yet, it is also clear that there is a line we must not cross.  It is mentioned more than once in the Word, and we need to pay attention.  How do we know where that line is?  I think the real answer is, we don’t.  God knows us.  If He gave me an exact number like “If you yell at your wife more than seven times a year I will not forgive you,” I would probably make sure to yell at her five times a year, reserving the sixth for an emergency.  (Don’t get me wrong, yelling at my wife is not something I am in the habit of doing: it is just an example.)  Instead, He leaves the matter somewhat open.  Here is how it seems to work in actual practice.  When I am at the point of sinning, He (or my conscience, or my understanding) warns me, “This may be the one time too many, you better not chance it.”  Many times, I heed this warning.  Thus, I grow closer to the goal of perfection.  Occasionally, I choose not to be listening.  I sin.  Then I come to God and seek forgiveness, and in His mercy He grants it; thus far.  But the warning remains, lest I become complacent, and then allow myself to become so hardened to sin that I stop repenting.  That, I believe is the point at which I would cross the line into unforgiveness.  We have this assurance, as long as we are willing to turn and repent, He will forgive.  The real line is not a number of times, or even the severity of the kind of sin.  The real line is within us.  It is the point at which we have become so used to sin, so hardened to the pleading of God, and so unconcerned about the whole issue, that we cease to repent.  How much sinning does it take to get to that point?  I don’t know.  Neither am I particularly interested in running an experiment to find out.  Thus, these warnings that almost seem to contradict the universality and completeness of the work of Christ on the Cross are here to remind us not to seek that limit.  The single most dangerous thing I could do would be to deliberately set out to see just how much sin I could commit and still be able to repent.  The wisest thing I can do is to see each day just how much righteousness I can commit and still remain human.  Even as believers, we dare not become arrogant, and forget the fear of the Lord.  As long as my goal, my intent, and my practice is to see each day how close I can get to the ideal, I am in safe territory.  That’s why we are saints, and unbelievers are sinners.  The believer, the one who truly fears the Lord, is actively working to improve, to grow, to become more like Christ.  The real work is done by the Holy Spirit, but the willingness, the purpose, and the desire must also be resident in me.  The sinner is not so.  The sinner has no intention of becoming Christlike.  Therefore, I am led to this conclusion: people who have no desire, no willingness, and no intention of being transformed daily into a new creation, no matter what words they may spout, or beliefs they may profess, are not saints; they are sinners.  Fortunately, I am not the One Who is a Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  I don’t have to make that call, except insofar as it applies to me.  I have to know, no matter how imperfect my behavior may be at times, that it is my aim and my desire to become perfect.  As long as I know this, and use this aim and desire to shape my behavior, I am in no danger of crossing that line.  I guess what I’m saying is this: I don’t really believe in falling away; I believe in people who only think they are Christians coming to a realization that they are not.  Some of them then correct the problem, and others do not.  From the outside, then, it appears that there are some who become Christians, and later leave the faith.  And there are verses to guide us when that seeming occurs.  I am firmly convinced, however, that it is possible to be “once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,” and to “have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,” without truly having been converted.  It is possible to sit in a hundred church services, take communion, feel the presence of God’s Spirit tugging at your heart, hear good sound Bible teaching, and see many miracles; and never fully yield to God’s call.  These people look like Christians in many ways, they fellowship with us, they even teach Sunday School, but, in their heart of hearts, they have never really bought in.  They have no intention of permitting God to take possession of them and change them into someone new.  They may go on like this for years, until a crisis comes.  At some point, God says, “Enough is enough.  Make a decision.”  Then we see one of two things: a long-time church member gets up and testifies that they have just made a decision to accept Christ (sometimes they sugarcoat it and call it “rededication”), or a long-time church member just stops coming.  These are the ones who “If they shall fall away, [it is impossible] to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6 slightly rearranged and with commentary added.  Lot had a bad day, here in this passage, but his crisis of conscience does not come until later.

14: And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16: And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17: Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18: Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

à Doctrine: God is He Who tells us when it is time to stay put, and when it is time to move on.  Exodus 40: 36-38 “And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”

à Reproof: Do I allow God to direct both my staying and my going?

à Correction: Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

à Instruction: Sometimes God tells me to stand still and wait for Him.  Other times God tells me to arise and walk.  My task is not to figure out whether it is better to settle in and put down roots, or to hit the road; my task is to listen and be obedient.  Many times in my life, I have believed that I had it all figured out.  Sometimes I thought God had ordained for me a life of wandering from place to place, other times I have thought, “This is where God wants me; here I will put down roots and remain forever.”  God does not work that way.  He does not, typically spell our whole lives out for us in advance.  He takes us step by step.  It may seem easier to know the whole plan and then systematically follow it through from beginning to end, but this is not good for us.  It makes it too easy for us to become self-reliant and headstrong.  Better it is for me that God should tell me a little at a time, so I have to keep returning to Him for counsel.  This way, I remember that it is God who is in control, and not me.  John 10: 4-5 and 27-29 “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 13:

1: And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2: And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3: And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4: Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

à Doctrine: God delights in our returning to the place of His choosing.  Isaiah 44:22 “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.”

à Reproof: When I have strayed from the path God ordains, do I hesitate to return, thinking He will not receive me?

à Correction: Luke 15:20 “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

à Instruction: God knows that we are, by nature, the sin nature, stiff-necked and rebellious.  Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  He is not pleased when we reject His counsel and go our own way, but He delights in our return.  Psalm 119:176 “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.”  When we have strayed, He comes looking for us, to seek and to save that which was lost.  Matthew 18:12-14 “How think ye?  If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”  As it was with Abraham, so shall it be with me.  When I have wandered from His paths, He will remind me, I will return, and when I have returned, I will build an altar in my heart and worship Him.  Nothing brings us closer to the heart of God than to repent and return.  At those times, we are most aware of His mercy and love toward us, and are most moved to reverently and gratefully offer Him our heartfelt worship and adoration.

5: And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6: And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7: And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8: And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9: Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10: And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11: Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

à Doctrine: God is a God of peace, and not discord.  Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

à Reproof: Do we strive to gather together in such large bands that we cannot work together without tripping over each other and getting in each others’ way?

à Correction: Exodus 18:21 “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:”  Luke 9:14 “For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.”  If Moses and Jesus needed to sort people into groups of fifties in order to effectively minister to them, why would we think we can effectively minister to thousands at a time?

à Instruction: This is God’s plan.  The Church must grow.  As it grows, it always reaches a point where the press of the crowd is too great, and ministry starts to grind to a halt.  When this happens, it is time to break up into smaller and more effective working groups.

12: Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13: But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

However, when we do this, we must exercise caution that we do not fall into Lot’s error, and allow ourselves to be among those that use it as an opportunity to wander off into a lifestyle that angers the Lord.

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 12:

Intro to Chapter 12: I have read many biographies of saints, ancient and modern, written by human biographers.  These biographers (many, but not all) even many autobiographers, tell an idealized story.  They tell of endless successions of triumph.  They don’t tell of failures, lapses of faith, dark days of doubting, and struggles with the sin nature.  The Bible is different.  This is one of the ways I know it was written by God, and not by man.  The tales are told of men with warts on.  There is a problem with idealized autobiographies: they are discouraging to we ordinary mortals.  We get a picture of how a man of God should look, and we know we don’t measure up, so we get the impression that God cannot use us.  If, however, we read God’s Word, we get a different picture.  We see seriously flawed men, full of doubt, leading lives of faith full of setbacks, slipups, and outright sin, but still mightily used of God.  In all of this, one Man stands out as different.  There was, and is, only one Man of Perfect Faith: Jesus Christ the Righteous.  He is our example, and we are to strive to be as much like Him as we are able.  We must not, however, disqualify ourselves from service because we have not yet attained that perfection.

1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

à Doctrine: God is He Who chooses whomever He will.  Mark 3:13 “And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.”

à Reproof: Do I actively listen for the call of God?

à Correction: Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

à Instruction: Notice that this is in the past perfect tense, “the LORD had said.”  We don’t know how much time passed between God’s call and Abram’s response, but we know that some time passed.  This did not invalidate the call.  This is the first point.  Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  Once God has called me, I am called.  I can duck it for a while, I can try to hide, I can even run away, as Jonah did, but as soon as I repent and return to obedience, the call is still there waiting for me.  God waits for my answer, and will continue to wait until I answer “Yes.”

4: So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5: And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6: And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

à Doctrine: God is He Who will work with whatever we give Him.  II Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

à Reproof: When I offer myself to God to serve Him, do I bring everything to Him, or do I reserve a few things for myself?

à Correction: Luke 18:22-23 “Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”

à Instruction: God wants only that which we are able to give willingly and cheerfully.  He wants us to give all that we have.  Thus, God wants me to be able to willingly and cheerfully give Him all that I have.  There is no conflict or contradiction here.  It is a matter of timing and growth.  At any point in time, God will accept all that I am willing to give.  The goal is for me to grow up into a man who can willingly give it all.  How quickly or how slowly this growth occurs is entirely up to me.  I can fight it for years, or I can yield more quickly, but ultimately, He will have it all, or I am none of His.

7: And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8: And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

à Doctrine: God seeks worshippers; He is not all that concerned about details of location.  John 4:21-24 “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

à Reproof: Do I serve God only in a certain place, or do I build an altar and worship Him wherever I may be?

à Correction: Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

à Instruction: Abram has his flaws, but I find one constant in his life: wherever he goes he builds an altar and worships God.  I said in my intro that I should not disqualify myself from service just because I am not yet perfect.  One thing, however, is an absolute requirement.  To be used of God, I must be someone who worships God regularly and constantly.

9: And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
10: And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
11: And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13: Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
14: And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15: The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16: And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
17: And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
18: And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
19: Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20: And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

à Doctrine: God is He Who disciplines, but does not reject, His people.  Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

à Reproof: Do I flee the place where God has me when the going gets tough?

à Correction: Exodus 14:13 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”

à Instruction: Abram obeyed God, and went where he was sent.  And there he remained until trouble came.  Then began a series of events in which Abram wavered in his faith, failed in his trust, and learned obedience through the things he suffered.  Abram was called of God.  That never changed, and God used him mightily to accomplish great things wherever he went.  But he also wavered and failed often.  This is one of those times.  God never told Abram to go to Egypt.  Abram failed to trust God to meet his needs in the place to which God sent him.  So he took matters into his own hands.  Being, therefore, outside the plan he knew God had, he begins to use schemes for protection instead of relying on God’s provision.  He tells his wife to deceive the people of Egypt, for fear that they will kill him to steal his wife.  God used Pharaoh to rebuke Abram for his unbelief, but He was also faithful in protecting and providing for Abram in spite of Abram’s schemes, lack of trust, and disobedience.  I know my frailty, my lack of perfect peace in trusting God, my disobediences, and my self-willed plots.  God calls me into service, and He calls me on my failings, and He continues to use me, and provide for me, as long as one thing remains, I keep returning to repentance and obedience, and continue to seek to serve Him to the best of my ability to receive His empowerment.  If God calls me, I have no right to think I can decide I am not qualified to serve.

Dearly Beloved,

Genesis Chapter 12:

Intro to Chapter 12: I have read many biographies of saints, ancient and modern, written by human biographers.  These biographers (many, but not all) even many autobiographers, tell an idealized story.  They tell of endless successions of triumph.  They don’t tell of failures, lapses of faith, dark days of doubting, and struggles with the sin nature.  The Bible is different.  This is one of the ways I know it was written by God, and not by man.  The tales are told of men with warts on.  There is a problem with idealized autobiographies: they are discouraging to we ordinary mortals.  We get a picture of how a man of God should look, and we know we don’t measure up, so we get the impression that God cannot use us.  If, however, we read God’s Word, we get a different picture.  We see seriously flawed men, full of doubt, leading lives of faith full of setbacks, slipups, and outright sin, but still mightily used of God.  In all of this, one Man stands out as different.  There was, and is, only one Man of Perfect Faith: Jesus Christ the Righteous.  He is our example, and we are to strive to be as much like Him as we are able.  We must not, however, disqualify ourselves from service because we have not yet attained that perfection.

1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

à Doctrine: God is He Who chooses whomever He will.  Mark 3:13 “And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.”

à Reproof: Do I actively listen for the call of God?

à Correction: Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

à Instruction: Notice that this is in the past perfect tense, “the LORD had said.”  We don’t know how much time passed between God’s call and Abram’s response, but we know that some time passed.  This did not invalidate the call.  This is the first point.  Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  Once God has called me, I am called.  I can duck it for a while, I can try to hide, I can even run away, as Jonah did, but as soon as I repent and return to obedience, the call is still there waiting for me.  God waits for my answer, and will continue to wait until I answer “Yes.”

4: So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
5: And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6: And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

à Doctrine: God is He Who will work with whatever we give Him.  II Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

à Reproof: When I offer myself to God to serve Him, do I bring everything to Him, or do I reserve a few things for myself?

à Correction: Luke 18:22-23 “Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”

à Instruction: God wants only that which we are able to give willingly and cheerfully.  He wants us to give all that we have.  Thus, God wants me to be able to willingly and cheerfully give Him all that I have.  There is no conflict or contradiction here.  It is a matter of timing and growth.  At any point in time, God will accept all that I am willing to give.  The goal is for me to grow up into a man who can willingly give it all.  How quickly or how slowly this growth occurs is entirely up to me.  I can fight it for years, or I can yield more quickly, but ultimately, He will have it all, or I am none of His.

7: And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8: And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

à Doctrine: God seeks worshippers; He is not all that concerned about details of location.  John 4:21-24 “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”