Bible Verse of the Day
August 29th Through September 3rd
Monday August 29th
2016
Galatians
3:28
28-There is
neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Our Verse of the
day today comes from the third chapter of Galatians, I guess this will be
somewhat of a preview for the Monday night bible study class, since we are just
starting the third chapter of Galatians right now.
In the study of
the book of Galatians we will find that Paul was dealing with the issue of
false teachers. These were Jews that were teaching that one must be a Jew,
either by birth or by conversion, and agree to obey the Law of Moses in order
to assure you would have a place in heaven. Circumcision was spoken of as being
necessary for salvation, it was a badge of the law, it was an outward proof
that you were following the law.
The line between
Jews and Greeks, (Gentiles) was still being observed as a tradition of their
forefathers by the Jews. There was a Rabbinic prayer that was popular among the
Jews of that day. The Jewish man offering the prayer would thank God that he
was not born a Gentile, a slave or a woman. Paul covered these three categories
in this verse and showed clearly that in God sight they were all equal, and
that any and all lines between them had been erased.
It is a sad state
of affairs, but people still draw lines today. I was speaking to someone several
years ago and they told me that their church was where the more affluent people
go. Some will draw lines between denominations, which God never intended His
church to be divided up in. One of the primary themes of the first and second
chapters of Galatians was Paul’s visit to Jerusalem, to meet with some of the
Disciples there. Unity of the church and its gospel message was prevalent and
uppermost in Paul’s agenda. If this difference between the Jews and the Greeks
was allowed to be continued there would be a split in God’s Church. Some draw
lines between race or national origin. The terms, white or black churches is
still spoken of today and it is still accepted by people of all races. You will
see churches named Korean Baptist church, there is one here in Petersburg on E.
Washington Street. There are also Latino churches as well as other churches of
national origins. There are also certain political parties that are accepted by
particular churches, and if you are affiliated with another political party you
would not feel welcomed there, and possibly be ostracized from their
midst.
When one feels
more comfortable in a church where there are people from their own race,
national origin or political affiliation, that person has drawn a line that God
never meant to be drawn in His Church, a line that Jesus died on the cross to
eradicate.
Ephesians
2:19-20
19-Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s
people and also members of his household,
20-Built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief
cornerstone.
As seen throughout the history of the beginning of the
Christian Church, from the first service, during the festival of Pentecost,
through the writings of Paul, Peter and all the other New Testament writers,
there was a religious and social division between the Jews and The Gentiles.
For the most part the Jews considered the Gentiles sinners because they did not
have the Law and consequently could not follow the Law, which meant no
salvation for the Gentiles.
Jesus had instructed His apostles concerning the dividing
wall between the Jews and The Gentiles during His earthly ministry. This is
made clear through the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20), as well as the
last words of Jesus before He ascended to Heaven, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), We
see that Jesus dealt with Peter on this issue, as witnessed during the time of
the conversion of Cornelius and his household. Paul taught this during all of
his missionary journeys. With all of this information coming through Peter and
Paul straight from the risen Christ, there were still certain Jews that would
not accept the Gentiles unless they were converted to Judaism, agreed to be
circumcised and to follow the Law.
Verse 19 and 20 clearly shows that all people, not just the
Jews, are part of the Kingdom of God, members of His household and heirs to the
Royal Family of God. We included verse 20 in this writing today to show the
solid rock that this is built upon. Built on the foundations of the Apostles
and Prophets, this brought together the saints of the 6th
dispensation with the saints of all the previous dispensations. All people of
the world are recipients of the promise of Abraham (Genesis 17:1-27).
We are all not only full-fledged citizens of the Kingdom of
God we are complete and equal members of the Family of God, part of His
household.
Psalm
95: 6-7
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6-Come,
let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
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7-for
he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
Psalm
95 with eleven verses, does not have a title and the writer is not known
through the message brought forth in the Psalm itself. There is some
speculation among Bible scholars and teachers that the 7th verse
of Hebrews indicates that the writer is David. God again set a certain day, calling it "Today." This he
did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already
quoted: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." (Hebrews
4:7). In verses 7-8 in Psalm 95 it does say Today, if only you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. This
does seem to be a direct quote of the writer of Hebrews from the 95th
Psalm. Although there are multiple verses in the bible that speak of
hardening your hearts and hearing God’s voice there is none as specific as
the 7th verse in the 4th chapter of Hebrews.
This
Psalm is a call to worship, like church bells that ring out on a Sunday
morning, calling people to come, worship and praise God. The first seven
verses are a call to worship and the last three verses are a warning about
leaving God out of your life. Referring to the Children of Israel that had to
endure forty years of the wilderness, because of their lack of faith in God’s
promises, and the hardening of their own hearts.
Our
verses (6-7) this morning are calling us to worship and praise God. The words
here are also pointing out to us how much God loves us and wants to care for
us. These two verses do end with a qualifier, “if only you would hear his voice.”
Dear
friends, there is only one way that we will ever be able to hear His voice,
and that is through a deep devoted prayer life, and a committed daily time of
Bible Study. There also must be, in our hearts and souls, a hunger and thirst
for the true Word of God that will
allow us to have a close, sweet walk with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
We must also Love God with every fiber of our being, which will lead to
obedience to His teachings and a desire to want to take His gospel to the
ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
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Proverbs
22:6
6-Start children
off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn
from it.
Proverbs has 31
chapters and was penned by King Solomon during His reign as King of Israel,
somewhere around the time surrounding 900 BC. Proverbs seems to have been
written to show the relationship between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is an
accumulation of raw facts, where wisdom is the ability to perceive people and
events throughout our lives as God sees them. Moreover, wisdom is the ability
to use the knowledge we have gained to guide us in the path that God wills for
our lives.
Even if one reads
Proverbs in a hasty, routine fashion, it becomes very clear that the advice of
this great servant of God, King Solomon, is as applicable and significant in
this modern age, as it was three thousand years ago when it was written.
Start children off on the way they
should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it:
There was a time,
not so many years ago, that parents stayed together and raised their children
together. Many people, in those days would read the bible to their children,
tell them bible stories and explain the significance of the stories to their
lives. These children, of this long passed era, would be introduced to Jesus at
a very early age so even if they veered off the path that leads to Christ, they
would know where to find their way back home, to Jesus.
This nostalgia is
nice and in some respect soothing to reminisce upon. However, we are living in
a different world today, where children are exposed to the world in a way that
our grandparents and great grandparents could not have even comprehended. The
internet has opened access to a vast array of information, good and bad, and
the daunting task of today’s parents is to filter through all that data and
help our children separate the good from the bad.
With that said,
the Bible has not changed, even though the world today would not be
recognizable to someone from the 19th century or even parts of the
early 20th century. The need that our children have, that can only
come from the Word of God, is still as relevant today as it has always been.
Our delivery system may have changed over the years, but teaching our children
about the bible and introducing them to our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, is
still as imperative and crucial today, as it was in 900 BC when this great Book
of Proverbs was written.
Psalm
119:63-64
63-I am a friend
to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.
64-The earth is
filled with your love, LORD; teach me your decrees.
I am a friend to all who fear you,
to all who follow your precepts:
The verse of today is the 64th verse of this very familiar Psalm,
however we have added the previous verse since together they tell a story. The
Psalmist, as well as we ourselves, enjoy a special bond and friendship with all
people who truly follow Christ Jesus. This amazing and marvelous fellowship
cuts across lines of race, class, national origin and educational background.
The earth is filled with your love,
LORD; teach me your decrees:
Once we have experienced and begin to live in this extraordinary relationship
with others, that have surrendered themselves to God, we will feel the Love of
God that fills the entire world. Again, like the Psalmist, once this happens our
desire, our hunger and thirst for God’s Word will increase to a degree that we
heretofore have not even imagined.
This will begin a
cycle that will continue throughout this life. The quest and search for God,
through His Holy Word, will lead us to much gratification and fulfilment
which will lead us to a more profound pursuit of the truth through God’s Word,
which will in turn lead us to even more gratification and fulfilment.
This is what the
LORD says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your
God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you
should go.
The section of Isaiah that our verse this morning comes
from is chapters 40-48. This section has its foundation in the study of the one
true God as opposed to Idols. We see from this section of Isaiah how God used
Isaiah in a great and mighty way to comfort the generations of God’s people
even after his death. Isaiah lived and carried out his ministry between the
reigns of King Uzziah (767-740 BC) and King Hezekiah (716-642 BC). The book
itself is believed to have been written between 701 and 681 BC.
In this section (Chap. 40-48) we can see how God used
Isaiah (his writings) to comfort the generations of Israelites that were in
captivity in Babylon, which was after his life on this earth was over. Isaiah,
more than any other prophet, foretold of the glorious coming of the promised
Messiah, in the person of Christ Jesus.
God is saying to the readers of Isaiah, in this verse, that
He is our Lord and Savior (Redeemer)
who instructs and directs our ways. Today, as believers in Christ, we have the
permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, in the Old Testament times, the Holy
Spirit was there for the same purpose. The contrast between the Holy Spirt then
and now is that in the dispensations prior to the sixth dispensation, the Holy
Spirit would come upon someone for a specific reason, for a certain length of
time. The Holy spirit came upon those like Joshua (Numbers 27:18), David (1
Samuel 16:12-13), just to name a couple, we see this in many places throughout
the Old Testament.
The bottom line of this verse (Verse 17) is that no matter
what time period, during the life of Adam, when the flood waters came in Noah’s
time, when Moses led the people through 40 years in the wilderness. When Joshua
led the people in the conquest of the Promise Land, or today, as you and I seek
to serve God in the position He has called us to, His Holy Spirit will always
be there to teach, guide and direct us in the paths He desires us to follow.
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