Genesis 23:5-6 - "The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Listen to us, lord. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in our finest burial place. None of us will withhold from you his burial place for burying your dead.” (HCSB)
Abraham was in a foreign land, the land of Canaan. He lived among the Hittites who were idol worshipers and served pagan God's. Yet, they held Abraham in high regard. The saw the hand of God on Abraham. Abraham stood out among the people as a righteous man and blessed by God. The considered it a privilege to have him among them. He was considered as one of the their princes.
How do people look at us in our work place, and in our community? Do they see the God in us and His mighty hand upon us? Are we held in high esteem?
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Thoughts by Bob Sorge from the book of Job #1
The book of Job serves as a pattern to show us how God uses painful circumstances in the lives of His chosen ones - who have qualified for spiritual advancement because of their obedience and blamelessness - in order to bring them to a higher dimension of spiritual reality. (See Hebrews 12:23)
Psalms 34:19 says that many are the afflictions of the but the Lord delivers them from them all.
Job had the hand of God on him, the hand of Satan on him and the hand of man on him and he couldn't distinguish between the two. Job is in the battle of his life, warring with God's sovereign purposes, Satan's evil enticements, peoples carnal approaches, and the imperfect realities of this world.
Job thought God was treating him like an enemy (19:11), but in fact God was counting Job as one of His friends. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." (Proverbs 27:6)
Psalms 34:19 says that many are the afflictions of the but the Lord delivers them from them all.
Job had the hand of God on him, the hand of Satan on him and the hand of man on him and he couldn't distinguish between the two. Job is in the battle of his life, warring with God's sovereign purposes, Satan's evil enticements, peoples carnal approaches, and the imperfect realities of this world.
Job thought God was treating him like an enemy (19:11), but in fact God was counting Job as one of His friends. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." (Proverbs 27:6)
The Book of Job
Bob Sorge's Hermeneutical lens on the book of Job.
1. Job is a godly and blameless man.
2. His inexplicable calamity is the result of God's pleasure in his life.
3. The book is a primer on spiritual warfare, charting the perplexing territory between God's sovereign purposes, Satan's harassements, and people's opinions.
4. The purpose of the calamity is to glorify God by changing Job and bringing him to a higher spiritual inheritence.
5. The suffering of Job parallel Christ's cross in many ways.
6. Job's journey lays a pattern for God's dealings in our lives.
7. The book is a prophecy foretelling the nature of God's dealings in preparing the church for the end time harvest.
1. Job is a godly and blameless man.
2. His inexplicable calamity is the result of God's pleasure in his life.
3. The book is a primer on spiritual warfare, charting the perplexing territory between God's sovereign purposes, Satan's harassements, and people's opinions.
4. The purpose of the calamity is to glorify God by changing Job and bringing him to a higher spiritual inheritence.
5. The suffering of Job parallel Christ's cross in many ways.
6. Job's journey lays a pattern for God's dealings in our lives.
7. The book is a prophecy foretelling the nature of God's dealings in preparing the church for the end time harvest.
The Covenant of the Lord
When we study the covenant of God between Him and Abraham, we see a couple of important things. It is God who wrote and established the covenant. (Gen. 17:7) Also, God is the keeper of the covenant. Keeper in the sense that He will never break the covenant. It is an everlasting covenant. Keeper in the sense that we are unable to keep the covenant without his strength.
Yet, in order for Abraham to enter the covenant and keep his end of the covenant, he and all others who wanted to be a part of the covenant had one obligation which was to be circumcised. (Gen. 17:10) Yet, it was not to be only a circumcision of the foreskin, but a circumcision of the heart. He said to Abraham that you must live in my presence and be devout. (Gen. 17:1)
This is no different with the New Covenant that was established through Christ Jesus. It is only through God's strength that we are able to keep the covenant. To enter this covenant we must have a circumcised heart. A heart where the worldly thing and/or sinful things have been cut from our hearts. (Colossians 2:11) As children of God, we are to live in His presence a be devout. If we do not remain in God's presence and devoted to him, the covenant has been broken because of our uncircumcised hearts. (Gen. 17:14) This does not annul the covenant of God but annuls our partaking of His covenant.
Paul explains this in Romans 14:9-12 - "Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised."
We see that we enter the covenant of God by faith in Christ. It is not by works we enter into the covenant of salvation through Christ Jesus.
Romans 2:28-29 - " For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."
Our salvation is dependent on Christ's work on the cross, our faith and a circumcised heart. This circumcision is not done with a knife in the the flesh, but by the Spirit of God. We can not circumcise ourselves. We are circumcised when we give place to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yet, different than natural circumcision in the flesh, we are circumcised by the Holy Spirit in salvation, but the flesh is not gone in a single moment. Therefore, we are still in the circumcising process. We are still under the knife so to speak. Yet, it is not us who cut the worldly things away in our lives, but the Holy Spirit as we remain yielded to him.
Yet, in order for Abraham to enter the covenant and keep his end of the covenant, he and all others who wanted to be a part of the covenant had one obligation which was to be circumcised. (Gen. 17:10) Yet, it was not to be only a circumcision of the foreskin, but a circumcision of the heart. He said to Abraham that you must live in my presence and be devout. (Gen. 17:1)
This is no different with the New Covenant that was established through Christ Jesus. It is only through God's strength that we are able to keep the covenant. To enter this covenant we must have a circumcised heart. A heart where the worldly thing and/or sinful things have been cut from our hearts. (Colossians 2:11) As children of God, we are to live in His presence a be devout. If we do not remain in God's presence and devoted to him, the covenant has been broken because of our uncircumcised hearts. (Gen. 17:14) This does not annul the covenant of God but annuls our partaking of His covenant.
Paul explains this in Romans 14:9-12 - "Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised."
We see that we enter the covenant of God by faith in Christ. It is not by works we enter into the covenant of salvation through Christ Jesus.
Romans 2:28-29 - " For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."
Our salvation is dependent on Christ's work on the cross, our faith and a circumcised heart. This circumcision is not done with a knife in the the flesh, but by the Spirit of God. We can not circumcise ourselves. We are circumcised when we give place to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yet, different than natural circumcision in the flesh, we are circumcised by the Holy Spirit in salvation, but the flesh is not gone in a single moment. Therefore, we are still in the circumcising process. We are still under the knife so to speak. Yet, it is not us who cut the worldly things away in our lives, but the Holy Spirit as we remain yielded to him.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Laboring in Vain
Psalms 127:1-2 - "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early and stay up late,toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
So often we wear ourselves out for nothing. We do things God has not asked us to do. We take burdens that God has not asked us to carry. We strive in our own wisdom and strength. We work with all we have, but void of the power of the Holy Spirit. We come up with our own solutions to the problem we face, and not even consult God.
I know that we have done this many times. I remember when we went through financial troubles, months on end. We tried to solve them in our own strength by launching different business endeavors in Haiti that each fell flat on its face. Then we heard the Word of the Lord. God said, did I send you to Haiti to make money? You need to trust me. I will meet your every need. We then stopped striving in our endeavors. Guess what, we lack not good thing.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The House of the Lord
Psalms 122:1 - "I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
I love this verse. There is no greater place to be than with the saints in the presence of the Lord. Yet, I am afraid that many a Christian has lost their love of coming together with other believers and offering up sacrifices of thanksgiving, and worshiping the Lord our God.
We as individuals are God's house (temple), but are part of the greater house of believers. The doors of the church are less frequented in many developed countries because we are more focused on our busy lives than the life of the body of Christ.
Hebrews 10:25 - "not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
We need each other more than ever as the days are becoming more blatantly wicked and Christ return is more eminent.
We can meet together in small groups, but when we do this only, we miss out on greater body ministry.
When I speak of the greater body ministry that often is lacking in small groups, I speak of a lack of:
- the five fold ministry which God established for his church.
- local and world evangelism.
- solid Bible teaching.
- accountability to the larger body of Christ.
- rubbing shoulders with people who are different than you (iron sharpens iron)
- a full worship experience.
Don't get me wrong I am not opposed to cell groups/home groups, but I am opposed to home groups alone. Cell groups/home groups have many pluses. Yet, home groups should be connected to the greater body of Christ, the local church. In the same way, a local church should be connected to the universal body of Christ.
Many believers confuse a house church with a home group. A house church is biblical and healthy as long as it functions as God's church and fulfills the great commission.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Steadfast Heart
Psalms 112:6-8 - "Surely the righteous will never be shaken;they will be remembered forever.They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes."
The righteous will never be shaken, and have no fear.
Why?
It is because of their steadfast hearts,
Why do they have steadfast hearts?
They have steadfast hearts because they are righteous and trust in the Lord.
Two sources of fear is the fear of being found out, and the fear that comes from lack of trust in God.
Do you have a steadfast heart?
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