ISAIAH’S CHRISTMAS QUESTION

ISAIAH 7:13

 

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. THE CRITICAL SITUATION [v. 1-7]

 

1. The Country’s Leadership had Gone Bad [v. 1]

 

2. The Country’s Confidence had Fallen [v. 2]

 

3. The Country’s Only Hope Had Spoken [v. 3-7]

 

II. THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY [v. 8-11]

 

1. Israel’s End Foretold [v. 8-9a]

 

2. Ahaz’s Chance Explained [v. 9b]

 

3. God’s Offer Extended [v. 10-11]

 

III. ONCE THE QUESTION IS ASKED, IT’S ALL IN THE RESPONSE [v. 12-14]

 

1. Rebellion Robs [v. 12a]

 

2. Religion Warps [v. 12b]

 

3. Jesus Saves [v. 13-14]

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How was David a man after God's own heart?

by the late Sumner Wemp

"David, a man after mine own heart" Acts 13:22.

 

Someone asked me, "How could God say that about David, the one who committed adultery and then murder". My answer is, "Because of David's confession and attitude in Psalms 51"
      

It is not just what you do but what you do with what you do that shows your true character.

 

"For ALL have sinned" Rom 3:23. We all know that but all do not admit it. Today, most Christians even play the blame game down to saying, the devil made me. Notice what all David said about his sin.

 
-He called them "My transgressions." and he asked for mercy.vs1

.

-He confessed his sin and asked "Wash me throughly from my iniquity and sin."  v. 2

-He said, "I admit my sin and my sin is ever before me" v. 3. No alibis, no dodging the issue. He is wide open with God. God wants that and likes that in all of us.

-"Against thee and thee only have I sinned" v. 4

-"Thou desirest truth in the inward parts" v. 6

-"Purge me and I shall be whiter than snow. v. 7. He wants real forgiveness and cleansing. We must be conscious of the gravity of our sin.

 

- "Hide thy face from my sins" v. 9. He was ashamed. That I believe is vital. "Were they ashamed, no they were not ashamed, neither could they blush [Jer. 6:15]  David was  ashamed,  we are not! Are you ashamed that you do not "give the gospel to every person" and give them a chance to go to heaven like someone gave you or even just a very few?

   
-"Renew a right spirit in me" v. 10.  "attitude determines latitude" - how far and how much God can do with us when we have sinned is determined by our attitude.

 
-"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" v. 12 The joy of the Lord is your strength and multitudes do not have the real joy of the Lord abounding in them. He cannot use them.
      

-"Then will I teach transgressors they ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee" v.14. When only 2 % of believers witness and actually lead souls to Christ, you wonder where in the world is the joy of the Lord that makes you witness - share the gospel. The final command, and it is a COMMAND, of Jesus to every believer, not a suggestion for a few, is "preach, GIVE the gospel to EVERY person." The person at your door, the waiter, waitress, the clerk, etc. Do YOU do it?

There are 50 million born again Christians in America. If each one led just ONE person to Christ this year, at the end we would have 100 million born again Christians. Next year, each one leads just ONE more to Christ we would then ave 200,000 million born again Christians. THAT would change our nation dramatically.

 

"Thou desirest not sacrifice" v. 16. He does not want religious deeds, Multitudes try to  appease God with more religious works rather than being wide open with God and confessing sins and obeying God's final command. "Preach the gospel to EVERY person. "To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, it is sin".

This may be the most important verse and admission of David. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise, reject. v. 17. Dear friend when have you had a broken heart and wept over your sin. That to me, is the most important part of restoration and forgiveness. It is desperately missing in our lives and churches today. We carry that big smile when there is not real joy of the Lord bursting out from us.

This is why God said, "David is a man after my own heart."  Are you one God can say that about?  When have you wept over your sin and confessed it like David did.

 

Give a "Ticket to Heaven" to every person. Order online or call 1-877-872-2871 to order my tract "Your Ticket to Heaven." Mark 16:15. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

JOHN R. RICE QUOTES OF THE WEEK

I was having a book published by Moody Press some years ago, The Soul-Winner's Fire. Good Dr. Norman said, Brother Rice, we don't put a capital H in heaven."
I said, "Do you spell Chicago with a capital C?"
"Yes."
"Do you spell New York with a capital N.Y.?"
"Yes."
"Do you spell Dallas with a capital D?"
"Yes."
"Well, let's spell Heaven with a capital H. It is a real place."
And so it was done! - John R. Rice

Thank God, Jesus is the Way. He said, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
"What church shall I join?" Just join Jesus, then join some church to serve Him. But don't join any church to be saved; join Jesus Christ.
"What way shall I be baptized?" Don't be baptized to get to Heaven; get baptized after you have Jesus and salvation.
"What is the true doctrine?" No doctrine will take you to Heaven. the thing you need to do is come to Jesus and depend on Him. And when you take Him, you have it. - John R. Rice

It isn't what church; it is what Saviour. It is not what doctrine, it is what Saviour. And in John 1:11 and 12 we read, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power...." Those who received Jesus. Received whom? The preacher? No, Jesus. Received what church? No, not a church - Jesus. What doctrine? Not a doctrine - Jesus.
You say, "How did they feel?" I don't know. They received Jesus. Never mind about the feeling.
One who has Jesus has salvation. - John R. Rice

One may speak against Christ and have forgiveness, but "whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him," we are told. I do not think He means simply saying some word about the Holy Spirit; I think that here the Lord Jesus meant that confrontation when the Spirit presses upon a man's conscience his need, his guilt, his awful danger, and when a man eventually, after long pleading, and after saying "No" many times, at last, so definitely, so deliberately, fights off the Holy Spirit that his will is hardened, his sinful state is congealed permanently, and the Holy Spirit at last, offended, goes away never to warn again. That is the unpardonable sin. - John R. Rice

Oh, these walls of jasper, those foundation stones of precious jewels! Those gates of pearl, those streets of gold! Oh, thou pure river of water of life flowing down from the throne, with the trees of life on either side bringing forth twelve manner of fruit, a fruit every month! Oh, that city where there is no night and no sin, no sorrow, no weeping any more! that city where the roses never fade, where old age never stiffens the limbs and dull the memory and dim the eye! that city where there is no need for the sun, for the Lord God and the Lamb are the light of it! Oh, beautiful, heavenly city prepared for all the saints of God! Heaven is calling. God wants you there, dear sinner.  - John R. Rice

I am deeply grateful to God for His blessings on America, for His blessings on my family, for His blessings on Sword of the Lord Foundation, and for helping us get out the Gospel everywhere. We can thank God that although there are a lot of things wrong in America, the blessing of God has been upon us as on no other nation. Let us be sure to give God the glory.
I am glad that our forefathers had i...t in the plan for a proclamation of thanksgiving, when people would be called to give thanksgiving to God, just as in the time of war and trouble Abraham Lincoln called for a day of fasting and prayer. So Thanksgiving is a national holiday, stemming from the time when God intended and when people intended there should be a nation under God with His blessing.
...So this Thanksgiving time, praise God for Christ that is everywhere told in the Bible and could not be doubted by an honest heart. - John R. Rice

 

When a gift is offered free, you may do one of two things: you may take it gladly and say, "Thank you," or if you hate the one who offers it, you may turn it down- and that is what wicked men do when they reject salvation. But salvation is free, and Jesus knocks at your heart's door today, holding out to you salvation and forgiveness and eternal life and a home in Heaven. Oh, take it, friend, today; it is free!  - John R. Rice

Being Thankful for Grace

November 27, 2014 Being Thankful for Grace "Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." (Romans 5:20)   This is the day which Americans set aside to reflect on the blessings of God which have been showered on us in the previous year. All other holidays, even Christmas and Easter, can be skewed into a non-Christian meaning, but not Thanksgiving. Historically, it was a time to give thanks to God for the bountiful harvest, and experientially, while there are those to whom we should give thanks for particular favors, there is only one to whom we can give thanks for the blessings of life. Nothing else makes sense.   Christians, of course, have much more for which to give thanks than the non-believer, or at least they have the eyes with which to see and the heart with which to recognize God's blessings. Indeed, Paul instructs us that "in every thing [we should] give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18); the tense of the verb implying a habitual, continual thanksgiving.   But specifically, we should be thankful for His grace, which, as explained in our text, completely overwhelmed our sin and instead brought salvation and freedom from guilt. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).   Note that in our text the word "abound" appears three times. Both the offense and sin exist in abundance. But the abundance of grace comes from a different Greek word which means literally "to exist in superabundance." But there is more. It is further modified by the prefix "much more," implying a grace that is beyond superabundance.   On this special day of thanksgiving, let us not fail to include in those things for which we are thankful the overwhelmingly superabundant grace of God. JDM     The information in this post was provided by ICR- for whom I am thankful and I highly recommend their ministry.  Subscribe

BLESSED THANKSLIVING

                                                                                                         Pastor Rick Jackson

 

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

 Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful

 

I. FOUR THANKSGIVING ACTIONS [Psalm 100]

 

1. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD [v. 1]

2. Serve the LORD with gladness [v. 2a]

3. Come before his presence with singing [v. 2b-3]

4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving [v. 4-5]

 

II. FOUR THANKSGIVING TRAGEDIES [Rm. 1:21]

 

1. They knew God but Glorified Him Not

2. They were Not Thankful

3. They Became Vain in their Imagination

4. Their Foolish Hearts were Darkened

 

III. FOUR THANKSGIVING IMPERATIVES FOR CHRISTIANS [Col. 3:12-17]

 

1. Clothe Yourself with Attributes of Christ [v. 12-14]

2. Let God Rule in a Thankful Heart [v. 15]

3. Let God’s Word Overflow All You Are [v. 16]

4. Let Your Actions Glorify Him [v. 17]

The Circle of the Earth

-->

[from October 13, 2014] The Circle of the Earth "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." (Isaiah 40:22)   The discovery that the world is round is considered one of man's greatest scientific achievements, often wrongly attributed to Christopher Columbus. Columbus was, indeed, a courageous thinker and explorer, as well as a Bible-believing Christian, but many scholars had long before so concluded, and many people had already migrated to the New World.   As far as the sphericity of the earth is concerned, the "flat-earth" myth of the Middle Ages was not the belief of many scholars of antiquity. The Bible, in particular, never hints of a drop-off point at the earth's edge or any such notion as that. Its few references to "the four corners" of the earth (e.g., Isaiah 11:12) literally mean "the four quarters of the earth"—that is, the four quadrants of the compass.   In our text for the day, the word for "circle" is translated "compass" in Proverbs 8:27: "[God] set a compass upon the face of the depth" (same as "deep," referring to the ocean). Other occurrences are in Job 26:10: "He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end," and Job 22:14: "[God] walketh in the circuit of heaven." All of these passages are best understood in terms of a spherical earth, with its basic shape at sea level determined by its ocean surface as controlled by gravity. The Hebrew word itself (khug) basically means a circle. Any vertical cross-section through the earth's center is a "great circle," of course, with any "straight" line on the ocean surface actually representing an arc of such a circle.   This is only one of many "pre-scientific" insights of the Bible written by divine inspiration long before the rise of modern science. HMM     The information in this post was kindly provided by the highly recommended folks at ICR | Subscribe

THE GREAT DANGER OF NOT LISTENING

JEREMIAH 27-28

 

THE GREAT DANGER OF NOT LISTENING

 

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. LISTENING TO GOD IS THE WAY TO MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION [Jeremiah 27]

 

1. God’s Message to the Gentile Coalition [v. 1-11]

 

2. God’s Message to King Zedekiah of Judah [v. 12-15]

 

3. God’s Message to the Jews [v. 16-22]

 

II. LISTENING TO GOD IS THE WAY TO AVOID FAKE GOOD NEWS [Jeremiah 28:1-11]

 

1. Hannaniah’s False Prophecy [v. 1-4, 2nd Timothy 4:1-3]

 

2. Jeremiah’s True Prophecy [v. 5-9]

 

3. Hannaniah’s Big Mistake [v. 10-11]

 

III. LISTENING TO GOD IS THE WAY TO AVOID CROSSING THE LINE [Jeremiah 28:12-17]

 

1. God to Jeremiah [v. 12-14]

 

2. Jeremiah to Hannaniah [v. 15-16]

 

3. Hannaniah to God [v. 17, Hebrews 9:27]

DAVID’S CHRISTMAS QUESTION

DAVID’S CHRISTMAS QUESTION

 

Hebrews 2:6

 

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

I. DAVID’S WORSHIP PROMPTED THE QUESTION [Psalm 144:1-2]

 

1. He Worshipped God for His Empowerment for Battle [v. 1]

 

2. He Worshipped God for His Empowerment for Living [v. 2a]

 

3. He Worshipped God for His Salvation [v. 2b]

 

II. DAVID’S WONDERMENT PROMPTED THE QUESTION [Psalm 144:3-15]

 

1. It is Wondrous that God would even Acknowledge Man [v. 3-4]

 

2. It is Wondrous that God would Visit Man [v. 3, 5-15]

 

3. It is Wondrous that God would Redeem man [v. 2, 7, 10-11]

 

III. DAVID’S WITNESS EXPANDED THE QUESTION [Hebrews 2]

 

1. Salvation’s Personal [v. 1-4]

 

2. Salvation’s Person [v. 5-8]

 

3. Salvation’s Purpose [v. 9-18]

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What happened? America's dramatic shift toward secularism

One Nation Under . . . ? At one time in the past, the people of the United States generally knew who ruled over the affairs of men—the Creator God of the Bible. They even put His name on their coins and currency. In just one generation that attitude has changed. What happened?   Get Answers →   Get Equipped State of the Nation DVDs Purchase the DVD Set  〉

Book Review: Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation Biblical truth is by no means at odds with observational science, and it will triumph over man's godless assertions. How Domestic Cats Differ from Wildcats and Other Carnivores Scientists have identified some of the genes that equip cats to be great predators as well as genes that make domestic varieties content to share your affection and your home. Some Ramblings from Down Under World leaders recently got together to pass resolutions that will continue the secularization of nations and the increasing rebellion against God and His Word. Ken Ham Rides the Zip Lines! For his birthday, Ken Ham, the CEO and founder of the Creation Museum, decided it was time to try out our popular Screaming Raptor Zip Lines.

Media The Wonder of the Cell

Events

Copyright (C) 2014 Answers In Genesis All rights reserved.

The material in this post was kindly provided by the good folks at: Answers In Genesis · 2800 Bullittsburg Church Rd · Petersburg, KY 41080 · USA Highly recommended!

Please visit our help area.