v 4 & 5 – Jude shows a shepherd heart, protective towards believer and since we are prone to forgetfulness reminded us that we are in a battle. The threat of our faith is coming from inside as godless men have secretly slipped in.
v 5 to 7 – Illustrates the consequences of forgetting our calling. The Israelites are God’s chosen people, witnessed God’s power and truth but failed to trust God. Angels instead of keeping God’s rules for them left their own domain. Sodom and Gomorrah went after strange flesh. Angels aside, the people had all encountered God’s grace and were given chances to repent. Grace does end for the unrepentant.
v 8 to 10 – Jude started off with In the same way to depict that the false teachers who are under grace misused grace and judgment will accordingly be passed on them. The false teachers create their own truth by relying on their feelings and understanding and not God’s word. The three characteristics of false teachers: pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings sum up to having the “I” syndrome.
v 11 – This verse shows the progression of sin. Cain started by disobeying God’s word, Balaam opposed God’s word and caused the people to be stumbled and Korah went against the authority structure God and perished.
v 12 – These men lead us further from God and are destructive. “Clouds without water, carried along by winds”, “autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted”, “wild waves of the seas, casting up their own shame like foam” and “wandering stars” all point to the fact that the false teachers do not direct us to Christ but distract us further.
v 15 & 16 – Right from the beginning, ungodly has been recognised and God will come and judge the ungodly.
In modern day context, I do behave like Cain, Balaam and Korah even though I don’t adopt their extremity. My application with reference to Balaam and Korah would be to really seek God’s heart and share His heart and attitude rather than displaying outward obedience of reading Bible, praying and abiding in rules.
Though grace is freely available for me I should not disregard the importance of grace. My application is to examine my areas in my life that presumes God’s grace too much.
Sharon
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Devotions on Jude
Hi guys, I just prepared for Jude 17-23. Boy, I'm amazed by God! As you guys know, I have been going through a rough patch of my life and still in the process of healing, I want to give thanks for our wonderful God. I am really excited as I prepare Jude. This last part is really encouraging to me and it makes me really happy. Right now, I just feel like jumping up in joy! haha. :)
Thanks for praying for me. I have experienced moments of sadness and moments of joy intermittently. As you can see, right now I'm joyful(in fact, I know we should always be), but there are times when I would be really upset. I know that I am still in the midst of healing. Thanks for your prayers. :)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let's all cling on to our wonderful God and trust that He will guide us through ok? Indeed He will, He is perfect and everlasting. See you tomorrow!
-Yin Ting
Thanks for praying for me. I have experienced moments of sadness and moments of joy intermittently. As you can see, right now I'm joyful(in fact, I know we should always be), but there are times when I would be really upset. I know that I am still in the midst of healing. Thanks for your prayers. :)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let's all cling on to our wonderful God and trust that He will guide us through ok? Indeed He will, He is perfect and everlasting. See you tomorrow!
-Yin Ting
Jude 5-16 Summary - WW
Summary Statement:
Forget your calling and face the Fire.
Paragraph:
Israel’s history is replete with examples of those who profess faith but later forgot their high calling. Their fate serve as examples and stern warnings for us. Jude launches into a list of such examples:
v5 – Israel herself, called out of Egypt, through unbelief lost an entire generation in the wilderness
v6 – Angels – created to serve in heaven, abandoned heaven and are now destined for eternal damnation
v7 – Sodom and Gomorrah – created fertile and blessed with plenty, indulged materially and sexually, became the very symbol of everything in the world that opposes God and thus destroyed by fire
v11 – Cain – first born of Adam, despised God’s offering, unrepentant, murdered, later cursed by God to be forever unfruitful and unsettled.
v11 – Balaam – a pagan prophet, peddled his gift, was rebuked by a donkey and later killed for his deviousness.
v11 – Korah – Levite by descent and servant of the Tabernacle, contested Moses and was swallowed alive by the earth.
If history wasn’t example enough, right in their present day, there existed in their midst men who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk (v8 & v12).
“These men” (v8) – that sad, sad phrase which conjures up images of all that is wrong – these ungodly men who profess faith yet flouts grace. These men, who infiltrate the most intimate fellowship of faith (v12), revile the heavenly authorities (v8-9) and allow sensual desires and instincts to dominate (v10). These men, who are vocal yet hollow, impressive yet fleeting, supposed protectors yet self-serving, offering promise yet bearing no fruit, all show with no substance (v13).
These men who blatantly disregard their calling will share the same fate as those who forgot or abandoned their high calling. These men have been marked out from the beginning of time for eternal condemnation (v4 & 15).
Do you grumble and find fault? Do you seek primarily to satiate your own selfish and evil desires? Do you boast and flatter for personal glory? (v16)
Be warned:
Forget your calling and face the Fire.
Forget your calling and face the Fire.
Paragraph:
Israel’s history is replete with examples of those who profess faith but later forgot their high calling. Their fate serve as examples and stern warnings for us. Jude launches into a list of such examples:
v5 – Israel herself, called out of Egypt, through unbelief lost an entire generation in the wilderness
v6 – Angels – created to serve in heaven, abandoned heaven and are now destined for eternal damnation
v7 – Sodom and Gomorrah – created fertile and blessed with plenty, indulged materially and sexually, became the very symbol of everything in the world that opposes God and thus destroyed by fire
v11 – Cain – first born of Adam, despised God’s offering, unrepentant, murdered, later cursed by God to be forever unfruitful and unsettled.
v11 – Balaam – a pagan prophet, peddled his gift, was rebuked by a donkey and later killed for his deviousness.
v11 – Korah – Levite by descent and servant of the Tabernacle, contested Moses and was swallowed alive by the earth.
If history wasn’t example enough, right in their present day, there existed in their midst men who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk (v8 & v12).
“These men” (v8) – that sad, sad phrase which conjures up images of all that is wrong – these ungodly men who profess faith yet flouts grace. These men, who infiltrate the most intimate fellowship of faith (v12), revile the heavenly authorities (v8-9) and allow sensual desires and instincts to dominate (v10). These men, who are vocal yet hollow, impressive yet fleeting, supposed protectors yet self-serving, offering promise yet bearing no fruit, all show with no substance (v13).
These men who blatantly disregard their calling will share the same fate as those who forgot or abandoned their high calling. These men have been marked out from the beginning of time for eternal condemnation (v4 & 15).
Do you grumble and find fault? Do you seek primarily to satiate your own selfish and evil desires? Do you boast and flatter for personal glory? (v16)
Be warned:
Forget your calling and face the Fire.
Jude 1-4 Summary - WW
Summary Statement:
The faithful must fight for their faith.
Paragraph:
Believers are called, loved and kept (v1). They are also recipients of mercy, peace and love, multiplied times without number (v2). With these, they also receive a sacred trust, that of preserving the purity of the faith which leads to salvation, contending for it with their lives, if necessary (v3). Failure to do so mocks the grace of our Lord Jesus and denies His sovereignty. This has happened in the Church Jude writes to, and continues to do so (v4).
The faithful must fight for their faith.
The faithful must fight for their faith.
Paragraph:
Believers are called, loved and kept (v1). They are also recipients of mercy, peace and love, multiplied times without number (v2). With these, they also receive a sacred trust, that of preserving the purity of the faith which leads to salvation, contending for it with their lives, if necessary (v3). Failure to do so mocks the grace of our Lord Jesus and denies His sovereignty. This has happened in the Church Jude writes to, and continues to do so (v4).
The faithful must fight for their faith.
Wen-Wei's Devotions - 31 Jan 08
Numbers 33
51 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,
52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
55 "'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.
56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.'"
Numbers 35:34
34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.'"
Land has special symbolism and significance. The Promised Land, in particular, is sacred. Here is where God Himself would dwell and commune with His people. As the Lord is holy, so too the land must be holy for the Lord to inhabit it.
The 2 commands of the Lord given in the above passage say to Israel, in effect, first purify the land, then keep it pure thereafter that Lord may dwell there with you.
I ask the question now, where does God dwell today? and where do I go to commune with God?
The answer is, of course, in me. He is, after all, Emmanuel, God with us. And as I have been purified by the blood of Christ when I came to faith in Him, so I must be diligent to maintain my purity constantly.
But I think there is a second application for me: My physical house itself. This is the place of physical refuge and sanctuary for my family and I, even for my E-Group when we gather. When we moved in, we prayed for what may have existed on this plot of land before this house was built. There may have been unholy practices performed at this very location unknown to us. So we asked God to cleanse it spiritually even as we swept and washed the house physically. And we dedicated this house to the service of God.
Today I asked myself: Have I allowed evil and unholiness to re-enter this house? God prompted me in a number of areas:
- unholy words spoken here
- unkind acts performed here
- unwitting junk downloaded onto my computer
- intentional visits to unedifying websites
- movies of evil and blasphemy viewed here
So begins a re-cleansing and purposeful throwing out, that God's presence may be at ease here and His presence strongly felt here. Pray for me and with me.
PS - With this, I have finished my devotions in Numbers and I continued into Deuteronomy today ...
51 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,
52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
55 "'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.
56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.'"
Numbers 35:34
34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.'"
Land has special symbolism and significance. The Promised Land, in particular, is sacred. Here is where God Himself would dwell and commune with His people. As the Lord is holy, so too the land must be holy for the Lord to inhabit it.
The 2 commands of the Lord given in the above passage say to Israel, in effect, first purify the land, then keep it pure thereafter that Lord may dwell there with you.
I ask the question now, where does God dwell today? and where do I go to commune with God?
The answer is, of course, in me. He is, after all, Emmanuel, God with us. And as I have been purified by the blood of Christ when I came to faith in Him, so I must be diligent to maintain my purity constantly.
But I think there is a second application for me: My physical house itself. This is the place of physical refuge and sanctuary for my family and I, even for my E-Group when we gather. When we moved in, we prayed for what may have existed on this plot of land before this house was built. There may have been unholy practices performed at this very location unknown to us. So we asked God to cleanse it spiritually even as we swept and washed the house physically. And we dedicated this house to the service of God.
Today I asked myself: Have I allowed evil and unholiness to re-enter this house? God prompted me in a number of areas:
- unholy words spoken here
- unkind acts performed here
- unwitting junk downloaded onto my computer
- intentional visits to unedifying websites
- movies of evil and blasphemy viewed here
So begins a re-cleansing and purposeful throwing out, that God's presence may be at ease here and His presence strongly felt here. Pray for me and with me.
PS - With this, I have finished my devotions in Numbers and I continued into Deuteronomy today ...
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Yin Ting's Jude Summary
I have had plenty of thoughts. I hope this is not too long. :)
v4: about people who accept God's grace, but justified their sins with it.
-easy for people to fall prey to godless men as they are more likely to present
us with what we like to pray. Therefore, we need discernment.
v5: The very people who saw God at work chose not to believe. They were destroyed.
- After seeing God's grace, am I still indulging in my own ways?
- We have full responsibility to develop and bring out the gifts that God gives
us.
v7: Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed due to their sins, despite the fact that they were
prosperous based on earthly standards.
- God is gracious by giving us chances to repent. So do we or indulge in earthly
pleasure?
We went on to discuss about sin and temptation. We mentioned that if one thinks that one cannot curb sin, one should flee. If one can face it, always face it with humility, knowing that God is sovereign over everything.
v9: Don't slander celestial beings, but the dreamers do. They have no idea of the
power of authority.
- in things we do not understand, do not take lightly, but seek to understand.
v11: As sins get worse, the consequences of them get worse too.
- It is the faith that changes us, any by the conversion of our belief, our
genuine life led out.
v12: These men are fruitless.
Somehow, I didn't write anything for v.13-16. Apologies!
Jud's application for me is to always ask myself whether there are areas in my life where I am taking God's grace for granted and doing things that make me happy with no consideration of whether it pleases Him. It is also a good reminder for me not to tread near the boundaries of sin and evil. :)
v4: about people who accept God's grace, but justified their sins with it.
-easy for people to fall prey to godless men as they are more likely to present
us with what we like to pray. Therefore, we need discernment.
v5: The very people who saw God at work chose not to believe. They were destroyed.
- After seeing God's grace, am I still indulging in my own ways?
- We have full responsibility to develop and bring out the gifts that God gives
us.
v7: Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed due to their sins, despite the fact that they were
prosperous based on earthly standards.
- God is gracious by giving us chances to repent. So do we or indulge in earthly
pleasure?
We went on to discuss about sin and temptation. We mentioned that if one thinks that one cannot curb sin, one should flee. If one can face it, always face it with humility, knowing that God is sovereign over everything.
v9: Don't slander celestial beings, but the dreamers do. They have no idea of the
power of authority.
- in things we do not understand, do not take lightly, but seek to understand.
v11: As sins get worse, the consequences of them get worse too.
- It is the faith that changes us, any by the conversion of our belief, our
genuine life led out.
v12: These men are fruitless.
Somehow, I didn't write anything for v.13-16. Apologies!
Jud's application for me is to always ask myself whether there are areas in my life where I am taking God's grace for granted and doing things that make me happy with no consideration of whether it pleases Him. It is also a good reminder for me not to tread near the boundaries of sin and evil. :)
Summary of Romans Part #4
Romans 5:12-21
There are 2 significant people in this section, Adam and Christ. The simple truth here is that we are in sin and death from our first ever forefather Adam. Secular people do not deny that there is sin and death but their explanation is that sin is an imperfection, soon to be overcome. It is just something which makes a person less desirable. With regards to death, a secularist’s explanation will be that death is natural. We are made to die. Christians however, do not hold to this view. Sin is disobedience to God, something far graver than just mere imperfection. And death is the consequence, a penalty for sin. We were not made to die. Death is the result of sin.
From just one act of sin on Adam’s part, the human race is being condemned to death. Even unborn infants are dead in sin before they are born. Though newborns or children have not consciously sinned, they are still sinners, having inherited the sinful nature of Adam and then death because of sin. Adam was made the first man that ever existed and a representative of the human race. As such, his sin brought judgement down on us. This is not to say that we are all perfect except Adam because we adopted the sinful nature and lived according to its desires.
Just as Adam’s one act brought down the whole race, Christ’s’ act of obedience to the cross brought righteousness. There are many contrasts between Adam and Christ:
- the trespass of Adam vs the gift of God
- death caused by sin vs eternal life
- condemnation vs justification
- sin vs righteousness
- the disobedience of Adam vs the obedience of Christ
- law vs grace
This brings to attention the victory of grace over law. Grace is God’s favour toward the undeserving. In fact, we deserve the exact opposite. Most of us know grace as God’s Riches At Christ Expense. We have been justified by grace. Everyday, we receive something that we do not deserve and that is our right standing before God. How will that change the way you live?
When there was already sin the world, the law was added so that man is conscious of sin. We have knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. The law is what defines sin, reveals its nature and exposes its power. As such, the law also convicts us of our sin. But the greatest of all is “when sin increased, grace increased all the more”. There is no sin too big for forgiveness. In other versions of the bible, the words “abound”, “multiplied” and “immeasurably exceeded” were used. Our sins can be counted but God’s grace is immeasurable. Further to this, we tend to see grace as a positive attitude but it is more than that. Grace is the power that reaches into the pit and pulls us up. Grace sees us staggering and comes to bear us up. Grace sees us dying and gives us eternal life. Grace sees us destitute and gives us access to God’s inexhaustible riches. There is no greater triumph than the triumph of grace over sin.
There are 2 significant people in this section, Adam and Christ. The simple truth here is that we are in sin and death from our first ever forefather Adam. Secular people do not deny that there is sin and death but their explanation is that sin is an imperfection, soon to be overcome. It is just something which makes a person less desirable. With regards to death, a secularist’s explanation will be that death is natural. We are made to die. Christians however, do not hold to this view. Sin is disobedience to God, something far graver than just mere imperfection. And death is the consequence, a penalty for sin. We were not made to die. Death is the result of sin.
From just one act of sin on Adam’s part, the human race is being condemned to death. Even unborn infants are dead in sin before they are born. Though newborns or children have not consciously sinned, they are still sinners, having inherited the sinful nature of Adam and then death because of sin. Adam was made the first man that ever existed and a representative of the human race. As such, his sin brought judgement down on us. This is not to say that we are all perfect except Adam because we adopted the sinful nature and lived according to its desires.
Just as Adam’s one act brought down the whole race, Christ’s’ act of obedience to the cross brought righteousness. There are many contrasts between Adam and Christ:
- the trespass of Adam vs the gift of God
- death caused by sin vs eternal life
- condemnation vs justification
- sin vs righteousness
- the disobedience of Adam vs the obedience of Christ
- law vs grace
This brings to attention the victory of grace over law. Grace is God’s favour toward the undeserving. In fact, we deserve the exact opposite. Most of us know grace as God’s Riches At Christ Expense. We have been justified by grace. Everyday, we receive something that we do not deserve and that is our right standing before God. How will that change the way you live?
When there was already sin the world, the law was added so that man is conscious of sin. We have knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. The law is what defines sin, reveals its nature and exposes its power. As such, the law also convicts us of our sin. But the greatest of all is “when sin increased, grace increased all the more”. There is no sin too big for forgiveness. In other versions of the bible, the words “abound”, “multiplied” and “immeasurably exceeded” were used. Our sins can be counted but God’s grace is immeasurable. Further to this, we tend to see grace as a positive attitude but it is more than that. Grace is the power that reaches into the pit and pulls us up. Grace sees us staggering and comes to bear us up. Grace sees us dying and gives us eternal life. Grace sees us destitute and gives us access to God’s inexhaustible riches. There is no greater triumph than the triumph of grace over sin.
Monday, January 28, 2008
What do you think? - Numbers 30
Hi everyone,
I read Numbers 30 in my devotions this morning. This is such an interesting passage. You may have heard of it before, or read it yourselves. It concerns Vows.
In summary, it says this:
v1-2 - Man makes a vow - it is binding
v3-5 - Unmarried girl makes a vow - her father may annul her vow when he first hears of it, otherwise (including his silence) it is binding
v6-8 - Unmarried girl makes a vow, her father permits it, girl later gets married while still under her vow, then her husband may annul her vow when he first hears of it, otherwise (including his silence), it continues to be binding
v9 - Widow or divorced woman makes a vow - it is binding
v10-15 - Married woman makes a vow - her husband may annul her vow when he first hears of it, otherwise (including his silence) it is binding
Furthermore, these instructions concerning vows are emphasized before (v1 - "This is the command of the Lord") and after (v16 - "These are the statutes of the Lord").
Instead of sharing my thoughts and reflections on this, I thought to try something different. So, I'm inviting comment and discussion for a bit of fun and interest:
How do you feel upon reading this? What's your reaction?
Why do you think these instructions were given?
Guys - how do you feel being given right of annulment over your future wives' vows?
Ladies - how would you feel if your father (presently) or husband/future husband annuls your vow?
I'm not looking to rationalise or justify the instructions, nor delve into its deep theological reasoning. More curious as to your thinking about this and trying to generate a bit of "blog-cussion" (that's blog-discussion).
Comment away ...
I vow not judge your comments too harshly ... and that's binding!
:-)
Wen-Wei
I read Numbers 30 in my devotions this morning. This is such an interesting passage. You may have heard of it before, or read it yourselves. It concerns Vows.
In summary, it says this:
v1-2 - Man makes a vow - it is binding
v3-5 - Unmarried girl makes a vow - her father may annul her vow when he first hears of it, otherwise (including his silence) it is binding
v6-8 - Unmarried girl makes a vow, her father permits it, girl later gets married while still under her vow, then her husband may annul her vow when he first hears of it, otherwise (including his silence), it continues to be binding
v9 - Widow or divorced woman makes a vow - it is binding
v10-15 - Married woman makes a vow - her husband may annul her vow when he first hears of it, otherwise (including his silence) it is binding
Furthermore, these instructions concerning vows are emphasized before (v1 - "This is the command of the Lord") and after (v16 - "These are the statutes of the Lord").
Instead of sharing my thoughts and reflections on this, I thought to try something different. So, I'm inviting comment and discussion for a bit of fun and interest:
How do you feel upon reading this? What's your reaction?
Why do you think these instructions were given?
Guys - how do you feel being given right of annulment over your future wives' vows?
Ladies - how would you feel if your father (presently) or husband/future husband annuls your vow?
I'm not looking to rationalise or justify the instructions, nor delve into its deep theological reasoning. More curious as to your thinking about this and trying to generate a bit of "blog-cussion" (that's blog-discussion).
Comment away ...
I vow not judge your comments too harshly ... and that's binding!
:-)
Wen-Wei
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Give it away
As you guys might have read, I've been tasked with collecting our contributions to the fund for the Vietnamese church to get an aircon for their building :)
I've come across this song, which is both pleasing to the ear, and speaks quite eloquently on the subject of giving. Do check it out :)
I've come across this song, which is both pleasing to the ear, and speaks quite eloquently on the subject of giving. Do check it out :)
Jude Summary
Ok took things a little differently
After looking over it again, I broke up jude 4 - 16 roughly into 2 sections:
1) Jude describes the 'godless men' that have slipped in among them.
Vs 4 - See God as only a God of grace yet rejecting his Lordship over their lives
vs 8-10 - Give in to sensuality, doing only what seems fitting to themselves. They are a law unto themselves. Even things they dont understand, they brag about as if they did. They are driven by selfish selfgratifying instinct
vs 12, 16- These ppl are hidden amongst us and dangerous. They are fruitless, helping only themselves.
2) The punishment to those who have experienced God's goodness yet choose to disobey Him.
vs 5-7 - Jude uses common illustrations of the day to bring forward his point. Each example (the deliverance from Egypt, angels who fell and Sodom and Gomorrah) was one where the people where richly blessed, yet forsook God's goodness. They will be punished with "eternal fire"
vs 13 - Blackest darkness is reserved for these people
vs 14 - God WILL judge these people.
The message that Jude is trying to bring across is clear. It is a sobering warning that though we are under Grace, that does not give us a license to do what we want. In fact, we are freed FROM the power of sin and death SO THAT we can do good and live a life that reflects Christ. We are under the Lordship of Grace.
It is also a warning to be weary of these "godless men (and women btw)" They can be like "hidden reefs" sometimes, hard to detect as they "secretly slip in" among us, yet they can do tremendous damage and must be looked out for.
So my application is 2 fold, to be wary (not weary, thankx WW) within and without. I need to remember not be become like one of these ppl, taking God's goodness and grace lightly and half heartedly, and at the same time, being wary of people who will 'entangle' or 'shipwreck' me. Both of these require a close walk with Jesus, a listening and obedient ear to His Holy Spirit and a deeper, more meaningful understanding of His word.
God Bless you all
Dan
After looking over it again, I broke up jude 4 - 16 roughly into 2 sections:
1) Jude describes the 'godless men' that have slipped in among them.
Vs 4 - See God as only a God of grace yet rejecting his Lordship over their lives
vs 8-10 - Give in to sensuality, doing only what seems fitting to themselves. They are a law unto themselves. Even things they dont understand, they brag about as if they did. They are driven by selfish selfgratifying instinct
vs 12, 16- These ppl are hidden amongst us and dangerous. They are fruitless, helping only themselves.
2) The punishment to those who have experienced God's goodness yet choose to disobey Him.
vs 5-7 - Jude uses common illustrations of the day to bring forward his point. Each example (the deliverance from Egypt, angels who fell and Sodom and Gomorrah) was one where the people where richly blessed, yet forsook God's goodness. They will be punished with "eternal fire"
vs 13 - Blackest darkness is reserved for these people
vs 14 - God WILL judge these people.
The message that Jude is trying to bring across is clear. It is a sobering warning that though we are under Grace, that does not give us a license to do what we want. In fact, we are freed FROM the power of sin and death SO THAT we can do good and live a life that reflects Christ. We are under the Lordship of Grace.
It is also a warning to be weary of these "godless men (and women btw)" They can be like "hidden reefs" sometimes, hard to detect as they "secretly slip in" among us, yet they can do tremendous damage and must be looked out for.
So my application is 2 fold, to be wary (not weary, thankx WW) within and without. I need to remember not be become like one of these ppl, taking God's goodness and grace lightly and half heartedly, and at the same time, being wary of people who will 'entangle' or 'shipwreck' me. Both of these require a close walk with Jesus, a listening and obedient ear to His Holy Spirit and a deeper, more meaningful understanding of His word.
God Bless you all
Dan
My summary + devotion
Aight, so here goes my summary of Jude.
Jude v 1 - 4 : We establish who Jude is, (half-brother of Jesus), and note the difference of his greeting, which leaves out grace (curiously enough)
We are also urged to contend earnestly for the faith (everyday!), and are warned against a certain type of individual, who twist God's grace into licentiousness.
Jude 5 - 7 : A list of historical precendents, a type of 'negative demonstration' as you would, of vices to avoid. This also helps Jude build up his case against the apostates, by showing that the vices seen in them, have been seen and condemned by God in the past, therefore implying that God also condemns these apostates (also seen in v4) These illustrations might've been used to open the church's eyes to the true nature of the ones they might be tempted to follow.
The list of vices is as follows, in order of appearance in Jude. Note that these are inferred by me, feel free to dispute them. Unbelief, doubt, rebellion, idol worship, Abandonment of responsibility, lust, sexual immorality, homosexuality.
Besides listing vices, Jude also reinforces the punishment for these, which is basically destruction.
Jude 8 - 11 : Jude's denouncement of the apostates reaches a culmination as he finally unleashes his condemnation against the people he's writing against, most notably, by starting off with the word 'Likewise'. He then lists the sins these apostates are guilty off : defile the flesh, reject authority, speak evil of dignitaries/angels, speak evil of whatever they do not know, indulge their primal, basic, animal instincts. He also draws more comparisons to condemn them with, saying that they share in Cain's rebellion and unbelief, Balaam's mercernary nature, and Korah's rebellion against God's chosen order.
Jude 12 - 13 : Here Jude uses several analogies to state how destructive and unfruitful these apostates are, comparing them to reefs which help to wreck ships, people who feed only themselves, clouds without water that give the hope of life but are actually bone - dry, trees without fruit, raging waves, and wandering stars which promise guidance but actually lead astray.
Jude 14 - 15 : Jude then goes on to describe how they will be judged and punished, according to Enoch's words.
Jude 16 : Finally, another list of their vices,them being grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts, and arrogant flatterers.
That's my summary. My application for these, is to avoid all of the ungodly vices shown by the apostates. Some are quite extreme, and I doubt I'll ever have a problem with them, but there are many which I'm sure the majority of us have done before. Thus, it's to find ways in my life where some of these are being shown, and to erase them.
For my devotional thoughts, I just came across another familiar verse, in the form of Genesis 49:20. I'm reminded of the fact that God is in control of everything that happens in our lives, and what we think are bad events, might actually be part of his large overarching plan for our lives. And with trust in His pleasing and perfect will, it's all the assurance we need, whenever bad times come our way. It echoes the sentiments of Rom 8:28, and I find that extremely reassuring.
Terence
Jude v 1 - 4 : We establish who Jude is, (half-brother of Jesus), and note the difference of his greeting, which leaves out grace (curiously enough)
We are also urged to contend earnestly for the faith (everyday!), and are warned against a certain type of individual, who twist God's grace into licentiousness.
Jude 5 - 7 : A list of historical precendents, a type of 'negative demonstration' as you would, of vices to avoid. This also helps Jude build up his case against the apostates, by showing that the vices seen in them, have been seen and condemned by God in the past, therefore implying that God also condemns these apostates (also seen in v4) These illustrations might've been used to open the church's eyes to the true nature of the ones they might be tempted to follow.
The list of vices is as follows, in order of appearance in Jude. Note that these are inferred by me, feel free to dispute them. Unbelief, doubt, rebellion, idol worship, Abandonment of responsibility, lust, sexual immorality, homosexuality.
Besides listing vices, Jude also reinforces the punishment for these, which is basically destruction.
Jude 8 - 11 : Jude's denouncement of the apostates reaches a culmination as he finally unleashes his condemnation against the people he's writing against, most notably, by starting off with the word 'Likewise'. He then lists the sins these apostates are guilty off : defile the flesh, reject authority, speak evil of dignitaries/angels, speak evil of whatever they do not know, indulge their primal, basic, animal instincts. He also draws more comparisons to condemn them with, saying that they share in Cain's rebellion and unbelief, Balaam's mercernary nature, and Korah's rebellion against God's chosen order.
Jude 12 - 13 : Here Jude uses several analogies to state how destructive and unfruitful these apostates are, comparing them to reefs which help to wreck ships, people who feed only themselves, clouds without water that give the hope of life but are actually bone - dry, trees without fruit, raging waves, and wandering stars which promise guidance but actually lead astray.
Jude 14 - 15 : Jude then goes on to describe how they will be judged and punished, according to Enoch's words.
Jude 16 : Finally, another list of their vices,them being grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts, and arrogant flatterers.
That's my summary. My application for these, is to avoid all of the ungodly vices shown by the apostates. Some are quite extreme, and I doubt I'll ever have a problem with them, but there are many which I'm sure the majority of us have done before. Thus, it's to find ways in my life where some of these are being shown, and to erase them.
For my devotional thoughts, I just came across another familiar verse, in the form of Genesis 49:20. I'm reminded of the fact that God is in control of everything that happens in our lives, and what we think are bad events, might actually be part of his large overarching plan for our lives. And with trust in His pleasing and perfect will, it's all the assurance we need, whenever bad times come our way. It echoes the sentiments of Rom 8:28, and I find that extremely reassuring.
Terence
Alicia's Summary of Jude v1-16
I shall begin this daunting task of summarising all that I've learnt.
V1-4 is pretty straightforward. We receive the privilege of being a servant of God. Not only so, we also receive mercy, peace and love from God in abundance even though we do not deserve these.
Our calling to be a servant also involves contending for our faith, to agonise for the sake of Christ. And we do so by living a life obedient to the truth, oppose false and erroneous doctrine by teaching the truth, and dying for the truth.
Then in v5-16, the warnings of Jude can’t be even clearer. He seemed to be warning us of such people that are part of the church and also warning us against having the same characteristics as them.
1. Caught in unbelief (v5)
The Israelites make classic example of a nation having seen so many of God’s miracles could still doubt and turn to worship idols that are dead (e.g. Exodus 32 – The Golden Calf) . I shall not criticise further because I’m guilty of the same thing. As a Christian, I claim to believe everything God say but there are still times when I don’t take the Word of God seriously and turn to self-help and worldly methods. Real believing is not just believing in my salvation but believing in every Word God says.
2. Abandon God’s calling and settle for lesser things (v6)
The fallen angels are those who left their high places and abandoned their authority given to them. Likewise, when given a choice, these godless men choose sin or instant profit over obedience to God. This serves as a warning to me as well. In situations when I’m forced to choose, what will it be? God’s command for me in this comes from 1 John 2:16 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
3. Sinful without shame and repentance (v7)
Sodom is a classic example of immorality and perversion. In Ezekiel 16:49, Sodom is described as arrogant, overfed, unconcerned, haughty and performed detestable things. This is the worst one can ever get. Being sinful and yet proud of it. My application is to be conscious and recognise the severity of my sins.
4. Spiritual and moral decay (v8, v16)
Jude says that these godless men pollute their own bodies. Being polluted just brings to mind death and decay, being unusable. Such is the character of these godless men. They fill their minds with worldly ideas instead of biblical knowledge and speak words with human wisdom. Such are what Paul described as instruments of wickedness (Romans 6:12). My application from here is to guard myself from complacency and sometimes compromising QT. There are days where the study of the Word of God is being put off simply because there are other more enjoyable things to do than to read the bible.
5. Reject authority, within and outside of the church (v8, v11)
All authority on earth is placed by God. In Romans 13:2, Paul says he who rebels against authority, rebels against what God has instituted. My application is to submit and not complain.
6. Instinctive (v10, v11)
These godless men reason in their feelings as opposed to reasoning in God’s Word. They react according to their feelings of anger or jealousy just like Cain. Upon reflection on the areas of my life, I’ve come to realise that a good majority of my sins are committed at the spur of the moment in a fit of anger. It is for me then to exercise self-control.
7. Lack spiritual understanding (v10)
Jude mentions that they speak abusively against what they do not understand. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Ditto.
8. Traitors (v11)
Traitor might be quite a strong word to use but wasn’t that what Balaam did? He told King Balak how to lead the Israelites to sin (Numbers 31). Although I might not tell someone outside of church how to lead a fellow believer to sin, but betraying can also mean gossiping about a fellow believer. And it could be what these godless men are doing to stir up disunity in the church.
9. Self-centred (v12, v16)
They care only for their own well-being. In verse 12, Jude calls them shepherds. Some of these godless men are regarded as leaders or role models. Yet they sin and stumble those who are weaker without any concern. My application is to consider fellow believers before I say or do something.
10. Pretenders (v12, v13)
Likely to be part of ministries like other believers, these godless men do not serve their true purpose but seek self-glorification. 2 Peter 2:19 says “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity”.
11. Spiritually barren (v12)
Their godlessness is evident by their spiritual growth and the fruit they bear. Therefore, it is important to keep a check on my growth and the growth of those whom I teach.
12. Pride (v16)
The godless men are said to boast about themselves, taking pride in what they are. This brings to mind what the world teaches today about the importance of self-esteem (refer to comments made by WW in Summary of Romans Part #3). All our gifts and talents are given by God to be used according to the measure of our faith. The world’s teaching of self is still enticing and it is for us to resist.
13. Grumblers and faultfinders (v16)
I am guilty of this. It is easier to see the faults of others than to see the good. And it is easier to complain than to appreciate. Grumbling is a sign of forgetting the grace of God because grumbling shows that a person has forgotten that he or she is undeserving. My application is to stop grumbling as though the world owes me a living.
In order to guard myself against such people and such sinful behaviour, it is back to diligent study of the Word of God, so that I can be thoroughly equipped.
V1-4 is pretty straightforward. We receive the privilege of being a servant of God. Not only so, we also receive mercy, peace and love from God in abundance even though we do not deserve these.
Our calling to be a servant also involves contending for our faith, to agonise for the sake of Christ. And we do so by living a life obedient to the truth, oppose false and erroneous doctrine by teaching the truth, and dying for the truth.
Then in v5-16, the warnings of Jude can’t be even clearer. He seemed to be warning us of such people that are part of the church and also warning us against having the same characteristics as them.
1. Caught in unbelief (v5)
The Israelites make classic example of a nation having seen so many of God’s miracles could still doubt and turn to worship idols that are dead (e.g. Exodus 32 – The Golden Calf) . I shall not criticise further because I’m guilty of the same thing. As a Christian, I claim to believe everything God say but there are still times when I don’t take the Word of God seriously and turn to self-help and worldly methods. Real believing is not just believing in my salvation but believing in every Word God says.
2. Abandon God’s calling and settle for lesser things (v6)
The fallen angels are those who left their high places and abandoned their authority given to them. Likewise, when given a choice, these godless men choose sin or instant profit over obedience to God. This serves as a warning to me as well. In situations when I’m forced to choose, what will it be? God’s command for me in this comes from 1 John 2:16 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
3. Sinful without shame and repentance (v7)
Sodom is a classic example of immorality and perversion. In Ezekiel 16:49, Sodom is described as arrogant, overfed, unconcerned, haughty and performed detestable things. This is the worst one can ever get. Being sinful and yet proud of it. My application is to be conscious and recognise the severity of my sins.
4. Spiritual and moral decay (v8, v16)
Jude says that these godless men pollute their own bodies. Being polluted just brings to mind death and decay, being unusable. Such is the character of these godless men. They fill their minds with worldly ideas instead of biblical knowledge and speak words with human wisdom. Such are what Paul described as instruments of wickedness (Romans 6:12). My application from here is to guard myself from complacency and sometimes compromising QT. There are days where the study of the Word of God is being put off simply because there are other more enjoyable things to do than to read the bible.
5. Reject authority, within and outside of the church (v8, v11)
All authority on earth is placed by God. In Romans 13:2, Paul says he who rebels against authority, rebels against what God has instituted. My application is to submit and not complain.
6. Instinctive (v10, v11)
These godless men reason in their feelings as opposed to reasoning in God’s Word. They react according to their feelings of anger or jealousy just like Cain. Upon reflection on the areas of my life, I’ve come to realise that a good majority of my sins are committed at the spur of the moment in a fit of anger. It is for me then to exercise self-control.
7. Lack spiritual understanding (v10)
Jude mentions that they speak abusively against what they do not understand. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Ditto.
8. Traitors (v11)
Traitor might be quite a strong word to use but wasn’t that what Balaam did? He told King Balak how to lead the Israelites to sin (Numbers 31). Although I might not tell someone outside of church how to lead a fellow believer to sin, but betraying can also mean gossiping about a fellow believer. And it could be what these godless men are doing to stir up disunity in the church.
9. Self-centred (v12, v16)
They care only for their own well-being. In verse 12, Jude calls them shepherds. Some of these godless men are regarded as leaders or role models. Yet they sin and stumble those who are weaker without any concern. My application is to consider fellow believers before I say or do something.
10. Pretenders (v12, v13)
Likely to be part of ministries like other believers, these godless men do not serve their true purpose but seek self-glorification. 2 Peter 2:19 says “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity”.
11. Spiritually barren (v12)
Their godlessness is evident by their spiritual growth and the fruit they bear. Therefore, it is important to keep a check on my growth and the growth of those whom I teach.
12. Pride (v16)
The godless men are said to boast about themselves, taking pride in what they are. This brings to mind what the world teaches today about the importance of self-esteem (refer to comments made by WW in Summary of Romans Part #3). All our gifts and talents are given by God to be used according to the measure of our faith. The world’s teaching of self is still enticing and it is for us to resist.
13. Grumblers and faultfinders (v16)
I am guilty of this. It is easier to see the faults of others than to see the good. And it is easier to complain than to appreciate. Grumbling is a sign of forgetting the grace of God because grumbling shows that a person has forgotten that he or she is undeserving. My application is to stop grumbling as though the world owes me a living.
In order to guard myself against such people and such sinful behaviour, it is back to diligent study of the Word of God, so that I can be thoroughly equipped.
Mid Summary of Jude
Following my previous outline, here’s my summary:
Jude 1-2 – Salutation from Jude as servant of Jesus Christ
Jude stated his position as servant of Jesus Christ, and that a servant is called, loved by God and kept by Jesus Christ, and in being called, mercy, peace and love are also given in abundance.
Jude 3-4 – Purpose of writing letter (to contend for the faith with false teaching)
We should contend the faith which was handed down to the saints, against the false teachers (the certain men) who changed the grace of God into a license for immorality.
Jude 5-16 – Warnings as not to fall away
• God destroyed the Israelites who did not believe in Him (v5)
• Angels who abandoned their home were banished (v6)
• Sodom and Gomorrah who gave themselves up to perversion (v7)
• Pollute their bodies, reject authority, and slander celestial beings (v8) and archangel Michael did not dare bring an accusation against the devil (v9), speak of things they do not understand (v10)
• They have taken the way of Cain (haters of their brothers, and by false doctrine, destroy the souls of their brothers, hence murder), rushed in for Balaam’s error (idolatry and adultery Rev 2:14), and destroyed in Korah’s rebellion (insubordination Num 16) (v11)
• Experts of the religion, without the fear of God, making the feast an occasion of riot and gluttony 1 Cor11:20-22), shepherds who do not care about their sheep, clouds without rain (many in numbers), autumn tree without fruits and uprooted (having no fruit of knowledge and practice), twice dead (v12)
• Enoch, seventh from Adam, from the very beginning, that the Lord will come again (v14) to convict everyone, the ungodly of the ungodly acts they have done in an ungodly manner, and all the harsh worlds ungodly sinners have spoken against him (v15)
• Grumblers and faultfinders, follow their own evil desires, boast about themselves, flatter others for their own advantage (v16)
We are reminded that God is just and will punish those people who have disobeyed His commands. We can be saved by God, or even experts of being a good Christian, but we could also fall in the trap of being grumblers, faultfinders, shephards who care only for themselves, ungodly, and thus being destroyed by God, being banished.
My application for the passage, to know God’s word by reading the bible, and to do what is written in the bible, because (v5) we might already know this… but later destroyed because we did not believe (obey). Also, I must watch myself from:
• Polluting my mind
• Reject authority
• Slander celestial beings
• Speak of things I do not understand
• Haters of my brothers
• Believing in a wrong doctrine
• Idolatry and Adultery
• Not fearing God
• Being a shepherd who care only for myself
• Being fruitless
• Being ungodly
• Grumbling and faultfinding
• Boast about myself
• Flattering others for my own advantage
Saying all that, I know I probably will not be able to do all at 1 go, and that’s what a cellgroup is for right? To continue to be in fellowship of believers so that these things might be timely reminded by all you brothers and sisters that we will watch ourselves (and one another) from falling into the trap of these dreamers and creepers.
Lawrence
Jude 1-2 – Salutation from Jude as servant of Jesus Christ
Jude stated his position as servant of Jesus Christ, and that a servant is called, loved by God and kept by Jesus Christ, and in being called, mercy, peace and love are also given in abundance.
Jude 3-4 – Purpose of writing letter (to contend for the faith with false teaching)
We should contend the faith which was handed down to the saints, against the false teachers (the certain men) who changed the grace of God into a license for immorality.
Jude 5-16 – Warnings as not to fall away
• God destroyed the Israelites who did not believe in Him (v5)
• Angels who abandoned their home were banished (v6)
• Sodom and Gomorrah who gave themselves up to perversion (v7)
• Pollute their bodies, reject authority, and slander celestial beings (v8) and archangel Michael did not dare bring an accusation against the devil (v9), speak of things they do not understand (v10)
• They have taken the way of Cain (haters of their brothers, and by false doctrine, destroy the souls of their brothers, hence murder), rushed in for Balaam’s error (idolatry and adultery Rev 2:14), and destroyed in Korah’s rebellion (insubordination Num 16) (v11)
• Experts of the religion, without the fear of God, making the feast an occasion of riot and gluttony 1 Cor11:20-22), shepherds who do not care about their sheep, clouds without rain (many in numbers), autumn tree without fruits and uprooted (having no fruit of knowledge and practice), twice dead (v12)
• Enoch, seventh from Adam, from the very beginning, that the Lord will come again (v14) to convict everyone, the ungodly of the ungodly acts they have done in an ungodly manner, and all the harsh worlds ungodly sinners have spoken against him (v15)
• Grumblers and faultfinders, follow their own evil desires, boast about themselves, flatter others for their own advantage (v16)
We are reminded that God is just and will punish those people who have disobeyed His commands. We can be saved by God, or even experts of being a good Christian, but we could also fall in the trap of being grumblers, faultfinders, shephards who care only for themselves, ungodly, and thus being destroyed by God, being banished.
My application for the passage, to know God’s word by reading the bible, and to do what is written in the bible, because (v5) we might already know this… but later destroyed because we did not believe (obey). Also, I must watch myself from:
• Polluting my mind
• Reject authority
• Slander celestial beings
• Speak of things I do not understand
• Haters of my brothers
• Believing in a wrong doctrine
• Idolatry and Adultery
• Not fearing God
• Being a shepherd who care only for myself
• Being fruitless
• Being ungodly
• Grumbling and faultfinding
• Boast about myself
• Flattering others for my own advantage
Saying all that, I know I probably will not be able to do all at 1 go, and that’s what a cellgroup is for right? To continue to be in fellowship of believers so that these things might be timely reminded by all you brothers and sisters that we will watch ourselves (and one another) from falling into the trap of these dreamers and creepers.
Lawrence
A Reminder to be Others-centred
I was browsing a bit on my own blog's archives and found this. Thought I'll share it.
Here goes:
A pastor shared this with me.
Philippians 2:1-4
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
The first part of the passage talks about the importance of unity in the body of Christ. We are one body yet many parts but still having the same love and purpose. And that is to share the love of Christ and fulfilling the great commission. Such unity brings joy to the leader of the ministry and even more joy to the ultimate leader, God himself.
How often do we put ourselves above others. Paul says to "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit". It is clear enough. How often have we forsake other for the sake of ourselves or worse still, exploit others for our own benefit. Considering others better than yourselves is not implying that we should sink into thoughts of being one who is inferior. It simply means we are to put others above ourselves, to place others priority above ourselves and thus looking into the interests of others. Note that we still have to take care of ourselves. But almost all the time, we take it to the extreme of taking care ONLY of ourselves.
A great way to apply this is to switch to a mindset from thinking how perhaps a friendship would benefit you to how you can be a blessing to this friend. This attitude should be taken everywhere we go. Instead of thinking "how will church benefit me?", rather, think about how you can serve the church. Even in your families, in the workplace or in school, think about how you can benefit others over what good others bring you. This is one step towards Christlikeness as we are called to be the salt and light of the world. How should we live then as a Christian? Being self-centred or others centred?
God bless,
Alicia
Here goes:
A pastor shared this with me.
Philippians 2:1-4
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
The first part of the passage talks about the importance of unity in the body of Christ. We are one body yet many parts but still having the same love and purpose. And that is to share the love of Christ and fulfilling the great commission. Such unity brings joy to the leader of the ministry and even more joy to the ultimate leader, God himself.
How often do we put ourselves above others. Paul says to "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit". It is clear enough. How often have we forsake other for the sake of ourselves or worse still, exploit others for our own benefit. Considering others better than yourselves is not implying that we should sink into thoughts of being one who is inferior. It simply means we are to put others above ourselves, to place others priority above ourselves and thus looking into the interests of others. Note that we still have to take care of ourselves. But almost all the time, we take it to the extreme of taking care ONLY of ourselves.
A great way to apply this is to switch to a mindset from thinking how perhaps a friendship would benefit you to how you can be a blessing to this friend. This attitude should be taken everywhere we go. Instead of thinking "how will church benefit me?", rather, think about how you can serve the church. Even in your families, in the workplace or in school, think about how you can benefit others over what good others bring you. This is one step towards Christlikeness as we are called to be the salt and light of the world. How should we live then as a Christian? Being self-centred or others centred?
God bless,
Alicia
Wen-Wei's Devotion - 24 Jan 08
Read Numbers 17-20 this morning. Just like to share a simple thought from Numbers 20:12-13.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord and He proved Himself holy among them
This is the fairly well known account of the Waters of Meribah, where Israel complained about not having water, Moses cries out to God, God tells Moses to speak to the rock, Moses strikes the rock instead, God rebukes Moses and tells him the consequence of his disobedience is that he would not lead Israel into the Promised Land.
What stuck me was the word "holy" in the above quoted verses. How did Moses' unbelief betray God's holiness? How did God "prove Himself holy among them"?
I think it is quite simply that holiness demands fearful obedience. Our unbelief and consequent self-directed actions (versus belief and God-directed actions) mocks God's holiness. God's holiness is then seen (proved) in 2 ways: Firstly, His commitment to His own word to save His people (seen in His provision of water despite Moses) and secondly, holiness demands justice (seen in His response to Moses).
1 Peter 1 aptly carries this thought for us:
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behaviour,
16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation ....
What God said to me: Be holy this day
What I said to God: HELP!!!
Amen.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord and He proved Himself holy among them
This is the fairly well known account of the Waters of Meribah, where Israel complained about not having water, Moses cries out to God, God tells Moses to speak to the rock, Moses strikes the rock instead, God rebukes Moses and tells him the consequence of his disobedience is that he would not lead Israel into the Promised Land.
What stuck me was the word "holy" in the above quoted verses. How did Moses' unbelief betray God's holiness? How did God "prove Himself holy among them"?
I think it is quite simply that holiness demands fearful obedience. Our unbelief and consequent self-directed actions (versus belief and God-directed actions) mocks God's holiness. God's holiness is then seen (proved) in 2 ways: Firstly, His commitment to His own word to save His people (seen in His provision of water despite Moses) and secondly, holiness demands justice (seen in His response to Moses).
1 Peter 1 aptly carries this thought for us:
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behaviour,
16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation ....
What God said to me: Be holy this day
What I said to God: HELP!!!
Amen.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Jude
Hi all,
my summary on Jude, this serves as a reminder for me and i guess for everyone just as well.. (:
Vs 1-4 - God chosen ones
we are chosen by GOd and we have an identify in Him - a special and unique each one of us.
being undeserving, God gave us mercy, peace and love in abundance. being called by GOd, we have 1 mission - To spread the gospel as well as to contend for it. this was given to us whereby we don't deserve it, the more we should stand up and defend for the gospel. Next, we got to be watchful of false teaching. be warned against those 'certain men' who had 'smuggled' into our midst.How can we be guarded against this? the only way is through the reading of His word - to understand and know Him, to put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:10-19). we should also be constantly in prayers, to pray for discernment, being able to identify the truth.
Vs 5-13 - Consequences of not walking in faith
Jude reminded us not to forget God, His grace, His faithfulness for us and towards us.
our humanistic nature, being imperfect, lack in everything, but God has shown mercy on us all.
here, we see those who have turned against God and their consequences. Some characteristics (below) can be what you and I are guilty of. Hence, even more we should be seeking His grace everyday and not taking for granted the blessings He bring.
here, we see those who have turned against God and their consequences. Some characteristics (below) can be what you and I are guilty of. Hence, even more we should be seeking His grace everyday and not taking for granted the blessings He bring.
During the study, one that hit me most is balaam, who sees God through the donkey - a lowly beast. it dawned upon me, in life, often we fail to see/hear God, thus God send small reminders along the way, which reminded me of the donkey again. However, we shouldn't take this for granted, God should be our fundamental and my prayer is that God will renew our heart each day and fill us with His everlasting love.
Vs 14-16 - Judgement Day
we are to be watchful against those mentioned below for these are the things that cause us to fall. we are also to watch against the false men who portray the characteristics for they are feasting among us, people among our fellowship. when the day comes, we will be answerable for every single sin we have committed.
alright, a long summary indeed.
Have a blessed week!
inHislove+mine,
Jami
Devotion
Today, my devotion was on Psalm 51: 1-4, about Daniel confessing his sins to God.
In essence, it reminds us that true conviction involves: 1. need for mercy, which is from God. 2. we see sin for what it really is, filthy and wrong. 3. Sin is an inescapable reality, until we choose to consciously take a step to get rid of it. 4. We realise that we have sinned against God. It's not essential to know that we have sinned. More importantly, we need to take active steps to get rid of the sins that plague us.
Yesterday, I did. I took a bold step in confronting my sin and dedicated that aspect of my life to God. I have to say that it has been tough so far, though it has only been a day. I've been facing moments of joy, then anger and sadness. My mood fluctuated like crazy the whole day and it turned my world upside down.
I long for the victory in our Lord that comes after this.
Regards,
Yin Ting
In essence, it reminds us that true conviction involves: 1. need for mercy, which is from God. 2. we see sin for what it really is, filthy and wrong. 3. Sin is an inescapable reality, until we choose to consciously take a step to get rid of it. 4. We realise that we have sinned against God. It's not essential to know that we have sinned. More importantly, we need to take active steps to get rid of the sins that plague us.
Yesterday, I did. I took a bold step in confronting my sin and dedicated that aspect of my life to God. I have to say that it has been tough so far, though it has only been a day. I've been facing moments of joy, then anger and sadness. My mood fluctuated like crazy the whole day and it turned my world upside down.
I long for the victory in our Lord that comes after this.
Regards,
Yin Ting
My will be done - Evidence of i-syndrome in our lives
This morning's devotion was really clear-cut like a blade piercing through the heart. Well, it caught me anyway.
The passage I read was in James 4:1-10. More than 90% of our conflicts with others is mostly because we don't get our way and so we fight till the end. And each time we are caught in a conflict, we display the following characteristics
1. Pride - the biggest sin of all. We have the tendency to think we are better than the rest. We deserve to be listened to more than others. We might not think that out loud, but it might have crossed our minds. Pride is when we expect people to give in, respect or submit to us. Respect has to be earned and not demanded.
2. Jealousy. These days, we don't only covet material, we covet fame, respect, popularity, the intangible things as well. Take the religious leaders in Jesus's time. When Jesus performed miracles and showed great faith and wisdom, these Pharisees accused him of having dealings with the devil, after which they plot to kill him despite finding him faultless.
3. Covetousness. Each time we make a request to God, do we actually expect God to fulfill it? What if he doesn't? If our purpose is driven by faith in God, we will accept whatever God's answer is. If our purpose is self-driven, we demand and question God.
Everything boils down to our purpose in life. Are we living for God or self? And it's this life-purpose that starts driving our behaviour and character and the decisions we make. This made we thought of Luke 9:23-24. God calls us to deny ourselves if we want to follow him wholeheartedly. Because if there's anything hindering us from going to God, it's the self.
Love,
Alicia
The passage I read was in James 4:1-10. More than 90% of our conflicts with others is mostly because we don't get our way and so we fight till the end. And each time we are caught in a conflict, we display the following characteristics
1. Pride - the biggest sin of all. We have the tendency to think we are better than the rest. We deserve to be listened to more than others. We might not think that out loud, but it might have crossed our minds. Pride is when we expect people to give in, respect or submit to us. Respect has to be earned and not demanded.
2. Jealousy. These days, we don't only covet material, we covet fame, respect, popularity, the intangible things as well. Take the religious leaders in Jesus's time. When Jesus performed miracles and showed great faith and wisdom, these Pharisees accused him of having dealings with the devil, after which they plot to kill him despite finding him faultless.
3. Covetousness. Each time we make a request to God, do we actually expect God to fulfill it? What if he doesn't? If our purpose is driven by faith in God, we will accept whatever God's answer is. If our purpose is self-driven, we demand and question God.
Everything boils down to our purpose in life. Are we living for God or self? And it's this life-purpose that starts driving our behaviour and character and the decisions we make. This made we thought of Luke 9:23-24. God calls us to deny ourselves if we want to follow him wholeheartedly. Because if there's anything hindering us from going to God, it's the self.
Love,
Alicia
Jude Outline
Hey everyone, following my last email, I expect you are all eagerly completing your Jude 5-16 summaries now and can't wait to post it on the blog :-) What fun! Keep 'em coming ...
To help put a framework around it, I just wanted to put up my outline of Jude. I fully accept you may have an alternative (even better) outline, that is the joy and purpose of Bible Study - to discuss, challenge and sharpen each other's understanding and interpretation of God's most holy and inspired Word. Therefore, if what I put here makes it difficult for you to fit your summary into, please do include your outline of Jude as well. That would be even better to help us all understand your perspective on the passage.
Jude 1-4 - Our faith is worth fighting for: Jude calls the Church to contend for purity of truth and life
Jude 5-16 - Falling away from the faith is a consequence of forgetting your calling
Jude 17-23 - Standing firm in the faith is to live in the love of God
Jude 24-25 - Our faith is eternally secure in the hands of Him who keeps us
My outline is primarily derived from 3 words Jude himself uses in verse 1:
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.
I look forward to reading your summaries and am intentionally delaying posting mine for now :-)
Love,
WW
To help put a framework around it, I just wanted to put up my outline of Jude. I fully accept you may have an alternative (even better) outline, that is the joy and purpose of Bible Study - to discuss, challenge and sharpen each other's understanding and interpretation of God's most holy and inspired Word. Therefore, if what I put here makes it difficult for you to fit your summary into, please do include your outline of Jude as well. That would be even better to help us all understand your perspective on the passage.
Jude 1-4 - Our faith is worth fighting for: Jude calls the Church to contend for purity of truth and life
Jude 5-16 - Falling away from the faith is a consequence of forgetting your calling
Jude 17-23 - Standing firm in the faith is to live in the love of God
Jude 24-25 - Our faith is eternally secure in the hands of Him who keeps us
My outline is primarily derived from 3 words Jude himself uses in verse 1:
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.
I look forward to reading your summaries and am intentionally delaying posting mine for now :-)
Love,
WW
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
1 Thess 1 - Faith, hope and love
Hi all
Really wanna encourage everyone to use this blog to post some of the things God's been speaking to you about or doing in your life. Doesn't have to be very deep or long, its just good to hear about God's working in your life, and can often be very encouraging for everyone.
Been starting my QT on 1 Thess, which is quite interesting cuz i dont remember the last time i studied 1 Thess. The thing that struck me came from chapt 1 vs 3:
"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
Faith, hope and love... sound familiar? Haha paul uses it ALOT around his letters. The thing that struck me was that these 3 are all from God. I remember from our Eph 2:8-10 memory verse, where our dear friend John McArthur was saying that even the faith we received is a gift of God, no less the hope we have in our justification, sanctification and glorification, and especially his infinite unfailing unchanging eternal love for us.
Yet the response is totally up to us. Our work, our labor, our endurance, those are all responses to what God has already done. In fact our entire life is a response to God, our act of worship.
So ... how's our life response?
In His love,
Dan
Really wanna encourage everyone to use this blog to post some of the things God's been speaking to you about or doing in your life. Doesn't have to be very deep or long, its just good to hear about God's working in your life, and can often be very encouraging for everyone.
Been starting my QT on 1 Thess, which is quite interesting cuz i dont remember the last time i studied 1 Thess. The thing that struck me came from chapt 1 vs 3:
"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
Faith, hope and love... sound familiar? Haha paul uses it ALOT around his letters. The thing that struck me was that these 3 are all from God. I remember from our Eph 2:8-10 memory verse, where our dear friend John McArthur was saying that even the faith we received is a gift of God, no less the hope we have in our justification, sanctification and glorification, and especially his infinite unfailing unchanging eternal love for us.
Yet the response is totally up to us. Our work, our labor, our endurance, those are all responses to what God has already done. In fact our entire life is a response to God, our act of worship.
So ... how's our life response?
In His love,
Dan
Summary of Romans Part #3
Romans 5:1-11
There are 3 parts to this section: Fruits of justification, God’s purpose in suffering and the perfect love of God.
In the previous chapter, we learnt that God justified by grace through faith. As a result, we are now at peace with God. The opposite meaning of “at peace” would be “at war”. Therefore, we were living under his wrath, when we were at war with God. Like Adam and Eve who were banished from the Garden of Eden, we were banished from salvation.
But through Jesus, whom we believe and have faith in, we now stand under grace. We have gained salvation; we stand in the grace of God. And faith is believing that Jesus has the power to change our status of being at war to the status of being at peace with God. Faith is believing that we now live under God’s grace. We are under God’s unmerited favour. Once you are firmly grounded in this believe, you will naturally not take your own works into account of salvation because God is the perfect atonement that brought us favour that we do not deserve. There is no room for works or rituals or what-nots.
From gaining access to the riches of God, we now live with the hope of the glory of God. Christians will see God and this hope to see God is the climax of our faith. And such is only given to those who are justified. The word “hope” in today’s language culture and usage pretty much undermines its meaning. Take for example; someone says “I hope I’ll do well for my exams.” The word hope can easily be replaced with the word “wish”. This makes the meaning of “hope” something that is uncertain, or wishing for something not guaranteed to happen. But the hope we have in Christ is sure. It is believing with full assurance that it will happen. If we do not have this hope, then are you sure your faith is placed in Christ? Or do you even believe that Christ is the perfect means to God’s grace?
So we rejoice in hope and we are also called to rejoice in sufferings. We have touched on this many times. A Christian is to hold a different view from the world about sufferings. Pagans believe that sufferings are the punishments for sins or the result of bad luck. These are foolish beliefs. We know from Isaiah 53:5 that the “punishment that brought us peace was upon Him”. Therefore, Jesus has paid the full price for us to be forgiven. There is no need for us to endure punishment because earlier on we already learn that we are justified by faith and not by works. Nothing we do can buy us salvation. Also, if we have to be punished to appease God, then Jesus’ death and resurrection is rendered imperfect. It is insufficient to propitiate so we need to be punished as well. So if someone were to tell you that we must suffer punishment for sin or we won’t be forgiven, be warned. That is false teaching.
Paul gave us God’s purpose in making us grow spiritually through suffering. Suffering produces character and hope. While suffering, we cling to God for security because he is firm pillar that never falls. If we do not face suffering, we miss opportunities to cling on to God. We may perhaps forget that he is the firm foundation. We start to take our day-to-day walk for granted and become complacent. We may even forget the true meaning of rejoicing and hoping. Since all is well, what is there to rejoice about? I’m living well now, do I need hope? God simply puts us through not-so-bright days so that we are being drawn to depend on Him. So before you turn and run from your trial, think of what you will miss out not going through it.
And now we come to God’s love. Paul says that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is love from God, undeserved. To fully appreciate the meaning of his love, we have to look at ourselves in God’s eyes. We are “powerless”, “ungodly”, “sinners” and “enemies” of God. If we think of ourselves desirable, lovely or worthy (which we are not), then perhaps God’s love isn’t so great anymore because it’s easy to love those who are lovely. But yet God chose to love us when we are sinners, those who fall short of His glory. We were enemies at war with him but he chose to make peace with us. In Ps 103:4, God “redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”. In Jude 1:1, we are called, loved and kept by God.
If you haven’t realised by now, God does all the work. He paid the atonement for our sin. He justified and reconciled us to him. He allowed us to go through sufferings and cling on to him. He loved us first. All we are called to do in this passage is rejoice (v2,3,11). Are you rejoicing?
There are 3 parts to this section: Fruits of justification, God’s purpose in suffering and the perfect love of God.
In the previous chapter, we learnt that God justified by grace through faith. As a result, we are now at peace with God. The opposite meaning of “at peace” would be “at war”. Therefore, we were living under his wrath, when we were at war with God. Like Adam and Eve who were banished from the Garden of Eden, we were banished from salvation.
But through Jesus, whom we believe and have faith in, we now stand under grace. We have gained salvation; we stand in the grace of God. And faith is believing that Jesus has the power to change our status of being at war to the status of being at peace with God. Faith is believing that we now live under God’s grace. We are under God’s unmerited favour. Once you are firmly grounded in this believe, you will naturally not take your own works into account of salvation because God is the perfect atonement that brought us favour that we do not deserve. There is no room for works or rituals or what-nots.
From gaining access to the riches of God, we now live with the hope of the glory of God. Christians will see God and this hope to see God is the climax of our faith. And such is only given to those who are justified. The word “hope” in today’s language culture and usage pretty much undermines its meaning. Take for example; someone says “I hope I’ll do well for my exams.” The word hope can easily be replaced with the word “wish”. This makes the meaning of “hope” something that is uncertain, or wishing for something not guaranteed to happen. But the hope we have in Christ is sure. It is believing with full assurance that it will happen. If we do not have this hope, then are you sure your faith is placed in Christ? Or do you even believe that Christ is the perfect means to God’s grace?
So we rejoice in hope and we are also called to rejoice in sufferings. We have touched on this many times. A Christian is to hold a different view from the world about sufferings. Pagans believe that sufferings are the punishments for sins or the result of bad luck. These are foolish beliefs. We know from Isaiah 53:5 that the “punishment that brought us peace was upon Him”. Therefore, Jesus has paid the full price for us to be forgiven. There is no need for us to endure punishment because earlier on we already learn that we are justified by faith and not by works. Nothing we do can buy us salvation. Also, if we have to be punished to appease God, then Jesus’ death and resurrection is rendered imperfect. It is insufficient to propitiate so we need to be punished as well. So if someone were to tell you that we must suffer punishment for sin or we won’t be forgiven, be warned. That is false teaching.
Paul gave us God’s purpose in making us grow spiritually through suffering. Suffering produces character and hope. While suffering, we cling to God for security because he is firm pillar that never falls. If we do not face suffering, we miss opportunities to cling on to God. We may perhaps forget that he is the firm foundation. We start to take our day-to-day walk for granted and become complacent. We may even forget the true meaning of rejoicing and hoping. Since all is well, what is there to rejoice about? I’m living well now, do I need hope? God simply puts us through not-so-bright days so that we are being drawn to depend on Him. So before you turn and run from your trial, think of what you will miss out not going through it.
And now we come to God’s love. Paul says that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is love from God, undeserved. To fully appreciate the meaning of his love, we have to look at ourselves in God’s eyes. We are “powerless”, “ungodly”, “sinners” and “enemies” of God. If we think of ourselves desirable, lovely or worthy (which we are not), then perhaps God’s love isn’t so great anymore because it’s easy to love those who are lovely. But yet God chose to love us when we are sinners, those who fall short of His glory. We were enemies at war with him but he chose to make peace with us. In Ps 103:4, God “redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”. In Jude 1:1, we are called, loved and kept by God.
If you haven’t realised by now, God does all the work. He paid the atonement for our sin. He justified and reconciled us to him. He allowed us to go through sufferings and cling on to him. He loved us first. All we are called to do in this passage is rejoice (v2,3,11). Are you rejoicing?
Monday, January 21, 2008
Wen-Wei's Devotion - 21 Jan 08
Having completed the book of Joshua, I've started reading Numbers. My intention is to provide a background or context to better appreciate Joshua. I came to Numbers 11 this morning.
In summary, Numbers 1-10 is a lot of preparing, counting, ordering, consecrating ... lots of good stuff and a very supportive Israel to all that God, through Moses, prescribes. Numbers 11:1 takes a sharp turn and the Israel becomes complaining and grumbling. It is a sharp contrast. What happened? What caused them to become so self-centred instead of God-centred?
It seems to me that the difference is that in Numbers 1-10, they had spent a little over a year seeking the Lord, hearing from the Lord, receiving His Word, receiving the vision, making preparations to act and finally in Numbers 10, Israel sets up from Sinai, the Mountain of the Lord. Now in Numbers 11 they are on their way. They move from the excitement of planning and visioning to the actual doing and implementing. Now after just 3 days journey, the harsh realities of life set in, and the complaining begins (and effectively continues for the rest of the book of Numbers).
What I hear from God this morning is a caution: It is exciting to be planning and visioning as we as a Church are doing now. Also the plans of our E-Group (this blog, for instance). Add to the fact there is an overarching New Year sentiment of newness and renewals, my mood (and I suspect the mood of many) is very buoyant at the moment. But in the months to come, we will begin to implement our vision. Faithfulness and perseverance are required in the day-to-day of ministry. Will I last? Or will I become complaining like Israel? (Alicia's last blog was a great inspiration to read to anchor my thoughts as I came to blog this morning. Thanks Alicia :-)
What I said to God this morning is a plea: As we step out in faith this year and as we act out our plans, Lord, go before us. When we pause to reflect and for a rest, Lord, may Your presence abide strongly with us. In Your grace and mercy, may we go the distance with You this year. This is the very prayer of Moses in last verses of Numbers 10, vereses 35-36...
Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, "Rise up, O Lord! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You." When it came to rest, he said, "Return O Lord, to the myriad thousands of Israel."
Amen.
In summary, Numbers 1-10 is a lot of preparing, counting, ordering, consecrating ... lots of good stuff and a very supportive Israel to all that God, through Moses, prescribes. Numbers 11:1 takes a sharp turn and the Israel becomes complaining and grumbling. It is a sharp contrast. What happened? What caused them to become so self-centred instead of God-centred?
It seems to me that the difference is that in Numbers 1-10, they had spent a little over a year seeking the Lord, hearing from the Lord, receiving His Word, receiving the vision, making preparations to act and finally in Numbers 10, Israel sets up from Sinai, the Mountain of the Lord. Now in Numbers 11 they are on their way. They move from the excitement of planning and visioning to the actual doing and implementing. Now after just 3 days journey, the harsh realities of life set in, and the complaining begins (and effectively continues for the rest of the book of Numbers).
What I hear from God this morning is a caution: It is exciting to be planning and visioning as we as a Church are doing now. Also the plans of our E-Group (this blog, for instance). Add to the fact there is an overarching New Year sentiment of newness and renewals, my mood (and I suspect the mood of many) is very buoyant at the moment. But in the months to come, we will begin to implement our vision. Faithfulness and perseverance are required in the day-to-day of ministry. Will I last? Or will I become complaining like Israel? (Alicia's last blog was a great inspiration to read to anchor my thoughts as I came to blog this morning. Thanks Alicia :-)
What I said to God this morning is a plea: As we step out in faith this year and as we act out our plans, Lord, go before us. When we pause to reflect and for a rest, Lord, may Your presence abide strongly with us. In Your grace and mercy, may we go the distance with You this year. This is the very prayer of Moses in last verses of Numbers 10, vereses 35-36...
Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, "Rise up, O Lord! And let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You." When it came to rest, he said, "Return O Lord, to the myriad thousands of Israel."
Amen.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Job or Ministry
Came across this in my workshop with SU last Sat. Since most of us here are in ministry, guess reading this would be good for us.
Alicia
If you are doing it just because no one else will, it's a JOB.
If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it's a MINISTRY.
If you quit because somebody criticised you, it's a JOB.
If you keep on serving, it's a MINISTRY.
If you'll do it only as long as it does not interfere with your other activities, it's a JOB.
If you are committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it's a MINISTRY.
If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a JOB.
If you stay with it even though nobody recognises your efforts, it's a MINISTRY.
It's hard to get excited about a JOB.
It's almost impossible to not be excited about a MINISTRY.
If our concern is success, it's a JOB.
If our concern is faithfulness, it's a MINISTRY.
An average church is filled with people doing JOBS.
A great and growing church is filled with people involved in MINISTRY.
-Author Unknown-
Love,If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it's a MINISTRY.
If you quit because somebody criticised you, it's a JOB.
If you keep on serving, it's a MINISTRY.
If you'll do it only as long as it does not interfere with your other activities, it's a JOB.
If you are committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it's a MINISTRY.
If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a JOB.
If you stay with it even though nobody recognises your efforts, it's a MINISTRY.
It's hard to get excited about a JOB.
It's almost impossible to not be excited about a MINISTRY.
If our concern is success, it's a JOB.
If our concern is faithfulness, it's a MINISTRY.
An average church is filled with people doing JOBS.
A great and growing church is filled with people involved in MINISTRY.
-Author Unknown-
Alicia
Friday, January 18, 2008
Summary of Romans Part #2
Romans 4
This chapter touches on the doctrine of justification. In Romans 4, Paul uses the example of Abraham. Abraham was bestowed as the spiritual and physical father of Israel. Surely, Abraham was considered one of the greatest men in the bible, being the one who received the covenant of descendents. Abraham was a righteous man. But this righteousness was credited to him by God because Abraham had faith in God.
Abraham was not saved by his own ability but as a gift from God. (Remember Eph 2:8,9) We must also be careful to not misunderstand and think that Abraham was saved solely because he believed in God. The bible never said that we are saved by faith. Rather, we are saved through faith. Faith is the channel by which God’s righteousness was given to us.
Since God does not count our sin against us because he has given us righteousness through faith, are we still holding it against ourselves? Are our bundles of sins too big for God’s forgiveness? We know from Psalm 32:1,2 that God has forgiven our sins. Our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus.
Circumcision is an external act, a ritual which Jews follow in obedience to God. Just as today, we baptise and partake in the Lord’s Supper. There are those who believe the ‘redeeming value’ of these rites and ceremonies. Some people question the purpose of rites if it does not buy God’s righteousness. If baptism does not redeem, then why baptise? Paul says that such sacraments serve as “a sign” and “a seal”. Baptism is a public act which openly displays a Christian’s belonging to Jesus. It is like a sign that points to the promise you have from God. A seal is used for authentication. Thus, baptism authenticates the Christian’s identity as a disciple of Christ.
The bible says that if a person is credited righteousness by law, then faith is worthless. The promise of our salvation is worthless. As we are sinners who break God’s law, we incur the wrath of God. We can try our utmost best in our own ability to be perfect but in doing so we render faith to be worthless. Grace is worthless and the law we try so hard to keep will bring God’s wrath right down on us.
Abraham’s faith had stood firmly in God despite contrary circumstances. (We can find an account of his faith in Hebrews 11). In verse 18, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed”. Abraham was fully assured of God’s power to carry out whatever he promised. This is what true faith is, God-directed and not self-directed or circumstance-directed. God created the laws of nature and sciences and therefore has the power to alter anything for His purpose and glory.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Interesting facts from Genesis
Hey all, I've come across some interesting facts thru the reading of Genesis, and would like to post them here for any who are interested. It's not about any deep principles in particular, just some nuggets of information I found interesting.
1. (Gen 9:26) The Caananites, came from Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah. Ham received a curse from his father, set upon Canaan, which set Shem's descendants above them. Hence, the fulfillment of the curse, where the Israelites, (Or Semites, basically, the descendants of Shem), would conquer the Canaanites.
Incidentally, this is also where we get the term, anti-semitism from. Always wondered why the Jews were called the Semites. XD
2. Gen 16 shows the consequence of lack of faith in God. Abram and Sarah, not trusting God to deliver on his promise of children to them even in their old age, had children by a surrogate, Hagar, Sarah's maid. Subsequently despised by Sarah and banished for a time, Hagar and Ishmael, Hagar's son, would eventually go on to found the Arabic people, who would be a thorn in the Israelites' side.
What's interesting is that in the current Middle East conflicts, between the Arabs and Israelites, you can trace this all the way back to Gen 16. In essence, it's basically a long-standing family feud, when you trace their ancestry, Ishmael's descendants vs Isaac's.
Hmm that was long. More to come :)
Terence
1. (Gen 9:26) The Caananites, came from Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah. Ham received a curse from his father, set upon Canaan, which set Shem's descendants above them. Hence, the fulfillment of the curse, where the Israelites, (Or Semites, basically, the descendants of Shem), would conquer the Canaanites.
Incidentally, this is also where we get the term, anti-semitism from. Always wondered why the Jews were called the Semites. XD
2. Gen 16 shows the consequence of lack of faith in God. Abram and Sarah, not trusting God to deliver on his promise of children to them even in their old age, had children by a surrogate, Hagar, Sarah's maid. Subsequently despised by Sarah and banished for a time, Hagar and Ishmael, Hagar's son, would eventually go on to found the Arabic people, who would be a thorn in the Israelites' side.
What's interesting is that in the current Middle East conflicts, between the Arabs and Israelites, you can trace this all the way back to Gen 16. In essence, it's basically a long-standing family feud, when you trace their ancestry, Ishmael's descendants vs Isaac's.
Hmm that was long. More to come :)
Terence
Hearing and Doing - Jesus the example
James 1:19-27, Matthew 16:21-28
Read from this material I'm using for QT along with Matthew. It's called 'Encounter with God'.
This morning's passage was about listening, in particularly the Word. But listening is not enough. To fully understand the Word of God, one must obey what it says, and so we must obey and put into practice the Word of God. Those who merely listen, only deceive themselves (v22). But a man who obeys the Word of God reaps blessing (v25). A man who truly obeys will meditate on the Word and do everything written in it. Joshua 1:8 promises that if we do this, we will be prosperous and successful.
Our call is to witness with our lives and James has brought various sins we can commit because of self-righteousness and pride. We anger (v19,20), we are contaminated with evil desires (v21), we forget our wrongdoings and what is right (v23,24), we are quick to judge with our tongue (v26), we seek self-glory and gain and forget our responsibility to the needy (v27).
When Jesus predicted his death, he had in mind the things of God. He rebuked Peter when Peter said “Never Lord!” Peter had in mind the things of man. And this is how we are sometimes, ok maybe most of the time. Peter understood Jesus from a humanistic perspective but Jesus knew his purpose on earth. The humanistic perspective always belittles God and calls the things of God foolish.
Jesus further said that a disciple must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Jesus because whoever places his own life first loses it, and whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will gain life (v24,25).
Tying back to what James said, a disciple denies himself by removing his self-righteousness and pride and listen to the Word of God, so that he can be convicted and transformed to be a successful witness for God. If our purpose in life is self-directed, we will lose it. But if our purpose is God-directed, we will find it.
Peace,
Alicia
Wen-Wei's Devotion - 17 Jan 08
As you know, I have been reading through the book of Joshua in my devotions. I finished it this morning. One of the main thoughts for me from the book has been the idea of Rest. Israel was anticipating a future rest through all their desert wandering. Joshua brought them into the promised land and gave them rest. Joshua 11:24 - So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.
And I remembered in the book of Hebrews it talks about the rest that Joshua achieved for Israel as only a foreshadow of the more permanent rest to come. So I detoured to Hebrews to read up more. You can read about this in Hebrews 4. Then I got very captivated by Hebrews and pretty much read through the whole book.
Now here's the main point of this post ... Hebrews 10 is a very familiar passage regarding the importance of the fellowship of believers. We all know Hebrews 10:24-25 really well. By why? The context of Hebrews 10 gives the answer and it reminded me of Jude which we are now studying. A stern warning follows for those for take God's grace for granted. The severest warning is reserved for those who trample on the grace of Jesus by continuing in wilful sin and disobedience after knowing the truth. I append that passage here for you ... may it be a warning to us all and an exhortation to continue to daily spur each other on in our most holy faith.
My prayers for God's blessings to be upon you.
Wei
Hebrews 10:23-31 (NIV)
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."
31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Summary of Romans Part #1
Romans 3:27-31
Faith as what most of us would define is placing hope in something unseen. Paul says that true faith is in God’s work of salvation offered to us through the death and resurrection of Christ. Faith is believing in Christ the saviour and that He will carry out what He had promised. Faith has 3 basic elements; knowledge, moving of the heart and trust and commitment. We first come to know about Jesus and his work. Then we make the choice of believing and allowing the gospel to touch us personally. Many in the world who know the gospel do not believe in it, or worse, think that they believe in it when it actually means nothing to them. When Christ has taken root in the heart, we make that commitment to him. This is where Luke 9:23 takes place. We yield to Christ and go beyond the line from belonging to ourselves to becoming Christ’s disciples.
In these 4 simple verses, Paul states that justification by faith strictly excludes boasting. Firstly, boasting comes from pride, and pride is the greatest of all sins. One example is the tax collector vs the Pharisee. The tax collector in humility confessed his sins and admitted that he needed mercy and salvation. The Pharisee on the other hand, went to God and said “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” (This account is found in Luke 18:11-12)
Does any of what the Pharisee said sound familiar? How many times have we boasted to God about a ministry we’re in, a talent we have, the number of verses we have memorised, the amount of good deeds we have done or even the number of people we brought to Christ? Worse, some of us might even be boasting about our secular qualification, our high-paying jobs, our accomplishments in school or in our career. Be warned because this is not just seeking the approval of man but demanding approval from God. The Pharisee thinks he is deserving because he is a ‘better’ person. But salvation comes from the grace of God and not from any accomplishment so that no one is superior over another.
Are we like the Pharisee or the tax collector? Are we proud or do we recognise our wretchedness in the eyes of God? (Remember Phil 2:3)
Since we are justified by faith, does it mean that the commands of God are invalidated? We all know the answer is a “no”. Faith does not nullify the law but faith upholds the law. This is further explained in the later chapters. The law is meant to keep us holy and protect us from evil. We are called to be holy, to be set apart for God and the law is God’s standard for holiness. It is however a standard we failed to meet and thus need salvation. Jesus met the demand by suffering the law’s penalty in our place. Jesus was an atonement or propitiation for sin, so that God demonstrates his justice and justifies those who have faith in Christ. As such we are given righteousness of Christ from God as those who are justified by grace through faith.
Faith as what most of us would define is placing hope in something unseen. Paul says that true faith is in God’s work of salvation offered to us through the death and resurrection of Christ. Faith is believing in Christ the saviour and that He will carry out what He had promised. Faith has 3 basic elements; knowledge, moving of the heart and trust and commitment. We first come to know about Jesus and his work. Then we make the choice of believing and allowing the gospel to touch us personally. Many in the world who know the gospel do not believe in it, or worse, think that they believe in it when it actually means nothing to them. When Christ has taken root in the heart, we make that commitment to him. This is where Luke 9:23 takes place. We yield to Christ and go beyond the line from belonging to ourselves to becoming Christ’s disciples.
In these 4 simple verses, Paul states that justification by faith strictly excludes boasting. Firstly, boasting comes from pride, and pride is the greatest of all sins. One example is the tax collector vs the Pharisee. The tax collector in humility confessed his sins and admitted that he needed mercy and salvation. The Pharisee on the other hand, went to God and said “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” (This account is found in Luke 18:11-12)
Does any of what the Pharisee said sound familiar? How many times have we boasted to God about a ministry we’re in, a talent we have, the number of verses we have memorised, the amount of good deeds we have done or even the number of people we brought to Christ? Worse, some of us might even be boasting about our secular qualification, our high-paying jobs, our accomplishments in school or in our career. Be warned because this is not just seeking the approval of man but demanding approval from God. The Pharisee thinks he is deserving because he is a ‘better’ person. But salvation comes from the grace of God and not from any accomplishment so that no one is superior over another.
Are we like the Pharisee or the tax collector? Are we proud or do we recognise our wretchedness in the eyes of God? (Remember Phil 2:3)
Since we are justified by faith, does it mean that the commands of God are invalidated? We all know the answer is a “no”. Faith does not nullify the law but faith upholds the law. This is further explained in the later chapters. The law is meant to keep us holy and protect us from evil. We are called to be holy, to be set apart for God and the law is God’s standard for holiness. It is however a standard we failed to meet and thus need salvation. Jesus met the demand by suffering the law’s penalty in our place. Jesus was an atonement or propitiation for sin, so that God demonstrates his justice and justifies those who have faith in Christ. As such we are given righteousness of Christ from God as those who are justified by grace through faith.
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