Sunday, March 17, 2024

DON’T FRET, DON’T FEAR, DON’T FORGET

PSALM 37

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. DON’T FRET [v. 1-11]

1. Your Fret is Foolish Considering 

[v. 1-2, 9-10]

2. Your Task is Faith Continually 

[v. 3-8, Mark 11:22]

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

3. Your Future is Fixed Concretely 

[v. 11]

 

II. DON’T FEAR [v. 12-22]

1. Consider What God Says about the Wicked

[v. 12-15]

2. Consider What God Says about the Righteous

[v. 16-19]

3. Consider What God Says about the Future

[v. 20-22]


III. DON’T FORGET [v. 23-40]

1. Live the Life of Delighting 

[v. 23-31]

2. Live the Life of Waiting 

[v. 32-36]

3. Live the Life of Trusting 

[v. 37-40]

Saturday, March 16, 2024

John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

 When Christians pray, they are not TELLING God; they are ASKING Him. Every prayer, to please God, must be offered with a surrendered heart, willing for God to answer in His own way, for His own glory. - John R. Rice [Healing in Answer to Prayer, page 24]


Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean that a Christian will never have trouble. But in trouble he can have the sweetest peace all the time. I do not mean that a Christian will never be sick. But in the sickness he can have the ever-present nearness consciously, of the Holy Spirit. I do not mean that a Christian will never have any problems. But I mean that he can daily take those problems to God and have them settled, without any fret, without any of the unrest that comes from unbelief. A Christian can take his burdens to the Lord and leave them there day by day and have perfect peace. And the only way he can do this is by prayer, regular prayer with supplication and thanksgiving about every problem. - John R. Rice [How to Get Things from God, pg. 13]


For every sinner that will be dragged out of Hell to this last judgment, Jesus died. To every one of them He was offering salvation. Their sins were paid for on the cross. We are told that "He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). With what agony! what love! what mercy! Jesus provided the way of escape for these sinners at infinite cost to Himself! He did not want them to come to this place of judgment. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). Again we are told that He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). Jesus came into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." All these have come to this awful moment because they would not take mercy when it was offered, they would not heed when they were called, they would not receive the salvation that was offered. To all these Jesus longed to be Saviour. Since they would not receive Him as Saviour now they must face Him as Judge. - John R. Rice [When Skeletons Come Out of Their Closets, pg. 16]


One of the wonderful things about the love and grace of God is that His arms of compassion are enough to take in the whole world. - John R. Rice [Sword of the Lord, 2-22-2019, pg. 13]


All of us want to think that we are better than others, different from others. But God's Word thunders back that we are no better than others, no different from others, "For there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." - John R. Rice [All Have Sinned, pg. 3]


Lying is a terrible sin and involves decay in character. The man who gets to where he can lie and not rebuke himself but excuse it somewhat, will go further; and a man who would lie, eventually may steal. He has already let down the bars, he has already broken off one corner of his integrity.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness. . . . " To be deceitful is a terrible thing! - John R. Rice [Favorite Chapters of the Bible, pgs. 77-78]


The Holy Spirit is called "the Comforter" by our Saviour (John 14:16, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7). This "Comforter" is a translation of the Greek word parakletos, meaning "one called alongside." So the blessed Holy Spirit is alongside of every Christian. Better yet, the Saviour said in John 14:17, "Ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." The Holy Spirit dwelled with the apostles before the resurrection. But in the future after Christ was glorified, the Holy Spirit is promised to be within us. So when Jesus rose from the dead, He breathed on the disciples and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:22). Now from that time, every saved person has the Holy Spirit abiding in his body. - John R. Rice [How to Get Things from God, pg. 41-42]


And those who sing, "Oh, How I Love Jesus," but do not love him a dime's worth out of a dollar will not get far in their praying. If you cannot trust God to supply your need and to repay you for all the tithes and offerings you bring in for Him, you have not much faith. - John R. Rice [Hindrances to Prayer, page 22]

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?

2 KINGS 14

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

Read the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles and you’ll discover some material that seems repetitive, because these books sometimes recount the same event from a somewhat different perspective. They all are inspired but like the gospels in the New Testament the Holy Spirit had the writer emphasize different things He wanted to emphasize. That is His prerogative. You also learn that there were good kings and evil kings whose lives are recounted in Holy Writ. Sometimes a king listed as “good” did bad things- sometimes a king listed as “evil” did good things. What was the difference maker? Let’s check out two kings and see.

 

I. AMAZIAH- THE “PRETTY” KING OF JUDAH

1. He was “Pretty” Good [v. 1-4]

2. He Was “Pretty” Tough [v. 5-7]

3. He was “Pretty” Arrogant [v. 8-12]

 

II. JEHOASH- THE “FAIR” KING OF ISRAEL

1. He was “Fairly” Reasonable [v. 9-10]

2. He Was “Fairly” Thorough [v. 13-16]

3. He was “Fairly” Accurate [v. 10, 17-20]

 

III. YAHWEH [JEHOVAH] - THE DIFFERENCE MAKING GOD

1. God Sees [v. 23-24]

2. God Speaks [v. 25]

when anyone listens it makes the difference in their life [Jm. 1:18-19, Rm. 2:8-11, Ga. 5:7, 1 Peter 4:17-18]

-Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

-But unto them that are contentious , and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.

-Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

-For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

3. God Saves [v. 26-29]

Sunday, March 10, 2024

WHAT MANNER OF WOMAN?

Luke 7:36-50

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. WHAT MANNER OF WOMAN BY REPUTATION [v. 36-47]

1. Luke Knew She Was a Sinner [v. 36-38, Rm. 3:10, 23]

- As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

- For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

2. Simon Implied She Was a Notorious Sinner [v. 39]

3. Jesus Said She Was a Woman of Many Sins [v. 40-47]

 

II. WHAT MANNER OF WOMAN BY FORGIVENESS [v. 47-50]

1. Her Love Shows She is Forgiven [v. 47, I John 4:19]

We love him, because he first loved us.

2. God’s Word Says She is Forgiven [v. 48]

3. God’s Word Says She is Saved by Faith [v. 49-50, Eph. 2:8-9]

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

III. WHAT MANNER OF WOMAN BY DEMONSTRATION [v. 36-50]

1. She Demonstrated Her Repentance [v. 36-38, 2 Cor. 7:10]

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2. She Demonstrated Her Love [v. 39-47, 1 Cor. 13:1-7]

THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

3. She Demonstrated Her Faith [v. 44-50, James 2:18-26]

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Friday, March 08, 2024

John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

 No one can honestly say that in the Bible there is a wall set up against sinners who are penitent, who long for mercy and forgiveness, who want to know the true God and to serve Him! No, the way is open for sinners who want forgiveness and salvation. If they do not have the light, it will be given as they follow on. - John R. Rice [Great Men of the Bible, page 227]


There is a horrible moral guilt in anyone who will not admit the deity of Jesus Christ, because every sinner could KNOW about the deity of Christ if he honestly wanted to know, if he honestly followed what light he had. Jesus said in John 7:17, to certain doubters, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Again He said in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." I have no patience for the man who says, "I do not believe in the electric light," and will not try the switch to see for himself. And so any man who does not search the Scriptures, who does not honestly seek the Lord Jesus for himself, who does not put the matter of salvation to a test, is a dishonest sinner, condemned because he does not want to know the truth and does not follow on to know it. - John R. Rice [Revival Appeals, pg. 105-106]


God's wonderful plan of salvation would never have been planned by men. All the false religions of the world put the emphasis on man's goodness or man's works or human ceremonies, or human institutions or merits, instead of on the unmerited grace of God for Hell-deserving sinners. - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 155]


It is not enough to know the Bible; the Pharisees knew it but didn't follow it. - John R. Rice [The Bible Garden, pg. 84]


Every Christian should set out to live for God and grow in grace and knowledge of God, and then set out to have the power of God and witness to souls day by day. Why don't you set a quota for yourself and make plans to win many, many souls to God and so have a great rejoicing when you meet Jesus? - John R. Rice [Wonderful Bible Truth, pg. 31]


You say, "Well, I am going to try to quit this and quit that." I hope you do. Anybody ought to set out to do right. But, oh, you have to have Jesus fix things inside. You need God to forgive your sins, change your heart and make you right inside. And God wants to do that. There is no cure for a bad tongue except to cure a bad heart. There is no cure for profane language until you cure the profanity of the heart inside. - John R. Rice [Ten Commandments Part One, pg. 17]


I am glad that God's Spirit eagerly makes a way for people to find the way and be saved if they seek that Truth with all their hearts. But there is no shortcut in it. No one bypasses the Gospel. All the good intentions of Cornelius would do no good if he did not hear the Gospel. An angel from Heaven could not tell him. Some other Christian must bring him the word. So an angel from Heaven told Cornelius to send to Joppa to the house of Simon the tanner to inquire for Simon Peter, "who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." Ah, God will not save Cornelius without the Gospel. - John R. Rice [Great Men of the Bible, page 229]

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

THE GREAT NEED FOR EVERY HOUR

2 KINGS 11

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

The great need for every hour is revival. We need revival. World-wide revival. National revival. Area-wide revival. Local revival. City-wide revival. Church revival. Family revival. Personal revival. Psalms 85:6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Revival. Habakkuk 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. Revival. This is the great need for every hour. Revival.

 

I. SATAN’S WOMAN

1. The Devil’s Disciple [v. 1, John 8:44]

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning

2. The Lord’s People [v. 2]

3. The Hidden Hope [v. 3, Psalms 119:114]

Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

 

 II. GOD’S MAN

1. The Explanation [v. 4-8]

2. The Coronation [v. 9-12]

3. The Execution [v. 13-16]

 

III. MANKIND’S HOPE

1. The Covenant [v. 17]

2. The Commitment [v. 18]

3. The Calm [v. 19-21, Proverbs 28:15,  29:2; Ephesians 6:12]

-As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

-When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

-For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Monday, March 04, 2024

A WOMAN WITH ISSUES

MARK 5:21-34

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. HER PROBLEMS [v. 25-26]

1. Bad Issues [v. 25]

2. Bad Ideas [v. 26]

3. Bad Increases [v. 26]

 

II. HER PERCEPTION [v. 24-28]

1. Jesus is Working [v. 24-27]

2. Jesus is Willing [v. 27-28]

3. Jesus is Worthy [v. 27-28, 33]

 

III. HIS PRONOUNCEMENTS [v. 30-34]             


Any time the focus is off us and on Jesus is a good time.


1. Jesus Knows Himself [v. 30-31, Luke 8:44-46]

Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

2. Jesus Knows Her  [v. 32-33, Jn. 2:25]

And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

3. Jesus Knows His Own [v. 34, Jn. 10:14, 27]

- I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

- My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

 
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