My New Book “Bless-ed” Is Now Out! Almost. Blessing #36!

Friends:

My new book, Bless-ed! Fifty-Two Weekly Blessings You Have as a Believer and How to Help Your Lost Friends Find Theirs will soon be available on Amazon here. I have advanced copies if you are interested. I will send you a copy for $10 (which includes shipping). Here’s Blessing #36 in Bless-ed:

BLESSING #36: The Blessing of a Biblical Understanding of the Devil

“I have no special regard for Satan; but I can at least claim that I have no prejudice against him. It may even be that I lean a little his way, on account of his not having a fair show. All religions issue bibles against him, and say the most injurious things about him, but we never hear his side.” (Mark Twain)

“You believe in the devil? Really?” “Yes!”, we might answer our unbelieving friends. The Bible is crystal clear in its teaching about a supernatural enemy by the name of Satan, or Lucifer, or the devil. And we believers in Jesus –

36. WE HAVE A BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVIL!

THE BLESSING But don’t even lost people suspect that there’s something behind the massive cruelty in the world, something beyond the human? How wrong Oscar Wilde was when he said, “We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”

THE BIBLE Concerning Twain’s comment, I would argue that we hear the devil’s side from the moment we enter the world. But we need the Scriptures to tell us the truth about our arch-enemy. Here are several critical truths we learn about the devil:

(1) The Bible is clear that the devil is real and personal. People need to come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26). We are children of the devil until we trust Christ (1 John 3:10). Conversion is defined as turning from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18). However, Satan must report his activities to God and have His permission for whatever he does (Job 1).
(2) The devil majors in tempting human beings to rebel against the Lord (Matt. 4:5).
(3) The devil is able to sow seeds of unbelief among the Word that is sown (Matt. 13:39). We read in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (see also Job 1-2). He masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
(4) He prompted Judas to betray Jesus (John 13:2), somehow has power over sickness (Acts 10:38; see also Luke 13:16), and holds the power of death (Heb. 2:14).
(5) Satan wants to sift believers as wheat (Luke 22:31). Christians can give the devil “a foothold” (Eph. 4:27), but we are to be aware of and take our stand against the devil’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11). He is quite capable of invading the bedrooms of believers (see 1 Corinthians 7:5). He can fill the hearts of believers to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3).
(6) We are to resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7). God can use Satan “for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5). Wayward believers can be “handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:20). Paul was given a thorn in the flesh, “a messenger of Satan, to torment me” (2 Cor. 12:7). He can block the way of believers (1 Thess. 2:18) and can do signs and wonders (2 Thess. 2:9).
(7) Satan’s fate is sealed, as are the demons who assist him (see Matt. 25:41).

ACTION STEPS

1. Study how the Lord Jesus combated Satan in His being tempted in the wilderness (Matt. 4). Because He is our great high priest and can help us when we are tempted (Heb. 4:14-16), we can follow Christ’s example in resisting Satan. Discuss some aspects of that strategy with a friend this week.

2. Read over Job chapters 1-2 and list the truths you learn about the devil and his purposes.

3. I have found great help in reading (and rereading) C.S. Lewis’ classic The Screwtape Letters. Consider reading this book with another believer and discussing the many insights Lewis has into the “schemes” of the devil.

4. PRAYER So, how do I pray for my unsaved friend? I don’t think I’ll talk much to him about the devil. But I won’t duck questions about the Evil One either. And I pray for my friend that he would realize he is not yet in the family of God, but in the family of the devil. I will pray earnestly his status will change.

 

My New Book “Bless-ed” Is Now Out! Almost. Blessing #25!

Friends:

My new book, Bless-ed! Fifty-Two Weekly Blessings You Have as a Believer and How to Help Your Lost Friends Find Theirs will soon be available on Amazon here. I have advanced copies if you are interested. I will send you a copy for $10 (which includes shipping). Here’s Blessing #25 in Bless-ed:

BLESSING #25: The Blessing of an Awareness of Spiritual Warfare

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” (C.S. Lewis)

Awareness. That’s what I need more of as a believer. And I’m receiving more awareness of my many blessings “in Christ” as I think about my lost friend Mike.

One of the blessings I have doesn’t appear on the surface to be a positive one like a permanent joy or a place in God’s family. But it is a blessing nonetheless because it’s true and essential for the follower of Jesus. And my lost friends don’t have it. From my perspective we believers –

25. WE HAVE AN AWARENESS OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE!

THE BLESSING “Wait a minute!,” some might say. “Are you talking about demons and the devil and stuff?!” Yes. The Bible is quite clear that the Christian has a diabolical army opposing him, tempting him, blinding him to the spiritual battle he is in.

THE BIBLE We are not suggesting that the believer needs to cower in fear, thinking that there’s a demon behind every bush. But there is much more going on in life than we can presently see. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Notice from this passage that we are in a struggle, a battle. And our enemy is not other human beings. Our enemy is described as “the authorities,” “the powers of this dark world,” and “the spiritual forces of evil.” This is no time for a kind of spiritual pacifism. We are at war!

Here is some of what the Scriptures teach about spiritual warfare: (1) The devil is a real spirit being who has an army at his disposal to oppose God and the things of God (Gen. 3; Rev. 12); (2) His purpose is to tempt mankind into disobeying God and to entrap the believer (he is on the prowl looking for someone to devour, 1 Pet. 5:8); (3) Believers are to be aware of the devil’s tricks and to oppose him (we are to be cognizant of the devil’s ways of operating, 2 Cor. 2:11); (4) The devil is a defeated foe and will one day be cast into the lake of fire forever (a place prepared for him, Matt. 25; Rev. 20); (5) Christians are to focus upon the Lord and resist the devil and he will flee from them (James 4:7).

Much more could be said about spiritual warfare. But the believer is not at peace in this world. And he needs to get in the battle, calling upon the Lord for strength and courage in face of his enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

ACTION STEPS

1. Read over each day this week the devil’s original temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. What is his modus operandi (his way of working)? It appears he has not deviated from the way he seeks to bring believers down. Have you sensed any of his techniques being used on you? How do you respond biblically to his tempting you?

2. C.S. Lewis says we make two errors about the devil: we either think about him too little or we think about him too much. How do you find a biblical balance? Discuss this question with another believer this week.

3. Much has been written about spiritual warfare — and not all of it biblical. A balanced perspective is set forth in the short book Territorial Spirits and World Evangelisation: A Biblical, Historical and Missiological Critique of Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare by Chuck Lowe.

4. PRAYER So, how do I pray for my unsaved friend? I somehow let it be known that I am in a war and must resist a supernatural enemy. And I pray for my friend who needs to move from being a child of the devil (John 8:44; Eph. 2:12; Acts 13:10) to being a child of God (John 1:12)!

 

A Sermon Series on the Book of 2 Kings- Ch. 7

Friends: I will be doing a series of three sermons on the book of 2 Kings in April for my friends at Cedarcroft Bible Chapel in South Plainfield, NJ. So I want to go chapter by chapter through this Old Testament book. With you! I’ll put the chapter in the post and give a few comments of my own under the text.  Comments always welcome! Let’s dive in!

My notes:

Here we are in 2 Kings 7! What do we see? Elisha prophesies that food will be dirt cheap “about this time tomorrow” (v. 1). But the officer on whose arm the king was leaning said, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” (v. 2). Oops. UNBELIEF! So Elisha says, “You’ll see this with your own eyes — but you won’t eat any of it!”

The siege is lifted when four men with leprosy decide to surrender to the Aramean soldiers. When they got to the camp, the Lord had caused them to hear the sounds of chariots and horses and a great army. The soldiers flee, thinking the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack them! They abandoned everything in the camp.

The lepers feasted on what the Aramean soldiers left, but said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves” (v. 9). They report to the gatekeepers of Israel. The king of Israel thought the Arameans were faking, so he sends five men to find out what happened. It was just as the lepers had said. The people of Israel went out and plundered the Aramean camp, fulfilling Elisha’s prediction about cheap food.

The officer of the king gets trampled in the gateway and dies, just as Elisha predicted he wouldn’t partake of the bounty. GOD HATES UNBELIEF!

 

A Sermon Series on the Book of 2 Kings- Ch. 6

Friends: I will be doing a series of three sermons on the book of 2 Kings in April for my friends at Cedarcroft Bible Chapel in South Plainfield, NJ. So I want to go chapter by chapter through this Old Testament book. With you! I’ll put the chapter in the post and give a few comments of my own under the text.  Comments always welcome! Let’s dive in!

My notes:

The company of the prophets ask Elisha for permission to build a bigger place for them, and he accompanies them to the Jordan. There a worker loses an axhead into the water. “It was borrowed!” is his cry.

Elisha cut a stick, threw it in, and “made the iron float” (v. 6) This is miracle #11 from Elisha. A floating, iron axhead!

In a military situation, the king of Aram (where have we heard of him before?) is at war with Israel. Elisha sent word to the king of Israel (who’s king at this point?), warning him not to pass that place where the Arameans were going. Time and again Elisha warned the king “so that he was on his guard in such places” (v. 10). This should be marked as MIRACLE #12.

The king of Aram is sure someone is a traitor, giving information to the king of Israel. But one of his officers says that the source is Elisha, “the prophet who is in Israel” and he “tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom” (v. 12) [Elisha was privy to the king of Aram’s pillow talk!]

The king of Aram sends a force to Dothan to capture Elisha. Elisha’s servant sees the surrounding forces the next morning and panics (v. 15). Elisha: “Don’t be afraid — those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16). [sounds a bit like I Jn. 4:4). Elisha prays that the servant’s eyes will be opened and he then sees the hills full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha (v. 17). MIRACLE # 13.

The army attacks and Elisha prays for blindness for the army (v. 18) MIRACLES #14. He then leads them into Samaria and prays their eyes would be opened (v. 20). MIRACLES #15. The king of Israel wants to slaughter them, but Elisha tells him to give them a feast and send them home! And the king of Aram stops raiding Israel’s territory.

Later Ben-Hadad king of Aram lays siege to Samaria; a great famine. Woman re eating her son and the king of Israel hearing about the other woman not offering her son to be eaten. “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you?” (v. 27). The king tears his robes; sackcloth underneath. He swears to kill Elisha (v. 31). [Had Elisha predicted the famine?]

Elisha knows what the messenger from the king is going to say before he arrives. Elisha says, “Don’t you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?” MIRACLE #16

How are we to understand the last sentence: The king said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” (v. 33)

 

Seven Critical Challenges for Living in This World (A Study of I Peter 2): Abstaining?

Some of you are aware that I’ve been engaged in a daily Bible reading program with my friend Frank in New Jersey for a couple of years or so. We choose a book of the Bible and read the same chapter each day for a week — then move on to the next chapter after that. Our procedure is quite simple and is explained here.

Well, I’ve started a small group of four men who are doing this kind of daily Bible reading and we’ve worked our way through Philippians and I Timothy, and are now going through I Peter. We drop each other a short email on Sunday about something we’ve learned in our reading together.

In reading through I Peter 2, I believe there are seven critical challenges that Peter gives us that are particularly relevant for us right now in our world. Here’s the third —

What in the world makes us believers think that all our desires have been purified at conversion?! No! We will battle “sinful desires” our whole Christian lives. And we are at great risk if we think otherwise!

This challenge is quite clear that we need to be urged to identify and to abstain from sinful desires. Is this referring to sinful desires outside ourselves? I don’t think so. These desires are at war — with our very souls!

We must take sin seriously, especially internal desires which sneak up on us and do battle against our very spiritual lives!

Today’s Challenge: Which internal “sinful desires” do you need to recognize and abstain from? Come on. Be honest. And, by God’s grace, choose abstinence as your weapon!