July 31st readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Chronicles 29:1-36 ~ Romans 14:1-23
Psalm 24:1-10 ~ Proverbs 20:12

Old Testament - We are introduced to King Hezekiah of Judah in today's readings!  The quantity of the Chronicler's writings about the reign of Hezekiah is second only to the reigns of David & Solomon.  We'll be reading about Hezekiah again in the coming days.  Reading about Hezekiah today was such a breath of fresh air after the atrocities of King Ahaz in yesterday's readings...  Hezekiah is a hero!  He re-opens the Temple!  He reinstitutes the sacrifices to God!  You'll recall from our readings in Second Kings chapter 18 verses 5 through 7 we got an overview of who Hezekiah was - "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was never another king like him in the land of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did."  Below is a coloured woodcut from Henry VIII´s Great Bible, from the year 1538, of King Hezekiah burning pagan idols -

New Testament - Paul's writings in Roman's chapter 14 about the dangers of criticizing and judging others are powerful!  I love verses 12 & 13 - "Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God. So don't condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian's path."  Wow...  that is something for each of us to consider.  That we ourselves can actually put obstacles in another Christian's path toward God!  Do you think that you have ever done this in your life?  I do think that I have.  Never intentionally. But, when I have stopped loving and serving others and instead began judging and criticizing others, I do believe I have placed obstacles in other people's paths!  Not to mention my own path!  Let us pray that we are not obstacles to others by judging and criticizing...

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Romans titled "Love and Liberty: Liberties Love Won't Take" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 24 is a beautiful Psalm!  Check out this brief snippet of commentary on this Psalm from bible.org - "The Israelites have returned from a battle with the Canaanites. They are proceeding up to the sanctuary on the holy mount to give praise to Yahweh for the great and mighty victory in battle, carrying with them the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of Yahweh’s presence with them. As they approach the gate, they are met by the Levites who function as gatekeepers. It is their part to ask who may enter the sanctuary of the Lord; and it is the priests’ part to answer with the stipulations from the Law. Whoever meets these qualifications may enter and fellowship with Yahweh....The psalm then concludes with the worshipers calling to the gates to make way for Yahweh to come in to His sanctuary, for why should the King of Glory stoop to go under a doorway? "  This quote is from, and there is much more commentary on Psalm 24, at bible.org at this link.  (also, any Chris Tomlin fans out there will definitely recognize this Psalm - on his CD "Arriving" I think the 2nd or 3rd to last song is called "King of Glory" based on this Psalm - it's the best song on this overall fantastic CD in my humble opinion! :)

Proverbs - Proverbs 20:12 today teaches us:  "Ears to hear and eyes to see--both are gifts from the LORD."  Amen!  It is interesting that this Proverb doesn't mention our mouths to talk...  Seems like this Proverb is really a good reminder that listening and seeing are amazing gifts.  Gifts that allow us to listen to others and enjoy God's beautifully created world.  And yes, I do believe our mouths are gifts too for communication to others.   But it is interesting that we have 2 ears and 2 eyes, and just 1 mouth.  Think there is a message in this math equation for us?  :)

Comments from you - What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Vance Brown]

2 CHRONICLES 29 (NKJV)
5
and [King Hezekiah] said to them: “Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.

10
“Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us.

18
Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles.
19
Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the LORD.”

27
Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel.

30
Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

NOTE:
Verse 27: What is “the song of the LORD”? From the context, it seems like when they sang “praise to the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer” (verse 30).

May we cleanse ourselves—that is bring ourselves to be cleansed in the Presence of the Lord—daily and regularly so we are fit for service.

The Lord Jesus tells us how.
~~~

John 3 (NKJV)
20
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

The LORD God already sees and knows. The Lord Jesus wants us to come into His Light so all the idols can be removed and we can be cleansed, ready to properly love and serve the LORD.

Then all of the confused and mixed up areas can be put in order under the guidance of the LORD.
~~~

Romans 14 (NKJV)
7
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
8
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9
For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

16
Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;
17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18
For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

NOTE:
What is my passion? Yes, I thank God for the many giftings, talents and skills that God has placed within me. But, what do I do with them?

What is my passion? It needs to be that I love the Lord Jesus first and foremost with a passion.

It needs to be to that Christ “might be Lord of both the dead and the living”.

And since Christ ALONE is Lord, I have no right to be someone else’s “Lord” and demand agreement with everything I say or feel.

Where God’s Word is clear—we all need to completely clear as well. Where the Holy Spirit is unclear in Scripture—we need to give each other freedom to learn.

We always need to walk in true love and respect out of reverence for Christ towards one another.
~~~

Psalm 24 (NKJV)
3
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.
5
He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah

NOTE:
The "generation of those who seek Him".

That is, this is the TYPE and QUALITY of people in all ages whose worship the Lord Himself seeks and is pleased with.

Cleansing and preparation. Yes, we need to be cleansed and prepared for service to the Lord—because we love Him.

But we first need to cleansed and prepared to be IN HIS PRESENCE and to properly love the LORD GOD.

Everything we do is to flow out of our love and passion for the PRESENCE of the Lord God as revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The LORD demands purity—and He alone can make us who He wants us to be as we yield to Him in worship.

Then we can serve God acceptably, walking in the mind of Christ with His Love and Wisdom.

2 Timothy 2 (NKJV)
19
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ [the Lord] depart from iniquity.”
20
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
21
Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
~~~

Proverbs 20 (NKJV)
12
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both.

Thank God for the ability to see with human eyes. But WE NEED more desperately to see Christ with the eyes of our heart.

Ephesians 1 (Amplified Bible)
17
[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,
18
By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),
19
And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,
20
Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places]

Vance

[Vance Brown]

This morning, I was praying and asking God to remove any idols from my life, and to cleanse my life from all and any filthiness.

Then, the Holy Spirit brought back to my mind this verse from His Word in Romans 6 (NKJV):

4
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

~~~
WE HAVE BEEN BURIED WITH CHRIST THR0UGH BAPTISM INTO THE DEATH OF CHRIST.

Note this verse from Romans 6 (NKJV):
3
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

~~~

The word "baptize" is a very rich and powerful word:

GREEK: Baptizo – Strong’s # 907
a. To dip repeatedly; to immerse; to submerge

b. To cleanse by dipping or submerging; to make clean; to wash one’s self; bathe
~~~

PICTURE TWO MEN ALONE, RUNNING THROUGH THE FOREST. One man is a very bad man chasing the other man to kill him.

Finally, the first man realizes as he runs into a body of water, that there is no more place for him to run.

So he faces the bad man.
The bad man chasing the first man has his mind intently fixed on only one
purpose: to kill the man he is chasing.

Either the first man kills the bad man or the bad man will kill the first man.

No room for any other compromise.

The first man turns to face the bad man as he realizes this is his last battle with the bad man. Only one can win.

The bad man eagerly and angrily jumps into the water and the two men struggle.

Finally, after much struggle, the first man feels an adreline rush and he gets the upper hand. He is able to hold down the bad man until he is weakened.

He pulls up the bad man to see if he is still breathing. The bad man, through weakened, is still filled with hatred and is will not leave without killing the first man.

So the first man holds the bad man down again and agaiin and again... until the bad man's body desperately tries to get out of the water so he can breathe.

Finally, the bad man's life leaves the body and his body is lifeless.
~~~

That, in word picture form, is how I picture BAPTIZO in Romans 6:3.

We are powerless against the old man, and the old man is part of us. There is no escape from the old man.

On the Cross, the Lord Jesus Himself enters the struggle. Jesus Himself submerges the old man over and over and over again... until the life is gone from the old man.

He is completely dead.
~~~

WE ARE COMPLETELY DEAD TO SIN... in Christ.

Now, we have the wonderful opportunity and joy (and responsibility) to enter into the death of the old man which Jesus has accomplished for us.
~~~

All of came to me in a flash of imagination as I was asking God to help me remove all idols and to cleanse my life -- so I can be used by the Lord for His glory.

Romans 6 (NKJV)
4
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Vance

[John]

Romans 14:1-23

The Weak and The Strong

1) Do not judge.
2) Do not tempt.

Seems pretty simple. Paul is addressing the Christian brotherhood in Rome. What is going on?

In Rome - Christians were made up of converted Jews who had a background of ritual, ceremony, and festivals. Also there were Gentiles who had come to righteousness in faith through Christ. Slaves and freemen. These also had varying degrees of past worship styles. Some of the above preferred to cling to some old traditions, some wanted nothing to do with them.

In non-essential things there were some differences amongst the "church body".

Even more so in America today:

"Within the church are people at all different levels of life, both physically and spiritually--young people to old people. Some people have been saved fifty years; others have come to know Christ within the last forty-eight hours. Some come from irreligious, atheistic, or humanistic backgrounds; others come from devout Roman Catholic families. Some used to be Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. Some come from legalistic fundamentalist churches, and others come from loose, free-wheeling churches.

Within the church today are new Christians holding onto old habits and traditions. It takes time before they can let go of such things because they're so ingrained. People have preferences in things from dress to music to diet to entertainment. -
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg45-108.htm

Define "Strong" and "Weak"

Strong: Liberated brothers and sisters in Christ fully understand what it means to be free in Christ-- they don't cling to meaningless traditions and forms of religion. They understand fully that they are free from sin, death, hell, and Satan. They understand they are not obligated to follow holy days and ceremonies. They know they are free to make choices dependent on how the Spirit of God moves in their hearts. Such people are strong in the faith.

Weak: These individuals continue to hang onto the rituals and ceremonies of their past, refusing to let go. They don't believe they have freedom in Christ to do otherwise. Such freedom threatens them, so they prefer remain as they are. - ibid.
======================================================
Do not Judge.

Jesus said it on the Sermon on the Mount, and Paul is saying it here.

The admonition goes out twice to the strong AND the weak. We are all brothers in Christ, saved by the grace of God. Judging one another hurts the unity of the "body", and hinders the Christian growth of the body. If "bickering" becomes public it also reflects badly on God. (Ex. Christians act like that? I want no part of them.)

Besides it is not our province. If one is convinced in his own mind about a non-essential - then let God judge at the appropriate time. Everything we do is unto the Lord - so let it be - and do not Judge one another on these non-essentials.
======================================================
Do not Tempt

Paul harkens back to the theme of "subordination".

If in public or in mixed company with unbelievers. The Strong in faith should subordinate himself to the weaker. Strong should yield to the weak. Honor his interests over your own. Love him.

Rom 14:15b "...Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died." NIV

I can think of two ways that brother is destroyed:
1) Weak brother gets so worked up in contempt and disdain for what you ate. That he loses focus on God, loses grace and Power of holy Spirit and languishes as a Christian.

2)Weak brother joins you because you are of strong faith - overiding his conscience. By ignoring conscience he may establish a trend, and ignore when the Holy Spirit prompts him, in the future, on a crucial issue through his conscience.

Every action we do as Christians shoul lead to harmony and growth of the "church" - not dissension.
======================================================
Contemporary Times

While Paul is talking about food and drink. The same thoughts should apply to non-essentials of today.

Hair length, dress, style of music, Lent, eschatology, to name a few.

Here are five questions to ask yourself, if not at the time - later when you reflect on an incident or choosing to exercise a liberty in Christ:

1)Will it violate my conscience or my understanding of the Lordship of Christ?

2)Will it be a bad example or a good example to others if I do this?

3)Will it be spiritually profitable?

4)Am I exercising this freedom to cover my sin?

5)Would Jesus do this?
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/80-95.htm

[John]

You know - I looked at my list of examples in last section and I think most of those apply to "not judging".

I think John MacArthur's questions go more to behavior - smoking, drinking, gambling, entertainment choices, body piercings, etc.